July 20, 2026 - A Visit to An Unfriendly Post Office

 The first thing this morning, I managed to start my day off in a frustrating way. I checked my informed delivery and had a package to be delivered. I knew what it was - it's a chart by The Scarlett House that has been hard to find but Tanya (Scarlett House designer) told me a shop that might have it. I called, they did and I ordered it. So, checking the delivery schedule, I saw that it got to our post office, and then was sent to another local post office instead of being "out for delivery". I called our post office and the guy there who always answers the phone (probably because they have caller ID and no one else will talk to me!) is very nice. He checked the the tracking. Yes, accidentally got sent to another post office. I asked what happens next. Heavy sigh. Likely it will get sent back to Kansas City and there are two or three stops there, then to Springfield, then back here. I said "And I may get it in 7 or 8 days, right? He kinda chuckled. I said "Is there any way I can go to the "wrong post office" and get it?" Maybe. Call and see if they can find it (encouraging!) and tell them you want to come get it. He gave me their number. Wrong number! I found the right number. Called and a nice lady said she would go see but sometimes they get a huge box from our post office and if that's the case, she probably can't go through it all to find my package but she would try. She came back and said my package was right on top and she would hold it for me.

I went upstairs and told Vince I had to run to the next town. I'm not saying where because someone will probably know this person and tell them I was complaining. Nope. He had PT at 11 and after that, WE could go together. That's one thing I sometimes like and sometimes don't. I can drive there by myself, retrieve my package and get home before he ever went to PT. No, he couldn't go before PT (at 11 and it wasn't even 9 yet), but WE could go when he got back. OK!

We got there and a very grumpy woman was at the front - only one there. She finished with the person ahead of me and I told her my name, handed her my driver's license (which I was told to bring). She kinda snatched it out of my hand as I was telling her the package story. She said "Who did you talk to?" I told her the name I thought the lady said. Oh . . it must have been "a totally different name". She went back, was gone longer than I thought it would take, came back and said "No, you didn't talk to her." It was like she didn't believe I had a lost package nor did she believe I had called. She just stands there looking at me like . . we're done here . . go away.

I said "I called, the lady I talked to told me to come get the package before 4:30 and bring my driver's license." She said "Maybe you talked to "another name" and she's at lunch. She'll be back in an hour or so. I said "Can you just call her and ask where my package is?" NO!! NOT WHILE SHE'S AT LUNCH!! Oh, my goodness. I was still standing there and she said "Do you want to talk to a supervisor?" I said "Sure". She goes and gets someone who gives me that same "I don't believe anything you're saying look". I told her my story. She turned, walked off, was gone for maybe 10 minutes - never came back. The first woman came back up front and said "It doesn't seem to be here!" She was about to walk away and I noticed a box behind the counter that had 20 or so certified mail letters that looked like they were waiting to be picked up. There was also a priority mail envelope and a small white cardboard envelope - just the size I suspected my chart would be in. This was within reaching distance of where both of these ladies had been standing. Was this their first day on the job? Surely they knew that was where things to be picked up were placed.

I said to grumpy lady - can you check that box right there and see if maybe that white envelope is mine? She huffed, turned, without even needing to take a step, picked it up and literally shoved it across the counter at me. Didn't say a word and walked off.

Good grief!

It was so hard for me to keep my mouth shut. It was so hard for me not to call the postmaster (who was the one who had been at lunch and apparently could not be disturbed even though we had driven at least 15 miles each way for the package the USPS screwed up on! Vince said "You should call them!" I said NO. I'm not wasting any more time. They don't care. I know they aren't "government employees" but for all intents and purposes, they are and short of criminal behavior, nothing is ever going to happen to them so why waste another minute of my time. Oh, wait . . I just wasted half an hour writing this post!  :)

All's well that ends well I suppose but now I don't ever even want to go to that town again and, unfortunately, we do go there fairly often. It's sad that one grumpy woman changed my opinion of the entire town.

On a positive note, I cut about half of the basil today, changed the oil in the freeze dryer and got it loaded, probably too much, with basil.

I cut 8 more eggplant. Tomorrow I'll probably go ahead and make the eggplant salsa and get it canned. I've put it off long enough.

No stitching yet today. Could happen but may not. It's already almost 9 p.m.