Just hours before another big snowstorm last week, I went out and cut some forsythia stems to force, so I could see something besides the monochromatic landscape of winter. Before I could even get them in vases, the snow began, and continued for another twenty-four hours. Really, this is no place for seniors like me!
But eventually they did what I wanted, and have lasted until just today, when I am going to replace them with new stems (unless I'm snowed out!). It's one of the advantages of life here, the ability to pick rather large amounts of blooming things and bring them inside with only a bit of time and trimming.
We had a particularly meaningful Seder this year, as our friends the Lunenfelds were able to join us once again. Ellie has been fighting cancer for over a year now, so we were especially grateful she was well enough to come along with her husband and two grown children. And they brought most of the meal - none of them are vegetarians and both Brian and Sadie were delighted at the chance to eat some poultry.
On another unrelated topic, did you know that delivery of USPS packages is at the discretion of the driver? I surely didn't until I got a slip in our mailbox informing us we could pick up a package at the local P.O. twelve miles round trip from us. After about two hours discussion with the local Postmaster, the USPS customer service (insert your own insulting joke here) and various irate emails to the Postmaster General, Governor Cuomo, both my Federal senators and anyone else whose email or web site I could find, we apparently will not ever be getting packages delivered here. I was told that it's always been the USPS policy that drivers don't have to leave their vehicles to deliver anything, and now that policy is being enforced by telling them that they can only deliver to addresses having complete turn-around driveways. They can't back up their vehicles! And if they do, and hit anything, they will be fired! To his credit, the local postmaster shared my dismay and anger. Our local P.O. is quite small and already overrun with packages they have no place to store, and people even more irate than I (yes, I guess it is possible though it seems unlikely as I do "irate" so well). I've included in my emails that it seems to me the USPS is not only determined to cause it's own demise, but is also perpetrating a fraud, as they sell packages larger than any mailbox I've ever seen with no caveat that purchasing them, and paying for postage, will only assure the package gets to the nearest P.O. to the delivery address. Anyone know of a stupider policy? Heres the Postmaster General's email if you'd like to comment: ppmgceo@usps.gov - and I hope you will! Imagine what will happen around Christmas/Hanuka time.. And why would anyone use the USPS when both FedEx and UPS seem to have no problem actually delivering the packages they are paid to deliver?
One last note, and a happier one. In April our sweet Sadie will celebrate her Bark Mitzvah! Yes, it's true, she will be twelve (or approximately so) but we are not doing a lavish party, just a small but sincere happy birthday to the girl that chose us to be her forever folks long before I figured it out. She is not even on the web site any more, has been declared a long-term foster, and so will stay with us as long as she lives. Such a good girl!
She now "sings" to us whenever either or both of us leave the house, whether for five minutes or hours, and is also currently enjoying large amounts of cottage cheese in with her kibble. Apparently after years of the same meal, she's gotten a bit bored, and as she must take her daily medication with dinner, this seems the easiest way for both of us. I've gotten a bit too old and cranky to spend a half hour on the floor feeding her kibble bite by bite.
That's the very complete update from here. Wishing you all a happy Passover/Easter/Spring and looking forward to what I hope will be a delightful summer. Send us your news!
