Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their rounds. (abbr.)

[George McGovern]

[MLAA]

1. Nor 115 degrees of heat in the summer where I live

[George McGovern]

4. Whoa! Thanks, MLAA, for reminding us of summertime's challenges.

One hundred and fifteen! Wow. Whereabouts do you live to deal with that heat? And how to you do that?

[MLAA]

8. Tucson.

During the summer peaks you only go out outside very early in the morning and stay in air conditioning the rest of the time. It’s usually just highs in the 108 to 110, but a few days typically go higher. It’s rough, but the rest of the 9 months of the year are beautiful.

[George McGovern]

9. Thank You. Tucson sounds like a good place to live. Summers notwithstanding.

Do you ever see rattlesnakes? Other desert critters? Good friends of ours used to live in Wickenburg and really liked it there. I've never been through the Southwest. Be neat to see someday.

George

[MLAA]

10. Before we downsized we lived in the foothills of a mountain range in Tucson and

saw: Javelina, coyotes, bobcats, tarantulas, rabbits, Gina monsters, roadrunners and many lizards. Thankfully never saw a snake! Since we downsized and moved more in town I see the occasional coyote and occasional bobcat stroll through the neighborhood but that’s about it.

I once heard rattlesnakes on a trail ahead of me after a long day of hiking with about 2 miles to go. Jumped off the trail and gave the snakes a wide berth then nearly ran the rest of the way back to my car for pure adrenaline 🙂

[George McGovern]

11. What a variety of wildlife! Although I could do without bobcats, trantulas and Gila monsters . . .

[MLAA]

2. Nor 115 degrees of heat in the summer where I live

[wyn borkins]

3. Available Only During Winter

Frozen U.S. Mail On-A-Stick

[George McGovern]

5. Ha Ha Hilarious commentary wyn borkins! Thanks for the chuckle!

[wcmagumba]

6. Great pic but not true in my area...

Just two or three weeks back it wasn't too cold (above freezing) but a very windy day here in red Kansas. I can see the group mail box for the complex from my front window and watched as the postal worker got out of their truck to deposit the mail, opened the door to the box and it was a little difficult to keep open with the wind, but immediately closed it without depositing any mail, climbed back the their truck and left...I was waiting for a couple of important letters (which I knew from the USPS informed delivery were available) so was quite disappointed...not like the good ole days...

[George McGovern]

7. Thank You wcmagumba. Not like the good ole days, I agree. If only Louis DeJoy would be fired . . .

[Diamond_Dog]

12. We always know when our mail arrives...

We have a canine alarm system!

[George McGovern]

13. Ha Ha Foolproof System Diamond! You can rely on Sophie!

[alfredo]

14. We'd carry a rubber mallet to dislodge the ice so we can open the door.

We also carried WD 40 to free locks on the boxes. Those old postal jeeps were great in the snow, especially if using chains. There wasn’t a snow drift that could stop me. Nothing worked on ice.

[George McGovern]

15. Sounds like you were an outstanding mail carrier alfredo.

Imagining you driving one of those old postal jeeps it was no wonder that the mail got through. Ice notwithstanding.

[alfredo]

16. That is the mail carrier ethos. If it doesn't get delivered that day,

You will have to deliver it plus what was on tap for the next day. Nobody wants to be confronted with a twenty foot stack of mail, plus the stack of undelivered mail. With automation life is easier for the carrier. He or she doesn’t have to spend two or three hours sorting anymore. Generally it was two hours in office, six on the street.

I started off as a rural carrier, just me and my Jeep. My route was seventy five miles with six hundred boxes. When I became a city carrier, instead it was ten miles walking. Both were equally taxing and rewarding..

[George McGovern]

17. Thanks alfredo.

Last edited Sun Jan 30, 2022, 10:09 PM - Edit history (1)

[alfredo]

18. I worked for the runner's high. I needed that endorphin kick.

I was hooked on my own body chemistry.