Neither snow nor rain . . .

After 11 years on the job delivering mail, Tom Davis has seen all kinds of weather. His route takes him mostly through Alsip, where snowy shifts provide an extra challenge Friday. He must forsake the mail cart and hand carry as much as his bag will hold.

"It's part of the job. I walk through the snow. I walk across laws with snow if they're not shoveled because it's the shortest distance between two point and that's it. You just have to have the big winter legs to do it. I have big calves," said Davis.

It's a challenge for just about anyone to get around in weather like this, but for postal workers like Davis, that old adage 'neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow' rings quite true.

"...You have to deliver the mail, so you go through the snow," said Davis. "It's my call, do I go up, do I deliver the mail or should I just hold it till tomorrow? But I take the time and do it."

"He works very hard tramping through all this snow every day. Some of us try to keep the sidewalks clear for him. He's really a good man. He's on time every day," said Bill Lanenga.

In fact, Davis said snow isn't the worst he's had to contend with. And no, it's not dogs either, although he admits to have been bitten twice in the past.

"Lightning hit the tree next to me. I was delivering mail by the lake, walking past a 100ft tall tree and lightning hit it and blew the bark off just 15ft in front of the tree," said Davis.

So how does today rate against other bad weather days?

"...Except for the depth of the snow, today is a good day as far as the traction goes because you don't have the ice," said Davis. "Staying dry is mainly the key."

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