I'm not used to fielding compliments at the newspaper, especially when it comes to delivery.
When people call the newspaper to talk about delivery, it's not usually good news. In general, not that many people need to talk to us when things are going good. It's when things are bad that the phone lines usually light up.
Maybe we've had a problem with the press and deliveries are late.
Maybe it's a driving rain and many of the deliveries are sitting soaked out on someone's lawn.
Each day we get calls from someone who did not get their paper.
In this winter of our discontent, I get calls just about every day from readers who lament that they must wander out into the elements - including this thing called the "polar vortex" - to retrieve their paper.
One thing you must realize about our local, longtime readers. You need to put an accent over that word "longtime."
The truth is our demographic when it comes to our print audience is an older person. Most have been reading the paper for decades, or as they inevitably remind me, "since it was the Chester Times."
Like me, they don't have much use for this cold weather.
Add in snow and ice, and many of them don't want to venture out of the house, and that includes to get their daily dose of Delco news in the Daily Times.
All of which is why I've been delighted in the past two weeks of this brutal cold to hear from several customers who wanted to sing the praises of one of our carriers.
His name is Carl Bartholomew.
Phyllis Raymond lives in Swarthmore. She's been reading the Daily Times for decades. In short, it is part of her morning ritual. She wouldn't consider starting her day without it.
Unless Mother Nature intercedes.
Phyllis is in her 80s. She doesn't want to go outside and risk life and limb in this weather, even to get her treasured Daily Times.
Enter Carl Bartholomew.
"He's just wonderful," Phyllis told me this morning.
A lot of carries simply drop the paper on the sidewalk or driveway. Not Carl. He knows his customers, and he knows many of them are unable to deal with snow and ice.
So he puts their coveted newspaper in their front door, or someplace they can get it without having to venture out in the elements.
We are going to get a slight break today, with the temperature going above 40 for the first time in weeks.
But temperatures are going to go right back off the cliff overnight, and we are due to be back in the single digits tomorrow.
These days we don't spent that much time talking about our print product.
The buzz in the industry is about digital, as it should be. That's where our future is.
People like Phyllis Raymond are part of our past. So is Carl Bartholomew.
As we careen toward our future, here's to noting a couple of very important parts of our present - and past.
Thanks for reading, Phyllis.
Thanks for caring, Carl.
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