April 2018

We have a Roku and it's great..............We also have the cheap Cox package......all works.
Direct TV and service just got too much.

Busy day yesterday.  Lunch with friends, grocery store, meeting at Best Western making arrangements for the Purple Heart convention in June, American Legion to talk with a vet buddy of George's (who is having this horrific surgery where they actually take his bladder out and try to repair it, no guarantees that he will even survive the surgery), stopped at our favorite pizza place and picked up supper.  WHEW

Today off to the eye doctor to talk about my upcoming surgery.  I've been up since 3 AM...

ARK: That sounds like a good deal. Dish is getting just as bad as Direct TV and there is nothing but crap on it anyway. We have been watching The Andy Griffith Show and old stuff like Mash. A lot of people are getting off the Direct TV and Dish train.

Amazon's Fire TV is a one-time $40 purchase, but there are additions that can be added. I'm so used to just turning on the TV and choosing one of the usual channels, it would take some habit changing. But, if it saves significant money, I'll learn.

There's nothing to learning it ELLEN.............just time & a few mistakes along the way..........
click, click, click...........it all works.

Im still trying to figure out my phone.....

I have much more trouble using my phone, which is apparently smarter than me. The Roku remote device is much simpler than my phone. The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't record shows. Donnie is going to install a DVR so we can record. But it does have a "library" that you can save movies and shows on that are stored online. I haven't quite figured that out yet, but have done it by accident a couple of times.

It is 65 degrees today and is going to snow tomorrow. It won't last long. I put flymasks on the horses today, those flies are going to be cold tomorrow.

This is today, Friday afternoon. We have several new kids in the neighborhood, fun to watch
on Friday afternoon after school.

So, the fun begins. One boy about 12 exercises his Lab by riding a skateboard and they go zooming by. So along comes another boy about 10-12 on a skateboard with his Lab going the other direction.
They did great until both boys looked at the other. Splat. Two skateboards are the loose, two boys down, two happy dogs running on down the way. No-one was hurt, two boys embarrassed as two moms went out, two dogs still running and now chasing the neighbors chickens. This is a Disney
movie, of course, I find it all hysterical.

Tonight we have a neighborhood concert at 7P. It's called The Localpalooza outdoor concert. We're all invited. It includes sev neighborhoods. The kids are 4-18..........this should be good. I wonder who will be the star. Some of the kids are really talented. We haven't had on for 3 years.

That's it for today in my hood.

Graymare, that must have looked a little bit like a cartoon.

How does it work and does it work when traveling.

Just got backfrom hospital, had an asthma attack.....phooeeeeeeey!

SNOOP writes: Ms.Ark says: " I put flymasks on the horses today" ... and THAT sparks a wonderful bu$$iness opportunity for the year round horse lover.

SNOW GOGGLES for the equine members of our family so we can indulge in our equine activities even when its cold and snowing.

...and how about equine skies or snow shoes.??

Later folks... I'm off to the drawing board and I gotta get a business plan together to attract some $$ .

PRE-production orders being taken now...special introduction price of $19.95

CB, I'm not sure, but I think you just plug in the equipment to whatever TV no matter where you are. Donnie can answer the next part, but I believe that an internet connection is necessary.

Snoop, how about water wings?

What is an internal connection, does this work on older tvs.
Duh, i know nuthin

InterNET connection, CB. You probably need a wifi system with a router. Your best bet is to ask your grandson. I'd bet he knows all about it. The kids all do.

Like kids or grands will respond, they are all tooooooo busy.
I dont have a computer, just my phone. So guess its not going to work for me.

CB, maybe when you get settled you can get a computer and internet.

My phone works for me....im just learni g after havig it for 2 years how to do chit....more to learn as i wish i vould put pictures up on this forum.
We will go back to dish....for tv. I know how to work the remote.....guess i hate change and have a mental block.

Hello, hello!

Still here-- my weather report mimicking others': snow, sun, melt, rain, wind, snow, snowmelt, wind.... Two days ago on of our wildly windy days, I hung sheets out on my clothesline. That's a single long line that runs on pulleys from my back deck out to a spot high on an oak tree. Ha! When I went to retrieve the sheets, the wind had so snapped them around the rope and each other that the pulleys wouldn't budge, and so, after poking around at those big blobs of cloth futilely from the ground with a long stick, I dragged my high stepladder out of the barn and perched gingerly atop it to unwind them all, one by one. Well, I wasn't really "atop," but close... What old ladies are doing these days in Maine...

ARK: Boy, can I relate to that smoke and neighbor issue! Until now, my neighbor to the north was a lovely mixed-hardwood forest. Alas, the owners have deeded away three lots along the road, one each to each of their three children, and the son has the lot next to mine. Last year he and his father (they're in the big-machinery excavation business) put a road in and cleared lightly. This week, though, they began in earnest, running two backhoes simultaneously all day long all week long, felling tree after tree, and keeping a brushburning bonfire going day and night. Diesel fumes, grinding and shrieking noises, smoke, smoke and more smoke .... EEeeeeeeeekkkkkkk.......I'm grinding my false teeth down to the nubbins...

Hey, I'm really interested in what you all are saying about cutting the cable cord. I got a new TV, a "smart" one, two months ago, with a plan in mind to do just that, but can't find a way to be sure of still getting to watch the news channel I want. I've had a Roku box for several years now (from the last time I tried to cut the cord and chickened out), and even got an updated new one to go with the new TV -- which, apparently, I didn't need to, because the TV comes with an app for it (Roku). Friends nearby who've tried antennae haven't had good luck, I imagine because we're too far from the stations. I did drop DirecTV (satellite) in favor of MetroCast (cable)a few years back for all your current reasons, ARK, have bundled phone and Internet with it, and am happy with all but the COST, which is getting ridiculously high. Any advice would be welcome. I will check out GoogleTV.

CB, I love hearing what you're up to even when I don't post, and that goes for MANYGATES and GM, too, and all others!

SNOOP: I'll take a half dozen a them goggles.

Beech, rick wants payment up front, be careful, very very careful.
Im not up to much at all....pretty boring right now.

Good to see you, Beech. I'm sorry you are losing some of your privacy, although having neighbors with heavy equipment at the ready might not be a bad thing in bad weather. If they are related to the neighbor who helps you, I'm sure they will continue that.
I believe that most of the major cable news channels can be obtained through Amazon, Roku, and the others for no extra cost. I'm not sure how that is done, but it can be done. The one I like advertises that they are available on several of the streaming systems.

RICK:
These are my bug-eyed monsters! They say hi....



They didn't need their flymasks on today, it snowed a couple of inches. Winter and Spring have not come to an understanding yet. Our little barnswallow birds have shown up. I hope they can find something to eat, the flies would have been scarce today. The little birds looked awfully cold today.


CB:
The tv set-up we have requires internet access with wifi. The Roku is based on the internet. I suspect you will have to wait until after you are settled into your new house. We also have a local tv channel antenna that does not require internet, but does require digital tv, not the old analog types. I don't think it requires a 'smart' t.v., though.

ELLEN:
The news channel we wanted isn't available except on cable, satellite or subscription packages. So we got Google TV just for that channel, but it came along with nearly everything else we had on DirecTv. We never watch sports channels and got tired of paying for what we didn't watch on DirecTv or Dish. We need our Rachel fix, so got Google TV... When she retires, we'll probably get rid of Google TV, too. Hopefully she will be around a long time. Anyway, our bill is now $40 per month.

BEECH:
Wow, I am so sorry for your new neighbors. You must have been going nuts with all that noise and smoke. Hopefully they will finish up soon and be nice, quiet neighbors. Ivan would have died, or killed me, with all that going on.

Our neighbors across the road and up the hill, that rolled two trucks into our house and truck one week, used to burn their trash where the smoke would float right across the road into our house. When they hit our house they had a big pile of old furniture and mattresses ready to burn. Since we were talking to them, we asked them to not burn the trash because the smoke is toxic from the plastics and such in it. So they didn't burn it and that same trash is still sitting there next to the road almost 4 years later. There is a garbage dump about 5 miles away that the lazy creeps could haul it to... I have such nice neighbors... not.

A guy is coming by tomorrow to estimate how much it will cost to deliver shale for our driveway. Then later we are off to pick up a couple of loads of hay about 6 miles away. Busy day tomorrow....

ARK -My research says that GoogleTV is no longer available, but that You Tube TV (distinct from plain old You Tube) is, at $40 per month, and that it streams what I want. I guess I'll have to accept their free trial to know. For the moment, though, I guess I've about decided to continue paying through the nose to stay with the known. We're living through such an enthralling period of unfolding history that I don't want to be cut off from all the rich reporting and analysis available.

Yes, ELLEN, you're right about the neighbors being helpful. Three years ago, the father, for example, came on short notice to bury my horse for me, though he said he no longer does that. He said he'd charge "$75 and one of your pies." Though he claimed he was joking, I delivered, with the check, a big apple pie. Unfortunately, the son shows some of the traits of ARK's neighbors, and it's he who will be next door.

But they weren't in evidence today! Hooray! Birdsong back. Ah, peace ...

Yeah, CB, that Rick is a slippery one. Handsome, though, I hear.

ARK: I forgot to say Neat Pictures!

BEECH:
Oops, you are right! We have YouTube TV, not Google t.v. This shows how attentive I was while Donnie was researching and setting up our system! I remember him mentioning it and thought he had gotten Google. Nope. YouTube TV is working great for us, we just watched "The Orville". Very cute SciFi show.

We had snow yesterday, watched it melt today and may have more snow tomorrow that will immediately melt, too. Spring is stuck in a holding pattern, but may return by the middle of the week.

We got in 50 bales of hay this weekend, huge bales today. With the 15 bales of our hay that we have, I may be able to squeak by until first cutting if I start putting Ivan and Areion out in the pasture wearing grazing muzzles to keep them from getting fatter. Poor Daisy will have to watch from afar and eat more hay. Keeping those muzzles on them is not easy, both are fairly clever at getting them off. Daisy would wear hers all day without complaint. Too bad she can't.

Donnie trimmed Daisy's and Trinket's front feet yesterday while it was snowing. Back feet come later this week. Busy, busy weekend.

Thank you for all the information about TV services. I'll be giving all of it consideration for the next few months until my current contract runs out.

Today was a very depressing weather day. It was snowing when I got up, and continued snowing on and off most of the day although it didn't stick. I am so tired of the gloomy cloudy weather.

Snow on the ground here too.  But the weatherman says 60 this weekend so I'm holding onto that thought even though he is liar liar pants on fire at times.

BEECH:  How awful to get new neighbors like those.  Living out in the country cause we like the peace and quiet. Some of city neighbors at the bottom of the hill wanted street lights put in.  YIKES...we only have had one truly awful neighbor and he moved away about 6 months ago.  And fireworks.  They didn't understand that by July 4th the woods is pretty dry around here and could have caught on fire quite easily.  Some even landing on another neighbors roof.

I'm off to get my hair cut, my beautician was on a cruise and my hair is like a bush.  Can't wait to see her this morning.

I found 2 dead kittens in the barn yesterday.  New born.  I took them away and mom moved the 3 live ones. Guess she thought I was going to grab those too.  She is a true feral cat and I can't get close to her at all, I was hoping I would be able to get at the kittens when they are young.

Trudy, here at the lake, there are lots of night lights. I like it dark at night, but I have to live with lights all around. Across the lake, some people just installed a new light on the lake side of their house. That thing is like a landing light, it is sooo bright. It lights up this whole end of the lake. I'm hoping somebody will tell them that they don't need a light that bright.
During the winter, it's pretty quiet around here, but with the arrival of spring, the summer people start coming back. When I first moved here two neighbors told me, "You'll love it here in the winter when everybody is gone. But you'll be happy to see the summer people coming back in the spring." They were right.
This is actually a rather rural area. The lakes are lined with houses, but across the road from those houses are farm fields.
I hope you find the other kittens and can socialize them before they are afraid of the world.