delays – The Hermits' Rest

Getting there

Today I traveled all day! That makes for a heck of a long slog, but there were plenty of bright spots. And of course there were some challenges that seem more amusing now than when they happened.

I got to Austin airport (thanks to Lee) in plenty of time, which was good, because even the first class check-in was slow (I used points to get it). My carryon bag got inspected, and the woman who looked very hard at my jewelry bag didn’t close the zipper all the way! Luckily I lost nothing after dragging it all across the airport in that state.

At the waiting area, I enjoyed friendly people chatting with strangers, then ended up chatting away to my own stranger. We bonded over our love of Navajo jewelry (she was covered in beautiful silver). That was so much fun! Now she wants to go to Santa Fe together, ha ha.

The first class flight to Charlotte was pleasant and included wine. I needed it to get through the wait for the next flight to Daytona Beach. I met nice (but confused about flying) people while waiting, too. We were delayed due to misrouted luggage. That delay was the catalyst to the longest part of the long day.

There are not enough seats in the area where passengers on tiny planes must wait.

I ended up sitting next to an incredibly chatty elderly woman who was struggling with pain and some cognitive issues. So I listened to her the whole flight. I know a lot about her dating and marriage history and her illnesses and her attractive great-grandchildren. She’s only 5 years older than me! I think I helped her make it through the flight, which I was glad to do.

However, my patience ran thin when we arrived exactly when a thunderstorm popped up, and we had to sit on the tarmac a long time. This got the elders around me all in a tizzy. Why are we sitting here? (it’s dangerous to the ground staff to stand around in a storm). When will it stop raining? (when these here clouds on the radar move off.) Why can’t we stand up and move around the plane? (The wind is blowing really hard.) Plus Debbie (that was her name) decided she was going to die, then began singing and praying. Oh boy. She called her daughter and said she knew she’d be okay because she was sitting next to a meteorologist (me). I guess the Clime app impressed her.

Oh was I relieved to get off that plane. I was effusively complimentary to the car rental lady, just because she seemed so normal compared to my plane companions. I was not thrilled that it was dark before I could go find the condo where I’m staying, but the rental car is a Honda with all the controls where I think they should be. That helped a lot.

I found Ormond Beach at last. It looks pretty in the dark. The condos are not as fancy as usual, but they are obviously improving them to meet the Hilton brand specs. They can’t make them bigger or actually have ocean views, but that’s okay. Why? Because I came to see my friend Vicki, not to bask in luxury. And to do nature stuff, which this part of Florida is chock full of. (I will also work, which should go well with my fancy new fold-out monitors.)

Quirky. There is a weird window looking into the main bathroom.

It feels weirdly good to be in my home state again. Everything seems “right” somehow. Probably the familiar plants, house styles, and street signs help. Florida road signs are easier for me than Texas ones. Strange.

We will see what I think when the sun comes up. Anyway, here are tiny condo pictures.

I’m an Ice Princess

While I seem to have aggravated my weird shoulder blade issue and have to deal with sharp jabs, I’m doing just fine this evening. Mainly it’s because I got my scary hair taken care of.

It was too long and too grown out. But it looks spunky.

It was a bit challenging getting to Austin, though. My first delay was when a guy who lives down the road asked for a ride back from his broken motorcycle. He was nice. And they have cattle dogs, so of course he was. I’m glad I did that, because when I thought of texting the salon to say I might be late, I realized I didn’t have my phone. Sigh.

And of course, there were poky trucks and a construction delay to deal with. But, ha, I was only one minute late.

Blue hair and red face. It was hot under there.

I always enjoy talking to my stylist, Danny, who I have a lot in common with. He asks good questions, too. And I was excited to see they had a new bleach product that turned my hair quite blue. It was excellent and so relaxing to just sit there and process. Yesterday evening was hard. I needed to zone out.

When it was done and toned, it was eerily white. I think we have the ingredients for Ice Princess hair. I rewarded myself with a trip across the street to the Randall’s supermarket. I went there mostly to look at the flowers, which are always amazing for a small grocery. It didn’t disappoint. But I just got pineapple and some sandwich rolls.

And canned wine. Tastes okay and is pretty.

And now I’m cozy in the weird Doubletree hotel, listening to a strange noise that sounds like waves crashing on the shore. Austin Beach. That’s okay. I have wine, knitting, Olympics. Oh, and horse videos of the pattern I have to do with Drew.

Griping about the US Mail

I’m hearing a lot of complaints about the service people have been receiving from the US Postal Service. Now, of course, some of it is related to the weather issues of last week, when people where I live didn’t get any mail at all for a week or so. The weather is a good excuse, but doesn’t cover issues people are having elsewhere.

Carlton thins this new yarn smells amazing, since it went all over the country before it got here.

My example isn’t of anything critical, except to me. I ordered the yarn to finish out the table runner I’m making for Lee on February 3. I got the notice it had shipped on February 7. When did it arrive, you ask? February 25! That’s almost three weeks. Usually things take 3-5 days…well, up until recently anyway. Since the end of last year, when the election thing happened and the higher-ups at the USPS started cutting services, it’s been hard to get mail.

Look up at the top, February 7. It really takes that long to get from Massachusetts to Texas? Did they use a mule train? If so, I’d like to go see the mules.

I’ve had more than one thing simply not show up at all. An order of Christmas stuff from Doterra came mid January, which did not help with gift giving. But that’s nothing. One of my friends has had very expensive medicine delayed. She was okay, but there are others, like diabetics, who’ve had crises due to medicine being delayed.

Our horse supplements were also delayed, which wasn’t funny, even though they aren’t technically “medicine.” I’m still waiting for my turmeric tablets to show up.

Lee reports some of our clients haven’t received their bills in a timely fashion, too. That means money is not coming in. How many other small businesses that rely on the mail for billing have been adversely affected by the mail slowdown? This article shares some other consequences.

We need to be able to rely on postal mail, even if many of us pay our bills and do other transactions online. You need to be able to order something and have a vague idea of when it will show up.

I just want to share how pretty my horse is…again. He looks extra Arabian in this photo.

It’s been pointed out to me that, back in the not-so-distant past we were used to waiting 3-5 weeks for packages, and that’s true. But, back them most people paid their bills by mail, and if you gave it a week or so, you’d be sure your payment arrived on time. And if you bill for services, you’d know that if you mailed the bill at a certain time of the month, recipients would have plenty of time to get the payment back to you on time.

That’s no longer true, and it concerns me greatly. I’m not alone, as the delays are annoying lawmakers as well.

Anyone have any insight or stories to share?