Is this an early spring surprise, or, as Yazz sang, is the only way up from now?
Part of my induction at my job was a video showing people in various states of what could only be called 'valiant attempts at acting' (I'd do no better....) noticing an earthquake was taking place and heading to the nearest table to duck and cover.
A bit early in the season, we're supposed to have some tropical rain for a few days! Hurricane season typically starts June 1, so, not that we're expecting anything from this system, but it is a heads-up.
Also, for the first time that I'm aware of, I have a fruit on my bigger Christmas cactus! Wow!
Rossweisse, it's about the size of a dried black-eyed pea, maybe a little bigger. It's red and smooth! I saw on the interwebz that there will be seeds in it that can be planted to make new little Christmas cacti!! I may try it!
Apropos of nothing above, but cool things (at least to nerdy me), was this video showing the 96 billion (!!!) black balls placed in an LA reservoir to prevent dangerous chemicals forming. I'm planning my next holiday...
There was a huge area of the country with multiple tornados and inches of rain, Piglet. I've talked to a few folks who said the tornado sirens were going crazy and they could see multiple twisters near them!!! Very, very scary stuff!
However, Subtropical storm Andrea is already downgraded to a depression! Good news! But, IIRC, the news this morning said that this is the fifth year in a row in which a (sub)tropical storm has formed before the official beginning of hurricane season!!!!
It would be really bad to change the storm season to include May.
Looks like it is going to be an interesting summer. Our local electric company will be turning off the power in high winds to prevent wildfires, and will take up to a week to turn it back on after they inspect the lines. I am guessing may really be 2 or 3 days at the most. Many are buying generators, but I am sort of relaxed about the whole thing. Good to be old enough to have spent the summers on my grandfathers farm before electricity reached his rural area in Virginia. I did buy a small set of solar panels to charge the phone for emergencies. Other then eating down the freezer I am good. I will take no power over wildfires again any day.
There was a time when the land-line phones usually kept working even during power outages. Now, who has a land-line? Take away my A/C, my TV, my microwave, but keep my smartphone charged, by dingy!
I believe that land-line phones continue to work during a power outage, but not if they're the cordless type. I still use a land-line, and have one old-fashioned plug-in phone in case of power failure. Next time the electricity goes out, I'll try to remember to check it out.
There was a time when the land-line phones usually kept working even during power outages. Now, who has a land-line? Take away my A/C, my TV, my microwave, but keep my smartphone charged, by dingy!
It does get hot here in the summer, sometimes over 100F but thankfully cools down at night, so we open all the windows at night and close up in the morning, and only had to use the AC a few times last summer. I can charge my portable DVD player for a movie with my solar sit up, but a good book works just as well.
Well, it got pretty wet today in SoCal (in May!?). Had heavy rain for about four hours. Saw some shot sized hail fall for a few minutes. It is evidently snowing in the San Bernardino Mountains down to 5,500 feet (winter weather warning!?) And they say there still might be some skiing in the Sierra Nevada in July. It is a wacky weather year.
I believe that land-line phones continue to work during a power outage, but not if they're the cordless type. I still use a land-line...
So do I. I switched to it when the Pater was in hospice, and I was in treatment; I absolutely required reliable communications, and we were having a lot of power outages. It worked, and I've never switched back.
Personally I've never seen the charm of smartphones -- still don't. Dependent on battery power, spotty reception, questionable sound quality even with good reception, obscenely expensive both for the phone and the service.
I loathe the word "app." There's an app for everything. I half expect someone to come up with one that will wipe your you-know-what.
As for connectivity on-the-go, bring back the phone booth. It was good enough for Superman.
Just this past week I've had several people get snarky because I don't have a "smart" phone. Sorry, but I have no intention of getting one (at my expense) to make it easier for them to "text" me whenever the mood strikes them -- and then expect an immediate response.
(When did "text" become a verb? About the same time that "app" became a word?)
I like my smart phone . I do not hear well so being able to text children is much more comfortable then talking on the phone. I also like when they send me pictures of the grandkids. When hubby came home from hospital and I needed help with the equipment they sent him home with, I could text a picture to the nurse who was helping me. Just this month I ordered a new antenna for my van, they sent the wrong one. I was able to text a picture of the old one and they sent me the correct replacement. I saw a flower in someones yard that I liked, I took a picture with my phone and took it to the nursery to identify the plant I wanted. That said, I turn it off when I am out and keep it in my purse. I do not want to be leashed to my phone.
On phones I'm of the opinion stick to what works for you... Like poor Pigwidgeon I've heard no-doubt well-meaning types tell older relatives or colleagues they *must* get an iPhone -- when all they want is something that can call (and something that isn't AU$1000+), and they have no interest in texts nor reading the news on it while waiting for the bus. Others want a phone that sings, dances, and a thousand other things. Some people do struggle to realise others may have different needs.
Those tornadoes in Missouri...a couple hurled from their home. Lord, have mercy.
I have been horrified looking at the pictures and videos of the destruction during these days of terrible and dangerous weather. And it's not over.
My dad insisted that he needed a smart phone. Went on and on about it. (It was a peer thing, a friend who is ten years older than Dad had one...and used it!!!) I wiped my iPhone 5 and set it up for him to use. He couldn't use it. Part of the problem is his very calloused fingers. The other part was not understanding how to work the thing. He finally threw it down and wondered (aloud) why someone had gotten him this terrible thing. I got him a non-smart phone afterwards. It never got used. So I discontinued the service. (I had been paying for their cell service for over ten years.) Now they're even having trouble with the land line.
My dad insisted that he needed a smart phone. Went on and on about it. (It was a peer thing, a friend who is ten years older than Dad had one...and used it!!!) I wiped my iPhone 5 and set it up for him to use. He couldn't use it. Part of the problem is his very calloused fingers.
I don't have calloused fingers, but I do have nerve damage and imperfect control of my fingers.. I use a stylus with my phone. It works just fine.
I am regularly tempted to get a 'smart phone', partly because I fear other types will become obsolete, and I'll have an even more difficult learning curve due to aging when that comes about. And then I get over that fear.
Hubby and I keep the land line at home because we understand that if we dial the 911 emergency number but cannot speak they can track the location and will come to us. And it allows others to leave a message but we control when we listen to those.
We got our cell phones for our convenience, not the convenience of others: useful for phoning the other that we're running late, or getting help if the car breaks down. But I do not have any pleasure in having my phone-in-the-pocket ringing or vibrating or otherwise annoying me when I am driving or shopping or simply sitting and watching the breeze in the trees. Curmudgeons are us!
We got our cell phones for our convenience, not the convenience of others: useful for phoning the other that we're running late, or getting help if the car breaks down. But I do not have any pleasure in having my phone-in-the-pocket ringing or vibrating or otherwise annoying me when I am driving or shopping or simply sitting and watching the breeze in the trees. Curmudgeons are us!
Amen!
The people who grumble about my not having a "smart" phone are welcome to pay for one for me. (I probably wouldn't use it anyway.) I have a basic flip phone, and nobody has the number.
The telephone, smart or otherwise, is actually one of the rudest inventions of all time. "I don't care what you're doing or how important it might be -- stop it immediately and talk to **me**, because **my** reason for calling you takes precedence over all else."
The telephone, smart or otherwise, is actually one of the rudest inventions of all time. "I don't care what you're doing or how important it might be -- stop it immediately and talk to **me**, because **my** reason for calling you takes precedence over all else."
And all praise and thanksgivings, phones now take messages. Therefore unless you have small children or a sick senior at home there is no reason for anyone to need to answer their phone when out of the house in public, or visiting my home. This includes the man waiting with me in the doctor's office who answered his cell phone, so we all got to hear him tell the person on the other end about his bowel problems.
I'm a bit of a phone Luddite too. When I was 50, D. suggested I get a mobile (he'd had one for years, but I never felt the need). It's a flip-phone, which I presume has the Internet on it, but as it's not included in the "package" I was advised not to go near any buttons that said "browser" or anything similar, as just touching them would send the monthly bill into the stratosphere.
Seven years later, I still have the same one, and it's very useful if D. and I need to communicate when we're apart, but utterly useless if we cross the big pond (more stratospheric bills). Therefore, we each have an even more basic, pay-as-you-go British mobile that comes on holiday with us and keeps us in touch with our respective siblings.
I don't really want a more elaborate mobile: I've got a Tablet for computing on the go, and a bigger, heavier phone would just be an encumbrance.
I remember seeing a cartoon -- I can't now find it for the life of me -- that depicted an elderly lady going into a phone store and asking the clerk, "Do you have one of those phones that you just make calls on?"
I got a smart phone a couple of years ago. I like it. Rarely answer if it rings, because the calls are usually scams. Yesterday somebody left me a message warning me that my social security number has been suspended. (Eh? I doubt it!)
I got a smart phone a couple of years ago. I like it. Rarely answer if it rings, because the calls are usually scams. Yesterday somebody left me a message warning me that my social security number has been suspended. (Eh? I doubt it!)
That's really funny, basso! It's hard to believe, but there are some people who will fall for it. I really hate having to warn my parents about all the people who will call and say anything just to get access to my parents' accounts. Dad's getting pretty good at understanding that he isn't being rude by hanging up on those villains. (He will still talk to them for a few seconds, however.)
I wish these scam artists would just put all that effort into honest work. Some of them (a very few) are pretty clever, and could no doubt make a good living doing legal clever things.
I wish these scam artists would just put all that effort into honest work. Some of them (a very few) are pretty clever, and could no doubt make a good living doing legal clever things.[/quote]
I suggested just that to a caller once. He hung up on me.
I saw on the interwebz that there will be seeds in it that can be planted to make new little Christmas cacti!! I may try it!
How is this going? Did the seeds germinate? If the seeds fail to germinate, you can make cuttings to propagate your beloved plant. Just carefully break off an end section of your Christmas Cactus, making sure to have 4 or more nodes. Pot up your cutting in barely moist potting soil (with good drainage). Make sure at least one leaf node is under the soil, more if the cutting is bigger (thus top heavy). Don't water the cutting for a month. After that, just water when the soil is dry ( about a half-inch below the soil surface). I like to do this any time my Christmas Cactus needs pruning, or whenever I run out of rooted cuttings. The cuttings thrive in the same environment as the parent plant. If you have a nice parent plant, people who see it will ask for cuttings, all the time, be ready.
JoanofArc, I haven't actually planted the seeds yet! I'm waiting for rainy season to start. I have normally started new plants with cuttings, but instead of planting them right away* I get them to root in a jar of water inside the house.
*There have been times some branches fall off the plant. If I catch them fast enough, I have put them in the dirt with the parent. About half the time, they thrive that way!!
Today I started freezing my first empty plastic cranberry juice bottle with water. Preparing for power outages promised this summer when fire danger is high. My small chest freezer is now empty except for some bread, so the plan is to freeze many plastic bottles full of water then use them in regular refrigerator to keep things cool during powerless days. I think I might buy some plastic containers, one can only drink so much juice. I am planning to shop daily, and eat out at the senior center when this happens. Thankfully the local grocery and senior center has informed us they have generators. It is 105 F here today but thankfully it cools off at night and we have a well insulted house and so we just open at night and shut everything closed in the morning.
Today I started freezing my first empty plastic cranberry juice bottle with water. . . . [T]he plan is to freeze many plastic bottles full of water then use them in regular refrigerator to keep things cool during powerless days. I think I might buy some plastic containers, one can only drink so much juice.
Curious as to why you ruled out buying 10 lb bags of ice cubes instead and storing them in the freezer. Wouldn't that be cheaper than bottled juice or plastic containers?
I am already drinking one glass of juice for breakfast everyday so I have the bottles. When water melts in bottle you can then drink the cold water. Hopefully we will have water when power goes out but not sure. I also have water storage. Water company does have a generator as water must be pumped up into holding tanks, they gravity feed to homes. Takes longer for bigger solid water to melt then cubes. You can reuse water bottles for next time. I am sure this will not be a one time event. It is only June and we have already had two fires. 4 months of fire season yet to come. If we have to leave in camper water bottles work well in ice chest to keep food dry, and provide cold drinking water as well.
We do this too for power outages and camping. Added benefits are a) the hard plastic bottles won't fray and develop holes the way the plastic bags can, spilling out their ice all over the place; and b) if you have a melt/refreeze cycle, they won't lose their shape, jellyfish into every available shelf crevice, and then refreeze in that position, making it impossible to remove them from the freezer.
Purple Japanese iris, red roses, white peonies and mock orange in full bloom in this corner of New England (the sky cloudless, and temperature perfect). Yellow and white roses waiting in the wings and the various lilies preparing for a show. Such a joy after the gloomy chill and rain of weeks past. And a Cat Bird showing off in a nearby tree.
We have the cursed white wing doves to wake us up. They have two calls: one mating and one territorial -- I don't know which is which. One sounds like "We'll have to see" and the other sounds like "They say that Daddy's here, Daddy's here, Daddy." (I suspect that's the mating call.)
One of the females built her nest in the tree outside my patio. After laying her eggs, she did not move from that nest for even an instant for the whole time it took the eggs to incubate. The male would bring her food.
Comments
Part of my induction at my job was a video showing people in various states of what could only be called 'valiant attempts at acting' (I'd do no better....) noticing an earthquake was taking place and heading to the nearest table to duck and cover.
rain for a few days! Hurricane season typically starts June 1, so, not that we're expecting anything from this system, but it is a heads-up.
Also, for the first time that I'm aware of, I have a fruit on my bigger Christmas cactus! Wow!
Apropos of nothing above, but cool things (at least to nerdy me), was this video showing the 96 billion (!!!) black balls placed in an LA reservoir to prevent dangerous chemicals forming. I'm planning my next holiday...
However, Subtropical storm Andrea is already downgraded to a depression! Good news! But, IIRC, the news this morning said that this is the fifth year in a row in which a (sub)tropical storm has formed before the official beginning of hurricane season!!!!
It would be really bad to change the storm season to include May.
I loathe the word "app." There's an app for everything. I half expect someone to come up with one that will wipe your you-know-what.
As for connectivity on-the-go, bring back the phone booth. It was good enough for Superman.
(When did "text" become a verb? About the same time that "app" became a word?)
Those tornadoes in Missouri...a couple hurled from their home.
My dad insisted that he needed a smart phone. Went on and on about it. (It was a peer thing, a friend who is ten years older than Dad had one...and used it!!!) I wiped my iPhone 5 and set it up for him to use. He couldn't use it. Part of the problem is his very calloused fingers. The other part was not understanding how to work the thing. He finally threw it down and wondered (aloud) why someone had gotten him this terrible thing. I got him a non-smart phone afterwards. It never got used. So I discontinued the service. (I had been paying for their cell service for over ten years.) Now they're even having trouble with the land line.
I don't have calloused fingers, but I do have nerve damage and imperfect control of my fingers.. I use a stylus with my phone. It works just fine.
Hubby and I keep the land line at home because we understand that if we dial the 911 emergency number but cannot speak they can track the location and will come to us. And it allows others to leave a message but we control when we listen to those.
We got our cell phones for our convenience, not the convenience of others: useful for phoning the other that we're running late, or getting help if the car breaks down. But I do not have any pleasure in having my phone-in-the-pocket ringing or vibrating or otherwise annoying me when I am driving or shopping or simply sitting and watching the breeze in the trees. Curmudgeons are us!
Amen!
The people who grumble about my not having a "smart" phone are welcome to pay for one for me. (I probably wouldn't use it anyway.) I have a basic flip phone, and nobody has the number.
Pigwidgeon, Fellow Curmudgeon
And all praise and thanksgivings, phones now take messages. Therefore unless you have small children or a sick senior at home there is no reason for anyone to need to answer their phone when out of the house in public, or visiting my home. This includes the man waiting with me in the doctor's office who answered his cell phone, so we all got to hear him tell the person on the other end about his bowel problems.
Seven years later, I still have the same one, and it's very useful if D. and I need to communicate when we're apart, but utterly useless if we cross the big pond (more stratospheric bills). Therefore, we each have an even more basic, pay-as-you-go British mobile that comes on holiday with us and keeps us in touch with our respective siblings.
I don't really want a more elaborate mobile: I've got a Tablet for computing on the go, and a bigger, heavier phone would just be an encumbrance.
That's really funny, basso! It's hard to believe, but there are some people who will fall for it. I really hate having to warn my parents about all the people who will call and say anything just to get access to my parents' accounts. Dad's getting pretty good at understanding that he isn't being rude by hanging up on those villains. (He will still talk to them for a few seconds, however.)
I wish these scam artists would just put all that effort into honest work. Some of them (a very few) are pretty clever, and could no doubt make a good living doing legal clever things.
I wish these scam artists would just put all that effort into honest work. Some of them (a very few) are pretty clever, and could no doubt make a good living doing legal clever things.[/quote]
I suggested just that to a caller once. He hung up on me.
How is this going? Did the seeds germinate? If the seeds fail to germinate, you can make cuttings to propagate your beloved plant. Just carefully break off an end section of your Christmas Cactus, making sure to have 4 or more nodes. Pot up your cutting in barely moist potting soil (with good drainage). Make sure at least one leaf node is under the soil, more if the cutting is bigger (thus top heavy). Don't water the cutting for a month. After that, just water when the soil is dry ( about a half-inch below the soil surface). I like to do this any time my Christmas Cactus needs pruning, or whenever I run out of rooted cuttings. The cuttings thrive in the same environment as the parent plant. If you have a nice parent plant, people who see it will ask for cuttings, all the time, be ready.
JoanofArc, I haven't actually planted the seeds yet! I'm waiting for rainy season to start. I have normally started new plants with cuttings, but instead of planting them right away* I get them to root in a jar of water inside the house.
*There have been times some branches fall off the plant. If I catch them fast enough, I have put them in the dirt with the parent. About half the time, they thrive that way!!
Thank you. Yes, cuttings are faster, but who knows what the seeds might bring?
Curious as to why you ruled out buying 10 lb bags of ice cubes instead and storing them in the freezer. Wouldn't that be cheaper than bottled juice or plastic containers?
If only Miss Amanda knew their secret
Which is totally befitting my house...
One of the females built her nest in the tree outside my patio. After laying her eggs, she did not move from that nest for even an instant for the whole time it took the eggs to incubate. The male would bring her food.