Through rain, wind, snow, snow, snow - the mail must go through

We have the greatest mailman. I imagine that most of you don't even know the person who delivers your mail. Well, one of the awesome things about living on "the edge of nowhere" is that you choose to value the contact that you receive with every other human being.

Our mailman comes every day between 12:30-1:30pm. We used to get a heads-up when Charlie would bark and now miss that warning signal (that is a story for another day). Alyssa would hear the bark and run for the closest exit, racing across the lawn at top speed to meet the mailman - yelling "wait, wait, I'm coming." Now, since she has learned to tell time ("the o'clocks and everything, Mom") she watches the clock for him.

Curt patiently waits at the mailbox for her and they have a conversation. Some days she comes back to the house to share what was talked about. Other days she just shrugs and says "we talked about the weather" or "we talked about mail." Whatever the subject, the mailman is the expert on it, according to our 7-year-old. Case in point: Last summer we were shopping for mosquito itch sticks - you know, those handy little cylinders that contain an itch stopping medicine. Well, Alyssa announces, quite loudly, that THIS is the brand that the mailman prefers. He has tried all of them and had 57 mosquito bites last summer so he should know. Several ladies stopped and smiled at the certain tone of voice that she had. I took her word for it and purchased the recommended brand - after all, who can argue with the mailman?

The mailman also brings a treat every day - when Charlie was still with us, he received a dog bone - every day. Alyssa also gets two pieces of bubble gum. Why two? Well, she informed the mailman that Matthew can't chew gum with his braces so he (mailman) should save the gum for two years.

Some days Alyssa's chats with "Mr. Curt" or "the mailman" are quite lengthy. I found out that he also shares stories about when he was a kid - he got sprayed by a skunk, or whatever comes to Alyssa's mind to discuss that day.

I, too, have had the opportunity to chat with Curt. Several weeks ago he brought a package up to the house - one that wouldn't fit in the box. I noticed that he had a tan - no one has a tan in the winter unless they indulge in a tanning bed (he doesn't look the type) or have been on vacation somewhere warm. After discussion I found out that our mailman is a master scuba diver and had enjoyed a week in the water near a tropical island. I felt the need to discover why a ND mailman would want to scuba dive. I got a great answer. Curt told me that he chooses to learn two new things every year, usually over the winter, and then masters those two things. Scuba diving was on that list a couple of years ago and has become a favorite hobby. What a cool thing!

I challenge you to take a few minutes and get to know your mailman. I guess that unless you live in rural ND, your mailman may not have the time to stop and say hello. I think today we will leave a few chocolate chip cookies in the mailbox for our mailman - he is (in the words of Alyssa) "really great."