Letters and Mail

Writing Letters

We talked about the lost art of letter writing.  Everyone who gathered around the quilt this week  (including myself) was old enough to remember the days of sealing wax and licking stamps and letter openers. 

But none were old enough to have lived in the day of writing letters with a quill pen. 

The quill pen was a hit, though.  Everyone was intrigued by how soft it was.  I was so glad I had the feather, since I happened to have two new guests who had both recently lost their ability to see.  It was a sweet surprise to watch them enjoying something on the table that was more fun to feel than see!

Postcards

We talked about the fun and simplicity of sending a card with a picture and short message.  I shared 2 old postcards, both cancelled in 1918.  They were written by my paternal grandmother and fraternal grandfather, both doing service during the war. 

The Fun Postcards

Talk of old letters can get sentimental and serious, so we had to lighten things with  the crazy collection of whimsical postcards my mom collected over the years!

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There were cards with moving parts and blinking eyes and two with attached baggies, one holding sand and the other, Spanish moss.  We debated if any could actually be sent in the mail anymore.

Our Postmen

We all recalled a day when only men delivered the mail.  It was amazing how many remembered the name of their postman.  Lucille remembered her postman whistling as he strolled down the walk. It was a welcoming sound, that told her there might be mail! 
I recalled a teasing postman when I was a teen.  He climbed our porch stairs on a chaotic summer afternoon when the moving van was unloading at our new home.  

The stress and heat of the day was broken when he hollered past the movers, "Is there a Beth Meyer who lives here?"  I answered and lunged for the door, "Yes!  Do I have mail!" "No,"  He said in a serious tone, before laughing and handing me a letter from a dear friend. 

Books

There aren't exactly tons of books to share on the subject of letters and postmen.  The only one I found on my shelf was an old Golden Book with illustrations that easily spurred on more memories.

Tom had the most surprising story.  His great grandfather had been a carrier of  Confederate mail during the Civil War.  As a young man Tom helped clean out his great grandfather's home and found a letter from Sam Houston.  (Not sure how he aquired that?) Tom said he was able to sell the letter for $50 to the State Archives, so that he could pay for a gravestone.

Songs and Movies

We came up with a few theme related movies, like The Postman Rings Twice. A couple other random movie scenes came to mind.

We had an easier time coming up with    some fun theme related music. I played a few recordings.  

 

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Lyrics

We listened to a few songs that many recognized. "Mr. Postman" and "Return to Sender" were all familiar.  

But my new friend Tom came up with some lyrics that surprised me.  He pondered a moment as he recalled some verses from "Down in the Valley" that I had never heard.

"Write me a letter... Send it by mail.   Send it in care of... The Birmingham jail.
Birmingham jail, Love.  Birmingham jail.  Send it in care of, The Birmingham jail."

Sealing a Letter

We talked about decorating envelopes with stamps and stickers and even perfume.  

Then I dug for what I thought was the obvious... "What's the most special way to seal a letter!?"  It was a quiet gentleman by the name of Bruce who shyly answered, "A kiss."

 

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Discussion

I'm always curious to hear the thoughts that are shared when we draw cards with questions.  "What do people like to get in the mail?"  I heard everything from Love Letters to Social Security Checks!   Charlotte remembered receiving letters from her mother in beautiful penmanship.  Naomi remembered hoping to get responses in the mail, after writing fan letters to movie stars!

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The Cost of a Stamp

I shouldn't have been too surprised that not one person in all my groups knew the price of first class stamp today.  Quite a few knew that it took a 3-cent stamp to send a letter in 1950!

Card Shop

Doing my quilt groups has turned me into even more of a pack rat.  I'm forever holding onto treasures that I might share with the groups. But on this day I brought in a box of unused greeting cards my mom had collected.   She's been gone 2 years and I've made little progress in using her cards.  So I set up shop at the Community Center and asked folks to take as many as they liked. What a treat watching the cards disappear.

What Did I Learn?

I learned that it's a good idea to have a Letters and Mail  theme right before Christmas.  It  reminded me to be patient with our  replacement carrier, who seemed to make a total mess of our mail during the holiday season.  

Every time I got irritated with our service, I looked at the mailbox and package ornaments on the tree and I thought of all the sweet stories that were shared around the Quilt Table.