Random 5 for October 17, 2021 – Squirrels, on-line orders, targeted audiences, walking, sun

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Life is exhausting – I have a squirrel that sleeps on my deck railing. Considering there are cats watching him (from inside of course), I’m amazed he can relax.

On-line orders – Some work out and some are a crap shoot. I had an experience this week that I swear was a story line for Saturday Night Live. It’s a post in itself but I’m wondering if I can capitalize on my experience. Yoo hoo! Saturday Night Live! I have a great skit for you!

Speaking of ordering on-line – Retailers complain that people don’t come into stores. I like to see or feel before I buy. I shopped for a shower curtain at several different stores but found nothing I liked. Those things can look cheap or be icky. (Icky is a technical term.) It was all ugly patterns. (Ugly is anything I don’t like.) Lots of geometrics. Nothing soft with colors that work for me so I went on-line. I found something perfect. I shop on-line because retailers aren’t carrying much and their target audience is people who like ugly stuff.

Rural roads – It’s been a long time since I lived on rural roads. I forgot how dangerous it can be. I’m not really “in the country” but the roads locally don’t have much of a shoulder with no pavements or curbs. That doesn’t stop walkers and bikers. It’s hard to see the walkers. It would be very easy to hit one. There are wonderful walking paths in the area. People should stick to them and wear bright colored vests for visibility. Bicycles are even worse. Yesterday a biker (the pedaling kind) blew past me going faster than I was driving. This was on a narrow curvy road with loose gravel shoulders and lots of hills. Loose gravel is like ball bearings.

The angle of the sun – In the spring and fall when the sun is lower in the sky, driving east ion a sunny morning is hazardous. I take a specific route because it’s shaded but there is one intersection where the sun is blinding. Fortunately there is a stop light there. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the light from all the glare. The position of the sun will change around the time change so I can go through it for another few weeks! I haven’t found sunglasses that work for that sun intensity.

So how was your week?

71 thoughts on “Random 5 for October 17, 2021 – Squirrels, on-line orders, targeted audiences, walking, sun”

  2. The squirrel is not only looking like he’s too pooped to participate, I think he’s teasing the cats because he knows they don’t come out of the house, so he can taunt them all he wants. The angle of the sun is so intense these days and this morning I was walking to the Park and I wear a face mask every day, no matter where I’m going. It was 47 and my glasses were fogging up from the mask. Time to get the FogAway out and use it. It got to 70 later today, but was 47 when I left this morning.
    The angle of the sun and my glasses fogging made for an uncomfortable walk. I have transition glasses … not that they helped in the least. The sidewalks are uneven, so I studied the sidewalk as I walked that nearly one mile in that direction after turning the corner near my house. What a relief to get into the Park and the trees blocked the sun.

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    • You are lucky or maybe you know what you want. Not all returns are easy or free. There are some things I can buy on-line and some things I have to see. There is no way I could have picked out my countertop without seeing it.

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  4. I order online, but it is something of a crapshoot. Clothing size is different by company. What is perfect with one is too big or too small with another. Like you, I think some things cannot be bought without seeing them in person first.
    I love the relaxing squirrel. He looks quite content lounging on your railing. Are the cats interested in him?

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  6. Squirrel is a big tease! There are bike lanes all over our city and there are OLD people driving within a foot, most times less than a foot) of those bike lanes… you would never catch me riding in those bike lanes. Bikes (the kind you pedal) and their peeps do not fair well when they meet with cars. It is 63 degrees here this morning with a 59 dew point! You have no idea how excited I am!!!!

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    • I’m with you on bikes and cars. They don’t go together even when they share the same roads. It’s in the mid-40s this morning with a crispness in the air. Our dew point will drop this week. Last week was muggy even though it was in the 70s. Crazy weather but at least there is no snow.

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  8. Your little squirrel is adorable as well as brave! I know what you mean about shopping. I would much rather shop in a store, but there really just isn’t as much available that I want as there is online. So that’s where I go.

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  9. Bike riders take offense when the drivers of cars complain about them. Don’t they know, it’s because we really would hate to hurt or kill someone on a bike and they’re so hard to keep track of. When I was in college, a friend and I took a ferry to Sydney, British Columbia, with our bikes and rode them to Victoria. It’s frightening riding a bike through busy city traffic. Never again. I was used to riding down country roads. No problem.

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    • Many, many years ago two friends and I did a bike trip on some trails be someone got the bright idea to stop at a tavern. To do that we had to cross a high bridge and come city streets. I was terrified on the bridge. Sitting up and seeing through the bridge structure, I was sure death was imminent. Worst part was that we had to go back that way. I had a soda at the tavern.

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      • I wouldn’t have liked that bridge either. Bike riders are intrepid. You have to give that to them, even if they do sometimes make driving harder for the rest of us.

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  10. I really do relate to your concern about the autumn angle of the sun. I have found it really scary a couple of times. Fortunately the driving completely blind spot didn’t last too long, but it was a horrible accident in the making. I am amazed that people riding bikes don’t all wear highly reflective apparel. I try to be so aware of pedestrians and “bike people” but I have had some close calls.

    Looking forward to the outline of your SNL skit! 🙂

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  11. I like to look at things before I purchase too, thing is, for clothes, even underwear, nothing is ever in stock in my size and if they do have my size, it’s crap quality or dire design. Everything is available on-line……. except it isn’t now and anticipated delivery for out of stock items is a joke.
    Love your squirrel btw

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  12. Those sunspots are hazardous, for sure!

    I wish we had more walking paths, but instead, even in Los Angeles, we have way too many roads without sidewalks. The dog and I often leap into yards and driveways to avoid being hit by texting drivers. Perilous, indeed!

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  13. I choose to believe someone from NBC Entertainment reads your blog, and I await your writing credit someday! The street outside our condo complex is 25 mph but still gets quite a bit of traffic. There are no sidewalks, and we constantly worry about hitting pedestrians and bikers on a daily basis! – Marty

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  16. I’m definitely with you when it comes to on-line shopping. If I can’t find what I need locally, I have no qualms buying on-line. And if I shop Amazon, then it’s just like I’m shopping locally because I’m feeding the local economy. It seems like my little suburb is surrounded by huge Amazon warehouses and drivers; they are a major employer.

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        • When my cat Mollie was diagnosed with diabetes, I needed supplies fast. It was after 4 p.m. and I needed them the next morning. The vet was willing to sell me a glucometer for $155. One of her techs told me to buy it on Amazon. Not only was it $70 on Amazon, they overnight all diabetic supplies. I was grateful. I was able to get everything but the insulin which I got first thing the next morning at my drugstore. That is my personal positive experience with them.

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          • I buy a lot of things I can’t find locally. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe I’m a little weird, but Amazon has it, so I shop there when I need to. I shop online quite a bit. I didn’t know that about their diabetes supplies. I needed those for a cat and a dog; I hope those days are over.

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  17. Half of my commute to the office is on rural roads where deer are everywhere. What amazes me is the number of bikers who ride these dangerous and curvy roads in the dark. Considering all of the drivers who look at their phones while driving, these bikers certainly are trusting…or they like to temp their fate. I wouldn’t bike on those roads in the daytime.

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  20. Loved the post! We have cyclists here that seem to think we just liked to spend the extra money for them a bike lane, complete with signs and painted lines. Where do they ride? In the roadway, of course. They claim they have the legal right to the road (which they do according to law). This makes for friction between the cycling community and those of us that have enough brains to know it’s safer in the bike lane that was designed just for that.

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    • Based on how hilly it is here and how fast they go “downhill,” I get nervous when I see them. I try to give them a wide berth because you never know. I had a friend, great cyclist, who hit a stone or something (never exactly knew) and took a horrendous tumble over the handlebars that landed him in the hospital for an extended stay.

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  23. We have lots of deer around here and lots of “deer crossing” signs but very few pay attention. The wildlife suffer for humankind’s impatience I’m afraid. Anyway, the sun didn’t used to bother me so much until I got cataracts – now it’s one of the main reasons I can’t wait for surgery. LOL That and all the “floaters” and “clouds”. As I always heard it said “aging ain’t pretty” sometimes although I don’t like the alternatives. I pretty much get everything online – no parking lot problems at stores, no lines to pay, no pushy shoppers, AND often I can’t find what I want anyway in stores. Boy oh boy things sure have changed!

    Hugs, Pam

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    • Cataract surgery helps especially with the halos but it doesn’t eliminate all issues. Aging stinks. I do a lot on-line but I don’t like to do clothing or shoes unless I know what size I need or have tried on somewhere. House things with patterns are hard too. I want to wallpaper a powder room and I just can’t do wallpaper on-line without seeing it. So far I have about 8 samples I’ve ordered and none turned out to be “the one.” I bought a quilt on line and that turned out wonderful.

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      • Colors aren’t “accurate” online either which makes it tough if you are looking for something SPECIFIC in a color. Wallpaper is one of those things that really needs to be SEEN for sure. Quilts are wonderful as you say……I have LOTS of them since my sister is a quilter and I have every color of the rainbow. I “rotate” my quilts around the house as decorative features – totally changes a room to change a quilt! Hugs, Pam

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  24. I’ve had a client the last couple weeks who lives up in the hills and has am and pm visits. There are lots of deer crossing the road in the am especially (I am up there by 7 am and it is still dark). People drive too fast on that road sometimes…I go 25 (the speed limit there) especially for the deer. A cute family of three was crossing the road this morning. Such beautiful creatures.

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