Watering the lawn

West Texas continues to have record high or near record high temperatures.  And minimal rain.  I used to water my lawn to tide it over until it rains, but many of my neighbors, like myself, do not water our lawns regularly, now.  However I have some very nice trees and vines and ground cover in my back yard that I do want to keep.  So, I have been doing a little ground watering, and using the sprinkler for the vinca. The water use plan for my address allows me to "hand water" any time but to use sprinklers, etc. on Tuesday and Friday night from 6 PM to 12AM.  

So, I recently changed the watering configuration of the hoses in my backyard, connecting the ground hose that waters my vines around the fence to the live hose feed, instead of the overflow feed of my rain barrel.  I also put soaker hose under the pecan tree and the El Dorado pines.  I added some y-connectors to make switching hoses a lot easier.  

Maybe, in this part of the world, the hardest way to get your lawn watered is to let it rain.  Watering helps but is no substitute for a good, soaking rains. 

Electronic Medical Pads

I have a commercial grade home tens machine from Omron.  It is adequate, and provides some relief, but sometimes, is not powerful enough.  This is the second home tens machine I have owned. I wore out the first one that I purchased at the fair; it was a Mini Masseuse.  The Omron model was about half as expensive as the Mini Masseuse.  Sometimes you get what you pay for.  After the Omron gets worn out, I will go back to the Mini Masseuse.  

Commercial: # Havertys

I do not pay much attention to a lot of commercials,  partly because there are so many I do not like.  But there is one currently airing that goes beyond being disliked by me:  This commercial goes to disgust and obnoxious: #Havertys.  The "straight" girl seems disgusted and maybe even frightened by the "hashtag" girl, who is so petulant and obnoxious she is more child than adult.

I have not ever purchased anything from Havertys, and believe me, advertising does influence me. This advertisement makes me want to never purchase anything from Havertys.

Triple Digit Weather

We have been experiencing triple digit weather this past week.  It gets very hot during the day, and does not cool off below 80°.  Because of that, the day starts off hot and gets hotter as the day progresses.

The problem is compounded by the continuous days of triple digit temperature. The breeze helps, but it is still hot. Basically the heat has a cumulative effect on people, and every day that the triple digits continue, we feel more and more oppressed. 

So, it is time to stay inside as much as possible.  

I did paint the garage door today.  I got up early and bought paint, but then went home and sacked out for a while, so started painting late morning, and finished early afternoon. And, then went inside to cool off and take a cooling shower. 

Catnip

Haiku has been so picky about her food the last couple of years. I have tried specific canned foods that she has liked in the past, to no avail. I have offered her smashed liver, which sometimes satisfies her, and other times, does not. I have offered her other canned food, salmon, sardines, human tuna, and an odd assortment of flavors. She likes smoked Gouda but eats only a little at a time.  And she licks it; she does not take a bite and chew it. Sometimes, she will eat these food, more often, not. 

Tonight, I sprinkled catnip on her dry food, early in the evening. She ate well. Later in the evening, she wanted to eat again, and again, I sprinkled catnip on her dry food.  She ate well. 

I hope this continues to work. 

Corporate America Vs. The Government

There have been some recent incidents in which individuals employed by corporate America have reacted poorly to people who would be considered "in the minority."  The first most notable incident was in a Starbucks  in Philadelphia.  Starbucks responded appropriately, with cultural sensitivity training.  But why was this necessary?

More recently, a customer at a CVS Pharmacy  faced discriminatory behavior by a CVS manager over a coupon CVS Coupon disturbance.

I believe the manager was dismissed, and CVS is taking steps to right the wrong. 

I am concerned about dismissing the manager "out of hand" or "without due process," but I am thrilled that corporate America is stepping up to the plate to address ethical, and moral issues.  

What really concerns me, though, is that while corporate America is stepping up to the plate in these obvious incidents of civil rights infractions, where has the government of the United States been? 

There seems to be a governmental policy of "white privilege" being acceptable, and minority rights being disregarded.  The leadership of our country uses disrespect, defamatory rhetoric, lies, and disregard for human rights in its public commentary and decision making.  

I am sickened at the policies used by this government administration, that use tactics that can be compared to tactics used by Nazi Germany.  

I am appalled by a leader who aligns himself with a known foe of this country, and attacks our long time allies.  

I accept that Mr. Trump is our duly elected President, but that does not require me to agree with his rhetoric, actions or behaviors.  

I am, however, heartened that some of Corporate America is stepping up to the plate to uphold the Values and Ethics of the United States of America. 

Major League Baseball All Star Game: American's Pasttime Honoring America's Great!

Tonight I am watching the  Major League All Star Game,  and  enjoying it.  I am thinking about Baseball being " America's Past Time."  Tonight the tribute before the game was to 29 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.  It is amazing to me that Corporate America, in the guise of Major League Baseball, takes the time, effort, and expense to honor these heroes.

This is what makes America great: We recognize and honor our heroes, and hopefully learn from their brave deeds!  

Saharan Dust

In the weather report tonight, it was noted that  Saharan Dust was seen on the eastern horizon, and it was affecting the atmospheric conditions in Lubbock, to the extent it could affect people with breathing problems.  

Although I was in a restaurant mid-afternoon today, I noticed that I was having some bronchial problems, mostly increased coughing. Hopefully I will not have desperate problems with the Saharan Dust. 

Cat's Eyes

I remember when we played "allies" or 'marbles" and cat's eyes had a significance in the play.  Sadly, I cannot remember the significance!

Tonight, I saw "cats eyes."  In marbles, cats eyes are clear marble globes with a colored "iris" in the center.  What I saw tonight was Haiku's eyes, reflected in a certain light, that had the luminescent orb surrounding the central pupil of a darker color.  This was beautiful. 

Trouble Falling Asleep

Over the last few months, my sleep pattern has changed.  I usually go to sleep between  11:30 PM and 12:30 AM, and get enough sleep.  I still can do that, but lately, if I am involved in an after work activity, even one that ends by 8:30 PM, I am still wired at 12:30 AM and sometimes until 2:30 or 3:30 AM, so that I am not able to go to sleep. 

Sometimes, reading a particularly stimulating book also keeps me awake until early in the morning. In the past, staying up late to read did not bother me much, but more, and more, it affects me the next day. 

I do not like this.  If I do not have to get up the next day, this does not worry me, but more often than not, I do have to awaken early the next day.

But the real problem is that some nights, nothing has stimulated me to stay awake: I am not reading a particularly exciting book, my eyes are tired, and I still am not able to fall asleep. 

This really concerns me; irregular sleep can set me off, make me irritable, sometimes hysterical, and always difficult.

I think this is due to severe stress at work, and I am doing the best I can to alleviate that; I try to adjust my expectations of performance at work to what is practical; I try not to let deadlines bother me, and I am taking as much annual leave as I am allowed. 

But, I am truly concerned about my self-care and coping skills regarding work. 

Sleep versus Reading

Like everyone else, I need my sleep.  But throughout my life, something interesting has occurred when I have a really good book.  I can stay up late enthralled with a good book, and very often be rested and relaxed the next day. Especially if this is a well written book, with good plot and just good clean storytelling.  This is not always true, because if I am reading a book with a lot of energy like Ruthless Tide or emotional action A Dangerous Talent, I have too much emotional energy to sleep even after I have finished the book.

But I love the ability to stay up late, reading a good book, and being awake, alert and functional the next day.

Snuggling Cat

I slept in Monday morning, not intentionally, but I had trouble falling asleep Sunday night, and since I did not have to go to work Monday morning, I was not too worried about not falling asleep early nor responding to the primary alarm clock, or the secondary alarm on my cell phone.

Haiku and Taki did not disturb me and let me sleep in. A little before 8 AM, I roused enough to get up, but about that time, Haiku came up to me in the bed, burrowed down, and snuggled against me.  She wanted to snuggle. So, snuggle we did. I did not know how long this would last, and I did not care; I just enjoyed the opportunity to snuggle and while I was not sleepy, I reveled in the opportunity to lie in. Haiku snuggled for about 40 minutes, and then she moved on.

I decided that was an omen and did not worry about starting my day "bright and early" but took a leisurely approach to feeding the indoor cats, the outdoor cats, and myself, before I started working on my garage door project.  I have no regrets.

Amazingly, late afternoon, early evening Monday, I took a nap.  And was ready for bed early Tuesday morning. That was good.  

The Garage Door

The big project for my week off is to repaint the garage door.  Recently, my handyman told me what a great garage door I have. He said it is very solid, and they do not make this kind of door anymore, so if I lost a panel, I would probably have to replace the entire door!  I think the door is original to the house, which was build in 1956.

Since I bought this house in 1992,  the door has been painted twice: once by me, and once by someone who did odd jobs for me.  Neither time did I scrape and/or sand before painting.  The door was white when I purchased the home. 

I am scraping and sanding before I paint this time.  The paint is cracked, and I thought it would peel easily without using a chemical to assist with scraping.  That has not been so, but I have decided not to invest in a chemical:  too many animals around.

As I have been scraping I have noticed that there are multiple layers on the door:  I know of three white layers, the 2 I put on it, and the one before I bought it.  I have also seen cream or ivory, green and country blue.  So, that might explain why the door is so well preserved:  there are 6 coats of paint on it!  Oh my!

I was worried about scraping, because I did not want to scrape wood, and for the most part, have not. I was also concerned about finding some parts of the wood that are rotten or compromised, but that did not happen.  Again, I can attribute that to 6 coats of paint.

I am only planning to paint the outside of the door.  Scraping and sanding has gone better than I expected.  I did choose to buy an electric sander (I thought I had one, but it was a hand sander.) My thought is to work on the inside of the door in the fall, when the weather is cooler, and I will not suffocate in the heat.  The inside will need some additional treatment:  the clothes dryer is in the garage, and I will need to kill mold/fungus and use bleach or Kilz to do so. 

I had planned to only put one coat of paint on the door, but the scraping and sanding has gone so well so far, I might finish sanding on  Wednesday.  Which would allow me to paint two coats: on Thursday and on Friday.  But even if the first coat is painted on Friday, I could do the second coat on Saturday. I see some real advantage to doing two coats, since I have scraped down to wood in many areas on the door. 

This door faces north, and there is a nandina bush just east of the door:  This affords me shade even by midday, so although it has been hot, working in the shade has been manageable.  And, I have so far only worked 2-3 hours a day, because of plans I have had for the afternoon.  I have made a point to rest regularly and stay hydrated. I was afraid the physical activity would disable me, and although I was stiff and sore after doing the work, rest, the TENS unit and analgesics have rehabilitated me enough to minimize the discomfort. 

I napped late Monday afternoon, and slept well Monday night, so that was good. I was stiff and sore when I awoke this morning, but I expected as much, since I used some muscles I have not been used to using recently. I can deal with that. 

I had social plans for this afternoon, and enjoyed them immensely.  I did use an analgesic spray before I went out this afternoon, and an analgesic patch when I got home later this afternoon.  Again, I can deal with that, and have obtained the desired relief from both. 

More sanding tomorrow. Update later this week.

Snuggling in Bed

Today, I woke up early and got involved in my projects, including preparing the garage door to be repainted.  I spent a few hours on that, and then moved inside, took a shower, and dressed to go to the museum, and later, lunch, with a friend. 

Haiku was crying on the bed, so after I dressed, retrieved my book, and sat on the side of the bed, and read. Take joined us after a while. I sat with the cats, as long as I could, until it was time to leave, to meet my friend. Haiku settled down, and stopped crying.  Taki just wanted to be close.

I love my cats.  

Cats Eating

Haiku did not eat well today.  She did not like the smashed liver I put out, and ate very little dry food this morning. She ate some dry food and human tuna this evening, and later ate some smashed liver, but all amounts were small.

Taki ate a little dry food, and some wet food both this morning and this evening.   I did not see her do so either time, but her food dishes were changed.  She did not vomit tonight, so hopefully whatever affected her previously has resolved. 

Sleeping In

I do not know what is wrong with me, but this morning, I slept in until 10 AM. If the cats tried to rouse me, I missed it.  They did not seem frantic for breakfast when I got up, but really, late last night they asked for snacks, and received them.

But even after I awoke I was not really energetic. I did a few things, then hunkered down on the sofa and read for several hours. I did do some laundry and my regular Saturday housework, late in the day.

I am thankful that I have the luxury of taking a day off, totally off, if I need. to. 

A Finicky Haiku

Haiku has been eating fairly well lately. But not tonight. She did eat a little bit of dry food, and then turned up her nose at smashed liver. She did not want Fancy Feast liver and chicken paté.  She cried a lot tonight, and sniffed multiple times at the various food dishes.  I finally put out a second dish of smashed liver, and she ate from it, twice.

It is very frustrating trying to feed Haiku.  I will however, keep trying.

Traffic

Living in Lubbock, we generally do not have much traffic problem.  I am blessed. I go to work before the heavy traffic occurs, and I leave work before the afternoon rush hour. On Fridays, I usually do my weekly shopping at Wal Mart, and get home before the heavy traffic occurs.

Today, I left work and ran a quick errand before I bought gas and went shopping at Wal Mart.  I finished my shopping about 15 minutes later than I usually do.

By this time, the traffic in the parking lot was heavier than usual, as was the traffic on the access road.  It was not so much the traffic, but the craziness of the drivers: 

People were weaving in and out of lanes, cutting in front of cars, and going against the grain of traffic in the parking lot to get to a more advantageous way to move onto the access road.

This was nuts.  This was not the sane driving I usually enjoy in Lubbock.  

I learned my lesson.

A Gun Shot? A Firecracker? Or What?

I was finished doing my weekly shopping at Wal Mart and as I walked out of the store, I heard  a "pop" to my right.  I thought it might be too shallow to be a gunshot, and thought it might be a firecracker, but was not sure. I smelled what I thought was cordite.  Then I saw small group of young people moving around the parking lot, first one way, then another, and finally towards the store. 

I don't know what happened, but it appears no one was hurt.  

Sick Kitty?

When I got home from work tonight, one of my cats had thrown up.  I could not know which one, and that is so frustrating.  Later, after she ate some dry food, Taki threw up.  I am guessing she was the same cat who threw up earlier.  I will just have to observe her and see how she is doing. She is due for her yearly exam next month.  I can move the appointment up if need be.  I hope this was a fluke. 

Red Sox Baseball

The regular reader will know that I am both a fan of the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball, and the New York Yankees.  This week, the Red Sox are playing the Texas Rangers, so I am fortunate to be able to watch those games on TV.  Sometimes, when they play the Houston Astros, I can catch those games.

Right now, the Yankees and Red Sox are the best teams in major league baseball.  That means that some of the national broadcasts, on Fox Sports or ESPN will feature some of their games, especially against the better teams.

Eating in Bed

Eating in Bed?  Do you eat in bed? When I was a teenager, and a college student, I ate in bed. Crackers. Chips and dip. What else? But, that is a precarious habit, especially since the reappearance of bedbugs, that I assume may be attracted by crumbs left by eating in bed.

Years ago, I used to feed Haiku at the foot of my bed, because she was intimidated by my other cat, Sake.  But, after a while, I started feeding them nearby each other, and Haiku ate okay. Not great, but okay. 

Over the past few years, sometimes, Haiku would be lying on the top level of the cat tree we have, and cry, so I would feed her there. That is really a safe option, because Taki would not intimidate her. 

Most recently, Haiku has been asking to eat in bed again.  Because her eating habits are so fragile, I have decided that I will not deprive her of eating in bed, but she will only get dry food.  It is too easy to spread the wet food onto the sheets and linens.  I may change my mind, but for now, it will be dry food only.  

Cash Cab

Sometimes, I watch Cash Cab, which is a fun game show, asking cab patrons to answer trivia questions while riding in a cab.   I like trivia and it is fun to see how well I can do.  Sometimes, I know all the answers, but just as often I have some trouble and would get 3 strikes and get kicked out if it were me in the cab. I have noticed, when they do the final double or nothing video question, it is not as hard as some of the other questions.  But this is not always true, so Cash Cab riders, beware!

Cat Feeding Secret

Haiku is very picky about eating, and I do worry about her, because she has been losing weight..  Lately, she has turned up her nose at smashed liver, and held out for human tuna.  But sometimes, she does not want that either.  

I have discovered something about these two foods, after all this time.  I am so slow!  She does better with either food if it is moist.  I have started adding extra tap water to the tuna, and that seems to help.  I recently cooked the liver with extra water, and using the extra moisture seems to encourage her to eat more.  That is good.

But, she just might be extra hungry this weekend.  I keep a couple of dishes of dry food out, and hers is usually in the kitchen, but Taki's is on the mat in the computer room.  Twice this weekend, Haiku has come into the computer room and eaten dry food on Taki's mat, while her food was in the kitchen.  This is really weird, because Taki is sitting on her chair, perched above the mat.  And, very often, when Taki approaches Haiku when she is eating, Haiku is intimidated and takes off.  I have taken to sitting with Haiku when she eats, when I can, to eliminate this intimidating behavior because intimidation is what it is.  I am not sure where this bravado in Haiku has come from, but I am delighted!  I have no way of knowing, but I hope it occurs when I am not around. 

Missing Birthdays

I try to send birthday cards to the kids in my life, including my (former) step-daughters 3 sons, and the children of my nieces.  I have reminders set on the computer, early enough to get cards out to the birthday child by their birthday.

The regular reader will remember I was without computer access for a while, which lead to me missing a birthday.  Well, today, I realized I missed another, a sibling of the first missed birthday.  Neither is good, especially because I have been remembering other birthdays in the family, but at least now it has happened twice, so hopefully, neither child will feel left out.

Can you imagine how it is to be a child, and see everyone else remembered and you are not.  That lost, lonely, abandoned, sinking feeling that you are not loved, remembered or valued as a person.  I do not want to do that to any child.  

I may have to develop a different plan for remembering birthdays. 

A Lazy Day

I did not have much planned for today, and I took a lazy day.  I listened to the radio, read, went out to dinner.  I did some housework, including laundry  and taking out the trash.  There was not much on TV, so I actually read more than I had planned to.  The cats sat with me various times during the day, Haiku especially sitting on my lap off and on much of the morning and early afternoon.  

It was a good day.

Out of Step

You have been there, I am sure.  You have a day that just does not feel right.  You can't quite put your finger on it.  You can't quite remember the date, because it feels wrong. Or the day feels wrong. Or things are just out of sorts.  And you forget what you did early in the morning because too much happened all day.

I had a day like that today.  Work was not especially busy. But I had a meeting after work, and I forgot to send out the reminder earlier this week, so I sent it out at the last minute this morning before I went to work. By the time I got home from work, I forgot all about the meeting until I opened my email.  I did not even remember sending out the reminder this morning.  More to the point, what possessed me to remember this morning that the meeting was going to happen.  

Well, I sort of remember my train of thought.  Next week is book club, and I remembered that I had this meeting this month, and it did not conflict with book club, so I was thinking it was next week, some other day.  Just by luck, I checked this morning.  And  sadly, of 6 people who were supposed to be at the meeting, only one remembered before the reminder.  Is that bad?  Yes it is. 

The meeting went okay.  

I think the reason I feel so out of step is because we had a Wednesday holiday, and while having time off was wonderful, today felt more like a Monday than a Thursday, yet we were following Thursday's schedule. 

Independence Day on TV

I watched the 4th on Broadway Independence Day Parade in Lubbock on TV this morning. This evening, I watched A Capitol Fourth and then watched the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks/ Spectacular.

This was good.

Westwind Concert Cut Short

The Sunday nights of June and several in July include a Westwinds Brass Band concert at Wagner park, sponsored by the Tech Terrace Neighborhood Association.  This past Sunday was their traditional "patriotic" concert.  It was cut short by inclement weather.  

I hope that they play it again this coming weekend. 

Snuggling in Bed with Haiku

Haiku likes to sit with me if I sit on the sofa.  She also sits on the sofa, or sits on an arm of the sofa. Today, I lied on the sofa reading, and she would move from one end to the other, and sometimes just sit on me.

More, and more, she will lie in bed, and cry, until I sit with her and snuggle with her for a while.  She usually moves away, and when I leave the bed, she then gets back in bed and sleeps. 

I know she does not feel well.  She is not eating well, she is not always grooming well, and when I try to help her with mats, she gets irritable, which is not like her.  So, I am careful about helping her with mats, and only do a little at a time. 

She is a beautiful friend. She does not appear to be in such distress that it is cruel to continue her life.  She is just getting old just as am I. 

Sleeping In

I woke up in time to get up for the 4th on Broadway parade which I usually attend.  But then, I go to the rest of the celebration, to listen to my favorite music and just relax.  Well, my favorite performers were not going to perform this, year, and the kitties did not ask me to get up early, so I slept in.   I fed kitties, read, watched the Lubbock parade on TV, read some more, napped and went out to lunch. It was good to sleep in, but what really worries me is by about 10 AM, I was ready for a nap again. So, today, I napped.  Hmm. I think I am getting old.  

Sneezing Upset Taki

I suspect that I have written about this before.  But, when I sneeze, one of my cats, Taki, becomes very upset, makes an unusual cat sound that I cannot even describe, except it is part mew and part something else, and comes to sit beside me.  Even if she is in another room.  

I am not sure what that is about: is she upset and needing reassurance? I don't know, but that is what I try to do.  Is she being protective of me? Possibly, because she sits so close, and waits for a while, maybe until she is reassured that I am okay.

I just do not know what this is about.  But, I am so lucky to have a pet that is that sensitive and responsive to me.  

Westwind Brass Band Concert Cut Short

At this time of year, one of my favorite hours of the week is to attend the Westwind Brass Band Concert in the Park on Sunday night.  Last night was supposed to be their patriotic concert, including their salute to the members of the military who have served our country.

Due to ominous weather conditions, the concert started early.  The lightning was moving in from the south and the wind picked up. The schedule of songs changed, and the third song was changed to be the salute to the military branches. I decided during this song that my personal level of safety was exceeded by the closeness of the storm.  I picked up and went to my car. I did not want to be disrespectful, but others had also departed.

After I got to my car, and was getting ready to drive away, a police vehicle drove up.  The officer went down a side street near the park, and that was the street I take to go home, so I was right behind that car. The officer was stopped by a vehicle in front of him. I sat there with my windows open, and listened to the band, and the announcement that the concert was being cancelled due to the impending weather.  

I wonder if the police officer was there to tell the band to stop the concert, but did not have to because the director was wise enough to do so.  I did not stay to see what the police officer did, once we were able to drive on. The police car went down another side street abutting the park.  

Rain or Spritz

We have been in a dry situation, but lately, small percentage chance of rain.  Last Friday, we had rain, and it was a very pretty rain.  But Saturday, we had "rain" that amounted to big drops while the sun was out. A Spritz.

Last night we had a nice rain, with lightning and thunder. And, sometime today, we had some small amount of rain, but it did not leave puddles. 

When I left work today before 4 PM, there were heavy clouds to the south and east. They moved in, but did not produce rain.  

This time of year, the clouds offer a tease but no real soaking rain.

Automatic Payments

I know that a lot of people like to sign up for automatic payments for bills they pay regularly.  I do not like to do this, for several reasons. One is because automatic payments should occur at certain dates, but due to holidays, weekends and what ever vagaries of electronic fund transfer, sometimes automatic payments happen when they are not expected. If someone keeps a small amount in their checking account, this can result in insufficient funds, and either overdraft fees, or overdraft protection being used, but even overdraft protection can be subject to fees. And, if someone has unexpectedly had other expenses, they could not be planning correctly to cover the automatic payment.

Another reason that automatic payments are not good, is that people can overlook what the payment is, when it is made. So people are less likely to notice if the payment changes, and believe me, these payment changes can catch us unawares, and again, without sufficient funds in our account. More importantly, the automatic payment change might be a mistake, or at very least, as happened to me, can be reapplied to a different service plan to decrease the amount of the regular payment. 

Another scenario is automatic payments that occur for items that happen once a year. If  someone forgets that that automatic payment is due, again, they may not budget for it before it occurs.  Last year, I had an "automatic" payment taken out of my account, when I did not expect it.  I was able to cover the funds, but I had not given permission for this automatic payment, and was pretty much indignant that it occurred.  So much so, that I did not renew the service this year. 

My Sprint Bill

I receive my Sprint bill online.  Just recently, my bill came in $16 more than it had been.  I had no notice of this.  So, I called Sprint.  After waiting about 10 minutes to talk to a representative, I was thanked for being a loyal Sprint customer since 1994!  I was told that had been on a discount plan that was no longer available, so I now had this higher rate.  Then, I was offered a lower rate plan, with unlimited service as I had been receiving, at slightly more than I was paying,  but not $16 per month. And, I could get even a lower rate, if I did automatic payment.  I was incensed. This should have been offered to me automatically, and I should have been able to make that choice before I was just charged the higher rate. 

Well, of course I accepted the lower rate plan, and was offered and accepted a discount for the bill I had just received.  I declined the automatic payment option, knowing full well that companies like Sprint count on customers not to pay attention when their bills change. I think this is a fraud. 

Compact Discs

When compact discs came out, I have to admit that I was not "tuned in" to that technology, and it was several years before I started buying CDs rather than cassette tapes.  (I have to admit, I was not so slow about moving from VHS to DVDs.)  

Recently, I was trying to play some CDs. Not counting my two laptops, my portable CD player that requires headphones to hear, and an external CD/DVD player for my old TV, I had a small radio/CD player, a larger table model that included a double cassette player and recorder, and  the Crosley turntable unit, CD and cassette player. The cassette player never worked, but really I bought the turntable for the turntable.  I like being able to record to CDs, and did so for a while. But, that got old, especially because the quality was so poor.

So, a few weekends ago, I wanted to listen to some music. The small radio/CD player and the table model did not play CDs any more.  The Crosley had been playing CDs, but after the last time I used it, I could not get the drawer to open. Fortunately, I had been able to get the last CD I had played out before this problem became permanent (it had been happening intermittently for a while, and I was even able to "force" the drawer open for a while.) 

I ditched the small CD/radio because the radio never worked well.  I ditched the table top model because the radio never worked well, and the cassette players had long ceased working well.

Well, I went to a couple of stores to look for CD players, and no one had them in stock.  I guess I was not really surprised, because vinyl has become the big thing, and people are going back to vinyl.  So much so, that Best Buy announced this week that they will no longer be carrying CDs in stores.  

I like CDs because it is easy to pick the track you want, without risking scratching the platter. Not so with vinyl. 

Well, I went online, and did buy a table top CD player with AM/FM radio and cassette player and recorder. I am enjoying being able to listen to music again. 

But, I have a good collection of old vinyl, some 45s, and clay 78s. All of which I can play on my Crosley turntable. So, I am in good shape. 

Computer Recovery!

In the past, when I have not had a computer to access, sometimes, I was able to access personal email at work.  Or go to the library and use a computer.  By accessing the Suddenlink Home Page  on my smartphone, I was able to keep updated on my email, clean out my email box, read the important email, and defer the rest.  That was good.

I also did one game,  The Set Game, that is part of my routine and does not have an archive. The others I play all do have archives.  

One thing I always I do, is to play Words with Friends.  Well, I have that application on my smartphone, and use it a lot, so I was more or less able to keep up with that.  And, I met the challenge the week this all started.  Not sure about this week:  I spent a lot of time getting caught up with email, newspaper headlines, and the many games I play each day. These games include: The Uclick Sudoku,  the AARP Daily Crossword,  and  the Merriam Webster Cryptogram.  So, I picked up the computer Thursday night, and by Saturday I was "caught up," which surprised me that it went so quickly. But that is why I may not meet the Words with Friends challenge. 

That is okay, I used to do everything I could to meet the Words with Friends challenges. But I found I was neglecting other activities, and decided that I would no longer do that. 

I also really like the new keyboard.  It is awesome!

Separating Families - Immigration Policy or Law?

The big political storm this summer, so far, has been the policy of separating illegal children immigrants from their parents at the Mexican border, and holding the children in massive detention facilities Immigration Impact.  There was a large public outcry, and even some Republican lawmakers came out against this practice. 

I was incensed, but did not call my US Representative and Senators because I was so angry.  After thinking, praying, and talking to others, and hearing what others had to say, I wrote a script that just expressed my concerns, and why, including that this was a human rights abuse, our nation was better than this, and we deserve any censure we receive from Human Rights organizations because of this practice.  I then called my government representatives, read the script and sent a follow up email.  

At first, President Trump said he could do nothing, but he eventually signed an executive order to stop the separation, but allowing for the entire family to be detained.  So now there is problem re-uniting the children with their families. 

Most recently,  a US District Court Judge declared this separation was illegal, and ordered the separated children to be returned to their families within 30 days.  Let us hope that happens. 

The problem needs to be resolved.  It needs to be resolved by a law that addresses illegal immigration, a path to citizenship for children immigrants who grew up in this country (DREAMERS) and want to make it their home, and for asylum seekers, including those seeking to escape domestic abuse as well as gang activity, cartel activity and political threats. 

By ignoring the problem, we just create more chaos and havoc.  US is better than this. We are better than this. 

Junior Handyman

The handyman I use had a young man working with him.  I guessed he was in his early teens, and was not far off. This was his first summer to work with the handyman.  He is a distant relative, and asked if he could work.  The handyman told me how he started young working with his father, and he wanted to return the opportunity. He explained he had 3 girls, but his youngest was a boy, too young to help, but he hoped someday his son would join him. 

Handyman Repairs

I have put off a lot of things that needed to be done around my house, because they are chores that I used to be able to do myself, but no longer can do.  Oh well, such as it is.  So, a couple of weeks ago, I had the handyman come in and do some repairs around my house. He trimmed a tree, and trimmed it back enough that he would not have to return for a couple of years. 

Then he installed a double Venetian blind that I had purchased some time ago.  

I could not believe how much better felt about my house once those chores were done. It just changed my attitude some how.  Weird. 

Carpet Repair

I needed a carpet repair that I had put off for months, after the leak from my air conditioner, last summer.  I decided it was past time to get that done, and sought out Home Advisor for referrals.  I got two referrals.  One gave me a low estimate over the phone, the other gave me a fluid, unwritten high estimate after he viewed the situation in person.  I tend to go with low bids, but I did not trust the over the phone bid.  So I went with Ace Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.  Before Hector started the work, we discussed the "fluid estimate" and I was satisfied.  He set up a time, and called to tell me he would be late.  But he showed up as he had adjusted.

He told me Berber carpet is hard to fix and do seams for, especially because some of it was unraveled in spots.  Hector took a long time at fixing the carpet, almost 3 hours.  But, when he was done, the area was fixed, and the seam was neater than the original one had been when the carpet was first laid.  I am impressed, and gave him a good review on Home Advisor!  He is a master at carpet repair, and he obviously took great pride in doing a great job.  The price ran within what we discussed for an estimate, and I just rounded it up.  He deserved it.  

Ooops! Spilled Wine!

Spilled wine is not really new at my house, but in the 25 or so years I have had a computer, I have not spilled anything on the keyboard.  Until just recently.  On Tuesday night, the 19th of June, I did just that.  I wiped it up the best I could.  And could do no more.   I did not think to get on the smart phone to read what to do, so I just shut down the computer as quickly as possible. (What to do, wipe off the key board, turn the laptop upside down, and take out the battery.  The point is nothing runs, and maybe the liquid will not get into anything and do permanent damage.)  

Well, this was late at night, so the next morning, I tried to turn on the computer, but could not get the keyboard to respond, although the wireless mouse did.  Hope for me.  I took the laptop to the Office Depot near me.  We tried attaching a remote keyboard and wireless mouse.  My files opened, but everything just "rolled."  Something was stuck, I thought.  They did not do internal work on sight, so I took it to Expertech.  Spilled liquid is evidently common enough, they have a standard price for it.  

When I brought the computer in, their comment was wine is better than water:  wine gets everything sticky, water starts to corrode everything.  They would have to dry and clean the laptop, and then install a new keyboard (or I could use a remote keyboard.)  The first thing the technician did? Take out the battery. It took several days, before I heard back.  They said they had cleaned and dried the computer, and it just needed a new key board.  I went with the new insert. They gave me a price for the keyboard, and we went with it.

When I picked up the computer, they showed me the old keyboard, and the new one that was installed. He said he had opened my recent files, and they seemed to be intact and working. He told me to take it home and if I had issues after I got home, to let them know!   

It took longer the than a week to repair, but the price was reasonable, and my files and email addresses were all intact!  So, life is good.  

I just need to be more careful.