I had a package delivered on Tuesday. I try to steer away from that. I was hoping my item would be available for pick-up at Walmart, since Hick had volunteered to swing by there. It was actually his idea. But of course the item I needed was not available in store. NOR was it available to be shipped to the store. But it could get to my house by the next day. What kind of dark magic is THAT?
Anyhoo... it came by FedEx. We do not have good luck, or even reasonable customer service, with FedEx. I got an email that my package would arrive between 10:20 and 2:20. I was home. I was ready. The plan was to call off the dogs as soon as I heard them start dogging. They live to bark. They sometimes even work overtime at it, into the wee hours of the night.
Anyhoo... it was SO HOT. Heat index supposed to be around 114. The Pony had the day off, giving me more time to get ready to worry about him on Wednesday-Friday. Thinking of my poor little Pony, I had some sympathy for the FedEx driver. I put a bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade in FRIG II, after giving it a quick-cool in the freezer for 30 minutes.
When I heard the dogs, I grabbed that Gatorade and put it in the pocket of my sweatshirt. I opened the front door, and saw the FedEx truck parked behind the garage. I called to my dogs. Jack immediately trotted across Hick's brick sidewalk and up onto the porch to prop his front feet on my leg and lick my petting hand. Scarlett is not a very enthusiastic barker. She came to the porch, and stood halfway between me and the end, giving a gruff woof every now and then. Copper Jack continued to bark his fool head off. He doesn't take orders from me.
This FedEx guy was not dogphobic. He carried my package up onto the porch without flinching. He was a chubby cherub of a guy (as opposed to an emaciated cherub) with reddish curls poking out from under his cap. I signed with a finger on his phone thingy. Then I offered him the Gatorade from my pocket.
"I have a cold Gatorade if you'd like it. Terribly hot today."
"No thank you. I'm good. But it's really hot and muggy out here."
Maybe he didn't like Gatorade. Maybe all the houses gave him some. Maybe he's allergic to it. Maybe he thought I was a serial killer who injected it with poison in a syringe. But I tried.
I'd like to think that people do the same for my little Pony. He said that the previous day, a house had a sign that said, "Knock if you want some cold water." He didn't, because it was his last walking loop, and he was headed back to the office. But somebody tried, anyway.
FedEx throws packages or leaves them in places we cannot reach them on a walker, so NO, not offering anything. USPS leaves packages in the mailbox so that we hardly know they are here. However, we never fail to take icy water to lawn guy, and he always takes it.
ReplyDeleteGood thing FedEx treated this package better than they usually do, like leaving it on the gravel of the driveway, or behind the garage. It was a printer, clearly visible on the box, so maybe the guy was worried about treating it right.
DeleteA few years ago, every box we got from FedEx was crushed or crumpled. Then there's the buffalo skin wallet that came in a white, plastic-lined envelope that they laid on the porch, and Jack ate 1/3 of it. Even though Hick had a red milk crate screwed to the front of the house saying PACKAGES.
Hick is our lawn guy. He can get his own cold well water, if he'll fix the outside spigot that froze a couple winters ago. Hick is behind on his fixin'! Like with the generator...
Amazon is always good at delivering. A few times Fed Ex deliverer threw the pkg over our small gate, and it always lined where the hose was rolled up, with the pkg getting wet.
ReplyDeleteOur Amazon packages are delivered by the USPS, and put in a locker down by the creek, next to Mailbox Row. Or by FedEx or UPS, right to the house, or yard, or driveway, or behind the garage. You never know who's bringing it until it's ordered, and you get the email with the estimated delivery date.
DeleteThis was the best delivery since our UPS lady retired about 7 years ago. The dogs loved her! She tossed them treats, and always put our package on top of Juno's doghouse, and knocked on the kitchen door to announce that it was here. I really miss her.
I rarely get packages delivered these days and if I am not home they get left inside the small cabinet I have on the porch. If I am home all the deliverer gets is a thank you. They all have airconditioned vehicles and I am not miles out of town.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about FedEx, but UPS does not have AC in their trucks. They usually drive around with the door open. FedEx sometimes has the boxy truck, sometimes a van. I've only seen UPS in the boxy brown trucks. Gotta be a tough job when the heat index is 114.
DeleteFedEx and UPS have to back down the drive way. WE replaced the mailbox with a much bigger one. I am thinking we should buy another big mailbox and mount it on my She Shed for UPS and FedEx packages. When we arent home they leave them on the steps where they can get wet.
ReplyDeleteHick has a mailbox mounted at the edge of the driveway, with a sign for PACKAGES. Neither UPS nor FedEx has ever used it. Nor the red milk crate he screwed to the wall beside the front door. They have left flat envelope packages ON THE DRIVEWAY, where they get run over!
DeleteToo bad for them as he is trying to make their job easier!
DeleteYeah. All they need is a couple steps to put it in that mailbox. It's big enough for most things, but not the printer. It makes me feel not-sorry for them when Copper Jack barks his fool head off. I am not responsible for a loose neighbor-dog. He is not aggressive, but the biggest of the three, so the most intimidating. He hangs way back, but is the loudest.
DeleteThe old UPS lady would have charmed him with a dog biscuit. My little Jack used to climb up on her open door-step, wiggling with happiness.