"When I was in college, I read Eudora Welty's story "Why I Live at the P.O.". The story stuck with me. When it came time years later to name the program, I remembered the title, rearranged it a bit to "Bringing the P.O. to where you live," and used it for the program's motto. Then I named it Eudora in honor of Ms. Welty."

"The story and its analyses are not mirror-opposites of each other. They are not reflections, either one. Criticism indeed is an art, as a story is, but only the story is to some degree a vision; there is no explanation outside fiction for what the writer is learning to do."

    "Papa-Daddy is about a million years old and's got this long-long beard. "Papa-Daddy, Sister says she fails to understand why you don't cut off your beard."
    So Papa-Daddy l-a-y-s down his knife and fork! He's real rich. Mama says he is, he says he isn't. So he says, "Have I heard correctly? You don't understand why I don't cut off my beard?"
    "Why," I says, "Papa-Daddy, of course I understand, I did not say any such of a thing, the idea!"
    He says, "Hussy!"
    I says, "Papa-Daddy, you know I wouldn't any more want you to cut off your beard than the man in the moon. It was the farthest thing from my mind! Stella-Rondo sat there and made that up while she was eating breast of chicken."
    But he says, "So the postmistress fails to understand why I don't cut off my beard. Which job I got you through my influence with the government. 'Bird's nest' is that what you call it?"
    Not that it isn't the next to smallest P.O. in the entire state of Mississippi.
    I says, "Oh, Papa-Daddy," I says, "I didn't say any such of a thing, I never dreamed it was a bird's nest, I have always been grateful though this is the next to smallest P.O. in the state of Mississippi, and I do not enjoy being referred to as a hussy by my own grandfather." But Stella-Rondo says, "Yes, you did say it too. Anybody in the world could of heard you, that had ears."
    "Stop right there," says Mama, looking at me.
    So I pulled my napkin straight back through the napkin ring and left the table."

    "Washed its face, and it was paint all over it made it look red. It all come off. And it could talk-as good as me or you. But they'd tole it not to, so it never did. They'd tole it if anybody was to come near it they was comin' to git it-and for it to hit 'em quick with that iron bar an' growl. So nobody ever come near it."