MAIL CALL

 WHY, when mostly we get only bills, advertising junk mail and mediocre catalogues, why I look forward to the day's mail, I don't know.

When we emerge from the dining room after our noon dinner, if the flags are on the counter, then it means the postman has been here and we all flock into the mailroom to see what he's delivered in our names.

It's a little like a small town post office where you meet your neighbors and exchange pleasantries. There are 2 places to look and I've not figured out why some mail goes into our locked box and other items end up in an accordion file. I'm sure there is some rhyme or reason to it.

The postman's name is Juan and he picks up and delivers quite a lot of mail to the Manor. He's a cheerful soul and when I interviewed him for the directory he said that he likes the residents and added as an afterthought that he was quite fond of the snack bar, too, meaning the Tea Room with its case of freshly baked pastries, the coffee, juice and ice water that's there for the taking.

One of the things that it was hard to give up when I retired (can it possibly be 8 years since that happened???) was shopping. It's taken me this long to realize how easy it is to shop online and finding a box in the mailroom with my name on it is positively thrilling. Earlier this week, I received a travel watercolor set from Cheap Joe's and a gallon tin of gourmet popcorn from Garrett's in Chicago. Who could ask for anything more?

Every once in a while, someone will mail me a single popcorn kernel that didn't pop. I'll get out a fresh kernel, tape it to a piece of paper and mail it back to them.
                         ~ Orville Redenbacher