Yesterday morning at 9 am I was standing outside the FedEx depot door when it opened, (it is a hundred mile round trip.) I did all that was necessary to have it shipped, including paying with an arm and a leg. I handed my precious envelope to a surly lady behind the computer. Explained that this needed to go as fast as humanly possible (She grimaced at the screen not answering me).
I tried to make conversation with the man standing in line behind me but he reared his horsey head up at the sound of a foreign accent, exchanging a glance with the surly woman over my head saying – What? What? So I fell into silence and turned my eyes to the bright pictures of smiling spruced people bending with purpose, caught by the camera swiftly handing clean packages into polished planes and waited for her computer to start spitting out bloody paper.
Now look at that screen again. All that rushing and driving was for nothing. I paid for urgent overnight (which actually means 48 hours) and it sits in the office ALL day. Not even shipped.
On my return I farmed, and cleaned and sorted and heaved. I sat with the piglets training them to drink water from a spigot.
I let the sheep into the July field and told Daisy that the rubbish paddock was really not that bad and please don’t lean over the fences. Her udder is cool to a fast knuckle touch which is good. I mowed, weeded and picked dinner, though everything has slowed down with this cool weather, we have not been out of the low seventies in days. And I checked the fedEx tracking screen again and again waiting for movement. Maybe they just don’t update it in real time I thought.
Good morning. I checked the FedEx tracking screen this morning and our package finally moved and was sent to Indianapolis at 9pm last night. If it is going to London why was it on a truck to Indianapolis? By 3. am this morning it was back in transit to parts unknown.
Ah well. They have promised that it will be in London by lunchtime on Wednesday. I guess to fulfill this promise they have to drive it all over America for a day or so! Big breaths. It will be alright. Sometimes we are pushed in a direction we do not want to go in and our suitcases need to sit packed and forlorn a little longer waiting for the destination we had hoped for. The timing still might work if I aim to fly out Friday afternoon. What is very important now is that I make this time count. So today I am taking the tractor through to the yards and I am going to give it a good clean up. Sheila will be happy, she goes into the yards to hoover up mulberries and now that Daisy does not wait there every day to be milked it would be nice if it was cleaned as it will stay clean and the mulberries will be tastier.
Then I am going to get the long nails and my big hammer with the fat head because I am hopeless at hammering – Why are the heads of nails so small? – and I am going do repairs on the fences.
But first I shall pop into the FedEx screen again and see whether my package has moved. Tracking is hell.
Have a lovely day.
your impatient friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
70 responses to “Tracking is Hell”
Oh I am with Sally! I have horrible stories to tell about international shipping! and I thought the problem was that I lived in Jordan!
I hope you will be able to make it in time
It’s the watched pot syndrome, c. Sending you lots of positivity, and a bit of luck.
I see a story about this in the future.
Oh I get the foreign accent thing, the telephone company just hung up on me yesterday after talking at me very slowly…depsite me saying that I understiid Spanish perfectly and probably spoke it better than the young lady who was “helping” me 😦 Try to stay calm, we are all weaving spells, lighting candles, saying prayers, doing dances and crossing limbs for you 🙂
Got fingers, toes and eyes crossed for you. 🙂
I’m pulling for you C. I have no doubt you’ll keep yourself busy while you wait. Keeping my fingers crossed!
So crazy that people….well, many Americans in America are freaked out over foreign accents. I for one, so crave diversity I follow people from different countries when I see them in this very rural area (which is rare!) just to drink in different skin colors and features and accents. Have my fingers crossed that the passport arrives back in your hands lickety-split and you’ll be off on Friday as planned. XOXOXO
It’s like a watched pot – don’t look…it will just drive you crazy
(if it makes you feel any better, you have company. Another blogger is frantically watching her bridesmaid dress have a great vacation all around the country as documented on the screen. Forget alterations-no time left.)
That porch is begging – maybe a moment of sitting for peace?
Oh, you didn’t listen to dad when he explained about nails? They have different tops/heads to serve different functions – you’ll be more successful using the best nail for the job.
Noooo stop chasing me with that hammer – you’ll trip and get a bruise.
Wishing and hoping we hear you make that plane..if not a well organized human smuggling group may be organized (oh, hope Homeland Security knows that is a joke…I’ll put a HaHa/LOL in)
HUGS and calm sent
Is there a manual then, about the nails. I just choose long ones with big heads. And if they go bendy i just say i meant to do that! A HaHa! I am going to steal that… I put in a HaHa! c
Nails (the building kind – I’m always doing stuff that breaks the other kind)
Old timers at a “real” hardware probably can educate you on nails
Basically the head is shaped for the material and what you want them to do. The length and nail material also varies with job.
Headless nails (skinny finishing nails?) are supposed to be invisible in use. Roofing nails are short with a very big wide head to hold the shingles down in wind.
Building with wood boards means thicker nails with sturdy heads to keep it together tightly.
Then there’s smooth nails and nails that have a spiral down the shaft (hard for those to wiggle out and not easily removed)
I tend to just grab what’s readily available…and always get lectured about it! (Barbed wire fences use wire staples…and there’s a variety of those, too.)
I always found old old hardware stores intriguing – still do.
Now watch that hammer (and there are all those hammer types for special functions, too…)
Ah, lots to learn then! c
When my nieces were young, around 5 & 7, they heard a lady from Australia speak at church. They loved her accent & tried very hard to replicate but being from the south, never could quite accomplish it. They finally just settled & called it ‘fancy talking’.
Fancy talking!! fantastic. It is sad that we have become the Immigration Problem here now. Ah well.. c
good luck to you! at least it is on it’s way. i really hope it gets back to you in time! the coupe looks great!
Try not to keep looking at the tracking – it won’t make it travel any faster. Having said that, I probably wouldn’t practice what I preach if it was me! And I WILL be doing the same thing when I post the next you know what!!!! Keep calm, deep breaths, you’ll get there I’m sure (even if that guardian angel carries you there!)
Christine
Here in the UK & Ireland, those updates move slower than the actual packages. In fact they are like Dublin buses – none for ages then three arrive at the one time. Fingers, knees and toes still crossed, and sure this is still only Tuesday! Close the tracking window and turn the clock to the wall.
Thank goodness you have so many things to do!
no problems there, and i had better get busy with them.. c
I have this feeling it’s all going to work out for you, Celi. And I like what you said about how “Sometimes we are pushed in a direction we do not want to go in…” We are kind of in that mode right now after the big lightning strike incident. Moving forward and yet on hold waiting to put our house back together, but in the meantime being pushed towards changing and fixing things to keep our house in order. Not the best analogy to your situation but I gain courage from your words. I hope your tracking go faster than you expect and may you be on your way with passport in hand by Friday!
Oh NO your house got hit by lightening.. how awful, I shall pop over to your blog and see if you are all ok.. c
Think I shall have to enjoy a glass of wine to calm the nerves about your passport. Fear not, I have you sorted on the nerves Celi.
🙂 Mandy xo