The post office.  We were there yesterday.  Found two letters.  Both Christmas cards.  One had been opened and searched.  Contained Christmas letter inside card.  Looked suspicious.  Might have money inside.  No such luck.  Sorry.  Our people know better than to send money through the post office.

There's a big wire cage not far from our box.  It's for anything that lands in your box that does not belong to you.  Each time we have 2-3 letters to toss in the cage.  I always wonder what happens to them.  Theoretically they are re-sorted and arrive in the correct box.  How does the theory really work? 

There's another post office in town.  It's right next to the train station.  Not a good place to visit.  We call it a bastion of inefficiency.  Correctly named.  Anything that does not fit into the box gets sent over there.  And even some things that could have gone into the box.  The fudge if they can.  So you take the slip and drive on over.  Once inside you will be sent to a minimum of three people before you arrive at the correct location.  Each person is dreadfully busy doing exactly nothing.  Painting nails, chewing gum, flirting with someone.  You are interrupting.  You are a disturbance.  Finally the right person in the right office at the right desk.  There are two other desks with equally busy employees of the government.  Hand over the slip.  It gets passed on to another desk.  But first you have to pay a fee.  It's expensive.  But that's business.  The second person saunters to a door and knocks.  Someone opens and takes the slip.  Fifteen minutes later they come back out and hand your package to the second person who hands it off to the first person.  Now the fun begins. He carefully examines the declaration slip and estimates the value of your items.  All very subjective.  He opens your package and looks at everything.  Now you are taxed.  Expensive.  You wonder how much of it lands in his pocket and how much gets turned in.  Finally your package is turned over to you and you leave.  Not a repeatable experience.  No packages please.  Ever!