Random 5 for August 30, 2026 – Traffic, deer, dumb, people, Canadians

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A switch was flipped – This past Monday the traffic for my 7 a.m. coffee run went from seeing 5 to 10 cars to 30 to 50. It’s not the arrival of pumpkin latte time (maybe a little). Schools started locally. I understand the school buses, but why are so many more people driving in the morning? It will be May-June until I get a peaceful drive again.

Deer in our side yard.

Speaking of a peaceful drive – I saw deer this morning. There was a family in my ‘hood. I had to stop to let them cross into the wooded area. Then I saw another group at the other end of my development. So cute (if it’s not your shrubs they are munching). We are moving into mating season, so they get more active.

So dumb – Back to Starbucks. There was something wonky going on in the app. I had to redo my order and accidentally ordered it at the wrong store. Fortunately, my regular store knows me and made one without fuss. It happens. Spastic fingers which will only get worse.

Changes –The clientele at my Starbucks is switching too. Every day you see the same people coming in for their coffee before work. Most are young’uns but there are a few older regulars. Two guys who came to work on their computers are gone. Maybe their project is done or they are off to something else. An older guy only comes on weekends. Sometimes I don’t see him for a couple of weeks because our timing is off. I order on the app so I’m in the store less than a minute. I saw him today walking in. He has gotten more bent over and shuffles rather than walks. Made me wonder what aging signs people see in me. Perhaps it’s best not to know. When I look in the mirror, I see a perky 30-year-old and that’s as it should be.

Worth repeating – My cats said this Friday, but all the peeps here apologize to our Canadian friends. We don’t understand the current hissy fit going on nor do we endorse it.  Friends deserve better.  Another deflection perhaps.

So how was your week?

35 thoughts on “Random 5 for August 30, 2026 – Traffic, deer, dumb, people, Canadians”

  1. I love that you see families of deer. Must be a calming site. Toss in coffee and I’d call it a perfect day.

    Yeah, Canada deserves Fruit of the Month from Harry and David’s. Doesn’t nutjob have something better to do like running the country a whole lot better? Tell Gus and Sasha the Magnificent, this too shall pass. Have a great week.

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  4. What time does school start there? Are those 30 – 50 cars at Starbucks parents who already dropped their kids at school? Or are they one parent rushing off to work while the other gets the kids ready? Is it high school kids on their way to school? Just wondering.

    I always thought it was strange that you see more deer in people’s yards in the east when we have so many deer here. Maybe it’s because we also have enough forests to keep them occupied.

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    • The school buses are one the road by 7 a.m. I have no idea why there are so many more cars on the road now. Vacations are over but they couldn’t account for the big difference. Maybe some high schoolers drive themselves but I expect they would wait until the last minute. Our development backs up to wooded areas where they hang out but sometimes they like to visit yards for gourmet eating.

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  5. I would love to see a deer and fawns in the ‘hood! I am so amazed how many people are on the road at any given time. I used to always take a day or two of vacation time at each long holiday weekend and there would be no one on the road – it was a pleasure to drive. Now I find myself leaving a little later in the morning to avoid the “big morning rush hour” crowds and the roads are still busy! We have tons of construction everywhere – by November 1st they are supposed to be done pouring cement, but they’ll still eke out a week or more. My parents used to enjoy a Sunday drive … that’s not even a “thing” now.

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      • Yes, they were relaxing. This time of year it was a drive in the country to the local veggie stands, not necessarily farmers’ stands, but people who had lots of property and grew vegetables – if they didn’t man the stands at the end of their driveway, it was on the honor system. I think I’ve mentioned that before when you said you bought grapes at fruit stands.

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  7. Beautiful deer. Yes, school does seem to make a lot of traffic. I think a lot of people drive their kids because some schools can make you walk if you live up to 2 miles away.

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  9. All I can think about is apologizing to the good people of Canada. They are such a class act and we have such a mess on our hands with an angry 80 year old toddler in the White House. I have followed a kitten rescue in BC, Canada… TinyKittens… for years and I am embarrassed to even show up in the chat for their live feral cat rescue and kitten rescue anymore. The deer in your side yard… they chose wisely for a beautiful place to relax. And munch?

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    • They munch on my new viburnums that were planted this spring. There will be no berries this year. They also like the neighbor’s yew hedge. This think with Canada makes no sense. Distraction from something.

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  10. Apps and traffic should not mess with one’s morning coffee. :-) The deer here eat everything, and I mean everything. As for how others view us, I went to get my hair cut, she put the black cape on, and I glanced up to see this old woman staring back at me. Who was that old broad in the mirror? My ancestors on my father’s side were from Ontario, and I have friends who live in Canada. I actually sent them an email and apologized because I just can’t imagine what our friends to the north are thinking these days. Shameful.

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    • That has happened to me at the hairdresser too, especially after she washes my hair! Good for you for reaching out. I have some personal friends from Canada and some blogger friends. I have no idea what they think or where this came from.

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  14. We live right around the corner from all the schools in our township. Getting out in the morning will be less than pleasant until next June. We sure enjoyed the summer where we could move around freely!

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    • It’s a big difference. Locally the school bus stopped at each house to pick up so if I end up behind it, it’s at least 6 to 8 stops while a young child slowly moseys down the walk to the bus. When I was a kid we had a central pick up point that everyone walked to.

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