A Favorite

Card #: FI-1038044
From: Netta
Origin: Finland
Caption: Suomi-Finland, Ilves (Lynx lynx), Lodjur-Northern lynx-Luchs
Note: "Moi J, My name is Netta and I'm 19 years old. I live on the southern coast of Finland in a city named Turku. I'm studying international business in university. I also have two cats. You seem to have loads of animals! That's so cool! Northern Lynxes live in Finland (and also in Russia). I have never seen one though. Have a fantastic day! Best wishes, Netta.
Stamp:

J loves animals, but is partial to birds and cats, so this card was just right.

Poignant Timing

This card was received the day after the horrendous earthquake and tsunami in March. Thankfully, we were able to email the sender and learned that she was okay. Still, it was and is a reminder that those events affected real lives and not just anonymous faces as seen on the news. We are praying for them still.

Card #JP-154575
From: hisui0705
Origin: Japan
Caption: none
Note: "(Hello in Japanese characters) My name is Rika. Greeting from Hokkaido in Japan. My town "Shintokucho" has facilities that can be seen in the wild bear (Ursus arctos) is near. Take care & Happy postcrossing!! Rika
Stamps: shaped stamps! How cool is that?!

The dotted and plaid bits are strips of tape that the sender added.

Still Life

Card #: US-1030078
From: Zookeeper
Origin: Georgia, USA
Caption: Fernbank Museum of Natural History is the largest museum of its kind in the southeast. Visitors with a sharp eye may notice these wildlife creatures among the 275 animals displayed throughout the seven geographic regions in the Museum's signature exhibit: A Walk Through Time in Georgia.
Note: "Hello from Atlanta GA! The front of this card shows several of our native critters from the southern coast all the way to our mountains. I hope you enjoy it. And tell Mom I agree with her cards preferences! (on J's profile, I requested no pornographic cards) Have a great day! Sarah

Pastoral

I promise, no puns this time.

Card #: HU-35388
From: martonkata
Origin: Hungary
Caption: Puszta
Note: "Szia! Many greetings from Hungary! I'm 8 years old. I like dogs and horses. These are the domestic animals here on the Great Plain (the Puszta). Best wishes, Kata  (I have to note that this 8yo has better cursive handwriting than most adults--myself included)
Stamp: crocus (the words just mean international postage)

Czech, Please*

Since her postcrossing profile tells about all of the animals that we have, and requests postcards (when possible) of animals from the senders country, a majority of the cards she receives are of animals.

Card #: CZ-99670
From: danae13
Origin: Czech Republic (first foreign card)
Caption: none
Note: "Hi, J, Lots of greetings from the Czech Republic. My name's Dana and I live with my family in the north of the country, in the mountains. I like animals too. I have a dog-Manchester terrier and a rabbit too!!! He's very nice! Have a great time and I hope you'll enjoy this postcard! Hello Dana
Stamp: Prague Astronomical Clock

*Sorry. It's all I could think of at the time.

Cool...but, eeewww!

Card #: US-1024605
From : cami21901
Origin: California
Caption: The Banana Slug, Ariolimax columbians, gets its name from its bright yellow color. Found in the damp, foggy coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest, banana slugs eat vegetation thus speeding up the decomposition and soil building process. Redwoods.
Note: "Greetings from San Francisco! These slugs can get to be 5-6 inches long. I'm not afraid of them, but they are really sticky & have an annoying habit of eating dog poop."

The day J received this card, we had pancakes for supper. As a joke, I make a pancake for her that was shaped like a banana slug, complete with eye stalks and all.

A Lick and a Promise

For her birthday this year, J received everything that she would need to start Postcrossing, a hobby in which she exchanges postcards with random people around the world. Send a postcard, get a postcard. Lick a stamp and hold onto the promise that you have some really cool mail coming your way. It's that simple.

It's a great way to reach outside of her little sphere and learn about new cultures, people and places around the globe. Of course, the educator in me saw a plump opportunity for applications in geography, language arts, and a host of other topics. Not to mention the stamp collecting potential.*

Now, she has decided that we should post her cards here so that family and friends can see them too. It is, after all, yet another one of the things that we do to help us avoid domesticity. She has received 35+ to date, so it will take a little to catch up. If there is a lull, we can post some of the other postcards she has received in the last few years.

For any of you who are already postcrossers and would like to look her up, her username is DoodlePaws.

Card #:US-1018450
From: JRyanNY
Origin: New York (Yes, we are aware the postcard is of CA, but it was mailed in NY)
Caption: Another perfect Palm Desert sunset.
Note: "Hey! Hope you enjoy this post and it finds you safe and not too cold! This view is what I see each night while here in California and it is an amazing place! I like the view here and in NYC but like this one more! Hope you enjoy the postcard!"
Stamps: We'll post a photo of the foreign stamps, but everyone here knows what US stamps look like. :)

*Actually, this is all Trekkie Gal's fault. She started it. You can blame her.

Conundrum, part 2

This time, it's a Barn Swallow nest--on my hammock rope. Sigh. We have no less than 3 barns and several smaller sheds on the farm here. Why can't they build there?

Barn Swallows are beautiful, and I love having them swoop around my head while I'm mowing. Their chattering and chirping is a happy, friendly sound. And they are fearless. They dive bomb the dog and cats when they're outside, and the rubber snakes I set out as a deterrent didn't even phase them. In fact, I found the biggest one had been unceremoniously dumped into the flower bed.

But Swallows are messy, so they had to go. I'm not surrendering my porch.