I love rural living. I was born and raised on a farm, and later married a farmer. It’s the best life. I love the peace and solitude, the privacy, the space to live away from the gawking eyes of others.
But there is one thing in particular that detracts from this utopic life. It’s the problem of mail / courier service.
I don’t mind driving to pick up my mail, and I’m thankful we still have service in our little hamlet. But international companies often refuse to send items through Canada Post. A PO Box does not, in their estimation, constitute an official address. I’ve offered my land description (including the color of my house), but they don’t think that’s funny.
I realize in cities, people can choose mailboxes in order to remain anonymous. But where I live, my box number is my address. 
Example: I ordered two boxes of my books from amazon. I pleaded with them to send by mail, but they cannot do that, especially to a foreign country like Canada. I contacted Canada Customs, and they told me all my out-of-country packages go to Winnipeg, so if I can pick them up there, it’s all good. Only an eight-hour drive.
If, however, I want my order to come nearer to my home, I have to use UPS, for a small fee. UPS takes it as far as Saskatoon, and then offloads to a truck delivery service. Since I don’t have a street address, I have asked the community center (which houses the municipal office) to accept my parcels, where I pick them up once I’ve been notified. BUT, if I don’t know when the truck arrives, I’m not there to pick up the parcels and pay the fee, so the trucker—in this case, Mario— takes them back to Saskatoon, and the circus begins.
This time I managed to pay the fee over the phone, so the truck will drop off my books tomorrow, paid. I hope.
I still wouldn’t trade my rural life for regular courier service, but I would love to receive my orders through the mail.
Have you experienced something similar? What have you done about it?
Janice L. Dick 