I'm sure that many of you get the same type of phone calls that I do, where they are either telemarketing or in some cases can be harmful if you answer the call. I usually don't answer calls that are not in my contact list and show up by name on my caller ID.
So how do you know who is calling? I hope this tip will help you from now on.
1. Don't answer calls that are not in your contact list
2. Let those calls with just a phone number showing on your caller ID, go to voice mail or just hang up.
3. After the call, go to www.whitepages.com
4. Type in the phone number of the call in the block "Reverse Phone"
5. Scroll toward the bottom of the screen, you will usually see comments from others that will show you the number is s scam.
5. Click your phone icon, click "recent" and then add that number to your contact list and name the new contact SCAM.
Each time a number fills the the above criteria, add them to the SAME contact. After a while you will have a list of phone numbers under that contact name.
What you will find out later is, those numbers will stop calling you. Keep them in your contacts though and keep adding new numbers.
What made me think of this information is I just changed cell phone service from AT&T to Verizon. Within an hour after activating my new phone number, I received my first SCAM call. I added that number to my previous contact. They have continued to call me every day, including just now, but now my caller ID will show SCAM when they call.
I hope this helps those that didn't know how to handle these types of calls.
Yes, I use to put my number on the lists to not receive telemarketing calls but the block never worked.
June 29, 2014
June 28, 2014
A Great RV eBook & An Experiment
Click here: for a great RV book.
I am putting that link at the top for all to see. This is NOT an affiliate link, just a link to send you to the book on Amazon. Why am I "advertising" this? It's because I just read it tonight, it's a fast read and loaded with good RV information. I bought it, downloaded it to my Kindle, synchronized all of my devices and read it on one setting on my iPad.
For those of you that have emailed me about my blog, telling me that you are still deciding on what to do ... this book is definitely for you as well as me. It explains a lot in the different phases we have gone through ... or maybe in your case ... currently going through, in our thought process.
It also covers those mental phases for the people that have bought their rig and have hit the road, whether just in your first month, first year or many years.
Every phase is covered and is very informative.
Now for a little update on nothing in particular, no new dramatic news either in the RV or my hounds. Still some things to write about each and kind of a follow up to my last post.
For the past few weeks I had an idea for walking my two basset's, Winston and Heidi with a splitter and one leash. Maybe a possibility for future camping or traveling. They are the same height which is a plus, same speed when not on the leash but a slight error in judgement. Daily as we walk through the field in back of the house I have Sadie (bloodhound) on a 25' retractable and one of the bassets on a 20' retractable and one lucky basset on their own pace. That pace is indescribable. The meaning of Slooooowwwwww would be faster than the pace of either basset hound walking off their leash.
Of course due to the heat and humidity we try to walk after 7 or 8pm. With Winston (10yr), it's a combination of the heat, his bad lower basset back or maybe just that he is getting older but when he is off the leash he will drop pretty far behind us walking one step at a time. Picture that on basset hound length legs ... LOL. He will always cut off his walk short and head to the return path to meet us on the way back. It's all open field so I can see where he is.
When Heidi is off leash (6yr), she is off on her own and hard to control because she will ignore you just like the AKC description says about the basset hounds breed (stubborn) and will get away if I am not keeping tabs on her. At times she starts going in different directions to where I have to walk the other dogs over to her and take the leash off of Winston and attach her.
So last week I found my old leather splitter hanging inside a door with all past leashes, different sized and different kinds of dog collars that have collected over the years. I remember in 1997 when I moved to this house Harry and Maggie walked using that splitter like two dancers...almost in step. They were both bassets. I thought if they could do it, then Winston and Heidi could also. I was wrong.
In the experiment this week, the combo of Heidi and Winston never worked that way and as of tonight, June 28, the experiment has been shelved. Some of what I described earlier about each basset off of the leash, is a factor on why this experiment didn't work.
Whether Winston is on or off a leash .... his pace is the same ... slowwwwwww. When Heidi is on the leash she will do anything to stay in the lead and is always ahead of the bloodhound. Then at times with her great nose, she is off on a scent that will pull me if I let her, but the stop on the retractable leash stops her tendency to bolt.
So with one basset hound wanting to be in the lead of the pack, that is connected by a collar splitter to a basset that is on a constant laid back stroll through the country ... it was not going to work. Each night this week I stopped them soon after to unhook the splitter and only putting Heidi on the leash, otherwise Winston would be strangled with Heidi pulling him through the field.
How does this information tie into the last blog post? For the past few weeks I had thought seriously of taking the hounds and I tent camping. The plan was to head to locations with low temps and at least lower humidity. I was thinking Yellowstone, maybe Glacier or even the coast of the PNW. Yes ... all of us in a tent, a large PaHa Que with plenty of floor space and I could stand up if needed.
The concerns were:
1. My hounds barking in a SP on the way out when they saw new people and new dogs.
2. The hound ability to take off when they lock onto a scent and either getting lost or killed by a predator.
On the first concern, here at home when someone shows up to visit, UPS/FedEx delivery or like the installer this week ... if I don't let them outside to meet and greet the people, one hound will start their "hound howling" and the other two follow. It's loud and I could see us getting kicked out of campgrounds because of that. Also, if I were to take off to either bike or hike, I would have had to leave them in the back of the FJ Cruiser and that's never a good thing in hot weather, even with the windows cracked. Would they be barking then? They bark here at home when they can't go out when I mow the yard. I can only assume they would bark if I were to leave them in the car.
The second concern is a big one. Sure, it doesn't happen often or at least you don't read about dogs being killed by predators. My friend asked at dinner the other night "are you really going to tent camp with three dogs in bear country"? I jokingly replied that my bloodhound would probably be lunch for a bear and then I would. Not a good answer I know, but it just kind of came out that way.
One the drive home I thought more about that. Around here in the country about all I hear are coyotes. Unless they are really hungry in the winter, you don't see them. You will see their tracks in the snow.
The safety of my hounds have always been a concern. Tent camping would change the safety parameters. It would be much different than sleeping inside a hard shell trailer, or staying in one during the day.
I thought of how hard it is to walk all three hounds on a leash. I thought of our trip last September 2013. I thought if they were an excuse or a justifiable concern. I don't deal in excuses nor do I make decisions feeding my brain positive thoughts over and over, never have. I make decisions based on facts, tendencies and thoughts of safety if the hounds were traveling as well for myself. That is they way I've always been ... analysis then decision. Maybe when I was younger I made some of those "I'll do it now and figure it out on the way" but being older I don't have time to correct major mistakes in thinking, financially or otherwise.
So, long story short, I decided tent camping off the grid with three hounds was not possible. These are not dogs in the working breed that stay around, they are hounds and their noses dictate what they do in an outside environment. The stronger the scent, the more unconscious they become ... that's their DNA. It's not a training issue.
Like I stated in September 2013 post after our 586 mile trip, any full-time or majority of the time traveling will have to take place after the number of hounds I have decreases to one.
I have had bassets or bloodhounds or both, since 1987. Depending on circumstances, determined the quantity at the time. When I purchased Heidi in July 2011 from Basset Hound Rescue, RVing and retiring was not even a thought....even a passing thought. I did not see Glenn's interview with Yahoo until October 2011, then started my blog, with the subtext "finding out if I can travel with three hounds".
I'm good with the decision. We will try to get away for short trips, maybe see what happens and then go from there.
I am putting that link at the top for all to see. This is NOT an affiliate link, just a link to send you to the book on Amazon. Why am I "advertising" this? It's because I just read it tonight, it's a fast read and loaded with good RV information. I bought it, downloaded it to my Kindle, synchronized all of my devices and read it on one setting on my iPad.
For those of you that have emailed me about my blog, telling me that you are still deciding on what to do ... this book is definitely for you as well as me. It explains a lot in the different phases we have gone through ... or maybe in your case ... currently going through, in our thought process.
It also covers those mental phases for the people that have bought their rig and have hit the road, whether just in your first month, first year or many years.
Every phase is covered and is very informative.
Now for a little update on nothing in particular, no new dramatic news either in the RV or my hounds. Still some things to write about each and kind of a follow up to my last post.
For the past few weeks I had an idea for walking my two basset's, Winston and Heidi with a splitter and one leash. Maybe a possibility for future camping or traveling. They are the same height which is a plus, same speed when not on the leash but a slight error in judgement. Daily as we walk through the field in back of the house I have Sadie (bloodhound) on a 25' retractable and one of the bassets on a 20' retractable and one lucky basset on their own pace. That pace is indescribable. The meaning of Slooooowwwwww would be faster than the pace of either basset hound walking off their leash.
Of course due to the heat and humidity we try to walk after 7 or 8pm. With Winston (10yr), it's a combination of the heat, his bad lower basset back or maybe just that he is getting older but when he is off the leash he will drop pretty far behind us walking one step at a time. Picture that on basset hound length legs ... LOL. He will always cut off his walk short and head to the return path to meet us on the way back. It's all open field so I can see where he is.
When Heidi is off leash (6yr), she is off on her own and hard to control because she will ignore you just like the AKC description says about the basset hounds breed (stubborn) and will get away if I am not keeping tabs on her. At times she starts going in different directions to where I have to walk the other dogs over to her and take the leash off of Winston and attach her.
So last week I found my old leather splitter hanging inside a door with all past leashes, different sized and different kinds of dog collars that have collected over the years. I remember in 1997 when I moved to this house Harry and Maggie walked using that splitter like two dancers...almost in step. They were both bassets. I thought if they could do it, then Winston and Heidi could also. I was wrong.
In the experiment this week, the combo of Heidi and Winston never worked that way and as of tonight, June 28, the experiment has been shelved. Some of what I described earlier about each basset off of the leash, is a factor on why this experiment didn't work.
Whether Winston is on or off a leash .... his pace is the same ... slowwwwwww. When Heidi is on the leash she will do anything to stay in the lead and is always ahead of the bloodhound. Then at times with her great nose, she is off on a scent that will pull me if I let her, but the stop on the retractable leash stops her tendency to bolt.
So with one basset hound wanting to be in the lead of the pack, that is connected by a collar splitter to a basset that is on a constant laid back stroll through the country ... it was not going to work. Each night this week I stopped them soon after to unhook the splitter and only putting Heidi on the leash, otherwise Winston would be strangled with Heidi pulling him through the field.
How does this information tie into the last blog post? For the past few weeks I had thought seriously of taking the hounds and I tent camping. The plan was to head to locations with low temps and at least lower humidity. I was thinking Yellowstone, maybe Glacier or even the coast of the PNW. Yes ... all of us in a tent, a large PaHa Que with plenty of floor space and I could stand up if needed.
The concerns were:
1. My hounds barking in a SP on the way out when they saw new people and new dogs.
2. The hound ability to take off when they lock onto a scent and either getting lost or killed by a predator.
On the first concern, here at home when someone shows up to visit, UPS/FedEx delivery or like the installer this week ... if I don't let them outside to meet and greet the people, one hound will start their "hound howling" and the other two follow. It's loud and I could see us getting kicked out of campgrounds because of that. Also, if I were to take off to either bike or hike, I would have had to leave them in the back of the FJ Cruiser and that's never a good thing in hot weather, even with the windows cracked. Would they be barking then? They bark here at home when they can't go out when I mow the yard. I can only assume they would bark if I were to leave them in the car.
The second concern is a big one. Sure, it doesn't happen often or at least you don't read about dogs being killed by predators. My friend asked at dinner the other night "are you really going to tent camp with three dogs in bear country"? I jokingly replied that my bloodhound would probably be lunch for a bear and then I would. Not a good answer I know, but it just kind of came out that way.
One the drive home I thought more about that. Around here in the country about all I hear are coyotes. Unless they are really hungry in the winter, you don't see them. You will see their tracks in the snow.
The safety of my hounds have always been a concern. Tent camping would change the safety parameters. It would be much different than sleeping inside a hard shell trailer, or staying in one during the day.
I thought of how hard it is to walk all three hounds on a leash. I thought of our trip last September 2013. I thought if they were an excuse or a justifiable concern. I don't deal in excuses nor do I make decisions feeding my brain positive thoughts over and over, never have. I make decisions based on facts, tendencies and thoughts of safety if the hounds were traveling as well for myself. That is they way I've always been ... analysis then decision. Maybe when I was younger I made some of those "I'll do it now and figure it out on the way" but being older I don't have time to correct major mistakes in thinking, financially or otherwise.
So, long story short, I decided tent camping off the grid with three hounds was not possible. These are not dogs in the working breed that stay around, they are hounds and their noses dictate what they do in an outside environment. The stronger the scent, the more unconscious they become ... that's their DNA. It's not a training issue.
Like I stated in September 2013 post after our 586 mile trip, any full-time or majority of the time traveling will have to take place after the number of hounds I have decreases to one.
I have had bassets or bloodhounds or both, since 1987. Depending on circumstances, determined the quantity at the time. When I purchased Heidi in July 2011 from Basset Hound Rescue, RVing and retiring was not even a thought....even a passing thought. I did not see Glenn's interview with Yahoo until October 2011, then started my blog, with the subtext "finding out if I can travel with three hounds".
I'm good with the decision. We will try to get away for short trips, maybe see what happens and then go from there.
June 27, 2014
Satellite Installer Crawls Out With a Surprise
Tuesday as the Exede Satellite installer crawled out from under my house as he ran cable from the dish to the opposite corner of the house to my computer, he said "I have some bad news for you". I instantly thought about he would not be able to finish the installation and I would not be getting the service for some reason. I could only wish that is what he was about to tell me.
"You have black mold under your house on the wood and on the insulation"
What a punch in the gut that was. In the past, once a year, I would usually crawl under the house to inspect for anything like that or other issues. For 14 years I saw nothing that would lead to that or any other problems. Everything looked great under the house. It had been two summers ago since I had did that inspection. I remember that time frame because I built and painted a new wood door to get into the crawl space. For 35 years it was a framed glass window that was broken by one of the tv dish installers years ago.
For 14 years prior I saw nothing under the house that would lead to mold. I have always kept my vents in the foundation open TO PREVENT MOLD ... so how did this happen?
To interrupt the news here, I crawled under the house Wednesday morning to take a look. It's just a little mold, not black mold as the photos I have looked up on Google Images show. It should be an easy clean up but time consuming with it being something I can do.
He did say the problem is the insulation between floor beams are no longer allowed in today's house construction standards. My house was built 39 years ago by the local Amish. In between those floor beams is the pink fiberglass insulation wrapped in paper, the kind you would see inside of walls.
That will be a mess to tear out and push out through the only small crawl space, into the front yard, in hot muggy weather. It has to be done though. I'll need to buy a full body suit and a respirator instead just a facial mask, in case it is black mold.
After taking out all of the insulation, I will then spray bleach/water on all the wood to kill the mold. There is no wood rot and no termite infestation anywhere. I had one friend tell me he had the exact same problem on his older house a few years ago and was able to clean it up himself with a weed sprayer filled with bleach and a little water.
My question is why did it take 14-17 years to happen? Isn't leaving vent's open the right thing to do? I was told to leave the vents open year round by an engineer that did house inspections in his past work.
There seems to be a house issue to repair every year. There are times I wonder if it is worth staying here just because I have a low tax base and a house that is paid for. No matter what, I would have to get this mold issue fixed and any of the other minor repair issues fixed before it could be placed on the market for sale.
No plans to sell it, but with me you never know.
"You have black mold under your house on the wood and on the insulation"
What a punch in the gut that was. In the past, once a year, I would usually crawl under the house to inspect for anything like that or other issues. For 14 years I saw nothing that would lead to that or any other problems. Everything looked great under the house. It had been two summers ago since I had did that inspection. I remember that time frame because I built and painted a new wood door to get into the crawl space. For 35 years it was a framed glass window that was broken by one of the tv dish installers years ago.
For 14 years prior I saw nothing under the house that would lead to mold. I have always kept my vents in the foundation open TO PREVENT MOLD ... so how did this happen?
To interrupt the news here, I crawled under the house Wednesday morning to take a look. It's just a little mold, not black mold as the photos I have looked up on Google Images show. It should be an easy clean up but time consuming with it being something I can do.
He did say the problem is the insulation between floor beams are no longer allowed in today's house construction standards. My house was built 39 years ago by the local Amish. In between those floor beams is the pink fiberglass insulation wrapped in paper, the kind you would see inside of walls.
That will be a mess to tear out and push out through the only small crawl space, into the front yard, in hot muggy weather. It has to be done though. I'll need to buy a full body suit and a respirator instead just a facial mask, in case it is black mold.
After taking out all of the insulation, I will then spray bleach/water on all the wood to kill the mold. There is no wood rot and no termite infestation anywhere. I had one friend tell me he had the exact same problem on his older house a few years ago and was able to clean it up himself with a weed sprayer filled with bleach and a little water.
My question is why did it take 14-17 years to happen? Isn't leaving vent's open the right thing to do? I was told to leave the vents open year round by an engineer that did house inspections in his past work.
There seems to be a house issue to repair every year. There are times I wonder if it is worth staying here just because I have a low tax base and a house that is paid for. No matter what, I would have to get this mold issue fixed and any of the other minor repair issues fixed before it could be placed on the market for sale.
No plans to sell it, but with me you never know.
June 25, 2014
Change to Verizon and a New iPhone 5s
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| iPhone 5s |
I may regret not waiting until September 19, 2014 for the release of iPhone 6 but based on what I do with a phone and the size of the phones, I decided to make the jump now to Verizon and the iPhone 5S. Comparing the two, I wasn't sure I would like the larger size phone and I knew I would not like the price. I will still have many of the upgraded Apple features in the fall with my iMac and this phone.
I have a lot to learn about this new phone but the few new things I have figured out are really nice since moving from an iPhone 4. One of those is the fingerprint security and unlocking process plus voice texting and emailing. I soon found out I needed to check and make a few corrections before sending the voice email but overall it recognized what I was saying very well. I have read the more you talk the more it will have to build it's database, thus less errors earlier.
In the past I have thought of just going to a basic flip phone, pre-paid, to use just for emergencies. It would save some in monthly fees but with all of the features you get with a smart phone I think for me it's money well spent to stay with the smart phone. The few people that I know that have made that change either have gone back to a smart phone or plan to.
It was probably harder to cancel my AT&T service than it was to activate and set up my Verizon service along with the new phone. I find it strange that AT&T would let you sign up for auto pay and any new accounts using your debit or credit card online ... but "for security reasons" you had to call them to cancel. Of course that phone number to call to cancel my Landline and Internet service was linked on their web page for canceling service.
I knew the real reason for calling was they would up sell me with a lot of new offers to keep my account open. I practically had to beg them to close my account. Like I told the customer service rep over the weekend when I was checking out U-verse for phone and my internet, "I have an AT&T tower in plan view, two fields away and cannot get a strong signal standing inside my house, were my friend standing next to me with Verizon was getting 5 out of 5 bars on their phone." What's up with that?
Since I am not in the area to receive U-verse, I had no other plans I could use with AT&T. With the possibility of traveling out west or even moving out west, Verizon was highly recommended by those that travel full time or live in those western states.
I followed the process to erasing all personal data and all my files from my iPhone 4, closing the account. I had thought of selling it to Gazelle but after looking at their eBay store and seeing the prices they were selling the iPhone 4 for on eBay, I decided I would sell it myself on eBay and make an extra $100.
Instead of discussing all the features of the phone, I'll leave that to you to look up on Google.
I will say for those that ever thought about making the change from AT&T to Verizon, I can already tell the difference in their customer service on the phone. NO comparison between the two companies. Verizon has their act together when it comes to customer service over the phone. So far the cost of the new iPhone 5s is worth the money.
Overall I am very happy this morning with my change in cell phone service.
Change from DSL to Exede Satellite Internet Service
Based on my rural location I have just a couple of choices for internet service. For the past 8 years I've been using a local service provider that ran DSL over the AT&T phone lines. My other option was satellite internet. I saw and heard both good and bad from local friends, the local vet and online reviews. I felt comfortable enough to make the change to satellite, with a little apprehension. My DirecTv dish system has been fantastic so why not internet?
The installer arrived around noon with the weather radar showing storms either here or on the way. I thought I might have to cancel and re-schedule. It rarely rained while he was here as the storms moved over the top of us heading NE towards Indianapolis.
We looked at a few options for installing the dish. I had a couple of ideas in my head and one of those was not to install it on the roof. I don't like the looks of that (neighbor) and I didn't want to pay to have them come back in re-install if I were ever to put on a new roof.
Long story short it was installed where I wanted it without asking him. With it being the "era" of satellite dishes for tv and internet I guess they are now a normal part of the yard "decor" and I'll have to get use to it. It is higher than I thought it would be based on how low my DirecTV dish is but not that much higher. The DirectTV dish is just right of the green evergreen shown.
I had read that ViaStat had bought WildBlue and changed the name to Exede, upgraded their systems, equipment to where they have been rated #1 the past two years for delivering the internet speed they are advertising. Their system is also used in the government for field operations plus other areas. The packages were all priced about the same as DishNet and HughesNet. So based on their results for delivery internet speed as advertised which was 12Mbps for Downloads and 3Mbps for uploading.
After installing and setting up the modem and wireless router, speedtest.net showed the speed of 8.5Mbps with heavy cloud overcast. I was happy with that based on I have been living for years on internet speeds of 1.4Mbps tops and at times times .7Mbps. I checked it last night after midnight because anything I do is not added to my data count from Midnight -5am. Speeds last night at 1:38am were over 17Mbps!!!
There were no glitches setting up the modem and router.
As I write this on Wednesday morning, I am getting internet speeds over 13Mbps with sunny skies. It looks like it was a great decision to make the change in service.
The installer was under my house running coax cable from the dish to the opposite diagonal corner to my computer room. It's bigger than a crawl space and in some places you can almost stand up. After running the cable, he came out from underneath the house saying "I have some bad news for you".
It was house related nothing to do with the internet service.
I'll discuss that in a few days, maybe with some photos.
We looked at a few options for installing the dish. I had a couple of ideas in my head and one of those was not to install it on the roof. I don't like the looks of that (neighbor) and I didn't want to pay to have them come back in re-install if I were ever to put on a new roof.
Long story short it was installed where I wanted it without asking him. With it being the "era" of satellite dishes for tv and internet I guess they are now a normal part of the yard "decor" and I'll have to get use to it. It is higher than I thought it would be based on how low my DirecTV dish is but not that much higher. The DirectTV dish is just right of the green evergreen shown.
I had read that ViaStat had bought WildBlue and changed the name to Exede, upgraded their systems, equipment to where they have been rated #1 the past two years for delivering the internet speed they are advertising. Their system is also used in the government for field operations plus other areas. The packages were all priced about the same as DishNet and HughesNet. So based on their results for delivery internet speed as advertised which was 12Mbps for Downloads and 3Mbps for uploading.
After installing and setting up the modem and wireless router, speedtest.net showed the speed of 8.5Mbps with heavy cloud overcast. I was happy with that based on I have been living for years on internet speeds of 1.4Mbps tops and at times times .7Mbps. I checked it last night after midnight because anything I do is not added to my data count from Midnight -5am. Speeds last night at 1:38am were over 17Mbps!!!
There were no glitches setting up the modem and router.
As I write this on Wednesday morning, I am getting internet speeds over 13Mbps with sunny skies. It looks like it was a great decision to make the change in service.
The installer was under my house running coax cable from the dish to the opposite diagonal corner to my computer room. It's bigger than a crawl space and in some places you can almost stand up. After running the cable, he came out from underneath the house saying "I have some bad news for you".
It was house related nothing to do with the internet service.
I'll discuss that in a few days, maybe with some photos.
June 23, 2014
Air Quality - Good or Bad?
This is not the fist time it has happen and it also happens at times inside my house during the other seasons. I would have to ask after viewing the two photographs below, is the quality of my air inside my house a concern? Or is it just the heat?
I bought the pineapple and tomatoes on Friday night … by Sunday morning they were doing what you see pictured here. The house windows have been open most of the time, with gentle southern breezes.
I bought the pineapple and tomatoes on Friday night … by Sunday morning they were doing what you see pictured here. The house windows have been open most of the time, with gentle southern breezes.
Let me know what you think by making a comment below or sending me an email.
I am sitting here on Monday afternoon after having a pretty good thunderstorm, where my internet connection is intermittent again and has been since early this morning before the storm arrived. It looks like it was a good move to have new internet service installed tomorrow between 11am – 2pm. It has become so bad lately that I am logging days on my calendar where I lose connection. It still seems weird because I have gone for years with great service. AT&T installed new main phone lines across the highway a few years ago. Even now when I do a speed test, it is faster than it’s ever been but much slower than what I will be receiving after tomorrow.
I’ve decided to get three free estimates for mowing my small yard. Have I turned lazy? No, but I am thinking about going on a vacation with the hounds for more than just a couple of weeks. So I’ll see what the estimates are. I can’t believe they would be much for a .3 of an acre and what takes me 45 minutes to mow with a power push mower. With the hills and trees it may not even be optimal for their riding mowers.
It should be interesting in what I find out. I’m really curious what kind of numbers they come up with.
Monday - Internet and Phone Deals
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| You Can Feel the Humidity |
I did get some yard work finished over the weekend and also talk to the farmer on Sunday as he raked the hay before baling it into the big rolls. My fears of damaging his equipment were not warranted. He was just going around the rope metal anchor he knew I had because he didn't wan to cut my rope, that I later cut by accident with my metal blade weed eater. I was able to cut all the hay that he didn't and he was able to pick it up and bale it. I also did a little trimming on my overgrown area where I would like to build a backyard campsite.
I have to admit, there is not a lot going on and I wonder if anyone that reads this blog and is retired ... do you ever get tired of just normal days of activity? Day after day after day? It all goes back to that question, am I in a rut and bored or this is just life and I am low keyed content?
I have accomplished things inside though. I have researched new phone and internet service. I am also in the process of uploading my photos to Google's Picasa as a backup. That is a long process.
With the hot temps outside and the hayfield that is now cut ... the hounds and I have completed two daily dog walks in two consecutive days. By the time we finish the 20 minute cruise through the field in the early evening, the hounds are more than ready to get back inside where it is so much cooler. I have also noticed they don't go to the door as much wanting outside with the higher temps now.
Maybe they are not bored but just smart and want to stay inside where it's much cooler.
First issue I needed to get fixed is my internet service. Due to my location I have had two choices. A local company that uses the AT&T phone lines for DSL or a new provider for Satellite Internet. I have been with the local internet company now for 8 years and have had no complaints, great speed for DSL, until recently. This past January my provider told me they were raising my monthly rate $10, which is their wireless rate without giving me wireless service. Long story short is, after recent discussions with them the real story comes out, wireless is what I pay for but is not offered in my location.
I am now one of their last customers with DSL service. They are no longer the direct company that corresponds with AT&T for connection repair. They now have to call in my request for repair and then that request is passed through TWO DIFFERENT middlemen. The strange thing is and I have told them in those words, that once they raised my rates to wireless service, my DLS has had problems keeping the connection along with a longer time to download webpages or photos. Coincidence? They would never answer that until this past week, when one of the technicians on the phone told me they no longer offer DLS service, they pass it off.
Ah ha ... now I finally got my answer.
Also, due to my location and the amount of trees between their wireless antennas, I cannot get their wireless service that I am paying for. ($39.99/mo). When I discussed their future plans at the luncheon on Friday, it sounds as if I am on my last small thin thread for internet service with them due to available services. There will not be any kind of wireless system installed that can give me a good signal through the trees. They tried a system designed for that with a 50 mile range and had problems due to the barometric pressure.
That leaves me with just one option. Satellite Internet. When I did a search on company names "reviews" ... those reviews vicious! It sounds like nothing works and all the satellite providers do is take your money. Why do I see so many satellite internet dishes around this area then if they are so bad? My neighbor tells me that he has had zero problems with Hughes Net connection and service.
So after some review between Exede and Hughes Net, I have decided to go with Exede (WildBlue) Internet Service. Much faster speed and comes out to the same price as what I am currently paying for an AT&T Land Line and my providers DSL service. They have been voted #1 two years in a row for delivering speeds they advertised. They also have their systems used by the military in field ops.
After 10+ years with AT&T cell phone service I am making the change to Verizon. When cell
phones first came out, in my location AT&T (Cingular) was all that was offered. Yet when I was stuck on I-25 just north of Truth or Consequences NM with a blown VW engine, I couldn't get a signal to call anyone. The only we got a hold of a towing company is that he saw us from the other side of the freeway as he was taking a car to TOC. He came back to get us. It was over 100 degrees that day.
Anyway Verizon is the plan, 4G service in my area and a lot more coverage out west for when I travel. My contract was up with AT&T months ago and I've been going month to month with them with a phone upgrade also due. I was going to wait for the iPhone 6 to come out but after further research the iPhone 5S is all I will need right now. So I decided to change my service now instead of waiting until the fall.
I updated my costs to my financial spreadsheets to see how these two changes would affect my monthly net income before I called to make the changes. Very minimal change for the monthly fee. It's almost a 1 for 1 swap dollar wise and I'll have better service. The only additional fees are for the new phone, new wireless router and activation fees that are paid now.
In closing I will say the past couple of weeks I have felt I need to get more things accomplished each day instead of sitting around reading, internet surfing and napping. It no longer feels like I'm on vacation, like it did the first couple of months I was retired. I keep wondering if this is the life I will have day after day? Sure, it's better than the alternative and much better than having a job you don't like. I just feel at times I need to be doing more.
Can anyone retired that is reading this chime in with some comments? Thanks
Also a bit of financial news here at home ... my monthly costs for groceries have increased a lot since I have added more fruits and veggies in exchange of not buying junk food .... go figure.
Life is good.
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