As many times as it has crossed my screen as I watch certain late night talk shows on line, I enjoy the insurance commercial where the witch soars airborne through, wait for it, a broom factory. The composition, energy of flight and special effects beat what I've seen of many large budget fantasy films.

Corn brooms were a part of my career and felt even more of a prop (look busy!) at the bus facility. Inside and outside pickup, of course, and in my stabs at seasonal work, floors and walls, one had to first whisk the floor. Yes, many were gone through but the number was held down what with my specialty, running things into the ground. Okay, bad one but maybe a most appropriate object for it.

And nearly from the outset I learned I never had to request any in a supply order. I would purloin but one new specimen here and there from the "Robbie The Robot" room where they were kept. Okay, it was where the vestiges of the classic computer concept were in the building: a blocky panel filled with twinkling lights containing hardware to serve the site's 'pooters.

The new brooms were for the garage and especially the drivers; one was to be kept on each bus. And when a driver was discarding a worn one via our parking barrels, inevitably it would be in better shape than mine and the Gent exchange program had another transaction.

Next door to the lot was a warehouse which kept bottles for the nearby brewery. A truck would bring in a load of bottles, usually recycled, which the place would clean and stack. Then a like load of prepared bottles would be put in the trailer to be taken to the brewery, where a load of the beverages would be taken on with which to hit the road.

The used corn brooms and I mimiced the process to a degree.

I just read another piece about the demise of the post office and indeed physical mail, as well as conventional sales of recordings. I'm yet waiting for that. In the mean time, there will always be something physical with which to sweep up another subject which will always be around, stuff on the floor. How long the latter waits is another subject.