2023 Archives - Social Correspondence

Free Stuff in the Mail

The holidays will soon be upon us, and already the pitches for non-profit donations are on their way, so expect to receive a lot of “free” stuff in the mail. Within the past two weeks, free items in my mail included one memo pad, one pack of tissues, return address labels from two different charities, one 2024 calendar featuring adorable dogs and puppies, and one set of six birthday cards with assorted designs. I even received a solicitation that included a one-dollar bill. Most of these gifts are from charities that I have never donated to,…

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September 24, 2023

2023 / city living / Driverless cars / newspapers / Technology

Driverless Cars

Autonomous vehicles (AVs), or Driverless cars, have been testing their performance in San Francisco for many months, at first with drivers at the wheel to trouble shoot. With its steep hills, crowded streets, distracting views, and large numbers of pedestrians, the city is notoriously difficult to drive in, making it a good test ground. That is, good for the profit-making company sponsors, including Google, GM, Amazon and others, but so far, not so great for San Francisco residents. The AVs went truly driverless just a few weeks ago. In a totally unscientific survey, I asked a…

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August 29, 2023

2023 / Letter writing

The Art of the Condolence Message

While a simple card or handwritten note is a meaningful way to express sympathy on the loss of a loved one, the art of the condolence message comes in many forms. People send flowers, prepare food for the bereaved, attend memorials and funerals, make donations to charity. Bereavement and loss can come suddenly and unexpectedly, as it did for me last year (2022) when I lost my husband of over 52 years. Condolence messages came in all of the above forms. Friends and neighbors brought meals, flowers, honey, and plants, made donations. During Murray's brief illness,…

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August 12, 2023

2023 / city living / News / newspapers / Pen Pals / Politics

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

When Tony Bennett sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” my heart sang along with him. Although he recently left us, at the age of 96, he immortalized a song that previously had had little traction. And along the way, that old-time New Yorker became a permanent icon in the hearts of San Franciscans. It was not my intention to live my life in San Francisco. I grew up in suburbs, and had my eyes on the temperate climate of Berkeley, CA, home of “Cal,” my alma mater. Or perhaps Mill Valley, a beautiful town…

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July 31, 2023

2023 / books / email / Handwriting / junk mail / Letter writing / Mail / Pandemic / Post cards / Postal Service / U.S. Postal Service

What’s in Your Mail?

National Postal Worker’s Day was July 1, which seemed like a good time to check out what’s in your mail. As people have moved from doing business through the mail to electronic communications, first class mail has declined. Banking, including bill paying, and personal communications have largely moved online. Only occasionally do I receive handwritten notes, cards, letters, or postcards, and I suspect that I am not alone. Even event invitations are conveyed electronically, through sites that track responses (RSVPs) and comments from invitees. Since 1926, the USPS has tracked mail volume by type of mail.…

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July 22, 2023

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2023 / Pets

Just Like an Old Married Couple

Autumn and Percy My cats Autumn and Percy recently turned twelve, and it is noteworthy how much they behaved over the years like an old married couple. They ate their meals together, Autumn always leaving a little bit of hers for Percy to finish. They raced up and down the hallways together, tearing up the house from one end to the other, leaving fluffs of fur in their wake. Both of them liked to take great naughty leaps onto the kitchen counters, though not necessarily at the same time. Percy was brazen and open. Autumn is…

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July 5, 2023