Reminiscence Of A Mail Carrier

Views from the backroom of the Millis post office.

These pics show a calm, clean and organized work area but don't be fooled, come 8AM on any given morning this room is complete chaos. Racks, dollies and pallets loaded with mail, magazines and packages all being sorted with mail clerks scurrying and mail carriers sorting and casing mail.

This first pic is the "case" for route 7, the route I primarily did for the last several months of my tenure -

Here is the case for route 10, which is referred to as the auxiliary route.  Meaning it's the smallest route in the Millis PO, spans two towns; Millis and Norfolk, and made up of odd stops. I learned on this route, spending most of my early months on it -

Although, not labeled, below is the case for route 8.  This is the route I was mentored on and learned on when starting out as a mail carrier, and would often fill in on when the regular carrier was out.  Of the three routes I did, this was the largest with the most stops and typically up there as one of the routes that has the most packages per day.  It was also the most challenging of routes because of it's size, number of stops and the convoluted house numbering order - 

The orange bins, which are older and used mostly by the "rural" carriers, are known as "pumpkins" and where the clerks place the packages for each route. Most mornings these bins are usually full, overflowing actually, with packages stacked along side them -

The blue bins below are the new "pumpkins". These are used by the "city" carriers.  The flat wooden cart, of which there are many, are used by the carriers to bring the trayed, sorted mail out to the LLV mail trucks for loading -

The unofficial USPS mail carriers creed -

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

Outdoor Chores Completed!

** Update **

Okay, now it's official!

As of today my yard is now 99.5% winterized and put to bed!

Patio furniture stowed, hoses drained and stowed, and took the deck sail down and stowed!

I got my wires crossed thinking this past Monday was the day the town was to pickup the yard waste, however, it's actually next Monday, the 10th. So, my mistake actually worked to my advantage and allowed me to add more bags.

So, I added (8) more leaf bags to the pile, making the total now (44)!

Today, I mowed my entire lawn for the last time this season, making it the 19th time.  What I like to do with the last mowing is to lower the mower deck, so instead of #6, I cut it on #4; nice and short.  Hoping this helps prevent the remaining leaves from getting caught up in the grass and instead make them easier to get blown away.

Here are a couple pics of the freshly mowed side and back lawns.

Also, this year I took a different approach to pruning the (14) tall ornamental grasses I have around the pool and yard.  In years past I would tie them up, then cut each down at the base; (14) easy to move bundles.  However, since I no longer have a way to get these big bulky bundles down to the recycling center, this year I cut then down in handfuls, then cut them up in 6"-8" lengths into the brown yard recycling bags and simply added them to the pile at the end of the driveway.

Not ideal! A lot of work and a lot of time to do it this way but at the end of the day they'll all be gone come Monday, so I'm gonna take it as a win.

I have one planter with a still flowering annual that I couldn't dump out, so this is the .05% remaining to be completely outside winterized.

I ended the day by rearraigning the garage a bit, which then allowed me to pull my car in, where it will be parked out of the elements for the winter months.

Phew, "Calgon take me away"....

Reseeding Obstacle Course

The little bit of grass that I have in the fenced in pool area happens to also be where Ms. Trixie does her "business".  I don't have a before pic but as you might imagine her urine killed much of grass where she "goes".

About 2 months ago I planted the last of the grass seed I had in the dead grass area, then laid a scrap piece of wire on top in an effort to keep Ms. Trixie from "watering" it 😁

You can see the wire fencing in the below pic and how nicely, and green, the new grass has done, for now.  It will all be killed off again once I remove the wire -

It's comical to watch Ms. Trixie when she tries to walk on the wire. She stumbles and fumbles and almost trips at time as she tries to get off of it.  It's like she forgets it's there but not all the time. She's definitely my dog and takes after me in many ways, the poor thing.

For example, below she successfully navigated the wire, walking around the edges, to eventually (OMG the drama and time it takes for her to decide where and the position she needs to be in is maddening, especially when it's 2AM) cop-a-squat and take herself a poop 💩 -

 

I assured her that I (prolly) wouldn't be posting her compromising pic for all to see, so Shh, this will be our little secret.

STOP! Enough Already

My USPS delivered mail from yesterday -

(6) pieces and ALL mass mailing junk!

I tear these items up and right into the trash they go, never looking at any of it.

What a waste of resources and the mail carriers time, as each piece need to handled multiple times before even being delivered. Since most of this junk mail is addressed, it forces the carrier to stop at each and every mailbox, thus extending his\her day and why you often see mail carriers out late and well after dark.

The USPS, the whores that they are, luv this junk for the money it generates for them,  They do NOT care about the waste it creates, the mail carriers time and effort to sort and deliver, nor the customers who simply do NOT want to receive this annoying ka-ka, and do as I do and immediately toss it all into the trash.

The USPS mail has become just as annoying and bothersome as email spam and general advertisements!  Whether it be on regular TV, e.g. an NFL game, a paid services, e.g. Netflix or simply accessing the Internet to read an article, e.g. Foxnews!

All incessant, overbearing and unwanted.

I would be interested to see a break down of how much work or responses these solicitations actually generate and if they're even worth the expense.

Thirty-Six!

(36) is the final number of leaf bags that I jam-packed filled, plus (1) full green landscape barrel, that are all curbside and awaiting pickup today!  

My neighbor across the street spent most of this past weekend out raking and filling leaf bags also, which are curbside for today's pickup!

It's nice having, some, neighbors that take pride in their yards and put in the effort to rake.

I see it as being neighborly; an obligation of sorts, to do my part to clean up my yard of as many leaves as possible. After all it does suck when you do all the work to have a clean yard, only to have the neighbors leaves blow into my yard because they're lazy and can't be bothered to put in the effort. I agree it's hard work and not much fun, however, it's also a necessary evil, and one of many being a homeowner.

You can see in the second picture above, the leaf covered lawn to the right of my across-the-street neighbors, oodles of leaf bags. One windy day could very well blow a majority of those leaves next door, even into my clean yard.

C'mon neighbors keep up!

Support Our Veterans

I hemmed and hawed long enough.

I finally went through all the items; clothes, bedding, towels, etc., that I've been setting aside this past year for donation, bagged it all up and scheduled a pickup this past Wednesday.

I support the Vietnam Veterans of America organization and have been donating to them for many, many years now -

They came just before lunch and took all the bagged items. Oddly, for some reason, they did not take the Bundt cake dish in the box and left that behind.

It's nice to have these items picked up and out of the way.

Hope they all go to good use!

Poppity Pop Pop Yum!

Welcome November!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching it's time to visit Trader Joe's to pick yourself up a bag or two or more of their seasonal Thanksgiving stuffing seasoned popcorn, SO flipp'n good but addicting!

I'm a fan of Trader Joe's and shop there often for my basic staples, e.g. produce, milk and egg type things. 

Last year I stumbled upon this popcorn, took a chance and purchased a single bag because I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out it's delicious but when I went back for more, they were sold out and apparently quite popular.

So, being a seasonal item and all, I was SOL, that darn Murphy strikes again, CURSES!

But NOT this year, no sir!

I picked up these two bags earlier in the week - one bag has already been consumed, HEHEHE, and I'll be making another stop at TJ's early next week to grab a couple more.

Just a side note - I refuse to read the ingredients list on this popcorn, as I'm sure these are not the best snacks for you.  However, being good on what I eat most of the time, and these being seasonal, I'm giving myself a free pass to enjoy these guilt free!

Now I need a toothpick!

Clueless and Selfish

Let me ask you all a question...

What are your thoughts on people who bring cups of a beverage, e.g. hot coffee or hot tea, with them when visiting and going to real-estate open houses?!

Yay or Nay?

Personally, I find it VERY presumptuous and 100% unacceptable!

My neighbors house is for sale and they had an open house the other day.  Since my house is also on the market, I kept a close eye on the (few) parties that came.

I watched as one couple unloaded their kids and then each gathered up what looked like takeout hot coffee or hot tea cups as they marched right into the house with these items in hand. Honestly, you're taking a house tour NOT visiting friends\family, which will take what 5, 10, 15 minutes?  Can't you go that long without your coffee or tea, really?! Leave that shit in the car!  What happens if a cup spills; on carpet? on a piece of furniture? on whatever? Who's responsible for cleaning the spill and subsequent costs of on an item that needs professional cleaning?

Yeah, sorry NOT sorry but NO WAY!  I've already reached out to my realtor to let her know that under no circumstances are cretin visitors allowed to enter my open houses with food or beverage. I struggle as it is with just having dirty strangers parading through my house.

C'mon, there's a time and place!

Why not light a cigarette too, use the toilet (EWWW) or lay in my bed (tosses bed out the window after learning this) while you're at it.

Show some respect, common decency and self control, IT'S NOT YOUR PLACE!

It frustrates me to no end having to mention this seemingly obvious thing!

POS

An LLV BOO!

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some Halloween themed decorations and the last pictures taken from the driver seat of my LLV, SNIFF -

Be safe out there!

Happy Halloween!

I "Wiped" Out...

Oh boy, did I screw up, UGH!

I inadvertently bought a package, 4-rolls, of "Greg Frye" 1-ply toilet paper earlier this week!

Yes, I'm sure an ideal product for septic systems and waste processing plants, as it begins to disintegrate as soon as you take the rolls out of the plastic wrap. But honestly, it's virtually useless, even if you try to stack it into a multiply, still useless!

I don't believe this product could even be used to "TP" someone's yards this Halloween, it's that bad.

Actually, it "stinks"...

It's A Never Ending Cycle

As stated in an earlier post, fall cleanup has begun here at the ole homestead, and here's proof -

So far, (24) full and jam-packed leaf bags, curbside awaiting pick up on Monday!

Alas, there's still plenty of leaves yet to fall and oodles to still rake up but I'll chip away at it and rake up what I can between today and Monday.  The more I get up, the more the town will cart off and that much less that I need to pile up in my already full composting area.

Judgement Free Zone

Admittedly, I am a recovering CheezIt addict, which I'm pretty sure I inherited from my dad and have since passed along to my youngest daughter. Please don't judge us.

Today, I regret to inform you that I've fallen off the CheezIt wagon, alas!

<sniff> I successfully fought the urge to purchase a box of these delicious snack crackers with every trip to the grocery store for months and months and months.  

But sadly, during my last visit over the weekend, the endcap display of CheezIts was just too much, that I succumbed and bought the below extra crunchy, bold cheddar box -

 And I do NOT regret it, not one bit, neener neener neener!

They are delicious, YUM!

Ms. Trixie agrees too and give them -

The Katydids By Golly!

When we were in Tennessee a couple weeks ago, we drove up onto our property to have a look around and check out the views, AND we were NOT disappointed.

The land had yet to be hayed and was quite a bit overgrown, which makes it an idle place for all sorts of critters but NOT for us walking. Oodles of grasshoppers and many opted to hitch a ride with us too.

I wish I had taken more pics to capture some of the other varieties but these are the only ones I snapped but how fortuitous was I to capture a male and female of the same family?!

Turns out these are NOT true grasshoppers at all!  Rather, these are Short-winged Meadow Katydids and a member of Tettigoniidae, which is the family for long-horned grasshoppers and katydids, that are distinguished by their long, thread-like antennae.

Female - 

Male -

The hind leg of the female, that she seemingly dropped off herself when I attempted to pinch her back legs together in an effort to pick her up to take a different angle pic, OUCH -

Something I just learned from the Google machine - "Insects can only regrow limbs during their nymph stage, before their final molt into adulthood. Once they become adults, their ability to regenerate limbs is gone, and any lost appendages are permanent."

Oops, SO sorry!

I've named her Eileen (I lean), hehehe

Eerie Creepy Crawly

Have a look at this creature!

I came inside from working out in the yard yesterday afternoon to find this engorged tick crawling on the kitchen floor, next to Ms. Trixie's bed! 

Even though this dude was blown up and full of blood, it was surprisingly still mobile, although slow.  However, when plopped into the toilet, NOT so mobile after all -

Interestingly, last week Emilie found a tick behind one of Ms. Trixie's ears.  It was dug in and had started to fill and balloon up!  We removed it and washed out the area with hydrogen peroxide. We did a quick check and didn't notice any others at that time, so not sure if we simply missed this dude or if she picked it up afterwards.

The Google machines states that adult ticks can grow from the size of a poppy seed to about the size of a pea in 7-10 days, an increase in size by up to 120 times, so it's possible the critter above was after.

Naïve of me for thinking Ms. Trixie wouldn't pick up any ticks since she's relegated to the fenced in pool area.  I'm sure there are many ways ticks can get into the pool area, with wild rabbits and squirrels being the most likely, as they're regular visitors to this area.

The other more likely culprit is that both Emile and I have taken Ms. Trixie out during the numerous open houses I've had over the past couple of weeks.  I've taken her to the school just down the street and we've spent time walking the ball fields. I've seen foxes and deer in the past in the same field, so there's that...

She'll be getting a tubby this afternoon and a thorough inspection to ensure she's tick free, for her sake and mine.

Makes me rethink letting her sleep next to me at night, geesh!

Fall Clean Up Has Begun!

Here's a surprise (not), I spent several hours out in the yard yesterday.

It was a beautiful afternoon and perfect weather to start on the ole fall cleanup. The town of Franklin does a yard waste pickup each fall, with mine scheduled for Monday, November 3. I've always taken advantage of this and plan to do so again this year.

So, I started cutting back some of the plants that were killed by a frost we recently had and did some raking with everything being stuffed into big brown paper leaf bags and placed curbside.

There are endless leaves on the ground but still oodles on the trees, so there's still a lot of work coming. I'll chip away at it each day with the goal of filling as many leaf bags as possible by the 3rd.

The other chore I crossed of the fall clean up list was tending to my bird baths -

With water still in them, I added some bleach and let them soak for a while.  I returned with a brush and scrubbed each clean removing the algae, grime, dirt and bird poop that collected over the summer months, see above.

The tops then come off and get stored under cover for the winter.  I've never chanced leaving them out for fear of the water freezing and cracking the tops.  This year, I also plan to scrub the stands and bring them inside also.

There's always something that needs tending to, it's never ending.

"Be The Ball Danny"

When It Rains, It Pours

So this happened about a couple months ago, UGH!

See the crack circled in red below?!  Well that is my right front tooth and that is a crack, under the gum line, where I snapped the tooth, ALAS -

Frustratingly, it happen smack dab in the middle of BLT eating season and when local farm fresh corn on the cob was becoming available. Unable to bite into anything for fear of snapping the tooth completely off, I had to refrain from the above delicious items and SO much more too, SNIFF!

This is the culprit!  A word to the wise, PLEASE do NOT chew on these flossers -

Frick'n Murphy!  

Sadly, there is NO fixing this break and saving the tooth.

Rather the fix is a long one and a VERY expensive one!  It requires an oral surgeon to remove the tooth, and do some bone grafting. Wait 4-months. Return to oral surgeon and if all looks good and on track, a post will be installed. Wait another 2-months. Return to oral surgeon one more time and if all looks good, I then need to go to my regular dentist, who'll take an image of the area to have a fake tooth made, that will then be mounted to the post.

Here is the mouth piece, with a temporary tooth, that was made specifically for me.  This is only for aesthetics and needs to be removed when eating - 

Well, yesterday was the DAY!

As reluctant and nervous as I was, AND with a blood pressure reading of 164\94 (sitting in the surgeon's chair), I had the damaged tooth pulled, OUCH -

All stitched up and with a now unsightly, sore hole in my smile I was sent on my way.  Took about 1/2 hour from the time I pulled into the parking lot, to the time I pulled out AND will a much lighter wallet!

The bleeding finally stopped late last night, after sucking on gauze all day. Good thing I ate breakfast before I had the procedure, as I wasn't able to eat anything afterwards.

Feeling fine this morning but need to be very careful for the next week or so.  I'm relegated to soft foods, e.g. scrambled eggs, mac & cheese, soups and broths, etc.

And NO, having a front tooth removed is NOT a prerequisite to moving to Tennessee, HEHEHE!

Let the games begin... 

We Scored!

I found and shagged the following items from the weeds, thorns and overgrowth that runs along the ball field, at the school that is about a mile down the street from me:

(1) kick ball, (3) soccer balls, (2) footballs, (1) nurf ball, (2) frisbees and a wiffleball bat -

Trixie and I were killing time this past weekend while there was an "open house" being held at my place. So, we took a little drive then stopped at the school to get out, stretch do some walking and enjoy the beautiful afternoon -

We walked the ball field, which was built against the tree line and drops off pretty quickly, so a fence was installed.  All the above items were over the fence and stuck in the overgrowth.  Seems the town finally and somewhat recently cut back, although half-assedly done if I'm being honest, some of the overgrowth along the fence.  This exposed the above items and made them more accessible and easier to snatch.  There were other balls in there too, but still to difficult to get at and I wasn't willing to get torn up trying to shag them all.

You can see the shoddy workmanship that the town of Franklin's Highway and Grounds Division does, and what apparently what the town's management and administration find acceptable and are okay with -

The following pics show further proof of the dangers of doing half-assed work!

You can see small trees along the fence line that are on the inside of the ball field. These saplings were trimmed in such a manner that some of the limbs have been turned  into dangerous spears!  This is a ball field where town sports and intramurals are played, typically elementary aged kids.  Imagine what could happen God forbid if some kid ran into one of those spikes?!

Although, well deserved, I digress back into my town of Franklin bashing.

There is an after school program at this school called Solutions, that watches kids till parents get out of work. I plan to swing in there one of these afternoons to see if they're interested in the balls and stuff I snagged.  Some of these items could very well be there's anyway.