MID-FEBRUARY THINGS
Here it is the middle of February and supposedly still winter, but we woke up to the singing of turtle doves, meadowlarks and finches this morning. We might have snow again this weekend, so that will chase the songbirds back south. Three of our last four days have been in the mid-sixties – these temperatures have set records. Just a week or so ago we were down around negative twenty and our water pipes froze.
It’s been nice being in the midst of an unusually long ordinary time between Christmastide (which ended February 2nd) and Lent which doesn’t start until March 9th. This coming Sunday would be Septuagesima Sunday – three Sundays before Ash Wednesday. Time to start thinking about penances, alms giving and prayer.
Shortly after Ash Wednesday the rest of the world will be turning their clocks ahead an hour, while we here on Delayed Sunset Time will not have to do anything except try to remember that we are now on the same time as everyone else rather than an hour ahead.
Friday and Saturday Seton swimmers will be seeking state crowns in Christiansburg, VA. Check out the site:
http://tv.swimmingworldmagazine.com/events/2011-virginia-independent-high-school-state-championships
They will have some live broadcasts and some highlights during the two day event. Last year I was cheering wildly during the exciting relays. Seton runs the championships, so Mr. Koehr and many other Seton parents are ready to put on another great show. I don’t remember if there is broadcasting of the diving portion of the tournament, but Seton has some very talented divers as well.
Here is something that is a little unusual that happened to us yesterday, Tuesday the 16th.
Early last week we ordered some supplies from a company in St. Louis. Usually our orders arrive the following day via UPS, but perhaps because of the weather in Missouri, the shipment was going to arrive later than usual and was going to be sent Fed Ex. Friday we ordered something that was to be sent UPS from here in Colorado. Normally that shipment also arrives the next business day which would have been Monday.
We recently had a small snow storm with some strong winds, so our good neighbor Robert Loose plowed the half-mile long road that connects us with the main road. With the warm weather the snow melted very quickly, making our road a swamp. It is fun to drive it in this condition if one doesn’t mind mud all over the car and the possibility of getting stuck in three or four places.
When we got nothing on Monday, I thought that both orders might arrive on Tuesday. Tuesday came and nothing had arrived by the middle of the afternoon. We had enough supplies to last one more day, so there was no reason to panic or check on the orders.
Since it was 65 out, Mom wanted to go outside for a while, so we headed down the ramp. I didn’t have my glasses on, but I was looking toward the east to see what I might see, and I saw something strange maybe 100 yards or so from the house by last year’s corn field.
With my blurred vision and with a tree partially obscuring my view, I thought that it might be an animal – it was brown. I got my glasses and still could not tell what it was.
Nothing to do but go see. As I approached I could make out a box. I thought that the wind must have blown an empty box from the dump into the field. Then I could make out three boxes – one big one perched on top of two littler ones.
One of our shipments? Why was it left there?
I got to the boxes and the two on the bottom were the Colorado shipment while the one on top was the St. Louis shipment. UPS and Fed Ex had both left their boxes there together? This was too strange. Then I found on one of the UPS boxes a UPS InfoNotice. The driver had written, “I would have been stuck if I continued. Thanks.” Thanks? What had I done? Also, the drivers had made it through the worst of the road – the last little bit to the house is no problem, though it might look worse because it usually has standing water instead of mud. Dad always said to drive right through the middle of the puddles, but maybe UPS driver and Fed Ex driver had never received such sage advice. If Mom hadn’t wanted to go outside, we never would have known the boxes were there.
Now I was a bit concerned. There was no way to tell if the shipments had come the day before or that same day. I was concerned because the Colorado order would be ruined if it had been there all night and had frozen. (Even though it was 65 degrees during the day, it had been 25 during the night.)
So we went back into the house, and I began making calls. I found out that both deliveries were made at almost the exact same time – a little after 11:30 your time, 12:30 our time that day. That was strange in itself. Did the two drivers talk to each other and mutually agree to leave the boxes there? Did UPS leave his and then Fed Ex decided to do the same? Also, UPS told me that the delivery was made to the door. I told them this was not the case and explained as much as I could what had happened. I like our UPS driver, so I did not file a complaint. I was relieved that nothing had been out overnight.
I was also told that part of the Colorado UPS shipment was delayed and would arrive tomorrow.
Well, today is tomorrow, and as I was writing this I thought I heard a vehicle coming down our road. The UPS man? I looked out the window and sure enough, here he came. I said to Mom, “We’ll see if he is braver today.”
Nope. He stopped at the same place and put two boxes on the side of the road again. (I had my glasses on this time.)
What has Brown, or Fed Ex for that matter, done for you? Thanks.
Jezu, ufam Tobie.