Undeterred by smoky air, our mail delivery driver hustles up the road on Friday.
As their motto says and everybody knows, nothing stops the delivery force of the Postal Service from making their appointed rounds. Not snow, or rain, and not “unhealthy” air because of smoke.
I thought of that today as I watched our mail carrier stop at our box and then, face mask in place, drive up the road.
One might understand if the mail suspended deliveries for a day or two when the air outside is so smoky as to become unhealthy, when everybody is being advised to avoid going outside. Those bills and ads can wait a little while, right?
But no, the mail must be delivered and picked up. So out they go, as usual.
The same has to be said for others in the delivery business — from newspaper carriers to drivers for Fed Ex and UPS. They are out there on the road, in open-door vehicles, cruising through the smoke and breathing it in. If you see them, tell them you appreciate them.
Meanwhile, people in the mid-valley have been responding to the wildfires by trying to help those who had to flee the flames and have been staying at the county fairgrounds in Albany and Corvallis.
Both Linn and Benton counties have posted piles of information on their respective websites, about the fires, about local evacuation areas, and about making donations and other ways of offering to help. If you need more information, those are good sites to check. (hh)
Hurry up, people need their junk mail. At least that’s what the boss used to tell me when I was a part time substitute rural carrier.