tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37726274141329172752024-03-12T23:49:14.936-05:00365 LettersA blog about letter writing.365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.comBlogger1191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-53488892535011098442018-11-23T22:10:00.000-06:002018-11-23T22:10:09.512-06:00Letter writing is a great way to celebrate the International Day of Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeW0W-th88ccF8se6RPHyazm57GCrRenApsVtA9tVDc-N_39JnEmOeyUNNSZNeDJrBNqIfvQzYz9byYuAB402bUA_aIvlKKajxhPP21tNFzEJV3U54BCf9amg3nq4j_BQ_Ar2RXT8jpU/s1600/day-of-words2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeW0W-th88ccF8se6RPHyazm57GCrRenApsVtA9tVDc-N_39JnEmOeyUNNSZNeDJrBNqIfvQzYz9byYuAB402bUA_aIvlKKajxhPP21tNFzEJV3U54BCf9amg3nq4j_BQ_Ar2RXT8jpU/s1600/day-of-words2.jpg" /></a></div>
Today, November 23, is <span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span> the International Day of Words, an initiative of the <a href="https://www.fundacioncesaregidoserrano.com/en/" target="_blank">Cesar Egido Serrano Foundation</a> of Spain. The organization </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>aims to share the idea of "The word as a link of humanity, and against all forms of violence."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>According to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/museopalabra" target="_blank">foundation's Facebook page</a>, "</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>On
this day, more than ever, words will become the bond of humankind where
people with the same ideals of using words and dialogue as a tool for
understanding between different cultures and religions will gather."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>That sounds like, to me, a great concept to combine with letter writing. Through writing letters, especially with international penpals, we can better understand the people of the world and their various cultures. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>So, if you've been waiting for the right time to start writing more letters, to seek out penpals or to reconnect with people you used to communicate with, today is a great day to put that in motion. Write a letter today and then carry on the spirit of International Day of Words every day with your letter writing. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>Get to know people through correspondence. Share information about your life and your culture. Ask questions about their lives and cultures. Open your mind to new ideas; learn everything you can about the world beyond your mailbox.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody"><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>Happy International Day of Words, and happy letter writing! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-61554969019023054802018-04-30T15:46:00.000-05:002018-04-30T15:46:29.461-05:00Holocaust victim's note illustrates the power of a handwritten letter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsWamO9MxNyH_Vn31vTI0HO3E-Y9aocV0LReMnEFE3KEJrQ8iy-JsXXTkdlw7QoA4jEfOq7hFAJD_Vn5zc5QP2E61wP1tFV4sD-FZSHPFFnLItuz495cndisYUMAzXVFU2S3pwYizm9g/s1600/GrunwaldLetter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="800" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsWamO9MxNyH_Vn31vTI0HO3E-Y9aocV0LReMnEFE3KEJrQ8iy-JsXXTkdlw7QoA4jEfOq7hFAJD_Vn5zc5QP2E61wP1tFV4sD-FZSHPFFnLItuz495cndisYUMAzXVFU2S3pwYizm9g/s320/GrunwaldLetter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Vilma Grunwald's letter, from the U.S. Holocaust Museum</b></td></tr>
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Hello fellow letter writers!<br />
<br />
It has been months since I have had the time to blog and almost as long since I have had a chance to write letters. I have been working on an extensive project/job that takes up much of my daily time.<br />
<br />
Just about every day, I think, "This is the day I'm going to blog again," and, yet, the end of the day comes and I never got around to it. I still love letter writing and follow letter writing news and blogs with great interest.<br />
<br />
That's what prompted me to finally find the time to blog today...a news story about a letter. <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2018/04/28/into-eternity-she-did-not-survive-holocaust-but-her-words-did/551071002/" target="_blank">The article is on the Indianapolis Star newspaper's website, www.indystar.com, and was written by Will Higgins.</a><br />
<br />
It is a testimony to the power that a simple letter can hold.<br />
<br />
I encourage you to read the article. But, I'll give you a brief overview of the letter and the story: Frank Grunwald was 11 years old when his mother and brother were sent to the gas chamber Auschwitz. As she was about to be killed, Vilma Grunwald scribbled down a few sentences in a letter to her husband. Amazingly, the guard she gave the letter to delivered it to Kurt Grunwald, a fellow concentration camp prisoner.<br />
<br />
The letter has survived all of these years and has been donated to the <a href="https://www.ushmm.org/" target="_blank">United States Holocaust Museum</a> in Washington, D.C. The museum's chief acquisitions curator thinks that it could be the only one of its kind in existence.<br />
<br />
The letter is powerful. It is poignant. It is, at once, heartbreaking and inspiring.<br />
<br />
The story is something we all need to keep in mind when we think a text or even an email is good enough to get our point across.<br />
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Read the story. Then, write a letter.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<i>Carla</i></div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-61797285690419209992017-08-07T11:54:00.000-05:002017-08-07T11:54:18.295-05:00Friendship Day <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a0Exz351kr9z0eIgE1oWTe1UY-BazZsb4gU5I7vlulH72b3hTfpmGJwrZR4TfKLnDBVt0Ir_V-hRvHMZebPxbLC0_X05yBkEAuxkpnE2_FSO9Bi96AejyOR0E8VCCMXTgJJQqmDyKek/s1600/UPSP+Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="500" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a0Exz351kr9z0eIgE1oWTe1UY-BazZsb4gU5I7vlulH72b3hTfpmGJwrZR4TfKLnDBVt0Ir_V-hRvHMZebPxbLC0_X05yBkEAuxkpnE2_FSO9Bi96AejyOR0E8VCCMXTgJJQqmDyKek/s320/UPSP+Cards.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Gifts of Friendship" notecards from the USPS.</td></tr>
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Oops. Looks like I missed Friendship Day yesterday. Fortunately for letter writers, Friendship Day can be any day you choose to write a letter to a friend!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNVXTx8MihOcJJYRuqN5XRMxBPIYuRNP1eUhIhNRyAFaLXi8j4OKW8WXghkI7WV0u5PGY4W8kUM7-sMExkmJK-flATrzDjqnKDnOb7gwJCXKsFh6opmnThT6rwYEpIrfmERgfpieQOow/s1600/DisneyFriends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="736" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNVXTx8MihOcJJYRuqN5XRMxBPIYuRNP1eUhIhNRyAFaLXi8j4OKW8WXghkI7WV0u5PGY4W8kUM7-sMExkmJK-flATrzDjqnKDnOb7gwJCXKsFh6opmnThT6rwYEpIrfmERgfpieQOow/s200/DisneyFriends.jpg" width="157" /></a>This year, the U.S. Postal Service released a set of stamps featuring Disney's villains. But, in 2004, the Disney stamps featured Disney friends. I looked around online, and it looks like you can still find a few of the friends stamps, if you're willing to pay more than face value.<br />
<br />
Still for sale in the USPS online shop are the "Gifts of Friendship" notecards and matching stamps. That set celebrates the bond between the United States and Japan on the
centennial of the gift of dogwood trees from the United States to Japan
in 1915. I wrote in detail about those stamps on this blog last year (<a href="https://365lettersblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/gifts-of-friendship.html" target="_blank">click here to read that post</a>). The USPS also issued related stamps in 2012.<br />
<br />
No matter what kind of stamps or notecards you use, go ahead and write a letter to a friend today. Keep in mind, friends don't have to be only friends; they can be relatives or in-laws, too.<br />
<br />
Happy belated Friendship Day!</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-8207990804999308772017-07-21T09:56:00.002-05:002017-07-21T09:56:15.056-05:00USPS explores the wonder of sharks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZxhoGwgfJXqThL6AO_DSEFAnseczus_ll8IGWF2NQ68O9RQccMMXmhERKRE7HTVzOOUdL4VHw3d47GJ-FH_yF0KWnlLJGQ0cLDc9WjpiKmkADtvDG99K2FZmy0Kec-Yw4DTd-t9pA8k/s1600/Sharks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZxhoGwgfJXqThL6AO_DSEFAnseczus_ll8IGWF2NQ68O9RQccMMXmhERKRE7HTVzOOUdL4VHw3d47GJ-FH_yF0KWnlLJGQ0cLDc9WjpiKmkADtvDG99K2FZmy0Kec-Yw4DTd-t9pA8k/s320/Sharks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Forty-two years after the movie "Jaws" hit the big screen and 101 years after a series of real shark attacks terrorized the Jersey Shore, the USPS is introducing a set of postage stamps featuring five species of sharks. The First Class Forever (49 cents) stamps showcase images of the <span>mako, thresher, great white, hammerhead and whale sharks. All of those sharks are known to inhabit U.S. waters.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>According to the USPS news release, there will be a </span><span> First-Day-of-Issue ceremony at</span><span> 8 a.m. July 26 at the Newport Aquarium<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"> in</a> Newport, Kentucky. It will be a ticketed event. Tickets are limited to a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone interested may request free tickets by sending an email to<em> </em>usps.com/sharks.</span><br />
<br />
<span>Art director Derry Noyes designed the sheet with original artwork by Sam
Weber. The sheet includes four stamps each of Weber’s five shark
illustrations. The stamps can be pre-ordered in the USPS shop online. </span></div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-85700936203253657642017-07-20T09:25:00.000-05:002017-07-20T09:25:04.548-05:00Lincoln's 'Bixby Letter' in the News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlY_IAOxy4WxaBiKbLrlcPEcFa36lBqNpky33FDxt_xU1mJOiLBNNMFcVjKxq_FzBJNQvnd9Oe0qEHKYo0YDViezA_v00PlA_uZnMMiMVSYDh1514DBUNSNIhpJBk27kE3Ehon2uSXGRs/s1600/Lincoln+Letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlY_IAOxy4WxaBiKbLrlcPEcFa36lBqNpky33FDxt_xU1mJOiLBNNMFcVjKxq_FzBJNQvnd9Oe0qEHKYo0YDViezA_v00PlA_uZnMMiMVSYDh1514DBUNSNIhpJBk27kE3Ehon2uSXGRs/s320/Lincoln+Letter.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the <span data-reactid="261"><span class="text size-2x-small color-dark-gray" data-reactid="262">Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana</span><span data-reactid="263"> </span></span><div class="column small-12 medium-10 medium-offset-1 large-offset-2 text size-1x-large line-height-large _10M0Ygc4" data-reactid="264">
in the Library of Congress</div>
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More than 150 years ago, a letter was hand-delivered to Mrs. Lydia Bixby of Boston by the adjutant
general of Massachusetts. The letter was presented as correspondence from President Abraham Lincoln, offering his condolences on the deaths of her five sons in the Civil War. Controversy has surrounded the letter since it was first received. And this week, Time magazine's website features an article by Lily Rothman, Time history and archives editor, regarding the latest research on the letter.<br />
<br />
According to Time, a working group at the Center for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University in Birmingham, England, has been using forensic linguistics to solve the mystery about who really wrote the letter.<br />
<br />
As a 1995 article in the "Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association" explains, the situation was full of drama from the beginning. Not only did Mrs. Bixby not have five sons die in the war, but she was a Southern sympathizer and reportedly tore up the letter shortly after receiving it. Apparently, before it was delivered to Mrs. Bixby, though, the letter was shared with the <i>Boston</i> <em data-reactid="245">Evening Transcript</em> and the <i>Boston Evening Traveller</i>, which published it. That's how we know about it today. The copy that is known today, pictured above, is thought to be a copy of a forgery.<br />
<br />
But, the issue that has brought 21st century technology together with 19th or 20th century handwriting is the true author of that letter. It is possible -- and even likely, according to the Time article -- that Lincoln's secretary, John Hay wrote the letter. The group that has been researching the letter will present a paper on the topic at the ninth International Corpus Linguistics Conference at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday, July 26.<br />
<br />
They compared the writing of Lincoln and Hay to that of the letter to determine who actually wrote it. Although that concept has been around for quite some time, the use of computer technology makes it even more certain that Hay wrote the letter for Lincoln.<br />
<br />
You can read the <a href="http://time.com/4855857/abraham-lincoln-john-hay-bixby-letter/" target="_blank">Time article here</a> and the <a href="http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0016.107?view=text;rgn=main" target="_blank">Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association article here</a>. They are both interesting reads.<br />
<br />
Regardless of whether the author of the letter was Lincoln or Hay, it is an elegant example of a sympathy letter. The letter says, "I feel how weak and fruitless
must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from
the grief of a loss so overwhelming." And, "I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your
bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and
lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a
sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom."<br />
<br />
</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-65671491461799875382017-07-12T08:15:00.001-05:002017-07-12T08:15:44.017-05:00Jane Austen letter shows her satirical nature<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3VxFburfNC3-oKaoDBy6jq7N1PTvGZtzt-k4pdSJnllv5GrkBhGUEtWTO6zSj6K-hxSpvx5rN6rVQuIkX3hpYARjfXWs0gFd-4g5ThtHFUsDyUh1SCO_fZZe7NmpZMX9JC3VwNdG7qs/s1600/Lot+82+-+Jane+Austen+-+autograph+letter%252C+written+in+third+person+to+her+niece+Anna+Lefroy+%2528nee+Austen%25292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="654" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3VxFburfNC3-oKaoDBy6jq7N1PTvGZtzt-k4pdSJnllv5GrkBhGUEtWTO6zSj6K-hxSpvx5rN6rVQuIkX3hpYARjfXWs0gFd-4g5ThtHFUsDyUh1SCO_fZZe7NmpZMX9JC3VwNdG7qs/s320/Lot+82+-+Jane+Austen+-+autograph+letter%252C+written+in+third+person+to+her+niece+Anna+Lefroy+%2528nee+Austen%25292.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
letter written by author Jane Austen sold yesterday at Sotheby’s in
London for quite a bit more than the estimated 100,000 British pounds
($128,820 USD) it was expected to bring in. According to the Sotheby’s
website, the letter written to Austen’s niece sold for 162,500 pounds
($209,333). </span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
1812 letter highlights the writer’s satirical tendencies with its
commentary about a fellow author’s recent book. Written in third person,
the letter was sent to Anna Austen but is written as if it were
addressing the other writer, Rachel Hunter, whose Gothic novel “Lady
Maclairn, the Victim of Villainy” Jane Austen deemed to be “most
tiresome and prosy” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
second piece, a fragment of a letter written to the same niece in 1814,
was auctioned off at the same time for 17,500 pounds ($22,544). Another
letter fragment was also offered, but the auction site had not yet
listed the final sale price of it when I checked this morning.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more details on the letters, visit the Sotheby’s site. There is a <a href="http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/BID/4794237792x0x948729/D14E473E-A85C-449B-90B1-9FFB6168C7C5/Jane_Austen_Letters_July_2017.pdf" target="_blank">news release</a> and <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/english-literature-l17404/lot.82.html" target="_blank">three auction listings</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLS-QfTeztmduC3w6TIQdrlpv3xB29BXqXWbODaFZpECrpMgrpDbT_cEt9vYYCZhGOCNxGiXGqWxxbviUD0lVgpoq395eqjpwNlqfhddEWbj_CJaMd1MVYoh-ggHPo-IZ7n6kEbP8D2UY/s1600/Lot+84+-+Jane+Austen+-+Fragment+of+an+autograph+letter%252C+to+her+niece+Anna+Lefroy+%2528nee+Austen%25292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="576" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLS-QfTeztmduC3w6TIQdrlpv3xB29BXqXWbODaFZpECrpMgrpDbT_cEt9vYYCZhGOCNxGiXGqWxxbviUD0lVgpoq395eqjpwNlqfhddEWbj_CJaMd1MVYoh-ggHPo-IZ7n6kEbP8D2UY/s320/Lot+84+-+Jane+Austen+-+Fragment+of+an+autograph+letter%252C+to+her+niece+Anna+Lefroy+%2528nee+Austen%25292.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-77313840394798462742017-07-10T09:40:00.000-05:002017-07-10T09:40:03.278-05:00Wyeth to be honored with U.S. postage stamp set<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIAg5SaSwhRFVtudVSiFs3HPeYxkjlcN3HpFv51-dPqm_t_oqjR62gYBdgqPjTjxmG64x7U22ILbTBQb70p4Ra0fC2TsI36koQZepeeq5T2sEEnaotC9ZAuLAG63amRQWFOKqW-IBX60/s1600/Wyeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIAg5SaSwhRFVtudVSiFs3HPeYxkjlcN3HpFv51-dPqm_t_oqjR62gYBdgqPjTjxmG64x7U22ILbTBQb70p4Ra0fC2TsI36koQZepeeq5T2sEEnaotC9ZAuLAG63amRQWFOKqW-IBX60/s320/Wyeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On Wednesday, July 12, the U.S. Postal service will have a First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony for the Andrew Wyeth stamps that commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth.It will be at the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Wyeth's home town. His son, Jamie Wyeth, is expected to be at the ceremony.<br />
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According to the USPS, the pane of 12 Forever stamps celebrates the centennial of the birth of Andrew Wyeth (July 12, 1917 – Jan. 16, 2009), one of the most prominent American artists of the 20th century. "Working in a realistic style that defied artistic trends, Wyeth created haunting and enigmatic paintings based largely on people and places in his life, a body of work that continues to resist easy or comfortable interpretation," the USPS news release states.<br />
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The set of stamps each features a detail from a different Andrew Wyeth painting. The paintings are: “Wind from the Sea” (1947), “Big Room” (1988), “Christina’s World” (1948), “Alvaro and Christina” (1968), “Frostbitten” (1962), “Sailor’s Valentine” (1985), “Soaring” (1942–1950), “North Light” (1984), “Spring Fed” (1967), “The Carry” (2003), “Young Bull” (1960), and “My Studio” (1974). The selvage, or area outside of the stamp images, shows a photograph of Wyeth from the 1930s. Art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, designed the pane.<br />
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Wyeth, who finished his last completed painting just a few months before his death, received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990 and the National
Medal of Arts in 2007. Sites in Pennsylvania and Maine that influenced
his work were recently designated National Historic Landmarks.<br />
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The stamps are available for pre-order on the USPS website. </div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-41064181269908875702017-07-07T07:51:00.000-05:002017-07-07T07:51:43.240-05:00Happy mailbox!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCd6UszRW5i8iW5vZuLHBeS8qKw0zN7bd-m6qDiBSVoxETJHpTjonGedlOKnBzUi-9RQhAGEg4rx9QRXM_HVRLtUHLZBENoC5KYVbC330lZjOayRqatdiS5Oqb9e_s5Hiqp9ljxAp_iY/s1600/IncomingMail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="576" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCd6UszRW5i8iW5vZuLHBeS8qKw0zN7bd-m6qDiBSVoxETJHpTjonGedlOKnBzUi-9RQhAGEg4rx9QRXM_HVRLtUHLZBENoC5KYVbC330lZjOayRqatdiS5Oqb9e_s5Hiqp9ljxAp_iY/s320/IncomingMail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's been a great week for incoming mail! I received letters from two fellow bloggers, several Postcrossing postcards, a letter with a wax seal that survived the system, a postcard that made it all the way from France with 3-D stickers on it and more.<br />
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One of the Postcrossing cards is a Father Christmas puzzle postcard from the Czech Republic. It's especially significant because not only do I collect Santa Claus stuff, but my great-grandparents came to Texas from what is now known as the Czech Republic!<br />
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Now, it's time for me to get busy and do my part to keep the art of letter writing alive!<br />
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Have a great weekend! <br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-40341773403505720352017-07-05T11:56:00.001-05:002017-07-05T11:56:28.742-05:00Online exhibit shows the letters of war<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UEH_jm6-GeF_lszoz9k6zV85uBvZKKylY0wN_xl5lwp9RD3lJiflroWlPexV2P1-StA0kM1kfkClrKtuhb_W3pX75B_YiqykxzzBShkYl1Imylv-baHi7ey93f-9BIr5MWXWd-JBiRs/s1600/Screenshot+2017-07-05+11.01.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="767" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UEH_jm6-GeF_lszoz9k6zV85uBvZKKylY0wN_xl5lwp9RD3lJiflroWlPexV2P1-StA0kM1kfkClrKtuhb_W3pX75B_YiqykxzzBShkYl1Imylv-baHi7ey93f-9BIr5MWXWd-JBiRs/s320/Screenshot+2017-07-05+11.01.32.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The Legacy Project, which I've mentioned on this blog several times, has teamed up with the Gilder Lehrman Insitute of American History to present an online exhibit titled "Battle Lines: Letters From America's Wars."<br />
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The exhibition has five chapters, and each chapter features several letters. If you have the right software in your computer (Adobe Flash), you can see images of the original letters, as well as typed transcripts.<br />
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To visit the exhibit, go to <a href="http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/battlelines">http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/battlelines</a><br />
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It is a wonderful project, especially interesting for history buffs and letter lovers (I've seen the term epistophile used unofficially online). </div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-64779641467435448442017-07-03T08:07:00.001-05:002017-07-03T08:40:48.475-05:00Letter Writing Inspiration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeGpmCskc7h0rBKWbifpQi8_fh7mE4ec4mx7voCMTnWoHoil8wPPx9ezoL4wcNtwQVO-2o_lTAOkrRRoM_ZHOWz40df3WMIChXAMpQsx6_DREMdj2b8BLEiU0MxwI04ZxqzMI_GEHhdE/s1600/Screenshot+2017-07-03+07.09.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="761" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeGpmCskc7h0rBKWbifpQi8_fh7mE4ec4mx7voCMTnWoHoil8wPPx9ezoL4wcNtwQVO-2o_lTAOkrRRoM_ZHOWz40df3WMIChXAMpQsx6_DREMdj2b8BLEiU0MxwI04ZxqzMI_GEHhdE/s320/Screenshot+2017-07-03+07.09.21.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://anewscafe.com/2017/06/30/mistress-of-the-mix-signed-sealed-delivered/" target="_blank">A News Cafe</a></td></tr>
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Here is some letter-writing inspiration to start the week off on a good note:<br />
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Last week, Valerie Ing of Redding, California, wrote her column for A News Cafe (anewscafe.com) about Wendi Harner and her letter writing habits. Not only does Wendi love to write letters, but she's also a big proponent of Girls Love Mail, an organization that sends letters to women who are in treatment for breast cancer. Anyone can write letters to be sent in packets to those with cancer.<br />
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To read Valerie's story about Wendi, click <a href="http://anewscafe.com/2017/06/30/mistress-of-the-mix-signed-sealed-delivered/" target="_blank">here</a>. For more information about Girls Love Mail, visit the group's website at <a href="http://girlslovemail.com/">GirlsLoveMail.com</a>.<br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-65578399317305467622017-06-30T08:15:00.002-05:002017-06-30T08:15:44.332-05:00Looking for something to do? Write a letter!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGy8qBxYT88F4waPnLA0csQNkROogsVyHX7IKw5i80kNQB14jI0BMJMewL8J2CCYcsXMk2uHRTOwwvKTkt7XjltWFmXo2jMlmZzYd0HKGHrF2PxDuX0F8O8bXEHNSSfAwc5i7qBckxGo0/s1600/man-1454744_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGy8qBxYT88F4waPnLA0csQNkROogsVyHX7IKw5i80kNQB14jI0BMJMewL8J2CCYcsXMk2uHRTOwwvKTkt7XjltWFmXo2jMlmZzYd0HKGHrF2PxDuX0F8O8bXEHNSSfAwc5i7qBckxGo0/s320/man-1454744_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
From what I can see, based on today's weather forecast, much of the U.S. is expected to experience warm temperatures this summer day, with highs ranging from the upper 80s to more than 110 degrees (F) for much of the country, especially the west, southwest and southeast. Many of the areas that aren't forecast for hot weather likely are expecting storms, or at least rain today. And, it's not just in the U.S. that it's a hot summer. I'm getting reports from Postcrossing participants -- via their postcards and comments on the postcards I send them -- that it's quite warm in parts of Europe and Asia, as well.<br />
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What I'm getting at is that if you end up spending time indoors today to escape the heat or the storms -- or cold in the southern hemisphere -- this is a great time to write a letter or two. Banish the boredom of summer by reaching out to the world with a handwritten note or postcard.<br />
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And, if the weather is nice enough, find yourself a comfortable spot outside and get to writing!<br />
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What to write about? Write about the weather, your plans, your dreams, your day...just write!</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-52449284048799279602017-06-29T09:33:00.001-05:002017-06-29T09:33:31.802-05:00Reminder for U.S. residents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUfPqKHEeZoA_DjRQEMcMrLWc3XlsM4W1yyviVWA1j7CO__UduYZEgiB_bamlwGA9tVD8X058kiIrmY-LPJs9tcVYLxu7iV2_nwk1OyOARxuWjpVikLjca2L11aE6LTDb46u1gDrJFBc/s1600/FlagStamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUfPqKHEeZoA_DjRQEMcMrLWc3XlsM4W1yyviVWA1j7CO__UduYZEgiB_bamlwGA9tVD8X058kiIrmY-LPJs9tcVYLxu7iV2_nwk1OyOARxuWjpVikLjca2L11aE6LTDb46u1gDrJFBc/s200/FlagStamp.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
Don't forget...next Tuesday the United States will celebrate Independence Day, and mail will not be delivered or picked up by the U.S. Postal Service. It's a federal holiday, and there will be no mail service on Tuesday, July 4. So, mail your letters early and/or expect a slight delay.<br />
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Happy letter writing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh6GiuK_JLUs3fx_RLTgWvdnE8f6KjL7VJOM5ypw1V61AptB5U1khpervapzLJP4h-9Fq9gBPJgyLKQlch9Vh5mlksb4fPVawTcn4myhyphenhyphenw3E3P2PCrbj4OrN0tI6uzyZrhFzgm1u1JMk/s1600/Stamp-UncleSam%2527sHat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUh6GiuK_JLUs3fx_RLTgWvdnE8f6KjL7VJOM5ypw1V61AptB5U1khpervapzLJP4h-9Fq9gBPJgyLKQlch9Vh5mlksb4fPVawTcn4myhyphenhyphenw3E3P2PCrbj4OrN0tI6uzyZrhFzgm1u1JMk/s200/Stamp-UncleSam%2527sHat.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-58635808003951117112017-06-26T07:40:00.002-05:002017-06-26T07:40:45.998-05:00Letters to Soldiers -- Past and Present<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q_2eWX9YwSBQ9BFbozs2ELmbdc6ZOYxtS6aJKgSaV-yBiCtr_fL1uJFYJPwqZ939nwRzhwlE0EbPI9pc4Sarp7K8-e5T9W46JPgOIR-bG-yJX09F-75kop-qlFhLJM0FaXiRNeqFLJ8/s1600/Screenshot+2017-06-26+07.05.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="557" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q_2eWX9YwSBQ9BFbozs2ELmbdc6ZOYxtS6aJKgSaV-yBiCtr_fL1uJFYJPwqZ939nwRzhwlE0EbPI9pc4Sarp7K8-e5T9W46JPgOIR-bG-yJX09F-75kop-qlFhLJM0FaXiRNeqFLJ8/s320/Screenshot+2017-06-26+07.05.40.png" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the <a href="http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2017-06-24/museum-visitors-embrace-written-form" target="_blank">Amarillo Globe-News</a></td></tr>
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This past weekend, the <a href="http://www.panhandleplains.org/" target="_blank">Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum</a>
in Canyon, Texas, hosted a letter writing event in conjunction with its
exhibit “The Great War and the Panhandle-Plains Region.”<br />
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The
story caught my attention because of the letter writing aspect but also
because I visited that museum a time or two as a kid. We lived about an
hour away.</div>
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According to <a href="http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2017-06-24/museum-visitors-embrace-written-form" target="_blank">Lisa Lamb’s article</a>
on the Amarillo Globe-News’ website, there were two parts to the
Saturday event. Area residents brought their World War I memorabilia to
be considered for inclusion in the museum’s collection, and a program on
Letters From Home highlighted the importance of letter writing during
World War I. Additionally, visitors had the opportunity to write a
letter to today’s U.S. military members through the Operation Gratitude
project.</div>
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After
reading that story, I tracked down Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit
organization in California. The group’s online media kit says that they
send care packages and letters of support to individual soldiers,
sailors, airmen and marines deployed in harm’s way, to their children
left behind, and to first responders, veterans, new recruits, military
families, wounded heroes and their caregivers. Starting in 2003, they
have sent 1,784,080 care packages so far.</div>
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Those
care packages include a variety of items, including letters. According
to the Operation Gratitude website, they have sent 5 million
hand-written letters. That’s a lot of letters!</div>
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You can read more about Operation Gratitude and how you can become involved on the <a href="https://www.operationgratitude.com/" target="_blank">organization’s website</a>.</div>
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It sounds like a good project that letter writers will enjoy!</div>
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-12838628186601389222017-06-23T11:20:00.000-05:002017-06-23T11:21:22.839-05:00A column about letters and a letter about the column<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last week, <span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item">Lana Sweeten-Shults, a writer and editor for the Wichita Falls Times Record News, wrote a column about letter writing, and my friend Laura alerted me, knowing how interested I would be. </span><br />
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<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item">The column focused on her kids and how she came to realize that they didn't know how to write letters -- or postcards -- and her mission to remedy that situation.</span><br />
<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item"><br /></span>
<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item">She steps back in time to when she was a young girl, writing to her penpal, sending off for photos of celebrities and writing to her sister who was in the Army. You can read the column on the Times Record News' website at <a href="http://bit.ly/2rrw1Tx">http://bit.ly/2rrw1Tx</a></span><br />
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<span class="asset-metabar-author asset-metabar-item">Sweeten-Shults' column inspired a <a href="http://bit.ly/2tWLYCD" target="_blank">letter to the editor</a> by a reader who reminisced about letter writing and other topics. In his letter, </span>Joseph E. Whalen, Jr. of Wichita Falls suggests that people who protest things might see better results if they wrote letters instead.<br />
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As we head into this weekend, let's take Lana and Joseph's advice and write some letters. Write about whatever strikes your fancy. Write to complain; write to say "wish you were here"; write to say "I miss you."<br />
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Happy letterwriting!<br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-7625749126682567452017-06-21T11:30:00.000-05:002017-06-21T11:30:37.272-05:00Letter Writing Project Benefits Students and Chicago Organization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRzdfUzGPBIkFNcgemyTtSwkx1xCKDCCwWU9PD_kfPm3DbFx9wF6jZeZkXmwVVw6PezyXV0clN6ie8fI1GhA6fhEx9n58mwreah2OUYLoZiUghp_HvZdTP3LvOS78HIFzFVwdqSNLd4o/s1600/PS_-_FRONT_Cover_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRzdfUzGPBIkFNcgemyTtSwkx1xCKDCCwWU9PD_kfPm3DbFx9wF6jZeZkXmwVVw6PezyXV0clN6ie8fI1GhA6fhEx9n58mwreah2OUYLoZiUghp_HvZdTP3LvOS78HIFzFVwdqSNLd4o/s320/PS_-_FRONT_Cover_1024x1024.jpg" width="207" /></a>To me, one of the fun and wondrous things about life -- and the internet -- is how one thing leads to another and another and before long you have learned something new and fascinating.<br />
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I started out researching a story about letter writing. I came across an article on the Chicago Reader website about two Chicago school classes that wrote letters to each other. The story not only detailed how the students got to know their letter-writing partners, but it also explained that the project culminated in the publishing of a book featuring some of their letters.<br />
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As I looked up more information about the book, I discovered 826CHI, a nonprofit organization that provides free writing and tutoring programs for Chicago students. Not only does the organization have workshops, field trips and in-school projects, it also has a publishing department that prints and binds students' works into books that are sold at The Secret Agent Supply Co., a shop in Chicago that benefits 826CHI.<br />
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The letter-related book is titled "P.S. You Sound Like Someone I Can Trust," a line taken directly from one student's letter. You can order the book online at <a href="https://secretagentsupply.com/collections/books/products/p-s-you-sound-like-someone-i-can-trust" target="_blank">The Secret Agent Supply Co.</a> <br />
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You can read more about 826CHI and all of their programs, including a gallery of student writing, at the organization's <a href="http://www.826chi.org/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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And, you can read the entire article about the letter writing project on the <a href="https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/06/20/a-new-book-from-826chi-shows-how-friendships-develop-through-letter-writing" target="_blank">Chicago Reader</a>.<br />
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According to the article, each year 826CHI has a unique project, so this letter writing program was a one-time event. But, that's not to stop anyone else from creating a similar program between two school classes. Such a project could teach handwriting, business skills, writing/English skills, as well as the basics of how to write and mail a letter, and much more, I'm sure. It could be done with or without the book. But, if a group wanted to publish a book of their letters, a quick print or print-on-demand service could handle it inexpensively.<br />
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I certainly hope the idea spreads and more and more young people learn the joys of letter writing! <br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-4108641270475047552017-06-20T10:38:00.000-05:002017-06-20T10:38:02.234-05:00My kind of soft drink!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ7sNTCRiMqC896QS76tLJDdUSugW1qyK-QwgdIACEshW5OZFKLKWUshNCqUn5tjDDRjmwKc91C4zg3vy7Cb0MD_D_aKiPjIQ_i0qRoPExmz4Scjsy4DaeOaIwK6TvERoWRYmwZ9OQ1s/s1600/DrPepperBottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ7sNTCRiMqC896QS76tLJDdUSugW1qyK-QwgdIACEshW5OZFKLKWUshNCqUn5tjDDRjmwKc91C4zg3vy7Cb0MD_D_aKiPjIQ_i0qRoPExmz4Scjsy4DaeOaIwK6TvERoWRYmwZ9OQ1s/s200/DrPepperBottle.jpg" width="150" /></a>My husband found this Dr Pepper bottle featuring postage stamps. It appears to be a part of the "Pick Your Pepper" promotion the soft drink company first launched last year to celebrate self-expression.<br />
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According to a news release last summer, the hundreds of unique designs were inspired by "various millennial passion point categories." That must mean that stamps -- and maybe letter writing, snail mail, analog communications, etc. -- are still relevant and interesting!<br />
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Other designs include unicorns, fireworks, cassette tapes and many more. Have you seen one yet?<br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-39868896587229118622017-06-15T08:20:00.000-05:002017-06-15T08:20:00.850-05:00Outgoing mail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9PjGRgk9ysxPofqExaLhypoqeODFmqx2ESalSLmYtpbFyrvfQMMNri3HHFXenjnHmDWPu68p_hElXFDjg8T59PSkT_v_n7ILBWFRoJK30Jd477ocj76_DyA5LupuwyQCY2VNeTGw05E/s1600/Postcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9PjGRgk9ysxPofqExaLhypoqeODFmqx2ESalSLmYtpbFyrvfQMMNri3HHFXenjnHmDWPu68p_hElXFDjg8T59PSkT_v_n7ILBWFRoJK30Jd477ocj76_DyA5LupuwyQCY2VNeTGw05E/s400/Postcards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I got up bright and early this morning and wrote four postcards to <a href="http://postcrossing.com/">Postcrossing.com</a> members. Are you a member of Postcrossing? It's a great way to connect with people all over the world! Check it out if you love sending and receiving postcards. Some Postcrosing participants are interested in "direct swaps" and/or regular letter writing, but not all are.<br />
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I'm also sending out a letter to a friend today. I love using vintage (never used, of course) stamps!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfA_D8sQLQezaHvR5gTpIzCNLfqAEj6Mb2BnLjYo_mckirFr8c-tyRUob2KAlww1pz6Y1O3VdmkrcM-P5boSGix7ssWOKuxyko7paL9nJr5PfJWlFJt1WEjeTRS2jR3eAj6GP1o4ICy4/s1600/Letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1280" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfA_D8sQLQezaHvR5gTpIzCNLfqAEj6Mb2BnLjYo_mckirFr8c-tyRUob2KAlww1pz6Y1O3VdmkrcM-P5boSGix7ssWOKuxyko7paL9nJr5PfJWlFJt1WEjeTRS2jR3eAj6GP1o4ICy4/s320/Letter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-81045063543500885542017-06-12T10:17:00.000-05:002017-06-12T10:17:13.946-05:00Monday morning roundup of articles about letter writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXNyKiybHxGlWwQsFOPkTFeC5qOsbu2Ilx56A8oR53kAaPj_WxL2IO7ubZ52LwIRikY8m4ApRtwWtVgE0dgzhHvwzEIEqK9a9ONEtjuMumu06f61Rlr4IqmX-ODr9FclkptaH1rrVAA/s1600/Screenshot+2017-06-12+10.08.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFXNyKiybHxGlWwQsFOPkTFeC5qOsbu2Ilx56A8oR53kAaPj_WxL2IO7ubZ52LwIRikY8m4ApRtwWtVgE0dgzhHvwzEIEqK9a9ONEtjuMumu06f61Rlr4IqmX-ODr9FclkptaH1rrVAA/s320/Screenshot+2017-06-12+10.08.32.png" width="289" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the <a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/love-letters-plaintive-notes-and-postcards-from-the-edge-35812889.html" target="_blank">Irish News</a></td></tr>
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Here's a Monday morning roundup of recent stories in the news about letter writing. Enjoy!<br />
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Penpals meet in Boulder, Colorado, for the first time after corresponding for 60 years. Read the story in the <a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_31049463/pen-pals-meet-boulder-first-time-after-nearly" target="_blank">Boulder Daily Camera</a>.<br />
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A letter collector writes about the joys of letters. Read the story in the <a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/love-letters-plaintive-notes-and-postcards-from-the-edge-35812889.html" target="_blank">Irish News</a>.<br />
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Some celebrity penpals are strange pairings. Read more in <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/private-sydney/ps-prince-charles-and-nancy-reagan-just-one-example-of-unlikely-pen-pals-20170606-gwlpqu.html" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>.<br />
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Three writers pen the letters they never wrote but wish they had. From the <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/three-writers-on-the-letter-they-wish-they-had-sent-35810001.html" target="_blank">Belfast Telegraph</a>. <br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-5894177128203231802017-06-09T09:55:00.000-05:002017-06-09T09:55:11.980-05:00To write or not to write about politics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNKoYF-5Db8BIIkqi5qZqktfxvvinERswo12ltNKvxz7SLnPlKZ1D2jDTIV7EOSWRN0vuz_3LmKhc6-TF-hqaKpj4wDFSIzEXSAddlxcNj-prGm6wDt1M40MTZfmbHcc-rRFl3Knj0pM/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="900" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNKoYF-5Db8BIIkqi5qZqktfxvvinERswo12ltNKvxz7SLnPlKZ1D2jDTIV7EOSWRN0vuz_3LmKhc6-TF-hqaKpj4wDFSIzEXSAddlxcNj-prGm6wDt1M40MTZfmbHcc-rRFl3Knj0pM/s320/IMG_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There seems to be quite a bit of political turbulence world-wide nowadays, and I'm curious if people who have international penpals discuss politics in their correspondence.<br />
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I would have to say that I usually don't write about politics in my letters, mostly because I'm not very confrontational, and I don't want to offend anyone. But, I'm happy to answer questions from my penpals, even offer up my opinion, if I'm asked for it.<br />
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I think that the longer a correspondence continues, the more likely penpals are to write about such matters. Once they get to know each other better, through their letters, they are more comfortable being open and honest about things like that.<br />
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How about you? Do you write about politics or any other controversial topic in your letters?</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-90122872691071071902017-06-07T09:46:00.000-05:002017-06-07T09:46:00.249-05:00Letter writing finds a new generation of fans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="611" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5sfXY-HkvIhAYuH1yLjWjcCd4oqFWGJI3-H0EVGkSP6XYN8hlGvxSyCafnhYNV0TRoSMn2hoMbgbGFOizsQYeOuWf4MmK159Gg_0lr6ZXra5JlQwSbUeop5V09ea5SHTM_sFgRiOU0g/s400/Screenshot+2017-06-07+09.29.06.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="371" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>From the Grand Haven Tribune.</b></i></td></tr>
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Thanks to two Michigan school teachers -- who just happen to be mother and daughter -- a new generation has discovered the joys of letter writing.<br />
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According to the story in the Grand Haven Tribune, Trisha Larsen and her daughter, Georgeanne Larsen, live in western Michigan. They teach kindergarten in towns just across the Grand River from each other. And, since February, their students have struck up a correspondence.<br />
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One of the things the students have learned is how they like the same types of things that the kids in the other school like. What a great way to teach the youngsters about the world, even if it isn't that far away!<br />
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Read the full story online at the <a href="http://www.grandhaventribune.com/Education/2017/06/05/Kindergartners-connect-as-pen-pals" target="_blank">Tribune</a>.</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-24158100771194028912017-06-05T10:15:00.000-05:002017-06-05T10:15:24.618-05:00USPS stamp honors philosopher Henry David Thoreau<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhU1jHntrZ3L1JNhiCl81gSrO5m5EQuE6E2lw2O8hdRlGKpu4VKOBpEG8l8cg9eLFqiQmYDyzkgdoM0GsaVJ_u6-WdYUFh7ZA6H0xMa3zYxzYYzkF8_Ik-7Fzbf5fSgsRolJhva2X5VY/s1600/Thoreau+Stamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhU1jHntrZ3L1JNhiCl81gSrO5m5EQuE6E2lw2O8hdRlGKpu4VKOBpEG8l8cg9eLFqiQmYDyzkgdoM0GsaVJ_u6-WdYUFh7ZA6H0xMa3zYxzYYzkF8_Ik-7Fzbf5fSgsRolJhva2X5VY/s200/Thoreau+Stamp.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Last month, the U.S. Postal Service introduced a new stamp celebrating <span>writer, philosopher and naturalist Henry David Thoreau during the bicentennial year of his birth. Thoreau was born July 12, 1817.</span><br />
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<span>He is likely best known for his book "Walden," detailing his experiences of living for two years in a cabin on the shores of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau wrote many more books, essays, poems, articles, etc. And, he also wrote many letters, which have also been collected and published. </span><br />
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<span>In one letter to his sister, a 20-year-old Thoreau wrote:</span> <br />
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"...letter-writing too often degenerates into a
communicating of facts, and not of truths; of other
men's deeds and not our thoughts. What are the convulsions
of a planet, compared with the emotions of the
soul? or the rising of a thousand suns, if that is not
enlightened by a ray?"</blockquote>
The USPS stamps are available in blocks of four or 10 and as a sheet of 20. Additionally, you can order a digital color postmark, first-day cover, framed art piece, a ceremony program and more. Visit <a href="https://store.usps.com/store/browse/uspsProductDetailMultiSkuDropDown.jsp?productId=S_475104&categoryId=buy-stamps" target="_blank">usps.com</a> or your local post office.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR2_qHA-GZEOZ1HefabA1RYTf8VPdgvNEzimUKptxzDPjcpTR4FnNaFlufO1Ub7omSm_pBLxeIyDe8SyC_pIhB5EQq2ltBJwSIHr7-D6VCsaUN13-HX1foSh61G7xE07yGEyZaE9EaUw/s1600/Thoreau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR2_qHA-GZEOZ1HefabA1RYTf8VPdgvNEzimUKptxzDPjcpTR4FnNaFlufO1Ub7omSm_pBLxeIyDe8SyC_pIhB5EQq2ltBJwSIHr7-D6VCsaUN13-HX1foSh61G7xE07yGEyZaE9EaUw/s320/Thoreau.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-30116670707164521712017-06-02T07:42:00.001-05:002017-06-02T07:42:49.704-05:00Weather gives us something to write about!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_1vlm-lo6eIkLx6nZeBfh9zoVbExrD-GULsPHhnOHRFhyU2MdPg5h9x-k0QckqoJTF4pvhlvXNYUeJVn6EYZt7u_Ro35w2iHRxGjduSbijwD_uh-h5jwXP60WamQHXtsNdnpDu_7b_Q/s1600/ChollaFlowers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_1vlm-lo6eIkLx6nZeBfh9zoVbExrD-GULsPHhnOHRFhyU2MdPg5h9x-k0QckqoJTF4pvhlvXNYUeJVn6EYZt7u_Ro35w2iHRxGjduSbijwD_uh-h5jwXP60WamQHXtsNdnpDu_7b_Q/s400/ChollaFlowers2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>This photo of the cholla cactus flowers at our house shows bright skies. Today, it's cloudy with a chance of rain.</b></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It's not yet summer here in the northern hemisphere -- there's still almost three weeks to go -- but already we've had 100+ temperatures here in this part of Texas. Last week, the thermometer topped the century mark at least two days. Fortunately, this week, we've had more clouds and a little bit of rain, so it's cooled off somewhat, only reaching the upper 80s and lower 90s.<br />
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Does the weather affect your letter writing? Do you tend to write more if it's cold and/or rainy and you're stuck inside? Or, do you write more when you can go sit outside on the patio or in the hammock?</div>
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At the very least, the weather gives us something to write about. If you're experiencing letter writers' block, try writing a few paragraphs about the weather. Tell your letter's recipient what it's like where you are. How does it make you feel? What's your favorite type of weather?<br />
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If you find yourself wondering what to write this weekend, try writing a weather letter. Maybe even delight your penpal with a sketch of your atmosphere!<br />
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Happy letter writing!<br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-75466458487767007082017-05-31T07:59:00.000-05:002017-05-31T07:59:20.455-05:00California grandmother writes 7,000+ letters to troops serving overseas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK26DlRwE42zke5XQbWpZQdg0oeqQZ76Wt59e2BWc9HWZ3uT78ByFfF-37oIPNlaraJKz_l50yHATn3xbR7RJZGFOJcp8snG13RlqBoxhEYpAwvjLEasz-AtsOD9oeXiKGYbhUXeZbKw/s1600/Screenshot+2017-05-31+07.31.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1017" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK26DlRwE42zke5XQbWpZQdg0oeqQZ76Wt59e2BWc9HWZ3uT78ByFfF-37oIPNlaraJKz_l50yHATn3xbR7RJZGFOJcp8snG13RlqBoxhEYpAwvjLEasz-AtsOD9oeXiKGYbhUXeZbKw/s400/Screenshot+2017-05-31+07.31.32.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The story of 365 Letters sounds like a lot of letters, until I read about Alleen Cooper, a 98-year-old California letter writer who enjoys sending mail to U.S. military troops. According to the story, she has written more than 7,000 letters since she started counting about six years ago, but she started writing letters during World War II.<br />
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She says she plans to keep writing letters as long as she can.<br />
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Take a look at the inspiring story by <a href="http://whnt.com/2017/05/29/california-grandmother-writes-nearly-7000-letters-to-troops-overseas/" target="_blank">clicking here</a>.</div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-86857986906886354182017-05-29T11:35:00.000-05:002017-05-29T11:35:02.434-05:00Smithsonian exhibit features letters from World War I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKPnWBk5zSoQlSktEYyZE5eFVNTYNH26thJaVJpF2BSOHAAgkhlGEv13tp4DmyQlBUjdaL6XLEAyJ09bf-4A8TrWATZAPkdJrlERnQtZwrs-LFCGts4A5EADwPyOEWZn6kpIgZo3zJQo/s1600/PRESS-jcb-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="576" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKPnWBk5zSoQlSktEYyZE5eFVNTYNH26thJaVJpF2BSOHAAgkhlGEv13tp4DmyQlBUjdaL6XLEAyJ09bf-4A8TrWATZAPkdJrlERnQtZwrs-LFCGts4A5EADwPyOEWZn6kpIgZo3zJQo/s400/PRESS-jcb-004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Today, Memorial Day in the United States, is a good day to highlight "My Fellow Soldiers," the Smithsonian Institute's National Postal Museum exhibit on display in the Mail Call Gallery. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I, the exhibit features letters from what was known as "The Great War." It will be open through Nov. 29, 2018, so you have plenty of opportunity to see it.<br />
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According to the website, "My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I"
was created by the National Postal Museum in
collaboration with the Center for American War Letters at Chapman
University and was made possible, in part, through the
support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIfrIMVp3LiOECpK0KuMosrg-CQfAM2ZST5i69TE6Kcv24RQT439hU4yrXXRf5xdln5kpOyE21qbfkBS_7M6k_Oc5v-TPpIoUvD6StSfNe1SwecwN-mGx1R3St5sWktsrQPPFy4dfNL8/s1600/Screenshot+2017-05-29+10.47.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="432" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIfrIMVp3LiOECpK0KuMosrg-CQfAM2ZST5i69TE6Kcv24RQT439hU4yrXXRf5xdln5kpOyE21qbfkBS_7M6k_Oc5v-TPpIoUvD6StSfNe1SwecwN-mGx1R3St5sWktsrQPPFy4dfNL8/s320/Screenshot+2017-05-29+10.47.33.png" width="320" /></a>The exhibit features letters from soldiers, their parents, their wives and other relatives. There are poignant letters, brave letters and letters detailing mistreatment of African American soldiers at the hands of their fellow Americans. <br />
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If you can't make it to the museum to see the exhibit, or if you'd like a sneak peak or closer look, the online exhibit can be viewed at <a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/MyFellowSoldiers/index.html">https://postalmuseum.si.edu/MyFellowSoldiers/index.html</a>.<br />
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Online, you can see letters, postcards, ads for the Parker Pen Company, and more. It's an excellent exhibit for anyone interested in letter writing, history, World War I, soldiers, etc. <br />
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365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772627414132917275.post-11445625470355009542017-05-23T11:50:00.001-05:002017-05-23T11:56:01.787-05:00It's the time of year for writing thank you notes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiqt0EuaGxegautziGCVxv3JGX4hd_cjzplhkIY2IvG1kLYc4R_B2U-2VqT2nMTvzJMF4LqWfDgJg-UN1FUyJ1Fe_WmxAd4OxWjt7jyNXFI3WkyWPqm6JiJq23dT0ENDrOX7nOm_NKRU/s1600/ThankYou+Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiqt0EuaGxegautziGCVxv3JGX4hd_cjzplhkIY2IvG1kLYc4R_B2U-2VqT2nMTvzJMF4LqWfDgJg-UN1FUyJ1Fe_WmxAd4OxWjt7jyNXFI3WkyWPqm6JiJq23dT0ENDrOX7nOm_NKRU/s1600/ThankYou+Cards.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available at <a href="https://store.usps.com/store/browse/productDetailSingleSku.jsp?categoryNav=false&navAction=push&navCount=0&atg.multisite.remap=false&categoryId=cards-envelopes&productId=P_843002" target="_blank">USPS.com</a></td></tr>
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Last week, I attended the end-of-year awards ceremony at the local high school. The program honored students who had attended state competitions – academic and athletic – as well as those earning a special honors award. Additionally, all of the local scholarships for the graduating class were handed out.<br /><br />Following the ceremony, the principal announced a reception for the scholarship recipients. And, then he mentioned that the seniors were to stay in the library after the reception for a thank you letter writing event so that they could properly acknowledge their scholarships. That was great to hear! Hopefully, any of the students who didn’t already know how to write a proper thank you letter learned how that day. It really is an important skill to have in life!<br /><br />Here are a few tips for writing thank you letters:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Specifically mention the gift, scholarship, job interview, whatever it is for which you are thankful. You don’t have to be awkwardly detailed, but you do need to acknowledge that you know what the gift was. For example, you can say, “Thank you for the shirt you sent for my birthday.” Or, “I want to let you know how much I appreciate receiving the Smith Family Scholarship this year.”</li>
<li>Express appreciation for the gift, even if you didn’t really like it. You don’t have to lie about it, but you can still thank the person for, basically, making the effort. “Thank you for the bow tie. I’ve never had one before. It certainly makes a bold statement.”</li>
<li>If you think it’s necessary, remind your letter’s recipient who you are. This might be necessary in the case of a foundation that gives out several scholarships to students at different schools. For example, you could say, “After I graduate from Midtown High School, I will be attending State University, and this scholarship will certainly come in handy!”</li>
<li>If you really did like the gift, be sure to explain why. “The bread machine was our favorite wedding gift. We love homemade bread, but with our schedules, we just don’t have the time to make bread very often. The machine lets us wake up to freshly baked bread any day!”</li>
<li>If at all possible, hand-write the letter. It adds that personal touch everyone appreciates.</li>
</ul>
Here is an example of a complete thank you letter:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Aunt Sue,<br /><br /> Thank you for the book you sent me for graduation. I’ve just started reading it, but the advice in it has been valuable already! I appreciate your thoughtfulness in choosing such a relevant book for me. I will be certain to add it to my permanent library.<br /><br /> Again, thank you!<br /><br /> Love,<br /><br /> Emma</blockquote>
Happy letter writing!<br /></div>
365 Lettershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04773062418906842533noreply@blogger.com0