Springtime inspires May caption contest

By John M. Hotchner

As this is being written, spring is peaking around the corner, venturing out with an occasional sunny 70 degree day before winter returns for a reprise. As I walk my daily 2 miles, I am hearing more and more birds singing, and beginning to see little eggshells on the ground, a sure sign that winter is slipping away.

The 2016 Songbirds in Snow issue comes to mind, and I have selected my favorite of these four forever stamps, the Golden-crowned Kinglets, as the cartoon caption contest stamp for May.

Golden-crowned kinglets thrive in cold weather, so being pictured on the stamp with snow is not a hardship. The two birds on the stamp may even be discussing flying further north to escape the coming hot weather of summer, or plans for nestlings, or the wider world of stamp collecting, politics or global warming.

You are invited to use your imagination to put words in the mouths of the birds on the stamps and tell me what you think they may be thinking or saying.

There will be two prizes given to the winners: one for the best philatelic line, and one for the best nonphilatelic line. The important thing is to use your sense of humor, because entries with a humorous twist have the best chance of winning a prize.

Put your entry (or entries) on a postcard if possible and send it to me, John Hotchner, Cartoon Contest, Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125; or email it to jmhstamp@verizon.net. If you send an email, it is essential that you include your postal mailing address.

For each winner, the prize will be a 13-week subscription to Linn’s (a new subscription or an extension). Entries must reach me no later than April 26.

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