AT&T Connectech Plus

In December of last year, we were having connection challenges (my old chief used to tell us that we faced  challenges, not issues) with our ATT high speed internet.  I signed up for Connectech Plus which is their tech support offered at a monthly fee.  They resolved our problems with connectivity and as a bonus, tweaked BigEd's laptop so that it runs much faster. 

Tonight, while J and I were watching an old movie, BigEd informed me that the internet had been down for some time.  I called Connectech.  The automated message advised that most problems could be solved by rebooting the modem and then the computer.  We tried that and it worked.

But, I stayed on the telephone line to ask some more questions.  I have been listening to the hold-muuusiiiic for 30 plus minutes, now.  Luckily we have a handset with a built-in speaker.

Update:  Was on hold for 35+ minutes.  That's a long time tied to one call.

The rep asked me if I was satisfied with the service.  I told him:  

 Love the service-hate the wait time . . .   

Bene-what?

A doctor we know recommended Benefiber.  He told us he starts his coffee day with a couple of spoonfuls of Benefiber stirred in.  His wife, if she pours his cup, has to tell him to finish all of this one as it is special.  Otherwise, he wouldn't know as there is no taste or change in viscosity.  


This works for us, too.  It doesn't seem to be the solution for everyone, but it works well for our little group.  When we can get it.


There have been coupons for $1 off of any one and $3 off of any two jars of Benefiber, in the newspapers.  BJ's sent out coupons which could have been combined with the manufacturer coupons for a total of $5 off two jars.


This is a good deal and even cause to stock up.  Which everyone else has done.  I came to this party tooo laaaate.  

BJ's is out. BJ's does not give rain checks.  Did you know this?  (Neither does Target, by the way, but that is another experience for another day.)  CVS is out.  Walgreens is out.  Locally anyway.


So, I bought the Walgreens immitation stuff.  Compare to Benefiber, it says on the jar.

Believe me, we will.  We have no shame . . .

Just asking . . .

Is there an intervention for Angry Birds addiction?  I have a (ahem) friend who . . .

Once in an Ibis moon ...

I have dived into real life and have ignored virtual life as it is lived here.  If I can figure out how to upload the pictures from the iPhone, I might even post some.  

There was a flock of white Ibis in our side yard as BigEd and I drove up.  I handed him the camera phone and rolled down his window.  They ignored us and kept bobbing for food in the dry grass.  Air brakes sounded from a couple of blocks away causing the whole flock to leap 6 inches in the air simultaneously.  It was funny but, of course, too quick to capture (I started to write "on film" which will indicate my age . . .) unless by happy accident.


We watched them a bit and then slowly opened the car doors and eased out.  They kept bobbing.  When we went inside, they were still at it and had moved closer to the empty car.

Having them ignore trust us feels like a kind of blessing. 

Rewind, fresh start

First, the traditional greeting:

 Happy New Year!

Which is sincerely meant.  We stayed up to see the new year in properly and it behaved as expected.  

This is the first time I have tried to use the new Blogger dashboard. It is as if my computer has signed on to a new system, without permission, while feeling its way around.

Enough whining.  Not good for beginning a fresh year.  So, I will just go ride the bike for a change.  That is not a resolution, you understand.  

It is an intention for one day at a time, starting today.  Much less intimidating than a resolution . . . 

Can't say I never won anything . . .

I received a text from 01 Doc to tell me that I should check out The Coupon Goddess.  Turns out that I won the gift certificate from Costco, plus a meat thermometer, and some cooking tips.  Could it have come at a better time than just before the holidays?

I think not!!!

Thank you. Mel, so much.

Putting down roots?

We decided to wait until after Thanksgiving to go back to the temporary place.  Makes sense because we can then spend time with family.  Plus it will be easier to kindle a fire under the carcass of a bird that didn't get a presidential pardon in my own oven.  

Memo:  Have to buy celery before it's picked over.  Plus onions.  

Ahhh, I thought I had everything, but I don't. One more foray, at least.  

Our local Winn Dixie, (the one in the huge building where the X-tra used to be years ago) is slowly being transformed into a WD Marketplace.  I am using it as a place to explore because they keep moving things around and closing off various areas of the place for construction.  

However, WD being so near to Publix means good managers' specials in both stores as they compete for the grocery budget. 

Need all the help we can get, don't we?

I have bathed in the Kool Aid ...

Didn't just drink the Kool Aid.  I dove in.  

The previous phone was an old Motorola Razr.  Dumb as a box of rocks.  Up in the mountains, up on the top of one?  No signal.  Not even text messages.  Luckily we don't live where there are mountains and so the Motorola motorolled along when we returned home from that mountain.    

Then it began to drop calls.  I mentioned, several times, that I might need a new phone.  There were discussions to that effect behind the Motorola's  back, so to speak.

Then, Apple rolled out its new flavor of Kool Aid and it was tempting.  Even J mentioned that I needed to get a replacement for my old standby.

Three days ago, I made an appointment and came home with the internet in a relatively heavy white box with a silver logo on the end.  The logo told the world that I have caved.  Given in.  Gone over to the smart side.

Two things especially got to me.  There is a built in compass (real, virtual, compass) and there is  an app that reads audiobooks to me.  


I suppose I am happy with it.  However, the old one never sassed me.  I asked the assistant on the new phone if this were going to be a good day.  

"No," she said, "I don't think it will be." 

She was right, too.  It rained this evening.

To trim or not to trim, that is one question . . .

I was still not able to post comments on Adventures in Lake City.  I will keep reading, though.  So nice to know what's going on.

I wish some others would post more often.  Some of us are heading back next week to the outpost in Orange Park.  BigEd will have the con.  

It has stopped raining, turned nicely cool, and humidity is a satisfying low.  I will have to take winter stuff up for our short stay.  It is so bulky to pack.  But I don't own much so at least the decision of what-to-take is easy. 


This is an awkward time for my hair, though.  It is too short to need cutting and too long to go another month unless I hack at the sides, myself.   I have been known to do that with iffy results.  It's hard to get them exactly even without cutting one side a leetle bit to catch up to the other side.  Then it may be too long on the second side 

and . . . I'm in trouble.

Empty noggin, or not in use . . .

It had rained off and on all afternoon.  When I realized we needed buns for the planned dinner hamburgers, it was only sprinkling lightly so I made my run.

The store had halloween candy (I refuse to dignify this day with a capital letter) buy one get one free, so I got that, too.  


Came back and inside in a dry manner.  Half an hour later, the bottom fell out of the sky.  Mew isn't terrified so there is no thunder in the distance beyond human hearing.  


There is now a flood watch for our county.  This means don't drive through any puddles at great speed.  It also means to use common sense about where to drive.  In addition, it assumes that most drivers have a modicum of that kind of sense.


I'm not so sure . . .

Cry for help . . .

I have been trying to comment on Adventures in Lake City. Each time I select a profile to use to comment, the screen blinks back to the select a profile version and my comment disappears from the box.

01 Doc has commented. Why can I not do it? I can comment on 01 Doc's site but not on Adventures.

Any suggestions? Please?

In honor of 01Doc, who posted . . .

We are back at home and it feels like I retired all over again. There are things to do but if I want to procrastinate, that's all right, too.

Zeta has such cute kitties. One of them demanded I change the location of his food dish. It was quite plain what he wanted me to do - he nearly wrote me a letter about it. Needless to say, I pulled at my forelock to indicate respect and moved the feline cuisine - with Zeta's permission, of course.

We recently had a wind-storm move from south to north. It passed us well to the west. We were warned that the system had tornado potential and it did do damage when it reached Broward county.

Mew needed no such warning. When the storm reached its nearest position well to the west of us on its way north, she leaped from her condo. Stomach to the ground, she crept slowly, and with utmost stealth, beneath the dining room table.

Next time she does that, I'll be tempted to join her . . .

Beneficiary . . .

I have to thank 01 Doc for a Force Flex bag of books. I have difficulty hoisting it and there is an aura of birthday plus Christmas that still clings to it. Wearing an Energizer LED headlamp, I can read in the dark and not disturb anyone who snores in the same room. Strangely, our consumption of triple A batteries has increased in direct proportion to my nocturnal reading habits.

It is a de-light-ful (heh) situation.

Various levels of inconvenience . . .

We really should thank the Miami-Dade County Building Code. Being forced to comply with the most stringent safety regulations in the country, when it comes to building, may seem frustrating. But when the storms come, and a tree falls on the house, we may see a difference in the results from the rest of the country. Perhaps. Usually.

It seems strange and wonderful not to lose our power for two weeks with a storm so close. Just before the storm came near, Fla Power and Light had trouble on a main line. I know because I called to report the power outage and asked the cause of it. I was in the dark literally but I knew where a flashlight was supposed to be.

After making the call, I dug out a small battery-operated fan and put in four D cell batteries. If I didn't move a muscle, it helped. I didn't move.

Power came back on after just over an hour.

I feel so badly for those without power who didn't know exactly where the flashlights were and didn't have little fans with batteries for them. Plus, say, ice, water, and food supplies.

The aftermath is a different kind of ordeal than surviving the storm. Lots of people are stranded in our airport due to cancelled flights. Some are taking the train north.

I know this how? Because Amtrak is sold out through next Wednesday . . .

Maybe this time . . .

Tomorrow is Zeta's M's birthday. We are meeting at Deli Lane for breakfast. We wuv Deli Lane. I still haven't tried their cheese grits because they do regular grits so well that I can't make myself depart from them. Oh, the muffin, too. Last time, M advised us to begin with the (I think it was) Zucchini one. Goood advice.

Maybe someone else will order the cheesy grits and I can cadge a bite. Talk about having your grits and eating 'em, too . . .

It is still rainng.

Meat loaf is possible without green peppers. It was raining and so I got eggs at the drive thru of Farm Stores instead of a full bore shopping trip at Publix. Extra onions sort of make up for the missing peppers, anyway.

Remember September - no that's not it . . .

I had planned to make a meat loaf today. We had acquired ground chuck and onions. Very nice. Now if we had eggs and green peppers, we would be further along toward accomplishing things.

Tomorrow, I plan another excursion. We will see if I remember to make a list plus take said list along when I go. I think my eye drops are affecting my brain.

Not.

Dedication

We have lost a beloved family member. We cared for her at her home during her illness and have no regrets for dedicating ourselves to the task - difficult as it seemed at times.

Those who have done this sort of thing understand the small, everyday moments which mount up over time to months. One must agree to be there for the long haul.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to do this.

Gourmet food . . .

Tomorrow, is Saturday and we are meeting for breakfast at Deli Lane. I may have no dinner tonight just to prepare for it. I had Cheerios last night. They were the whole grain variety and so felt healthy going down. We were out of bananas, though, so I didn't get the full experience.

I need to make a run to the store, huh?

To err is . . .

This morning, I did not have the hard time accessing this account that I had yesterday. Yesterday after many tries to log in, and being refused, the Jabberwocky started.

Perhaps Google wanted me to prove I was human. I can show a different proof: it was much easier today with the number lock turned on.

Mea DumDum.

I almost could not access my account here - because, why? Blogger has decided, or Google has decided, that I must type in, correctly mind you, slanted and distorted gibberish in a language not recognizably my own. Jabberwocky, maybe.

I did not ask for this feature. I do not want this feature. And there is this which was provided by FIU Technology News and Alerts:

Google Images - A Vector for Malware.

We have identified Google Images as a vector for transmitting malware through infected image files. As such, we’ve seen an increase in malware attacks throughout the university.

The Division of Information Technology recommends that you use an alternate source for images. Other sources are Bing and Yahoo! among others.

I had previously received a notice from my Norton Internet Security that it had protected the laptop from an intrusion attempt after I downloaded some images of Morkies from Google. Oops.

Charley's dog is a Maltese/Yorkie cross and she is adorable. Morkie. I just wanted to see more dogs like her and nearly got more than I bargained for.

Thank you, Norton. Google, not so much.

Mad dogs and Englishmen . . .

At times, one can subject self to surprising conditions, unknowingly. Today, I went to a large box store, huge floor plan, illogical arrangement of items such plastic refrigerator-storage containers residing on a shelf a football-field away from Saran wrap. No logic to it, see?

I went in for one item. I came out with that one item and nothing else. Against all logic, I know.

I believe I found a reason, though. On the way home, I glanced at the car's digital temperature readout and yelled it aloud in the quiet car as I was driving along.

A 102 degree temperature at 3 p.m. explains many anomalies.

Cease, no, WAIT . . .

Dog training must be hardwired into my being. The third (temporary) member of our pack has started accepting a tiny treat after hearing Tammy-come and then stepping forward to accept a miniscule morsel.

Her owner (he bought her but he has yet to become her master) had told me she won't accept treats from the hand. He has to scatter a couple around his house so she can get them at her leisure if he offers her any.

I had the three dogs sitting in a semicircle in front of me and only responding to each one's individual name when I called it. Tammie's owner was impressed.

She will now "hush" when pointed to and given the command. She is even beginning to WAIT at the door as the other two dogs do. Tammie's owner is even beginning to remember to say WAIT, himself.

Will wonders never . . .

Life lesson . . . wild style

This morning was a mini-armageddon for wildlife. Something was on the wooden stringer on the outside of the tall, wooden gate and a Mockingbird was dive bombing it so hard the gate would rattle. Whatever it was came down the opposite side of the fence with the screaming bird chivvying it along so hard I could hear the thumps when he hit.

As the action got close to where I was standing with the three dogs on leashes, a desperate squirrel jumped over the top of the fence landing nearly at our feet. He was dumfounded and so were the dogs. Evidently the bird had done some real damage because he had a difficult time climbing the nearby palm and nearly fell off when he had to negotiate the fronds.

Only Mollie, the spaniel, tried to get to him. He was too traumatized to even chitter at her.

Bet he'll leave that bird's nest alone . . .

In continuation . . .

Perhaps the previous post was an exaggeration of sorts.

Today, I propose a riddle: What does low sodium teriyaki sauce, leftover turkey, leftover stuffing, leftover gravy, niblet corn, tomatoes in onion and green pepper, sauteed onions-celery-mushrooms with mozzarella cheese sprinkled atop amount to?

Ha! Desperation Casserole. I'll let you know if anyone dies as a result of ingestion . . .

Bye All

This is the final post for Ranger.

Big day, ahead . . .

Back up here, near my second library, I can visit the Mockingbird that entered via the chimney. He sits on the roof crest and sings when the dogs and I appear. Territory and competition probably enter into his efforts, I admit. When I whistle at him, he tries to mimic. Not quite, baby, not yet. It's not like any birdsong he ever heard.

The dogs received bathing attention from J, yesterday. Now Buttercup resembles a white toy poodle and Mollie absolutely can be identified as a short, stumpy-legged spaniel. Today, being relatively clean, their topical meds will be applied. Yes, by me, while wearing gloves because I don't need any topical meds, personally.

That I know of, anyway.

Peat and repeat . . .

It can get too early for wait staff, too. This morning at 7:30, BigEd and I were in Dennys. The waitress, order pad in hand, came over and asked if we would like something to drink before we ordered. Coffee and diet coke were our answers.

Then she looked at her blank pad and asked us if we would like something to drink before we ordered. We stared at her silently, unsure of how to respond.

The penny finally dropped and she tap danced about having just come in.

She needed that cup of coffee more than I did . . .

Blessings . . .

Mother's Day started ahead of time, for me. The postman has delivered cards bearing wishes for the special day plus Starbucks and Barnes & Noble gift cards.

My kids really know what makes me grin.

Happy Mother's Day to every woman who has borne the lifetime of responsibility for another little human being. Way to go.

Guilt?

I may have lured that Mockingbird too far down the chimney. Outdoors, I like to try to get Mockingbirds to whistle the two-tone call that our mother used to use to summon us: whee-whoo, whee-whoo. It is so cute when they try to repeat it and especially when they get it right and incorporate it into their repertoire.

The bird in question still sits on top of the chimney and sings. We hear him clearly. I used to sit near the fireplace and tried to teach him to whistle the call. He may have tried to reach that rival bird and fallen down to the point where flying back became impossible.

I promise that I will only whistle at Mockingbirds outdoors, from now on. Fool me once . . .

Up, up, up, really . . .

This morning we woke to bird song from the fireplace in the living room. This was shortly before full daylight. The song was so varied and beautiful that it had to be a Mockingbird. It was just too pitiful, his singing desperately in the dark.

Somehow, by himself, that brave bird climbed the chain curtain of the fire guard and fluttered over the top of the glass fire doors. He was loose in the living room and terrified of the interested dogs. He fluttered like a moth against the cathedral ceiling until finally he came to rest, clinging to the brick of the fireplace.

We put the dogs (downer!) in the garage, opened the exterior doors and flapped towels to direct him toward the opening. He got the idea almost at once and swooped through the storm doorway and onto the front screened porch. A little test flight or two against the screens and he found the opening to the outside, then up, up, up.

That bird was a genius. He deserves to reproduce.

Pound or Lb.?

The best laid plans . . . one should know better, should not one? This one moved a chuck roast from freezer to refrigerator and when it thawed, cooked it in the crock pot yesterday.

We will eat it today, instead. Yesterday was tax relief day and Mickie D had a second Big Mac for a penny.

In for a penny, in for a pound - takes on a whole new meaning doesn't it?

Regrouping . . .

Yesterday, o1 Doc, T, Bro, and I met in the Lake City Cracker Barrel for lunch. We missed Mouse who has been working so hard she was unable to come. It was fun talking of old times and catching up on current news. We went back to 01 Doc's and T's home afterward and waved at young bicyclers (they were so adorable) while watching squirrels and hummingbirds. It is so peaceful there.

Sarah is under the weather and we were not able to see her and her family. We hope she is better, today. There is something really nasty being passed around, right now. A friend of J's mother had it for two weeks and is still suffering from the accompanying cough. We hope Sarah's is more benign, departs quickly, and doesn't affect anyone else.

The only thing wrong with spending the day as we did was that the time seemed to fly. We three sibs just don't see each other often enough . . .