So, even with August barely behind us and the first Pennsylvania frost still far on the horizon, we're looking forward to a September 17 date for the release of the newest USPS winter offering: Winter Berries Forever. The stamps, which will be sold in panes of twenty, feature four botanical portraits of vibrant winter plants on a spare white background: the winterberry (Ilex verticillata), the juniper berry (Juniperus communis), the beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and the soapberry (Sapindus saponaria). Art director Antonio Alcalá and artist Steve Buchanan designed the set.

The stamp dedication ceremony has been scheduled for September 17, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Tulsa Botanic Garden. The US Postal Service recommends that those who are interested in attending the ceremony RSVP at usps.com/winterberries. Those of us who are unable to attend will wish for good weather for the rest of you all.

As for us at the APS? Well, one of my coworkers just sent me a long-term weather forecast predicting a "Polar Coaster winter" (a concept which, legally, I should not be subjected to until October at the earliest) - so keep us in your thoughts.