Post Office

I stopped in the post office this week to complete my application for a passport (processed expedited so that I can leave the country soon) and to mail off my submission to the Counterfeit Crochet Project. When you are mailing anything over the counter now, they ask something to the effect of "does this package contain any hazardous materials, perishables, dangerous items, things that make Homeland Security upset?"

Thinking quick: well, it IS acrylic, which melts up real nice…but I instead say simply: "Nothing hazardous; it’s just yarn."

The postal clerk perked up. "Ooohh," she said. "Do you knit?" She seemed genuinely interested, and I could tell by the gleam in her eye that she did.

Me: "Well, actually, no. I crochet."




**crickets chirping**


She gave me a once over, and a disapproving, "Oh," and her female bonding ended. Not that she became rude, but I could tell from her tone that she was entirely not impressed with anything crochet.

She was in fact, very pleasant and helpful in my application for the passport. When I was finished, she said, "have a nice trip!" to which I responded, "Thanks, I’ll send a postcard!."

With complete candor, she replied, "Oh, we read all the postcards that come through here anyway. But you didn’t hear that from me."