Linda's Mail

First off, I have to explain that we're not the most sociable of neighbors. I think Steve could tell you at least the first name of three of our neighbors. I can only tell you Scott's name (and that is only because he and Steve are really close). I don't even remember Scott's wife's name. I suck.

Regardless, we bought our current house from a Linda Knorr about 11 years ago. We've had the same neighbors since then. One new one moved in a few years later in a new home she built. But I don't "hang" with any of them.

The woman we purchased our home from was Linda Knorr. For several years after we moved in, we would receive mail addressed to Ms. Knorr. Most of it was junk. Sometimes an occasional bill or membership thing would come through. Nothing important enough to even mess with forwarding. So over the years I got in the habit of just stopping by the trash can on my way back from the mail box and throwing away anything addressed to Linda.

Oddly enough, over the years, we have still sporadically received mail for Linda. It will be months or even years and then we will get her mail again. Monday I received three catalogs and a small package for her. I just figured everyone was updating their catalog mailing lists to increase business and stopped and filed the catalogs in the trash can on my way back in the house.

I had a harder time throwing away a package. I told Steve about it when he got home and he peaked at it. As it turns out it was addressed to 12515 (our address is 12514) and while it was addressed to Linda, it wasn't Linda Knorr.

It really shouldn't surprise me, we have a huge turnover in mail carriers in our area. And I often get other people's mail, as well as have mind delivered to other peoples mail boxes. But I put 2 inch wide numbers on my mail box last year and that pretty much stopped the problems. Besides, Linda Whatever is not even in our group of mailboxes . . . she's the next bunch.

Tuesday morning I dug her cataloges out of the trash and took them and her package and placed them in her box. She works full-time so I knew she wasn't home and I wasn't sure what I would have said anyway.

"Hey, I just wanted to drop these off and let you know I've been throwing away your mail for years." Yeah, that would go over well.