Reminiscence Of A Mail Carrier

Views from the backroom of the Millis post office.

These pics show a calm, clean and organized work area but don't be fooled, come 8AM on any given morning this room is complete chaos. Racks, dollies and pallets loaded with mail, magazines and packages all being sorted with mail clerks scurrying and mail carriers sorting and casing mail.

This first pic is the "case" for route 7, the route I primarily did for the last several months of my tenure -

Here is the case for route 10, which is referred to as the auxiliary route.  Meaning it's the smallest route in the Millis PO, spans two towns; Millis and Norfolk, and made up of odd stops. I learned on this route, spending most of my early months on it -

Although, not labeled, below is the case for route 8.  This is the route I was mentored on and learned on when starting out as a mail carrier, and would often fill in on when the regular carrier was out.  Of the three routes I did, this was the largest with the most stops and typically up there as one of the routes that has the most packages per day.  It was also the most challenging of routes because of it's size, number of stops and the convoluted house numbering order - 

The orange bins, which are older and used mostly by the "rural" carriers, are known as "pumpkins" and where the clerks place the packages for each route. Most mornings these bins are usually full, overflowing actually, with packages stacked along side them -

The blue bins below are the new "pumpkins". These are used by the "city" carriers.  The flat wooden cart, of which there are many, are used by the carriers to bring the trayed, sorted mail out to the LLV mail trucks for loading -

The unofficial USPS mail carriers creed -

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

An LLV BOO!

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some Halloween themed decorations and the last pictures taken from the driver seat of my LLV, SNIFF -

Be safe out there!

Happy Halloween!

More LLV Adventures

I had a certified letter last weekend to be delivered, several actually.  Certified letters requires a signature, so they're a pain in the behind quite frankly. If no one is home or no one answers the door we need to fill out a PS Form 3800, notifying the person we tried and that they now need to go to the post office to sign and retrieve the letter\package themselves.

I'm finding that my success rate for obtaining the required signatures is poor at best.  Most folks just are not home during the day.  Dismounting the LLV, going to the door and waiting to see if someone answers takes time. When they don't answer there's a process to scan the certified item, fill out the form, and leave form behind, again all taking time.  It's really more of an annoyance than anything else.

Anyway, being it was a Saturday, I was successful in obtaining the persons signature for one of certified letters I had!

When I pulled into the driveway, there was a woman with hedge trimmers going to town on pruning some bushes; working on her fall clean up.  I think I startled her because she didn't hear me approach due to the noise of the trimmers.  I introduced myself and told her I had a certified letter that needed her signature.

As I scanned the letter and prepared the scanner for her signature, I realized this woman was listening a foreign language song, which was very familiar to me!  So, as she was trying to sign the scanner in the bright sunlight, making it difficult to see, I asked her if that was Greek music she was listening to and she said yes. SO, when she handed me back the signed scanner, I thought I would thank her in Greek and said "efkaristo"

"Efkaristo" (ef-kha-ree-STO) is the Greek word for "Thank you". The word comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "I give thanks" or "I show gratitude," and is a combination of "ef" (meaning well/good) and "charis" (grace/favor), literally meaning "I give good grace". 

She was a bit surprised and with a BIG grin she replied with "parakaló", which is a dual purpose response to efkaristo, meaning both "you're welcome" and "please". 

Sadly, I admitted to her that I could not speak Greek but for a few words and that wished I had listened to my mother and learned it when I was younger, when she was still around to help teach it; a regret.

This woman told me that she's working on teaching Greek to her young grandkids, how nice!

I'm pretty sure I made new friend! We both departed with BIG smiles and to be honest, it made my day! It helped usher in some wonderful memories of my mom, all be it with a tear or two.

#Blessed

I'm Thinking Cold Feet, Brrrr

Can you find the critter in the first photo below?!

The last stop on route 10 sits next to a section of the Charles River in Norfolk, MA. I made my last delivery and was crossing over the bridge heading back to the PO, when I spotted this beauty, so I hit the brakes.  Suppose one of the benefits of being in a mail truck with flashing lights (fyi - there was no one behind me when I stopped), at least in my mind, which allowed me to capture these couple of pics.

From my experiences and observations, Grey Herons seem to be a bit skittish, so I was a bit surprised this dude stayed stoic and didn't take flight -

However, once I started moving about and making noise, off he went. I thought the pictures of him flying off were better than they turned out, alas.  I need to work on my transition from photo to video, maybe that would have been a better visual.  He's tough to spot, so I circled where he is in the two pics below -

They seem pretty agile and quick for such a big bird.

I think I need a better camera, as these photos just don't justice or could just be me and that my picture take abilities need some work. Perhaps, it's time to upgrade my iPhone.

Either way, enjoy!

More LLV Adventures Continue

Just getting going on my route yesterday morning, around 10:30ish, I spied what looked to be, two young foxes in the grass, by the edge of an open field!

To be honest, they caught me by surprise because they were just casually laying out and grooming themselves. It was a chilly morning and these youngsters were taking advantage and basking in the sun. It was cute how they were both laying next to each other when I first saw them, seemingly not a care in the world.

Of course that changed when I pulled over to watch them and take some pics.  As you'd expect, they got nervous and darted off but not before I snapped these two photos below, which unfortunately only captured one of the two -

Something to don't see everyday.

#Blessed

Something To Snack On...

To the impatient POS who was riding my bumper and leaning on his horn this afternoon, while I was performing my federal job of delivering the mail for the USPS - 

Perhaps, the above is a tad bit too abrasive. Let me try again using a bit of Shakespearean flair -

"Good sir, I bid thee kindly — eateth a satchel of phalluses and choke upon thy hubris."

I would also like to extend this heartfelt sentiment to ALL the other impatient, angry, rude, POS drivers that act and behave the same way!

Have a nice day!

A Little Joey

I came across this young opossum the other day lying in the driveway when delivering a package.  It was still alive but in rough shape and struggling. There were a couple yellow-jacket on it and it was covered with what looked like lice or nits or something.

I still had a couple hours of deliveries ahead of me and I had nothing to put this dude in or any way of helping it at that point. Perhaps, if it looked better, and I thought it would have had a fighting chance, I may have risked taken it and tried to help it.  Instead I moved it out of the driveway to the base of a tree and laid a piece of pine bark over top, in an effort to keep the bees aways.

I scanned the area and didn't see any signs of the mother or others babies, so guessing this little fella fell off it's momma while she was out and about, or perhaps, she knew something was wrong with it and intentionally left it behind.

The circle of life...

More LLV Adventures

Arrived at the post office the other morning to see my LLV had a rear flat tire!

I'm just thankful it didn't go flat while I was out on my route.

Getting the flat is somewhat a blessing because as it forces management to install new tires, as most of the LLVs are running on older, balding tires, and it puts the carriers in danger!

I had another interesting LLV mishap a couple weeks back, where I got the truck stuck!

I thought I was being creative in an attempt to access a mailbox that was blocked by trash and recycle barrels. It's a very busy section of road, so I was reluctant to unbuckle and get out of the vehicle to move the barrels.  Instead, I waited for the opportunity, then swung the truck out around the barrels and then back in towards the mailbox.  That worked in terms of being able to put the mail in the mailbox, however, the front right tire dropped off the road, which slopped down - stuck I was!

Pulling forward was NOT an option, nor was trying to turn left and drive out. Attempts at reverse failed, no leverage and not enough umph to get it out, UGH what to do?!

Fortunately, and thankfully, one of the neighbors, in a pickup truck AND with a tow cable (what are the odds) was coming home, saw what happened and that I was stuck.  He pulled in behind me, jumped out and grabbed his tow cable.  He secured one end to his truck and I crawled under the LLV to secure the other end and he pulled me out in two seconds with ease!

SO grateful and thankful for him caring enough to stop and help out a stranger.  Suppose there are still some nice, caring people out there - just need to wade through all the other POS to find the good ones.

I thanked him profusely, shook his hand and continued on with my route.

Ah, adventures of a mail carrier. 

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below picture  -

I pulled the LLV up the long driveway to deliver a package to the front door this past Saturday and this Montauk Daisey was the first plant along their walkway.

I always check out the plantings when delivering up to houses.  Call me nosey but I like to see how and what others plant and how it all flows. This Montauk Daisey caught my attention because of how full and symmetrical it is, as mine are long, leggy and sagging. Mine kinda look pathetic this year but for sure the wild rabbits eating them isn't helping...

Anyway, I spotted this lady almost immediately! She just stood out.

Perhaps, a bit like Ray from the movie Rain Man, where he quickly counted the toothpicks that fell and scattered on the floor, sometimes I possess a similar ability when it comes to spotting critters, like this beauty -

I had another package to deliver to the same house yesterday but this lady had moved on.

** UPDATE **

Here's another "Find The Critter", that I came across yesterday and under the same conditions - walking a package up to a front door.  This one too, I spotted immediately -

This lady was on the hunt! There were bees coming and going on this sedum and her head was moving about trying to select her meal. She noticed me and my camera, turned her head as if to say "buzz" off, I'm working here, so I let her "bee" and off I went -

I wish these ladies were in my yard.

All Eyes On Me

This cicada was keeping a close eye, two bulgy eyes at that, on my mail delivery technic -

The dude hung onto the mailbox door securely and remained stoic when I carefully opened and closed the door. Perhaps, thinking I hadn't noticed it.

Clearly I passed with a buzz...

Gobble 'Til You Wobble

Let's talk turkey, shall we...

These three Tom's were hang'n out in the front yard of 254 Orchard Street in Millis the other afternoon when I pulled up in the LLV.  A beautiful rustic historic house, just off the street. The boys were a bit skittish and camera shy but I was able to snap these pics before they got antsy and scurried off -

I even got a shot of the historical societies sign showing the age of the house -

I asked ChatGPT to tell me more about this house and Dr. Abijah Richardson and the below is what AI came back with, interesting -

Maura Tom turkeys!

I see them everywhere these days.  This flock was hang'n out in the Westwood cemetery yesterday late morning. Following my dental appointment in Needham, I stopped in to visit my parents grave.  Just before I stepped out of my car I was greeted with "gobble gobble gobble gobble".

It was SO peaceful and serene there.  I was the only one there (well except for the deceased - yeah, bad pun) and it was a beautiful morning -

Here the six of them are marching off in a straight line -

I was in no rush, so I drove across the street to BiBi Cafe & Bakery, grabbed a hot coffee and an apple maple scone (OMG, SO delicious), then back to the cemetery I went.  There's a little pond in this cemetery with a spewing fountain, see below, so I grabbed a spot on a sunny bench nearby and took it all in.

Reminiscing about my folks, while enjoying my coffee and scone, and taking in the sights and sounds - a pair of red-tailed hawks circling above and screeching, a grey heron wading in the pond, the turkey's gobbling, blue jays carrying on like they do, a frog croaking and the splashing water of the fountain.

Of course a tear or two rolling down my cheeks but SO thankful for the wonderful memories I have, where I am and what I have.

Well, seems this turkey post took an unexpected turn or did it?

#Blessed

More Wildlife Adventures Of A Mailman

On Friday afternoon, I was delivering a large package to one of the houses in the ritzy neighborhood of my route.  As I was walking up the driveway I noticed something tiny moving near the garage doors.  Even from a distance it caught my attention, perhaps it was my spidey-senses, and I knew it was some sort of critter.

So, I picked up my pace with excitement and lo and behold looky what it was! A very tiny, new born I'd guess, snapping turtle -

Still covered in the dried dirt it crawled out from -

Just look at how tiny!  Not much bigger than my thumbnail -

So, I immediately started looking for others in that general area.  I was a tad leery since I was now at their garage area and poking around looking under their bushes and the car parked in the driveway but whatever I didn't care and unfortunately I didn't notice any others.

Across from their garages, about some ~30', the lawn pitches upwards quite a bit. The slope, which is all mulch, runs the width of that side of the property, from street to wooded back area out back. In the mulch I noticed the mulch disturbed and that something had been digging - 

Upon closer inspection, sure enough, it was the snapping turtle nest!  Sadly, it looked as though a predator had located it and dug the nest up, and looking at all the egg shells guessing left with a full belly -

Here's my theory - of course there very well could have been others young'n survived the attached and that hatched along with this dude but I'm thinking most of the eggs were eaten and the egg this little fella came out of was spared.  Whether the predator simply missed it or ate it's full and left or was scared off before digging up and finishing ALL the eggs.

Snapping turtle eggs typically hatch between late August and October, so this little fella is right on time.

Although, the area these homes are in does appear to abut what looks like wetlands with reeds, cattails, Golden Rod and Purple Loosestrife throughout, I've never seen a pond or standing marshy water.

Being SO tiny and with no water nearby I assumed this little guy was facing some insurmountable odds if I left him where he was, so I opted for relocation and in the LLV we both went.  He kept me company in the truck for the next couple of hours -

I brought him to a nice watery, marshy wetland spot about a half mile from my house. Trudged through the overgrown brush and thorns and poison ivy, placed him on a rock as close to the water as I could get, gave him a safety lecture about staying out of the street, and released him -

I hoping his chances of surviving improved and that he likes his new home!

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below pic -

This piece of property is a tree farm according to a sign at the end of their long driveway.  A quiet peaceful area, which I'm guessing is why this doe was out and about without a concern in the early afternoon -

Although, I sat and watched her for a couple minutes, she stayed there in the roadway unfazed by my presence. I was hoping to see some littles pop out and join her but I was in the last hour of delivering my route, so off I went.

Another beautiful day! Here's another similar find the critter from a week earlier but in a different location on the other side of town.  This looked like a loan young'n just slowly walking about without a care in the world.  This area is where the exclusive homes are, so plenty of open space and relatively quiet from what I've seen -

It's always nice to see these critters out and about, especially when they're NOT in my yard eating my plants.

Udderly, Today's Best!

Who doesn't luv youngster Holstein cows?!

I realize this is a typical everyday sighting in some parts, e.g. Tennessee, however, around these parts, NOT so much.

These two were a bit skittish when I first approached the fence -

But it didn't take them long to work up the courage to come closer, with some coaching on my part of course, but still outside of arms reach -

One of the perks to being outside delivering mail.

Well, This Is A Red Flag...

actually, it's a grasshopper hanging onto a red flag -

The red flag of a mailbox  -

Hmmm, I wonder if this grasshopper is working for the USPS to monitor and ensure I'm delivering the mail properly and efficiently.

Where's my tin foil hat?!