Random 5 for July 30, 2023 – Robins, eyes, print, friends, grumps

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And then they were gone – Those robins I posted about last Sunday flew the coop. We started to see nesting around the last week in June. There were little beaks peeking out by the second week in July. Mama was faithfully feeding them. This past Wednesday I saw two of them (don’t know what happened to #3) walking around the edge of the nest flapping their little wings. They looked like they were airing out their pits. They were much bigger than the week before. Much bigger! Thursday they were gone. Mama too. The nest looks desolate. I have empty nest syndrome. Nothing to check on. Even the cats lost interest in the cat tree that had such a great view.

Eyeballs – From time to time I get floaters. They look like little specks of dirt floating in the vitreous fluid in my eye. It’s normal. The gnats have been out lately with the heat. When I walk, I don’t know if it’s my floaters or the gnats hanging around my face! In either case, it’s very annoying. If it sits on my nose and bites, that rules out the floaters.

Fly speck – I bought a new clear plastic top for my table. There is not much to do in the way of installing. Unroll and place it on top. It came with instructions. I’m sure there are notes about getting it to flatten or maybe what to use to clean it. I can’t read any of it. It’s in English but the print is so small I’d need the Hubble telescope to decipher. What’s with that? Do we need a law that states the smallest size you can use for instructions? Supposing there was a health concern?

Reaching out – This week I sent an email to an old friend from my exercise group. She said it was so good to hear from me. That made me wonder why she didn’t reach out to me. I do all of the reaching out. We are all retired so I can’t figure out why more people don’t. An email doesn’t take much time, and it keeps in touch.

Created by John Wagner for the Shoebox Division of Hallmark

What was that all about – There was a woman at Starbucks who seemed like she was in a “snit.” She got out of the car and walked into the store with the air of someone who just had an argument. It was before 8 in the morning. Who argues then? She had dropped something when she got out of the car so I told her. She looked at me (more like through me), said thanks and swept on by. When I went out, I saw that she had picked it up. Sure glad I wasn’t working with her that day.

So how was your week?

60 thoughts on “Random 5 for July 30, 2023 – Robins, eyes, print, friends, grumps”

  3. I’m with you on being the one doing most of the heavy lifting with friendships. It gets irritating, honestly. The Starbucks barista I usually see said hi to me by name when we were in Target the other day. It was strange seeing her out of context. 😆

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  5. Well, I hope the birds are all well in their new homes. Does the mom just go to another nest somewhere to live? Why not live in the one she already has? I obviously don’t know much about birds! Maybe that lady just needed her coffee first. I have to fast for a test tomorrow and no coffee in the am so I am warning my family now, stay clear of me until I can come back and have my coffee!!!!!

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    • When my husband had fasting blood tests, he was told he could drink black coffee with nothing in it. Hopefully your test is in the morning. The nest is not really the “home.” Even during the egg laying, the robin didn’t spend all her time in the nest. She lived in the trees only going to the nest to lay an egg. After the eggs were all laid, she would roost there almost continually. She built a very fancy nest but it’s only for raising young. I saw her yesterday (or maybe I just saw another robin but I like to think she’s hanging around.)

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  6. It’s amazing how fast those little robins were ready to fly away. The clear plastic with the small print could at least have included a magnifying glass.

    I agree with you about reaching out, and yet I’m not the one who does the reaching out. Shame on me. I guess I’ve always been that way. I was lucky that back in the day it was the male responsibility to ask you for a dance or for a date.

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    • I’m not a super social person but when I need a dose of socialization, I will reach out. My neighborhood is filled with people close in age and that makes it easy. My mahjongg group is composed of neighbors so we walk to each other’s homes to play. Also, when I go out for a walk, I may bump into someone who is walking and we’ll chat for a bit.

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  8. Hi, Kate – I’m totally with you on teeny-tiny fine print instructions. So often, even with my glasses on, and holding said instructions under the brightest lamp that I have, I still cannot read the blasted thing. What is up with that?!!

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  9. I remember putting together a white wooden child’s rocking chair to use out in the garden. The instructions were not clear and rather than putting all the English directions in one place, then moving to the next language and so on, they had a paragraph in English, then that same paragraph in six different languages, then back to English for the next step. Frustrating and I couldn’t cut out the directions and tape them on a separate piece of paper as they were on both sides and telephone-book-sized font. I had that happen once trying to put together a weed whipper as well … you’d think Black & Decker would do better. I have missed Robins that I monitored at the Park or when I used to walk through the neighborhood once they fledged. Just before they took off they were sitting on the side of the nest like “c’mon Mom – you’re cramping our style – let’s go!”

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  11. I’ve had floaters too but after reading about your experience with them, I realized that mine have been MIA for a while. I know they can come and go but I hope they stay gone for a good long time. Now, if only I could get my hot flashes to go away…

    Your robins flew the nest quickly! I guess mom needed her alone time again and encouraged their independence. I hope you (and your kitties) get another family to watch next spring!

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  12. Maybe another bird nest will spring up for you to keep an eye on. 🙂
    Sorry about the floaters, they can be a pain. I was having bleeding in my eye from the lining separating and seeing little blood clots which drove me crazy! For they would be right in the center of my vision. So glad its over now.
    You are right, emails and texts don’t take long at all. So keeping in touch really isn’t hard. It can be frustrating when you are the one reaching out all the time. People get way too busy, even being retired. Or maybe not even busy as much as just wrapped up in whatever they are doing. One has to make friendships a priority.

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  13. Floaters here too. I usually think there is a fly in the house, and for sure there isn’t. Reaching out is interesting. I have a couple of friends who can but won’t text or email, they want to talk on the phone for an hour or more. I’m not a phone talker so it leaves us in a little bit of limbo, and after an extended period of time, I end of making the dreaded call. If I text or email one, she doesn’t answer. The other one will call and say where you trying to call me. 🙂 That lady really needed her coffee. Maybe she should have a cup at home before her Starbucks.

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    • I am so NOT a phone person. I will do anything to get out of a phone call. A 15 second text or email can turn into an hour on the phone! That lady needed a whole pot of coffee!

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  15. It bothers me that I am always the one to connect with friends. I know that their lives are busier than mine but it seems if they have time to talk when I call they must have time to call me.
    It does seem instructions printed on things are getting smaller. I wear glasses to read or do close work but sometimes the print is still to small.
    Hopefully now that a safe nesting spot has been found at your house birds will keep showing up to rear their babes.
    To keep my comment polite I will not speak of floaters.

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    • The friend thing bothers me too. I haven’t seen one of my “friends” for two years. I decided to see if she would ever call. She didn’t so perhaps I wasn’t a friend at all. It takes a minute to send an email.

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  16. I am tickled to hear the little robin family successfully left home! She was a good Mom.
    I have to agree With Tails Around the Ranch that it seems more people are angry out and about with a short fuse. I don’t know if it is an anger issue or if people are just willing to let their feelings go crazy in public these days. I just feel like people are extremely frustrated. Maybe it is the heat. But there are a lot of angry people out there. Maybe I live in the land of impatient angry peeps.
    Have fun meeting with your gal pals!

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    • I think people are less tolerant then they used to be. They get ticked off faster. I don’t remember road rage as a kid. People didn’t carry guns and shoot when they got annoyed.

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  17. Wow, sounds like the birds were {very} short term tenants. Too bad, baby birds are the cutest, even if they probably drive their mama looney with all the culinary demands.

    Just seems like a whole lot of people are angry anymore. In some ways, I understand but you wish they’d take their drama elsewhere. Here’s hoping you have a floater-less week.

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  18. “Do we need a law that states the smallest size you can use for instructions?” Yes. Or alternatively all items with written instructions must come with a complimentary magnifying glass.

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  20. I am weary, too, of folks who never reach out, who wait for me to do it. I find I reach out less and less as time goes on to those who never think to reach out to me. And being that pissed off at 8 am…well, too early for that. Can’t imagine what the rest of the day was like. Just finished a very long week where it seemed like all our clients were out of town at the same time. I’m exhausted, and very glad this coming week is super quiet on the pet sitting side.

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  21. Good Morning Kate, How was my week? I don’t know where to start. Floaters are common, but please don’t ignore them they could be an indication of something more serious, but treatable.
    I had girlfriends for lunch, we laughed like crazy and I read the first chapter of my novel Morningside Drive. . . and they love it.
    I’m working with an editor/publisher and book launch in January.
    Health issues are a serious concern. My husband has survived pancreatic cancer, etc. the list is too long for a comment section. This week we learned he has Alzheimer’s. Writing is keeping me sane.
    Be Well, Claudia

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  22. I’m glad the birdies fledged and flew! That’s a happy ending (we’re going to assume that birdie #3 was a prodigy and left early, yes we are). New neighbors took down the huge pine in their yard this month. It was over seventy years old, over one hundred feet tall. For the last several years, a red-tailed hawk perched on the top every morning as the sun rose. I’d see her daily as I returned from my morning walk. You wouldn’t think losing a single tree or bird would hit you so hard!

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    • I think the 3rd one fledged early. When I saw the other two they were testing their wings so I suspect they took off within a few hours. I hate to see old trees cut down. We had to cut some down on our property because they were poorly placed but within a year planted more than we cut down. I love trees. Critters, shade, just plain pretty. What’s not to love.

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  23. People iz nutz ~ getting up in a bad mood, taking it out on others, not reaching out more often, complaining about being lonely without doing anything to alleviate the situation, etc.

    That is why Maxine is right. Without coffee, they would be even more challenging. 😀

    Good week here. Visit from a niece and great nephew with beach, pool, pier, aquarium, playground, and children’s library activities PLUS all of Landon’s favorite foods (which happen to be faves of ours too ~ pizza, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, ice cream, waffles, etc.) plus some veggies thrown in for more balanced nutrition. 😀

    The house seems so quiet without his 2 year old presence racing around.

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