Baby birds

We have this nest of baby sparrows in our barn. So cute! I love how they stick their little beaks out over the side of the nest just hoping for a bit of food. Every evening, after it cools off, we take our cats out into the fenced-in backyard (as opposed to their smaller "cat enclosure"). We know they could jump the fence and escape if they really wanted to so we only take them out there when we can sit out and supervise. But anyway, the adult sparrows see the cats come out and immediately start to congregate, tease, and dive-bomb which drives kitties crazy. So funny. The cats can't get to the barn, so the babies are safe.

All 4 kitties have gotten really used to their evening excursion out to explore the "big" yard. If we have made no move to head out by around 7 or so, Bitty, the most vocal of the group really lets us know about our mistake. I always find it interesting to see animals attuned to an inner time clock. Generally it involves food, but this is all about the fun. Its a nice little break to unwind anyway. We usually see a rabbit or 2, lots of birds, some frogs, a few lizards, and every once in a while we catch a glimpse of a couple of deer. We also have a bizarre looking red-headed woodpecker that makes an appearance in the big pecan tree. I wish I could get a picture of him.

Wish on a Star

These things would make me so happy. I wish...

-That chocolate had no calories. And was packed full of nutrients and healthy stuff.
Maybe ice cream too.

-That summer temps never got over 85. Warm enough to swim, but not so hot as to make me want to die

-A pool in the backyard. I want this one bad. Even just a small one. I have serious phobias about public pools. The thought of it makes me start to hyperventilate. So gross.

-That I had more time and energy for the fun stuff.

-That Erica, Stephen and Hannia find perfect jobs. Preferably someplace near here, but if not near then at least let it be the job of their dreams in a place that they enjoy. I know Hannia is not actively job hunting but if they move then she might...?

-That Greenville would get a Macy's. Please?

-That my new sub works out. She wants to work and I want time off. I just hope she can make it....she is struggling a little bit with the training. But I am going to be optimistic.

-That we could retire SOON and buy a beachfront home someplace in the Caribbean. I drool whenever House Hunter's International does a show down in the islands. I think Hannia prefers the European ones, and while I think those are interesting....its the beach house on a tropical island that makes me want to start packing my bags. LOL.
Most of the people seem to buy for investment/rental property, but seriously, if I had a house there I would never be able to come back and live here.

-That Sarah Palin would just go back to Alaska and disappear from the public radar. Oh please, please....just go ice fishing or something. Or look out and meditate over your backyard views of Russia. Or have some more kids. Something, anything that doesn't involve my having to hear that annoying voice EVER EVER EVER again.

-That my Dr. would just stop finding sh%t wrong with me. LOL.

-World Peace.

Good news....tentatively

We have been having some internet issues for the past few days. Turns out I am not a happy camper when I can't get online and see what's going on. Saturday it went out, and when I called our cable company I got an automated message saying service was temporarily interrupted in our area. So then I knew. But yesterday it went out again and there was no message. In fact, nobody else had reported an outage. Anyway we had to schedule a service call and it was apparently our modem. Which Bruce got them to replace. And it all seems to be working again, and I can be happy.

One funny thing is that we were discussing the possibility that it was our modem yesterday. Bruce told me to check out Best Buy's website to see if anything was on sale this week. And I actually picked up my laptop to check it out....because we both were not thinking about the fact that we had NO internet. LOL. I can't even shop without it anymore. Its so handy for price comparisons. We don't buy much of anything without price checks and reviews. Funny how dependent we get on technology.

Anyway, I got good news (tentatively) from my doc. My second round of blood tests for glucose levels came back only slightly elevated. My thyroid levels, which definitely ARE out of whack, can totally account for the screwy blood sugar. It wouldn't have if it was way off...but it can this little bit. I was so relieved. I have enough going on without having to add diabetes and insulin and watching every morsel of food that I eat into the mix. Anyway, I am taking the higher dosage of synthroid (thyroid replacement) and then go back for blood tests again in 3 months. Hopefully that will make a difference and everything will be back in more "normal" ranges. It scared me enough to start paying more attention to my diet though.

Anyway, its the last day of May (is this year just flying by or what?), and already we are having temps hovering near 100 degrees. It scares me. I don't do well in hot weather, and for it to be this hot already? Good Lord help me. Today was the blistering heat of July or August. I can't even imagine what those months are going to be like if this is May weather.

Too good to be true....

I had my yearly doctor's appointment Monday. I knew I had been feeling pretty good lately. Apparently TOO good. It was the calm before the storm. My doc called me Tuesday afternoon with the lab reports. Honestly, I though my phone battery was going to die before she could finish listing all of the things wrong with me.....(Ok, a bit of an exaggeration but it felt like that). My thyroid levels are all screwy again. And then there was a multitude of other things. Blood sugar high, cholesterol high, triglycerides high....it was ridiculous.

Anyway, I have to take another day off work and go back for more detailed tests tomorrow. The big question is whether or not I am facing being diabetic, or if its just the messed up thyroid hormones. Apparently whenever that gets off, it can throw off everything. So....? Oh well. I admit to having a day of a pity party. Of feeling like it was just not fair. But then I came to my senses and realized that being in the depths of despair about any of it wasn't going to help anything.

So I will go to the doc, do the tests, follow the advice....whatever it takes. Its not the end of the world if I have to make adjustments. I am going to ask the doc to give me 3 months or so to turn things around without meds (if that is possible). But if it turns out that another adjustment in thyroid hormones will take care of most of that....well, I will be a happy camper. Send me some happy vibes if you have any to spare. They will be much appreciated. :)

Things your mail carrier wishes you knew....Part 1

I try not to grouse and grumble about my job on a public forum, but right now I am neither grousing OR grumbling. I have been a mail carrier since forever. I am actually quite good at it, although I can't say that I always enjoy it every single day. But there are so many things that would make life much easier, not just for me, but for my customers.
I am sure I can't remember everything I wanted to say, but I will attempt to make a start. Here goes:

- Please remove your mail from the box, if not daily, then at least a couple of times a week. If you go on vacation use an official HOLD form to notify your carrier. And if you are moving, please please please fill out a form to forward your mail. You can even do this online now, and its a simple procedure. The problem is that I am required to return any mail that has not been claimed after 10 days. I have people who take the mail out of their box once or twice a month. I don't want to return important mail and cause a lot of trouble for my customers. But, if my route should be audited, and believe me, auditors seem to have set up shop in our local office lately, then my job will be on the line. I don't have a choice, so be aware of the 10 day rule. Please.

- Please don't run me down to ask if I have seen the letter that your great Aunt Martha mailed off to you last Tuesday. Its not that I don't care that your letter is missing. The fact is that on an average day I handle somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 letters, 500 to a 1000 magazines and newspapers and a whole slew of packages, sales papers, etc. We have to adhere to a strict time schedule which allows me approximately a millisecond to scan a letter for the delivery address and thats about it...I don't have the ability to recall a single specific letter out of all the ones I see in a day or have the time to pay attention to who the senders are. You can call the Postmaster who will most likely direct you to call the office it was mailed from. If it doesn't have a tracking number though, its going to be really difficult to track.

- Also?...every single piece of mail that comes into our office for that day of delivery MUST go out. Seriously, I can't pick and choose and decide that I want to hold back Great Aunt Martha's letter at my desk until sometime next Thursday. Those auditors (again with the auditors) make absolutely certain that NO mail is left behind and not delivered. If it comes into our office, we deliver it. That day!
We have no choice. If I don't have it chances are good it hasn't made it to our office yet. If its an important document, then consider paying a few cents more for a tracking number. If its REALLY important, consider certified or registered mail.

- Please please please do NOT run me down in the middle of my route, stopping traffic and putting both of us in an unsafe situation to ask me for your monthly check. My mail is trayed up, in order, in the back seat of my car and digging out a single piece is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wait for me to get to your address....I promise I will make it there as soon as I possibly can!!! Or consider direct deposit.

-Yes we sell stamps and yes I will affix a stamp to a letter or 2 if you leave money in your box. But please...we are under duress to deliver a whole lot of mail in a short period of time. Respect that our time is very limited. If you have more than a couple of letters just buy a book of stamps and peel and stick all of those stamps for yourself. Also? Handfuls of pennies are not appreciated. Counting out 44 pennies for a single stamp is difficult and time consuming while sitting in a running car on the side of the road with traffic baring down on us from all sides. Oh, and using tape to stick change to an envelope is a serious pain the rear for us. Just don't.

- Sometimes we have certified mail, registered mail, express mail that requires a signature. Please answer the door if you are home. And if you could put on a robe or a towel if you are naked, that would be appreciated. (Yes, it really DOES happen. LOL).

- If you have a dog in your yard, we won't get out of our vehicles. This is actually an official order from Headquarters. Its a safety issue. I know YOUR dog doesn't bite. The one that bit me didn't bite either....until he bit me. And I had to go through questioning as to why I wasn't following safety protocol (the dog was inside and pushed past his owner when the door was opened to chomp down on my thigh).
And then I had to watch a series of safety videos which was a real boring load of crappola. Believe me, we don't want to go through the hassle of being bitten. And you are not going to want to deal with the bill that the post office will hand you to pay the price for all the red tape they have to go through. They have to pay for those safety videos somehow, you know. Keep your dog inside, in a fence, or pick up your packages and signed items at the post office.

- The forever stamps are good for....wait for it...forever. LOL. You won't believe how many times we get asked that.

- We actually have to either deliver ALL of the mail addressed to your residence, or none of it. We don't get to pick and choose. No, I really can't stop putting junk mail in your box. The mailer has paid for me to deliver it and I have to do my job.
Also? If you are divorced or separated, I can't put the cable bill in your mail box but forward the car insurance bill to your deadbeat ex. I just can't keep that many details straight in my head. I have almost 700 families to try and keep straight.
I know its inconvenient but you are going to have to contact the senders and give them the addresses that you want the stuff sent to. I really am sympathetic and I wish I could be more helpful in that department, but its got to be all or nothing according to postal law.

to be continued because there really is so much more that needs to be said....:)

The cost of living

I can hardly believe how much it cost just to live lately. Not even to live in the lap of luxury, but just to perch of the knees of comfort. Grocery prices have really gone up around here. My beloved diet sodas....up by almost 2 dollars a carton. Luckily we only drink about a 12 pack a week. Well, each of us. Bruce likes Coke zero and I only want Diet Dr. Pepper. Fresh veggies are outrageous. I am trying to be much more conscious of not letting things spoil before we can use them. I buy less at one time and I try to keep an eye on what needs to be used up. I try to plan meals accordingly instead of just making whatever we are in the mood for. But still, its amazing how much I spend on food for just 2 people.

And don't even get me started on gas prices. How do people make it? Families with only 1 job? Or 2 jobs and a lot of kids? Or those folks who haven't even got jobs.
Its crazy harsh out there in the world. This afternoon, for example, we had errands to run. Bruce needed new tires, and I needed to pick up cat meds from our vet. An hour later we were back home just chatting about the day. New tires were something like $380 and he had to fill up with gas. Heartworm/flea medication for 4 cats was $90. Which will last for 2 months but still....we had blown through $500 in the blink of an eye.
Scary, isn't it?

I am grateful that we are able to make ends meet, but it is putting a serious kink in my plans for early retirement. Did you know that the Federal Government has suspended putting matching funds into our 401Ks? They spend recklessly, bail out shady investment companies, and now they can't pay into my 401K and I have to suffer because of it? Does that seem right to anybody out there? Of course, we have been promised the funds will be replaced ...in August. I am not sure that I trust them. But they aren't asking for my blessings on the matter so its not like I have any choice. Oh well, its not like I can afford to quit to show my disdain. Not when we can go through $500 in the time it takes to sneeze. :( Hopefully things will turn around eventually. I am trying not to put a dooms day spin on anything, but sooner would be much better than later.

Happy Birthday Erica

My daughter. My precious little baby girl is so grown up now. I can't believe my eyes when I see her. I spent so much time, when she was just a tiny little thing, wondering, daydreaming about what she might become. What would she look like? What would her personality be like? I have these random moments burned into my memory of her as a baby, as a child. Not the highlight moments, like birthdays or holidays. I have pictures of those. But unremarkable every day moments that fly by all too fast. How I used to watch her sleep those first few months of her life, so scared something might happen. Was she still breathing? Sometimes I would run my finger lightly over her lips if she was sleeping so soundly that I couldn't see her chest rise and fall. She would pucker her lips like a kiss without waking up. It reassured me that she was doing fine. I used to rock her to sleep, holding her tiny little body wrapped in a baby blanket and singing a little song I made up just for her bedtime. It was a simple little rhyme that I can still remember. It worked as far as lulling her to sleep. Unless she was smart enough at a few months old to realize that if she would pretend to be asleep I would stop singing. LOL. I don't have the best voice, and noone would dispute that.

There was Erica at 3 years old, pouting over a pink little sundress that she wanted at the mall. "But I'm a pretty girl!", she argued when I tried to put it back on the rack because she had enough sundresses for the summer. She stamped her little foot for emphasis. "And pretty girls NEED pretty clothes!" She got the dress. How can you argue with that kind of logic? Erica at 4 or 5 years old. We were at the county fair. Erica was wearing a pair of little blue jeans and a pink sweater. Always pink. She only wanted to wear pink. Her hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. She had gone into one of those giant blow up jumping castles. And I watched her, her face was radiant with absolute glee. Jumping, leaping, loving every minute of it. She was totally into My Little Ponies back then. Never barbies....just the ponies. I remember thinking to myself right then that she was MY precious little pony with her ponytail bobbing up and down. One moment frozen in time. Strange the random things we remember.

But now she is grown up, and making a life all her own. She is more than I hoped she would be. She exceeded all of my daydreams. So smart, so ambitious, so independent.
Where did all of that come from? Certainly not from me. LOL. But its who and what she is, however it happened. And I am proud of her, in awe of her. She will have her doctorate in the near future. My very own Dr. Baby, PhD. And still....no matter how old she is or how many degrees she attains, or whatever micro-biology miracles she achieves....she will ALWAYS be my precious little pony. Happy Birthday beloved daughter of mine. May all of your hopes and dreams be fulfilled. You deserve nothing less. We love you. Happy Birthday!