I can tell already that 2015 is going to be a year of marvels. 2014 was the warmest year on record, polar vortexes are freezing everything east of the Sierras, science has determined that the cause of most cancers is bad luck, but even knowing all these things did not prepare me for what I encountered at 1:06 p.m. this afternoon. It all started normally enough. I had to mail something to court, so I got it ready and keeping an eye on the clock did some other work. The Alderpoint post office is about 1/4 mile from my law study, a nice short walk when its not raining. It wasnt raining, my sweetie was distracting the dog so it wouldnt follow me, and I set off with a confident, even perhaps brisk, step just before 1 p.m. Little imagining what lay before me, I took a bit of brush to the branch dump behind the greenhouse. Oops, I mean the vegetative matter recycling area, of course. A bit a day and it all goes away, thats my slogan. I passed through the sweet pea field, dormant now, but with green tendrils pushing through the dead stalks of yesteryears sea of flowers. Back on the driveway, I puzzled over an odd problem one of our pines has, in which the branches seem to end in pom poms of needles, which soon turn brown. Nothing came to me, so i turned my face to the west and followed my toes down the driveway, past the Great Wall of Alderpoint, and onto the county road. There was no traffic, it was as if all of man and nature were holding their respective breaths - I should have been warned by this. I did not see a soul when I passed the Alderpoint store, but suddenly a guy was walking next to me, heading to the gas pumps where he had his truck. Later I thought he just didnt get the message from the universe like everyone else did, or else he was late. A woman walked up from the Northeast towards the post office. Clearly she was late, as she was taking large steps, arms swinging wildly from the speed with which she moved across the road.. I expected to be the first customer of the day at the Alderpoint Post Office. Perhaps the first of the year Maybe they would honor the custom of giving their first customer a good deal because its bad luck to have the 1st person not buy anything. Then, as the song goes, suddenly it happened. I opened the door to the box lobby, where the woman was opening her box, then the door to the desk lobby and I could hardly get it for the crowd. There was a line. I know you think that sometimes I exaggerate a bit for effect in these tales, but I swear to God this is true. There was a line at the Alderpoint Post Office counter. Everywhere I looked there was someone with mail in their hand, or cash for money orders. And all of them were ahead of me. The fast woman came in behind me, so I felt better, knowing that I wasnt the last person in line. Youd be surprised at how much time it takes a postmaster to deal with a customer at the counter. Of course, to be fair, no one comes to the counter to say heres a letter for the mail. There are mail boxes, and slots in the wall,for that sort of thing. People have postal questions, they need special services, and they need help in selecting those services. If I register it, do they have to sign for it? Depends upon whether you check the box. Things like that. I probably was in line for 30 minutes. It was like being at the DMV. Or Costco. I ask you, if there is a line at the Alderpoint Post Office, what does unlikely or impossible mean any longer? Im going to sleep, but I dont see how my dreams can top reality tonight, A line! Good night, friends, and may the lines in your life move quickly. Sweet dreams to you all.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 06:44:30 +0000
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