Happy Birthday America!

Today we celebrate our nation's birthday. Just 231 and still going strong! Not bad for a country that, back at its beginning, was considered a misguided upstart with little hope of survival. But if America is anything, it is the land of opportunity where anyone can, like Horatio Alger, pull himself up by his bootstraps and make something of himself! It's the American dream, the promise of hope and opportunity that continues to draw to our shores the weak, the poor and the persecuted.

In tribute to America and all she stands for, France presented the magnificent statue Liberty Enlightening the World to the United States in 1886 to commemorate our nation's centennial. The most recognized icon of the United States, the statue stands on Liberty Island at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, welcoming visitors, immigrants and Americans returning to our shores. Issued by France, the stamp shown is a magnificent portrayal of Lady Liberty in all her grandeur. Available at County Stamp Center for just $2.71, click the post title to order.

Crafted from copper by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, the underlying structure of the sculpture was engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower. The Statue of Liberty's typical green color is caused by the natural oxidation of the copper. Her seven point spiked crown represents the world's seven seas and continents. In her left hand she holds a stone tablet bearing the date of our nation's birth, July 4, 1776. In her right hand she holds aloft a flaming torch signifying enlightenment. The flame is covered in gold leaf. At 151 feet 1 inch tall standing atop a 154-foot foundation, Lady Liberty towers above the ships that ply the harbor beneath her gaze.

Lest we forget what America represents to the world, today particularly, we should remember the words of Emma Lazarus' poem, The New Colossus. Written in 1883, the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the statue's pedestal in 1903.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Wear Your Milk Mustache With Pride! It's National Dairy Month!

In honor of National Dairy Month, today we honor the cow. Without cows there would be no cold creamy ice cream cones, no thick delicious milk shakes, no after school milk and cookies, and no milk mustaches!

There are 1.4 billion head of cattle in the world today. With 400 million cows, India, where cows are revered, hosts the largest cattle population in the world. There are twice as many cows in Africa (200 million) as there are in the US (100 million). Brazil and China each have about 150 million head of cattle, but there are only about 130 million in all of Europe.

In the US, 90% of the dairy cows are Holsteins, but other breeds can be found on dairy farms, including Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn. The largest producers of milk in the world are India (91,940 tonnes) and the US (80, 265). That's a lot of ice cream!

The gentle brown-eyed cow is one of the featured barnyard animals in this delightful 2004 souvenir sheet from France; click the post title to order. You'll find a wide variety of stamps at County Stamp Center. Check out our website to see what's new. Visit County Stamp Center for all your philatelic needs.