Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Neither rain nor hail nor sleet ...

"Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor heat of day nor dark of night shall keep this carrier from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.”


Postal employee Newman after completing his mail route

Here’s a little known fact from yet another famous postal worker, Cliff, from the 80’s sitcom Cheers. Often incorrectly cited as the motto of the U.S. Postal Service, this quote actually is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from a quote from The Histories of Herodotus, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire. So there you have it. Right from a U.S. mail carrier’s mouth.


While we’re on the subject of the U.S. Postal Service, Mom and Pappy John stopped at the smallest working Post Office in the United States during their EcoTour while in Fort Myers, Florida. It was closed because it was a Presidents Day, but their tour guide assured them that a U.S. Postal employee reports to duty there every day. Unless they can freely lift their leg on some vegetation like Saw Palm, I don’t know where they relieve themselves. But that’s their problem.

Pappy John at the Ochopee Post Office in Florida

Finally, for those of you who are not Seinfeld fans, I would like to introduce you the classic, short, pudgy mailman for whom I was named.

1 comment:

DogDiscDisco said...

Haha good read. Bit ironic to have dogs in post office uniforms but interesting none the less. I know some postal workers carry dog treats with them, but my brother who delivers mail carry's left over pancakes. He says they're like edible frisbee's and the neighborhood dogs love em!