Puttering and Tinkering

Fall is in the air. The dogs are too frisky and I have that fall "getting ready for winter" restlessness. My camping chair project is working out in a Rube Goldberg/Red Green way. A sturdy wire frame makes an upper-body canopy for mosquito netting and rain fly (show me $1.00 shower curtain liners, and I'll find a use for them.) I believe the dogs will find adequate shelter beneath the chair. A bit dorky, yes. Do I give a darn? No.

The new phone replacement/upgrade has spawned a spurt of gadget mania-with mixed emotions. The new model has some improvements but I have both resented and enjoyed getting it up to speed. I would much rather have just continued on with the old one. Re-downloading and installing paid-for software and literature after a year's forgetting has been a little frustrating. But I think I am close to being up to to speed. I was dreading keyboarding 168 phone book/contact entries and called Radio Shack. They have a machine! I put the sunroof back on the VW and took advantage of the opportunity. Unfortunately it put them in last name first- an adjustment. Verizon decided that using this phone for a tethered modem would merit a $15.00 a month premium. I snottily declined. The old phone worked with this and it is clear that Verizon wants the standard fee to be for email only-so cleverly they have hidden their web software. I have developed very satisfactory workarounds. I didn't want the old phone to crap out on me- I don't see why my loss should be compounded. So there!

Matt called and we had a good long gab. His company has a security job guarding the migrant pear-pickers. So he was being Check-point Charlie in the middle of a pear orchard tonight. Time to talk. It was great. Sounds like Audrey is keeping him on his toes. They are working on "no whining." The other day Matt asked her, "Do I hear whining?' "No, I was speaking Spanish!" Hard to be a disciplinarian when you are rolling on the floor, laughing.