I do a fairly good imitation of Andy Rooney on 60 minutes. You know
how he will discourse in all seriousness about something as mundane
as the frustrations of coat hangers? The following should be read
with his voice and attitude in mind.

Have you ever been frustrated by some of all the different kinds of
letterbox containers out there? There is nothing so satisfying as
finding a good, blue rimmed, freezer style Rubbermaid container,
with its snug and dry treasure inside. I like how sturdy they
feel. But there are a lot of other containers out there that just
aren't up to snuff.

You set out containers and feel so proud of the nice new box, with
sealed bags and your art inside. I know I have. Then a year later
you discover it cracked, ripped and damp. You persevere and try
again.

You know those disposable containers they sell many to a pack? How
many times have you found them cracked with the lid hanging off?
And then the kind whose plastic gets warped, or the edge chipped.
You can never get them closed. You repackage them with new ziplocs
from your repair kit... and pray for them.

I also get frustrated when the box is smaller than the contents. It
seems like a perfectly good container until you try to put the log
back in. You have to force and bend it to get it in there. You
never know if the seal is going to hold. I bet that you too have
found that it helps to put the stamp on the bottom and the log on
top. The box is a little wider up there.

Just last night I found a new box with a really terrific stamp,
nicely mounted on thick wood. But it was stuffed in a box that was
way too shallow for it. It was very wide but not deep enough. I had
to force the edges down like my over stuffed suitcase. I knew it
wouldn't hold. The lid was popped and barely on at all when I found
it.

There are so many different types of baggies. There's the thin
sandwich kind, that too many people use; the zippered kind, that
seem handy; and the heavier freezer bags with labels.

I have come to dread those thin, sandwich baggies. They seem
alright when you plant them. But if you are the 30th finder they
show their age. It's bad enough when you find them ripped but don't
you feel really guilty when "you" rip them trying to get them open?
And then you already used your repair supply on the first two in the
series?

The pull tab, zipper kind seem handy but I have found so many with
the tabs broken and missing, and the seal half open. They just
don't hold up through a season.

I once found a log all wound up in a one of those long newspaper
bags. You know the ones the paperboy slides your rolled newspaper
in on rainy days. Whoever wrapped it (undoubtably not the placer)
must have thought that a number of wraps around would keep it dry.
The water disagreed. It was the soaked.

It's so sad and disheartening to find a beautiful log that's turned
into stamp ink soup.

I really like the heavier, freezer style ziplocs. They are little
harder to fold and fit into the container but I think they are
really worth it. I bet you too, fold the corners underneath so they
don't get in the seal. They even have a surface to write on so you
can label them: Log1, Log2, Stamp, etc.

The labels really help me because between the kids, the guest, the
dog and my over cluttered mind I get easily confused as to what came
out of what. How many times have you said, "Oh, this must be for
the stamp because there's ink in it"?

I'm intrigued by the idea of putting those dessicant bags inside. I
wonder how long they last. As long as I don't have to start writing
on my stamps, "Do Not Eat".

Did you notice the white plastic bag on the ground in the Time
magazine article? I bet they lay out the contents on that bag in a
certain way to keep track of everything. That or the photographer
thought it would look good.

As much as I enjoy the blue Rubbermaids it is always fun to find a
different and clever container. I've seen and heard of so many
different kinds: film cannisters, cigar tubes, mint tins, bottles,
milk jugs, gerbil coffins.

We always like to joke about how we are out hunting tupperware. But
have you ever found a real Tupperware container out there?

For all this I don't care what I find out there. I repair when I
can, dry things out, and rebag. I know not everyone can afford
freezer containers. I have several boxes I've planted with not as
good boxes and bags, before I decided to use different stuff. Isn't
the important thing to have something to find and get out there?

I am just delighted whenever I find the treasure of a usable stamp.

Happy hunting out there.