Please Mr. Postman...

Remember that old song?  In Kalkfeld it was actually a Post Mistress at the post office- and there were no postal carriers or home delivery.  

Instead I had a post office box that I checked regularly but it was mostly empty.  Not from lack of some of you trying!  

I received 4 birthday cards in August.  The ones from Washington took 10 days.  The ones from Pennsylvania took two weeks and the one from California took 21 days.  I also received one card in November and two Christmas cards in January (posted November 27).  I know that there are at least one Halloween card and two packages that have not yet made it.

When I arrived the post office was open 8 to 9:30 and 2 to 3:30 daily.  Mail was delivered to Kalkfeld by truck on Tuesday and Thursday after two pm.  Most people used the post office primarily for access to cash as the pensions are distributed there the first Tuesday of the month and people can have money wired there as well.  There is also a system similar to a credit union for deposits and they can use it as an ATM to access cash since there is no bank in Kalkfeld.

But in September there was a problem so the post office was

for three weeks until a new Post Mistress came.  She opened the office from 8 to 4:30 every day for a week and everybody was happy about that.  But then she was sick for a few days and the office was closed.

The next day there was a power outage due to a storm and the office had to be closed for a few days because the machines were fried by the lightning.

So about two weeks later the office was reopened for a few days until the Post Mistress quit because the post office had no accommodations for her in Kalkfeld and she did not want to live in Kalkfeld so far from everything.  So the post office was

closed again for three weeks until they hired another Post Mistress. She had the office open all day but there was a lot of trouble getting the monthly pension checks for the elders- it took about two weeks before they could all get their money.  It caused a real financial hardship for them.

She was there about three weeks before something happened and she left.  This was around the fourth week of November.  Rumor had it that the post office would open again sometime after the first of the year, hopefully in time for the first Tuesday distribution of the pension checks.  It did not happen unfortunately.

But somebody did put the mail in the boxes so I got the two beautiful Christmas cards January 2, 2014 from the First Christian Church in Bellingham, Washington (Thank you!).

The poor post office looks so lonely when it is closed.  Rumor has it they are training someone who already lives in Kalkfeld for the job.  Hopefully in 2014 the mail will flow!

Looking out from the post office steps toward the road to the church property.  The police station is next door on the left and Helga and Garrett and family live down the street to the right.