Craptastic rides again...

AIIIIGH!!! 

Ahem.  So, as you may have noticed, I haven’t blogged.  I haven’t written much on other folks blogs, either.  Husband and I were noticing that we were having problems with the internet… Again.

Turns out, we didn’t take into account the fact that when school is out, we aren’t going to have much in the way of internet.  To wit:  We get up- well, of late, HUSBAND gets up between 4-5 a.m., and gets online.  It is shaky, but okay at that point.  I have been ‘sleeping in’ to about Zero Cat:30… Er, 6 am, and it’s getting a little shakier at that point.  7 a.m., it nearly stops. 

We can’t get emails without a loooong wait, articles on line are iffy, at best, and videos.  Well, we just don’t get them.  Uploading a picture doesn’t work, it times out.  Heck, just looking at my morning comics online is dicey, it might work, if it’s a small, black and white comic, but I am pressing my luck for anything with color, and do not bother, if it’s anything large or multi-frame. 

Even that sacred bastion of insanity, Face Book, isn’t doable right now.  I had asked a friend about some music he made, I want to hear it, but can’t download it right now, conversely, I haven’t been able to get ON Face Book, to tell him there is a problem! 

I am trying to get this blog up, just to let folks know I haven’t gone AWOL, just can’t do much at the moment.  I am so aggravated… 

We tried to do a speed test, to see how (not) fast it was going.  It was so slow the test wouldn’t start!  When we finally did get the test to take, it was .05 to .08 bits per second.  We, as I remember, are supposed to be getting 1 to 3 MEGS… I would love to take this out on Green Asterisk internet, but they probably wouldn’t do anything.  We are rural, and until Rural Electrification type legislation gets teeth in the government, (http://www.broadband.gov/recovery_act.html , aka Rural Broadband), we are going to continue to have this problem.

How, you ask, am I getting this online?  I wrote it on Word, then copied and pasted, hoping desperately that the ‘net would hold long enough to get it printed there.

Before this all started, I’d downloaded Windows latest and greatest update.  Now I am afraid to implement it, I don’t need to deal with two disasters! 

So, I will try and put updates on my blog, but will have to work around the marauding hordes of kids…  Guess I need to get up when I am having my insomnia bit about 1 or 2 a.m. and THEN try and do something… PBBBBBBBBBBBBT!!!! 

Sorry for the downer blog, but that’s the way it goes. Will blog about nicer stuff later, but probably no pics…

A lack of charm(s), among other things.

Yes, Virginia, it's been a while since I've blogged.

I won't say I've been busy, but it's been sort of chaotic.  First, a charm bracelet that I borrowed from Mom is missing.  I have been going through all the places I had it, (I was buying a charm for the bracelet at Christmastime, and needed one charm to show the jeweler...), cleaning out all the places I store important items, went through all my coats and winter clothing... Even went through a lot of my Christmas 'stuff' ornaments and decorations.

No dice, so far.

Husband had to put up with my nearly total mental meltdown, as it caught me so off guard.  I'd thought I'd returned it to my mom just after Christmas.  So, we continue to look, and call different places I thought it could have fallen out/been left/whatever.

So, how I figure it, I will go look for something unrelated in a few months, and there it will be, like a little silver lump.

At least that's my hope...

I have set up my Face Book account, and to quote Mr. Chatterbox, "Just remember that having a lot of friends on Facebook is like sitting at the popular table...in an insane asylum."

My word, are you right, sir!

I have ultra far right wing folk, ultra far left wing folk, very Christian types, very Pagan ones, and some that I am not sure WHAT they are (nor do I care, actually.).  I actually had to "block" one person's account, I really didn't care for the language and photos...  Sadly, it's a family member, so I will have to check it from time to time. But, other than a few people asking my comments on a topic I will NOT discuss, I have sidestepped any huge land mines, political or otherwise.  I have about 17 or so folks that I am FBing.  I am using it for folks I wouldn't be able to chat with normally, that live out of the area.

Oddly enough, I was going to sign up with a local book writer's group, and my auntie.  Guess which two are not on FB anymore?  Hmph.

I wanted to post some pictures here.  I will try and see if I can, in the early morning.  Husband and I have found that is the time when the slug slow internet sort of runs steady, if not quickly.  (That's when I have been checking the FB thing, several of my friends send videos.  Oh, great...)

I found that a few of my friends with Green Asterisk internet have been having the same problems that I have.  One even went so far as to call the company.  They told her that it was just a common problem, and they couldn't do anything about it.  She said, well, then, can I pay half the amount on my bill, since you are giving me HALF the amount of internet?

Uh, no...  (Like we expected anything different?  *Sigh*...)

So, I muddle along, trying to find times when the blasted thing doesn't time out on me...  Meh...

The animals are doing pretty well, we ended up with only 3 roosters on the last big clutch of eggs.  There are only two chicks left of the latest batch, the one chick wouldn't stay around Mom.  Or any of the other chickens.  And would walk out by its self in the main yard.  Well, even with me trying to shoo it back, it didn't work.  We had a Red Tail hawk, and I suspect it had a meal...

The last two, however, are doing quite well, if a bit ratty looking at the moment.  They are at that "ugly" stage, where they don't have baby fuzz, quite, and they aren't feathered out, quite.  They sort of look like feather dusters that someone dropped in dryer lint.

I picked up a few books.  I wanted to read some of these for a long time, some I'd read before... But.
I'd read them in college for English Lit, those, read fast, take notes, take test, boom, done.  Retention, what retention? You mean, I'm supposed to REMEMBER it???

So, I am starting with Jack Kerouac's On The Road.  I have several, and I will try to mention what I am perusing, as I peruse.  But now I can read them to enjoy them.  I think that will make them a lot better.  However, I will not be reading A Tale Of Two Cities any time soon.  Or ever.  Yeah, never's good...

I tried to read that book.  I like some of Dicken's work.  That, my dear blog friends, ain't going to be one of them.

And I have a class coming up soon, I will have a very busy week, as I drive about an hour to get to the class, then about 8 hours, then home, for about 3 days.  I feel really, really fortunate to get the chance, so I don't begrudge the drive, especially since the last one was held about 2 1/2 hours away.  The classes are for all over Oregon, so they even have low cost housing, if needed.  I just have to remember to bring a lunch...  Yep, fortunate.

So, I will try and let all of you know about the rest of the animals, the mouse, Ding, and just how much cleaning it takes to get a place presentable when a former boss comes to visit... Soon.

Continuing difficulties, please stand by...

I am about ready to scream.  Actually, screaming would probably be more effective for getting my blog out of late, than writing and putting pics in.  The Green As*-tric company has dogged our internet speed WAY down...  Dial-up speed is about 28.  Well, last I checked on my speed, it has gone as low as 17.  The speed test was even having trouble staying connected long enough to give me the blasted test!

So, I will be doing blogs: a) in the morning, (or saving the blog to Word, and then transferring at a good time), and b) with out pictures for a while.

The second part is what bugs me.  I love sending out pics of my furred and feathered folks... But at least I can (sometimes) read other people's blogs, and SO FAR can write out a blog and post.  Mostly.

But, I will continue to see if I can get this corrected, and let all of you know I am indeed still in the land of the living...

So, as far as all my animals, Rudee is trying to supply the local area with enough shed fur to build another dog... Ding has figured out that she has to SLOW DOWN BEFORE she gets on the wood flooring, or she hits the wall, and then sits glaring at us... The chicks are about fully fledged, even Bullit at this point, (except for the little bald spot on her back), and is just as filled out and feisty as the rest of the group.  Mama Bird found a hole in the fence, and the kids haven't looked back, we now have young birds wandering around the place. No one has found the cat food. Yet...  Buzz is getting a bit on the thin side, I have been trying to give her treats.  Rudee is not helping with this.  Or more accurately he is helping himself. SIGH... And the llamas?  Still llamas, we were going to shear them, but decided not to, as late as it is in the season.

So, that is the quick summary of our little group...  I will try and get some of Husband and my doings next time.  Oh, and I will eventually get to Part 4.  Just... not soon, it seems.