Hi Friends! I'm feeling like what I appreciate most of all these days is a personal note. We are all just people who have hopes and dreams and hard times, sometimes. I want to remember that, I want to spread that feeling of connection around. At the end of the day, we all have so much more in common than we realize.

Tell me something about yourself, your day, pets, kids, a joke you heard, your favorite internet rabbit hole, habits you are trying to make or break, anything you want to say.

If you are here see which postcards I like, there is more info below. The quick answer is - you will never go wrong with any of these choices: Birds, yellow trees, very colorful anything and/or rainbow, Lantern Press, US State cards, National Park cards, any card from a box set.

Wanna play a game? I'm going to put up a couple of questions to answer if you are writing to me in a swap. Or not, your choice :-)

1 Do you choose a word of the year? If so, will you share something about that process for you?

2 Do you belong to a book club? How do you like it?

3 Tell me about things you have in your closet that you never wear/use? Why are you keeping them?

4 Have you ever been friends with someone with your name? What was that like?

Our mail comes to a mailbox grouping at the end of our street, about a half mile away from our house. I don't pick up the mail everyday. When I mark something sent, I've dropped it in the outgoing box but it might not be picked up until the next day.

My favorite colors are yellows and purples. But really, I just enjoy color. The bigger and bolder the better, though I can also appreciate pastels and even black and white. The older I get, the more I appreciate all of the colors. Even browns and greys, which were never my favorite. If you had told me even 5 years ago that I would be considering brown shades for my living room, I would have scoffed at you. Moving to the desert southwest has given me a new appreciation for warmer colors.

I'm learning Tarot - how fun! Also been attending workshops with the Oregon Friends of Jung and finding it fascinating. Analyzing my dreams has been an adventure and never boring.

I love rainbows, and rainbow colored items. I've loved rainbows since I was a kid in the 1970s, and now that they have special significance for LGTBQIA support I love them even more. I have some rainbow sneakers that I wear proudly, and if that causes someone to question their assumptions about me, so much the better.

In general I am open to most things, I like the surprise element of swapping. There are a few things I do not prefer:

Things that smell like smoke or are musty/dirty

Kiddie stickers (I have no use for these)

Planner stickers (I already have more than I need - and if you know a fun way to decorate happy mail with them, by all means show me, lol)

Manga or Kawaii (I'll pass it along to others who like it)

Dimensional ephemera (I don't have much use for it, and it's hard to pass along because I mostly do flat swaps)

I am not religious, so if you are sending holiday cards and have a non-religious option, I would appreciate that. I do appreciate the spirit of all things sent, however please note that I have zero tolerance for religious evangelism.

You don't need to send me anything just to include something. I have enough stuff, and really just want to get to know people. If you want to be extra special, use your stuff to decorate what you are sending me, or grab a sticky note or journaling card and answer one of my seasonal questions :-)

If this happens to be a swap where you are required to include something (or just can't help yourself, lol), I especially appreciate:

things that are decorated with colored pens, washi, stickers, you name it.

Washi samples

fabric scraps

stickers

notepad sheets to write notes to others in swaps

blank postcards

unused postage stamps

tea bags - I like everything except plain black and chamomile

any fun coffee thing

ATCs - I'm starting to make these, so I like to see what other people do.

Zentangles

Mail Tags (ask me a question and I will reply, or vice versa)

And what I appreciate most of all is a handwritten note. You can sub in a written note for a trade item anytime for me, I won't rate you down for it. Tell me something about yourself, your day, pets, kids, a joke you heard, your favorite internet rabbit hole, habits you are trying to make or break, anything you want to say.

Happy Mail, yay!

I've been doing postcard swaps lately. I like things that are colorful, or beautiful nature scenes. I also have a fondness for box set postcards, if you have those to send, bring them on :-) I'm thinking about starting a group to swap box and book set cards. If you are interested, let me know.

I like US State cards (see next section), and National/State Park cards, any manufacturer.

I do also collect Lantern Press, especially: the rainbow states * National parks * Mosaic

Not my favorite: Vintage or very ornate. Flower fairy. Old tourist cards. Disney cards.

However, all cards are appreciated, and I so enjoy seeing the variety of cards that exist.

I've decided to start collecting state postcards, map cards and/or anything with the name of the state on the front. Especially just the state, but city and state also works. Don't worry about repeating states, it's not likely you will send the exact same one that I already have. They do not need to be mailed from the named state. They can even be blank. I welcome all the states, and all sorts of map cards.

I am especially looking for:

Arkansas * Colorado * Connecticut * Delaware * Georgia *Idaho * Illinois * Indiana * Iowa * Kansas * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maine * Maryland * Massachusetts * Minnesota * Mississippi * Missouri * Montana * Nebraska * Nevada * New Hampshire * New Jersey * New Mexico (this is my current home state, but would love to have any written cards from here) * North Carolina * North Dakota * Oklahoma * Ohio * Oregon (this was my former home state, but would love written cards from here) * Pennsylvania * Puerto Rico * Rhode Island * South Carolina * South Dakota * Tennessee * Texas * Vermont * Washington * West Virginia * Wisconsin * Wyoming