Correspondence Course II - Postal History Sunday

Welcome!  You have just found your way to Postal History Sunday.  This is the place where Farmer Rob shares a subject he enjoys with anyone who has interest.  If you don't know much about postal history, that's ok, I try to write in a way that is accessible to both those with and without expertise in the subject area.  This week might be a bit deeper into the postal history than some.  But the good news is - there is NO TEST afterward.  And, I am always happy to answer questions and I invite corrections and additional information when it is offered.

Now, let's put on the fuzzy slippers and get ourselves a favorite beverage and snack.  Push those troubles out of sight for a while and maybe we can all learn something new and interesting.

1856 folded letter from France to the Netherlands

One of my ongoing postal history projects has been to continue to familiarize myself with mail handling in Western Europe during the 1850 to 1875 period.  This is an important transitional period for postal systems.  The "cheap postage" movement was making it possible for more of the population to send letters, railroad systems were providing speedier delivery options, and the agreements nations made to exchange mail were changing to handle higher volumes and greater routing complexities.

The letter shown above was mailed in Bordeaux, France, in October of 1856.  The postage stamps show that the post office received 60 centimes, which was the proper rate for a letter to the Netherlands at the time.  The recipient of the letter was the financial firm, Luden and van Geuns in Amsterdam.

Postal historians are often grateful for correspondences with businesses such as Luden and van Geuns because they had business dealings around the globe.  Apparently, much of the old folded letters and envelopes were saved with their business records and much of it was eventually dispersed to postal history collectors.  This gives people like me an opportunity to get a good picture of what mail to Amsterdam from all over the globe looked like while they were in business.

Johannes Luden (1792-1868)

 

Luden and van Geuns

Johannes Luden was born in Amsterdam in 1792 to a family that had connections to the whaling business on his grandmother’s side.  His father ran the firm Jb. H. Luden and Sons that was active in West Indies Dutch Colonial trade¹.  I presume that Johannes may well have been involved in his father’s company before joining G. Nolthenius and Albert van Geuns in their own enterprise.  Johannes Luden died in Amsterdam in January of 1868, thus much of the correspondence shown later in this article arrived after his death, though the company kept his name.

 

Albert van Geuns ca 1860

 

The van Geuns family is an extremely well-known Mennonite family that was affluent and influential in the Netherlands during the 1700s and 1800s.  Family papers are kept in the Utrecht archives that apparently go back as far as 1647, so further research on better known family members is certainly possible.  Albert van Geuns was born in 1806 and, despite his status as founder of a bank, is overshadowed by numerous physicians, lawyers and ministers of note that can be found in the family tree².  The family connections may have provided significant capital to get a bank started.

 

Evidence that the financial house of Nolthenius, Luden and van Geuns was active as early as 1839 can be seen with the purchase of a new sailing frigate that was christened the Suzanna Christina³.   At some point after 1846, Nolthenius was removed from the name of the company and it appears Luden and van Geuns were active financiers until the early 1870s.  They are not listed in the 1874 Banker’s Almanac and may have liquidated prior to that point⁴.  Albert van Goens no longer had a partner in the firm upon Luden’s death in 1868 and it is possible van Goens began the process of consolidating and liquidating assets at that point - possibly up to the point of his own death in 1879.  

 

Sailing frigates - Frederec Roux circa 1850

Luden and van Geuns were active bankers in Amsterdam at a time when the tides were turning against traditional Dutch power concentrations in the merchant houses.  International banking businesses were changing towards less centralized structures and the old models struggled to stay relevant in the finance industry⁵.  Luden and van Geuns may well have found themselves straddling both worlds, modeling themselves on traditional financial houses, but being part of a wave of new banking institutions.  Unlike many newer banks of the time, they appeared to rely on family wealth (and thus limited investors) for their initial capital.  Other banks spread out risk by having a larger number of investors, often allowing publicly traded shares.  It  seems that Luden and van Goens either could not weather the trends or they could find no one to continue operations as its legacy does not appear to have carried on beyond the lives of its founders.  But, perhaps, the company continued under a different name (or names). 

 

Postal Conventions and evolving rates/routes

Prior to the General Postal Union (1875) and the Universal Postal Union (1879), postal arrangements between nations were anything but simple.  It was not uncommon to have several postage rates listed for the same destination and the required postage often varied greatly depending on the route being taken. For example, a letter from Amsterdam to Malta in 1852 would cost 120 Dutch centen if it went via England versus 45 Dutch centen if it traveled via Trieste.  While it might seem that the decision would be simple – choose the mail rate via Trieste -  one had to consider mail departure dates and travel times to determine if the less expensive route might result in delays that might actually be more costly in the end.

 

Nations that shared borders in Europe typically maintained postal agreements for the exchange of mail.  The Netherlands maintained postal agreements with neighboring Belgium, Prussia and Hannover.  As could be expected, the postal rates for neighboring countries were more favorable than those to nations that required transit via another country or by sea.  

 

Colton's Holland and Belgium Map (1865) - modified to highlight border crossings

 

Letter mail from Belgium

The Congress of Vienna (1815) attached Belgium to the Netherlands even though Napoleon had not yet been defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.  On October 4, 1830, Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands and the current powers of Europe intervened and ratified this on January 10, 1831.  The final treaty signed on Oct 15, 1831 left Luxembourg with the Netherlands and recognized Belgium, but Netherlands refused to participate in the treaty.  Conflict persisted between the Netherlands and Belgium for eight more years until a second treaty (Treaty of London - 1839) set the boundaries that are similar to what we see today.

 

Ostende circa 1830

The Dutch closed their markets to Belgian products and several years of poor harvests led to economic difficulties for Belgium in the 1840’s.  However, Belgium was able to weather the rash of revolutionary sentiment in 1848 and worked to adjust to the loss of access to the Dutch ports by developing an efficient rail system that connected to shipping facilities in Ostende⁶.  From a postal history perspective, Belgium plays a pivotal role as a mail transit nation for treaty mail from this point forward.  The Dutch, on the other hand, were slow to develop rail services and continued to lose economic influence in Europe.

 

	Letter Rates - Belgium to the Netherlands
Effective Date		Rate	Border Rate	Unit
Apr 1, 1852		40 centimes	20 centimes (a)	15 grams
Jul 1, 1865		20 centimes	10 centimes (b)	10 grams
Dec 15, 1873		20 centimes	10 centimes	15 grams

(a)    – 50 km distance

(b)    – 30 km distance

 

Letter mail from Belgium to the Netherlands could be carried over an impressive network of roads and waterways, even if the development of rail services was limited in Holland.  Most mail to Amsterdam would take the rail line from Anvers (Antwerp) in Belgium up to Moerdyk where steam ferries would cross Hollands Diep.  It was not until 1872 that a bridge over Hollands Diep was opened to rail travel.  The route from there to Rotterdam did not include rail service until some point between 1860 and 1865.  But, from Rotterdam rail service to Amsterdam was in place from the late 1840’s⁷.

 

 

Shown above is a folded letter from Bruxelles (Brussels), Belgium, in 1861.  The first postage rate in our table was in effect and the 40 centimes were paid by the postage stamp at the bottom right.  This is just one of many examples of the Luden and van Geuns business correspondence.

 

 

This folded letter exhibits a proper single rate (or simple) letter - 20 cents per 10 grams - under the 1865 postal convention⁸.  This letter originated in the Wallonian portion of Belgium in the city of Charleroi where it took Belgian railways via Bruxelles (Brussels) on the way to Anvers.   The contents show paperwork for a bank transaction between the Société Anonyme Banque in Charleroi and Luden and van Geuns.  Unlike Luden and van Geuns, the S.A. Banque in Charleroi relied on a broader range of “anonymous” investors for its capital.  However, it seems that Luden and van Geuns may have also been in the habit of being an “anonymous” investor for several other banks throughout Europe and perhaps worldwide.

 

Letter mail from Prussia

Unlike Belgium, Prussia maintained a distance component in their rates with the Netherlands in addition to a border mail rate.  The 1851 Convention split Prussia into three rayons (distances or regions) plus a border mail region, with each having a separate base rate amount.  In addition, the rate progressions were not linear.  For example, mail from the Netherlands to the first rayon of Prussia would cost 10 cents for the first 15 grams and 25 cents for an item over 15 grams up to 30 grams.  As of January 1, 1864, when the 1863 convention was placed in force, there were only two rayons as well as a border mail rate and the rate structure was greatly simplified⁹.

 

The mail route to Amsterdam from Prussia was entirely by rail once the final section was opened between Arnhem (Holland) and Emmerich (Prussia) in 1856⁷.  The Prussian line to Emmerich connected with the rest of the Prussian system between Duisburg and Essen.  The rail lines between Arnhem and Amsterdam had been in place since the mid-1840’s, but mail had to get to Arnhem using carriage transportation.   

 

Illustrated above is a folded letter showing the 2 silbergroschen rate per loth (about 15 grams) for an item originating in the first rayon of Prussia to Amsterdam.  Barmen is located on a rail line East of Dusseldorf, where it turned North towards Emmerich.  Unlike many items in the Luden and van Geuns  correspondence, there are no contents or indications on the folded cover sheet as to the sender or the purpose of this mailing.  But, because it is part of the correspondence, it's a good guess that it held some sort of business transaction.

 

Evolution of French/Dutch letter mail rates

The mail exchanged between the Netherlands and France provides an interesting case study in that it shows a transition from neighboring state status to a situation where mail had to transit another country to reach its destination.  The Postal Convention of September 12, 1817 between the two nations established five rayons (districts or distances) in the Netherlands.  Those closest to the border with France were in the first rayon and were given the lowest postage rate.  Each successive rayon required more postage for services rendered.  At the time of this convention, both Belgium and Luxembourg were a part of the Netherlands and in the first or second rayon¹⁰.

 

By the time the October 10, 1836 convention was placed in effect, Belgium was no longer considered a part of the Netherlands as far as France was concerned.  Considering the fact that the Dutch still had not agreed that Belgium was its own nation at this time, it is interesting that they would actually negotiate a mail treaty that took this into consideration.  This new agreement left only Luxembourg in the first rayon and the rest of the Netherlands existed in rayons three through five.  Valenciennes (France) and Breda (Netherlands) were the designated entry/exit points for the mail and served as the locations for exchange offices.  Transit via Belgium was implied for all mail between the two countries (unless it was to/from Luxembourg)¹¹.

 

Letter Rates - France to the Netherlands as of Oct 10, 1836
Effective Date	Rate	Unit
1st rayon	30 centimes	7.5 grams
3rd rayon	60 centimes	7.5 grams
4th rayon	70 centimes	7.5 grams
5th rayon	80 centimes	7.5 grams

 

The 1851 postal convention between the Netherlands and France was completed on November 1^st, ratified the following January, and enacted on April 1, 1852.  Luxembourg was no longer a part of the Netherlands and the rayon system was removed in favor of a rate based only on a weight unit rather than the combined weight and distance formula of the prior conventions.

 

 

Letter Rates - France to the Netherlands
Effective Date	Rate	Unit
Apr 1, 1852	60 centimes	7.5 grams
Apr 1, 1868	40 centimes	10 grams
Jan 1, 1876 (GPU)	30 centimes	15 grams

 

The first article of the 1851 convention shows the influence of competing rail carriage lines for the mails by including the possibility of using Rhenish Prussia as the transit entity between the Netherlands and France.  Mails were to be transferred between the two countries once per day via Belgium, which was considered to be the primary mail route.  The Prussian route was to be used when its use was considered to be “advantageous.”  This might well be the case for destinations in northern Holland (such as Amsterdam) or for mail received too late for the mail train that ran through Belgium¹².

 

Article I of the 1851 Postal Convention between France and the Netherlands

 

The Belgian route left France at Valenciennes, traveled through Anvers (Antwerp) and entered the Netherlands at Rosendaal.  The Prussian transit most likely started at the French/Prussian border at Forbach and entered Holland at Emmerich.  A third option could use both Belgian and Prussian transit services by sending mail to Brussels and then east to Aachen and onward to Emmerich.  The convention itself did not specify these Prussian routes, leaving it to the postal services of the participating nations to determine best protocols.  As railway services expanded, options for mail exchange could be added by mutual agreement of the postal authorities in each nation.

 

The very first item at the beginning of this blog is an example of letter mail from France to the Netherlands at the 60 centime rate.  Shown above is another lettersheet mailed in 1867 from Reims, France.  The letter took the railway that ran from Givet to Paris in France on May 7 and the letter arrived the next day in Amsterdam.

 

Reims is in northeastern France and would normally use the crossing at Givet for mail destined to Belgium.  However, mails to Holland were not made up to take this rail crossing, so this simple letter was taken back to Paris before being placed on a mail train to transit Belgium via Valenciennes.   

 

This routing is supported by the Givet A Paris marking.  Typically the departure station of an ambulant marking is listed first and the arrival station second¹³.  Thus, this item was sent on the mail train heading towards Paris where the mailbag for Dutch mail via Belgium departed.  There is no proof on this cover that the Belgian route was taken, but the best ‘rule of thumb’ is to select the primary route unless evidence can be found to prove otherwise.

 

Articles IV of the 1868 Postal Convention between the Netherlands and France

 

There was one more postal agreement reached between these two nations prior to the General Postal Union.  The 1868 convention does much more to spell out the use of the corresponding postal systems for mail transiting each country for destinations other than France or the Netherlands.  But, for the purposes of this article, the primary change is the reduction in the postal rates.  Not only was the cost per unit reduced, but the weight per unit was also increased.

 

The fourth article of this convention clearly outlines how the postage was to be divided between the countries.  The second column holds the postage due per letter.  The third column shows the amount owed to the Netherlands by France and the final column shows the reverse.  Prepaid letter mail is showed in rows one and two and unpaid mail in rows three and four¹⁴.  A prepaid letter from France cost 40 centimes per 10 grams.  Of those 40 centimes, 13 and 1/3 centimes were to be passed to Holland.  Implicit in this table was the 3 and 1/3 centimes that France would pay to Belgium for mail transit per letter.

 

Double weight letter from Paris in 1868

Most conventions during this period included instructions for marking items as paid so that receiving postal administrations might know whether an item would require the collection of postage at the destination.  The red, boxed PD serves that purpose on this double rate cover to Amsterdam.  Many conventions also indicated that there should be markings to show multiple rates and/or credit and debit amounts between postal services.  The reverse of this item shows what might be a “2” in blue crayon which could indicate a double letter rate or it may have another purpose unknown to me.

 

So, you all know the drill by now!  If you know the answer, let me know and I can share it in a later Postal History Sunday!

 

Triple weight letter from Paris in 1870

The “Place de la Bourse” in Paris was located in the 2^nd Arrondissement, one of twenty sections of the city.  This area was a significant banking and business center and the “bourse” referenced the stock trading area known as the Palais Brongniart.  The triple letter rate cover shown here includes a bank statement for a French bank where Luden and van Goens had clearly placed funds and were receiving returns on matured investments.  

 

Mail originating with Thurn and Taxis mail services

Here is a folded letter mailed in September of 1861 to le Haag (the Hague) in Holland.

The Thurn and Taxis post did NOT have a specific agreement with the Netherlands.  Instead, they used their membership in the GAPU (German Austrian Postal Union) to take advantage of the agreement the collective membership had with Holland, effective April 1, 1851 and ending December 31, 1863.

Just as was the case for the Prussian letter, both weight AND distance went into figuring out the postage required to send a letter between the two entities.  

As a reminder, the agreement divided the GAPU area into three parts, with the region closest to the Netherlands having the least expensive postage and the areas further from the shared border paying more.  It also divided the Netherlands into two parts.  Each of these regions are typically referred to as a "rayon."

GAPU rayons:

• up to 10 meilen - 1 sgr or 3 kr
• over 10, up to 20 - 2 sgr or 6 kr
• over 20 meilen - 3 sgr or 9 kr
  

Mainz was over 20 meilen from the border, so that cost 9 kreuzer in postage.

Netherlands rayons:

• up to 10 meilen from the border - 1 silbergroschen OR 4 kreuzer
• over 10 meilen - 2 sgr or 7 kr

The Hague was over 10 meilen from the border, so that cost 7 kreuzer in postage.

When we add these two costs together it brings us to 16 kreuzer to send a letter from Mainz to the Hague in 1861.

You can actually see the calculation by the Thurn and Taxis postal clerk at the bottom left in red ink. 

9 / 7 / 2 in red,   W in blue

The "2" in red is the equivalent 2 silbergroschen to be paid to the Netherlands for their share of the postage.  The southern German districts worked in kreuzers and the northern in silbergroschen.  The northern districts bordered with the Netherlands, so they would actually be responsible for getting the proper amount of money to Holland.

The blue "W" was added by a Prussian postal clerk which stood for the word "weiterfranko," which loosely translates to "continue franking."  In other words, "forward this amount of postage" to the next postal service.  It was a way to clearly indicate that they were responsible for getting the 2 sgr to the Dutch post. And... if you should happen to care, this was equivalent to ten Dutch cents.

The folded letter shown above was mailed in 1866 from a location south of Frankfurt A Main - an area that also relied on the mail services provided by Thurn and Taxis.  The letter shows postage stamps indicating the payment of 24 kreuzers to provide all that was needed for this letter to Amsterdam.  This postage rate was calculated using a new rate structure that was effective in January, 1864 - so it is different from the prior letter.

The letter was a double weight letter and of the 24 kreuzers in postage, the equivalent of 8 kreuzers was passed to the Dutch postal service to cover their portion of the expenses.  The postage breakdown is shown by the inked "16/8" just to the left of the town name "Amsterdam."

Letter mail from Austria

The German-Austrian Postal Union (GAPU) insured that rates between Austria and the Netherlands were the equivalent of the most distant rayon in the Prussian rate structure.  The 1851 convention between Holland and Prussia maintained the non-linear rate structure effective until the end of 1863.  The new postal convention, effective at the beginning of 1864, between the GAPU and the Netherlands placed Austria in the second rayon with a flat rate per 15 grams (or loth) ¹⁵.

 

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866, also known as the Seven-Weeks War (June-August 1866) disrupted mail services to and from Austria during the conflict and for some time after.  Mail to and from the Netherlands during the war was required to go via France.  Despite the conflict, Austria remained a part of the GAPU afterward and new rates applied on October 1 of 1868 removed the rayon system entirely.

 

The German railway systems efficiently moved mail from Austria to the Dutch mail entry point at Arnhem via Emmerich, but the Austrian lines were a bit more limited, with most mail entering Bavaria via Vienna and Linz.  Mail originating in northern Austria would typically go through Prague and enter Saxony near Dresden.  Mail from the Tyrol area of Austria could enter Bavaria near Innsbruck.  However, once the Brenner Pass was open to rail traffic in 1867, this routing could be selected in southern regions of Austria versus routing through Wien (Vienna) depending on mail train schedules¹⁶.

 

Letter from Trieste, major port city on the Adriatic Ocean in 1871.

This letter to Luden and van Geuns was sent by Bideleux and Company in Trieste.  Bideleux and Co are listed as bankers in the 1874 Bankers Almanac and in the 1871 edition of Dempsey’s “Universal Hand Gazetteer and Route Book.”¹⁷  This business letter most likely went northeast to Vienna via the train that took the Semmering Pass and then headed west to Bavaria.  The 10 kreuzer rate per loth (15 grams) was split between Austria and Germany with 4 kreuzer (equivalent to 1 silbergroschen) being passed to Germany so it could pay the Netherlands its portion of the postage.  Austria retained the remaining 6 kreuzer.  This rate was effective beginning October 1, 1868 and lasted until June 30, 1875.

 

Did you make it this far?

This Postal History Sunday was a bit more highly populated with details than many.  But, I think it makes the point well that the simple act of one business saving old business letters provided me (well over a century later) with material that motivated me to do a great deal of learning!

For my part, it is interesting to note that I have not found much more than two Luden and van Geuns letters in one place.  So, it's not like I found a pile of them somewhere so I could study them.  Instead, the correspondence is spread out in collections all over the globe now.  I can't anticipate when next I will see a new one, nor can I predict where it might be from!

Thank you so much for joining me today.  I hope you have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.

 Resources

 

1. Schukkenbroek, J., “Trying Out: An Anatomy of Dutch Whaling and Seeling in the Nineteenth Century: 1815-1885,” Amsterdam University Press, 2008.

2. Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Geuns, van, family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 12 Jan 2019. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Geuns,_van,_family&oldid=141131.

3. 4Ice Productions, “Firma G.Nolthenius & Luden & van Geuns,” Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank,  Web. Jan 6 2019.

4. Bankers Almanac for 1874, American Banknote Company, 1874.

5. Jonker, J & Sluyterman, K, “At Home on the World Markets: Dutch International Trading Companies form the 16^th Century until the Present,” Sde Uitgevrs, The Hague, 2000.

6. ibid.

7. Veenendaal, A.J., “Railways in the Netherlands: A Brief History, 1834-1994,” Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 2001.

8. Deneumostier, E. & Deneumostier, M., “Les Tarifs Postaux Service Internationaux 1849-1875,” Yvoz-Ramet, Brussels, 1987.

9. Lagemans, E.G., "Recueil des Traites et Conventions Conclus par le Royaume des Pays-Bas,"  vol V & VI, Belinfonte Freres, La Haye, 1873

10. Bourgouin, J., “Les Tarifs Postaux Francais: Entre 1848 et 1916,” Web. 12 Jan 2019. http://jean-louis.bourgouin.pagesperso-orange.fr/Tarifs%20Postaux.htm.

11. DeClercq, M., “Recueil des Traites de la France,” Vol 6, Paris, 1866.

12. ibid, pp 117-125.

13. Lesgor, Raoul, "The cancellations on French stamps of the classic issues, 1849-1876", Nassau Stamp Co, NY, 1948.

14. DeClercq, M., “Recueil des Traites de la France,” Vol 5, Paris, 1880.

15. Neumann, L. & de Plason, A., “Recueil des Traites et Conventions Conclus par l’Autriche, vol 1, Vienna, 1877.

16. Fetridge, W.P., “Harper’s Handbook for Travellers in Europe and the East, Vol 1,” Harper and Brothers, New York, 1879.

17. Dempsey, J.M. and Hughes, W. eds., “Our Ocean Highways: A Condensed Universal Gazetteer and International Route Book,” Edward Stanford, London, 1871.

Some of this material was originally explored in an article published in the February, 2019, Postal History Journal, Issue No. 172. 

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Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.

Different Viewpoint

On my recent walk at Backbone State Park, I made sure to ... um... stop walking for a bit.

I know, I know.  I clearly don't know how to go on a hike by myself.  You see, if you are going on a hike, you're supposed to keep moving.  The whole point is to get form point A to point B and to do it efficiently.

And I didn't do that.

Instead, I stopped a couple of times to listen carefully to the birds, trying to identify as many calls as I could.  Then, I pulled out the phone and the Merlin app to see if I was getting the identifications right.  THEN, I started turning in place to just view the world around me in all directions.

Note to self, do this slowly to avoid getting dizzy next time.

Yes, now I am just being silly, because I did not actually spin so fast that I got dizzy.  But I noticed you needed me to get your attention back by being a little silly.  Did it work?  No?  Alas for me.

Anyway, after I took the time to face each direction, I looked down.  Then I looked up.

Then I got the camera out and tried to take pictures of some of the things I observed in that space.  My favorite photo from that exercise is the one you see above.

When I was looking down, I noticed a feather that landed over a leaf on one of the rocks on the trail.  There were some small plants growing in the fissures of the rock and there were leaves that had fallen from the nearby trees.  

If I were a person who was an expert at bird identification, maybe I would have endeavored to identify the bird this had come from.  But, alas again, I am only an amateur in that area.  Better than many, not as good as others.  If I were a geologist, I might have found things to study in the rock - but I am not.  So, I could only note textures and colors and the various qualities a person who has not studied rocks deeply might be able to make.

Still, what I was able to consider and view while I was looking down was very different from what I observed while looking up.  I could even make myself believe that the two were not connected, even though I knew I had not moved more than a couple of feet from my original position (if that).

On one side of the trail was a rock face.

I have been on this trail before and I recall a similar day that was a bit less windy and much more sunny.  At that time there were various insects and spiders here that I could observe.  But on this day, there was no such activity, despite my willingness to patiently await a possible reveal.

Instead, I found myself looking at a rock wall that was uninterested in performing any feats of magic for me today.  And, to be perfectly honest, I really didn't want it to move while I was standing there any way.  I was content that the stone would continue on with its slow, steady life - likely considering active and impatient critters, such as myself, as being beneath its notice anyway.

I could turn both directions and observe the trail that I had come from and the trail I was going to.  

There was something familiar about the way the path seemed to disappear ten to twenty feet away in either direction.  I could clearly see this trail in the area where I was currently residing, but both my past and my future were obscured.  Hidden by trees, bushes and rocks.  

The trail was not perfectly straight.  And, while I have walked this path before, I was not so familiar with it that I knew exactly what I would find around either bend.  

It reminded me a bit of the growing seasons we have experienced at our farm.  Each season has followed a general pattern - planning, to sowing, to cultivating, to harvest and back to planning.  A cycle that has us following the same path from year to year.  But the path is never quite the same - either because our memory recorded the trail improperly, or because things truly were different this time around.

I could put my back to the rock face and look out at the Maquoketa River.  Now I could contemplate water.  Water is able to ooze its way between rock, wash away sand, and makes up much of the volume that is you and I.  Each droplet has a value beyond measure and too many droplets can destroy things we value just as quickly.  

It made me think of a an excellent tune by the Choir that has the lyric "every drop of water is a blessing and a curse."  In recent months, most of Iowa has been in a drought.  So, every drop of water that we have received at our farm has been viewed as a blessing.  But, I also know that some of the rainfalls we got that we were so pleased to have ended up causing other people some problems.  And I can also recall many times on our farm when we were doing our fair share of cursing at the water droplets as they fell... and kept falling.

I even noticed a flowering plant nearby.  Clearly it was near the end of its flowering cycle.  But I still appreciated its presence and the little dash of color it added to the landscape.

So... all of this by simply being in one place for a while and giving myself time AND PERMISSION to look around.  To take in the view from as many angles as my imagination would allow.

And look what I was able to see.  Can you see all of the interesting things I could observe and the thoughts I could consider?

And that is my gentle reminder for today.  Give yourself the time and permission to look at something from all sorts of angles.  It could be all of the views you can see from your front porch.  It could be all of the different sounds you can hear in a favorite song.  It could be all of the different ways you could think about a particular idea.  Close your eyes and smell the fragrances in a spice rack in your kitchen.

You might be surprised what you will observe.

Healthy Sense of Play

One of the things I used to enjoy when I was a kid, riding in the car on a country road, was the sense of play that was evident in some of Iowa's rural areas.  For example, I remember the "snowman" that was made out of round bales of hay at one farm.  It's a neat little trick that I have seen other farms do over the years and it never really gets old, as far as I'm concerned.  

Another farm took one of the old jugs that was used for bulk transport of milk and laid it sideways near their mailbox.  They then planted a batch of white flowers that, when they were in bloom, made it look like someone had spilled the flowers out of the container and into the ditch.  Of course, scarecrows were always a good opportunity to poke a little fun.  And who wouldn't get a laugh from the two legs and boots sticking out of the center of a large round bale - making it look like the farmer truly got caught up in their work!

Up in our "neck of the woods" we have noticed the giraffe in the field corn that is certain to elicit either a chuckle or some measure of delight in the novelty.  That giraffe has been appearing in fields in our area for the past few years and I still like seeing it.

Why?  Because it is evidence that there are still people in our world that have maintained a sense of play and a desire to share a little joy with others. 

That's why Tammy and I take note when we go by a farmstead that is often on our route to Backbone State Park.  We look for the giant parrot in a "cage" and take a little bit of joy from it each time.  And this time, we actually pulled over so we could get a picture.  Now we can share their fun and the joy we got from it - with you.

This actually means a bit more to the two of us because we had one of these bins on one of our prior homes.  We didn't stay long enough to let our own creativity loose on it.  But, to be honest, we probably would have dreamed about doing something but never found the time to follow through.  These people had the talent and made the time to make it happen.

So, if this blog should ever reach the person(s) responsible - thank you.

Backbone - Walk There Again

The Fall colors are starting to show themselves at Backbone State Park and the two of us made sure to give ourselves an opportunity for front row seats this past weekend.  Well, actually, Tammy had the front row seat and I had the standing room only tickets.

Tammy has taken up kayaking this year.  She's always liked being on/in the water far more than I do and hiking is probably far less fun for her than it once was because of the Achilles and hip bothering her.  I, on the other hand, do like a good walk in the woods.  Admittedly, I prefer walking with Tammy - but this was a good second.  I knew she was enjoying the outdoors in the same area just as I was.  And, I finished my hike at about the same time she finished her float.

Next time, we might arrange it so Tammy can get a short walk as well.

There were clouds for all but a short ten minute period during this parallel walk/float.  Since I was under the tree canopy, Tammy got a bit more view of blue skies and sunshine than I did.  That means she was able to see the color blue, which was in shorter supply where I was.  

But that's ok, because there was plenty of color for me to enjoy and lots to explore.  There were leaves and birds and rocks and trees and...  Well, you get the idea.

The Pileated Woodpeckers (there were at least three of them) were laughing as they swooped from tree to tree.  It was probably funny to see the silly human trudging along on his two feet while they could just spread their wings and cover the territory much more quickly (and more thrillingly, I bet).  A large group of small birds that was mostly Golden-crowned Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows chattered with each other and decided that the human was ok to inspect since he had stopped moving to simply enjoy their presence.  

One Kinglet even decided to come close enough for me to try my hand at capturing an image.  It's golden mohawk can be seen a bit in this picture, though it was much more obvious when I was observing without a lens between me and the bird.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

And, of course, once I put the camera down, a Brown Treecreeper did its thing, creeping up a tree not more than three feet from my face.  When I reached for the camera it dove to another tree that was too far away for me to catch its image.  Creepers walk UP the trunks of trees looking for insects to eat.  Once they decide a tree has been inspected, they'll swoop to a lower spot on an adjacent tree and walk up that one.  I've only seen these little birds once before, so this was great fun for me - to have one walk up a tree right in front of my astonished face.

Meanwhile the Chickadees and Nuthatches were calling.  I am sure the Nuthatches were walking DOWN the trees they were on, because that's what they do.  But, oddly enough I didn't see any of these birds.  So, it was a happy "opposite" day.  The bird you usually only hear (the Creeper) was seen and not heard.  The Chickadees and Nuthatches were heard and not seen.  

Of course, when I see those birds I usually hear them too.  So, maybe it wasn't really "opposite" day.

I was also told by a rather large flock of Robins and Cedar Waxwings that I was a nuisance, and a Bald Eagle let Tammy know that she might have caused some unhappiness as well with a short, but heartfelt, complaint.  

Apparently, a Bald Eagle's scream is often described as "weak sounding."  In fact, movies often dub in the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk in the place of an eagle's scream.  However, Bald Eagles apparently can create a very complex set of sounds.  The video below can be found at the link I have provided here and is on the Raptor Resource Project Site.  Turn up the volume to hear the interesting morning conversation.

I was treated to a brief viewing of a Hermit Thrush and there were numerous other birds that I was able to hear, but not see.  And, as is normally the case, there were plenty of birds that did not feel like they needed to sit still so I could have even a remote chance of figuring out who they were.  I did ask a couple of them to let me look at them a bit more closely, but they typically declined the offer.

Anyway, I think it was a Hermit Thrush.  The Merlin app suggested that it was a Hermit Thrush, rather than a Wood Thrush or Swainson's Thrush (we saw one or the other of these last year at Backbone).  Once again, the bird did not come close enough for a photo and it did not want to sit still while I tried to figure out which one it was.  I think, as far as the birds are concerned, they have NO concern for the names we think we humans feel we must assign to them.  They know who they are and they know who their friends are.  

That's probably good enough.

Humbug - Postal History Sunday

It's just an envelope.  Not only is it just an envelope, it's an envelope that has already performed its duties in this world.  It no longer carries any contents.  And how could it?  The back has a big slice in it that would make it all the more difficult for it to contain whatever a person might want it to hold.

I suppose it has the redeeming feature that it is old.  A little over 158 years old, in fact.  And, humans are kind of odd about the age of things.  First, an item is new and we are most pleased to have it.  Then, the item sees a little use and it becomes "old and used" and we don't want it anymore - or at least we want something newer or unused.  Then, after a certain number of years - if that item has somehow survived the world - it becomes desirable once again.

That's how it is with so many pieces of postal history.  Because they are seen as windows into a past that is now old enough to be the attractive sort of "old," a torn envelope once again gets our attention.  But, why this one?  There must be hundreds and probably thousands of old envelopes from the 1860s that carried simple letters from one location to another in the United States for the cost of the 3 cent postage stamp found on them.

And in fact, that is a true statement.  It is one of thousands in that respect.  But, unlike many of those old envelopes and folded letters, this one has more clues that hint at a story more interesting than most.

A dead letter

This letter was initially mailed at West Dedham, Massachusetts, on January 3 and is addressed to a Jas. (James) E. Dunnell in Utica, New York.  The contents must not have weighed anything more than one half ounce because the three cent stamp paid for a simple letter to a destination within the United States.

However, James Dunnell never did get this letter, instead the envelope and its contents took a trip to the Dead Letter Office.

The marking towards the bottom of the envelope reads "U.S.D.L.O. Jan 31 1865."  The abbreviation stands for United States Dead Letter Office, which was located in Washington, D.C.

The US Post Office actually split Dead Letters into five categories:

1. Letters that remained at the post office unclaimed (typically after one month).
2. Letters that were deemed unmailable because the address could not be deciphered, was incomplete or the content was deemed to be "obscene."
3. Letters where no attempt to pay postage was made (or someone tried to re-use a postage stamp).  These were classified as held for postage.
4. Packages over 4 pounds in weight
5. Letters refused at the post office by the recipient.
   

The Utica post office was probably small enough that they would typically send a bundle of dead letters to Washington, D.C. once a month - typically towards the first of each month.  So, a receiving marking of January 31, 1865 seems to fit the pattern.

The Utica postmaster was supposed to classify each item being sent to the DLO under one of these categories by writing on the front of the letter.

Humbug

Of course, not everyone follows instructions.  So, I was not too surprised that I couldn't find any of the words I highlighted above: unclaimed, unmailable, held for postage or refused.  And, this clearly wasn't a package that weighed more than 4 pounds - so it wasn't that.  We can also remove "held for postage" from the option list because it appears to be properly paid.

So, this item was either unclaimed, unmailable or refused by the addressee.

Instead, the postmaster in Utica wrote this word on the front of the envelope.

Humbug

The word "humbug" first appeared in dictionaries in 1798 and it described a deception imposed upon another person. In fact, humbug was pretty commonly used in the United States, including with respect to the secession of the states that formed the Confederate States of America.

from Library of Congress, Currier & Ives print circa 1861

The whole concept of a humbug becomes very clear when you view the image.  The very pretty idea of secession floats over the edge of the cliff, promising one thing - while the reality of plunging to the breakers of the ocean awaits those who fall for the humbug.

On a less grand scale, humbug was often a reference to a person who represented themselves as someone they were not - often in an effort to defraud others.  The image shown below depicts a person making a claim to be able to raise the devil.  While they do so, to the amazement of the targeted individual, an assistant deftly removes valuables from the target's pocket.

Thomas Rowlandson, ca 1800, public domain on wikimedia

And, of course, you can always remember Scrooge and his "Bah, humbug!"  It was simply his way of making a claim that the festivities and celebration of Christmas were just a big hoax.

So, apparently, the postmaster felt that James Dunnell was a humbug of some sort.  But that still leaves it up to our interpretation as to how they actually classified this item.  Was it unclaimed, unmailable or refused?

We can almost certainly say the letter was not refused, so it was either unclaimed (because Dunnell had skipped town) or deemed unmailable because the postmaster was already aware that Dunnell was running some sort of scam through the mail. 

However, the law frowned mightily on postal employees who withheld the mail from an addressee, no matter how much they might know about their humbuggery.  So, it is fairly likely that this was essentially an "unclaimed" letter after it was held at the Utica post office for the required time period.  But, if the Utica postmaster wanted to call attention to Dunnell, they could have bundled it up with the unmailable items and sent it on to the Dead Letter Office.  

In any event, the postmaster was not allowed to open the letter - that was for those in the Dead Letter Office to do. 

Fraud and the US Mail

Perhaps, it might seem that I took a bit of a jump in logic that Mr. Dunnell was a fraudster perpetuating a humbug on the public.  After all, I've only given you the word "humbug" on an envelope to back it up.  So, I offer this as well.

One of the duties of the Dead Letter Office was to identify valuable contents and see if they could determine who had sent them so it could be returned.  It was quite common to send cash through the mail at the time and, sure enough, there is a note that, when it was opened at the DLO, it was found to contain ten dollars in cash.

In fact, this amount is also written on the back of the envelope.  I am guessing that the letters that precede could be the initials of the DLO employee who processed the letter.

With the increase in use of the mail, came an increase in scams and, well, humbugs.  Popular humbugs included highly touted (but unlikely) medical cures and illegal lotteries.  Since lotteries were banned in most states in the 1860s, it would be normal for a person wishing to participate in one to send money via the mail. How hard would it be for a person to send out a mailing using special printed matter rates advertising a lottery at the cost of one dollar per entry?  It wouldn't take much to pocket the money and run.  After all, most people lose the lottery - so who's going to follow up?  

Lotteries were a good opportunity to be a long-term humbug, as we can see if we look at the Louisiana Lottery that started in 1868 and lasted until 1893.  While this lottery did pay some money out, they certainly were not above bribery to get officials to look the other way if they were less than above-board.  And, of course, they did what they could to stack the odds.  If there were unsold tickets, they still put them into the lottery.  And, if one of those were pulled as a winner, the money would go to (or stay with) the Louisiana Lottery itself.

If you're wondering why so many people were willing to be taken by scams and humbugs such as these, all you need do is read the short story by Anton Chekhov titled the Lottery Ticket.  The hope and dreams that come with the possibility of winning, no matter how remote, is difficult to deny.

By the time we get to the mid 1860s, mail fraud was a big enough deal that legislation was offered in 1866 and enacted in 1868.  It became illegal "to deposit in a post office to be sent by mail, any letters or circulars concerning lotteries, so-called gift concerts, or similar enterprises offering prizes of any pretext whatsoever."  

But, postal employees were still more concerned about avoiding any delay of mail delivery because an 1836 law set harsh penalties for a postal service employee that hindered the progress of the mail.  It was not until 1872 that the law was modified to make the mailing of matter that was intended to defraud a misdemeanor.

Dead Letter Office at work

Harper's Weekly Feb 22, 1868 - Library of Congress

The Dead Letter Office was the last chance for an item to either find its way to the intended destination or to be returned to the writer, along with potentially valuable contents.  The first step was to do what was called a "blind read" where workers would attempt to make sense of the address and addressee without opening the item.  If that step failed, the item was opened in an attempt to either decipher the intended recipient or return it to the writer.  This process was remarkably well done, with over 40% of the items finding their way out of the DLO to a proper home.

However, most items with no value that could not be returned or delivered were fated to be destroyed.  Items with value, on the other hand were authorized to be auctioned off, according to Sec 391 of the 1866 Regulations of the Postal Department.  A few interesting or unique items were maintained in a makeshift museum kept at the DLO and was of great interest to the general public.

 

Washington Post, Dec 1, 1882 (page 4)

During the Civil War, for example, numerous young men went to war and arranged to have their photographs taken with the intent of sending them to loved ones.  Unfortunately, many had never sent a letter before and their effort to provide legible and clear addresses often failed.  Many of these photos were posted in the post office lobby (see the video below) in an effort to help people find photos of those they knew.  In fact, many of these photos were not destroyed during the normal time period out of a sense of patriotism and efforts to find relatives and loved ones to take the photos went on for some time.

To give you an idea as to the scale, the Report of the Postmaster General for 1864 indicated that 10,918 dead letters containing daguerreotypes or photographs were processed (page 17 of the report).  Most of these were "sent by soldiers or their correspondents."  The report for 1868 showed a dramatic increase to 125,221 dead letters with similar class items (photos), but they were clearly not for the same reasons (soldiers serving in the Civil War).  It simply is an example of how the volume of the mail (and the possibility for items to need the services of the DLO) was expanding.

If you would like to read a little bit more about the Dead Letter Office, I found this blog entry on the philatelythings site to be enjoyable.

File under "D"

Perhaps you noticed the hand-stamped letter "D," followed by a series of numbers at the top left of the envelope.  Well, there needed to be some sort of filing system, given the volume of mail being processed at the Dead Letter Office.  The first letter of the last name of the recipient was typically used - so the "D" of "Dunnell" provided this particular letter with it's initial file letter.  I have no idea how the rest of the numbering system was supposed to work.  So, if someone happens to know, let me know and I'll share it later.

So, what was Dunnell up to?

I was hopeful, of course, that I might be able to dig up some sort of clues as to what James Dunnell might have been doing that would cause the Utica postmaster to declare him a "humbug."  Like today, there certainly was no shortage of cons and scams that a person might perpetrate on others.  Unfortunately, even after digging for a while in the Utica newspapers from that time period, I came up with nothing.

This is where I ask for help! If you are reading this and you think you have a lead that can help me find out what Mr. Dunnell's humbug was, please let me know!

This letter was a success for the DLO

Clearly, this particular letter was successfully delivered, probably to the writer who sent it to Utica in the first place.  We know this because if it had not been delivered, the envelope would have been destroyed by the Dead Letter Office.

Humbug averted... until another unlikely prospect turned their eye.  Or we can hope they learned their lesson.

------------

Thank you for joining me today!  Have a fine remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.

Postal History Sunday is published each week at both the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you are interested in prior entries, you can view them, starting with the most recent, at this location.

Recommended Reading

 

Here we are approaching the middle of the month of October - already. 

It's really hard to believe that we're this deep into Fall already.  But, I suppose part of the reason for feeling like this happened so quickly is that the temperatures remained unseasonably warm throughout September this year.  That means the biggest clue that Fall was happening was the changing time and location of the sunrise and sunset.

It's possible that you, too, are feeling a bit like the days are rushing by.  Maybe you told yourself you wanted to read more of the blogs that show up on the Genuine Faux Farm blog - but that darned farmer keeps putting a new one out almost every day.  Simply not conducive to catching up, is it?

So, here's a chance to catch up.  I've selected what I think are some of the best blogs for 2023 so far.  You can read some of these and skip the rest "guilt-free."  Never mind, there should never be any guilt associated with the reading of this blog - or the not reading of this blog.  Besides, it isn't going any where. 

Binge read if you want or don't binge read if you don't want.  Seems fair to me.

An important Gentle Reminder

   Grace

Favorite Faux Real Stories:

   Date Night

   Resistors are Futile

   Knee Deep

Time to Have Pun:

   Winter Kayak Trip Gone Wrong

   Stopping the Illegal Flower Trade

Farm Related:

   Snirt Alert

   Why They're Called Chores

   Popcorn and Peer Mentorship

   Hurdles

   Water Cooler Talk

   Those Who Hesitate

   Allies and Adversaries 

   In Their Own Sweet Time 

Just for fun:

   Daylight Savings Solutions

   Rustic or a Dump, At Least It's Authentic

   What? Was it Boxing Day?

   Paraphrased and Misinterpreted

Maybe a more philosophical bent

   Parable Problems

   Three Years: What Have We Learned?

   Spotty

My favorite blogs that also became a PAN blog:

  Agroecology: Adapting Agriculture to the Land

  Appreciation for Different Pollinators

Pollinators and Habitat

   Coneflowers and Goldenrod

Favorite Iowa "walk there agains."

   Twin Springs

   Sweet Marsh: A Disturbing Walk There Again

   Wapsipinicon River

Favorite Postal History Sunday:

   Forward! and the Mystery of Joseph Cooper

Favorite Kauai Walk There Again:

   Kuilau Ridge Trail

Wild Bird Related

   A Bobwhite's Greeting

   Spring Migration

A Favorite "Throwback" Post:

   Not That Simple

Natural World

   Aurora Borealis

   Individuals All

About Food

   Catering to Different Tastes

One Thing I Don't Miss

A rainbow from September of 2015 on the farm

There are some things about working on a diversified vegetable farm that just come with the territory.  One of those things is that you are going to get rained on.  It might be just a few drops, or a gentle mist - or maybe it will be a downpour - but it's going to happen.  Even in a drought year, there will be a shower that's going to sneak up and get you, simply because this sort of work has you outside most days, for most of the day.

For the last few years now, I have not been working exclusively on the farm, and most of our income comes from off the farm.  That means I don't HAVE to be out in all weather MOST of the time.

But, there are still things that have to get done when the weather isn't perfect.  That's just the way it is.  And I will say that I really don't miss the cold rains in October when they catch you trying to finish things up outside.

Yes, that happened to me yesterday.  And, I am sure it will happen again.  That doesn't mean I have to like it.

A late June storm from.... whatever year that was.

Yesterday's episode got me to thinking about the stages of dampness we referenced frequently on our farm when that was my full-time job.  So, I thought I would share them today in honor of all of the times I have visited each of these states of being....

The Farmer's Guide to the Stages of Dampness

1. Stage the First

You see it coming and you rush to complete whatever you are doing in hopes of getting it done AND getting in before the rain hits. It is adrenaline rush time.  This is when you find another gear that you don't always remember you have.  You don't allow yourself a moment to look at a heavy container full of onions to assess how heavy it might be - you just lift it and move it.  'Cause that's the way it is when the rain starts. 

You might feel a random drop or two at this point, but it isn't really raining.  Most of the moisture comes from your own person in the form of sweat.  The last fifteen plants you are transplanting get jammed into the ground in rapid succession.  You try to nab the final 20 bunches of kale before the rain catches you.  Or you go into hyperdrive picking up the potatoes that you just dug out with the middle buster on the tractor.

1a. Exception to Stage the First - Threatening Weather

You see it coming and you see something that you really don't like.  Maybe there's some heavy lightning or a squall line of some kind.  

Depending on how much time you *think* you have, you and any workers that might be with you grab all of the tools and everyone hustles in.  High tunnels get closed up, windows in vehicles and the house get closed up and everything and anything else that needs to be dealt with gets dealt with.  The irony here is that the farmers usually recognize these situations in time to get things battened down and get themselves under shelter before they hit much more than stage two... unless... you see something you forgot and you go back out into it.  In that case, we normally skip right to Stage the Fifth.

2. Stage the Second 

The rain starts and you rush to get anything undercover that really must not get wet. You feel every drop of rain and you might even see steam come off of your shoulders as the cold raindrops hit you.  Sometimes you can't help but let out a bit of a yelp.  Cold cold cold COLD!

If you haven't completed your task that you really needed to get done and there isn't anything that really needs to be moved under cover (should that radio still be out here?), then you keep working.  You're still moving quickly in hopes that you won't get any wetter.  

Perhaps it will stop?  At this point, there is hope that you won't get all that wet and a change of clothes will not be necessary.  It's been known to happen.  And when it does, you just work as if you didn't even notice the rain in the first place.  People who don't typically work outside decide you must either be really tough or you have no sense.

And when there's no sense, there's no feeling.

3. Stage the Third 

You are damp, but there really is 'just a bit' more to do and you really don't want to leave it (or can't leave it). So, you keep rushing in hopes of getting done before you get too wet, too muddy, or both.

The soil starts to get a little sticky and you notice that you are now a couple of inches taller than normal as your boots/shoes collect some mud that you can later bring into the house with you.  You have started to use your jeans more frequently as the portable rag that they are.  You are starting to realize that whatever it is you are harvesting is going to have a little mud on it that will need to be cleaned off before it is delivered.

If you are planting, you have to quit at this point.  Seeders get jammed up.  Plants stick as readily to your hand or planter as they will to the dirt.  Weeding can continue until you have too much mud on your hands to grasp weeds properly or you spend more time cleaning the blades on your tools than you are weeding.  

How many of you have tried to pull wet crab grass?  Ya.  Not happening at this point.  So, planting and weeding means we quit and start bringing things in.  We just *might* avoid the next stages of wetness if we hustle.

But if you're harvesting and you have a delivery coming up, you have not hope for that.

4. Stage the Fourth 

You can still get a little bit wetter, but there really is no more hope of getting done and in before you have to towel off and change clothing. As a matter of fact, if you stand up from a typical harvest position, you will discover only a few remaining dry spots on your person.  

Your back is pretty well soaked and you probably have water dripping off the bill of your cap by now.  You've either decided that the rain isn't as cold as it was or you simply don't care at this point.  The pace slows down, it really doesn't matter how fast things get done anymore. Part of you accepts that being in the rain can be somewhat pleasant - except if it is a downpour - or there is lightning and/or heavy winds.

The ground has moved from tacky to slippery.  Part of you still worries about slipping and falling.  The other part looks at the jeans you have been using as a rag during the rain event thus far and you wonder if it would make a difference to your appearance if you did fall.  Your shoes are heavy and your shirt is plastered to your back.  

At some point between stages three and four you had the unpleasant experience of the first drip or two of rainwater running down the small of your back and into places we won't mention on a family blog.

5. Stage the Fifth 

There is no way you can be wetter - even if you submerged yourself in a pool. You could wring a few gallons of water out of your underpants if you had to. 

At this point, you only keep picking because you have to - and it still doesn't matter if you go in. The only thing that stops you is if you will be doing more damage to the crop and field than you are willing to accept. Even then, you keep picking if there is a deadline to meet. 

The rain is no longer annoying. The issues listed in the prior stages no longer bother you. This is likely because you have reached a special kind of numbness that is known by CSA growers, truck/market farmers and other folks who have to perform tasks in this sort of weather once in a while.

Oops.  Farmer Rob just remembered the little notebook he keeps in that side pocket in his jeans.  Well, we'll just have to get a new one and hope this one dries out enough so he can decipher the notes later when it dries out.

Once the farmers finally get themselves inside, they have to try and figure out how to take off the soaked clothing.  The only thing worse is trying to put on dry clothing.  If you reached stage five, it almost seems as if your skin won't dry off easily.  It's a disturbing feeling to have a clean (and dry) t-shirt rolled up and stuck as you attempt to pull it on.  We won't even talk about the underwear you're having trouble with.  Oh.. .and the SOCKS.  Ugh.

Recent Events

Over the years, we got better at getting things done before the rain hits.  And, now that I don't work outside every day, I find myself deciding it isn't important to stay out long enough to get really soaked - as long as there is time to make that decision.

But, when a more severe system hits, we find ourselves running around in downpours (some of them sideways) in an effort to take care of things.  Last year we had a system move in from a direction we aren't used to watching and it forced Rob and Tammy to spend some quality time in sideways rain while they worked to shut down the high tunnels.  Sometimes you just have to have a good Stage Five Dampness to make the day complete.

Change a'Comin'

The sun sets alarmingly early now and we're resorting to an alarm clock to help us get up in the mornings.  I find myself waking in the middle of the night, usually 3 or 4 AM because my body is not getting the same clues it was getting even two weeks ago about our progress through the dark hours.  Such are some of the signs that things are changing, and changing rapidly, at the Genuine Faux Farm.

Crazy Maurice is not terribly keen on some of the upcoming changes, or so he told me recently.  And, surprisingly it has nothing to do with shorter days and longer nights.  To Maurice, that's perfectly natural, as is the hibernation process he goes through each Winter.  Believe it or not, Maurice has been around long enough to know that another change, that has less to do with the weather, comes with the turning of the seasons.

The poultry that hang out under his branches will go away.  And the farmers won't visit as often. 

For the last few months or so, one (or both) of us has taken a trek out to the northwest portion of the farm to check on our flocks two to three times a day.  While there, we always greet Crazy Maurice, one of our tree guardians on the farm.

I will admit that many of these visits are short - especially if you consider that trees see time in much bigger chunks than humans do.  But, that works out, oddly enough.  If a tree registers your presence, it tends to remember that you were there for the entirety of a given rotation of the Earth.  At least that's how I interpreted it after some conversations with our Willow.   

If your presence was noted during a day, then you were there for that moment in time that was a day. It doesn't matter so much if you were there for ten hours or ten minutes.  You were there.  You were a part of that time unit and that's a good thing - as long as the tree LIKES having you around.

Now, Crazy Maurice isn't stupid or naive, he just has a different perspective.  Maurice also has a good feel for the difference between quality time and time that isn't quite as... um... quality.  On days where I trot out, do some chores and barely nod in his direction, he might notice my presence.  And if he does, he probably won't consider it a quality interaction.  

On the other hand, on days where I stand out there and listen to his stories or when I teach him new words, Maurice holds on to those events - perhaps more than I do.

Well, Crazy Maurice has been a bit slower to speak recently.  But, when he does, it usually has a wistful tone.  He knows that even the short, low quality, interactions will become less frequent once the birds are gone.  And I did confirm for him that the date to take them to the park was set for this coming Monday.

He tried to be a bit philosophical about it all, reminding me (and probably himself) that he'll be taking his Winter nap soon and won't be able to notice whether I am there or not.  And I, recognizing it all for what it was, was tempted to tell him that I would come out and visit even if the poultry was not out there anymore.  But, I've thought that every year.  And, to be truthful, while I have taken a few trips out there, it's never consistent - because life pulls us in different directions when the seasons change.

Maybe this time, I'll follow through and take a comfortable chair out there for a while on a nice Fall day.  I hope I do.  And if I do, maybe I'll get a new story from Maurice that I can share with all of you.

Missing the Office "Assistant"

It has been a little over three months now.  Three months that I have been able to sit in my office chair for virtual meetings or to write articles without interruption.  And I have to admit that I miss those interruptions.

It's true that I do not miss the struggle that was the final months of the Meeting Cat's (Bree's) life.  We had to frequently clean up messes because she had trouble holding food down and it was hard to see that life was less wonderful for her than it had been.  It was one thing to have the responsibility of making sure the Indoor Farm Supervisors were properly provided for.  It was another when they required a fair amount of special care because they weren't feeling well.  To be perfectly clear, I miss my little friend, I just don't miss the struggle that life had become.  I think that's perfectly fair as I suspect she didn't enjoy many of those same moments herself.

But, we have entered the season when the cooler weather would typically result in Bree walking into the office more frequently so she could station herself just under the desk and slightly to my right - waiting for the invitation to jump up and collect some of the warmth her human offered.  This was a trend that usually started in late September, as I started to spend a bit more time in the office than the fields.  And even once I started working for PAN, she had a tendency to seek out companionship more as we entered the Fall months and less as we moved to Spring. 

And that brings me to something I do recall.  Even though Bree wasn't feeling well, she still took comfort in the crook of an arm when she had the chance.  And she would reward the human with a soft purr, until she fell asleep for a little while - just because we were tolerating limited mobility for a time.

Were there times when I would get frustrated that she had this knack for coming and asking for attention just when I was starting to really concentrate on a project?  Of course there were.  But, she'd sit on the floor and look up at me with those big cat eyes.

You are MY human.  You cannot say no to me.  You do not want me to be sad.  Invite me up and I will not regret it.  YOU might, but I won't.

Yeah.  I often ended up regretting it either way.  If I said no, I would regret having to send her on her way without the attention she so richly deserved.  And, she was one of those cats that had a way of exuding disappointment and hurt if her request was denied.  If I said yes, I might find that I could not get the work done and I would regret that I now had even LESS time to get something done that needed doing.  After all, it is really difficult to type an article with only one hand.

But, now that she is gone, I also remember how many times we could come to an agreement where she would sleep in the crook of an arm - just so - so I could still type.  And suddenly I would realize a half hour had passed and the article was done.  And the cat was just waking up from a nap.  And the world was about as right as it could be for that moment in time.

And now it is October.  I actually felt a little bit chilly the other day as I sat at the desk to do some writing.  So, I looked down and to the right just a little bit.

And there was no cat looking back up at me.  So, I typed this blog post with two hands with no guilt and no interruptions.

And I didn't particularly like it.

Frost's Eve Reflections

This past weekend was dictated, to a large extent, by the weather forecast that was calling for our first frosts on the farm this Fall.  And, as is often the tradition at the Genuine Faux Farm, we were also realizing that our first frost would, in all likelihood, be our first freeze as well.  We do like to do things right here, don't you know!

It's always a bit stressful, when the weather turns.  We get the rude awakening that our rows of zinnias, even if they were starting to look a little rough anyway, are going to lose their luster, turning a crispy brown.  And, we also realize that we need to get many of our crops harvested and in buildings where they will not get bitten by the cold.  

Since that cold is likely to land below freezing, we also take the harvest in our high tunnels seriously.  The summer crops, like tomatoes, green beans and peppers don't typically like it when the temps get below freezing - even if it is brief.

Some of you might recall that Tammy and I struggled to get started this Spring - once again due to health issues.   But things started to turn around when our farmer friends visited mid-June and helped us to clean up and prepare Valhalla (our larger high tunnel) for planting.  Just one week later, we had the high tunnel planted and our southwest plot was also in.

Somewhere in there, we also got some winter squash into the ground, as well as some sunflowers and sweet corn.  The sweet corn wasn't ready until September, but we actually got some and we pulled in the butternut squash on Sunday.  And yes, we grew some quality onions and have been enjoying some nice melons!

The Joe's Long Cayenne plants, despite being tasted by the deer early in their life, have done themselves proud.  Each plant was completely covered in these long hot peppers.  For that matter, all of the peppers did very well for us this year.  The Black Krim tomatoes really carried the load this year.  So, we have a lot to be pleased with - despite a difficult start and our limited time to get out and do at the farm this Summer.

Sure.  Lots of things went wrong too.  But that's how it works.  We've never had a perfect year at the Genuine Faux Farm.  Except that every year is perfect, because we always get some good food from our fields - and we always get to spend some time working with the land to try and do our best for this small part of the world.