Beware Where You Step!

Well, lookie there!

Thankfully, I found them BEFORE they found anyone because it could have been painful and dangerous!

Do y’all know what this quarter sized hole in the ground is, hmmm 🤔 -

Click the link to watch a short video for the answer -

Can You Beelieve It!

Bees 🐝 but not just any ole bees, nasty yellow jackets! Highly defensive and mean, and just feet away from our front stairs where we come and go, and near where Ms. Trixie goes to do her business 

Suffice to say, they won’t be stinging anyone. We took care of the pending problem and let’s just say, we attacked before them!

Bumble Bee Tuna Bones

I found this fish bone is a can of tuna -

Thankfully, I found it as I prepared the tuna!

It's getting dangerous out here!

Be Alert At All Times!

The dangers are real, VERY real!

A fellow postal carrier was rear-ended earlier in the week while out delivering mail on his route!

Slammed into by someone driving too fast (some were saying close to 40mph), too impatient and likely not even really paying attention.

Thankfully he was wearing his seatbelt, however, he was severely concussed, severely bruised where the seatbelt was (which not only is a laptop belt but also one that comes down and across your chest) and suffered a broken foot and broken arm.  Although, this happened in Millis, MA, he was rushed to Mass General Hospital in Boston for care!

This is the LLV he was rear-ended in.  The front passenger side is all smashed in too, as he was pushed into a stone wall.  The picture doesn't really show the damage and how bad the truck really is -

This could have been SO much worse too.  We not only deliver USPS mail but also Amazon and UPS packages.  These range in size from small, will fit in the mailbox, to BIG and heavy, which require the mail carriers to dismount the LLV to drop the package at the front door, garage, etc.. We're all super vulnerable as we undo the seatbelt to exit the truck, then climb back in and buckle back up. I can't imagine the outcome had this carrier been unbuckled and in the midst of the above.  Also, not to mention that we have an arm out the LLV most of the day, while placing mail in mailboxes, often times needing to stick more than an arm out in order reach a mailbox. It's scary to think of the scenarios of getting rear-ended when in this vulnerable position.

I see it every day that I'm in the LLV, people are SO impatient, drive too fast, come too close to the truck as they speed by and often times are angry that we're blocking the road by honking and flipping the bird.

I don't know what the answer is to address this but would VERY much like to see the police step up the enforcement of speeders, aggressive drivers and distracted drivers, AND not just in protection of postal carriers but for everyone on the road that has to deal with the selfish POS who think they own the road.

Making Changes; Improvements!

The More You Know!

I'm tossing my plastic, and perfectly fine, cutting boards!  Why you ask?  Well, let me tell yeah...

Plastic cutting boards could expose you to putting millions of microplastics into your food!

The USDA actually recommends using a wooden cutting board for everything including meat, fish and poultry.

I'm learning that plastics items in general are just not safe, especially ones in the kitchen, as they leak microplastics.  So, no more plastic storage containers for me, glass only!

Other kitchen changes I've made - no more non-stick pots & pans and aluminum (tin) foil with their cancer causing PFAS, no more plastic bottles of water. I've changed my milk, cream, butter, ketchup, mayo to organic, even the type of bread I buy.  Changed the laundry detergent I use, as well as the dryer sheets; no more Bounce. Cutting out all the bad snacks too, e.g. Cheez-Its, Goldfish, corn chips, oreos, most cereals, candy, to name just a few!  All contain too much sugar, salt, dyes, nasty chemicals and much more.

All bad news and all very bad for you!  All gone from my kitchen, my home and my lifestyle.

No wonder there are SO many health issues today and why SO many are obese and overweight.

It's quite shocking that the FDA allows this.

A Papier-Mache Basketball

Sort of a find the critter post, first picture anyway...

When mowing the lawn the other evening I noticed something familiar in the grass beneath this red maple.  Knowing full well what it was, I looked up and was shocked to see what I saw!

Approximately 15' up from the ground was this enormous Bald-Faced hornets nest!

I honestly don't recall ever seeing one so BIG!  This dude is BIGGER than a basketball.  As you can see in the picture below, the bottom of the nest is missing a piece.  This is the familiar item that was lying on the ground beneath the tree.  Very distinct and telling that such a nest was nearby but that close was a bit troubling.

I believe, for the most part anyway, that leaving things like critters alone and they'll leave you alone.  Of course it doesn't always work this way, especially with bees.  However, it has been working fine in this case.  Clearly this nest has been there for a while; all summer long, and in that time and to date, I've mowed my lawn 23 times this season so far.  The mowing includes cutting beneath this tree and due to the obstacles around it, there's some jockeying that takes place to get the area cut.  In all those times, as well as weeding and tree limb pruning (yes, from this tree too), I never noticed this nest, nor had any issues from the residents.

All that being said, Bald-Face Hornets are known to be hostile and territorial.  They are sensitive to noise and vibrations and will treat them as threats, retaliating aggressively - SO my ride mower perhaps?!?!

The known diet of the Bald-Faced Hornet includes other insects, spiders and plants. They are omnivorous insects that hunt other bees and eat meats, fruits, and flower nectar. Their favorite snacks are horse flies. So, they're very beneficial to have nearby.

Seems they've not been threatened by me, yet, so seems I've been lucky!