1--The bad news is that the local postmaster who has been so helpful in the past is no longer there. He is no longer employed by the USPS....sigh 2--This AM I called about making an appointment with the person in charge. I spoke with the 'officer in charge'. When I asked his name, he gave me his first name, and would not give me his last name. Why would he have refused me that info? 3--I explained that I had several padded mailers that I had received in and they were unopened, and the customers who had sent them had been overcharged. I was wanting to bring them in, and have him (or anyone for that matter) inspect them and determine that they had indeed been overcharged. I explained that I then wanted a signed piece of paper saying that they were overcharged. He said he could not help me and gave me the telephone number of Consumer Affairs in Louisville. Well, I know from talking to someone down there a while back that there was at that time no Consumer Affairs Manager and that NO ONE was even an acting manager. gggrrrrrrrr........ 4--This week I received in a bubblie from Williamsport OH 46134 that was overcharged. It weighed .7 OZ yet was charged $1.05, which is for a 2 OZ large envelope. That means that either the clerk failed to weigh it, or else their scale needs calibration, thus is overcharging a lot of customers. I got a tel# for that PO, and when I called it, I get a non working # recording.........ggggrrrrrrr.........shot down on getting that done. 5--I was on the phone probably 30 minutes or so this AM with the USPS complaint #, getting 3 separate complaints filed. I have the confirmation numbers on all 3 of them and someone is supposed to call me back within 2 business days. Yeah right. I'm not holding my breath on that one. On the one report that was filed for overcharge, I have asked that the overcharge be sent to me. I wonder how they are going to handle that. shall I go on? Anyway, I this AM I learned about Restricted Delivery. Below is the info on that. Restricted Delivery Be sure your mail gets into the right hands. When you want your mail to reach a specific recipient, use Restricted Delivery. Sometimes, you might have private or highly classified documents that you require to be seen only by the addressee. Restricted Delivery ensures that your mail is only delivered to the person you specify, or to the person authorized in writing to sign for intended recipient. I just checked and the cost on a 13 OZ First Class Parcel, sent Certified, with Restricted Delivery signature and signed receipt of the person that accepted it being sent back to me would be less than $11. The exact amount escapes me now. What a bargain, huh, if the Parcel gets to someone who does their job? I have started to compose my letter to The Honorable John E. Potter..but will have to abandon that until I am feeling better. Postmaster General U.S. Postal Service 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20260-0010 I also found an email address for him this AM, not that anyone would even really read any of the complaint emails and actually respond. I found the addy at the Answers.com site, so don't put much faith in it being up to date or valid. E-mail: pmgceo@usps.gov Light bulb moment. I can try taking in the overcharged envelopes, (one at a time might be best) along with an email from the member who sent them and they can authorize me to file for and collect the overcharged amount. I would think that would generate paperwork and that paperwork could then be used as additional evidence (proof) of the 2 year 9 month old problems of post offices across the US overcharging.

Thanks for the comments everyone! Happy, yes the glass was a lot of work! Some of the pieces were so tiny that by the time I got them wrapped with copper foil you could barely see the glass so I would have to use an exacto knife and trim the copper. I'm happy with how it turned out though. Lynne, are you asking about the plants the butterflies are on? If so, the Gulf Frit is on pink penta "Starburst" and there are dune sunflowers in the background. The zebra longwing is on purple porterweed. ~Betsy

Thanks for your compliments Luvs & Jane! DSiL was very happy that we had a little gathering in her honour especially in our "weakened" conditions. It is funny now that I have the dish-ease, I never even think to use paper plates even for a BBQ. It is too much fun to pick out real dishes for such an occasion...better for the environment too! DD

Wow! Can I hire you? :) So creative. Everything came together nicely. And what a far cry from my first digs. Love your window treatment using a drop cloth. I had slipcovers made using drop clothes for two Ethan Allen chairs that my friend's neighbor was planning to leave out for bulk trash (cat peed on the seat cushions, but I had new cushions made). Now I just need some colorful pillows for them - how much do you charge for pillows? ;) Maybe your daughter will eventually have the desire to learn to sew. My mother was very talented when it came to sewing but despite her efforts to teach me when I was younger, I had no desire. A few years ago I bought my dd a sewing machine so she could fool around making pillows and costumes, whatever else. A friend who sews told me she'd help me make panels for my living room. With her guidance (I did all the work) I made four lined panels for my living room windows. My mom almost fell over when she saw how nicely they turned out! She couldn't believe that *I* had made them! I now am interested in taking some sewing classes but so far, haven't had the time yet. You are very talented!