The census

I understand why the US census is important. I had no problem taking the 15 minutes it took to open the envelope, fill out the form, put it back in another envelope and drop it in the mail.
I do not begrudge that at all.
But, I do begrudge the rest of it.
The deluge of television commercials more than a month before the forms were sent out.
The three different letters sent to me saying “fill out the form when you get it”.
The two letters I got after the form saying “if you haven’t filled it out, do it!”
And, yesterday, the post card saying “hey, we need a little help with this, do you want to work for us?”
This doesn’t even count the multitude of news articles or segments on it.
I’m sick of it.
Just count me.
Stop sending me mail.
Stop showing up on my television.
Just count me, and save the money on all that other stuff.

Sad roadkill

Seeing dead animals on the side of the road always makes me feel sorry. Cars are just things that animals have no instincts to help them avoid and I feel bad about that.*
But on the walk around the office park at lunch time at work I saw one that really made me sad.
It was a beaver.
I’ve seen squirrels, raccoons, deer, dogs, cats, birds, ground hogs and all sorts of smaller rodents. (I spent a summer in Boston cleaning trash off roads.)
But, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a beaver dead in the road.
The mixed good news is that it is a sign they may be coming back to the area after a long absence. But, I still felt very sad seeing it there.


*Yes, I have hit animals with my car. I try and avoid it if possible, but there have been times it was not possible to avoid.

These stars I like

( Apparently it was give Frank gifts day and I didn't even know it. )