Category Archives: Odds and ends

Technological advancement

March 5, 2020Odds and ends, worksusanmanzke

Two weeks ago I arranged for a new router. The box came in two days and has been sitting on the counter ever since.

I thought I could hook it up. Plugging in all the wires wouldn’t be too bad. What worried me was all the things that need WIFI here. They would all need to be reconnected with the new router number.

Halfway through setup I ran into a problem and called for help from my provider, CenturyLink–DSl is the cheapest option I can get in the country.

A woman, far away, helped me through all the things I had to do to get my new router working. All the wires were hooked in the right places. I just had to click the right things on the website to get everything working with the router.

I listened to her. She waited for me to do as directed–she was very nice. It took a little time but

I DID IT!

Still, I wasn’t finished. I had to get my TV to recognize the WIFI and my Echo and my cellphone.

The phone was easy. The TV took a little time, but I didn’t have to Google an answer.

The Echo/Alexa was different. I Googled my problem, found someone who had answers on youtube. It was easy after following his step-by-step directions.

Everything seems to be going well, or else I wouldn’t be able to post this blog.

One more big step for me!

Bob would have been proud

March 1, 2020Odds and ends, worksusanmanzke

Today I checked the oil level in my car. I’ve checked oil before, but I always had Bob as a backup. This time I was on my own.

First, was to remember the latch to open the hood.

That was easy to pull. Getting the hood to open was the challenge of the day. I remember Bob cursing at the car hood when he couldn’t get it to open last year. I didn’t curse, but I felt like it. I had the latch knob in my hand but couldn’t budge it…. until, suddenly it worked.

Finding and pulling out the dipstick wasn’t a problem. I even remembered to bring out a paper towel to wipe the oil off the stick.

All went well. There was even oil on the dipstick. It wasn’t necessary to add any.

I was so proud of myself.

I have an oil change appointment for Friday, but I didn’t want to have any kind of problem before that scheduled time.

Now I know I can drive back and forth to Seymour this week without worrying about low oil.

Rewatching a good movie

February 27, 2020Odds and ends, reviewsusanmanzke

Bob and I watched Hidden Figures when it first came out in theaters in 2016 and were enthralled.

On the news on February 24th was the report of mathematician Katherine Johnson’s passing at the age of 101. So when I was working in the library on Tuesday, I checked out the DVD/Blu-ray and brought Hiden Figures home to watch again.

It was just as powerful as the first time I saw it. I recommend it to all my family and friends. If you saw it in the theater, it wouldn’t hurt to watch it again at home.

These women were hidden treasures that were finally found and celebrated.

In anticipation of spring

February 19, 2020nature, Odds and endssusanmanzke

This morning I took a sweatshirt out of the back of my closet. It had hung there for a long time, still inside-out from the last time I washed it. It seemed like a good idea to wear a sweatshirt today as the windchill would be below zero today–and tomorrow too.

Anyway, when I turned it right-side-out, I found out that the front was very springy. That turned out to be my theme for the day.

When I went to a friend’s house, I carried needed things in two flowery bags. They seemed perfect for the day’s theme.

Now I am back home. The high for the day is 14 F with a feels-like temp of -1.

My trip to the mailbox and to my chickens wasn’t very spring-like.

Oh, well, I tried.

Mail

January 23, 2020Odds and endssusanmanzke

As I have written about waiting for mail delivery and mail retrieval, today, I’m writing about mail.

I can’t believe the amount that has arrived here lately. Of course, most are expressions of sympathy. I so appreciate every envelope I open.

Sometimes the littlest comment gets to me.

Today I’m sharing a bouquet sent from our friends at the library. It brightens our home, but I have to set it where the cats won’t get to it. Cruella started pulling out the greenery before I stopped him.

I thought I’d share these flowers today because they are so beautiful.

I’m going to have so many thank-yous to send I’ll need a secretary (office assistant) to help. Most probably our family will lend a hand.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person