Today's outgoing

I forgot to get a picture but I sent out four items today - two postcards and two notecards. Two were to people on Sendsomething and two were to LetterMo folks.

When I took the mail to the box, the mail hadn't run yet and I haven't been back so I don't know if I received anything today. Hopefully, if I did, it's more than junk mail!

I have a long shift at work tomorrow but plan to do a bit of letter writing in the evening.

Happy Friday eve, y'all. ;-)

LetterMo 2016, anyone?

I'm not sure if LetterMo is on for 2016 but if it is I'll join and if it isn't, I'll still send out at least one piece of mail each day the postal service runs in the month of February. My hands are again causing issues so I don't guarantee long letters or beautifully decorated envelopes. In fact, some items sent might be post cards or just short notes. I'm okay with that, though, because I'll be writing again. I've missed it horribly.

To gear up for February, I sent out Christmas cards this year, something I haven't done in 20 or so years! A few months ago I finally joined the Letter Writers Alliance so some of you might get a note written on one of their nifty products.

I've lost touch with so many of my pen pals and it saddens me but when my hands are at their worst I can barely open a door, much less hold a pen long enough to compose a letter. I know I could use my computer but really, why bother? If I'm going to do that I might just as well send email!

Anyway, I'm glad the holiday season is over and I look forward to a great new year starting soon.

Happy 2016!

LetterMo 2014 - I'm in!

I've been putting off the decision of whether or not to participate in LetterMo this year. I have a lot going on but the biggest issue is my hands. For some time now I've been in a lot of pain with them, my forearms, and shoulders. In fact, that pain is one of the reasons I bombed last year during LetterMo.

For awhile I thought the pain was caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome then I started to think the cause might be something else. Finally, when the pain got to the point of keeping me up crying at night, I went to my physician. She diagnosed me with Diabetic Neuropathy and prescribed Lyrica. She suspects I may also have Fibromyalgia but we'll pursue that theory later.

I absolutely detest prescription drugs but as a Diabetic Type 1 I use insulin and some necessary medications and understand that not all are the devil. I wrestled with the Lyrica idea for awhile, about three minutes, but knew that without intervention I was doomed. Not only was I in agony a good deal of the time, I'd gotten to the point of dropping items and a small amount of muscle wasting had begun. I had to do something. It's been a little more than two weeks since starting Lyrica and the relief I've experienced is nothing short of amazing.

I have mild side effects, mainly Vertigo (something I had before Lyrica but that seems to be a bit aggravated by the new medication) and sleepiness not long after taking it. Those have improved in the last week, though. I still hurt at times, most often when I wake in the mornings and in the late evenings, but the pain is nothing compared to what it was. I actually sleep now, better than I have in years. I'm able to hold a book or my Kindle again, I can prepare a meal without discomfort or dropping a pan and best of all, I can write letters again!

I've only written a couple of short letters so far. My handwriting has suffered and I'm working on improving it but if you want to take a chance on me, send me a note or letter to the address on the right side of your screen.

Zeus willing and the creek don't rise I'll succeed at sending you a reply!

Outgoing for the second day of LetterMo

Friday night a friend of mine came over and brought stationery, note cards, stickers and such. We went out for Chinese food then came back here and spent the evening making envelopes and writing letters. We had a great time, made a lot of mess, and stayed up until close to 4 AM! I think we did more talking and laughing than actual work but that's okay.

I can't tell you the last time I stayed up that late and having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of was great. I really wish I could find others interested in this stuff but so far no luck. Well, I posted an ad on CL recently looking for other fans of letter writing and got one response from a woman in a town an hour and a half from me. We're too far apart to meet often but have agreed to write one another and perhaps meet for coffee in the near future. It's a start and hopefully will lead to something similar to Jan's Write To Delight writing club. I would love to have a group like that in my area so I'm trying to think of ways to find others. Maybe it will work out. Who knows?

I was so very tired Saturday after staying up late that I forgot to take a picture of my outgoing mail but I sent out two letters and two postcards that day. 

I have a very long work shift tomorrow so I doubt that I'll write any letters or postcards. I have some things ready to send out, though, and will try to remember to get a picture of those.

I hope your Sunday is lovely!

On the first day of LetterMo....

I sent out to my friends,
One postcard and a letter that was
A reply!

Okay, so it's sung to a tune we all know and love (?!) but I sent two items, not one so sing it as though it's the second day of LetterMo. ;-)

Fabulous mail Friday and an advance apology

I just got home from my errands and of course, one of the stops was at the post office. It takes strength to not go there every day but it's a bit out of my way so I aim for two or three times a week and try to go while I'm already out and about. Some weeks I succeed and others I fail. This week I've succeeded. Go me! Anyway, I only had three pieces of outgoing mail and two were to South Korea and Vietnam. I forgot to ask the clerk how long it will take those to arrive but hopefully they won't take too long.

Incoming mail for today is fabulous, y'all! Each piece is so wonderful that I'm going to show them individually. I should probably do that all the time but....

From Alice in Peculiar, MO (what a great town name!) I received a wonderfully informative letter and a big brown envelope with two hand stitched kitchen towels! How cute they are! And the envelopes have some very cool stamps on them, a few of which I'd not seen before.

From Beth in Oregon, I got a very neat looking note card (it just screams "Spring!") with a lovely letter written inside. She did pretty doodles on the envelope and I love it, especially the band on the left side of the envelope and the colors in my name. 

TMC, from Return to Rural, is gearing up for LetterMo and working on garland and such so she sent me a decorated postcard. T, I love this card, especially the color combination with that silver! Oh la la!

Limner, of Oh, Write Me!, sent a blank postcard of a kitteh and she colored said feline's eyes green like Sammy's. Swoon! She also included a very sweet little note. I absolutely love this postcard, in part because of the "Curb Your Dog" sign! And the "db" on the envelope made my heart pound a bit faster. I just love everything about this.

And last but definitely not least, I received a beautiful handmade card from a very dear personal friend of mine. She doesn't have much experience with letter writing but is joining in LetterMo this year. I recently sent her a little card and note and this is what I received in return. Wow, that's pretty wonderful for someone who "doesn't write letters and isn't creative"! Those are her words, not mine. You can't tell by the picture but the word "Love" on the front is cut out. 

Each of you has made today one absolutely marvelous mail day. Thank you so much!

Now for the apology. I've said before I'm not artistic and not creative and I mean that. I've spent hours looking at your blogs and photos and those of so many people who seem to have talent for this stuff. Some of what I see out there just makes me weak in the knees, it's so creative or beautiful or eye catching. I'm getting ideas here and there and have been practicing on plain paper. Today I graduated to real envelopes and postcard sized pieces of paper and some of you will soon be my guinea pigs. So, I apologize in advance for ugly envies and cards, paint that runs, edges that may be torn, and glitter that doesn't survive USPS. Please know my heart is in the right place. :)

Now I'm off to find ways to display some of these marvelous creations I've received!

How odd...I met a pen maker on National Handwriting Day!

Today, in honor of National Handwriting Day, I used my neatest and most elaborate penmanship to mark cups. Most of my customers were surprised to see the ornate script and more than a few asked where I learned to write in such a way. When I told them I learned it in elementary school they seemed a bit puzzled, even the older customers. It never entered my mind that the trend of lessening the importance of cursive writing isn't a new one but one that's been around awhile, at least in certain areas. Quite a few people around my age, 50, didn't learn cursive or if they did, it was a barely touched upon subject. They find printing to be easier and don't see the appeal of cursive. I confess that too often when I write a letter, especially a longer one, I don't take enough care to make my letters as well formed and graceful as I should. I get lazy and I'm going to try to improve that but it seems that I think in cursive and it comes quite naturally to me.

One of my customers today was an older gentleman who ordered a cup of brewed coffee and sat down at a table, pen and writing tablet before him. The morning was slow and as I cleaned the tables around him we got into a discussion about writing and how so many people don't send letters and cards now. It turns out he lives in a town not too far from me and makes pens! The pen he used was a bolt action bullet pen. It was very cool, indeed. We discussed his pen making shop and website and before long his wife showed up and let me try out the three pens she had in her purse. Each of them was nice and wrote well but I preferred the feel of the Art Deco pen as far as hand feel and weight. He even makes fountain pens and uses rosewood on request. Be still my rosewood fountain pen loving heart! I chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Moore for awhile and they invited me to visit their studio and said maybe when I visit they'll help me make my own pen. How cool is that, folks?? You can bet I plan to visit their studio soon. I really can't think of a lovelier way to spend a few hours. Mr. Moore told me that the prices for his pens are now lower than the website shows so if you find one there you like, I encourage you to contact him for current pricing.

Oh, and today I found some great deals in Target's One Spot. I bought several packages of note card sets for $1. Most contain 8 cards and envelopes but some have 10 of each. A couple of them are red and perfect for Valentine's Day and all are just plain every day cute! They also had packages of acid-free papers for $1 so I got a couple of those. With LetterMo right around the corner, it doesn't hurt to have a nice stash of inexpensive note card sets and papers so if you need some more note cards check your local Target.

I've decided to wait until Friday to go again to the post office but my home mail brought me some goodies. I received the copy of "Stolen Sharpie Revolution" I recently bought and my order of stationery, postcards, and a pen from Missive Maven's Etsy shop. The postcards are wonderful and now I wish I'd ordered more!

Have a wonderful evening and I wish you the best of mail tomorrow!

Letters, pen pals & smash books

Smash books remind me of the crazy little journals I kept as a youngster and the supplies available for making this modern version of the scrap book/art journal are just too much for me to resist any longer. I've seen some very cool smash books and decided today that it was time to combine my curiosity of them with letter writing and pen pals. I have a small stash of Moleskines I haven't used yet and one of those will be my first smash book.

I think I might start a round robin sort of thing and send the smash book to others who are interested in adding to it then sending it on to the next person or back to me. If I do that, anyone would be welcome, even those who, like me, aren't very creative. Those interested in art/journaling would be welcome to add whatever they choose to it. I think it could be a neat project and a lot of fun.

I'm also going to use one of my larger Moleskines to create a new correspondence smash log. I'm not sure yet exactly how I'll do it but I think it would be wise to organize it by date rather than person. Perhaps a tab for the month then fill the pages with notes about what I received from whom, what I sent out and to whom, photos of the actual letters, my thoughts on them, etc. It would certainly be more interesting than the spiral notebooks I've used all these years! I don't think I'll switch entirely to that concept for keeping track of correspondence because that would be too time consuming for me. But to make one now and then would be fun, I think.

Today I picked up a few things for LetterMo, general correspondence and creating the small smash book. I just happened on them and had a few dollars on me so I bought what I could; stickers, three small booklets of pages, some smash tape, and a smash pen.

Be still, my heart!

Tuesday postal miscellaneous

When I got off work today, the roads were a bit too slick for the trip to the post office so I just came home. In my home box, there was one piece of mail; junk from an insurance company. I opened it to see if any of it was useful to me and added the enclosed return envelope to my growing stash of pattern envelopes.

Other than that, it's been a very slow day so I've perused the web looking for stories and pictures of vintage mail what have you. I found this very short blurb and photo from a 1935 newspaper.

I think that's one of the most creative uses I've heard of for a toy train!

The January letter requests for More Love Letters have been posted. They need to be postmarked by January 25th so I need to get started on those. 

And check out this letter a blogger got from Will Smith... five years after the blogger wrote Will asking for an autograph! Better late than never. ;)

LetterMo starts in 16 days and I'm ready! Are you?

Incoming for January 9th

I haven't checked my PO box since Saturday and am glad I went by after work, even though I was exhausted from getting little sleep last night and a long work shift today and just wanted to come home, put on my PJs, and collapse on the couch.

I received a postcard from one of the mail artists I hear from occasionally, a letter from Jan over at Of Bibles, books, and letters..., a postcard from Joe Geronimo, who is participating in LetterMo, a postcard from Pamela, a member of a letter writing Yahoo group I'm in, and a letter from LR McArthur. LR found my address on a reply to a post at Make Every Day a Good Mail Day and in her words, "felt inspired to write". The letter she sent me is great and I'm looking forward to writing my reply.

I also got a letter from someone in New York and am not sure where she got my address but the envelope is adorable. I love the shades of blue and the taxis!

Thanks for the incoming love, y'all. You've made today a great mail day, indeed. 

LetterMo, my father the postman, and Kevin Costner

Yesterday, I finished making my list of folks to send to during LetterMo. It looks as though I'll be sending a lot more than 23 pieces of mail and I'm okay with that. Hopefully I'll have a good response rate and the more mail sent and received, the better.

On Pinterest last night I saw a vintage photo of a mail carrier. I thought it looked familiar but couldn't place it so I clicked and lo and behold it led to Delivering the Mail, a short but lovely photographic recap of how mail delivery used to be. I had that bookmarked a few years ago but lost it in a crash. Rediscovering it was a wonderful end to my evening.

Speaking of vintage and postal, my father was a postman. He started working for the postal service in Dallas soon after we moved there in 1962 and took medical retirement sometime around 1982. I grew up seeing him in his blue uniform, carrying the then common leather mail bag. When he came home in the afternoons, the bag was usually empty but if it held a surprise for me, he'd plop the leather bundle on the living room floor, inviting me to look through it. Sometimes I'd find a piece of candy or a small toy and on special occasions a postcard or bookmark. To this day, I can't see a leather mail bag without wondering what's in it!

On top of Daddy's chest of drawers was a collection of paper clips, thumb tacks, pens, pencil stubs, stamps, and rubber thumb covers. Remember those thumb covers? They weren't the very thin kind you find now in office supply stores. They were thick and didn't easily fold or roll. There was always a stack of three or four of them, discolored and worn from use, ready to grab as he headed out the door before the sun rose. He would occasionally let me play with them and I remember well thinking they smelled not like rubber but like paper, ink, and the adventures of some kind of hero.

Yes, its no surprise I'm a mail loving gal. I have "The Postman", one of my favorite films, sitting by my television and this evening Sammy and I will curl up on the couch and watch it. He'll purr with contentment to be toasty warm on the down comforter and I'll purr with contentment to see Costner and crew bringing hope through precious letters. There's no doubt I'll think of my dad several times as I watch the movie and there's also no doubt I'll be thankful letter carriers still deliver hope. 

Just Friday morning ramblings, my friends. I hope your day is full of smiles and your mailbox is full of goodies!

No New Year's resolutions but I do have letter writing goals

I don't make New Year's Resolutions because I fall flat on my face within a very short time and I dislike setting myself up for failure. Also, although I understand the appeal of the "It's a chance for a fresh start" concept, the reality is that every day, every minute, every second of my life gives the opportunities for fresh starts.

For several years I pondered why I failed with the shiny, sparkly resolutions thing and finally decided knowing why I failed wasn't necessary. What mattered was that I failed so I set out to create a system for myself to make improvements with regular goal setting and evaluation. It took a few years but I eventually succeeded.

I set realistic goals for myself throughout the year then break down the steps needed to succeed into small bits, giving each bit a general time limit. I'm not too hard on myself in regard to the time because life really can, and does, get in the way. I even allow myself to slide on the minor details once in awhile and I don't punish myself for sliding.

I have several goals for the first quarter of the new year. None of them are impractical, impossible, or lofty. In fact, they're very simple goals. However, each one of them requires discipline and I see that as a good thing. They also require regular time outs to take note of where I stand on them and re-evaluate if needed. Again, I see this as a good thing.

My first letter writing goal is to improve my cursive handwriting. This is an ongoing project for me and it's one reason I write letters. I used to have beautiful handwriting but as I got older and busier and using a computer replaced or minimized time using pens, pencils, and paper my skills slipped. It's the old "use it or lose it" thing and now I try to focus on bettering my handwriting. Corresponding with others helps. I also use a practice sheet I found online.

This is very similar to what I learned in elementary school and it comes fairly easily to me, but I get sloppy. I print several sheets a week and when I have a few minutes to spare I work on them. Those of you who've received correspondence from me are probably very surprised that this is akin to what I was taught. I told you I get sloppy! ;-)

My second letter writing goal is to participate in and successfully complete the A Month of Letters Challenge. I send and receive quite a bit of mail but I want to follow the easier-said-than-done-in-my-mind guidelines of the challenge and I'll need a bit of discipline to do so. Sometimes the last thing I want to do after an eight hour shift on my feet is write a letter. This is where sliding a little will come in handy. I just have to keep from sliding into the abyss of not writing!

My third letter writing goal is to improve the quality of my letter content. Writing interesting letters, especially to strangers, isn't that easy for me. I sometimes feel stumped and find myself writing to just fill the page. I don't like that and I don't think the recipients like it, either. I'm capable of so much more and I know it.

Finally, my fourth letter writing goal is to make new friends. This one really needs no explanation, I think. I just enjoy communicating with people from places and lifestyles different than mine.

So there you have my letter writing goals for the first quarter of 2013. Each of the goals is achievable but will take "sticktoitiveness". I'll most likely chart my progress and share my self-evaluations here. I definitely would like feedback on the goals and on the progress I make or don't make.

Have you set letter writing goals for yourself? If so, what are they?

Enjoy your Monday and make it a wonderful last day of 2012!