Swap-bot Time: March 24, 2023 12:13 pm
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MamaMangrove

MamaMangrove
Date Joined: May 7, 2012
Last Online: March 23, 2023
Birthday: January 1
Country: United States
My Flickr Photos
My Postcrossing Favorites

About Me

UPDATE: DEC 11, 2022

I am now living with friends in Tallahassee, Florida who have graciously offerred me the space and time I need to figure out what I want to do next. It's a peaceful place surrounded by forest with lots of nearby trails for hiking. I see deer and other woodland animals every day.

I'm pleased to say I have just joined a few swaps - the first ones I've participated in since before Hurricane Ian blew into my life! Although I lost all my art supplies and the bulk of my postcard collection to the storm surge, I have gathered enough to do some exchanges. Yay!! Happy to be back to swapping. See you in the mail, y'all (I'm practicing my Tallahassee speak) !

UPDATE: OCT 1, 2022

I lost my home in Fort Myers to Hurricane Ian. Fortunately I had evacuated to a friend’s house on higher ground so I am fine, just rather overwhelmed by being a refugee and having to start all over.

Thank you to all the kind swappers who have sent their good wishes and for sending or offering to send me postcards. But, please, I am still overwhelmed by the stuff we are salvaging and I cannot handle any more material goods, not even a few postcards! We expect to be done with phase one of the salvage operation in 2 weeks and I will be moving to another city. I don’t know when I will get back to swapping. Putting a new life together is my priority. Xo to all my Swap-bot friends.


I'm a former wandering gypsy, now living in Florida where the primeval beauty of the Big Cypress swamp and the longest coastline of any state except Alaska satisfy certain of my inner needs. It's also a great jumping off point for the Bahamas, the Caribbean & Latin America. I lived in India for several years working with a snake catcher; traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus (living on the train); lived on a sailboat in the Bahamas & Caribbean for 5 years. My numerous occupations have included newspaper staff writer, assembly-line worker in a cockroach trap factory, librarian, charter-boat cook, dog walker in NYC, proprietor of a shop selling beach paraphernalia in the Virgin Islands and, most consistently, free-lance travel writer. Travel, adventure & being easily distracted are all prime motivators in my life!

Writing & photography were always my creative outlets, but lately I'm exploring mixed media collage. I originally joined Swap-Bot for non-touristy postcard exchanges as I'm always on the lookout for quirky or whimsical imagery. But I'm a long-time fan of (and participant in) mail art, so I've become more involved in collage & handmade postcard & mail art swaps. I appreciate things created with wit, originality, a sense of humor - or just because they're beautiful or intriguing. I like clever, off-beat, esoteric stuff. Girlie cutesy doesn't cut it for me. (Maybe I'm still rebelling against a mother who tried too hard to make me pink and frilly.) But I do enjoy whimsy. I love getting postcards & envelopes decorated with art work, collage, etc. And lots & lots of cool stamps!

Though I caved to peer pressure & created a Flickr account, I'm REALLY bad about keeping it updated with images of mail art I've sent! Social media in general eludes me. There are never enough hours in the day for all the other things I find far more interesting to do.

Favorite Music

My musical taste is pretty eclectic, but I particularly like acoustic guitar, Reggae, Latin jazz, World Music in general. A few of my favorite musicians are Mose Allison, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell & Paco de Lucia.

Favorite Books

My passport is my favorite book. I read a lot of nonfiction. When I get interested in a subject I read about it voraciously. I enjoy poetry & have been trying my hand at haiku and tanka. Theodore Roethke, ee cummings, & Shel Silverstein are often on my bedstand. Nick Bantock always inspires. Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, Ursula Le Guin & Kipling are among my long time favorites.

Favorite Movies

My top 5 favorite films are La Strada, L'Atalante, The Gods Must be Crazy, Walkabout, The Triplets of Belleville. My choices seem to reflect my penchant for living on boats; circuses; exotic locales & eccentric characters. I watch a lot of foreign & indie films because I find them to be generally more subtle and thoughtful than mainstream Hollywood.

Favorite Crafts

Mixed media collage, (mainly postcards) & occasional zines. Because I've always been a writer and photographer I often incorporate words and photos into my crafts.

Postcard Preferences

My preference is for Non-Touristy postcards.I much PREFER RECEIVING POSTCARDS SENT BLANK, IN AN ENVIE, even if the swap calls for them to be sent naked. I understand if you can't do that, but that's my preference & I'll never rate you down for sending that way.

POSTCARDS I'D ESPECIALLY LIKE TO RECEIVE

  • Ken Brown's cards

  • Cards featuring HANDS or EYES

  • Black & white photography (anything from Fotofolio & Nouvelles Images for example.) I especially like the photographs of Robert Doisneau.

  • Inge Look's old ladies

  • Magazine Covers, especially New Yorker

  • Brest Brest Brest cards from The Curious Feast PC Box

  • The graphic art of Corita Kent

  • Famous People

  • Mythology, mythological beings

  • Astrological symbols & animals, etc.

  • Blimps, dirigibles, Zeppelins

  • Bromeliads -my favorite plants!

  • Orchids

  • Palm Trees

  • The Little Prince

  • Kliban's comic art

  • Mexican Loteria cards

  • Dia de los Muertos

  • Lantern Press cards

  • Birds

  • Closups of nature, like the patterns on a beetle, the eye of a fish, etc.

  • The Everglades

  • Art cards, particularly collage art, graffiti art, street art, "outsider" art, & found object creations.

  • Paintings by the Florida Highwaymen.

  • Some favorite artists: Magritte, Robert Rauschenberg, Charlie Harper, Joan Miro, Keith Haring, Dali, Georgia O'Keefe, Joseph Cornell, Mayumi Oda, Frida Kahlo, Saul Steinberg.

  • Winslow Homer's paintings of Florida and the Bahamas.

  • Seminole or Miccosoukee people

  • Snake Charmers

  • Magic, magicians,

  • Weird Science

  • Cyanotypes (blueprints or sun prints)

  • Edward Gorey's illustrations

  • Great graphic Design

  • Humor, particularly off-beat, droll, or dry, like the postcards of Glen Baxter.

  • Signs, especially odd or humorous ones

  • Rock & Roll & 1960's musicians

  • Che Guevera

  • Cuba

  • Snoopy (from the Peanuts cartoons)

  • Kaj Stenvall cards

  • Charlie Chaplin

  • Popeye the Sailor Man

  • Troubled Birds (a series of postcards that crack me up!) or anything from the Mincing Mockingbird folks.

  • Lenticular (3-D) cards (but not those "Magic Eye" cards. I have monocular vision & can never see the hidden images.)

  • Postcards that squeak!

  • Postcards with googly eyes!

  • Squeaky postcards WITH googly eyes! (I have only one - a circa 1950s alligator - and he'd so love to be the start of a collection :)

  • Surprise me!

  • My Postcrossing favorites (link above) may give you an idea of the kinds of cards I like.

  • Good quality unused Florida postcards are welcomed since Hurricane Ian washed all mine away. I prefer ones that are not city-specific.

Extras/ Other Likes

  • I can always use uncancelled US stamps. Any denomination

  • Faux postage (artistamps)

Please NO

PLEASE DON'T SEND

  • NO tourist cards please, unless the swap specifically calls for them. Even then I'd prefer something non-touristy.

  • NO more 3x5 vintage cards, please. I have way too many of them!

  • NO Christian themes or Bible verses.

  • NO super cute, overly sweet or girlie

  • PLEASE DO NOT SEND Those cheap sepia 32-pcs faux Vintage-Travel-Sights-Landscape-famous people-Retro Postcards from AliExpress (smaller cards without description on the back. The back is a sepia tone with just boxes on the top left.) I hate them! {Thanks to Highlander 18 for her description}

Ratings

5
rating
Comment: Thanks for the great pcs, extras and the unmarked stamps. Always appreciated.
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the great selection of postcards. Didn’t have the recipe one!
5
rating
Comment: I love all the postcards you sent. Thankyou.
Response: You're very welcome. Glad you liked the cards I chose for you. Thank you for the rating and 💗
Bavarija rated for Non-Touristy Postcards #47 on Mar 20, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for cards! Be safe. Neither tornadoes nor tsunamis happen here in Lithuania
Response: You're welcome & thanks for your rating and 💗. Maybe I should move to Lithuania!
5
rating
Comment: Thank you so very much for all the wonderful postcards ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I loved the card with the note ❤️❤️❤️ No sign of spring yet, though we did just get a foot of snow but it's almost melted ⛄
Response: I'm so pleased you liked the postcards i chose for you.Thanks so much for your "hearty" rating! Hoping Spring arrives there soon.
susieq11 rated for Three Postcards in an Envelope #9U on Mar 18, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the great postcards and New Yorker poodle card - I love it! : ) I enjoyed reading your note too. I am happy you are doing well and I wish you luck finding and settling into a new place - it is exciting to discover new towns/cities and what they have to offer. Thanks for joining and hope to see you in another swap soon! XOXO
Response: My pleasure. Delighted that you liked what I sent. Thanks for your comments, rating and 💗.
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for another great swap!
Response: My pkeasure & & thank you for the rating &💗. Always fun to swap with you.
5
rating
Comment: Fun choices, thank you! Mission San Juan Capistrano is close to me, I have visited :)
Response: You're welcome & thank you for the 💗. Those missionaries got around!. The San Juan mission here is where I first got hooked on archaeology, as a volunteer back in the 80's,
5
rating
Comment: Each one was the perfect pc for its wacky holiday. LOL!! Where did you get a card with a phone booth? Those are as common as hen’s teeth! Thank you for the extras. I always enjoy swapping with you. Nice to see your friends in SoFla! You deserve it! :)
Response: Glad you liked my choices. Don't know where I got the woman in the phone booth, but I've had it a long time. It was in a small box of "keeper" PCs that survived the hurricane. I decided to raid that stash when I saw the phone booth holiday. Postcards are meant to be shared, right? Thanks for your rating and 💗
MelissaLB rated for PH: Scavenger Hunt for PCs #211 on Mar 14, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the great selection of cards. I can’t believe it took over a month to arrive. The mail is crazy!
Response: I'm relieved they finally reached you. I;m getting so disgusted with the USPS that I'm thinking of getting out of swapping. Thanks for the rating and 💗.
minniepic rated for PH: Scavenger Hunt for PCs #214 on Mar 12, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you so very much for all the wonderful postcards and the extra goodies ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I loved reading about your nature hike. It sounds very beautiful.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Response: Thanks for your enthusiastic response! So glad you liked what I sent. I appreciate the rating and 💗s
Ikat78 rated for IFM: Altered PCs in an Envelope on Mar 11, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Hi Linda! These are great! Ha, ha, ha, I love them. Very creative. Thank you and thanks you for joining. My favorite is the pet rock one.
Response: Glad you got a few chuckles! Altered PCs are such fun to make. Thanks for hosting the swap, and for your rating and 💗
simcoe54 rated for PH: 1 + 2 + 3 Objects #5 on Mar 5, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thanks so much for the object postcards and extra items.
Response: You're welcome. Thanks for the rating and 💗
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the lovely swap the postcards are fab, the art on the card is gorgeous and a great envelope and stamps. It deserves more than 1 heart. Thank you. 😺
Response: Happy i was able to please. Thanks for your comments, rating and 💗
5
rating
Comment: Your cards arrived so quickly! Thanks for sharing so many (I did the same thing—couldn’t help it). =) I really appreciate the great selection you’ve sent!
Response: My pleasure! Glad you liked the cards I chose for you. Thank you for the rating and 💗
Poeprincess rated for AA.HM.PC: Book Pages Art - Feb on Mar 1, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Wow, Linda! This is a great PC, especially since your experience with Ian. Thank you so much!
Response: Happy that you liked my creation, Thank you for the rating and 💗
Myself333 rated for PH: Scavenger Hunt for PCs #212 on Mar 1, 2023
5
rating
Comment: Thank you for the lovely array of 6 profile-related postcards that fit the swap! I particularly like the cat with lips and the thirsty crocodile :) Hope you had a fun Valentine's!
Response: So glad you liked the cards I chose for you. We share a lot of similarities in the types of cards we prefer so I dug into my "keeper" stash. Thank you for the rating and 💗
5
rating
Comment: Thanks, Marc
Response: You're welcome, Thank you for the rating and 💗
5
rating
Comment: Thanks, Marc
Response: You're welcome, Thank you for the rating and 💗
5
rating
Comment: Thanks, Marc
Response: You're welcome, Thank you for the rating and 💗

Rating Overview

Overall Hearts Stars Hosted
4.9984 2320 0 0
Completed Fives Threes Ones
2136 2440 0 1
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Uncategorized
1 1459 676 0
View all

Currently Hosting

  • the user is not hosting any current swaps

Comments

simcoe54 on Jan 1, 2023:

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year! Hope you have a great day!

simcoe54 on Dec 25, 2022:

Merry Christmas! And best wishes for 2023!

susieq11 on Dec 9, 2022:

Hi Linda! Just saying HI and hope you are doing well! xoxo

shirleyinCA on Oct 10, 2022:

Heartbroken to hear of the loss of your home but very glad you are safe. Take care dear Linda!

user6937 on Sep 29, 2022:

Linda, I've pm'd you but you probably don't have any internet during this trouble in Florida. Hope you're okay, my friend - please let me know when you can.

LadyJo on Sep 29, 2022:

I have been thinking about you, since this hurricane has hit your area! The photos I am seeing it is very bad! I do hope you are safe! It sure must have been, still is a very difficult situation with so much damage and lives lost! Thinking of You!

user6937 on Jul 20, 2022:

You're an awesome swapper - everyone who knows you will ignore that rotten rating!

susieq11 on Jun 30, 2022:

Hope you are doing well! Just wanted to say Hello!

shirleyinCA on May 6, 2022:

P.S. Thank you for the cute Minnie Mouse notecard, too!

shirleyinCA on May 6, 2022:

Hope you see this! Thank you so much for the wonderful packet of all those darling little Little Golden Books! And the 2 little Sendak books are utterly delightful! I have a full size Potter's Mrs Tiggle Wiggle but now I have the tiny version and love it! And I have not seen The Tale of Pigling Bland so that is a real treat! To top off your surprise for me, it did arrive before my birthday - so that brought me extra smiles. Many, many thanks. Writing to you soon - take care.

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