A timely illustration

This cartoon hits too close to home to be funny. You see, my granddaughter’s birthday was February 23. That same week she was accepted to the Denver School of the Arts. Such a special week. So in addition to a larger gift, I ordered a fun little item for her from Etsy on Feb. 11. It was shipped on the 16th. The delivery window was tight, but Feb. 23 was still a possibility. And anytime that week would have been nice.

I started tracking the shipment and every few days I read that the shipment was “in transit but arriving late.” Maybe because of the storms along the East Coast? After all, the package was coming from New Hampshire.

Feb. 23 came and went, and still no package. The tracking info continued to assure me that the shipment was on its way but would be late. It had at least gotten from Dover, NH, to the USPS distribution center in Nashua, NH. But from then on, there appeared to be no movement. All I knew was that it had gotten as far as Nashua.

Finally, fed up and with the celebratory feelings long gone, I launched an inquiry on March 2. Ever tireless (“neither rain nor snow …”), the Post Office immediately launched a search and a day later found the package loitering in Spokane, Washington. Spokane! Washington! New Hampshire to Denver via Spokane? Go figure.

The wandering item finally arrived here on March 8. Of course, this being the Post Office, “here” was the community mailbox a block up the street. I hate it when anyone ships something to me via USPS. It means I either have to hoof it up there or wait till I’m out in the car. Weather being a consideration and all. I’ll still deliver the gift, but for me the sparkle is long gone.

And to think my insurance company wonders why I won’t order prescriptions by mail.

(I realize this tale isn’t nearly as interesting as Meghan and Harry, but I figured you were already tired of hearing about them. … But since you asked, I fully support them. I’ve long thought the royal family is a terribly expensive anachronistic institution and have always felt sorry for anyone born into it.)

4 thoughts on “A timely illustration

  1. Not too long ago we had a box sent to us USPS and I tracked it. It came to Reno, was marked “out for delivery” and two days later Amazon reported it was lost. The two days after that it was reported received in some small town in Northern California and three days after that was delivered to my house in Reno. I concluded that the mail carrier left the Reno post office for a fishing vacation in the mail truck and delivered my package on their return trip.

    1. What I meant was I sympathize with Meghan and Harry and support their leaving London and “the firm.” I think living in London as part of the royal family would be absolute hell.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *