First Card of the Season

m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
> Kat Hein wrote:
>> m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
>>
> <snip>
>>>> LOL I need 1 for Canada and 6 for everywhere else. But you don't
>>>> have to stand in line- the machines in the lobby will print out the
>>>> exact postage on it for you, and they are open 24/7. It's just a
>>>> matter of stopping there.
>>>
>>> Maybe in your posh, urban post office the machine can print stamps.
>>> I'm in the remote, barren, lonely wilderness (yes, I exaggerate), and
>>> we only have the vending machines of pre-printed books of stamps.
>>
>> Oh, we're in the Wilderness here, too. LOL At least you'd think so by
>> the lack of things in the area, and Fed Ex has us classified as rural-
>> ie packages guaranteed delivery by 7:30 PM, not 4:30. 20 Freeway
>> minutes from downtown San Francisco, and we're rural! ROFL
>
> So if my brother's gift showed up a 6:30pm a few nights ago, that means
> I'm in a rural area, too?



In the eyes of Fed Ex it means that. *G* Now if it were UPS, no- they
don't guarantee delivery times period, and this time of year, we got a
package after 9 PM once. They routinely would come at 7, even not at
Christmas. It just depends on where you live on the route.


>> Well, the chicken I chased out of my back yard when I got home today was
> a bit of a clue in that direction, too.
> (Truthfully, my dog was more effective than me. I swore at the chicken.
> It didn't really move until my dog started the bark-n-charge.)

No chickens around here, but we came home a few weeks ago and there was
a deer standing in front of the gate. I can watch hawks circling from my
living room any day of the week, too. We also have seen Raccoon prints
(ON the garbage can lid) but we had those in San Jose, too.

Pepper probably was as surprised by the chicken as you were!

Kat
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

Kat Hein wrote:
> m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
>
>> Kat Hein wrote:
>>
>>> m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
<snip>
>>> Oh, we're in the Wilderness here, too. LOL At least you'd think so by
>>> the lack of things in the area, and Fed Ex has us classified as
>>> rural- ie packages guaranteed delivery by 7:30 PM, not 4:30. 20
>>> Freeway minutes from downtown San Francisco, and we're rural! ROFL
>>
>> So if my brother's gift showed up a 6:30pm a few nights ago, that
>> means I'm in a rural area, too?
>
> In the eyes of Fed Ex it means that. *G* Now if it were UPS, no- they
> don't guarantee delivery times period, and this time of year, we got a
> package after 9 PM once. They routinely would come at 7, even not at
> Christmas. It just depends on where you live on the route.

Oh. Well, it was a toot on the doorbell and a truck pulling off into the
wintertime darkness, so I don't know who delivered. I was too busy
gloating over my package!

>>> Well, the chicken I chased out of my back yard when I got home today was
>> a bit of a clue in that direction, too.
>> (Truthfully, my dog was more effective than me. I swore at the
>> chicken. It didn't really move until my dog started the bark-n-charge.)
>
> No chickens around here, but we came home a few weeks ago and there was
> a deer standing in front of the gate. I can watch hawks circling from my
> living room any day of the week, too. We also have seen Raccoon prints
> (ON the garbage can lid) but we had those in San Jose, too.
>
> Pepper probably was as surprised by the chicken as you were!

Not really. They live the other side of the fence, in The Very Annoying
Neighbor's yard. The people who chucked a Cup o Noodles into my yard
yesterday, and beer cans on other occasions. So Pepper has seen, and
chased away, chickens before. He knows that's the one animal I am totally
ok with him going after -- the chickens make holy heck of my careful
mulching work. I've spent hours and hours cleaning up after them, over the
past year.

I had thought that the back yard, at least, the chickens had learned to
stay out of. I can't release Pepper in the front yard because there's no
fence to keep him from chasing the chickens right home. Which I would be
ok with, if it weren't hypocritical. I can't be *extremely* angry about
their pets invading my yard if I turn right around and allow my pet to
invade their yard. I want the right to my righteous wrath, so Pep only
gets to chase in the front yard if he happens to already be on leash when I
spy the evil invaders.

Deer, I hear, can eat your garden. And racoons, well, everyone knows what
racoons go after. Bungy cord your trash shut! The print was only on the
lid, but the trash wasn't opened??

--
Megan
Journeyperson Dancing Barbarian
Keeper o' the FAQ: http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
!
>
>>>> Well, the chicken I chased out of my back yard when I got home today
>>>> was
>>> a bit of a clue in that direction, too.
>>> (Truthfully, my dog was more effective than me. I swore at the
>>> chicken. It didn't really move until my dog started the bark-n-charge.)
>>
>> No chickens around here, but we came home a few weeks ago and there
>> was a deer standing in front of the gate. I can watch hawks circling
>> from my living room any day of the week, too. We also have seen
>> Raccoon prints (ON the garbage can lid) but we had those in San Jose,
>> too.
>>
>> Pepper probably was as surprised by the chicken as you were!
>
> Not really. They live the other side of the fence, in The Very Annoying
> Neighbor's yard. The people who chucked a Cup o Noodles into my yard
> yesterday, and beer cans on other occasions. So Pepper has seen, and
> chased away, chickens before. He knows that's the one animal I am
> totally ok with him going after -- the chickens make holy heck of my
> careful mulching work. I've spent hours and hours cleaning up after
> them, over the past year.
>
> I had thought that the back yard, at least, the chickens had learned to
> stay out of. I can't release Pepper in the front yard because there's
> no fence to keep him from chasing the chickens right home. Which I
> would be ok with, if it weren't hypocritical. I can't be *extremely*
> angry about their pets invading my yard if I turn right around and allow
> my pet to invade their yard. I want the right to my righteous wrath, so
> Pep only gets to chase in the front yard if he happens to already be on
> leash when I spy the evil invaders.

Yeah, and then there's the legality issue. If he manages to catch one
and kill it, on your property, that's fine. Messy, but fine. On theirs,
then there's trouble.

>
> Deer, I hear, can eat your garden. And racoons, well, everyone knows
> what racoons go after. Bungy cord your trash shut! The print was only
> on the lid, but the trash wasn't opened??
>

The trash had been dumped once before- we just didn't know if it had
been the stray cat that hangs around or a raccoon. So we went out and
got a trash can that the lid doesn't pop off of when knocked over. Not
an easy feat in the size we're allowed to have (well, at least without
being charged a fortune on top of the already outrageous amount we're
charged). Jesse made lots of noise in various hardware stores, knocking
them over to test them. LOL We ended up getting a Construction-grade
one. The metal ones also retained their lids, but even galvanized, we
didn't think it would last long in all that salt air. So the raccoon
tried to open it, but all he left behind was his paw print- no more mess.

Kat
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

Kat Hein wrote:
>
> No chickens around here, but we came home a few weeks ago and there was
> a deer standing in front of the gate. I can watch hawks circling from my
> living room any day of the week, too. We also have seen Raccoon prints
> (ON the garbage can lid) but we had those in San Jose, too.
>
> Pepper probably was as surprised by the chicken as you were!
>
> Kat

Heck, I watch hawks circling from my family room all the time. And I
had a raccoon peering in the self-same window on Halloween. That
doesn't make me rural.

The deer-- Nope. I'd have to be out by my mom's to see that, and she
is right on the edge of civilization.

SAMK
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

Kat Hein wrote:
> m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage] wrote:
> !
>
<snip>
>> I had thought that the back yard, at least, the chickens had learned
>> to stay out of. I can't release Pepper in the front yard because
>> there's no fence to keep him from chasing the chickens right home.
>> Which I would be ok with, if it weren't hypocritical. I can't be
>> *extremely* angry about their pets invading my yard if I turn right
>> around and allow my pet to invade their yard. I want the right to my
>> righteous wrath, so Pep only gets to chase in the front yard if he
>> happens to already be on leash when I spy the evil invaders.
>
>
> Yeah, and then there's the legality issue. If he manages to catch one
> and kill it, on your property, that's fine. Messy, but fine. On theirs,
> then there's trouble.

Ssssuch a pity the dratted things can fly. If they couldn't, Pepper might
have some grand fun some afternoon.

I'm normally fairly wooly-booly, live and let live about animals. But
those chickens! They once scrached the mulch out of my roses out front
THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY. I put it back, went inside, they returned... I
hate them.

But, yes, I know they are legally safe on their owner's property. And if
they stayed there, I probably wouldn't mind them so much. But invading my
property... (And, yes, their owners do know they invade other house's
yards, and they make messes. The owners don't seem to care.)

>> Deer, I hear, can eat your garden. And racoons, well, everyone knows
>> what racoons go after. Bungy cord your trash shut! The print was
>> only on the lid, but the trash wasn't opened??
>
> The trash had been dumped once before- we just didn't know if it had
> been the stray cat that hangs around or a raccoon. So we went out and
> got a trash can that the lid doesn't pop off of when knocked over. Not
> an easy feat in the size we're allowed to have (well, at least without
> being charged a fortune on top of the already outrageous amount we're
> charged). Jesse made lots of noise in various hardware stores, knocking
> them over to test them. LOL We ended up getting a Construction-grade
> one. The metal ones also retained their lids, but even galvanized, we
> didn't think it would last long in all that salt air. So the raccoon
> tried to open it, but all he left behind was his paw print- no more mess.

Wow. They have figured out how to make racoon-proof trash cans? I'm
impressed. The traditional technique of just bungy cording and tying the
lid down twelve ways to Sunday also works, but does make taking the trash
out quite a chore.

--
Megan
Journeyperson Dancing Barbarian
Keeper o' the FAQ: http://home.earthlink.net/~m_thomas3/abml/
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

SAMK wrote:
> Kat Hein wrote:
>>
>> No chickens around here, but we came home a few weeks ago and there
>> was a deer standing in front of the gate. I can watch hawks circling
>> from my living room any day of the week, too. We also have seen
>> Raccoon prints (ON the garbage can lid) but we had those in San Jose,
>> too.
>>
>> Pepper probably was as surprised by the chicken as you were!
>>
>> Kat
>
> Heck, I watch hawks circling from my family room all the time. And I
> had a raccoon peering in the self-same window on Halloween. That
> doesn't make me rural.
>
> The deer-- Nope. I'd have to be out by my mom's to see that, and she
> is right on the edge of civilization.
>
> SAMK

(copied from my LJ from a couple of weeks ago)
Hubby and I were sitting on the couch in the living room about 5:30 pm
this evening. The crazy dog was perched on the back of the couch,
looking out the window at the back yard as usual.
All of a sudden, she's GROWLING like crazy! I look over my shoulder and
see a gorgeous deer with a big set of antlers in the neighbor's backyard!!
It soon jumps the fence into our yard, then over the fence into the yard
behind us, and finally into the yard beyond them....disappeared out of
sight behind some outbuildings and shrubbery.
We've got a fairly large share of wildlife that occupies our
neighborhood (loads of different birds, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons,
ducks and geese) -- but this is the first time we've ever seen a deer
this close to home. And the dog had *never* seen one before -- she
didn't quit barking for 15 minutes after the deer was long gone!

(We live in a inner-ring suburb -- most of the houses are at least 40
years old here. Not exactly on the edge of the rural area.)
'wyrm
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

In article <13ks8dvh6oq7aa4 RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>,
"m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage]"
<"m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage]"@earthlink.net> wrote:

> Kat Hein wrote:
> > I got my first card today too, from Dave.
>
> I received Dave's card today, too! Amazing! All those miles the cards
> travelled between him and here, and they hit two different doorsteps at
> ~150 miles distance at, essentially, the same moment. (More or less.)

The respective post offices must have bundled all of Dave's Northern
California cards together, as mine also arrived on Wednesday

Edna


---|)--- Edna Huelsenbeck (huelsenbeck@gmailDOTcom) ------------
---|---- Goddess of the ABML Out-of-Practice-Musicians Band -----
--/|---- Member, Brute Squad, Mommy Division --------------------
-| |')-- Provisional Member of the Sisterhood of Mess -----------
--\|/----Official Bard of the Book and Bridle -------------------
|
'
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

"m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage]" wrote

> Kat Hein wrote:

>> I got my first card today too, from Dave.

> I received Dave's card today, too! Amazing! All those miles the cards
> travelled between him and here, and they hit two different doorsteps at
> ~150 miles distance at, essentially, the same moment. (More or less.)

Which is fairly darned amazing considering I actually missed the overseas
mail cut-off date due to reading it wrong... Looks like NZ Post managed
to find a boat actually going in the right direction for once...

(Got two cards so far: John and Purrt. Many thanks)
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season 

Edna wrote:
> In article <13ks8dvh6oq7aa4 RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>,
> "m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage]"
> <"m_thomas[numBksInLastHrldMage]"@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Kat Hein wrote:
>>> I got my first card today too, from Dave.
>> I received Dave's card today, too! Amazing! All those miles the cards
>> travelled between him and here, and they hit two different doorsteps at
>> ~150 miles distance at, essentially, the same moment. (More or less.)
>
> The respective post offices must have bundled all of Dave's Northern
> California cards together, as mine also arrived on Wednesday
>
> Edna
>
Mine took one more day to come across country, to Chicago.

SAMK
 >> Stay informed about: First Card of the Season