Monday, June 17, 2013

accidental tour of local USPS facilities...

You should be thankful (as am I) that I can find the humor in the mundane. Many trivial events of my day have become fodder for your amusement, as I sit here trying to type with a cat in my lap. And today will be no different: as will be testified by repeated trips to the Post office.

I've been corresponding, as all three of you who read this know, with a person who is deployed to Afghanistan. Her parents live down the street here in Midland, and gave me her address. I lobbied my Wed. night comm. group to gather interesting odds and ends to send her a box of useful items, and put it in the mail about a month ago. I got a card from her last week, saying how much she and all her cohorts enjoyed all the misc. that we sent: notecards, coloring books and pencils, hard candy, granola bars, like 'Christmas in June'.

I basically just paid for the postage to mail the one-size-fits box, and was delighted with getting a response, note of thanks.I was so pleased to get real, actual correspondence (a lesson if you will take it???) I went to the Just A Buck store and got more cards, candy, bubble gum, and had another package ready to mail today. So that was on my To-Do list when running around town.

I planned to go to my family practice doctor's office last week to pick up the order for lab work, to take my blood my-own-self instead of having to pay the staff at doctor's for their time and a good poke to draw several vials to send for testing. Nothing important, or urgent, just time to get it done, as the appt. was made six months ago. But I forgot to go the end of the week, then left town for opportunities for entertainment far more enjoyable than getting poked with a needle and drained.

So I had to go this morning to the north side of town, get the order, get across town to the lab, without eating or having my morning cup of 'coffee-flavored milk' I routinely enjoy. All on an unhappily empty stomach, so the blood would be taken in the 'fasting' mode. There is a branch postoffice (Fortson) a couple of blocks away, that I planned to go to to mail package to APO address. But it was 8:30, and the sign said 'open at 9:00'.

I went on to the lab, hoping to not cool my heels half the morning in the waiting room, and was quite surprised to be in and out in fifteen minutes. Went to another nearby post office (Beallwood), where there were six or more people standing in line. I wouln't wait.

Then went to church to return the clean kitchen towels I had bleached, washed, dried, folded. And went to the main post office on Milgen - where I didn't want to go, because there is Always a line at least a dozen people long. But... much to my amazement, there was only one person ahead of me. So I got in and out in short order, after doing the Muscogee County Postal Tour.

I'd really expected to a long line at the GMF/main building, which would cause me to end up at the (closely guarded secret) branch I go to out on County Line Road in Midland: which would have made Post Office Official Stop #4, if you are still counting.. There is never a line, might have to wait for the person who works the desk if he has wandered into the back sorting room - but never to the extent of exasperated sighs, drumming fingers, tapping toes. I try to not tell anyone about this hidden gem - so when I do go, the line won't be forever (like the stamps are!), with forty people hanging out the door.

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