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They are now about four days old and pretty much just a bunch of open mouths most of the time.  (This photo is actually a day or two old.)  I heard some very soft peeping from the nest this morning.  I expect that will get louder soon.

They are difficult to see at this point - I don't want to get too close even when the mother is away - but here they are just out of the shell.

The heirloom tomatoes are coming in and I had my first BLT of the season today.

• Toasted whole wheat sourdough with scallions and walnuts.
• Mayo with a chiffonade of basil fresh from my herb garden
• Sliced avocado
• Romaine lettuce
• Sliced brandywine tomato
• Applewood smoked turkey bacon (a little unsatisfying as bacon and eggs, but great in a sandwich)

Mmmm....a handful of heaven.

A little bird has made a nest in the wreath by my front door.  This happened a couple of years ago as well, but one of the neighborhood cats knocked it down before the eggs hatched.  This time I got some animal repellent spray and sprayed around my front porch to make it as unappealing to the cats as possible.

I tried to get a photo with the mommy in the nest, but she is too skittish.  I can't get close enough.  Too bad, she is so sweet.  I go down and look at her through the window every morning.  She cranes her little neck out and looks back at me.  I think she is starting to get the idea that I am not a threat - at least not at a distance.  She no longer flys away when I start up the washing machine or the dryer.  Hopefully, I will be able to snap a few after the babies are hatched.

Yes, this is another public service announcement.  I didn't now about this until recently, so I figure there may be other people who don't know this option is available to them.

According to one article I read, about one third of all identity theft occurs through someone using another person's name and social security number to open one or more credit cards.  Apparently, one of the best ways to prevent this (at least in the US) is to "freeze" your credit files with the three credit reporting bureaus.  No one can run a credit check on you so no one can open any credit using your identity.

This is different from credit monitoring, which only reports on credit activity.  My parents had credit monitoring on and when their credit card number was stolen recently, it took one agency two weeks to notify them of unusual charges and the other agencies never reported anything at all.

Freezing your credit files will not prevent someone from stealing your card number or other means of identity theft, but it's a pretty easy way to protect against one of the more common avenues of fraud.

The California Department of Consumer Affairs has published a document that explains the procedure, along with sample letters that you need to send to each agency.  Each agency charges a $10 fee to process the freeze.  After the freeze is in place, they send you a PIN with instructions on how to temporarily unfreeze your credit file if you need to (say when you are buying a new car).  You can even instruct them to unfreeze only for a specific lender to prevent other unauthorized credit checks during the window when your files are unfrozen.

If you are interested, go to the California Office of Privacy Protection web page and click on the Security Freeze link on the left to get a copy of the PDF document I mentioned above.  I think there are some state-specific rules, so if you live elsewhere you may want to check your state's web site.

If you open new credit accounts often, it's not a good solution.  But if your credit is pretty well established and you apply for credit infrequently, it's an easy and inexpensive way to buy a little peace of mind.

I have become increasingly bothered in recent months about the amount of junk mail I receive.  It's not just the inconvenience of having it fill up my mailbox and needing to sort the recycling from the real mail.  I keep thinking about the environmental impact of it all.  They say that the average adult in America receives 41 pounds of junk mail every year - and I think that may be underestimating.

In the past, I have periodically spent half a day calling all the catalog companies and asking them to take me off their list, but invariably they buy a list from somewhere and soon it is all back again.  So when I heard about a junk mail reduction service, I decided to try it.

There are several organizations out there doing it.  I am trying out 41 Pounds.  For a $41 they will do all the calling.  The service lasts for 5 years and $15 of the $41 goes to charity.  Anytime you start getting a new catalog or mailing you don't want, you just email them and they take care of it.  It takes a couple of months for everything to take effect so we'll see how it goes.

Still... I feel lighter already.