Hi there! As a frequent carver, sending stamps to events-and also an active host of LTC trackers, I just want to bring attention to this new policy, effective 12/24/25:
A new USPS policy, effective December 24, 2025, changes when mail is postmarked from the drop-off date to the date it's first sorted at a processing facility, impacting deadlines for taxes, bills, and ballots; the U.S. Postal Service says this aligns with its "Delivering for America" plan for efficiency but can create later postmarks, so users should get a manual stamp at a post office counter or use certified mail for critical deadlines.

One of the guidelines for LTC trackers is that participants should send their cards by a certain "send by" date; hosts can also set their trackers to a "receive by" date. This postmark situation impacts hosts, as we have to follow our own guidelines and if a participant sends AFTER the date on the tracker, we are obligated to return their cards unsorted in fairness to the others who sent on time. As a rule, I have always referenced the postmark cancellation stamps to verify that participants did indeed send them on time, and now I can't do that anymore. While it's true that some hosts will bend the rules from time to time, the principal still exists that mailing needs to be timely, so...from now on I will only be adhering to the RECEIVE BY date that I will post on my LTC trackers, and will note the same when I send stamps for events, since we have no guarantees anymore about when the USPS will actually process our mail once it is put in the blue box. So, it will now be up to participants to use their own best judgement and timing to make and send their cards in such a manner that they can feel certain that they will arrive on time. Let's hope that 2026 will bring us some better quality in the way our USPS delivers!! (*fingers crossed!*)

I've been wondering, is all the pink material on Amazon that's marketed as SGHUO the same? I see several different sellers carry it. Someone gave me some to try and I liked it enough to want to get more, but I've gotten so many oddball carving materials off of Amazon that I'm afraid I'll order some and it won't be the same as the slab I tried.

I believe it's all the same...I have had great consistency with it and have been ordering it for over 2 years. :-)

Half of my mail arrives without any cancelation or a completely unreadable postmark.

I have always preferred the "this is the sorting date" deadline for swaps as a host.

An empty pill bottle, a small ziplock baggie full of quik-set cement and LCAB's fake rock instructions would be fun (and cheap).

Distress ink comes in 1" square boxes. I'd love to find one in my grab bag.

A few of GT's "You've found a letterbox" cards would be most handy.

I got a ton of tiny, super-strong magnets very cheaply off of the internet. Sharing them around in the swag bags would be nice for people who plant.

When I send my LTCs for Trackers I always go inside to make sure I have enough stamps, and they postmark cancellation stamps right there. The lady at the Post Office knows me and in the last one she made the comment: 'this one is heavy', smile and said 'you have enough stamps and right there she did the postmark cancellation stamp

Still looking for some stamps for midyear event. Please consider carving! Thank you.

Zombie Apocalypse
https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?trackerId=12107

Terrifying Tomes
https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?trackerId=12106

"Night" boxing
https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?trackerId=12077

Summerween
https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?trackerId=12097

Monsters
https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?trackerId=12098

I love this idea so much that I just might have to steal it! What a great way for a host to offer up wanted and appreciated items and for guests to choose wanted and appreciated items = nothing wasted or thrown away. Thanks for sharing!

I carved two Halloween themed stamps for the wakeda event but they don't fit under any of your trackers. I did tell Kelly I was carving them. Do you only want stamps from the trackers? do you not want my two stamps? I didn't realize that they did not fit into your trackers. I thought any Halloween themed stamp would work. sorry.

The "Smite" button is back!!!!!

laughing myself silly 😂😂

Looks like it only shows up as a teaser on the widget header, but not on individual comments . . . yet.

I do not need them for any of my series. I will not speak for Kelly. You can always use them for "Site" stamps (so admins have something find - lol!)! (I also know that Mudflinginfools has several Halloween trackers.)

OK. I will talk to Kelly. Thanks.

Several months ago, MagicalMichelle posted a question asking what other books about letterboxing existed besides The Letterboxer’s Companion and my letterboxing memoir Adventures in Letterboxing, which prompted a few other books to be added to the list. I would now like to add one more to that list.

I have just published a book called Letterboxing 101. You can read the description on Amazon, but basically it’s a novel about twin boys taking a college course about letterboxing and their resulting adventures.
Just as I did for my first book, I have placed a letterbox with the same name as the book: Letterboxing 101 letterbox. The clues can be found within the book and the stamp image can be downloaded if you live too far away to visit the box.

I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing my first novel!
Silver Eagle

It’s a little confusing with LTCs sometimes because some people have it as “Receive By” and some have it as “Send By” which has really tripped me up in the past, and this whole postmark situation has made it even more frustrating. I think you’re right and it’s best to just default to “receive by.”

Also, as a host I have also received envelopes of cards with no cancellation (regular 6x9 Kraft envelopes too, not just taped/reusable) or postmark. It’s just the nature of the post office these days it seems.

I feel for the workers. You know they’re the ones who are gonna get yelled at or harassed about it. I took gift cards to the ladies at my station for Christmas and told them how much I appreciated them and I swear one of them was about to cry.

Moonstone - you did sign up for the small Halloween tracker. If your stamps are too big, please use them as site stamps. I would still love to find them!

thanks, Kelly. My stamps are small. I will let you know when the second one is done and they are in the mail. or if you are ever in the mystic area I could meet you and hand them to you to avoid USPS mail problems.

I sent nosox a stamp for soup's on and it took 6 weeks for USPS to get the stamp to her. I could have walked it the 90 miles to her house faster. I thought it was lost in the mail so I carved a second one and sent it to her then weeks later the first one showed up so she had two! any way I can hand deliver your stamps would be good!

An invitation to my next show out in Concord if you're so inclined:

Show: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dates: Feb 13-Feb 28, 2026
Performances: Fri & Sat evenings with two Sunday matinees (2.15 & 2.22)
Tix: https://www.concordplayers.org

Note: Free tickets for anyone who wants to volunteer to usher/run confessions.
Just click "Sign up for House Staff" on the same link.

P.S. reggicat has a carve at this beloved theater: Box #326056

I feel this! I mailed a get well card to my Aunt and it took over a month to reach her. It’s an 8-hour drive to her house. I could have just made a weekend trip. 🤦‍♀️

So this begs the questions: is this book autobiographical? And are you and your letterboxing brother twins in real life?

Congratulations on your new book!

The book is not strictly autobiographical, though the twin brothers in the book do have similar personalities to myself (John) and Baby Bear (Sam), even if slightly mixed. We are not twins, in fact we are separated by 9 years, but we might as well be when it comes to letterboxing.
A few of the events have been experienced by us or people we know, but mostly I just imagined what kind of mischief we would have gotten into if we started letterboxing in college.
Thanks for your interest!

Wow, that is so cool! Having met you in person and getting a hint of your personality, I imagine that it's a great read - it's on my list!

I'm also jealous... I wish I had the time to write. Congratulations and lots of success to you.

This is so cool! Will you sign it at TALE for me??? 😉

How exciting! Break a leg!!!

Soooo... what kinds of confessions can folks anticipate to hear if they volunteer to run those? (sorry, I couldn't help myself 😉)

Hey there! Not sure how active this board is, but I'm trying to help Kurious Jo out...

I was in SD last week and while finding a box I had clues for, I happened upon another box. It's an AWESOME carve. I stamped in, and took a photo of the logbook to record later. And then I came all the way back home to NC. I looked up the AQ and it was not published yet so I sent Kurious Jo a message...

Turns out, she didn't mean to leave that box there- in fact she didn't know WHERE she'd lost the box! It was accidentally left in September! Someone came by between September and December placed a rock on top of it, but it is otherwise not well hidden. When I found it I thought it was a weird place for a box, and I attempted to hide it better than I found it, but where it is is kind of exposed. (I'm not one to just rehide people's boxes without permission or obvious hazard present)... but I guess in this case I should have known she didn't REALLY mean for it to be where I found it.

Anyway if anyone is in the Deadwood area or can take a trip there to stamp in this awesome stamp and then rehide it somewhere better-- please look up Box #382713 and see the message she's included with the clues there!

Yes, I will sign and stamp it.
Thanks!

LOL (oh-my-gosh!!!)

Hello!

I'll be visiting my brother in Rockford next weekend (9th-13th). Quite a list of boxes to choose from there, I'll have to parse through them for winter findability. Would love to meet/exchange with local boxers if possible, but I will be at his mercy of vehicle availability.

Cheers,
-ArtGekko

I ordered mine : ) and will also bring to TALE for you to sign and stamp- how fun!

Shelly

Thanks for the kind words and I hope the book lives up to your expectations.


It does require quite a bit of time and I had to dedicate at least two or three hours a day writing over about three months. But this was during the holidays so I had many other commitments that interfered with that schedule. As my wife would tell you, even if I wasn't actually writing I was thinking about it most of the time and would try to jot down thoughts whenever they occurred. As was the case when I was working and had a programming problem, I would get some of my best inspirations while exercising, then have to try and remember them until I got done. I would even wake up in the middle of the night and have thoughts I hoped I would remember in the morning.

Writing this novel was much harder than writing my non-fiction book since I had to make up all the names and plot. I did use real places that I was familiar with to ease some of the burden, which also showcased parts of Texas for others to explore. One of the most amazing things that happened was in the middle of the process I watched the movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas" which shows what Charles Dickens went through to write "A Christmas Carol". He used real-life inspirations along with imagination to bring his characters to life, and I realized I was doing the same thing! Now I'm not comparing myself to him or my book to his, but the process was similar and I suspect it would be to anyone attempting to write a creative work.

Anyway, long story short, even though it was maddening at times I'm really glad I persevered if for no other reason than the appreciation I gained for other authors. All this is to say, if you have a desire to write, do it even if you have to wait until you retire!

I like the suggestions for patches/apparel.

I have another suggestion, but need to test it first.