The Acreage of Unsaid Things

The Acreage of Unsaid Things

By A. Firebaugh

She stands at the worn and weathered door,

fingers resting on faded wood.

The world beyond is dusk and shadow,

but her eyes drift across years and fields.

A brother's laughter drifts back,

high and bright,

echoing off the walls that once held

their games and arguments,

their whispered plans to swim in the creek,

to play hide and seek in the building near the spring house.

When she squints, she can still see them --

Ghost-children barefoot in the front yard,

sitting side by side on the porch swing,

daring one another to make it go high and fast.

In the stillness of the evening,

at the edge of her land,

she whispers to the night:

"I am still here, waiting where you left me."

Who Pays Again?

I was looking at an item I was thinking of purchasing, and I wrote the seller, who is in the United Kingdom, to ask about shipping fees. The person could not give me a quote.

"Thanks for your message.

Yes, shipping will be from the UK. Unfortunately, we are not told about the tariff charges. Once the item has been shipped, DHL will be in contact regarding the payment of these tariffs. We are advising our customers to check their government website under importing goods.

Thanks,"

I looked up the item at some place called flexport and it looks like the tariff on this $400 item would add an additional $104 on top of the regular shipping fees from the company.

COST BREAKDOWN

Base cost: $400

Total duties: $69

Harbor Maintenance Fee (HMF): $1

Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF): $34

Landed Cost: $504 (plus seller shipping fees)

And I would be paying that. Not some corporation. Me.

Don't let certain people fool you when they say you and I aren't paying the tariffs. We are. They know it. If you're buying direct from overseas, expect surprises on your bill. Ask first if you can and walk away if answers are vague. That's what I am doing.

***

I also looked at this website, tariffcheck.org for the UK imports, and this whole tariff business is such a FUBAR I don't think anyone actually knows what is what.

The only government website that came up is so messed up that I just looked at it briefly and moved on. What I wanted to buy is not worth wading through pages and pages of BS to try to figure out a final cost.

Sunday Stealing

Questions to Answer when You Need a Break 

1. What would you rather be doing right now?

A. I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing.

2. What is always on your grocery list?

A. Chicken.

3. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?

A. I have never used a fire extinguisher for anything.

4. How many times did you text yesterday?

A. A couple. I don't text a lot.

5. Would you prefer a slow-paced, relaxing vacation or one filled with new sights and experiences?

A. We like to go to one place and hang out and learn about the area. Visit the tourist traps and find out which restaurant the locals really like, that sort of thing. We are not travelers who flit from motel to motel, bouncing around without actually seeing where we are.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: New Year's Day

Saturday 9: New Year's Day (2017)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Welcome to the first Saturday 9 of 2026.
 

1) In the lyrics, Taylor Swift promises she'll not only be there for the party, but for the clean up afterward. As we say move on from the holiday season, could your home benefit from a thorough cleaning?

A. I'm pretty sure most homes could benefit from a "thorough" cleaning. Mine is as clean as I can keep it. It's a little cluttered in two rooms because it's a small space, but that's clutter, not dirt. A thorough cleaning, by my definition, would involve completely emptying a room, cleaning it, and then cleaning everything as it is put back. I daresay most people don't do that, and while I did it a few times when I was younger, there is no way I could do it now.

2) This song describes a party where guests took Polaroid pictures. Have you ever owned a Polaroid camera? Do you have one now?

A. I remember my family of origin having a Polaroid, but I have never had one myself.

3) Taylor sings that we should "hold on to memories." What special memory from 2025 will you hang onto?

A. This is the year I actually retired, if you can call continuing to keep the books for the farm and my husband's septic installation business "retired." Mostly, I retired from freelancing and trying to make money with my writing. I guess that's a good memory to hold onto.
 
4) Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Have you taken your tree, or other holiday decorations, down yet? If you didn't decorate at all, let us know that, too.

A. My holiday decorations went back into the closet on New Year's Eve.

5) Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, but no wedding date has been shared. Do you anticipate attending any weddings in 2026?

A. I do not anticipate attending any weddings in 2026.

6) Travis' team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently 6-10. Not exactly the record their fans hoped for. According to a 2024 Pew research study, 53% of Americans said football is their favorite sport. Have you watched much football this season? 

A. I watched bits and pieces of college games, but not enough to mention, really. We always root for University of Virginia, mostly because everyone else around here roots for Virginia Tech.
 
7) In 2017, when "New Year's Day" was released, Wonder Woman was a hit at the box office. While Wonder Woman's superhero abilities vary depending on which TV show, movie or comic book you refer to, some of her powers remain consistent: a) immense strength, b) superhuman speed, c) the ability to almost instantly recover/heal from injury. Which would you like to possess – a, b, or c?

A. C, for sure. Being able to recover from a stubbed, broken toe and barely feel it? That would be terrific.

8) Have you made any New Year's resolutions for 2026?

A. I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore. I set a few goals, but they are private.
 
9) What was the first thing to make you laugh in 2026?

A. Alexa made me laugh with her reaction to my request to help me build a shrinking ray gun so I could go around and make people the size of atoms. At first, she thought I said, "shrieking ray gun" and she was confused as to why I would want that. And no, she can't build a shrinking ray gun. Or a weather control machine, or a time machine. She also can't build a transporter. Yes, I have asked. I ask her silly things all the time.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

 

Thursday Thirteen

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

1. Some years, January 1 shows up warm enough to open a window, the kind of day that tricks you into thinking winter might be gentler this time.

2. Other years it arrives with frozen pipes and that first “we made it through the night” cup of coffee, the one that feels like a small victory.

3. It’s usually the quietest morning of the year. There is little traffic, no deliveries, just birds reclaiming the soundscape.

4. Out here, the calendar doesn’t impress the animals. January 1 still means feed buckets, hay bales, and the same routines as yesterday.

5. The empty mailbox is its own kind of holiday. No bills, no flyers, no demands. Just a metal box taking the day off.

6. It’s the day when people either take down the Christmas tree or decide they don’t have the emotional bandwidth for that yet.

7. Leftovers become the whole menu, and sometimes they’re better than the original meal — the flavors settling into themselves overnight.

8. A lot of households do a deep clean, not because of resolutions but because clearing a surface feels like clearing a mind.

9. Even laundry feels different on January 1. It can be more like a ritual of renewal than a chore.

10. There’s something about writing the first date in a new calendar that makes the year feel both wide open and slightly intimidating.

11. TV marathons take over the day, the familiar comfort of parades and old shows filling the background like a soft landing.

12. Gyms unleash their loudest ads, but most people stay home, at least for this day.

13. Newspapers run their “Year in Review.” I always enjoyed writing these - it was fun to look back at the stories I had written and see what was important to the community throughout the year.

Deer, Raccoons, and a Coyote

We have a game camera about 20 feet away from the back door. I like looking at the night photos to see what comes around that I don't see. Recently, I've picked up a little buck, a coyote, and raccoons. I had no idea the coyotes came so close to the house.

A little buck

Coyote

Coyote

 

Raccoons