What's That In The Road Ahead?

Nope, not a turtle. Not a snake.  Not a critter. Rather an attractively arranged bunch of flowers - a rose bouquet!

On my way back to the post office this afternoon, after a long, tiring day of delivering mail to two different routes, UGH, a bouquet of one dozen white roses was in need of rescuing -

They were awfully dried, not sure how long they were laying on the hot asphalt but hoping a small stem trim and a vase of fresh water, with a cup full of hydrogen peroxide, will reinvigorate them -

They certainly look much better sitting on my counter than in the middle of the street!

Another roadway save -

I Named Him Joey...

How you doin?!

Another Sad Anniversary

7-21-2005

Hard to believe it's been 20 years, where has the time gone?

I wish we could talk, SO many milestones since you've been gone and SO much to talk about.

"Phone Call to Heaven"

Miss you each and every day.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below picture?!

A lone doe grazing her way along the far side of the soccer field.  With school being out for the summer, I supposed she's able to wander out a bit farther than normal -

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!

BIG Flowers - Dramatic Flare!

I deliver to this Norfolk, MA condo association when doing route 10.

I usually deliver their incoming mail to the Cluster Box Unit (CBU) located at the entrance of the facility.  However, large packages will not fit in the CBU and need to be delivered to their respective front doors.  So, while delivering larger packages the other day I walked into the courtyard and the daylilies were in full bloom and looked terrific! 

What struck me with these daylilies was the size of the flowers, each about the size of my open hand. These pics, although beautiful, just don't show their actual size. I have a variety of daylilies here at the ole homestead but honestly the flowers are "normal" (about half the size of the ones below) in size. 

Clearly, the landscape architect knew what they were doing when they chose these plants, well done!

Press Release - For Immediate Release

I alluded, in an earlier post, that the $3.6 million dollar town of Franklin override we voted on back in early June failed; it failed for the second time in a 6-month period.

This override quickly became contentious within the town pitting the "Yeses" against the "Nos" and it played out on social media and in the community. For example, FB posts often times had to have the commenting option disabled by the administrators after people became mean, rude, belligerent, inconsiderate, etc.  Also, people were complaining that both "For" and "Against" yard signs were being stolen and\or vandalized. Sadly, typical behavior in today's world.

Since the override failed, the town is using the failure to justify the town administrations mismanagement and overall shoddy upkeep. At this point they can no longer us Covid as a valid excuse as to why things are not getting down - boy did they wear this excuse out!

Here is one example of a new policy the town has instituted - a "Carry In / Carry Out" Trash and Recycling policy for the towns outdoor spaces, e.g. ball fields, playground, parks, etc. -

 

The item in the picture below is the lid to one of the trash cans that was located at the grade school ball field.  Seems the DPW crew removed the trash can but couldn't be bothered with taking the lid too.  It's SO bad that the town's ground crew, who are supposed to perform the upkeep of the ball fields and common area spaces, literally have mowed around this lid I kid you not!  Heaven forbid the mower operator dismount and put this in his town vehicle or at least move it out of the way in order to mow!

Typical and what I've come to expect from the town workers. UGH -

It's going to be interesting to see how this new policy plays out when the ball fields are actually being used on a regular basis.  From what I've seen, when there was trash cans available, there was ALWAYS trash left littering the sidelines and benches.  Seems parents today don't have the same values I was taught and clearly many of them don't pass said values along to their spoiled, peanut allergy ridden brats.

As Glum from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon said, "We're doomed", alas!

Think Smarter!

I deliver to this mailbox when I'm on route 8.

When the mailbox is opened, the spring with the orange ball pops up giving the homeowners a visual that mail has been delivered, versus needing to walk curbside to physically check.

How clever is this?!

Hello "Shark Tank"...

Out Of Sync...

Alas, this is how I feel my life has been going recently -

Purple Cone Flower Infatuations

My purple cone-flowers are the insect talk of the town!

They're covered with all sorts of insect, here are just a few -

A fat Bumble-bee -

A Green Sweat Bee, with pollen covered back legs and a Flower Longhorn Beetle -

One of my favorites, a Honey Bee and sadly one of the few I've seen visiting this summer.  In years past there would be oodles of Honey Bees visiting my flowers but the numbers and sightings have been dwindling over the years and this year is concerning -

I could sit for hours and watch these insects flitter from bloom to bloom!

#Blessed

This Is NOT a "Nursery" Rhyme!

How about this beauty, a Nursery Web Spider!?

The way the top of this Golden Rod was webbed up caught my attention while out on my walk the other afternoon, so I stopped to have a peek.  Upon close inspections SURPRISE!

From what I've read, she's built, and is protecting, a nursey where her babies will hatch and live until their first molt -

There's SO much to see and take in, if people would take out their earbuds and put down their phones when out on walks.

For example, it's just after 7AM on Sunday morning, and as I'm writing this I could hear a woman outside talking.  She had a headset on and was on her phone talking to someone. Who are you talking and what is SO important to be on the phone while out on a walk at 7AM?!

Dunno, defeats the purpose to me.

People suck!

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.

Water Water Everywhere...

At initial glance and from this distance my pool looks great, however, that couldn't be further from truth and to be honest I've had it with the pool, the expense and especially the upkeep!

I just cannot get the pool clean.  I've spent hours vacuuming it, cleaning the filter and yet there's always dirt and debris all over the bottom. Seems like the filter just isn't filtering as it should be and it's frustrating.  I've checked the filter grids and they look fine, no tears or holes, so there's something else going on.

Also, July has typically been a month where the water seems to attract all sort of insect that "fall in" and this year is no different, perhaps even more so.  I can skim the pool in the morning, removing most of the floating leaves and insects, then go out a couple hours later and it's like I hadn't skimmed it at all.  There are oodles of flying ants, crickets and beetles galore - oriental beetles, Japanese beetles, June bugs and others I cannot identify, it's maddening!

I wouldn't mind doing all the needed upkeep if the pool was being used, and the toad I pulled from the water the other morning doesn't count as "being used".

 Such a shame and a waste and to be perfectly honest, I'm already counting the days to when I can shut it down, winterize and close it.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the first pic below?!

This is the area where I store my trash and recycle barrels and this dude is hiding either under the barrels or in this case, tucked neatly into the corner. I luv having him around and am extra careful when needing to move the barrels but if it gets any bigger, there's no way he'll fit into that corner -

I took these pictures on Monday, my trash day.  Yesterday, Wednesday, following the torrential rain we had overnight, I pulled this same toad out of the pool!  Not sure how long he was in there but looked exhausted when I grabbed him, and of course placed him behind the barrels once again.

ribbit!

Someone's Shy

Aww, an embarrassed Black-eyed Susan -

Just Empty Chairs

Can You "Beelieve" It?!

The bumblebees are a plenty this summer, sadly that's NOT the case for the Honeybees.

This plump bumblebee is taking advantage of my Petunia plant and flitting from one flower to the next!

"Busy as a bee", as it's said -

Asiatic Lilies A Plenty

These are the beautiful colors the Asiatic lilies I have planted in my yard.  I have white ones too but failed to snap a pic before they passed -

The orange ones are the most prevalent ones I have.  They're spread over the years and do very well, perhaps because they're planted in the pool area with gets direct sun for most of the afternoons.

The other colors are planted in more shady areas and although they faithful bloom, they tend to be smaller blooms and smaller plants.  Supposed I should transplant them to the pool area to see how well they do.

Just wish the flowers lasted a bit longer than they do...

"Thank You"...

Question for folks that have an Amazon Alexa device in your home - 

Do you say "thank you" to her after she provides a response or update?

Asking for a friend...

Well That Went By Fast

Another year and another successful garlic harvest!

(33) cloves planted in the fall and (33) picked on Independence day!

Nice long, deep roots -

They're now hanging in my garage to dry -

I'll process them in a couple week, until then my garage smells garlicky

Find The Item

Can you find the item in the below picture?!

Frustratingly, this is an all too familiar issue here in my town of Franklin, ALAS!

In years past the excuse the Franklin highway department always revert to was Covid.

However, this year they're blaming it on the towns failure to pass a $6.8 million dollar proposition 2 1/2 override vote this past June 3.  So, since the override was voted down, the town is cutting back more services. A poorly managed town to say the least, in my opinion anyway.

So, instead of calling the highway department and wasting my dime and my time, I brought my hand pruners with me on my walk earlier this week and took care of the overgrown weeds hiding the hydrant -

Took less than one minute to cut the weeds back to expose the hydrant.  You would think this a safety issue and that the town would show more concern but nope -

Hopefully it'll never be need to fight a fire but it's clear and visible now just in case!

Some McLuv'n!

C'mon, what's more American than a pair of cuddling Milkweed Beetles?!

Enjoy the 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing family and friends a happy and safe Independence Day!

To The Victor Go The Spoils!

I've been having a terrible time with chipmunks digging into the base and roots of SO many of my plant this year!  I'm not sure what they're after, perhaps even eating the bulbs or plant roots?!  I don't recall this being so drastic in years past but they're constantly doing it, even redoing it when I fix the damage they've done, GRRR!

Here are just a couple examples -

Well, I FINALLY caught one of the culprits today - my persistence paid off!  This is a youngster that was doing damage and making a mess in the flower beds and potted plants in the pool area -

If there's one, there's two and more, so the battle rages on...

Pretty in Pink

My neighbor gave me the below daylilies last fall when she was thinning out her flower beds.

At the time I had no idea what these would flowers would look like but VERY pleased!

They're plant itself smaller than the typical orange daylily I'm used to and have throughout my yard and the flowers are SO much bigger too - guessing some ~5" wide -

From what I've been able to find, I believe these are called "Pretty in Pink"!

They're a beautiful and fragrant flower that have been attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

How Dare You!

I had an encounter with a real life "Karen" on my mail route this past Monday, OMG!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term "Karen", here is the Google machines definition -

Karen is a pejorative slang term typically used to refer to a middle class woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding. The term is often portrayed in memes depicting middle-class white women who "use their white and class privilege to demand their own way".

Seems this person has not been receiving her USPS mail for well over a month now, maybe closer to two months.  She's called the Millis post office several times now to report this issue and spoken to both the supervisor and the post master who have told her that they'd look into it. Admittedly, being relatively new and all, I don't know the process or how such an investigation work, however, there doesn't appear to be any urgency on the post office side, so I understand "Karen's" frustrations.

The route that this "Karen" is a part of has over 500 mailboxes!  There are also (4) carriers, myself included, that rotate and deliver to this route, so one customer not receiving mail is NOT something that would be noticed.  Especially since this "Karen's" mailbox is in a CBU of an apartment complex and one of over 25 mailboxes\slots being delivered to each day.

So, on Monday, as I'm standing in front of the CBUs with their doors opened and an arm full of mail this "Karen" pulls up, gets out of her vehicle and approaches me.  Now I'm an easy going person and ALWAYS greet anyone who approaches me with a smile and an hello, and I'm ready to help in any way and did exactly that!

"Karen" was a bit tempered and calm when she first walked up to me and began her questioning.  Still unaware of what was coming, I remained friendly and helpful, and even offered my sympathies. I told her what I knew, that her issue was being looked into and that we've NOT received a single piece of mail for her (hence why it wasn't being delivered) for months now.

Believe it or not she pooh-poohed everything I said - in one ear and out the other!  She claimed she knew her mail was making it's way to the post office, just not being delivered, then flat out asked me why I, ME, was taking her mail! She was actually standing right in front of me and accusing me of taking her mail, I KID YOU NOT!!! 

Of course I was taken aback at the accusation and honestly in shock at the turn of events going from having a civil conversation to one where I found myself the accused and having to defend myself.  I did my best to remain calm and respectful, perhaps using the "F" word once or twice to stress how I felt about being blindsided and her nerve to confront me and accuse me of such a thing and in such a manner.  I told her I was done talking to her, ignored her and went back to delivering the mail, as she continued ranting and saying she was going to get to the bottom of this to prove I was steeling her mail, UGH!

There is clearly an issue at and with the post office, as her mail is NOT arriving at the Millis PO, and it needs more urgency to figure it all out and to get resolved.  I understand her frustrations, however, IT DOES NOT JUSTIFY HER ACTIONS AND HOW SHE TREATED ME!

Here is the note this "Karen" left inside her CBU mail slot!  This after talking to management at the PO - 

Sadly, this is just another example of people today and where we are as a society.

I hope the issue gets resolved soon AND I also hope this "Karen" gets violent and uncontrollable diarrheas when stuck and sitting in traffic for pulling such a stunt!