Stamps

A couple of days ago I took in four packages to the post office to mail off to different parts of the world (old obis right?)

Ah, here comes Mrs. Watanabe with her irregularly wrapped packages and tape sticking out everywhere... (There was one time when one of the girls offered to re-wrap my package for me.)

I plunked my packages down on the counter, and filled out my forms while the girl weighed each package and applied the usual tape-ticket stamp thingy.

"Um... Excuse me... Could I have stamps on my packages instead of the tape-ticket thingy? Stamps are so much prettier and I think my friends in other countries would like to receive a package with Japanese stamps."

The post office girl apologized profusely, asking forgiveness for not giving more consideration to my packages. She carefully peeled the tape-ticket thingies off my packages and brought out pretty stamps for me to choose from.

"You could use a combination of these and for this package you will need twelve 80 yen stamps and four 50 yen stamps. Or you could use one 300 yen stamp and six 8o yen stamps plus two 50 yen stamps and a couple 20 yen stamps too..."

I was having a field day.

"Ooh! I like this one and this one and I want to include a couple of these and maybe this one too... And for this package that a child is going to get, I want the stamps with cartoon characters!"

I had stamps all over the counter and the girl was giving me free range to divide stamp packages and sheets the way I wanted. (I think they must be giving me special privileges. Normally I wouldn't think you'd hand a customer a box of stamps and let her pick and choose and paw through everything... I've been going to this post office for over 15 years.)

Each of my four packages had different amounts of stamps laid out on them and arranged as I liked. I'm sure the post office people were happy when I finally left.

Yesterday I was back at the post office. Different girl but she nodded knowingly about the four packages I'd sent the day before. I must be a post office gossip topic.

"You would like stamps right? Here are some different ones from yesterday." And she handed me more boxes of stamps.

I was tearing apart a sheet that I especially liked that had a scene of Japan with stamps on the bottom.

"Oh, this is so nice. It seems a shame to tear the stamps away from the pretty picture. Can I just put the whole sheet on my package? On the back of my package? (no room on the front.)

"Oh yes, you can do whatever you'd like just as long as the stamps are on there."

So I made up four more packages all with pretty stamps plastered everywhere some with stamps on the back.

I warned the post office girls that I'm coming back with more packages again today... They were very nice to smile at me and say that they looked forward to helping me again.

I really ought to make a batch of cookies for the nice post office girls.