I Didn’t Know This

Late this evening, after I’d turned off the outside lights (except for the strings of lights on the Christmas decorations), I received a text message on my phone from someone claiming to be an Amazon delivery driver. I wasn’t expecting a package until tomorrow, so I flagged the message as spam and deleted it.

An hour later, I checked the e-mail account I use exclusively for Amazon and it said that a package had been delivered. Checking the front porch, sure enough there was tomorrow’s delivery. My first same-day delivery as a 28-year Amazon customer. This got me checking on Amazon’s policies.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html

Deliveries can occur between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. local time. To avoid disturbing you, delivery drivers may knock on the door, ring the doorbell, or directly contact you for delivery only between the hours of 8:00 am – 8:00 pm local time, unless your delivery is scheduled or requires a signature. For those deliveries, drivers may place a call or text to the phone number you provided for your order. They should not attempt to deliver the package outside 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. unless they are able to reach you.

So the driver was trying to reach me to get approval for the delivery, that he made anyway. I think it’s ridiculous that deliveries should ever be promised for as late as 10 PM, and I am not at all comfortable with the idea of drivers texting my cellphone number. When I entered my cell number to enable 2-factor authentication, I didn’t know I was giving them permission to have drivers text me. Not liking this.

Red-Tailed Trouble

As I mentioned recently, there’s a hawk hanging around the neighborhood. A red-tailed hawk.

Yesterday, I heard him calling from the highest perch of the tallest tree, when another hawk joined him. If there’s a Mrs. Hawk, as far as I’m concerned they’re welcome to take up residence here. There are plenty of yummy squirrels for their dining enjoyment. Then today I saw this.

A red-tailed hawk is fighting for its life in Massachusetts, the latest predatory bird to fall victim to ingesting a controversial rodenticide.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/birds-of-prey-rodenticides-sgar/

The infrequent times I detect the presence of a mouse in the house, I use catch-and-hold traps, never poison.