October Postcrossings with witches and ghosts

Autumn and Christmas/New Year's are my two favorite times of year to ramp up my Postcrossing participation. Sending and receiving Halloween-themed postcards during spooky season adds to the fun, especially at a time when the daily 100+ temperatures here in Arizona are making it hard to think about pumpkins and hayrides. (Having COVID-19 isn't helping, either.)

Show above are two of the postcards that have come to our mailbox in recent days. The witchy cat is from a woman in Germany who says her postcard interests include castles, ruins, cemeteries and skulls. I wonder if I could get an outfit like that onto one of our cats. I could see Brave Sir Oliver or Spice fitting the bill, if they'd stay still.

The ghost parent with the baby carriage was sent by a longtime Postcrosser from Lithuania — she's mailed more than 10,000 cards — who is also a mother of three, harvests mushrooms and is a Pokémon Go trainer. Phew! 

Shown below is one of the postcards I've been mailing out to some Postcrosser this autumn. I love the vintage illustration. It's a reproduction of an image that was used on a Gibson pop-up Halloween greeting card in the middle of the 20th century. (Gibson, which dates to 1855, is now part of American Greetings.)

RIP, Charlie Hustle & Mount Mutombo

(This is the first Pete Rose-related item I could lay my hands on: Street and Smith's Official Yearbook 1982 for baseball. From about 1981 to 1986, this was the most anticipated annual magazine for me each spring. It was the bible for the statistics from the previous MLB season and the rosters/previews for the upcoming season. For me, USA Today's daily sports section and then USA Today Baseball Weekly gradually took its place. These days, the magazine I most look forward to is Fortean Times. Don't judge.)

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 — On this day, as the southeastern U.S. continues search-and-rescues and picking up the shattered pieces after the depredations of Helene; as Israel widens its military operations against terrorist states throughout the tinderbox of the Middle East; as we continue a stifling streak of unseasonable 100-plus-degree days in bone-dry central Arizona; as we consider what a presidential candidate truly meant when he talked about the need for "one really violent day" to combat crime; and as we prepare to celebrate former President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday tomorrow, two baseball teams teams played a regular-season-ending doubleheader in Atlanta's suburbs, not far from a massive plume of dark smoke smelling of chemicals emanating from an industrial plant fire that forced thousands across multiple counties to either evacuate or shelter in place. 

As the second game of the doubleheader that sent both the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves into the MLB playoffs ended, the world learned of the death at age 83 of Peter Edward Rose Sr., who is MLB's all-time hits leader but was banned from the sport in 1989 for gambling on baseball games. Rose's great hustle and talent on the baseball diamond will forever be intertwined with the shame he brought upon himself by betting on games, including his own team's games, and then denying and lying about his misdeeds for many years thereafter. It should also be remembered as part of Rose's legacy that he faced credible accusations of statutory rape. 

I first became aware of Pete Rose around 1979, when I was 8 and living in southern New Jersey and he was playing in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies, at age 38. The next year, Rose helped the Phillies win their first World Series championship and became a legend in the city, at least until the summer of 1989, when the permanent ban issued by Bart Giamatti, who himself would be dead in eight days, broke the hearts of many of his fans. Not long after, Rose served five months in federal prison for tax evasion.

* * *

Another professional athlete who played in Philadelphia died today. His full name was Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo. 

Dikembe Mutombo brought his 7-foot-2 frame to Philadelphia and played basketball for the 76ers in the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 NBA seasons. He specialty was blocking shots. Off the court, his specialty was doing humanitarian work. As The Associated Press noted: "He became a global ambassador for the NBA and served on the boards of many organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the National Board for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. While he was playing for Atlanta in 1997, he founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo."

“He loved others with every ounce of his being. That’s what made him so accessible. That’s what made him real. Dikembe Mutombo was salt and light, and today, on the 30th of September, 2024, he has been called to rest," his son, Ryan Mutombo, said.

Mutombo was 58. He died — and doesn't everything just seem interconnected these days? — in Atlanta.

Surviving on Spaceship Earth

In this heartbreaking weekend of the Hurricane Helene aftermath, I've had this 1971 Ballantine paperback sitting at my desk for a while. I kind of just want to blog it while things are already depressing and then just shuffle it out of the way.

How to Be a Survivor: A Plan to Save Spaceship Earth, by Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich and Richard L. Harriman, isn't the cheeriest of topics, but it caught my interest a year ago when I was looking at advertisements in the back of Ray Bradbury's The October Country and other vintage paperbacks.

If it isn't clear from the cover, this is an alarmist book. In the opening pages, Ehrlich and Harriman write: "But crowded, hungry, and miserable as much of mankind is today, tomorrow seems destined to be much worse." Their primary concern was that the world's population was, in 1971, at a tipping point that would imminently cause cascading failures in global food and health systems. Or that simmering geopolitics would lead to a world war, waged with nuclear and chemical weapons, that would be too catastrophic for civilization to rebound from. 

Like I said, cheery stuff. But not too terribly unlike the news and stressors we deal with on a daily basis in 2024. Our Spaceship Earth (a phrase popularized, but not invented, by Adlai Stevenson in a 1965 speech to the United Nations) is certainly listing to the side a bit.

We could generously say that the authors' alarmism was correct but somewhat misfocused. Others of that era already knew about the ways in which we were degrading the environment and warming the Earth with fossil fuels. But Ehrlich and Harriman seemed much more concerned with the global birthrate and overcrowding.

Other critics aren't so generous, especially when it comes to Ehrlich, who also wrote 1967's The Population Bomb and who, at age 92, is still warning about doomsday. In 2023, James Woudhuysen, a journalist and professor of forecasting and innovation, wrote:

"All forecasters make mistakes. But few forecasters have been as consistently wrong as biologist Paul Ehrlich. ... It is important to understand just how consistently and absurdly wrong Ehrlich’s predictions have been. ... The reason Ehrlich always misses the mark is not just down to bad luck. He relies on a kindergarten understanding of political economy, in which multiplying human beings always run up against the limits of Spaceship Earth. What all his forecasts ignore is how human ingenuity, risk-taking ambition and technological innovation can overcome the apparent physical limits of the planet."

* * *

There are some interesting and divergent takes about How to Be a Survivor from reviewers on Goodreads. One writes: "A book with some good ideas, most of which are based in fantasyland. For example, the authors rightly spend appreciable time blasting the incompetence, inefficiency and corruption of the federal government, yet inexplicably suggest an alternative of even more bureaucracy to take its place." That's a fair point.

A recent reviewer discusses the urgent need for meaningful political action, though she's clearly discussing the climate crisis more than global overpopulation: "This [book] explains why anyone's chance of survival is directly dependent on political action forcing the governments of the world to face up to the environmental crisis. Individual efforts without political action just aren't enough."

Finally, there's this Goodreads viewpoint from 2011, which I find incredibly discouraging: "Thankfully this has proven to be total bunk with time. I regretfully read this as an impressionable freshmen in college in 1971. I keep around to remind myself to be skeptical."

"Total bunk" is taking it a bit far. Maybe the alarmism of Ehrlich and Harriman was, in part, a schtick to sell books. But I think it might also be argued that their hearts were in the right place. They want a better planet and more hope for human civilization. Consider what they're getting at in this passage:

"In the new society, education will be a subject of great importance. Children will learn early that their own well-being is dependent upon the well-being of all other human beings and upon the well-being of the world's ecological systems. They will also learn how to care for Spaceship Earth, to keep it running smoothly into the indefinite future. They will grow up to consider it their pleasant duty to spend at least part of their time serving as crewmen on Spaceship Earth. They will expect to participate on a regular basis in the governance and maintenance of the ship, and to spend part of their time in the service of the fellow passengers. They will also expect to continue their education throughout their lives so as to maximize the value of both their contribution to society and of their own existence."

To bring this to a conclusion and circle back to Hurricane Helene, I think these weekend tweets about the devastation in Appalachia may seem alarmist, but they represent the truthful urgency of the situation we find ourselves in right now on our rapidly warming and changing planet:

Anna Jane Joyner: "I’ve told my family many times that we can never sell our houses in Asheville because it’s one of the safer places in the US re: climate impacts. Never ever imagined it would get wiped out by a hurricane before our home on the Gulf Coast. Nowhere is safe. It doesn’t feel real."

Jeff McFadden: "People keep talking like collapse is some future event. Modern society cannot build towns, cities, roads, bridges, dams, and interstate electric grids as fast as they're burning up and washing away. This is a collapsing system."

Sarah Richardson: "Hardly any news about entire towns being destroyed, and hardly any national news about Phoenix reaching 114 degrees at the end of September ... the climate change denial is strong."

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Old Man Banjo just wants naps, cuddles and Temptations treats,

but, then again, he's not an elected official tasked with solving problems

The devastation of Helene

Better times: Undated Color-King Natural Color Card postcard with a view from Thousand Pines Inn 

in Tryon, North Carolina. The inn is now a private residence.

Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, has devastated the southeastern United States and Appalachia with its rain, wind and tidal surge. Very preliminary estimates are that there is about $100 billion in damage and economic loss. Some of the worst impacts have been in western North Carolina, in areas that I'm somewhat familiar with from my time living in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Other significant impacts occurred in Pinellas County, Florida, where I lived for a few years as a teenager.

The Washington Post reported this afternoon: 

"Even as response teams worked to reach those struggling amid the wreckage, mountain communities in Tennessee and North Carolina were bracing Saturday for more flooding as Helene continued its destructive path, pushing dams to the brink, forcing residents to flee to higher ground and leaving some towns entirely cut off from communication. Officials were still waiting to get a complete assessment of the damage in isolated areas."

In Appalachia, which includes far western North Carolina, almost all of the communities are isolated. There are also cities of 90,000-plus, such as Asheville, North Carolina, but Helene didn't discriminate in dumping about 30 inches of rain across wide swaths of the region.

Some of the heartbreak, the full extent to which may takes days or weeks to determine, has been documented in real time on Twitter (X) and Facebook. But that's only from folks who are able to pick up a cell signal sufficient to communicate with the outside world. Every voice deserves to be documented for the historical record.

Here are just a few of the Twitter posts I've seen:

Ginny Barker: "Please pray for my community of Swannanoa, NC. We have had complete devastation from Hurricane Helene. No power for several counties over. No water. Spotty cell service. This is to us what Katrina was to New Orleans."

Andrew Price: "I made it out of Asheville. The entire area has no cell service, no power, no water, no sewer. I tried several times to make it  off campus, but neighborhoods are blocked by power lines, trees, and flood waters. UNC Asheville has not been communicating well with students."

Brad Panovich (Charlotte meteorologist): "Our station received this email from Banner Elk in Avery county. 'I am hoping to open a line of communication with the "outside world".  Residents of Elk River in Banner Elk are completely stranded.  Attached is a picture of what used to be the bridge which is the only way in or out of the community.  We have no power, water, cell service....  We do have a generator and wifi at the clubhouse, which  is how we are sending this.  Most of the residents are elderly, and there is no way to get out if there is an emergency.  If nothing else, maybe you guys can help us communicate information to/from the outside. Scott'"

Ash (West Virginia resident): "National media hasn't grasped the severity of the flooding in Appalachia. Entire downtowns and highways are gone, homes washed away, many without power, cell service, or escape routes. We are one of the poorest regions in the U.S. and many won’t recover. Our region needs help."

YourQueerAuntie: "Appalachia already didn’t have much. You’ll see footage from Asheville and Boone the bigger mountain towns. Please don’t forget the smaller rural communities that are entirely decimated and were already lacking recourses. Every single road in my family’s community is gone."

Katsumi27: "Tryon is NOT FINE. I’m sitting here without power and damage. Power lines and huge tress all over the road. 9 has huge down tress and power lines."

Bill Hangley Jr.: "so much story still to come. the Appalachians are incredibly rugged, steep and thickly forested, full of creeks & small rivers; almost no flatlands. towns cluster in valleys on narrow floodplains. once a road is out, you’re stuck until they rebuild that road"

Fred McCormick (Swannanoa Valley resident, journalist and business owner): "I’m exhausted. There isn’t a lot of new information to report from Black Mountain, where power and water remain out. Local officials do not have an ETA for repairing the water service, which is out due to the electrical outage. Many roads are still impassable."

Ashley (Charleston, South Carolina, resident): "One of my best friends is the social media manager for Chimney Rock State Park in NC. I haven’t heard from her since 10:30 this morning, 9/27/24. If anyone knows Maddy or knows someone who may know Maddy, please let us know she’s okay. I’m terrified."

About 13 long hours later, Ashley posted this update:

1920s postcard from Bruges

This postcard of of Saint John's Hospital in Bruges, Belgium, was mailed to Moylan/Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, in August 1928, if I'm reading the year on the postmark correctly.

Saint John's opened as a hospital in the 12th century and was still in operation when this postcard was sent. It didn't close as a hospital until 1977 — not a bad run! — and is now a museum.

The cursive message from Louise to Alfred is a bit hard for me to fully decipher. My eyes and ability to suss out the handwriting of a century ago aren't what they were when I started this blog in 2010. (I may be getting a second cataract surgery this fall, so maybe those skills will bounce back.) The gist of the letter, however, is a rave about Bruges and its old brick buildings and beautifully decorated churches. 

It's still a destination worthy of raves. English actor James Frain described Bruges thusly in an interview with the BBC:

"Bruges is a beautiful medieval city almost untouched by time. If you like jazz you will be well catered for. If you like chocolate and beer you will be in heaven."

Related post

• 1920s postcards: A walkable street and an adventurous path

Hans Holzer's "The Witchcraft Report"

I haven't had an installment of the Hans Holzer series since February and The Psychic World of Plants, so today — the day we mark the autumnal equinox — seems like a great day to delve into this 1970s book about spookiness, weirdness and incantations.

• Title: The Witchcraft Report
• Additional cover text: "An up-to-the-minute report on Pagan groups in America by the author GHOST HUNTER, ESP AND YOU and CHARISMATICS."
• Back cover excerpt: "What makes a person of sound mind and body turn to Witchcraft and the 'Old Religion' as opposed to the traditional, orthodox forms of worship?"
• Author: Hans Holzer (1920-2009)
• Publication date: October 1973
• Publisher: Ace Books 
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 222
• Cover price: $1.25
• Epigraph: "Ye shall dance, make music, sing, feast, and make love — all in my praise." (The Gospel of Aradia)
• What's the Gospel of Aradia? Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches is an 1899 book by Pennsylvanian Charles Godfrey Leland comprising his translation of a religious text believed to be used by pagan witches in Italy. Though there are many questions about whether the religious text was genuine, Leland's book had a major influence on Wicca's development in the 20th century.
• First sentences: Ever since I wrote THE TRUTH ABOUT WITCHCRAFT and THE NEW PAGANS people from all over have been writing to me in the hope of becoming witches. Some of these are twelve and thirteen year olds whose chances of being introduced to a coven or even a solitary practitioner of "The Old Religion" are practically nil until they reach the age of reason, or what passes as the legal age.
• Last sentence: Finally, if you who seek the ways of Witchcraft find that it is a philosophy that goes deeper than surface, a religion that is more than skin deep, don't be ashamed to get involved: body, mind, and spirit are the true trinity of life.
• Random excerpt #1: Individual witches may still practice in Cincinnati but there is, to the best of my knowledge, no organized coven now in operation. 
• Random excerpt #2: A pert, dark-haired lady who goes by the craft name of Cassandra Salem, or Sandy Salem for short, rides her jolly broom around Anaheim, California. 
• What was Sandy Salem's real name: Judy Malis, according to Holzer. And she lived in Huntington Beach.
• Random excerpt #3: If anything, it proves that Pagans have the same basic problems Christians, Jews, and Mohammedans have and, for that matter, all religions all over the world: sometimes they can't get along with each other, sometimes they exaggerate things out of proportion because they are so close to their problems, they cannot see how really insignificant these problems are to someone taking a long range view of things.
• Online reviews: This specific book doesn't have any reviews of note on Goodreads, Amazon or elsewhere online. And a search of Newspapers.com also came up empty. In 2002, Holzer published Witches: True Encounters with Wicca, Wizards, Covens, Cults and Magick, a hefty tome that incorporates some witch-themed material from his 1960s and 1970s books. Of that 2002 book, Green Stone wrote this review on Amazon in 2011: "The main problem I have with this book is that it seems to have been primarily written in the 1970's, and then updated to include a LITTLE 21st century (year 2000 and later) culture and Witchcraft information. ... If you want details on some of the goings on in Witchcraft in the 1960's or 1970's, or a taste of what some of the covens were like then, this book may give you some help with that. The many highly imaginative prayers, invocations and rites by Lady Svetlana of Feraferia which are included will give a good taste of the 'loose' 1970's when if what you said was beautiful and poetic, you weren't expected to make any sense." [Feraferia is mentioned extensively in The Witchcraft Report.] 

I thought it would be appropriate for black cat Stubby to pose with today's paperback.

"Triple Horror Bill" in Greeley, Colorado

While I was looking for something else on Newspapers.com, I came across this awesome newspaper advertisement for a "Triple Horror Bill" in the June 25, 1943, edition of the Greeley (Colorado) Daily Tribune.

"WARNING. Don't attend if you can't stand thrills" the advertisement states.

The trio of cinematic terror consisted of:

1. Dead Men Walk, (1943), a 64-minute flick that IMDb.com describes thusly: "The twin of a kindly small-town physician returns from the grave for vengeance against his brother, who secretly killed him because the twin served Satan." It has a 4.8/10 rating. It was shot in six days and was one of the final movie appearances for Dwight Frye (1899-1943), who gave memorable performances in the 1931 classics Dracula and Frankenstein.

2. Terror House (aka The Night Has Eyes and Moonlight Madness), (1942). This 79-minute film from the UK has a respectable rating of 6.2 on IMDb.com. It's a thriller that takes place in an Old Dark House¹ amid the Yorkshire moors and stars James Mason a young man who may or may not be the villain. I'm going to track this one down, and I love what one reviewer wrote about it on IMDb.com in 2010:

"Of all the movies I love, none has had a wider ranging impact than this one. I saw it on late night TV when I was 9, Halloween night, at a sleepover where everyone else was sleeping. I had nothing to do and couldn't figure out how to change the channel on the TV, so I was sitting there grumpily watching something random when this... strange movie came on. It was in black and white, but the people in it were beautiful, as were the clothes, the sets, everything. I was transfixed. ... Thank you to the people who made this film with love. They'll never know what it's meant to me."

3. Nightmare, 1942. I don't know that this one truly falls into the category of horror. But it's a thriller. The IMDb.com summary: "An ex-gambler helps a beautiful widow, and becomes involved with a murder, secret agents, and saboteurs." It has a 6.3 rating and features the wonderfully named Elspeth Dudgeon, who is so memorable in 1932's The Old Dark House.

Also on the bill is the screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story, a Preston Sturges film that's well-regarded but certainly doesn't fit thematically with everything else.

The films were shown at Greeley's Park Theatre, which was in existence from 1922 to 1952, according to Cinema Treasures. Admission would have been about 20 cents, a darn good deal. That's about $3.60 today. Popcorn not included, though.

Spooky footnote

1. Some links for more about Old Dark House type movies:

• Martin Grams blog post from 2019
• Letterboxd list by Rugby
• Original Cinemaniac blog post from 2020
• Papergreat: Poster for 1935's "One Frightened Night"

From the readers: Scribble-In Book, decorating horrors, recipes and more

I'm so happy that people are still finding Papergreat after all these years and despite the low volume of my new output. Here are some comments that came in over the summer.

Late 1930s college expenses logged in The Scribble-in Book: Anonymous writes: "I have a Scribble-In Book of my grandmother's beginning December 29, 1932. She would jot down poems from various poets, particularly, Winifred Woods, Winifred Black, Charles Mackay, Ada Parker Smith, Ada Burke, Dorothy Henderson. The history is so rich!" 

What a wonderful family keepsake! I'm curious about some of the poets, because I have very little knowledge of that literary genre.

I can't find anything about Winifred Woods, but there was a Winifred Letts from that period who was a poet.

Is Winifred Black the American journalist Winifred Sweet Black Bonfils, who wrote under the names Anne Laurie and Winifred Black?

Ada Parker Smith is probably Ada Elizabeth Smith.

I can't find anything about Ada Burke or Dorothy Henderson, but would love to learn something!

Saturday's postcard: America House Motor Inn: Two more memories spurred by this postcard came in over the summer.

Anonymous #1 writes: "My family stayed at least twice at America House in the 1970s; the last time was during the summer of 1976. I remember that we loved it both times. Surprisingly, my biggest memory is of the restaurant, which was excellent from a kid's perspective."

Anonymous #2 writes: "Yearly stop with my family in the 70s on the way to Cape Hatteras. I looked forward to dominating the upstairs ping pong table! Demolished in 2018 to build homes."

The "magical" world of early 1970s interior decorating: Wendyvee writes: "Oh, that green still haunts ... no matter how fashionable it may become once again. I dig the swirly rug; but that chair does make me think that Karen Black, Mia Farrow, Sissy Spacek, or Margot Kidder will be chased around a Greenwich Village brownstone by something evil causing that chair to roll. I'm not typically neurospicy but what is WITH all of those off-center paintings in this collection?"

The 1970s offer more unanswered questions than any decade in history. Which is why I love that decade.

The One Where I Get Sucked into the Mecki Universe: Anonymous writes: "Mecki has always been part of my childhood. I have a 7-inch Steiff Mecki my mother had shipped from Germany for me around 1954 or 55. I was about 3 or 4. I was allowed to play with it until she discovered I was chewing on his nose. Then he went up on the shelf. I still have him, in excellent condition except his nose is a little chewed."

Wonderful memory! Thank you for sharing this.

Zita Spangler: From St. John's Reformed to Rolling Green Park: Anonymous writes: "I knew Rita Spangler/Cortright. She was my stepfather’s mother. Extraordinary woman. Smart, kind and so talented. She went on to become a textile artist. I don’t know what inspired me to google her, but I found your article and now know another part of her story. Thank you."

And now we know another part of the story, too, thanks to this comment.

A neat piece of Phillies history: Joan writes: "I am fairly certain the Roadside America hex sign is a [Jacob] Zook design as well." 

Oh, this is worth looking into!

Montoursville 2018: Hurr's: Anonymous writes: "My aunt was connected to the Millers and gave me this recipe: Hurr's Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce -- Boil together 3/4 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water. Then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 16 oz of Hershey's syrup + 12 oz. Peter Pan peanut butter. Beat with electric mixer (slow) till smooth. Refrigerate. You can serve it warm or cold. Enjoy. Makes about 1 qt."

Oh my! What a delicious recipe that appears to be. I imagine some of us will try it!

Flashback to outer space: Joan writes: "I miss the word of the day!!! We still have binders of them, though."

Old postcard: "The World's Most Famous Chicken Dish": Anonymous writes: "I remember when the Richmond Chicken in the Rough burned down. Our family loved that place. My church youth group used to go to the Clover Room on Sunday nights sometimes."

"The Valley of Hell" in Germany's Black Forest: Reba Birmingham writes: "Thank you for posting. I am writing a series (fiction) which has headquarters of both the good and evil camps in the Black Forest. In the next book (#6 Hercynian Forest Series) my characters will go through the Valley of Hell. I am researching now."

Thanks for letting us know about this fantasy book series, which is praised by reviewers for its fun characters, LGBTQ representation and more  And good luck with finishing your next one!

McCall Chair Co. ink blotter: Anonymous writes: "I am currently trying to recreate the #90 chair. Have been told it was a pistol to upholster, so I'll see."

Some tasty cookie recipes from Joanne van Roden: Anonymous writes: "I just acquired her Favorite Seafood Recipes from a local Goodwill. Great pamphlet. Glad you posted some recipes from her cookie recipe book. If the recipes in the cookie book are anything like her seafood book you have quite a find."

There are so many great finds to be had at Goodwill stores. I love donating to them, too, to keep the recycling of treasures going.