Another day, another scam

 

I woke up this morning to a text message telling me that USPS was unable to deliver my package and offering me a form to fill out to reschedule delivery. I’m not good at texting on my phone—clumsy old fingers—but I am a rule follower, so I began filling it out. I had to stop and start over once—this was before I had brushed my teeth or had my tea. I finally got a little suspicious when they wanted my credit card—if a package was coming through USPS there should be no charge. So why the credit card?

I checked Amazon and the package I was expecting had indeed been delivered—it was still in the main house and hadn’t made its way to the cottage yet. So when I got myself together for the day and finally settled at my desk, I decided to check out the web link on the computer rather than the phone. Wonder of wonders! That page wasn’t working right now.

Jordan came out a bit later, bringing the package, and said oh for sure to ignore such. This afternoon, the scam was confirmed by two more emails exactly like the first. The first came from Audrey—the next two from Margaret and Linda. They are clever, official looking forms, presented with a cheery, “The USPS team wishes you a good day!” So this is my warning to all of you!

I note with sadness the passing of California chef, restaurant owner, and vintner Michael Chiarello at the age of sixty-one from an allergic reaction. I remember watching him when he had a regular TV show. As his last name implies, his focus was Italian food, and he was charming and fun to watch. In my appalling collection of recipes, there is a worn piece of paper with Chiarello’s picture (much younger) and the title, “Mom’s Stuffed Eggplant.” It’s a different kind of recipe for Eggplant Parmesan, calling for hamburger. The eggplant is cut in half, hollowed out, and the eggplant meat, some hamburger, and tomato cooked together with seasonings and Parmesan and then stuffed back into the eggplant shell for baking. Yes, it’s a bit of work, but it’s so worth it. RIP, Mr. Chiarello—you brought joy to my kitchen.

It’s been another intense day for me, past noon before I finished reading new emails and the various news columns I follow, like Heather Cox Richardson. I value my exchange with members of Guppies, the online chapter of Sisters in Crime—today we got going on the pros and cons of Substack, the online platform that combines a blog, newsletter, payment system, and a customer support team. I have not for now considered moving this blog to that system, but I’m curious how many regular readers would follow. Substack offers free and paid content, and I would keep the blog free. At some future date, I might serialize the Food of the Fifties project I’m working on. And I might charge a tiny amount for that. I’ll welcome any comments. Substack seems to encourage back-and-forth conversation more than the blog does. On the other hand, I’m grateful for my blog readers and not anxious to shake up that readership. So I’m on that uncomfortable fence, but it’s not an immediate problem: the Food of the Fifties manuscript, tentatively titled Mom and Me in the Kitchen, is a long way from completion. Indeed, it may be such an ongoing thing that, like my Thursday cooking blog, “Gourmet on a Hot Plate,” will never be finished.

And the horror from the Israel/Hamas War continues to come into our living rooms. Weighty thoughts tonight. Count our blessings and pray for the ordinary people of Israel and Palestine.