Bye bye Deb! Thank you for many years of mail delivery and friendship. We will miss you.

After about 16 years of service, Deb Safford will retire from her mail delivery route here on the peninsula. As Deb says, “A bittersweet decision.”

We have had the great good fortune of entrusting her with all variety of deliveries, some made in person to the front door!

As the saying goes, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. The mail must go through.” And, it always did with Deb at the wheel – she delivered!

Most recently some might wonder about the condition of the postal system. Rates have increased markedly, offices have merged and closed, and sometimes mail takes a little extra time. But, be assured, if mail makes it to the region, more specifically, into Deb’s distribution areas, it was handled expeditiously. In all the years we’ve lived on Southport the mail did get through, and that includes some pretty challenging weather in winter!

Which leads me to some interesting details about the job of mail delivery. Imagine the wear and tear on a vehicle. Stop! Go! Stop! Go! What could be harder for a machine, not to mention the driver. Deb worked with the window open, winter, spring, summer and fall. She used special right hand drive Jeeps (three over the course of her contract!). Let’s do the numbers.

The mail delivery route for Deb is about 40 miles per day. Six days a week. Roughly four weeks per month – 900 miles per month (approximately). Multiply by 12 months and then times 16 years! And this doesn’t include sets of tires, gas (three times per week), brake pads, oil changes, steerage links, and other unanticipated surprises, like dodging deer, finding stray dogs, and avoiding collisions with wandering phone drivers!

And before setting out on the route, incoming mail must be sorted, and prepped in sequence of delivery. It’s not a job for the faint of heart, to be sure, especially with so many items being shipped by Amazon and UPS which go through the local office, particularly when there are so many seasonal residents.

Deb will move on. She is a very capable young lady with a keen interest in learning and helping others. Her curiosity has led to a new chapter – homeopathy. As her study and learning advance, she hopes to open her own office in a year or so. This has become her focus for over three years. With the mail delivery contract coming to a close, she will have much more time to devote to a viable practice. If interested, her contact email is debhomeopathy@yahoo.com. This is also a way to send your thanks and appreciation should you care to.

Finally, Deb wanted us to know how much she appreciated everybody on her route. Over the years, she has gotten to know many people throughout the region. We have been a big part of her life for a serious chunk of time. She will miss us as we will miss her.

Good luck Deb. The old red Jeep can have a rest, and so can you, sort of, as you work third shift at BIW. At least you won’t need to turn the flashers on or drive on the edge of roads as the next mailbox approaches.

Be well.