While I was not-watching TV the other day, somebody ran a pizza commercial that implanted itself into my subconscious so that I've had a hankering for pizza ever since. Come about supper time today, then, I asked Michael, who's been under the weather with a flu, if he felt well enough that I might interest him in some pizza, and off we went to Mazzios.
We learned that Tuesday night is Family Buffet night at Mazzios. So many children! And it isn't so much that the children themselves were all that loud, but when you get that many people in one place, all trying to be heard, it does get loud. We got to practice focusing our attention to exclude distractions.
Mike seemed to be feeling a little better after he got his belly full, and any wish of mine for "pizza" has certainly been more than conquered. I don't think I'll have to go looking for pizza again any time soon. Or should I say, "a wedge shaped, pizza-like substance." No offense, Mazzios, but I have had real pizza before (thank you Tino's of Cold Cheese fame). It's pretty hard for chain restaurants to measure up to the standard set by the Real Thing. Next time I go to New York we are definitely setting a day by to go to Oneonta for some Tino's.
Meanwhile, I think I'm good now, thank you.
After we got home from our noisy adventure, and upon reviewing today's calendar and previewing tomorrow's, I discovered that I completely forgot about that invitation to a dinner where I was to be given a certificate of thanks for being an election worker. Dangit! Oh, well, maybe next year. I'll email my apology tomorrow...if I don't forget that, too!
(Sigh)
Cookie the Cat wants me to stop typing and come to bed so she can curl up and keep me warm, so, nite-nite!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The Paper
I don't get the paper every day. I'm supposed to get it on Wednesday and Sunday, maybe Friday, too. Sometimes I get one on Friday and/or Saturday, but I have definitely been getting a paper on Wednesday and Sunday for a while now. Living in the country, initially I had to go round and round with them to "train" them as to exactly where my driveway is, but when we finally got that ironed out the guy said, "I'll bring it right to you at your front door," and I said, "Oh, okay, then, I'll need to bring the dog in and open the gate," and he said, "Oh! I can just make sure it gets inside the gate," which he did. I have not had to call about a missing paper since then, as they have done a good job of remembering where the driveway is and they have been good about getting the paper inside the gate.
Until about the last month or so. Lately it's been hit-or-miss as to whether the paper gets inside the gate or not. As time goes by, my newspaper delivery has been getting sloppier and sloppier. One day last week it was in the ditch such that I was unable to retrieve it. That paper is still in the ditch because I can't reach it.
Every time the paper is outside the gate I get mad. I wonder who is throwing my paper and grumble under my breath about it. Then I go through a big "How Important Is It" debate with myself. I know I could call and complain, and insist they get the damn paper inside the gate, but, from the Choose Your Battles Department, I don't want to fight that fight or be that customer. I have more important things to occupy my attention than getting involved in a power struggle with the newspaper delivery people over where the paper lands when they throw it, so I just decided to cancel the paper instead. I'm not that involved in reading the paper anyway.
It took me a few days to figure out exactly where to call. There's all kinds of numbers to call to place ads or to subscribe to the paper, but not much information available if you actually want to cancel the paper. Since it's bill-paying time, I got the phone number from the credit card statement.
A machine answers the phone when you call. If you know the extension of the party you want, that's the first option, and then they give you options one through nine for various other departments, and of course none of them say, "if you want to cancel your paper," but the very last option is that you can press 0 to speak to a live human, so that's what I did.
I am very happy to report that I got a very nice woman with good diction (no accent, easy to understand). I told her I needed to cancel my paper. She pulled up my account, and of course they want to know why, so I explained as calmly and matter-of-factly as I could, that I live in a gated property and that I really want the paper on the inside of the gate, and they've been real good to do that until recently, and that for about the last month or so, sometimes the paper is in the driveway and sometimes it's in the ditch. Occasionally it's still inside the gate where I like it, but increasingly often it is outside the gate. I told her I didn't want to get into any big battle of wills to try to "make" whoever get the paper inside the gate - don't want to fight that fight, don't want to be that customer - so it's just easier for me to cancel the paper.
She was very accommodating, but when she tried to access my account information and it was locked! Couldn't cancel it! I said, "Oh, dear, I didn't want to have to go through the credit card company to cancel this," so she did some kind of behind the scenes hocus pocus and then called me back when it was all done to let me know the paper is canceled as of today. I shouldn't be getting any more newspapers over the gate, in the driveway or in the ditch. Problem solved!
Until about the last month or so. Lately it's been hit-or-miss as to whether the paper gets inside the gate or not. As time goes by, my newspaper delivery has been getting sloppier and sloppier. One day last week it was in the ditch such that I was unable to retrieve it. That paper is still in the ditch because I can't reach it.
Every time the paper is outside the gate I get mad. I wonder who is throwing my paper and grumble under my breath about it. Then I go through a big "How Important Is It" debate with myself. I know I could call and complain, and insist they get the damn paper inside the gate, but, from the Choose Your Battles Department, I don't want to fight that fight or be that customer. I have more important things to occupy my attention than getting involved in a power struggle with the newspaper delivery people over where the paper lands when they throw it, so I just decided to cancel the paper instead. I'm not that involved in reading the paper anyway.
It took me a few days to figure out exactly where to call. There's all kinds of numbers to call to place ads or to subscribe to the paper, but not much information available if you actually want to cancel the paper. Since it's bill-paying time, I got the phone number from the credit card statement.
A machine answers the phone when you call. If you know the extension of the party you want, that's the first option, and then they give you options one through nine for various other departments, and of course none of them say, "if you want to cancel your paper," but the very last option is that you can press 0 to speak to a live human, so that's what I did.
I am very happy to report that I got a very nice woman with good diction (no accent, easy to understand). I told her I needed to cancel my paper. She pulled up my account, and of course they want to know why, so I explained as calmly and matter-of-factly as I could, that I live in a gated property and that I really want the paper on the inside of the gate, and they've been real good to do that until recently, and that for about the last month or so, sometimes the paper is in the driveway and sometimes it's in the ditch. Occasionally it's still inside the gate where I like it, but increasingly often it is outside the gate. I told her I didn't want to get into any big battle of wills to try to "make" whoever get the paper inside the gate - don't want to fight that fight, don't want to be that customer - so it's just easier for me to cancel the paper.
She was very accommodating, but when she tried to access my account information and it was locked! Couldn't cancel it! I said, "Oh, dear, I didn't want to have to go through the credit card company to cancel this," so she did some kind of behind the scenes hocus pocus and then called me back when it was all done to let me know the paper is canceled as of today. I shouldn't be getting any more newspapers over the gate, in the driveway or in the ditch. Problem solved!
 |
| Paper in the ditch, right about the middle of the picture. |
Thank you El Reno!
Just wanted to give a shout-out to all the nice folks who stopped by my booth yesterday at the El Reno Arts Festival! Delightful event, presented by the El Reno Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was held on the grounds of the Canadian County Historical Museum, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.
Some guys came up from the Song Writers Association of Norman to play and sing for us in the morning. Each one did his own work (no covers) and they were so much fun to listen to! One did a song about Pluto - lyrics included advising Pluto to "put on a little weight," (in order to to be restored to 'planet' status) and "You'll always be a planet to me." Hilarious!
Made friends with a nice family next to me, the Muirs, who make wooden things, and stained glass panels. Struck up a solid friendship with their darling little eight-year-old, Hope, who came over to look for a gift she could get and surprise her Mom, and in return, got me a really good deal on a birdhouse! Hope and I had lots of fun throughout the day, sweet little girl.
Anyway, thanks again El Reno, and all the awesome folks who stopped by to see me yesterday!
Some guys came up from the Song Writers Association of Norman to play and sing for us in the morning. Each one did his own work (no covers) and they were so much fun to listen to! One did a song about Pluto - lyrics included advising Pluto to "put on a little weight," (in order to to be restored to 'planet' status) and "You'll always be a planet to me." Hilarious!
Made friends with a nice family next to me, the Muirs, who make wooden things, and stained glass panels. Struck up a solid friendship with their darling little eight-year-old, Hope, who came over to look for a gift she could get and surprise her Mom, and in return, got me a really good deal on a birdhouse! Hope and I had lots of fun throughout the day, sweet little girl.
Anyway, thanks again El Reno, and all the awesome folks who stopped by to see me yesterday!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Life and Death on the Farm
When I went out this morning to feed the chickens & let them out for the day, I discovered one of the little black Polish birds dead and severely mauled in the chicken yard. Clumps of frizzy feathers lay scattered as evidence of the struggle.
I immediately went into "Counting Chickens" mode, and was able to account for every one except the other little black Polish bird, whose body I found inside the chicken house on the floor, next to where they typically slept.
Once my chores were completed, I gathered the little birds up and brought them well away from the chicken house, and then alerted my son Michael. He went with me out to the chicken house to "investigate the scene of the crime," good naturedly scolding me for having moved the bodies (I watch crime-solving shows on TV).
We examined the scene and determined that some sort of predatory creature - I'm thinking raccoon, Michael thinks it was a wild cat of some description - had climbed up the fencing and entered through about a six-inch gap between the fence and the roof over the chicken yard. It appears that the predator killed the two birds and then attempted to leave with one, but couldn't maneuver the little Polie through the opening, and dropped him back in the chicken yard where we found him. That may have been about the time Annie the Dog was outside barking like the end of the world at something out there last night.
Usually when Annie barks at something outside, I just ask her what she's barking at and she comes right in. Sometimes I'll look to see if there is any suspicious activity, but I rarely consider venturing into the dark to see what the trouble is. Annie's pretty good at frightening off anyone or anything I wouldn't like to be out there, as I think she probably did last night. We lost two, but Annie probably kept it from being more than two.
I am sad that these two little guys are gone, and we are already looking at what more we need to do to keep the rest of the chickens safe. I certainly am not above going all Mammy Yokum with a loaded weapon if I have to! But first we're trying additional security measures. (Heavy sigh.) Predators, Be Advised! You are now on notice!
(as if raccoons read blogs)
I immediately went into "Counting Chickens" mode, and was able to account for every one except the other little black Polish bird, whose body I found inside the chicken house on the floor, next to where they typically slept.
Once my chores were completed, I gathered the little birds up and brought them well away from the chicken house, and then alerted my son Michael. He went with me out to the chicken house to "investigate the scene of the crime," good naturedly scolding me for having moved the bodies (I watch crime-solving shows on TV).
We examined the scene and determined that some sort of predatory creature - I'm thinking raccoon, Michael thinks it was a wild cat of some description - had climbed up the fencing and entered through about a six-inch gap between the fence and the roof over the chicken yard. It appears that the predator killed the two birds and then attempted to leave with one, but couldn't maneuver the little Polie through the opening, and dropped him back in the chicken yard where we found him. That may have been about the time Annie the Dog was outside barking like the end of the world at something out there last night.
Usually when Annie barks at something outside, I just ask her what she's barking at and she comes right in. Sometimes I'll look to see if there is any suspicious activity, but I rarely consider venturing into the dark to see what the trouble is. Annie's pretty good at frightening off anyone or anything I wouldn't like to be out there, as I think she probably did last night. We lost two, but Annie probably kept it from being more than two.
I am sad that these two little guys are gone, and we are already looking at what more we need to do to keep the rest of the chickens safe. I certainly am not above going all Mammy Yokum with a loaded weapon if I have to! But first we're trying additional security measures. (Heavy sigh.) Predators, Be Advised! You are now on notice!
(as if raccoons read blogs)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Caution...!
On Monday October 8, I got the following email. It arrived on the day I was traveling to new York to visit my daughter and her family for a week. I am obscuring any identifying information, such as email and postal addresses.
Am ordering from Ukraine . I want to place an order from you. I know the difficulties encountered when shipping internationally, But that will not be a problem because,i am registered with a shipping company whom i have used severally without any delay nor problems with my goods. Before i place this order, i want you to notify me if ,i am able to place the order and most important: If i can make payment with my credit cards Visa/Mc (Issued in the United States) because that is the only way we are,set for payment without no delay. I don't place online orders ,can i e-mail my ORDER needed then you can give me a quote here and make charges to my cards manually on your end ? Pls Clarify.
I have shipped to Ukraine before. It was an eBay order, with all the protections involved therein, but in this case I was wary. I have heard about a variety of scams set to take advantage of small businesses, and some of them are quite convincing. That the respondent did not want to place an order online was a bit of a flag, but just in case it was a legitimate offer, I replied:
On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 4:19 PM, Vicki Newby <[email obscured]> wrote:
Thank you for your email.
Yes, you may order from me.
Yes, I take Visa and MasterCard as well as Discover and American Express.
I have shipped to Ukraine before.
I ship once confirmed (cleared) payment is received.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Vicki Newby
~ Sent from my iPhone ~
Shortly after I sent that email my phone rang. It was the respondent calling. This was awkward since I was on an errand with my daughter and granddaughter, and couldn't really conduct business at the moment.
He said he had sent me another email and wondered if had I seen it yet. I had not, but told him I would look it over as soon as I could, considering that I was out on an errand, and would get back to him after I had a chance to look over his email, which follows:
On 10/9/2012 3:36 PM, [name obscured] wrote:
Hello
Am sorry for the late Respond,Thanks for the swift response, below is the item i am interested in
Necklace Garnet Nuggets & Sterling Clasp...............50 in qty
SKU: NE875
Lavender Amethyst with Butterflies Peeper Keeper Eyeglasses Leash..................50 in qty
SKU: GL1824
Earrings: Amethyst Nuggets on Gold-Filled Earwires..................50 in qty
SKU: EAGF1227
Anklet Garnet and Sterling Silver..................50 in qty
SKU: AN94
Earrings Gold-Filled Pearl Drop Studs................50 in qty
SKU: EAGF1248
MY DELIVERY ADDRESS
[address information obscured]
Ukraine
Concerning the shipping , the likes of UPS, DHL and others
always don't take care of the charges down here.Charges like
handling,customs and duties etc. We have experienced such situation
before and i don't want to experience such thing again,you do not need
to worry about the stress involve and all documentations because i have
a shipping company that have delivered to me in the past,i really like
their services so i will like you to contact them about the shipping.I
will be glad if you contact this shipper ZARTED FREIGHT LOGISTIC LTD for
the shipping quote. Here is there email address ([email obscured]@yahoo.com)
They will take care of everything including handling,customs and
duties,Tax, insurance etc,also you will be responsible for payment to
ZARTED FREIGHT LOGISTIC LTD then all costs as far as shipping, taxes,
duties, and insurance in addition to the costs of the product should be
sent to me in a proforma invoice to be paid in advance of
shipment.Always send me the copy of email you send to them ,pls email
them with pick up address,shipping address and the weight of the order
and also you can also notify them with my customer (Id#[number obscured]) .Pls
get back to me with the following once you hear back from them..
Total Cost Of Items..........
Shipping Cost Via ZARTED FREIGHT LOGISTIC LTD ........
All Additional Cost (Transfer Fee To ZARTED FREIGHT LOGISTIC LTD.....................
I will be looking forward to hear back from so that i can e-mail you my
credit card details for you to charge the total cost from and get the
shipping fees settled,then my order can be picked up asap.
Warmest Regards
The expert that answered on this fraud examiner website is an experienced consumer protection consultant who said that this type of order is often paid with a fraudulent credit card account or a counterfeit cashier's check. Typically the scammer wants you to ship before the payment fails, and said that it does sound like a scam. It's sounding more and more like a variation on the old "Woops, I sent you too much money, can you send some back" scam.
With this in mind I composed a reply to my would-be customer. As I review it here, I see that I missed one of the items in my reply, which would add another 2000.00 to the total presumed order, bringing it to over $10,000.00.
My information about international orders that there are likely to be customs charges, taxes and other charges, comes from previous employment experience, from other vendors I know from networking groups, and from vendor education courtesy of eBay, as they seek to educate vendors and customers for the best possible purchasing experience. Here is my reply to the respondent:
Thank you for your interest and I apologize for the delay in responding. I have been out of town and have not had time to research your request until now.
| Item Number | Description | Quantity | Price Each | Extended |
| NE875 | Necklace Garnet Nuggets & Sterling Clasp | 50 | $52.00 | $2,600.00 |
| GL1824 | Lavender Amethyst with Butterflies Peeper Keeper Eyeglasses Leash | 50 | $30.68 | $1,534.00 |
| AN94 | Anklet Garnet and Sterling Silver | 50 | $38.74 | $1,937.00 |
| EAGF1248 | Earrings Gold-Filled Pearl Drop Studs | 50 | $40.00 | $2,000.00 |
| Merchandise Total: | $8,071.00 |
The prospect of such a large order is very exciting, but I must tell you that I am a lone artisan making these pieces and do not have the quantities of finished pieces in the styles that you are asking for. I can certainly get to work making these pieces for you, and will be happy to let you know when I have them ready. We are probably talking about a time frame of eight to twelve weeks for these 200 pieces since I will undoubtedly have to order additional supplies in order to complete the number of pieces you have requested. I will also have to complete the pieces before I can get a shipping estimate because I don't know the weight of this many finished pieces with their packaging until I have them done. In the meantime, I have some questions and concerns.
Regarding international orders, it is my understanding and experience that when shipping international orders, there are import duties, taxes and charges that are not included in the item price or shipping charges and that these charges are the buyer's or the importer's responsibility (you being the importer or buyer). I recommend to any international buyer to check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be before ordering. It is my understanding and experience that these charges are normally collected from the buyer (that's you) by the delivering freight or shipping company and I have been advised to remind my buyers not to confuse them for additional charges from me, since these charges are levied by the government of the country to which the items are being shipped.
I will be happy to contact the shipping company of your choice, but I have some concerns about Zarted. Other than your mention in this email, I cannot find any record of a shipping company called ZARTED FREIGHT LOGISTIC LTD. I am also concerned about the fact that their contact information is a "Yahoo" email address. I understand that you say you have used them successfully before, but, for my part, if I am to entrust over $8000.00 of merchandise to a shipping company, I would like to know a little more about them. A more professional presentation from their end would be a good start.
And finally, I'm sure this goes without saying, but nothing leaves my studio until I have received payment, and that payment has cleared, which can take up to 15 business days (about three weeks) from the time I receive payment or payment information. That will probably go much faster if you can make payment through PayPal.
So we may be looking at up to 12 weeks to get these 200 pieces ready to go, up to 15 business days (3 to 4 weeks) for your payment to clear (faster if you use PayPal), plus how ever long it takes for the items to go through customs, paperwork, and be delivered to you. I just want you to be aware of all this at the outset. Given the time frame we're looking at, you can let me know if you're still interested in going ahead with this order.
Sincerely,
Vicki Newby
Eight Susquehanna
Anyway, we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Hawk Warning!
Well, I guess I knew the day would come that hawks would discover the chickens.
I had just come back from an errand, had carried my things in the house and had taken Annie out for a walk. Back in the house, I had unleashed Annie and turned to look out the window to survey my realm. What I saw was chickens scattering to the bushes and a big, pretty hawk, gliding through the clearing and into a tree. The chickens knew exactly what to do though - they all ran for cover!
I immediately went right back outside to create a presence, hopefully deterring the hawk, and to reassure and count the chickens, hoping everybody was okay. The Barred Rock roosters are every bit as big as that hawk (maybe bigger!) and the hens and the two old roosters are big enough to give any hawk a run for his money, but I do have four smaller birds those big hawks could pretty easily get away with if they could get a good hold. And even if they couldn't carry off one of the bigger chickens, they could sure injure one pretty badly in the attempt. So I put on the mind of Mammy Yokum and marched out there - Stand back!
What a racket those chickens were making! "Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! BaGAWK!" sounded like "Look! Look! Look! Look! LookOUT!" I was relieved to count seven in the willow thicket and eleven under the sweetbush - all eighteen of them (big sigh of relief)! While I was standing out there, though, the hawk glided over again. Interesting to note that when the chickens saw the shadow of the hawk they all went completely silent.
They seem to be getting over it now, but they are staying pretty close to the underbrush where they can run for protection if they need to. Smart chickens :)
I had just come back from an errand, had carried my things in the house and had taken Annie out for a walk. Back in the house, I had unleashed Annie and turned to look out the window to survey my realm. What I saw was chickens scattering to the bushes and a big, pretty hawk, gliding through the clearing and into a tree. The chickens knew exactly what to do though - they all ran for cover!
I immediately went right back outside to create a presence, hopefully deterring the hawk, and to reassure and count the chickens, hoping everybody was okay. The Barred Rock roosters are every bit as big as that hawk (maybe bigger!) and the hens and the two old roosters are big enough to give any hawk a run for his money, but I do have four smaller birds those big hawks could pretty easily get away with if they could get a good hold. And even if they couldn't carry off one of the bigger chickens, they could sure injure one pretty badly in the attempt. So I put on the mind of Mammy Yokum and marched out there - Stand back!
What a racket those chickens were making! "Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! Bawk! BaGAWK!" sounded like "Look! Look! Look! Look! LookOUT!" I was relieved to count seven in the willow thicket and eleven under the sweetbush - all eighteen of them (big sigh of relief)! While I was standing out there, though, the hawk glided over again. Interesting to note that when the chickens saw the shadow of the hawk they all went completely silent.
They seem to be getting over it now, but they are staying pretty close to the underbrush where they can run for protection if they need to. Smart chickens :)
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