Rants from the Hill: Customer Cranky

 

“Rants from the Hill” are Michael Branch’s monthly musings on life in the high country of Nevada’s western Great Basin desert.

Some of you may remember the novelist William Faulkner’s famous Yoknapatawpha County, which, though fictional, was based upon the Mississippi town in which Faulkner lived. Well, I’m now ready to give a fictional name to my own real home place: Silver Hills, Nevada. Silver Hills is much like Yoknapatawpha, only with a little less incest and a lot less rain.

One of the things that connects those of us out here in Silver Hills with the rest of the world is the U.S. Mail, though around here the experience of the mail smacks more of Dante than it does Norman Rockwell. First of all, our mailbox is 2.5 miles from the house, and the road between is a torturous gumbo of mud in winter and a jaw-rattling washboard in summer. And, since snow and dust are the only two seasons we have here, we can usually walk to the mailbox about as fast as we can drive to it. The mailbox itself is so constantly blasted by wind, snow, sleet, and buckshot that it isn’t good for much other than keeping black widows out of the weather. Then there is the troubling matter of our postal delivery person, whom my neighbor unceremoniously calls “Femailman”—a title I’d reject as rude if it weren’t still better than “the carrier,” which, given this lady’s virulent personality, is less respectful but also more accurate.

Rural mailbox image courtesy Flickr user Seth Anderson.

The first week we moved out to Silver Hills I spotted an ancient, mud-brown jeep creeping along the row of mailboxes up at the main road. It had no lights, signs, or insignia to indicate affiliation with the U.S. government—probably a wise safety measure here in the land of libertarians, cranksters, and survivalists—but the arm swinging out the open window and plunging into the boxes made plain that this was in fact the mail. In that moment two things struck me as odd. First, the hairy arm delivering the mail ended in a hand with long, red fingernails. Second, the back window of the jeep was lined with stuffed animals, which was potentially cute but disturbingly out of place. As the furry arm stuffed the last box and the jeep sped away, a guy driving by in a pickup slowed down just enough to shout at me through his open window: “Don’t let the teddy bears fool you!”

I learned a lot about my new neighbors during those first few months in Silver Hills, because Femailman delivered us everybody’s mail but our own. Among the magazines popular out here are Guns and Ammo and Muleycrazy (for deer hunters), though one guy also received the dubiously named Garden and Gun magazine, which looked as if it might be advertised as “the only publication celebrating the skill and passion of the vegetarian hunter.” Several people subscribed to the Libertarians’ even more dubiously named magazine, Reason, and Off Road was common. My favorite was the neighbor whose address received both Antique Doll Collector and Hustler, and I always enjoyed it when those two arrived on the same day.

Each morning my wife or I returned to our mailbox, raised the old red flag, and replaced the misdelivered mail, along with a polite note explaining the problem for the benefit of Femailman, who after six months was still batting under .200. Eventually we called the local post office, explained the issue, and were assured that a supervisor would talk with the carrier, who would affix a special label to the inside of our mailbox as a reminder of the pattern of delivery problems. The next morning our home phone rang at 4:20 a.m., which is so painfully close to O’Darkthirty that it took me a moment to realize that it was Femailman on the line. She had just called to apologize, she said, but she sounded suspiciously unremorseful. When I pointed out that it was not yet daybreak, she abruptly hung up. That afternoon we opened our mailbox to find the official U.S. Post Office decal inside, just as promised. On it, in the space left open for the postal employee to record the “PROBLEM,” Femailman had noted, simply:  “CUSTOMER CRANKY.”

After that, however, our mail service did improve substantially, and I found to my surprise that I actually missed the guilty pleasure of perusing Antique Doll Collector or the magazine for retired prison guards—and I wondered if somewhere in the nearby hills someone was disappointed to no longer be receiving my Baileys chainsaw catalogue, Beer Advocate magazine, and High Country News. I even came to appreciate the label inside our mailbox, and at least two evenings a week I’d come home from a lousy day at work to check the mail, see the tag, and agree that Femailman was probably right about me after all.

That was six years ago, and while I do still get Muleycrazy now and again, Femailman more or less gets the right stuff in our box. Recently, though, we’ve had a new and very specific problem: we’re receiving all our mail except for my wife’s New Yorker, which the publisher swears they send dutifully to our correct address each week, and which they report has never been returned. When I called the local post office to explain the problem, the supervisor I spoke with asked politely, “Does it say ‘New York’ right on the cover?” “Well, yeah,” I answered, wondering where we were headed. “OK, I’ll do what I can,” she said, “but you got to understand that some of these carriers don’t much like that kind of stuff from the East.” I thought for a long moment about how best to reply. Then, like the true Silver Hillsian I’ve become, I said, “Yeah, that makes sense.” After all, I didn’t want to be cranky. Femailman still won’t deliver the magazine, but I keep up the subscription because I like to picture a red-nailed, hairy arm lining the cat pan with a fresh New Yorker cover every Friday afternoon.

Michael P. Branch is Professor of Literature and Environment at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he teaches American literature and environmental studies. He has published five books and many articles on environmental literature, and his creative nonfiction has appeared in Utne Reader, Orion, Ecotone, Isotope, Hawk and Handsaw, Whole Terrain, and other magazines. He lives with his wife and two young daughters at 6,000 feet in the western Great Basin desert of Nevada.

Follow Rants from the Hill and other Range blog posts via High Country News RSS feeds.

Not an RSSer? Get weekly updates on new HCN content, including the Range blog, by signing up for our e-mail newsletter.

Essays in the Just West blog are not written by the High Country News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.

High Country News Classifieds
  • DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
    Are you a supporter of public lands and interested in a career in the nonprofit sector? Grand Teton National Park Foundation is hiring a Development...
  • RANCH GENERAL MANAGER
    Ranch General Manager for a large family-owned Ranch on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Diversified operations include: an agro-tourism educational retreat center, renewable energy and...
  • COMMUNICATIONS AND PROJECT COORDINATOR CONTRACTOR
    POSITION SUMMARY: The Communications and Project Coordinator will support the Executive Director (ED) in campaign and administrative related tasks. The Coordinator is responsible for research...
  • HOMESICK: WHY HOUSING IS UNAFFORDABLE AND HOW WE CAN CHANGE IT
    A timely, damning, and ultimately hopeful investigation of housing in the United States. Essential reading in the West.
  • OREGON AGRICULTURAL LAND EASEMENT (ALE) PROGRAM COORDINATOR
    Status: Full time Reports to: Conservation Program Manager Salary Range: $60,000-65,000 Duration: Position is funded for 12 months, with the expectation of annual renewal Benefits:...
  • VICE PRESIDENT OF CONSERVATION
    The Vice President of Conservation will arrive at a time of remarkable growth and opportunity within the organization. Guided by the bold and ambitious goals...
  • WINTER WILDLANDS ALLIANCE IS HIRING!
    Help us inspire and empower people to protect America's wild snowscapes! We are a small, mighty and growing team dedicated to our work and looking...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR- ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF WEST MARIN
    The EAC's Executive Director provides overall leadership for the operation of the organization. The Executive Director is responsible for implementing programs and policies set by...
  • UTE LEGENDS
    These carefully researched stories reflect a deep and abiding understanding of Ute culture and history. These authintic, colorful legends also illustrate the Ute's close connections...
  • FUNDRAISING ASSOCIATE - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News seeks an organized and collaborative Fundraising Associate to drive donor discovery and the cultivation and acquisition of mid-level and recurring gifts. This...
  • MONTANA CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE
    GYC is hiring! Please see our careers page for more details greateryellowstone.org/careers
  • 12 ACRES IN EAGLE, COLORADO!
    Tranquility & land are becoming more and more rare. This land is a haven for peace, where nature beckons & flourishes. Enjoy the mountain views...
  • SURGICAL SHARPENING SERVICE
    is a Denver-based mail order surgical instrument sharpening service established in 2009. Specialties include surgical scissors, dental elevators, trocar sets, and gynecological biopsy forceps.
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) seeks a strategic and visionary Executive Director: View all job details here- https://bit.ly/CCRHED
  • MONTANA BLUES
    Thrilling new crime novel by ex-HCN editor Ray Ring : A rural White horsewoman and an urban Black man battle White supremacists in a tough...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
  • COMING TO TUCSON?
    Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
  • WESTERN NATIVE SEED
    Native plant seeds for the Western US. Trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and regional mixes. Call or email for free price list. 719-942-3935. [email protected] or visit...