Viva La Snailmail!!

 

I think a lot about birthdays. As a labor and delivery nurse birth is my business, after all! And as a snailmail enthusiast what better reason is there for sending post? At the beginning of the year I make a list of all my important birthdays. January is a big month for the Murphy family!! I have many family members and friends that start the calendar year with a birthday. 🥳 🎂 

A birthday is a new beginning!

A birthday is the first day of another lovely year,

A year of new tomorrows that is shining, bright and clear,

A year of possibilities as endless as the sky, and a chance to meet the challenges in everything you try! 

I know a certain someone who has always loved miniature things. I thought it would be fun to send a miniature birthday party package! One balloon to blow up, one birthday cake flavored cookie, one small birthday letter, a tiny package of confetti! A little package with a large portion of joy, I hope! 📦 

Being present at so many births makes me think of the connection one has with all the other people being born on the exact same day down through the centuries!! January is the birthday month of many interesting folks! And some of them have been memorialized on a postage stamp! A postage stamp connection with my postage stamp collection. 🥰 Yay! 

One of my favorite January birthday boys is, none other than, Elvis Presley!! His first commemorative postage stamp is the best-selling US postage stamp in postal history! The USPS printed 517 million Elvis stamps in 1993. 🤯 That’s three times the usual print run for a commemorative. Elvis has another stamp that was issued in his honor in 2015. If you’re not lucky enough to have one of these great stamps in your collection, you can always purchase unused vintage postage from online postage stamp shops.  (One of my favorites is www.edelweisspost.com) 😊 Don’t be afraid to use unused vintage postage on your snailmail creations today!! Just make sure that the total value of stamps adds up to the current postal rate for a first class letter! ($0.58 as of January 2022)

I’m thinking about making an Elvis themed birthday package for a few of my January birthday friends. Nothing like celebrating with the King! Viva La Snailmail!! 

One of the most important things to remember when you are making your birthday list is not to worry if you can’t get to everyone on your list in a timely manner. Even if the wishes are belated, I’ve found that birthday post always makes a “good mail day!” So just keep sending snailmail!! 

Go postal, people!! It’s a good thing!! 

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy 🥳

Snailmail! As Gouda As It Gets!!

 

What do you have planned for November? 

Thanksgiving? Of course! 🥳 🦃 

Black Friday shopping? Probably, no. 😰 🛍 

Cyber Monday shopping? Possibly, yes. 🤓 💻 

Christmas preparations? You bet!! 😊 🎄 

How about…

“Chillin by the fire while we eatin' fondue

I dunno about me but I know about you” 🎶 (J. Bieber) 

I just found out that November is …

National Fun with Fondue Month! 🧀 🫕 

Not only has fondue been memorialized in a Justin Bieber song, but it has been claimed that the earliest record of fondue appears in the Iliad. Homer’s ancient, epic poem (first written down in approximately 750 BC) includes a recipe for a sauce made from wine, grated goat cheese and white flour. 

Greek Postage Stamp from 1975

Fondue also has a long and storied history within Murphy family lore. Mr. Murphy’s family traditions included cheese fondue on Christmas Eve every year. I was first invited to this celebration when I was 16. 🌲  I was hooked after that first melty, cheesy bite. 😋 Mr. Murphy and I (and the Murphy Aunties) have carried on the Christmas Eve fondue tradition for lo, these many years. 😊

Mr. Murphy and I decided to break from Murphy tradition slightly however, and started having fondue 🧀 🫕 on other occasions, too!! I’m not sure exactly when we added chocolate fondue to the menu, but it was a great addition!! 🍫 🍓 🤤 

Now we have a whole month to celebrate fondue!! 🥳 

It is, of course, perfectly wonderful to simply make fondue for your family to enjoy!! 

But…this is snailmail blog, after all, and one can always include some snailmail elements to anything!! (At least, that’s my motto!) 💌 🐌 

So how can one “go postal” with fondue? I do not recommend sending melty cheese through the mail but how about an invitation to enjoy melty cheese together? A recipe via post is always fun mail to receive, too!! And there is nothing like a cheese pun!! 🧀 😂

“Boy! Am I sure fondue you! How about joining me for some melty cheese this Saturday? Nothing is feta than time spent together!” 🥰

Go postal, people. It makes life cheddar. 😉

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy 

 

Snailmail... Always An Encourage-mint!

During my childhood when my sweet mother would return home from shopping or running errands I would always ask hopefully, “Did you bring me a treat?” (I ask Mr. Murphy the same question ☺️) More often than not Mom would smile and hand me a lovely York Peppermint Pattie. She usually had one for herself, too.

 

Imagine my delight when I discovered that February 11 is National Peppermint Pattie Day!! My research revealed that chocolate covered mint confections can be traced back to the 1700s in Europe. In the US, as early as 1900 peppermint patties were made by various confectioners, but it wasn’t until Henry Kessler of the York Cone company got involved that peppermint candy really  got popular. Apparently chocolate covered caramels and bonbons were delicious, but the chocolate covered peppermint was substandard...the peppermint was soft and gummy. 😕 In 1940 Mr. Kessler figured out a way to make the center crisp, firm and delectable. He named the treat the “York Peppermint Pattie” and began selling his treat throughout the United States. The Peppermint Pattie because so popular that Kessler gave up his ice cream cone business and focused exclusively on it! (Way to go, Henry! I’m grateful for your perseverance.) 😋 

I’m not sure of the origins of National Peppermint Pattie Day. February 11th is not Mr. Kessler’s birthday, or the anniversary of his death. 🤔 Perhaps it was the day he dreamed up his magical recipe for deliciousness!! Whatever the reason for it’s creation, I am happy to to have another day to celebrate with snailmail!! 

Those York Peppermint Patties are not only tasty they have a shape that works well for snailmail. I made some circular cutouts, added a few loving words and presto! Some happy snailmail senti-mints! 😉 If they only had their own postage stamp. 

Won’t you join me in these silly celebrations? Let’s try to make everyday a good mail day! 

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy

XOXO! ❤️ Year of the OX!

 

The Lunar or Chinese New Year falls on February 12 this year and according to those endless interwebs, 2021 is the year of the OX. How perfectly postal!! I sign all my letters with X’s and O’s. 😉 

I live in rural America and am neighbors with all kinds of cow-type creatures, but I am not a farm girl and don’t know that much about the bovine family. What are oxen exactly? Are they the same as cows? Bulls? Steer? Heifers? Why are there so many names for cows? How does one tell the good cows from the best cows? They all appear to be outstanding in their field? 😂 

I may not know anything about those cow-type creatures but my research revealed that an ox is a mature, castrated male belonging to the domestic cattle family who was trained to do work, pulling plows and wagons and the like. Because he had to be so strong he was not considered an ox until he was at least four years old. Hence the term, “strong as an ox!” 

 

I have quite a few farmer friends that raise cattle. I think I will add them to my letter list for February Letter Month and send them some OX inspired snailmail in honor of the lunar new year and in celebration of their herd of cow-type creatures!! 🐄 

I found a super cute origami ox envelope at RED TED ART (click link for directions) to include in my snailmail and of course, a cow pun or two is always fun! Be careful of teasing cows, however. They can be really moody. 😂 

And don’t forget to check out one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE epistolary books, XO, OX A Love Story by Adam Rex and illustrated by Scott Campbell. See my review in the Literary Letters section of this blog! 📖 ❤️ 

However you choose to celebrate the year of the OX, I hope it includes some snailmail with fabulous cow-type postage!!  

Go postal, people!

OX, OX

Mrs. Murphy🐮 

The Time Is Always Right To Do What Is Right - And Send Some Mail

 

Every February people in the US celebrate the achievements, contributions and history of African Americans during Black History Month. Mrs. Murphy’s Mailbox enjoys celebrating African American heritage through stamps and letters, of course!! 📬💌

My favorite way to learn about history is through the words and letters of the people that lived it. I found a fabulous epistolary book entitled, Letters From Black America by Pamela Newkirk. 

This book contains letters from famous politicians, entertainers, writers, activists and educators, but it also includes amazing, heartfelt correspondence from ordinary people from the 1700s through the twenty-first century.  

If you are overwhelmed with where to start, do what I do and look through your stamp collection! The USPS has had some wonderful Black Heritage postage stamps through the years and they are the perfect place to start your research. Not sure what Anna Julia Cooper is known for? Now is the perfect time to look her up!! Never read an Anne Spencer poem? Why don’t you search for one today? Do you know who Salem Poor is? Have you ever seen a Henry Ossawa Tanner painting? Have you listened to the music of Scott Joplin or Ottis Redding or Dinah Washington? The world is full of so many remarkable people!! I encourage you to check out some new-to-you folks this Black History Month!! Remember Mrs. Murphy’s Motto... ”Interested people are interesting people!!” 

According to the USPS, the first US stamp to honor an African American was the Booker T. Washington stamp, issued in 1940. In 1978, the USPS initiated the Black Heritage stamp series to recognize the achievements of individual African Americans. There have been over 180 stamps issued that honor and celebrate Black history and achievements. A vast array of interesting people and events to learn about! 🧐

I also have discovered a wonderful stationery shop, Posterity Paper, on Etsy that is owned by woman of color, Tiffany Grimes. Inspired by her grandmother’s snailmail legacy, she designs cards for people to express love and support for the people in their lives. 🥰📬 (That sounds like a familiar mission!!) I encourage all my postal pals to check out the shop and support her business. Check out her Instagram feed here:  @posteritypaper

I encourage you to find your own ways to learn about and celebrate Black History Month. Another reason February is fabulous! 

“The greatness of man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” Bob Marley. 

Go postal, people!

XOXO

Mrs. Murphy 

February Is For The Birds

 

February can be cold and tough for many. Snow, ice and freezing temperatures are certainly hard for me to handle at times. This month we are encouraged to consider our feathered friends, too! February became National (USA) Bird Feeding Month in 1994 when former Illinois Congressman John Porter proposed it in order to help bird populations survive the difficult winter months. National Bird Feeding Month encourages people to provide food, water, and shelter to wild birds in areas with cold temperatures and limited natural resources like plants and berries. 

During National Bird Feeding Month each February, Cornell Lab, The National Audubon Society and Birds Canada coordinate the Great Backyard Bird Count! This year the dates are February 12-15, 2021.  This is a global citizen-science project that helps count birds and gather data about bird populations, fluctuations and migration patterns. According to their website the last year’s data included:

Great Backyard Bird Count results from 2020:

• 268,674 Estimated Participants
• 27,270,156 Total Birds Counted
• 6,942 Species of Birds Identified
• 194 Countries

I have some bird folks in my life, not just amateur “birders” or “twitchers”, but people who actually are ornithology majors and research people!! I’m sure they would like a bird themed letter and if 😉 they write me back, I will most certainly learn a lot!  

Won’t you join me in helping feed the birds in February!? Of course you must send some bird themed snailmail and tell your penpal(or me) about all of the bird species you’ve noted in your backyard! And don’t forget to go to The Great Backyard Bird Count and log your sightings!! 🦅 

 

“Consider the birds of the air...”

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy 

Postcards from the Picnic

Oh no! Time is running out. There is only one week left in July. July is National Picnic Month. Have you had a picnic yet? 

Perhaps, like me, you’re not quite sure how you feel about picnics. As with most things in this life, I’m enamored with the idea of a picnic. It sounds so lovely. Perfectly prepared food eaten in a picturesque setting while pleasantly conversing with your partner. 🧺 🥰  What’s not to love? 

My real life experiences have fallen somewhat short of this idyllic mark. 🤨

There was the time I carefully packed all the ingredients for a delightful picnic with Mr. Murphy (we were just dating at the time and I was wanting it to be magical 💫 😊) We had quite a drive to our enchanted picnic location so I decided to assemble the sandwiches upon arrival in an effort to avoid soggy bread. 😝 When we arrived I was horrified to discover I had remembered the meat and the bread but had forgotten the condiments and toppings! Ever the gentleman, Mr. Murphy ate his unadorned lunch without complaint and simply asked for “Another plain, meat sandwich, please.” 🤦🏼‍♀️

Oh, and there was that time when we packed our picnic lunch and headed to the ocean during our college spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. We had just laid out our chairs and towels and I innocently asked, “Do you want to swim first or shall we open the picnic?” Right at that moment, the life guard sprinted by blowing his whistle and shouting, “Shark!! Everybody out of the water!! Shark!! Out of the water immediately!!” 🦈 

“Perhaps we should eat first,” was Mr. Murphy’s droll reply. 🙄

I can recall many other disappointing picnic experiences over the course of my life, mostly having to do with the food getting invaded by ants 🐜 and bees 🐝, the people getting eaten alive by mosquitoes 🦟 and my perfectly planned food not traveling well and ending up in an unappealing mess in the picnic basket. 

I don’t know why I keep trying. 🤷‍♀️  If literature has taught me anything it’s that most picnics are rarely...well...picnics! 📚 🧺 😱

• Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. Set in an Australian girl’s school in 1900, the pupils go on a picnic and three of the school girls disappear all thanks to some creepy rock formation.
• Emma by Jane Austin. Emma humiliates Miss Bates and everyone marinates in an awkward tension. Later, Mr. Knightly scolds Emma and everybody’s crabby. 
• Enduring Love by Ian McWan. The picnic is abandoned due to a freak hot air balloon accident that haunts the picnicker and basically ruins his life. 

It is the truly wise person who learns from the experiences of others, even that song Teddy Bears’ Picnic has always kind of freaked me out a little. 🐻 🧺 😦 

Well, if you are willing to risk it, despite my ample warnings, I encourage you to celebrate National Picnic Month this week. Be sure and send me a letter or postcard! I want to read all about it!! (From the comfort of my own home😉)

Go Postal People!

XOXO, 

Mrs. Murphy

It’s lovely out in the woods today, but safer to stay at home... 🎶 🐻

(see what I mean?)

Welding Mail...Making a Lasting Bond! 🔥

April is National Welding Month

Thanks to the those enchanting, endless interwebs it is now possible to celebrate things like National Poetry Month, National Gardening Week and National Pretzel Day, all of which are celebrated in April!!

April is Poetry Month! 

 I love to discover new (to me) celebrations, festivals and observances that honor and laud people in my life. It’s gives me a wonderful reason to send some mail! 

National Gardening Week is April 18-25, 2020

I discovered that April is also National Welding Month! I know a few welders and appreciate them greatly!! One particular welder fabricated and installed my porch railings! (Those things have saved my life and limb on many occasion during the icy Iowa winters!! I’m nothing if not danger prone😬) 

I don’t understand all that the work of the welder entails, but I do know their work holds our world together...quite literally! There are welding research engineers, underwater welders, pipe fitters, boiler makers, welder fabricators and a bunch of other stuff I’m sure I don’t even know about!! I appreciate the skills these lovely people have and thought I would take some time to send some snailmail to celebrate their vocation and contribution to our world! 

                      

             

Has this strange time of quarantine given you extra time for reflection? Why not make a list of all the people you can think of whose work affects your life? I’m sure you can come up with a long list of “essential” workers! Join me in making and sending some mail to those people!! The postal worker is DEFINITELY on my list! 🥰📬🐌

Strengthen your bond! Send more mail!

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy

PS: National Hairstylist Appreciation Day is April 30!! Now THAT’S appropriate!! 😁

Let’s Go Fly A Kite! 🪁

It was April of yesteryear. The Murphy Brothers were about 4 and almost 6. We had new kites and a strong, spring wind! Thanks to Papa Murph’s speed, we were able to launch the kites successfully!! All was going well until a strong gust tore the kite out of Murphy Boy Wonder’s hand. We raced after the runaway kite but it was no use. 😢 The wind was faster than even Mr. Murphy and the kite was swept over the houses and out toward the highway. (We were only slightly concerned when we later heard sirens! 😳 A coincidence, surely! 😬)We consoled the Murphy Bros. with a purchase of ice cream and plans to make another kite. 

My attempt at a pop-up card! 😂 

The history of the kite is long and interesting. Man has been flying kites for various purposes for close to 3000 years. For most of that time kites were the only aviation there was. The first manned flight was recorded by none other than Marco Polo in one of his manuscripts about life in the Far East! (It was a drunk guy, strapped to a kite! Yikes! 😳) Kites have had many uses over the years, including but not limited to: war, the discovery of electricity, weather science and most importantly, POSTAL DELIVERY! Apparently, during the Civil War, one Virginia town regularly used kites to carry letters across a river to neighbors in Maryland...possibly the first regularly scheduled air mail. 😊📬 ✈️ 

Kites remain extremely popular. There are festivals and clubs and conventions.  April is National Kite Month! To celebrate you can make a kite or buy a kite or read a book about kites or watch a movie about kites or sing a song about kites or go fly a kite (a perfect social distancing activity! 🪁) OR do all of the above and then make some kite inspired mail, recounting your kite adventures, and send it flying around the world via the marvelous postal system!! 

XOXO,

Mrs. Murphy