Day 69: USPS, Tools, and Sweaters

Some standardized tests--or maybe just my recurring nightmare that airs right after I can't get my locker open--offer the taker several seemingly unrelated concepts or number sequences and then ask how they're related.

Your challenge: (1) the US Postal Service, (2) Tools, and (3) Sweaters.

Give up? The answer that ties these together perfectly is Neil.

Dad loves to share. Time and distance are not obstacles. Whether it is a greeting card, some newly-discovered old family photos, or a little treat, Neil spares no cost. I don't think I've ever received anything sent slower than 2-day priority from Dad. Thank heavens for the introduction of the flat rate boxes.

One week, shortly after Nanny and Grandpa visited us in North Carolina, I received said flat rate box. This one weighed just under a Buick. I opened it to find a navy blue Old Navy sweater wrapped around a Milwaukee Sawzall. Dad noticed that I did not own a sawzall so he probably made a note to himself in his planner and within a few hours of returning to SLC he popped a spare sawzall into the mail (apparently Dad's tendency to buy spare screwdrivers also applies to power tools). Not to be hindered by looking for packing material, he grabbed a .... sweater to pad the tool and protect the Hershey's kisses, chewing gum, and Laffy Taffy thrown in for the girls.

The great thing about this is the sweater has been as useful as the sawzall.

Thanks Dad, for sharing. Thanks for stalling budgetary shutdown of the federal government by subsidizing the US Postal Service. Thanks for reaching out thousands of miles to make us feel as special as if we lived down the street.

Rob