Time for changing clocks

Odds and ends

I thought I had all my chocks updated to Daylight Savings Time, but then I remembered a couple in the upstairs bathroom.

I don’t know how we got so many clocks, but I use them all.

A few update to the time change on their own. They are atomic and get the true time every day and every night.

I just remembered a clock in Bob’s office that still needs changing. I don’t usually look to that clock for time, so I may not get to it right away.

Can you guess which of the clocks was the worst to change?

I had a couple that gave me trouble as I worked to rehook them back on the wall, but setting them was easy.

The most difficult to change was the one in the car. I didn’t want to get the how-to book out of the glove compartment, so I worked on it on my own.

For some reason, the minutes would change but not the hour. They would whizz ten minutes forward with just a little touch of the button. Because of this issue I had to keep resetting them.

Eventually, I got past the minute display and landed on the hour button. One little touch and the clock was on Day Light Savings Time. Yeah!

Of course, the hard part comes when we have to ‘fall back’ at the beginning of November, but I won’t think about that now.

I’m all set….. or at least the clocks are.

Copyright © 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Saturday Afternoon

animals, Family

I was busy with family yesterday, so I didn’t get to post a blog. I’m doing that today.

Our daughter Rachel and her husband, Dave, and their three children, Eli, Arianna, and Wyatt came for a visit.

Instead of sitting home, we went to the NEW Zoo in Brown County. The day was sunny, but the wind was wicked and cold. Still, we walked around the zoo and had a great time together.

Even in winter, there’s a lot to see at the NEW Zoo, like these swans.

The cold kept us moving, but much of the wind was blocked by the trees.

When the cold did get to us, Rachel treated us to hot cocoa. The drinks did take the chill away.

We will revisit the zoo on a warmer day and see all the animals who do not like the cold.

Copyright © 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

On my own at Fleet Farm

Columns

This morning, I headed off to Fleet Farm. The dry cat food I use for the outside cats was on sale. I get it in a fifty-pound bag.

As I was walking around the store, picking up dog treats (on sale), canned Frisky cat food with extra gravy (on sale) for the inside cats, I kept thinking about Bob.

It’s hard to travel those aisles without him. For too many years, that was our outing together. We’d mostly go when things we needed were on sale, or if Bob needed something for the farm, like fuel oil, or hydraulic oil, or spray oil–he used a lot of oil. Today I was alone.

As I filled my cart (groaning some when lifting the 50-pound bag) I thought of Bob. I kind of talked to him in my head as I ventured past his favorite aisles.

At least, I hoped I talked to him in my head, because if I was mumbling or talking out loud, someone’s going to come with a net and take me away.

Anyway, I got stocked up again on needed items, even fruit and nut bird food, which wasn’t on sale but was needed.

The big bag of cat food will get us through March
See the Frisky cans? Our two house cats are picky. They want the extra gravy or nothing.

I’m wondering what I got for myself… Oh yeah, I got a director’s chair on sale!

I’ll go again to Fleet Farm, but I will never go without Bob in my head and in my heart.

Copyright © 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Technological advancement

Odds and ends, work

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.

The tangle of wires and the router

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!

Copyright © 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved

Squinty the cat

wildlife

I just fed the outside (barn) cats that have decided to make our place their home. One I named Squinty.

Squinty can be found on our front porch during the day. Mostly he seems to be sleeping.

Other times, Squinty is looking for a free handout.

Squinty seems very calm and he is. He is calm unless the neighbor’s cat comes for a visit. The neighbor cat is his nemesis. I haven’t gotten a photo of them together, nose to nose, growling.

I’ll keep trying to get a photo of the two during a face-off, but mostly I keep out of their way when they are growling at each other.

Together they are just too much.

Copyright © 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved