I just came in from outdoors, and while standing in the driveway, the Postal Service mail truck went by delivering our mail, not to the door as it used to be, but to a group of mail boxes.  This is what they call improved mail service.  Because of so many hills to climb and age, I have to take our car to pick up the mail.  Thank the Lord I still have my license and thanks also to other members of the family, I don’t have to do this every day.

 

Gone are the days if when you lived in the city, the mail would be put in a slot in your front door, or if you lived in the country, you would just walk to your mailbox at the end of your driveway.   The mail driver would sometimes stop and toot his horn to let you know the mail had arrived.

 

Ah, yes, there was a time when if you didn’t have a postage stamp, and you lived in the country, you could just put 3 pennies (oh! yes, no more pennies), roll them up in a piece of paper with your letter (mail a card in unsealed envelope for 1 cent and a letter for 3 cents).  The mailman would take it to the Post Office and mail it for you and even lick the stamp.  I know this to be true because my brother drove a mail route and did it for one of his customers and, for something to do, I rode with him.  He received in 1950 the sum of $1100 a year.

 

One time, when we lived on Folly Mountain, we had a mailman (this was approximately 1942) who drove a horse and buggy – not sure of his salary.  When we lived in Belmont, the mail came in the morning by train.  The train wouldn’t stop, it would just slow down, and a gentleman from our community, who worked for the Postal Services, would pick the bag up and deliver it to the Post Office.  Sometimes when there was a storm and it was windy, it would end up under the train!

 

There’s no mail today, but we’re hoping there is tomorrow for it could be cheque day!

 

Leslie Jobb