The good, the bad, and the hopefully better...

As you can see, I've not blogged for a long bit... The internet is getting WORSE out our way.  So, I have tried, and had, (obviously), no success.  I try to blog or upload pictures, it overloads the system, throwing me, and my writing out, unless I get up in the wee hours to do it.

So why haven't I gotten up in the wee hours? 

That's the good news.  For me, at any rate.  I found a class, approved by my doctor, to learn meditation and relaxation.  It seemed a tiny bit foo-foo at times, (Using all your senses to eat ONE raisin.  I am not fond of raisins overmuch.  The councilor was admonishing us to listen to the raisin, that was a physical sense, too.  I told her that if that sucker talked to me, I was out of there.  It did make a slight noise, if you hold it near your ear, you can hear the sugar crystals crunch on it while squishing it a bit. We were in a quiet room...)  This was an intensive class, and while I can't say I am now perfectly sublime and saintly blissful, I am slowly learning to be hopefully less irritable, at least sometimes...  And, the biggie, I CAN SLEEP!  I notice I am awake, I go to a couple of the practices that she recommended, and I am dozing again quickly, as a rule.  Which makes me less groggy, but not awake during the small window of "usable" time for internet.

But we have called the company multiple times, even threatening to leave them.  Basically, they said, you are finished with your required contract, "we give you permission to leave."  (Husband rarely gets angry.  I thought he was going to break something when THAT phone call was finished...)  So, we have been looking, and considering our next plan of action.

We noticed a gent that was in construction wear, with a transit, and he kept showing up around our place, measuring... Something?  I missed him the first couple times.  It's not terribly unusual to have power folks come out, because the farms need power put on, and taken off of the water pumps seasonally, and they have to check on some of the poles, as they are, um, extensively used by cows for derriere scratching.  I do hope no one has to climb one of those messes in the near future! 

Anyway, finally, he was stopped right near our driveway, and Husband walked out to see what he was up to. 

After a bit of a chat, Husband comes in and tells me the 2 local schools, which we are more or less in between, are getting fiber optic high speed cable. 

Okay.  Good, I guess. 

No, they are putting it in for the schools, and he is measuring pole distances to install lines, for anyone who lives near the schools, and is on the power company's system...  So they can sign up for FIBER HIGH SPEED! 

Um, is that good? (No, I am not quick on the uptake, occasionally.)

He explained that yes, it was very good, and because it would involve the schools, there would most likely be a built in "make sure it works" as it is not just the usual one or two people, but a 'business'. 

(I hope he's right, we had a national carrier tell our county law enforcement that they would come fix a problem with the call in lines being down at DISPATCH... with in 10 working days.  After a something call, I was never told exactly what happened, but it did get fixed.  The next day.  But that's when the Sheriff decided that that company was no longer the supplier of the phone for them. Yep, good times...)

So, somewhere along the lines of September, when the next school year starts, is what the goal for the set up is.  Will we get it?  What's the speed?  How much data allowed?  What's the COST?  All of that will be found out later.  But, there is a chance that we might, just maybe, be able to have real internet that doesn't compete with 2 cans and a string for quality!  Hope, hope, hope...

So, I kept considering, I want to write my blog BEFORE September, but how?  I haven't had much luck with some of the stuff I had been trying at home. 

At home... 

Hey, I am on the computer when I am at the sub!  DING! 

You know those stupid trees make it very hard to see that big forest I am looking for! 

So, I will save up, and try and write my blogs at least on Tuesdays, if possible.  I might occasionally write more than one, and then I will time them to release over a few days, too, but I won't be able to answer as often.  Oh, and at this point, no pictures, sorry.  The IT guys are wonderful here, but they get extremely paranoid a little jumpy about uploads that aren't protected, so I don't want to have to do all the happy dance work arounds to get a picture on.  If it's important, I might try, but right now, I am just happy to have a brain cell light up again with the concept, hey, you can do this at work!  YAAAY!

25th, and a Monkey Moment...

Yesterday was Husband and my 25th anniversary, and to celebrate...

We went gold panning.  Oddball, but Husband knew it was something I'd wanted to try for some time.

See my little green gold pan?  It looks TINY compared to a standard one!  But it worked fine.  And the little blue thing is a foldable stool that I sat on.  Crouching doesn't work when you have one knee...  The big container is Husband's stool, which doubled as a tub for carrying all the assorted tools.  

After a hike down the hill, where I once again found out I am out of shape.  (Unless you count round...)  We arrived at a little bend in the river, which is open to panning.  Set up our respective seats, and Husband pulled out a shovel for digging up... A big blob of rocky mud.  

Huh.  

Then he put it through a large strainer looking pan, and got it down to...  less rocky mud.  He then showed me how to 'float' the stuff I didn't want out, (I did 'cheat' and remove larger rocks with my fingers), until it did actually end up black sand, which is an indicator of potential gold.  

Note:  I said potential...  We panned for about 2 or 3 hours, but had no gold.  I wasn't disappointed, though, as I learned now what to do, and what to look for.  I also was out in the woods with Husband, we were chatting, and he showed me a few good fishing grubs in the water, I pointed out some tiny fry swimming around.  (I also made a terrible joke, that if we were in France, they would be French Fries... Yes, he groaned, but he knows that sort of nonsense is de rigueur for me...)  

We had a good time, and it was not too warm.  Well, okay, it was warmer than I would like, but I found if I had my feet in the water, I was quite comfortable...  Even though I was wearing a felt hat, and long sleeves, to keep from burning.  

I still wonder if I am part vampire sometimes, except that I don't like the taste of blood.  Hmm.  That would create a problem, yes?

Anywho, this is the spot where we panned, between the front big rock and the shrub.  

We then went home and changed shoes, as we both had soaked feet.  Then we had dinner and a movie, (well, pizza and a DVD, but hey, it's what we wanted), and just had a very nice, relaxed day.

And you've probably noticed that I haven't been blogging again?  A little of it is just that I have been on the go.  However we have also made some changes...

I have officially, really, made a BIG technology jump.  Husband decided after our continuing problems with Green Asterisk internet, that we are going to have Smart Phones.

(whimper...)

And, so we went to the first place to get it.  The darling sales clerk was so charming... "Oh, here's what you want, and we'll give you 12 GB of data, and-and-and-and..."

"Um, no, you see, we only really want call and maybe text, and RARELY we might use the computer portion, easy on the apps..."

After an expression that could have curdled milk into cheese in a nano second, "Excuse me, I have another customer here."  This went on for about 10 minutes or so, until we got royally pi**ed decided they didn't have what we wanted, and left.

We then went to the main office of the company Husband wanted to use, (the other was a satellite of the same company), and it could not have been more different.  The gent that helped us listened to what I used the computer and phone for, and Husband, to the tune of more than an hour or so of explanation on our end.  He suggested a much more reasonable phone/GB combo that was much more to our liking...  And gee, it wasn't the top end of everything, surprise surprise...  Thank you, Robert person at Verizon!

Ahem, you remember the scene where the monolith lands in Space Odyssey?  I think I am the third monkey on the right...

I have been on a learning curve with the new rig, some things haven't been too bad (texting makes sense, and is an advantage to send a quick note to someone, a lot like an email or post-it note), but some things are terrible.  I have been fighting apps.  I have fat thumbed an app on my computer, (Kindle).  This is fine, ON MY TABLET.  However, I don't want it on my phone.

But not only was it on my phone, the website said, Oh, why don't we put the smart phone as the default setting?  She won't mind... I told the phone, don't do that, stop.  Turns out "stop" only means, "stop this session", and will start up again the next session.  Which made my budget for GB go up much faster than I wanted. Snarl.  So, with a little help from Husband, we "disabled" that app, and I "disabled" the phone on the website, too.  Now, if I have worked it out correctly, unless I start it again, it is now somewhat invisible to the website, unless I turn it on again.

Otherwise, I will have to see Robert person, and beg for mercy... 

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…

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.

Hi, Mom!

Happy Birthday to you!

Today is my Mom's birthday.  She was actually born on Labor Day that year (for real), with which we tease her sometimes...  

A woman who seems to have knowledge of things as diverse as how to make several different sewing patterns come together to make ONE blouse.  How to make a musty book not stink.  Several recipes to use up zucchini, including one bread recipe that I wait impatiently for the 'zukes to come up to make. (Ironically, I will have to PURCHASE zukes this year, the slugs ate them all... snif...)  She taught me to cook, to keep a checkbook, tried to teach me to sew (hey, I sew on a mean button...),  has a high tolerance for fun, a low tolerance for... male cattle excrement, and is a generally all around cool person.

Happy birthday, Mama...  Your kid loves you.

(Haven't been writing my blog lately, sorry.  We fixed the modem problem, now the company is having problems with PROVIDING the internet at any speed, we are presently SLOWER than what we used to have as dial up, making up, or down loading anything almost impossible... So, it is supposed to be looked at soon.  Ahem.  Right.  Keep watching for them flying pigs... )