return to sender

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by Anne Lambert

At the Waltham artist studios I thought I had found an old friend in this mailbox. I love the letters sticking out the side. We like what we recognize.
Here is our mailbox from a year ago, flatted by a tree brought down by Hurricane Irene. I was amazed that the mailman was undaunted by the crushed mailbox and stuffed the mail in there anyway. This lasted for days until we got a new box. I appreciated not having to go to town to get my mail.

This year we got  Hurricane Sandy. As the winds gusted and the rain sheeted horizontally and branches fell last Monday, schools and municipal services were closed and there was not a car on the road. I looked out the window at around 1pm and there was the small white boxy Postal Service truck pulled up to our mailbox delivering the mail.
Intrepid! I put on boots and raincoat to walk the short distance down the driveway to get the mail and came back soaked (and I couldn't dry my clothes in the dryer, no power.) What is etched on the USPS building in Washington is true. They get the catalogs to us not matter what the weather.