Good Luck Pig Postcards

Although I've had trouble dating it with precision, it seems that the late 19th and early 20th century was marked by the vogue for "good luck pigs," especially at the new year. Here's one such card (you can typically find a handful on auction at E-bay at any given time) for the start of the new "rain year" here in Los Angeles. Hopefully we'll do better this year than in the last, when the city recorded just 3.21 inches of rain, the lowest total since records started being kept in the 1880s. It's hot and dry, something that doesn't bode well for all the fireworks planned for the 4th of July...

By the way, I'm glad to be back after a few trips out of town and moving, which took up most of June. I'll try to be a more regular porcine correspondent for the remainder of the summer. Thanks for your patience, dear readers...