Spring

As shoots and spring flowers appear here in Oregon, we catch rare glimpses of the sun. While we won't see then sun regularly until at least April here, the early signs of the new season reminded me of some great Easter postcards I have. I am listing some on Ebay today, but will still have a bunch to spare. Easter cards are quite common, second only to Christmas in popularity in the early 1900s as far as I can tell. They are often beautifully embossed and decorated.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day! I know I was happy to have one more day off this weekend, and I think we'd be hard pressed to find many Americans who disagree. What is often forgotten, however, is the history behind Labor Day. There is quite a bit of disagreement about who first had the idea (who doesn't want to claim ownership of a free day off, right?) but I am proud to say that Oregon was the first state to declare it a state holiday in 1887, and by 1894 it was a national holiday. Here is an interesting slideshow of Labor Day facts that reveals, among other things, the likely origin of the "Don't wear white after Labor Day" concept. Labor Day Facts

So, on this day of rest for most, we should take care not to forget the men and women like this:

Who argued that they needed a day for this:

In conclusion, on this fine day off,

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