Vintage Bowels...er...I mean Bowls

Aging is sad in many ways. There are things to look forward to of course, but so many others cease to be relevant and no longer bring us happiness. On the other hand, sometimes, a memory and all that goes with it can still bring us that joy.  

My friend thought I was crazy I'm sure. Ever since I can remember, part of our interaction has been about downsizing, minimizing, and de-junking our houses. I have made some, albeit not huge progress. For that, I apologize in advance to any family members who will have to pay for dumpsters after I'm gone. Just know that it could have been a lot worse.

This past week, we (friend & I) had occasion to visit a barn called Craftworks. The lower floor consisted of all the sorts of things people eventually get rid of, donate to thrift stores, and sell at yard sales. The upper level had a lot of lovely new items like furnishings, pottery, knick knacks, and giftware. It's an amazing huge place providing lots of fun and nostalgia, and it's totally worth visiting.

While there, I spotted two items downstairs. Alas, I finally saw the Tom and Jerry punch bowl set that I had been yammering about and actually wrote about in a blog (August 16th, 2019, "Tom and Jerry, Where Are You?"). I had enjoyed the Tom and Jerry drink on a trip that year, but I decided to pass on the set when my friend said, "Our experience was a wonderful memory but we don't need to own something we probably will only use once a year." She had an excellent point, one which I had already realized.*** 

I moved on, eyes scanning the room. Records? Jewelry? Ornaments? Pots and Pans? Vintage Clothing? Furnishings? Then, I spotted it! Excitedly, I made my way toward a large yellow pyrex bowl. Yes, a bowl. I picked it up. I held it. I admired it. I cradled it. I didn't need it. I bought it.                                                      

Why?

When I was between the ages of two and six, my family lived in a couple of different shacks on an island in Red Lake. By shack, I mean...well, shack. They were something that author Jeannette Walls would have considered luxurious. We dragged water from the lake to boil for cooking and washing dishes. 

Entertainment consisted of birthday parties, church, Saturday night dances, and card nights.  Everyone congregated at our home for card nights because it was probably the one with the largest space for several card tables. Not to brag, but our outhouse was also the nicest and we had heat from not only a wood stove, but also a new oil burning one. Those draws, plus the fact that mom always created the most magnificent coffee cakes and tortes were probably the reason for our frequent visitors. Since we had no fridge, it also meant that company had to take home leftovers. 

One night, my parents won a bridge game. The next day mom excitedly displayed her winnings. It was a set of four colourful pyrex mixing bowls, just the thing for an avid baker. They were bright. They were beautiful. They were certainly appealing to me as a small child.

 After that, whenever I helped with the dishes, I begged mom to let me dry the big yellow bowl. I was five years old and the bowl was really, really, big. She'd always give me the smaller red or blue one. I eventually worked my way up to the green, but never the yellow.

I know the bowls moved to Toronto with my parents. They also moved to the suburbs. They were still around when my mom passed away. Then, they disappeared. 

A couple of years ago, I found the red bowl at a thrift store. Now I have the yellow. Not mom's originals, but still...

Sounds strange, but I am making it my mission to find the rest of this set. I'll probably never use them and they may end up at the dump one day, but I hope not, especially since I discovered that the vintage set now sells for between three hundred and seven hundred dollars. My research also unearthed some other cool info. 

Original Cost in the 1950's

Thrift stores and garage sales, here I come!

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*** NOTE - I still have the Tom and Jerry mix that I purchased in 2019 in my freezer. 

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Memories of Two Dresses - Dress #2

 In 1989, I purchased a dress. It was made in Italy, and came from some kind of boutique type store in Markham, and it was designer I suppose. It wasn't my style...way too shiny, fancy and frilly, but for whatever reason (divorce), my whole mindset had changed. It wasn't that I had much money, on the contrary, but this dress spoke to me. 

      It said, "When you get invited to a garden party by the Queen, you'll be prepared."

I never had an expectation of attending such an event, it was just the thought of it I suppose. So I took this stupidly expensive dress home and put it in my closet. There it sat. It moved with me from house to house to house. Whenever I donated or tossed out clothing over the years, I'd look at the dress, put it on, dance around the room, then fold it back up carefully and put it into its now designated box in the closet.

It's hard to believe that thirty five years have gone by. This dress has been around longer than the the method of photography I just used after it occurred to me that I didn't actually have a photo of  this now vintage dress. The Queen was gone. The dress remained unworn in public.

In June of this year, I had an opportunity to attend an outdoor function labelled "garden party". I wracked my brain as to what I would wear. Information describing the party included, fancy attire, hat, gloves if desired. I pulled out the dress. Hence the photo.

It just wasn't quite right...too long, layers of lace making my upper body look wider than it actually is. What to do? Might this be my last opportunity to finally wear it, or option B, did I want to be buried in it and make that the last?

Decision made, I located a tailor in town and described my vision. Of course, my vision cost a fair percentage of the original dress price, but I didn't care. After all, this is 2024 and no longer 1989. She kept commenting on the lovely colour but that didn't get me any kind of discount. Anyhow, it was finally happening. 

I hauled out my silver sandals which thankfully, I had not yet donated, ordered a fascinator from Amazon, and I was ready. Boy was I ready.

The party turned out to be a lot of fun. The weather was hot but the rain held off. I sat with two friends. There was a fashion show, and a fantastic array of food items including a candy bar. Several people commented on my dress. I shall wear it again...on my next birthday, so, if you'll be attending, please pretend you haven't seen this dress before.                                                               

Memories of Two Dresses - Dress #1

 Long, long ago, in a subdivision not that far away, I had a dress...yes, just one. I did own some skirts, since these were compulsory female attire in high school back in the day. Anyhow, clothing options were limited by my parents' lack of finances. They had just purchased a house and funds were less than abundant. Like some people, they struggled, made sacrifices, and teens (specifically me) didn't complain or demand designer products. In fact, I doubt I even had a clue about designers. All I remember is the trendy Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey shirts and the penny loafers girls had that I often coveted. 

So, someone made me a dress. I might have even made it myself, but since it wasn't lopsided, it probably wasn't me. I suspect it was a close friend of the family who came up with the most wonderful items for me to wear, gifts at birthdays and Christmases. Once, she even made me a gorgeous skating skirt so that I could spin and swirl as I glided up the frozen creek behind our house. Alas, I digress from the dress.  

The dress was pale blue, A-line style, quite nice, and was made from a light weight summery fabric. It fit me well but it was plain. Very plain. The definitive word here being PLAIN. Nonetheless, I liked it. One day, I got a brilliant idea. Was there any reason I couldn't make the dress fancier? In fact, I could make it look as though I had a new dress. After mulling some ideas, and considering my limited teenage skill set, I had a thought.

It was summer vacation, so I took my paltry babysitting savings (35 cents an hour) and off I went to the closest two-story department store, Sayvette. Getting there required walking on the gravelly side of a dusty two lane road (facing traffic of course), to the closest town about 6 km away. Once there, I stepped on to the moving ramp which existed where an escalator would normally be. It was a great concept since shopping carts would lock into place until you reached your up or down destination. I made my way to the sewing/notions department where I purchased a few embroidery threads and a needle.

After my trek back home, I began my attack on the dress. I laid it out, drew a pattern and hoped all was properly centered. This is how I've always functioned with craft type endeavors. I assume I can do things and don't give it a lot of thought...just full steam ahead with the hope that it will turn out. I worked in secret for days and days. I  was a rebel and did things first, knowing that asking permission would not necessarily elicit the desired response. On the other hand, it was MY dress. 

After about three weeks, I was done. This is the only photo I've been able to unearth in my vast pile of slides and prints. I liked it and felt as though I had a new dress. Dad said it looked like it was covered in space aliens. So? What's the verdict? You tell me.

A Rose By Any Other Name

Having taught for much of my life, well over a thousand children, I don't recall any strange or unusual names. There were of course some who had ethnic origins, however, they were usually typical names for their culture. The challenge was coming up with a name for my first born that I didn't associate with someone I'd taught.

Often, children are named for parents or grandparents. My dad for example, had the same name as his grandfather, which was the same moniker as his father and great grandfather, but in reverse. Some parents opt to name their children after famous people, movie characters and more. Then there are all the variations and permutations of spellings for names, substituting "y" for "i" or adding extra consonants in attempts to make a child's name unique.

There are actually some countries that require the state's permission before a child can receive a certain name. In fact, there are laws in place meant to protect the children. Not a bad idea I would think, but sad that this would be deemed a necessary rule.

In Germany for example, you must be able to tell the gender of the child by the name. I suspect this will be an area of dispute in future years considering the current "he, she, and they" options. Also a name cannot negatively impact the well being of the child. A child cannot be given the name of a product or an object. In other words, Gwyneth Paltrow's "Apple" would be out.

In Sweden, the patent and registration office approves names. Metallica, Superman, Veranda, Ikea, and Elvis are among those rejected. I'm not certain what the issue is with Elvis, and I must admit, I did teach one during my years in the profession.

Iceland actually has a naming committee. Names must contain letters in the Icelandic alphabet, and as I learned while in Iceland, names represent whose son or daughter the child is. Last names are fairly irrelevant since most are identified by first names eg. Jonsson, or Jonsdottir. There's more...quite interesting. Look it up.

  

Even the U.S. has rules. No names in their entirety may contain more than forty letters. This has something to do with spaces in official documents and on computers.

So, where does this leave people like Elon Musk who came up with X Æ A-12 as his baby's name?  And how about these?  Jason Lee's son is Pilot Inspektor and Jessica Simpson's son is Ace Knute.

• 
  
• I recently watched part of the old movie "East of Eden". As so frequently happens these days, it jogged another of my memories. 

There was a quote, " Abra was ready ere I called her name;

And though I called another, Abra came." 

It always made me want to name a daughter Abra. Then I thought of the mocking and teasing that could, no would, surely ensue at school.

 

"Hey Abracadabra, can you make a rabbit appear?"

My next unusual choice came from a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem. I often listened to the radio in the evenings while painting a mural on the wall of my soon to be born child. The broadcaster would play music and read poetry. A frequent offering was, "The Children's Hour". There was a verse...

"From my study I see in the lamplight,

      Descending the broad hall stair,

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,

      And Edith with golden hair."

Allegra was a flowing and unique name. I liked the laughing part...a happy child. Thankfully, I did not opt for this name which has since become a brand of common allergy drug.

So there you have it my dearest Ingrid. I did not name you after grandma Rose. Your name can't really be condensed into something cutesy. It's only slightly ethnic. You were quickly able to remember "ing" spellings and endings in school.  AND, it generally conjures up the image of the gorgeous and brilliant blonde that you are. My only regret, although it doesn't seem to have impacted you negatively, are your unfortunate initials...I.P.

2024 - Really?

I was busy. I had knee surgery. I was lazy. I forgot my blogger password. All those are not good excuses, but after a lot of huffing and puffing, secret verification codes that didn't work, and a few unpleasant words said under my breath, I'm back in. I see that I did in actuality begin a lot of blogs last year...the definitive word being "begin". Will look into those later. Hope I still remember how to write.

I sometimes watch Jimmy Kimmel and he frequently shows clips of newscasters . He makes fun of  them because they say, "I can't believe it's (insert any month here) already."

So here am I and I actually can believe it's April already. In fact, today was the day of the big solar eclipse. Some saw it, many didn't. We had cloud cover but it did get dark outside. I confess I wasn't as excited about it as the hoards who populated Niagara Falls and some other regions of North America. I actually got tired of hearing news and updates for weeks on end, but nonetheless,  I did get one pair of protective eyewear. Unused as it were. 

All day long, reporters have managed to sneak the word  "eclipse" into their reporting as though they were the only ones to think of it. Let's wait until tonight's Jimmy Kimmel and see what materializes. I'm certain it will be entertaining.

What surprises me is that there wasn't more use made of music...songs about the moon, the sun, and the like. For example...

 My son managed to get some cool shots from a store parking lot slightly north of the city. When I look at his pictures, I almost think that there should be some  heavenly choirs of angels singing. Lovely.

So...who knew that the eclipse would get me back into my blogs? Actually, I've been thinking about it for awhile and I have lots to share. Besides having a new and constantly revised bucket list, I have also achieved a number of goals. Those will be forthcoming in future blogs.

Now, enough about the eclipse and on to something more pressing...Blue Jays Home Opener is starting in five minutes. Gotta run. 

Layered Salad

Just found this recipe in my unpublished blogs. Don't ask me why it was there. I may have posted it before and it's not an uncommon recipe, but it's a good one. So here it is again.

This is tasty and a huge hit with guests. My daughter calls it horizontal salad. You can make it big in a fancy see through bowl, or smaller for just a couple of servings. Make a day ahead and let the flavours absorb and meld. The photo at the end is in a normal bowl. I usually take my time to make it look nicer for company and I use an etched footed bowl.

Essentially, you need these ingredients - (start at bottom of list with lettuce to the top cheese). Don't ask me why I  wrote everything in reverse order but this is how it looks in a bowl...lettuce at the bottom.
                   
                       old/sharp cheddar cheese (old is best for taste)
                       a teaspoon of sugar or sweetener
                       real mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
                       frozen sweetlet peas
                       spanish or red onion
                       one red pepper (or other colour)
                       celery
                       iceberg lettuce (or any kind I guess)

I chop enough lettuce to fill about 1/3 of bowl.
Next, add about 2 or 3 stalks of celery (depending on salad size), chopped small, diagonally.
Seed and chop a large red pepper, although I've used other colours...orange or yellow.
Chop enough red (prettier) or spanish onion to create another layer. Use a whole one for big salad.
Layer frozen peas on top of all this but make sure there's no snow or frost on them.
Spread a layer of mayo., sprinkle with sugar or sweetener.
Grate enough old cheddar cheese to create another layer.
For added colour and decoration you can put parsley on top or a very light sprinkling of paprika.

***Variation - For meat eaters a variation is to crumble half a dozen slices of crispy cooked bacon on top.

                           

                     
           

Mom's Wooden Dog Planter Box

During covid lockdown, I worked on a number of projects. Here's one of them from 

May -June 2021. (Some details may be foggy since it's now two years later)

When I asked my daughter what she wanted for her birthday, she replied, "butter tarts." 

Ummm...not an item that's easily shippable to the buttertartless country where she lives. I had to be on the lookout for a unique gift. Since we were in covid lockdown and real shopping wasn't an option, I was stumped. I couldn't think of much she would want, couldn't get for herself, or didn't already own...except for butter tarts that is. 

Her prized possession is her chihuahua. She's also been into gardening in a big way. During my frantic "googling", I found a few examples of very cute wooden dog planter boxes on various sites. They were in the neighbourhood of $115. 

"Wow. I could build that myself." I heard myself say.

***Side Note - Remind me not to listen to myself in future.

Anyhow, it seemed like a good idea to build a planter box myself. Hubby did not discourage me,  but as husbands do, offered some helpful advice. After a few attempts, I finally managed to create something small enough to ship. It resembled a cross between a chihuahua and a bulldog, but, it was made with mom's own hands. 

Now I know why these things cost so much online.

My original effort was too large, awkward, uneven, and well...just no. But then, we all know the saying, "If at first you don't succeed..." Perhaps that expression should have ended with "give up". But alas, I was determined.

Note the determination, irritation, and perspiration on my face.

After finally getting the box to a manageable and shippable size, I thought about the head, the butt, the legs and tail. Would they consist of one piece, or separate pieces of wood? Without thinking too much (because that's how I usually operate...full steam ahead), I decided it would be wise to create separate cardboard templates which I could cut, assemble, and fit onto the box which I'd created.

But first, since the original steps were so exhausting, I had to rest and admire the partially completed project for several days. There may have been a martini or two involved, I don't remember.

Once I determined that my templates were of reasonable size and shape, I traced them onto wood and stared at the jigsaw for awhile. The voice in my head that I rarely listen to, said, "Go for it." I did. I made a butt and a front. It wasn't that hard.                                            

 

Energized with new found confidence, I charged full steam ahead, cutting out the head, eyes, nose, tail, and snout and gluing all the parts together. I was on a roll. 

                            There was still lots of thinking involved, but I could see how this was going to come together. The hardest part was going to be wrapping and sending it when I was done.     

I decided to paint and seal all the pieces prior to assembling. This was a wise decision since I had to do the front and back of each piece for uniformity. With quite a few more touch ups, some further gluing, nailing and reinforcing, the box was done. It was far from perfect, and didn't quite satisfy my chihuahua desired look, but it was finished, and it was cute enough.

                                                         

I was fairly confident that this could be sent via UPS without too much problem. I did worry a bit about the protruding ear appendages, so I carefully wrapped those in extra bubble wrap and tissue prior to mailing. I suppose I could have filled the planter with butter tarts, but feared that that could get quite messy in the heat of July.

My daughter's dog was the first one to check out her new rival after the planter arrived. Of course, it wasn't as cute as she was, but, it was a surprise made by mom's own hands. 

I saved the information and dimensions in case I ever want to make another similar item. I can tell you right now, that even though I'm glad I made this one, another one is never  going to happen. In fact, I don't even understand my own drawing.

In the spirit of true confessions, I'll say this. I don't have a great attention span. I get bored easily and take a long time with most of my efforts. I create a lot of things once or twice, and lose interest in ever doing them again. In fact, I'm surprised that my blog with its hundreds of partially completed writings still exists.

Helen, Georgia - Not For All Seniors

We drove for several hours. Stopped at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland Georgia, home of the Cabbage Patch Doll. I loved the visit (see prior blog). Then we proceeded another fifteen minutes to our actual destination, Helen. Excitedly, we anticipated a German village similar to others we had visited (Frankenmuth Michigan and Leavenworth Washington).

The town lay in the midst of a beautiful mountainous area surrounded by water and trees. We were greeted by a "Willkommen" sign, Welcome. As we drove around, we saw evidence of assorted cultures. There were a few German street names, some Dutch, some native American, and some...well, Main Street, main stream.

We stopped at the Tourist Information Centre where I was given several brochures and coupons. 

Since it was lunch hour, we decided to try one of the restaurants which the tourism lady had highlighted for us. She also told us that there were over 200 shops. These included some of the following: a pottery shop; toy store; gift store; gourd shop; a jewelry store; candy stores, and a Dutch import store. We drove through town and noted that many of the small buildings and stores looked a bit worn and tacky with lights, fake greenery, and residual Christmas decor. We also discovered that there was no on street parking, so we looked for one of the marked public parking locations. Imagine our surprise when parking costs were between $6 and $10. It wouldn't have been too bad except that we are older and it would have required considerable walking to go anyplace...definitely not senior or handicapped friendly.

We then went to Hofer's Bakery and Restaurant in the hopes of finding some goodies and lunch. They had their own parking behind. Sadly, it was closed for vacation.

At this point we were ready to give up and move on. We still hadn't had any lunch however, so we looked for yet another place, found it was also closed, and ended up at pub type restaurant called Bigg Daddys. We were wary at first thinking we might just have a snack, but the menu looked good and the food turned out to be delicious.

So I learned through tripadvisor that the top five things to do in Helen, are outdoor activities...waterfalls and hiking trails. In fact the lady at the welcome center told us that the waterfall was literally, a hike from the parking lot.

This town is great for the outdoors person with an interest in some store browsing. There are several hotels available for people travelling a greater distance. It didn't seem to be "high" season since a number of places were closed. Perhaps it's busier in the summer.

This windmill was kind of cool

Babyland General Hospital

For those of us who became parents in the eighties, or those who were children of the eighties, we know how difficult it was to get certain essential toys. For some, this meant searching within a hundred mile radius to locate a Ghostbuster Firehall. For others, it was the elusive new thing in toys, the Cabbage Patch Doll.

People were rushing department stores and trampling each other to get their hands on one of these unique $25 dolls. It was said that no two were alike. 

Xavier Roberts, was an award winning art student, born in Cleveland Georgia. When he was 21, Roberts met ***Martha Nelson Thomas at a craft fair in Kentucky. She was the creator of soft sculpted dolls which became the inspiration for the very similar looking Cabbage Patch Kids. According to a variety of articles, she also had the adoption paper idea. Roberts first called his dolls "Little People" and eventually sold his dolls under the Cabbage Patch Kids name after creating an elaborate cabbage and magic crystals story. 

crystals at bottom right

   Roberts went into business and hired local seamstresses to       produce his dolls in a converted medical clinic (Babyland General Hospital) in his hometown of Cleveland, Georgia. 

  Original cabbage patch dolls were made using a process of  needle molding, a German technique for fabric sculpture along with a quilting technique, taught to Roberts by his mother.

   I was one of those parents in the eighties. No, I didn't have to wait in line, or resort to violence to get a doll, but I was  fortunate enough to locate a baby version complete with yellow onesie, a bonnet, and pacifier.

  This is where my 2023 adventure begins.

  I was in Atlanta area recently and was made aware of  Babyland General Hospital by my daughter. Prior to this trip, I knew very little of the cabbage patch dolls' history. How did I not know about this place sooner? I was fascinated because I'm a sucker for any kind of odd or unique attractions to visit. Not only that, the price was right...free admission.

We drove to Cleveland on a bright, sunny Friday. As we approached the massive white hospital, I was becoming very excited to go inside. Nonetheless,  I first needed to stop for a photo in front of the entry sign.

We parked and I walked around the building to the entrance where I was greeted by a lovely lady in a nurse's uniform. She informed me that it was ok to take as many pictures as I wanted, so I immediately took advantage of the opportunity to photograph her. "I'll bet you get your picture taken a lot." I said. "Oh yeah," she responded.

As I walked into the first room, a large space with many windows and glass display cases, I was enthralled by so many original soft sculpted dolls. There were all styles including historical figures, professions, formal attire and more. All dolls had a description or an informative note about who donated them.  

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I continued through the individually decorated nurseries and admired the occupants. Each had a personality of its own. There were even sibling sets in some of the cribs. I noted the faint,           unmistakable scent of baby powder in the air.                

   

After I passed the nurseries, I came into a room where the cabbages were growing. 

           

Finally, I reached the birthing center. I read a detailed article in the Orlando Sentinel (link below) which stated that births occur sporatically and that visitors are alerted to an impending birth by an announcement "dilation is eight leaves. All staff on standby."

 Sadly, I did not witness this event. It would have been interesting as there are supposed to be some rather uniquely disturbing birthing features. I did however, see the birthing center where the cabbages received intravenous feeding and were eventually born in the babyland delivery room.  

After passing through the delivery area, there is of course, a very large gift shop with all manner of dolls for adoption and other paraphernalia.

The vinyl headed dolls that everyone seemed to have in the 80's were made in Hong Kong. I have read reports that state numbers sold...er...adopted are anywhere from three to sixty five million dolls. 

Finally, the rather large, stunning Cleveland facility was built in 1919 and was a former medical clinic. Apparently, there have been talks to create a larger hospital for the still prolific cabbages. This one was quite adequate to satisfy my need for curiosity and nostalgia.

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***More details and photos are available on the internet and on Martha Nelson Thomas Doll Artist facebook page.

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 Full article from the Orlando Sentinel at this site - (copy & paste since I couldn't get the link to load)

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-12-20-9112190203-story.html

And Now, Canada Post Scams

I know a couple who at age fifty plus years refused to get any sort of technology...no cell phones, no computer, no digital camera, and no whatever else existed twenty five years ago or in the years since then. It was hard for me to imagine how they managed, especially in this day and age where contact with real people in businesses barely exists and automation rules. I sometimes envy these folks, now octogenarians. Their life is simple. They're happy, healthy, and unless they've fallen prey to one of "those" land line phone calls, they've probably never been scammed.

It's getting harder and harder to negotiate past the criminal element. Each day, there's a new way criminals either appeal to people's emotions, create fake but real looking letterhead, and the latest, fake websites so that you need to be super careful who you are contacting. My best advice is, don't respond to anything no matter how official it looks. On the phone, hang up. Canada Revenue and banks don't phone you. If there's something in your email (phishing), delete. Most places don't contact you this way either. Be diligent and, sadly, suspicious of everything.

So here's my latest. We've been pretty wise to most of these scams thus far. Recently, I was away on a trip but had been expecting a package. I forgot to put a temporary stop on my mail at the post office. I received a text message (smishing). It appeared as follows.

I wasn't thinking and was caught by surprise so I didn't  look carefully at the phone number. I clicked on the form, and it was quite detailed and official looking with Canada Post letterhead, stating that they couldn't leave a parcel in a secure location, so I had options of other dates for delivery. I did not fill out the attached form. I was wary, especially when it offered optional Sunday delivery dates for the package with a required fee. On the other hand, I was expecting a package and was hoping it wouldn't be lost or returned. I phoned my local post office but received no answer so I left a message.

Fortunately, someone returned my call and told me that they NEVER send text messages or emails regarding any postal service, nor do they ever charge extra for delivery. This was a scam intended to get access to my info or credit card. 

So, did all this cost me anything? Yes, it certainly did. Since I was out of the country and panicked about a potential scam or a disappearing parcel, I had to use my roaming fees to make several phone calls to sort things out with my local post office. First day, no response to any calls. Day two, got an answering machine and left messages on two occasions. Day three, I noticed three missed calls and a phone message which I listened to. Total, $36. That, plus stopping my mail for a week to ensure that it's all secure, $26. Another lesson learned, priceless.

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Previous Scam Blogs

***Land line phone calls - see blogs April 18, 2015, "Warning! Scam Alert", and also May 17, 2015

***email scams - see also Jan. 11, 2017 "Be Aware...More Scams" 

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*** Smishing and phishing? Phishing - Cyber criminals send fraudulent emails that seek to trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link. Smishing uses text messages instead of email. Cybercriminals try to steal your personal data, trick you into giving out credit card info, and commit fraud or other cyber crimes.