Friday, January 26, 2007

SkyePuppy in Trouble With the Feds

Our mailbox is one of dozens all grouped together for the ease of the postal carrier and not for the residents, and we're about as far away as you can get and still have your mailbox there. So it's really not very convenient to pick up the mail.

My daughter had the mailbox key, and she'd swing by most evenings on her way home and grab the mail. But then she went out of town, left the key for me somewhere, and we lost track of it. I finally found it today.

When I went to the mailbox, I was 99% sure it would be empty. Those boxes are awfully small, and the mail is loaded with grocery store flyers and insurance pitches and closet-organizer come-ons, so in about a week, the box fills up to the point that the postal carrier can't shove in one more postcard. When that happens, he pulls out all the mail and leaves us one of those little orange papers that tells us to come get our mail at the post office.

Sure enough, when I opened the door, there was one lonely piece of orange paper. But instead of simply telling us to head for the post office, it said in all caps: "BOX FULL REPEATERS."

I took the orange paper, with its damning accusation, to the post office (I had a day off today), and before I handed it to the woman behind the counter, I told her that I was an enemy of the state and a repeat offender at that. It sure felt that way.

She took the paper and read the note out loud and then laughed. Then she went back and got my two bags of mostly junk mail.

Now that I'm officially on my postal carrier's bad side, I'm going to have to be more careful. I don't know what the guy will do if I forget the mail again and he feels as though he has to escalate.

Good thing I'll be moving by summer.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always believed that thieves, kidnappers, box full repeaters - all of you in the trade, get what you deserve. If I was your Mailman I would have posted the orange paper on the outside and let vigilant neighbors address the problem.

You disgust me.

SkyePuppy said...

Chris,

LOL!

Christina said...

Your mailman wouldn't like me either. I'm a repeat offender far too often, but my excuse if my fear of hairy black spiders sandwiching themselves between the pieces of mail and sneaking their way into the house, or lurking stealthily in the dark recesses of the black mailbox, ready to jump out at my unsuspecting hand.

Someday I vow I will spray-paint the inside of the box white to eliminate at least one of those pesky problems.

Good luck and don't forget to be on your best behaviour from now on. The mailman will be watching!