The package is away!

Getting tougher for me to come up with titles.  Obviously. 

Even though yesterday was a “Silent Sunday”,  I’ve used that one.  Never to be used again. 

Since it’s Monday,  and December,  that must mean I was at the post office this morning.  There were a few more cards to be sent off,  a couple of which are headed for spots within Europe,  along with a box of “stuff”.  I shouldn’t even allude to the contents,  since it’s Christmas related.   Might only be bubble wrap!  I’m not telling.

Man,  that would suck,  wouldn’t it?

It turns out that if the box was being sent as a “package”,  it was supposed to go by December 5th.  BUT,  if it’s being sent as a “letter”,  then it’s all good.  Confused?   You’re not alone.  I mean,  it WAS a box,  but I sent it as a letter.  Right.  Welcome to Absurdistan!   I had to pay something like an extra €10 for this little parlour trick,  but I did get a tracking number and the faint hope that it would arrive at its destination by Christmas.  “Nicht garantiert”.  But is anything guaranteed when you send it in the mail?  Seriously.

So I think I’m done with the post office program.  I seem to get the same lady each and every time I go there,  and I told her it was my intent that she wouldn’t have to lay eyes on me again until some time in the New Year.   If ever.  Since she normally has a somewhat glum demeanour,  I wasn’t actually sure whether,  by making her crack a smile,  she was being charitable,  amused, or was genuinely happy at the prospect of not seeing my ugly mug for a while.  Now I’m full of doubt.  I guess we’ll never know. 

 

Speaking of the post office,  I think I’ve alluded to the somewhat sketchy delivery service we’ve received at our Canadian location over the last 20 years or so?  Quite often we’ve had to do a “mail exchange”  with an elderly gentleman about twenty houses away on our street.  Something to do with dyslexia.   Well,  I received an email from a friend back home on Friday, saying the Christmas card I had sent the previous Tuesday had already arrived at her door!    That’s four days folks!   What the hell planet are we on?

I’ve known it to take longer to get mail from our place to Toronto,  and that’s only a 40 minute drive from our front door.   I don’t understand.  I notice they put that little “priority” sticker on each envelope,  but I just thought that was to make me feel important.  I guess it does mean something. 

Of course,  that’s only one recipient.  I have no way of knowing if any of the other cards arrived at their destinations.  Maybe they’re sitting in a bag in a freight car off on some railroad spur in New Brunswick?  We’ll find out some day I suppose.

 

Speaking of December.  Wasn’t I?  We realised on Saturday that it was the 10th.   Well,  I did anyway.   See,  last year on the tenth of December,  we were on our way home.  It was a Friday.  I had tried to lobby for a Thursday departure in the naive hope that I could make it to the pub on the Friday night.  Fool.  I’m a complete mess for almost a week after we get home,  so I don’t know where I got the idea that I could function any time after about six p.m. on the day of our arrival.  *pfft*  Go out again?  C’mon!

Anyway,  it was just a thought that crossed my mind,  since were not doing the “home for Christmas” program this year.   I suppose the good news for daughter number two is that she didn’t have to fret about cleaning the house for the week leading up to our arrival.   The other slightly ironic thing is,  had we gone home,  we would have to go and visit daughter number one and her main squeeze at their new house for Christmas, or they’d come and see us,  or whatever.  Whereas over the last few years,  it was only a matter of them coming up a flight of stairs to join us for Christmas.   The other twist is, they’re coming HERE for Christmas.  So there won’t even be a “first Christmas” in their new house.   I guess there will never be a return to “normal”,   whatever that was.

It’s all too confusing.

 

Since we’re staying in Vienna,  did I mention I put up some lights?

Freaky,  huh?

They’ve actually been up for a few days now.  I had to go out and buy another timer for the bottom (white) string,  since I got tired of traipsing out there in my slippers each night trying to unplug the stupid things.  One thing about European style plugs,  when you plug something in,  the plug isn’t going to come out all that easily,  so going through that routine on a daily basis wasn’t working.

 

I certainly hope the weather is considerably better where ever it is you find yourself at the moment.

Keep that stick on the ice,  and thanks for stopping by.

 

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