2013 limps into action

It’s Friday morning and I’m finally getting back to the blog, partly because I’m waiting for FedEx.  It’s my present pet peeve, although I’m trying to remember one of my many resolutions of this year, not to be an angry old woman who’s incapable of handling the slings and arrows of this outrageous communication age, a time in which it seems to be increasingly difficult to actually talk to a real person and get something really done in real time.  Now I have vented here, but unfortunately I have to admit that I got pretty testy with the unfortunate real woman I finally talked to at the FedEx. office in Kelowna.  I won’t do that again, I hope.  Why is it so difficult to resist shooting the messenger?

This whole FedEx ‘issue’ started at noon on Wednesday, a day that was full of other small frustrations. I arrived home after meeting my Korean friend for our shared class.  I was happy that I had been able to help her with English but still irritated with myself for having forgotten my Korean notes so that I hadn’t been able to ask her about the questions I had.  The FedEx card was hanging on the doorknob.  They had come and gone without leaving the Korean language program that I had ordered on line and been eagerly awaiting.  I am hoping that it will help me to realize my main new year’s resolution, get back to seriously trying to learn Korean.  Thus started the series of small frustrations: call FedEx. to see what’s up; find out that I have to pay import duties; I can pay them directly, but they can’t make my Master Card work; call Master Card; they don’t know why F is having the problem unless it’s because Bert’s address as well as mine are on file; have Bert’s removed; call F back; they finally make the card work but still can’t just leave the package at the door because it costs over $100.00 dollars; I will have to wait at home one day for it or else drive to Kelowna airport, the only F outlet in the north Okanagan, to pick it up.  That’s why I’m waiting at home today.  I won’t bore you with the other hitches of the day.  Suffice it to say that I was again reminded of the fact that a person can drown in teacups, if there are enough of them.  At least in the ocean you can try to keep swimming.  It’s 10:37a.m., and F still isn’t here.

Now for some good news, the birds have come back to the feeder, at least a few brave redpolls have been there at breakfast and lunch for the last few days.  Not a flock, but neither have I bought the suet yet.  I’m going to do it today if F ever gets here. 

The times of my sessions with the Korean students continue to be in flux, but I hope that by next week all will be settled.  The adaptive ski classes start this Saturday morning; I have the same little autistic girl I had last year.  It’ll be a challenge because when she’s not ‘on’, she’s as limp as a length of over-boiled spaghetti, but she’s funny when she’s not furious.  I’ve been downhill skiing once, but cross country much more.  Mo has introduced me to a Silver Star special, the ‘flat white’.  It’s an Aussie specialty coffee.  As Silver Star is owned by an Aussie, they make it at the main restaurant on the hill.  Her husband John and I have a crazy system going.  John and I are very practical, one might say tight, so he buys me a flat white, I pick up my free seniors coffee, he’s not a senior yet, and we exchange.  I give him my freebie plus $1.00, and he gives me the $2.95 flat white because otherwise he would have to pay $1.95 for and ordinary coffee, which he prefers.  Life laughs on, except for FedEx, except for FedEx, except for FedEx.

Mo's picture of David's blue tree taken when she visited Wakefield in the fall

My copy cat red tree waiting in the new snow for the birds to recover from post traumatic stress syndrome.