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Yarn Treats + A Rambling Treatise on Chicago Mail Delivery

Since I don't have any FO's that I am at liberty to share with the world at large, today's post is at the mercy of the United States Postal Service. In Chicago, that is an especially frightening thought; even before USPS began slashing budgets and cutting jobs, mail delivery in Chicago has been nothing short of terrible. In years past, there have been stories of postal carriers hiding undelivered mail in their houses or storage units, burning mail, and who knows what else, just to avoid delivering it! Long story short, mail delivery in Chicago is hands-down the worst in the nation.

I could regale you with far too many nightmarish stories myself, though I have also had a few positive experiences in my 7 years as a Chicago resident...perhaps to make up for some really ridiculous BS at the hands of Chicago's USPS! My current issue with them is not the speed at which my mail is (or is not) delivered - though that has been a problem at one time or another - but the hour of day when it tends to arrive. With the exception of the occasional blue moon, our mail arrives well after 5 PM on any given day; case in point, the time of this post is about five minutes after my mail was delivered today (no, I'm not the fastest writer ever, I wrote the rest of this blog earlier today in anticipation of severely late mail delivery...this is actually considered a decent hour, these days!).

Mail Goodies from Doodlebug Yarn!
I have actually seen our mail carrier walking around with a headlamp long after the sun has set. On more than one occasion, our mail has arrived between 8 and 9 PM. For someone who works from home, this can be profoundly irritating!The highlight of my day is usually the arrival of a goody of some sort (I do pretty much all of my shopping online) via UPS, Fed-Ex or USPS. So far, UPS and Fed Ex have not let me down. USPS continues to, week in and week out.

At any rate, earlier this week I claimed a Facebook offer from Doodlebug Yarn and ordered myself a few yarny treats! Pretty much all of the yarn in this order is earmarked for some sort of gift knitting, but since I have the pleasure of working with mmmmmmMalabrigo, I still consider it a treat for myself. I also threw in one of my favorite products of all time, a Lavishea lotion bar in Lavender, and some new removable stitch markers since all of mine are so old and brittle, they have all broken with use. Not a bad way to begin October!


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