Is there anything more frustrating than trying to photograph lightening?

I mean come on... What an incredible sky during this morning's delivery... And this is the only shot I could get!  And the only reason I have it was thinking "maybe try taking a video" ... Wish I'd tried a few more times with that method and had a better selection to grab a frame from. This is when I long for a DSLR camera, tripod and unlimited time and energy to devote to a hobby. 

Anyway it was amazing and I'm so thankful I could witness it. I am also thankful that it didn't storm while I was out in it. I know my Heavenly Father loves me (even when I do get wet).

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Winter Woes and Spring has finally Sprung!

I joked all winter that we had the worst winter in 30 years all because I took up a newspaper route.  Sad but true I'm afraid to say!

We even had snow as late as April this year.  I didn't think it would ever end. -- Yep this was the first day of Spring Break!!  Didn't last long thank goodness!!

In February I started a second route.  I was really excited about getting this other route.  It was directly "behind" my current route and put me almost right on my doorstep when I finished -- PERFECT!!  It is about double the size of my original driving route.  Happy happy happy finally making some money!  But boy oh boy....Life just got a whole lot more challenging and of course the winter wasn't nearly over and these are country roads so it was definitely one of those situations where it could only get better!!

Now Spring is truly finally actually amazingly here (knock on wood!)  It's been really rainy this week -- and the week before last.  It slows things down in the morning -- from later truck arrivals to slower going on the road.  Then there's the need to bag the papers which is a real bummer.  It costs money and takes more time than just placing the papers in tubes.  I really hope we have some dry nights soon!!

Since I deliver during the night I don't always see the evidences of spring in the neighborhoods I deliver in the typical way.   When the temperatures started to warm and the rains started to fall -- there was this odor in the air -- it was hard to describe -- not floral like hyacinths, this was kind of "earthy".  It was dozens and hundreds of earth worms!!  I no longer do a walking route, otherwise I think I'd rename myself the "worm murderess"!  The other major evidence -- all the critters!!  I've always seen plenty of deer even during the dead of winter but wow when you have customers on "Possum Rd" you can just imagine who I've been seeing!!  And TONS of bunnies and raccoon!!  I had NO idea there were so many raccoon around here! Sadly where you see live critters you're sure to see dead critters too.  I've been dreading the day I hit one -- and then it happened -- I didn't cry but there was a deep deep groan that escaped my lips.  Poor raccoon!  :-(

One last Spring observation -- I love Red Bud Trees!!  I've lived in a lot of different places and this is the only place (at least as far as I remember) that has Red Bud Trees!!  They are so delicate and not truly red -- more fuchsia.  They are a pop of intense color when everything is greening up -- there's so many white blossoms this time of year -- like apple blossoms, pear trees and even dogwoods and then this lovely little blossom shows up and it just makes me smile.  I think they're amazing because the blossom is tiny but like an impressionist painting these tiny dots have such a big impact.  (I took these picture on my weekly Enon Eagle paper route - one I can deliver to during the day -- and observe the joys of SPRING!!)

Happy Spring!

First day blues

So after six months I finally have the opportunity to make some real money doing this paper route.. My definition of real money and someone else's may vary.. But up till now, after the cost of gas and supplies it hasn't been a great money maker although the Christmas tips were a nice boost.

Now I have two routes, both motor routes and they link up perfectly. So why am I blue? Because starting a new route no matter how advantageous is hard! I looked at the maps for a week, drove it during the day, identifying mailboxes beforehand... But until you're out there bumbling around in the dark, you really haven't learned the route. I'm at that terrible "is this ever going to get any easier? " point. I know after two weeks it will start to improve a lot.... But two more weeks of feeling like an idiot, finishing at 830 and let's not even discuss the nightmare that Sunday will be!

I've always hated being "new" to a job. When you are clueless... Lucky to know where the bathroom is and little else. Ugh! 

One tiny positive... I've seen a very cool moonset... It was a pink then a deep red... Couldn't photograph it... And yesterday was also a cold cold sparkly day, if I hadn't been so exhausted it would have been an awesome day to run around taking gorgeous pictures!   Here's the few I did take with my phone.

Fringe Benefits!

When you're up early there are some things you get to experience that most people are sleeping through!  Today the truck was late -- it was election day yesterday so I'm going to forgive the plant and assume they were waiting for last minute election results.  The silver lining was I was just getting home as the sky started to lighten.  These were taken with my phone -- wish I'd gone in the house and grabbed my better camera but I was afraid if I got warm I'd never go back out.  The song that keeps playing in my head..."For the Beauty of the Earth..."  

And snow it begins

There were snowflakes mixed in with the rain this morning.... big slushy snowflakes. I might not have seen them if I  weren't driving. But the weatherman nailed it, predawn snowflakes. 

I'm so happy and relieved that I'm on just a motor route now... this would have been a miserable morning for walking. Feel a little guilty about the new guy though, my relief is his grief,

I'm not really ready for snow yet... afterall it was really nice just last week! Regardless it's still pretty coming down from the sky!

This is kind of what it looked like before dawn!

You know it's bad when you need these

It's been crazy this last week... part of why I haven't posted. My newspaper life is only part of my craziness but it definitely affects all other aspects and tends to take over.

So for some time...well really since I did the math the first week I started my route... I've been gently campaigning for a motor route. Not because I don't want to walk... there's part of the walking I really like, but also dread with winter coming on. My fear of falling is ever present too. But mostly it's about time and money... like so many things in life! Motor routes pay better... and you can deliver more papers with less effort in the same amount of time... it means a bigger paycheck :-) 

Last week I got a motor route! The only catch is I was asked to continue with the walking route at the same time... hmmm. So I said yes.... what was I thinkinong? Raise! I didn't fully appreciate that it takes 3 hours to do the walking route... and not knowing the new route makes it hard to hurry without a lot of errors.  So it's been a long, stressful, sleepless,frustrating week. I know it's going to get better... for one thing I'm shedding the walking route tomorrow (I hope)!  And I already know the other route much better so that's getting better... but my original customers are not happy with the late deliveries and it makes me sad and frustrated. Plus we've now missed church two weeks in a row... urgh!

So what's with my title and pic? Well my"day" starts at 1:00 a.m....and I'm supposed to be done on Sunday by 8 (usually we're done by7) so the approaching dawn is not my friend... it means I'm LATE!  I don't want to need those sunglasses! That's the way it's been all week... depressing...even if it's beyond my control.

Here's hoping for a better report next week!

It's beginning to look at lot like... Halloween!

The neighborhood I deliver to is starting to look quite festive! If they get this ramped up for Halloween, I can't wait to see what they'll do for Christmas!!


That mummy in the window is soo cool!!  It's like a plastic trash back covering the window -- but when the light is on in the room it back lights the lighter parts of the picture -- plus the hand and being so large creates a cool 3D effect.  I wonder where they bought it??

This was just a small sampling that I snapped on Saturday morning -- I'll try to snap a few more  in the coming weeks!