Leslie's to Janet - Testing

Thank you for the comments yesterday on weeds. This topic will resume on July 26th. 

Leslie kindly sent some photos of her non-exchange outgoing mail. Janet and Leslie do extra mailing between the monthly exchanges. Another fun option if you exchange - is finding a penpal. Leslie had lots of fun with those Innovation stamps. (I think that's the word)

***

Off topic - but a topic I love: testing. I've always been good at tests that involve puzzles more than words. So, that part of the testing that is done at brain rehab has been interesting. While my tour guides advise me  that I have done very well - I explain that it was much harder to come up with those answers and prior to the bonk on my head, I would have been much faster and probably more accurate." I don't know what they do with that information...because....

....later on in the process - there is a question that goes something like this: When you can't remember information - do you just make up fantastic stories? When I read this question, I busted out laughing - and asked - "Do the people who do this even realize they are doing it - or if they did, would they admit it?" 

I wonder if they score how many times a person busts out laughing at their questions. Actually, that was one of the questions. Do you bust out with inappropriate laughing? (it was worded differently) Once again, do people who do that - report themselves accurately?

The list of odd behaviors was sobering. Additional reminder to be grateful for all that is intact. 

More tomorrow.

From Ming to Alex - weeds

Alex(andra) was delighted with her envelope full of stickers from Ming. For some reason, little brother Ben decided that he needed that flamingo in the upper right had corner of the top sheet of stickers. Spirited *horse trading* ensued. I secretly video taped them - and will include the footage in my Nanna's highlights reel that I produce as soon as I get back to learning how to edit videos. It seems like a cold weather activity. Although, if the heat persists - summer is getting to be just as in-door-sy as winter. 

I have been sneaking over to my son's house to do some secret weed pulling. He works from 4 am to 12:30pm - so, I can take advantage of the cool morning hours. I kept thinking I would hear from him because I did not ask permission. After not hearing from him, I finally asked (via text) if he noticed any absence of weeds in his front yard. He only noticed a little bit that was gone from between the flagstones. 

Note to self: take before and after photos.

We have city dumpsters -- that pick up yard waste. He has the 64 gallon size which is large enough to conceal a fairly large (and flexible) adult human. I had FILLED the entire thing. It took me 40 years to establish a maintenance-free yard at my house - which is why I had to find weeds elsewhere.

My goal was to force myself to bend over and get rid of the sensation that my brain is sloshing about and I am happy to report that it's getting a little less *sloshy.*
 

Mary's gnome for Alex - Ridiculous extreme?

This adorable gnome is from Mary. Alex loved it. Although - I'm having a weird feeling that I might have mixed up the names - and the kids are gone - and took the mail with them. If I have mixed up the names - please let me know.

The whole visit didn't really have any problems - but I could tell that I was somewhat inept at the usual multi-tasking. Between the weather and other un-planned events - it was a bit chaotic. 

***

Well, the Maldives have carried the grid-aversion to a ridiculous extreme. Apparently their islands are sinking or the oceans are rising - so they have designed new floating islands and went for a *brainy* patterned system of *streets.* 

I am withdrawing my rant from yesterday. Maybe grids are un-natural. Maybe it's better to just do the opposite of logical stuff. Maybe this is the way creatures are meant to live. Maybe the postal workers are going to hold all the mail at a central location and you have to come pick it up. I believe that system worked for a long time. Maybe it was silly to offer door to door service. I am curious as to how they are naming or numbering the houses in case you want to invite someone to your house. If the plan is to just rely on your *app* I'm thinking that is a very short-sighted plan.

Full article with details. I have no idea if the info I shared is even accurate. 

https://www.designboom.com/architecture/maldives-floating-island-city-rising-sea-levels-06-22-2022/?utm_source=designboom+daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the+maldives+is+building+a+floating+%27island+city%27+in+response+to+rising+sea+levels

Janet's pirates for Ben - street rant

Ben loved this envelope from Janet - as well as the riddle and stickers. Nanna kept the LEGOs that her boys collected (way back when) and Ben's favorite pieces are the pirate set - so this was a perfect theme for Ben.

It is a coincidence that my rant is directed at the place where Janet lives - but it is not her hometown - so, I don't think she will be offended by my rant. Who knows - she might even agree with me.

***

Buckle your seatbelts, Nanna is going to launch a Hulk-sized rant. Just skip it if you have other things that need to get done.

On the day During the heat wave) that the AC decided to take a break and Nanna had to find alternative activities that involved one adult staying at the house to wait for a repairman - she found two fabulous aquatic parks in the suburb to the north of DSM. 

The addresses are 2350 SW Prairie Trail Parkway - and - 1220 NW Prairie Ridge Drive.

In the olden days - and I am talking colonial - all the roads were twisty-turny paths that evolved into crazy twisty-turny neighborhoods that are still twisty-turny 500 years later - in the New England states. The midwest is a VAST PRAIRIE - with no reason for twisty-turny streets. The grid system worked for so many years.

Now - suburbs have reverted to twisty-turny streets. And on top of it they pick words like Prairie - and they add two more words - and they end up with 75 different streets that start with Prairie. Ridges, Trails, Parkways, Streets, Drives, Boulevards, Roads, Views - the list goes on and on. My least favorite word of all -vista. Good grief -- there are NO VISTAS on a prairie unless you build a tall building - and even then it's not a vista -- it's just scenery. To qualify as a vista - you need something more than trees and bumps - aka *hills.* 

WHY do they need three words for street names? The one that bugs me the most is Wistful Vista Drive. I think the street namers were drunk and there was a contest to see who could come up with the dumbest  name that would still be OKed. 

Thank you for letting me rant - as I wait for the guy who told us a couple weeks ago that our AC was in great shape for the upcoming season. At least MrW and Hunter were agreeable about taking the kids to a *fun-zone* - an indoor jumping and climbing place.

Here's what was inside Janet's envelope:

Not envelopes - Skating

This isn't an envelope - but it is paper enclosing items - and I liked the idea - so I am sharing it. The evening before the grandkids left, they were invited (with mom) to go out with friends - so I was home alone. The following day was to be the first time that my daughter ever drove all the way from DSM to Chicago - with the two kids - on her own. She was not worried at all - but, I thought it would help to have some kind of *mile-marker* activity - for the kids to get a sense of progress being made.

I found 6 small treats and wrapped them up in six different colors and shapes - and wrote the names of 6 towns between DSM and Chicago - so they could have a small treat to mark the progress. They thought it was lots of fun. I also packed a healthy lunch that they had to consume as they crossed the Mississippi River - which is the halfway point. 

I threw the *progress treats* together at the last minute -- and can think of so many ways to make it better. Maybe next year.

 ***

Another good indoor activity to beat the heat was roller blading. Thankfully, Uncle Hunter was eager to take them to an old school roller rink. Alex loved it - but Ben was self conscious. Maybe next year. It's too bad that roller rinks aren't popular anymore. It's great exercise - in air conditioned comfort. Plus, it's something you can do outside when the weather is nice. 

Shark from Jessica - Food report

Another shark (from Jessica) that made Alex very happy. While Ben is still a bit nervous about running into a shark - but he is a wealth of information about all the different types of sharks. Speaking of scary stuff - their mom kept putting off watching The Wizard of Oz because of the flying monkeys. I finally texted her that it was too hot for a lot of outdoor activity so we were going to be watching movies. Alex thought The W of Oz was  really lame and groaned periodically. Ben loved it. When the munchkins started marching, he literally jumped up and marched along. He was fascinated with how the people in real life were actually the people Dorothy met along the way. I guess some movies are not destined to be classics forever.

***

 Trip report: My strategy for making a trip to Iowa as good as the other places my grandkids go is to relax the *treat rules.*

Day one: They had no interest in heading out at 8:30 a.m. to drive out to the suburbs to a brand new swanky playground. They did not understand that we had to beat the heat. The bribe was: ice cream afterwards. They were through romping by 10 - so we headed back to our favorite neighborhood ice cream place which has won national awards for their homemade ice cream. And they have added donuts. So we had both. Then the kids saw the candy display and I said, "Sure. But I'll hold onto the candy until later." You know you've crossed the line of common sense when the owners of the shop whom you have known for over 40 years wonder (aloud) if Nanna is using good judgment. 

Day two: One of the traditions from my family of origin is chocolate waffles and ice cream. My grandkids have only had them once (in 2021), but asked for them again. Ben the Bamboozler said he wanted them and then once they are came off the waffle iron he said, "I guess I'll just have the ice cream." Grrrr - first bamboozle of the trip. Alex only ate one. I made a few to toss in the freezer because they do make a decadent ice cream sandwich. But there was sooo much batter.

I realized that we had forgotten to observe Ben's half-birthday - so I poured the batter into a souffle dish and baked it. Then I cut it in half and stacked the two layers - it made a really cute half-birthday cake. He doesn't like frosting and neither do I - so - quick and easy photo op. He ate the cake and then asked, "Did you make this cake out of the waffle stuff."  Yes, you little bamboozler. At least he ate it;

From Janet to Alex - first half trip report

This is Janet's envelope to Alex - we all thought it was extra clever and Alex really liked the stamp. Alex was happy to see the shark. She talked me into watching the movie - Jaws. Nanna is smart - and made her watch it on my laptop - so that it was a small image - and then whenever the music started up - I just turned it to mute and talked her through what was happening. The music is such a big part of creating the fear - and the visuals are pretty minimal. If anything, she was a bit underwhelmed. Mission accomplished.

Inside was a handmade envelope

and stickers!!!!

***

As I write this - we are halfway through the grandkid visit and they are asleep at 6:30 am  which means yesterday was a raging success at wearing them out. Highlight of the trip for me is probably going to be the part where they were soooo impressed that Nanna makes her ice cubes out of water in little trays. Maybe later we'll go for a ride in her covered wagon or churn some butter. I actually have an old butter churn.

We have not even started the packing tape sculptures but they were wildly excited to build cardboard houses for Hunter's cat. MrW scared the living daylights out of me when I asked him to put a new blade in the box cutter and he said, "C'mon, Ben, let me show you how this works." Ben is 6. Grandpa has not heard the story of Ben's little buddy who ended up in the ER when the kid's parents left a box cutter out. Nanna offered a quick summary and tried to keep the smoke from curling out of her ears. Nanna has 3 more days to mull whether she even tells Ben's mom about this. She's vigilant about safety - because she was present during the box cutter incident. 

***

I ended up telling her in person - after she arrived to escort the kidlets home - and she winced - but did not fire us as caregivers.

Magician from Mary - random trip thoughts

An adorable little magician for Ben from Mary - and a cute card inside. Thanks so much, Mary. For everyone who sent mail to the grandkids - I did park the grandkids at a table with MrW to make thank you cards. He was not very good at getting them to put in some quality time -- but, I'll not complain. He willingly does a ton of clean-up and tidy-up and all that comes with kidlets.

***

Holy cow -- I just read the add-on part of this post (written on June 26) - and I sound positively loony. But, I do not have time to rewrite anything. I'll just delete the second half. Weird dream stuff - which isn't entertaining. 

***

Random thoughts on the first day in Chicago (Jun11). 

I just read my post that said I was going to try to do something different (with respect to my participation in the envelope exchange) and realized that my opening comment quoted Yoda: Do or do not. There is no try. And there I was - saying I was going to try something. I edited to try/do. But it dawned on me that sometimes *trying* is experimental stuff when you have been doing something. And how can you know what is going to work better - until you try it. So there must be two entirely different ways to *try.* I stand by my notion that repeat offenders in the common sense rule department ought not fall back on the *I'll try to remember that.....*  Goodness - the options to fill in that blank are sumthin' else. A lot of household rules and in an effort to be gracious - I'll say no more.

Janet's non-Jean envelope

 

This fun envelope arrived on June 4th. I had seen it in the USPS email with photos of my mail and wondered who Jennifer was and why someone would be sending mail to her at my address. When it arrived, I found Janet's name on the back. But, it did not say *open.* So - I emailed Janet and offered to forward it to Jennifer. 

Janet politely responded that it was for me and that I should open it. Then I realized that I had posted something about people sending me envelopes to post on the blog - but they could choose a random name. They didn't need to use my name. I guess I was expecting things like Dolly Parton or Mary Poppins. Even Occupant would have tipped me off. 

So - I did feel a little absent minded. The card inside is very cute. It says that friends don't let friends wear polka dots. I just bought a pair of polka dot socks. I hope they aren't a problem. As always - polka dots are always welcome on envelopes. And Jason Momoa has just released two new t-shirt designs that are polka dots. I'm tempted - but am currently more committed to my no-new-clothes vow. 

From Ming to Ben - family stories

Ben was super happy with his envelope full of stickers from Ming. He was also impressed that all the leaves were hand drawn. The dinosaur stamp was well received. Thank you, Ming!!

By the way -- Ming did let me know what she used on her May envelope to me:

The pen I use is Pilot Parallel Calligraphy Pen. 2.4mm for name and address. 3.8mm for leaves.

I use the same green ink for the wreath & address. The only difference is I add water to make it light for the address. The purple is ink as well.  

***

I get feedback that some of you like stories - so here's another one. When I mentioned MrWilson's learning experience at the gas station yesterday, I was reminded of his other adventures at gas stations (convenience stores). 

Once upon a time, *the phone* rang. It was a land line - back in the olden times when everyone in one household had one number. It was the Des Moines police department. I do not recall how the conversation went - but they needed to find MrWilson - because a convenience store had called to report that he had driven off without paying. 

I assured them that MrWilson was a lawyer and it was highly unlikely that it was intentional - and I would send him right back to the convenience store to straighten things out. When he got home and heard about the call he started laughing - because he had not pumped any gas. He couldn't get the pump to work so he just left and went somewhere else. He did get it straightened out - and it did not go on his permanent record with the police. It did, however, go on his permanent record here at 420 44th.

Second episode: he called me from a convenience store because he had lost the car key. That's insane. How do you lose a car when you are pumping gas? But, it's no use debating with someone who has a PhD in arguing. Seriously - arguing.is.what.they.do.*(1) So, I took him the other key. I listened to some very persuasive*(2) jabbering about how many places he had looked and how inexplicable it was. Mysterious, it was. Blah-blah-blah.*(3) Later, I went out to the car and looked around. Finally I thought -- Is it even possible that he did not think of the most obvious place - between the driver's seat and the console? So, I looked in that most obvious of places - and there it was. 

Naturally - he claimed he had looked there. <eye rolling> 

This is too much jabbering about silliness - In September, we are going to buckle down and get serious. I figure it will take a couple months to cover all the items on his permanent record. And those are just the ones I am willing to publish on the internet. The 3 numbered items will clarify things as I launch my project.

Sharon's jelly fish - heads up fellow dinosaurs

 

Sharon sent this to all three of us. The grandkids LOVED the jelly fish. They were fortunate enough to visit Hawaii earlier this year and loved it. They saw a dead jelly fish. Obviously - they liked this one a lot more.

***

I'm one of those people who always wants to time travel and bring people forward. Mostly the Wright brothers. It seems like they'd be wowed by airplanes. Or some of the early auto-people would be gobsmacked by formula one racing and rock star tour buses. Most of us think that we are keeping up with the times - and technology. But I'm guessing our days are numbered. 

MrWilson came home with a warning about how to use the credit card at gas stations. Apparently - some of the card readers (or all of them ?) have changed to *lingering-insertion* instead of what we used to do - which was insert and remove promptly. He had to get help at a gas station. 

I wonder which new-fangled thing or variation of a thing is going to cause me to retreat into a time-warped-comfort-zone. Do not get me started on (or restarted) on the patient portals. The only good thing about brain rehab is that they do not have patient portals. Clearly they have deduced that *some of us* are not equipped to venture down the patient-portal-primrose-path. 

Sign up for the July exchange

 

Kristine kindly sent this to my grandkids, Alex and Ben, while they were visiting in June. They were impressed with all the details and once again it is something that I would enjoy appropriating. It is so pretty with the stamp - and those stamps are still available if you have gray envelopes and want to sign up for the July exchange. I have not decided if I am going to put myself on any lists this month. It will probably depend on how many people sign up. In June, there were 18 - so I did not have to make the decision. I made 3 lists with 6 people - and left myself off.

***

Sign up for the exchange is July 1st thru the 4th and I email your lists on the 5th.

I need this information in this format, please and thank you.

(CARDS) means you will exchange hand made cards, (birthday) means you have a birthday in July and (2 lists) means you are willing to be on two lists if I need to make the lists come out even.

Jane Doe (CARDS)
123 Oak Street

Ames, IA 50010

jane.doe@gmail.com

(birthday) (2 lists)

Remember the new email for me:

PTEnvelopes@aol.com

This link has additional info for new exchangers:

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/p/rules-of-exchangement.html

***

Chuck (5)

This is a design idea worth considering. It won't work on a long name - but it's a very good way to put a shorter name on a longer envelope. There are so many ways to fill the space. I even like the way the stamp fits in with the other elements. And there's that lettering style I like so much. The line-shading in the letters go nicely with the lines in the background.

I guess we should have a little celebration. It is still June 3rd. The over-baked lemon pie is still warm. But, the June blog posts are officially scheduled. By the time I read this the travel and visit with the grandkids will be ancient history. Only a couple more weeks of rehab until we evaluate how the past 3 months have gone. So, time marches on. 

Unless it didn't - and creatures on another planet have been digging through the remnants of our planet and have come across stuff like this and are trying to figure us out. Trust me. Not a good use of your time, visitors from outer space. Things were interesting for a while - but then everything got too complicated - and then it imploded. But it was a very pleasant and peaceful implosion. 

Sorry - my mind wandered. Ignore that last paragraph.
 

Two from ChuckM (4) - nudging Karl

Two from ChuckM today because I thought it would be fun to see these side by side.

Only a couple days until sign up for the July exchange. I wonder if we will get any new people. I'm talking to you, Karl. I don't even know if Karl reads the blog. I met him on the Flourish Forum - and he is cut off the same bolt as ChuckS (not to be confused with ChuckM. I've been forgetting to add the M to all the Chuck posts. ChuckS's penmanship progress has been posted in a couple recent posts.

Karl is also working on improved penmanship and while he chose Spencerian - there are things about his methods that remind me of ChuckS. They are both very studious and organized about their process. Amazingly - they both let me boss them around. That's probably because when I give them my gold-standard opinions and they see immediate results - they deduce that I am not some random lunatic on the internet. 

So, Karl, if you are reading this. Please follow the directions on July 1 and sign up for the exchange. You will send 5 envelopes and you will receive 5 envelopes. It will be fun. You have spent enough time practicing - it is time to send something out into the world. 

Actually - I started leaning on him to mail letters to people in early June - so maybe he already has a slew of pen pals. But - the exchange might be fun for him. Maybe he'll let me show his before and after examples. They're impressive.
 

Chuck's (3) to John Neal

 I love-love-love this lettering style. I know I have an exemplar in my stash. Now I am wondering if it has a name - or was there one person who came up with it. Now I am wondering about the history of designing fonts and when people started copyrighting them. And how did things work back in the day of lots of hand lettering. <sigh> So many questions. Probably too late to get into educating myself.

By the way, I don't know if I mentioned this - but John Neal has retired. He found people to take over the publishing and other people (Paper & Ink Arts) to take over the business. I sure hope he has an enjoyable retirement. He was instrumental in getting me on board the calligraphy train - the one that goes all over the country and beyond. I wonder if I should write down my *history.* It's not like anyone in my household would ever be interested. They grudgingly put up with my *pass time.* Not that I want to make them look non-supportive. I think they all realized that being left alone was one of my fondest desires. They all found their own *pass times* and seem to be well adjusted people. Well - compared to me they are well adjusted - which might not be all that impressive.

Chuck (2) Real time update

There is one similar to this in my collection - and I'm sure it is somewhere on the blog - and you really need to see these fine-lines-from border-to-border designs in real life to appreciate the work that goes into them. Soooo pretty. The red border is way better than just running the basketweave off the edge. I'm not sure why - but I just know it is.

 ***

Huge thank you to the people who sent mail in June. Some of it was addressed to my grandkids - others to me. The grandkids LOVED their mail. I loved my mail, too. I'd swoon at length - but, my swooning isn't a good use of our time. There will be some jabbering in July about how things unfolded in June. At this moment, it is noon on Sunday (yesterday) and I am enjoying my noon coffee. The weather is so perfect that I am verklempt. Maybe it's better to only have one or two good days per month - because then we appreciate them more. I have dismantled the LEGO structures built during the grandkid visit and sooooo tempted to leave them out so that I can make my own creations. Soooo tempted. I'll have to ask if LEGOs are a good brain-rehab activity. Fingers crossed. It took about three hours to dis-assemble and sort the pieces. It seems like I earned some *play time.*

Chuck (1) & Susan V Battle

 I was going to do 7 Chuck-alopes this week after our week of Sharon - but this is exchange sign up week. Why would that matter? It doesn't. OK. First of 7 envelopes done by Chuck. Some of them do not have stamps - but it's fun to imagine various planetary stamps or earth stamps that would have worked nicely with this one. 

On a sad note: I parked myself really close to the lemon meringue pie in the oven to avoid spacing off. 

And then I spaced off. And yes, the meringue is overdone. Grrrr. But IMHO the meringue is the least important part of the pie. Although, I could blame it on using that little oven - since the scorch is on the top.

Here is what caused me to space off. A lady who does collage. Itty-bitty collage. And it reminds me of a favorite item I made using itty-bitty bits of used postage stamps. So, I was pondering if maybe I should cultivate my interest in collage.

Here is her IG

https://www.instagram.com/sarahvbattle/

and here is her website

https://www.sarahvbattle.com

It probably helps to look at the photos on a larger screen to appreciate the detail.

Sharon (7) birthday rainbow

 This concludes *Sharon's Week* - a big thank you to Sharon - and bonus points for adding comments to help me out with the *words.* I can't think of what we call the blurbs that go with the envelopes. Is there a word besides *blurb*? Is that what I am - a blurb writer?

Sharon had this to say about this one:

I thought the “Happy Birthday” stamp was a little tricky to use. Maybe it’s the green? This envelope, like many in the Sophia birthday series, is made from AstroBright paper. I think it goes well with the stamp. The address, city/state, and zip lines were centered under the arc.

Yes, Sharon, I agree - and I think I have mentioned that the muted tones in that stamp are tricky. We seem to have a congruency in our color-meters. 

I don't usually write at 6pm - but here I am. Still working on juggling my activities to re-program my brain. Thank you all for your patience. 

***

neuroplasticity - that's the word that is the focal point of rehab - literally - big and on the wall. Here is a definition:

The ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.

I'm curious to know if when a person has formed and reorganized her synaptic connections if the new connections can *discombobulate.* After a week with the grandkids - I've noticed some old weirdness has come back. Nothing concerning -- I imagine I can re-reconnect things. Back to rehab on Monday - after a 2 week break.

Sharon (6) blue LOVE stamp

 Sharon wrote:

I love this calligraphy style from your blog. I used a large calligraphy pen for the thick part of the letters and then used a matching skinny pen for the rest of the letters and the curlicues. I could improve it by planning out the letters so the “t” wasn’t so squished.

I love that style of lettering, too - and had completely forgotten about it -- it's pretty easy - and forgiving. The squished-ness of the t doesn't even bother me. Although, it would have if I had done it. It annoys me when I look back at the left margin and see gobs of space - and then I *if only* myself - because it would have fit beautifully. I guess the only solution is to always do a practice run.

The other thing I like - is a medium tone paper where you can use a dark tone as well as white. The perfect-ness of the paper with the blue in the stamp is a bonus.

Sharon (5) pink Beatles quote

Sharon wrote:

Who can resist the Beatles? The lyrics to their "Birthday" song going round and round like a record. The enclosure was a piece of mulberry paper adhered to pink card stock. Lettering was a bit rough going with so many particles in the paper, but I thought it looked really nice in person. Fun monster stamp, too!
 

Jean's comments: I like the spiral words that wind around and end up with the name - very clever. My daughter has the Disney channel - so I watched the recent film with previously unseen footage of the Beatles working on their last album. The original film played up some of the friction between band members and made Yoko look like a problem. I agree that the new version didn't show any friction or frustration. The way George *quit the band* did not look like he was serious - just nudging the others to get the album done. Ringo had perfected staring-into-space-while waiting for John and Paul to get 'er done.

They looked like a bunch of artists collaborating. That can be a very tricky process. It also gives an accurate glimpse into just how tedious it is to *make art.* There is the initial idea - and then it just takes time to futz around and get it right.

I do not recommend spending one's time watching it - unless you are a die hard fan - and even then - it's a lot of repetition.

Sharon (4) birthday cake

 Sharon wrote: This was a fun one, with shiny gold Finetec ink. The Art Deco lettering style inspired by works of Gemma Black was really fun to do. The street address and city/state lines were right aligned.

I love that stamp -- purple and bright green is such a nice combination.

If I don't add more to this post - it's because I'm in the midst of the 2 week adventure with the grandkids. If the weather stays in the 90s - it's going to be very challenging.

***

Tuesday in real time:

Very challenging indeed. On top of the too-hot-for-anyone to be outside - two of my back-up activities (a bounce house place and Monkey Joe's - a climbing, bouncing, etc place) have closed. They did not take their info down online - so it looked like they were open -- but they are gone - due to covid, I assume.  The grandkids appear to be gross-motor kids and the arty ideas are not holding their attention. But they are not complaining - so hopefully we'll make it to Thursday when mom arrives.

We could/would spend all our time at pools and aquatic centers -- but Ben (who is a swimmer) is mysteriously refusing to join swimming activities and we can't figure out why. Maybe his mom can figure it out.

Sharon (3) blue butterfly

The minute this popped up - I knew it was inspired by a white on red envelope I had done for Chuck. Sure enough -- this is what Sharon wrote:

The layout for this envelope was directly copied from your July 7, 2016, post of an envelope to ChuckM. I did use a different lettering style which was prevalent on Yukimi Annand's instagram. I'm not sure if I'd use this layout again, however. While the zip code is easy to read, the address might have been a challenge for the post office. I try to give mail carriers a break, when I can! The card is a watercolor of the California Dogface butterfly, which coordinates with the stamp on the envelope. (The Dogface is also a postage stamp.)

It's so pretty -- I bet the PO was happy to take a little extra time to read it.
 It seems like the butterfly is an homage to the Ukrainian flag - or the flag is an homage to the butterfly and I'm not sure if which color is on top on the flag. I'm 95% sure the blue is on top. Yellow on top would feel bottom heavy. And now I wonder if there is any one-place to learn the stories behind all the flags. Can you imagine the discussions amongst people who needed a flag? Seems like it would be utter chaos. No time to research - if anyone knows of such a book or website - feel free to email me directly - or try to leave a comment - in the less than friendly comment section. It is still working for some people - but not for others (including me) and I have no idea why.

***

Jean's response to Leslie's comment/question below -- I'll have to do some research and find out what exactly works best for the USPS. It seems like some mail can be read by scanners - but I have no idea what kinds of things makes the mail *hard to read - by a scanner.*

Sharon (2) - burgundy birthday

At the end of May - when I put the call out for people to send photos for the blog - Sharon sent this batch and I think it will be fun to see them in order. I'm even going to copy and paste what she wrote about them. Her penmanship is so close to mine that for a second - I thought maybe I had done this one.

Sharon wrote: 

Inspired by your blog, I sent my niece Sophia 20 envelopes with enclosures to celebrate her twentieth birthday. I found it to be quite an undertaking, but lots of fun. If you’re thinking of this type of undertaking, my suggestion is to start early and allow yourself lots of time. Or pick a younger recipient!

When developing my envelopes, I usually have an idea of the lettering style I want to use, then I choose the stamp, and then the envelope. At least I feel that’s how my process works.

This is a shimmery burgundy envelope. I thought it might be problematic with the pen/ink delivery system, but I used a Sakura white gel pen (a number 8, I think) and it worked great. The stamp is from the Sun Series. I got more out of these stamps than I thought I would

 

Sharon (1) Dapper USPS mail carrier

 

This one reminds me of one done by Jackie.  It's the first in a series -- which will be explained tomorrow. Sharon's comment about this one: I believe this envelope was inspired by one of your posts. I like the skinny white lettering over the watercolor band. Among the watercolor is shiny Finetec Coliro gold ink that doesn’t show well in the photo.

****

Dapper mailman Kalani Han in Albany Park. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

It took massive self control to not bump my June 2nd post and insert this item off the Chicago Axios newsletter. I've been thinking that the USPS should become the next *cool* place to work. Maybe I've already mentioned that too many times -- but it was gratifying to see that someone else is on my wave length. I'll refrain from additional gushing. Here is the article:

Hey, it's Monica! I was driving through Albany Park last week when I spotted a particularly stylish mail carrier walking with a spring in his step. 

• Naturally, I pulled over to talk to him while my mortified daughter hid in the back seat. 

The city dweller: Kalani Han, a rookie mail carrier who started with the USPS last November and assembles his outfits with an intentional old-school flair. 

Inspiration: "I prefer to have a polished look because I'm proud to represent the mail service," says Han, who didn't seem at all surprised by my sudden request for an interview. 

• "I admire those 1950s milkman, mailman kind of looks. In fact, the other day I was on eBay looking for some vintage mailman hats with the little brim. You'd be surprised, they are very popular."

Where you can spot him: Walking the 60625 postal code in Albany and North Park.

Mary's mermaid

This super cute mermaid arrived from Mary. It's part drawn with some extras added on. Nicely coordinated with the stamp. And a cute card - that looks like Mary prints her own work. And also some fun lunch box notes. I'll take them to Chicago and tuck them into the grandkids' lunchboxes. 

Also -- I'm going to add a bit about the PO - and what can happen when the address is in the vertical orientation. Some of the readers who are new to mail art might wonder about addressing an envelope in the vertical orientation. 

This one came through just fine - but some postal workers will tack on the *non-conforming* charge. When I first got into mail art - I would do all kinds of things that were hard to read. And I fielded quite a few questions about what was *OK with the post office.* My impression is that if you just drop it in the mail - it will be fine. I don't think any of the carriers want to stop and fuss with non-conforming addresses.

But -- I would never take something like this in to a post office and hand it to a clerk - unless I had extra postage on it. You might run into someone who loves it -- but you might run into someone who gets very stern with you. It can be awkward.

So that's my 2-cents.

Go to USPS.com for the rates for non-standard. I don't remember what they are - and some rates are changing in July - and it's just too hard to keep up with rates anymore. I depend on Forevers - and then if I want to do something non-conforming - I use 2 Forevers - which is more than necessary - but, I figure it buys a little goodwill.

Clever little *lunch notes.*

 

Airmail dress - IG ideas

Hussein Chalayan's "Airmail" dress, 1999

It seems like it's been a while since we off-topic-ed in the direction of fashion. This is adorable although that hangy-down thing in the back is odd - the rest of it is almost normal. It also looks like it is made out of Tyvek. I don't have time to do research - even though it is very tempting.

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An envelope for today - I harvested it off IG.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKy2VXsHot_/

It is not a mail art blog - but there are tons of easy flowery ideas and flowers always work on envelopes. The link to IG is a video - so you get to see the full envelope. I like the rectangular space for the name and address. Very USPS friendly.

 

Maggie's flowers - Torturing trees

 

Thank you, Maggie, for sending an extra. This is so lovely. I especially like the little lady bug crawling up the leaf. Other details worth noting - a very fine spritz-splatter in the background and some very fine lines in a darker colors to punch up the subtleness of the paint or ink. And the border adds a lot to the composition.

***

The BigHelpfulBrother sent this link to me. My first response was a reaction. Rather than a carefully considered response to the whole concept - my lizard brain freaked out and reacted (OVER-reacted) to the brutality of carving into an innocent tree. It might seem odd that I would be so irrational about carving into a tree - and I do not have any excuse. It might be my silly-billy-brain-cells that anthropomorphize things. Or perhaps I am a highly evolved being who has a connection with trees (plants, rocks, whatever pops up - except not hemlock because I read exactly how you die and it's brutal - but I digress.)

So - decide for yourself what you think of this concept. Or just skip it and go get things done.

https://bjoernkarmann.dk/occlusion-grotesque

At least the guy included *grotesque* in the name of his font. 

Perhaps my revulsion at this has more to do with the way the letters change - as the tree grows. They become very painful looking scars - to my eyes. Maybe some of you think they are lovely. 

Patty's heart+earth - 2 birds/1 stone

 

Good one, Patty! Nice big easy to read address - fun lettering - clever way to incorporate the stamp into the design. All the elements are balanced. And the frosting on the cake - you responded to my *call for entries.* Thanks again to those of you who are sending extras.

***

I'm not a fan of killing birds - especially with stones. However, I am a big fan of getting rid of excess stuff. Today (May 23) I found the Rubbermaid tub of bubble wrap. MrWilson insists that we need to keep bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts. But, I need art projects for the grandkid's visit - and I have always wanted to make life-size bubble wrap people. So, that's what we are going to do. I'm pretty sure he won't object to anything the grandkids are excited about doing.

I'm surprised that there are not more images online. I am surprised that this is not a more popular activity. Maybe the grandkids would have more fun making Grandpa be the *form.* This is not at all what I have in mind - even though it is cute.

Further research came up with something closer to what I have in mind - and it is more packing tape based - rather than bubble wrap. 

https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-Human-Tape-Sculpture/

Ming's wreath - pen caps

When Ming received my May envelope, she might have thought I sent her a wreath because she sent me this wreath - but it was a coincidence. My May mail piled up and I didn't remember any of it until I was jolted out of my fog and realized that there were no images on about 15 posts. I'm trying to figure out if she used a nib or markers. It seems way too crisp to be a marker. The purple looks like ink. The address looks more like marker -- and the leaves are different. It all goes together - which is not always easy with mixing tools.

***

 One of the least helpful things that people say, if they have asked me how I am doing - and if I mention any kind of memory issues - is, "Oh, that's normal. I forget things all the time." I know. I was always forgetting things, too. But, not all forgetfulness or distraction or absent mindedness is the same. I can't put it into words - but I think this illustrates my point.

If you are a person who regularly puts the wrong caps on your markers and pens - and you think that's *normal* - you are entitled to your opinion. It's normal for you. But it's not something that would happen on my desk. It would be like putting on one sneaker and one loafer. It just wouldn't happen. It would feel crazy.

I had addressed some envelopes on Thursday - and then on Saturday, I was back at my desk and saw that tan marker cap - all by itself. I am vigilant about keeping the caps on my markers. I was incredulous that I would have just put a marker down without capping it. That's how vigilant I am. I simply DO NOT put a marker down until I have put the cap on. I frequently hold the cap in my left hand rather than put it down.

So, I said *grrrr* and started shuffling through the papers - looking for the cap-less marker - and figure the marker would have dried up - after sitting, uncapped, for a couple days. And there it was with a G-Tec cap. If anyone wants to get on my wrong side, they can try to dismiss this as an insignificant blip. I'm not freaked out that it happened - just validated that I am not exaggerating about my lingering things-that-aren't-clicking.

Obviously, I will not be sharing this with my rehab tour guides. I'm pretty sure they would think I'm OCD or something. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of you might agree with me that cap-mixing is way, way, way *out there.*

And remember the part where I warned you not to argue with me? (That's the lizard speaking - and we don't want to get her riled up, do we?)

Rachael's chickens - Note to self

 

Rachael, Rachael, Rachel. You've done it again. Sent me something I need to appropriate. The lettering. The chickens. The border around the address. Thank you. A-dor-a-ble!!!

***

This is a note to myself - that on May 22, I realized that I have been having creepy dreams. Creepy in the sense that they are believable and I wake up thinking that the stuff in the dream actually happened. Is it the lizard? Should I keep track of how often this happens? Did I remember to ask about this at rehab?  What if the rehab tour guides are reading my blog? Oh my gosh. Maybe this is going to become a story or a play or a movie. Maybe the coffee was too strong. If you are a tour guide - you can tell me. I'll be so proud of you for finding me. I'm not that well hidden. I bet they approve of being called tour guides. Maybe not.

And for anyone who is disappointed in the shortness of the posts - these are normal in length. The longer ones were too long. Most of us probably know that we have other things that we should be doing.