Last weekend, the paper didn't show at my apartment. I don't usually make a fuss about it, since I work at the newspaper and can always get another copy there. And half the time I discover it in some hidden spot under a step or in a recycling bin.
Besides, it was exceptionally snowy and there were apparently problems at the plant, so few of my coworkers got the paper that morning. I figured it might be delivered later in the day or with the next day's paper. It never was.
Or so I thought. Yesterday, a full week later, I found it in a receding snowbank. Frozen solid.
To add insult to injury, it happened to be the issue wrapped in the Christmas card from my carrier. (We'll ignore for a moment the irony of having a French Christmas card wrapped around an English paper, especially since many carriers distribute more than one paper.)
It took a few hours to thaw out, and it'll be a few days until it dries. Even though I picked up another copy of that day's paper, I'm kind of curious if I'll be able to read it.
that.. was.. so .. prophetic...
This is the reason why I cancelled my subscription to La Grosse Praïsse (le quotidien français le plus épais d’Amérique) 20 years ago; it would consistently arrive soaked whenever it was raining.
How hard is it to aim for the newpaper holding brackets on the mailbox from the other side of the street???
Actually, La Presse now bags the paper in winter-time. My neighbor is a subscriber, and her copy is always in one piece, not all soaked, even though it's left on our building's doorstep.