SEVEN LITTLE POSTMEN!

I think perhaps we are the luckiest book people around - our post office is located in our building! All we have to do is run downstairs (which is apparently how Steve, our Post Master, says he knows when we have an order to ship - he can hear Eddy, my partner, running down the stairs in the hallway next to the post office. I don't know how many times we have bragged to people about our Post Master; he really is the greatest asset our business has. Sometimes it feels like we've got "the Grand Parents Syndrome - you know, "OH, my grand daughter is sooo cute, wanna see some photos?" Only we didn't have photos, which is probably the only thing separating our zeal from theirs. Well, now we do have a photo! Isn't he great?






Steve has stuck by us through thick and tornado (8/18/05) and always has a sweet disposition (post office workers who have "gone postal" could take lessons from his calm demeanor under pressure!)
As you can probably guess from the fact that you've probably never heard of our town (Viola,) and you're probably pronouncing it V-ee-ola instead of V-eye-ola, we live in a small town. Very small. Population of 667: almost all of whom we see going up & down our stairs every day as they visit the Post Office. The other great thing about living in the Post Office Building is that it is also the hub of information for the community. Anything you want to know in terms of what's happening can be found out right there on those steps...

For those of you, who when you hear the word "Wisconsin," immediately see images of zealous sports fans dressed in cheese head hats, should know there is a very good reason for such behavior: it is also known as Packer Country. Our delightful postmaster is an avid Packer fan, (though it would be very difficult for me to imagine him with a cheese wedge on his head) and has found many of the Packer books we have come across irresistable. We're always on the look-out for new Packer books for him, but at our last book buying outing we spotted The Little Golden Book "Seven Little Postmen," & we just couldn't resist it! We gave it to him as a gift today (though we wish we could give him something bigger like free tickets to a Packer game or something more representative of his importance.) But he was happy with it (the vintage illustrations are sooo cute!) He said that the little boy looked like he did as a kid. Well, it turns out that there is a post office in another town that is putting together an exhibit of old time post office ephemera. He's going to loan it to them. Thanks Steve, You're the greatest!







This is a photo of The old feed mill in town, which was more recently being used as a "Flea Market." The owner Gene also has 2 other buildings, one is the old opera house, which seated 500 people in "The Day," a hundred years ago, and also the old Odd Fellows Hall. Both are gems. Gene is in the process of looking for interested buyers to take them over so he can move to his off-the-grid dream acre in Alaska. Our hope is that a fellow bibliophile will buy them & help to create a beautiful Mid-western Book Village with us. Let us know if you're interested...