I don't understand why it's a different person making package deliveries almost every time. Are they temps/part timers? Why so many different people? Used to be the same carrier delivered mail and packages. For many years you could almost set a clock by mail arrival time. Now when I look on Informed Delivery, packages mostly say "by 9 PM", which is totally crazy. Especially out here in the sticks where anyone can roll up to your mailbox and take anything out. Or just shoot the mailbox, had that happen before with some very fine buckshot, I might add...why I don't use a large mailbox anymore.
I liked your post, but definitely NOT the reality of it! I'm in Iowa, which can definitely get some savage weather, but nothing like MI, sandwiched between those Great Lakes, & so much farther north. We had a derecho here in Aug '20 that absolutely ravaged the city, trees down everywhere, & my power was out for 12 days. The future's always gonna be ominous, but I slow-boil because no one here ever even heard of a derecho until it blitzed us, likewise a polar vortex until it too put most of the lower 50 into the deep freeze back in 2015. Or the inland sea FLOOD here of 2008. OTOH, I've lived in IA all my life, and we've had some hellacious weather, but somehow I've NEVER personally seen a tornado (though we've certainly had them nearby). Hopefully you get to enjoy those Great Lakes & scenic MI and not just perpetually suffer the worst nature can whip us with.
I heard and read about your Derecho. On top of all the damage , millions and millions of acres of crops were flattened. We had a similar derecho in May 1998. Power was out for days to weeks. Severe damage. Derechos are like a 100 mile wide tornado. Scary stuff
And no way to get away from it!
Ah. I see. Straight line winds as opposed to the twisting winds of a hurricane. I guess wind is wind, if it's excessive darn sure gonna do some damage.
THX I count myself VERY fortunate in that once the derecho slammed into us, ALL the gigantic and dangerous "old growth" trees had been removed from my property before they dropped onto my house. No one, myself included, likes shelling out thousands to pre-emptively take trees out BUT you just don't appreciate how forking massive & HEAVY they are until they're horizontal in your yard (or crushing your roof & upper floor).
SCARY is the word!!! Never had I seen trees getting shredded before my very eyes, it passed quickly BUT once it passed, my house was splattered with shredded "biomass", mostly tree leaf "salad," chopped like a shredder by the intensity of the storm.
I hear you. I’ve had a couple of insurance claims denied (one for $700 - they offered me $100 when the postage was $130), and they have twice not stopped delivery when I had a vacation hold.
I was in DC when that hit. I had about 20 mature trees on my property at the time, and it definitely made me nervous. Got away with it that time. I don’t live there any more.
We had the same delivery dudes for so many years. (UPS and USPS) Became friends. Never a problem as far as the driver. Ever. But now, we have different drivers often with both outfits. Jason, our UPS dude did say that they might split up the routes. Well.. they did and we already miss Jason a lot! We've been blessed with knowing our mail folks out here. Fantastic drivers, the companies though...not so much. As far as Fed ex, Different drivers our here for years. Never a problem so far though... so far..
It's all about budget things have really changed since I retired from USPS in 05. They offered early retirement for some myself included, this way they could hire temp employees and not pay full benefits. Fortunately I never had to handle mail I was an area maintenance tech in a service van doing work on safes, locks and counterline equipment at all the stations and contract stations in Portland for the clerks. And they finally did what they talked about which was tearing down the main post office in downtown and moving processing out near the airport slowing down delivery.
How very cozy & inviting everything looks. I count seven stockings hanging up. Looks it will be a good family get together. Unless five of them are for your pets...Merry Christmas! From our family to yours.
