Hello friends!
I’m excited to report that the neighbors have installed a mosquito incubation tank in their back yard.
They have obviously decided to take advantage of the already bumper crop of mosquitoes lurking about to try their hand at raising swarm of their own.
The incubation tank showed up about four days ago, and we’ve seen nary a disturbance to it since. It’s nice to know they’re taking mosquito raising seriously and providing a large water source for egg laying and larval growth. The first batch will be hatching out in no time, especially with the unusually warm weather we’re having this year!
My arms are already itching in anticipation.
This is the first thing.
The second thing is that FedEx is total crap. Complete and utter crap.
For well over a year we’ve been ordering nearly everything we need/want online, and quite a few places use FedEx as their shipping service. If you don’t receive packages regularly from FedEx, you might think of their overnight service and be under the impression they deliver things quickly.
The first time we really noticed an issue was a few months ago when Michael was waiting for a large item that required a signature. Tracking said it would be delivered on Sunday, then it didn’t say out for delivery but the truck stopped by while I was out with the dog and Michael was in the shower. Of course it did.
Then we started to notice a trend with EVERY delivery coming via FedEx. The shipping confirmation tells you the package has an expected delivery of such and such date. As you watch tracking, that date nears but the package does not. The date passes, and after a while the status changes to “pending.” If it goes on long enough, you may see a new expected delivery date on the tracking, or maybe the package will suddenly show “out for delivery” and will finally arrive. There are a handful of variations to this process, but one thing remains the same - the “expected delivery” date is always sooner than reality.
STOP LYING FEDEX.
Just be honest with us - you’re unable to ship packages across the country very fast by ground shipping methods. Fair enough. Stop pretending you can.
Just stop it.
Ah. Here’s a good example. Will it arrive today, the 13th? Tomorrow? Who knows? I think this one is still yet to be handed off to the USPS for final delivery. I have no complaints about them or UPS.
Not much we can do but set our expectations low and wait.
(NARRATOR: The package did not arrive today.)
The third thing - not a complaint!
Last week the library hosted author Casey McQuiston for one of our virtual author visits. It was one of the best author visits we’ve had, but it was not recorded so I’ve got nothing to share with you (you can find other videos on YouTube). Casey’s new novel has a time-traveling character from 1970’s San Francisco, and at one point during the visit they were talking about the research they had done to get everything right. Deep research always makes a librarian feel a bit giddy.
It got me thinking about how enjoyable research can be. I’ve always loved the idea of spending time getting to know a subject thoroughly. It will be no surprise I enjoy reading non-fiction books that take that deep dive into a topic and have several lurking around the house for when the mood strikes again. I was trying to think of what I’d like to research if I were to ever take on such a project, and there are so many possibilities. Objects, places, plants…
What would you choose if you were to take a deep dive into a topic? A really, really deep dive?
Michael just now:
“Why does that swimming pool exist? Except to breed mosquitoes! A human body hasn’t been near it since they pulled the hose out! I don’t understand!”
Oh! Oh! Oh! I think I know what's up with the inflatable mosquito lab. Next door, there is a little house that was converted into a low-rent triplex. One of the tenants bought the identical pool last summer and set it up on their front lawn, a few feet from the road (which is technically a minor highway and quite busy). At the height of last year's pandemic fatalities in Ontario, they had an outdoor baby shower (right beside the street) with ~20 unmasked guests and unattended children. The pool sat out there (unused) until November, at which time it was pushed to the side of their front steps, where it lay all winter in a deflated blue heap, occasionally covered in snow. It's still there - daughter said she saw someone attempting to inflate it - by mouth - last month.
So, my guess? There's gonna be a PARDEE soon.
I almost took a video because I was in awe, but I witnessed a FedEx trick pull into a USPS here and drop -off-packages. What? And I ordered something two months ago that was supposed to be “overnight”, DedEx is holding it.
Anyways. I’ve noticed the mosquito here is pretty active but the bites are a less effective as the Florida variety I’m used to. But still no fun, here’s to bats and sparrows! Also the black biting flies are vicious and seem to have a very negative attitude.
There’s a biting fly FedEx joke somewhere in here…