Post Office

Hello,

The frog day, Monday, also involved a trip to the post office. I generally pick up the library mail as I do the interlibrary loan work. Mondays are often bonus day with many books to send out, both because of requests of our titles from other libraries and returns of our requests from them. I have not been there since Thursday so they accumulate. I am not sure if I am slow, but it often takes me an hour or two to read the email, go to the web site, locate the books, pack them, and keep records of what has happened coming and going. This is what it takes if I do not have to work the check out desk, when working the desk it takes me a bit longer. Added to that I needed to start the movie in the meeting room, turn up the sound, sell treats compliments of the Friends of the library, make three batches of microwave popcorn, watch the desk traffic, and catch a frog.

After the movie was finished I thought I would be able to go to the post office as the crowd would clear out. The wonderful pouring rain delayed that plan. I did not want my mail and myself to get wet and three of the kids did not want to get wet either. Finally at 3:50, I thought the rain had slowed down enough to make a dash to the post office before its 4:00 closing.

I told the three kids they needed to leave as I was going to the post office. I did not feel bad about “kicking them out” because two of them had been there much of the time since I opened at 1:00. They did not want to leave so I told them they could sit in the lobby and wait the ten minutes until I returned. Then they were sure they needed to take a book out with them. Even though they had not been checked out, I said ok. However after I was in the lobby locking the door they declared, “We want to come with you.”

“OK, but you must, because they have not been checked out, put the books in the book return,” I said.

“We still want to read them,” they moaned.

I assured them, “We can get them immediately when we come back.”

I then moved swiftly into the gentle rain drops even running some as I covered my block trip to the post office. I must have looked like the Pied Piper with three kids trailing behind trying to keep up or flocking around me.

I mailed my items without delay and picked up the bonanza of mail filling two of the post office bins. Those kids were most helpful on the way back as they helped me carry this load I could not have managed on my own. The oldest girl thought one of the bins was too heavy but the much smaller boy was sure he could do it. He did however start to show stress within a few steps so I took out a box as well as a couple magazines.

When we got back, I am not sure that they even looked at those important books that earlier had been especially dear.

Paula