I can not believe it has been 4 months since I last posted. Either I had nothing good to say, or I was so busy it was still making its way up the to - do - list. Anyway.....
I have been researching chickens and goats. I know for anyone who knows me personally that may sound funny, but I would really like to have a few chickens for the eggs and a goat or two for the milk, just so I do not have to buy them at the store, and to keep my property "groomed". I want to make sure I get the right food, and have the right living conditions for them both. That said I have found that the living conditions will depend on the breed of chicken or goat I decide to get.
I can remember my Grandmother never having chickens on the dairy farm, if she did it was before my time. She did have a few goats though. She got them after I had joined the military so I really do not remember the details of their care, I do remember the milk and butter as well as the cheese she made from the milk. Grama's milk for coffee was always in the mason jar in the frig, no cardboard or plastic cartons ever touched the shelves of her frig that I can remember.
If I get milk goats I have to milk them twice a day, just like cows, and they have a varied diet, so my lawn would do well for them. Fiber goats - goats that primarily produce mohair and cashmere do not produce enough milk for anybody beyond their kids and you don't want them wandering into uncut brush because the stuff gets into their fur....bird-ox...really bad!
Chickens are not as easy as so many chick hatchers would like you to think they are. They need special feed depending on age, they have to be protected from almost every other animal and even at times from their own. They have to be tended to in cold climates and Companies like New York State Electric and Gas would just love for everyone to get chickens that need heated water dishes, and a light bulb going extra to keep the egg layers laying, and to heat the coop.
So, as of today I still do not have any chickens or goats. To build a decent coop for chickens I need several hundred dollars, to build a decent shed/barn for goats I need several thousand dollars. If I want to get into fiber goats it will cost about 100,000 dollars to get the equipment to process the fiber, if I go with dairy goats it will cost 160,000 dollars to get the equipment to process milk for cheese, and pasteurize it for sale to the public, along with the headache of dealing with the New York State Department of Health, the same group of people that drove me back to smoking after quiting for over ten years when I owned a Diner. Unless you are a millionaire you really do not want to deal with them. They have good inspectors, and lousy ones. I got both. The good ones try to help you, the bad ones just show up to burn you. Enough said about that. Well, maybe not, if the health department is so great why is our food supply still getting contaminated, animals are being inhumanly treated and slaughtered, and why when our food is contaminated are the rest of us finding out 4 months later after 100 people are sick, not just a few , but a hundred or more? OK, done.
I now am not sure if I want either one. This is why it pays to do your research on how deep the pond is before you jump in head first. Unless you can sell the eggs, or milk both are really more of a liability than an asset. If you figure it costs a couple hundred dollars to feed and care for them in a month that's about 250 dozen eggs for chickens alone, and as for goat milk, can't sell any without the pasteurisation investment, and lab testing. And by the way, they are both high maintenance. They have to have vaccinations, skin treatments, monthly worm medication, as well as diseases unique to each breed. I do not remember my Dad having all these issues with the cows. I do remember the vet coming a couple times a year, but not to the extent that it broke the bank.
Perhaps things in animal husbandry has changed, and the Dept of Agriculture has updated the needs of farm animals over the years and being out of the loop for so many years has left me wondering about it all.
I think something that leaves you exhausted before you get started is a pretty good indication as to what the decision should be.
We're all in this together...
Deb
Monday, November 8, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Born As..And Is Now...
There is something to be said for the vivid imagination. Recycling comes in many forms. When you ask a person if they recycle they can answer in a hundred different ways, more specifically what it means to them. Some will say, oh yea, I put the newspapers out every week, or another will say, oh yea, all my leaves are in a pile out back. Still others will tell you that they wash all their cans and go to the recycling center every Saturday.
The kind of recycling I am referring to is the kind that takes something that was made and sold for one specific purpose and has found its way to another lifetime. For example, using shredded paper in the litter box instead of cat litter, using milk crates for the base of a desk top, using an old wooden screen door in the house instead of on the back door to allow for circulation, yet confining four legged creatures to a space in the house. Sheets double as furniture covers, and door hangings (substitute or temporary doors),old bookcases double as cupboards for dishes and vise verse. I had an old Rubber Maid laundry on-the-wall storage cabinet I took the back and bottom off of and used it to cover the doggy door to the outside in my back room, It is great! When I want to keep them in or out I just shut the cabinet doors. In winter keeping them closed keeps the snow out.
Plastic soda bottles with a few hole make great garden watering appliances, old crock pot inserts with a hole drilled in the bottom make great outdoor planters because they are heavy enough for keeping the plant upright in a rain storm. Cardboard boxes were the greatest toy ever invented for both the human child and feline. Old plastic quick microwave meal dishes make great cat and dog dishes.
Old mobile homes painted red equal barn for storage, and unroad worthy semi-trailer trailers equal storage. Old bunk bed under the mattress support pipes equal very nice plant supports. Old tent screen doors make nice replacement screens for windows and doors. I once used the blades off an old celling fan and attached them to a ford tractor generator and made a windmill to generate electric to run a night light.
It does not have to be fancy to do the job. You do have to be over the "gotta have it new" phase, and you have to be willing to hear the "wow, how did you come up with that?"
All these recycling projects will need a tool or two, always use the right tool for the job and use it for its intended purpose. Protect your eyes and ears if using power tools. You only have one set.
.....we're all in this together....
Deb
20-Piece Drill Drive Set as low as $29.06! Shop Now!
29-Piece Drill Bit Set as low as $14.45
The kind of recycling I am referring to is the kind that takes something that was made and sold for one specific purpose and has found its way to another lifetime. For example, using shredded paper in the litter box instead of cat litter, using milk crates for the base of a desk top, using an old wooden screen door in the house instead of on the back door to allow for circulation, yet confining four legged creatures to a space in the house. Sheets double as furniture covers, and door hangings (substitute or temporary doors),old bookcases double as cupboards for dishes and vise verse. I had an old Rubber Maid laundry on-the-wall storage cabinet I took the back and bottom off of and used it to cover the doggy door to the outside in my back room, It is great! When I want to keep them in or out I just shut the cabinet doors. In winter keeping them closed keeps the snow out.
Plastic soda bottles with a few hole make great garden watering appliances, old crock pot inserts with a hole drilled in the bottom make great outdoor planters because they are heavy enough for keeping the plant upright in a rain storm. Cardboard boxes were the greatest toy ever invented for both the human child and feline. Old plastic quick microwave meal dishes make great cat and dog dishes.
Old mobile homes painted red equal barn for storage, and unroad worthy semi-trailer trailers equal storage. Old bunk bed under the mattress support pipes equal very nice plant supports. Old tent screen doors make nice replacement screens for windows and doors. I once used the blades off an old celling fan and attached them to a ford tractor generator and made a windmill to generate electric to run a night light.
It does not have to be fancy to do the job. You do have to be over the "gotta have it new" phase, and you have to be willing to hear the "wow, how did you come up with that?"
All these recycling projects will need a tool or two, always use the right tool for the job and use it for its intended purpose. Protect your eyes and ears if using power tools. You only have one set.
.....we're all in this together....
Deb
20-Piece Drill Drive Set as low as $29.06! Shop Now!
29-Piece Drill Bit Set as low as $14.45
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saving On The Electric Bill
I walked around the house the other day assessing what I have plugged in. I have been looking to get control of my electric bill. Some of my plug-ins are no brainers. The frig, and the water pump are necessities. Everything else is a want.
Keeping in mind that some things draw electric even if they are turned off; chargers for the electric drill and cell phone for example, as well as the microwave because mine has the LED clock. My printer, although in the saver mode must be drawing something for the on/off button to blink to let me know it is on power saver mode.
So I went around plug by plug and realized that I was being nickel and dimmed to death. Perhaps some of you are too.I went around and unplugged everything except the computers and the frig (the water pump is wired directly to the breaker box). I unplugged chargers, adapters, TVs, radio's, the dish box, the microwave, coffee maker, anything that might draw electric...or not.
What I discovered is that for the two dozen things I unplugged in a week I have plugged only maybe 6 back in and of the 6 I can unplug them every night before I go to bed, or after I am done using it. I have no idea what I was leaving all that other stuff plugged in for. Since when my electric was restored it blew up my larger TV I am using the portable TV and I am sure it uses less electric than the larger one.
All my clocks are now battery operated, and the alarm clock is a wind up. A little exercise never hurt anyone. I bought a solar flood light and it is mounted on my back door. I bought a set of the string solar yard lights and mounted the solar panel in the side of my back room, drilled a small hole in the wall and sent the wire through the wall, attached the lights in the back room so that at night I can see when I come home. I do not have to leave a light on for hours while I am gone at night. They do not give a 60 watt bright light, but you can see where you are going so you do not fall over the cat or dog trying to get into the house. Did you ever notice how the cat or dog looks at you when that happens?
Another thing I have started to do is go to bed when it gets dark. I know that sounds kind of mid evil but I find that I am getting a good nights sleep because I am going to bed at a reasonable hour and I am not up til 11pm with all the lights burning. In the winter it is a little impractical when it gets dark at 4:30pm, but as the farmer says's you gotta make hay when the sun is shining, aka. save the bucks when you can.
I wash all my clothes in cold water now. I found with the new laundry detergents out there washing in hot water in almost any case is a waste of energy. I also hang my clothes on a clothes line when ever possible and do laundry when the weather is fair. I also never do anything but a full load. The washer exerts the same amount of energy for a low load as it does for a full one and I am out to the the biggest bang for my buck.
I do not run the AC unless my indoor thermometer reads 90 degrees. I open the windows and run a fan when it is below that. I realize that there are people who may have a lower temp tolerance, but my point is know what you can tolerate and use it as a point of reference.
When it comes to my computer I do not always shut it completely down at night. Since I make my living on a computer I have a extensive amount of information on it and it can take up to 20 minutes for it to start up and load. Once or twice a week I take the plunge and shut it down to reboot, and when I do this I do it at night so it will be off all night. The monitors do get unplugged each night as well as the printer and other accessories.
With these changes I have gone from $150.00 a month to under $90.00 a month. Yes it is a little bit of work to remember to shut everything off at night, and yes there have been nights where I have crawled into bed, got comfortable, and almost asleep when I realize I left something plugged in. And yes I get up and go unplug it. I have gotten used to the extra cash in my pocket and I am not giving it up!
....we're all in this together
Deb
Solar Power Your Home For Dummies
Solar Power
Keeping in mind that some things draw electric even if they are turned off; chargers for the electric drill and cell phone for example, as well as the microwave because mine has the LED clock. My printer, although in the saver mode must be drawing something for the on/off button to blink to let me know it is on power saver mode.
So I went around plug by plug and realized that I was being nickel and dimmed to death. Perhaps some of you are too.I went around and unplugged everything except the computers and the frig (the water pump is wired directly to the breaker box). I unplugged chargers, adapters, TVs, radio's, the dish box, the microwave, coffee maker, anything that might draw electric...or not.
What I discovered is that for the two dozen things I unplugged in a week I have plugged only maybe 6 back in and of the 6 I can unplug them every night before I go to bed, or after I am done using it. I have no idea what I was leaving all that other stuff plugged in for. Since when my electric was restored it blew up my larger TV I am using the portable TV and I am sure it uses less electric than the larger one.
All my clocks are now battery operated, and the alarm clock is a wind up. A little exercise never hurt anyone. I bought a solar flood light and it is mounted on my back door. I bought a set of the string solar yard lights and mounted the solar panel in the side of my back room, drilled a small hole in the wall and sent the wire through the wall, attached the lights in the back room so that at night I can see when I come home. I do not have to leave a light on for hours while I am gone at night. They do not give a 60 watt bright light, but you can see where you are going so you do not fall over the cat or dog trying to get into the house. Did you ever notice how the cat or dog looks at you when that happens?
Another thing I have started to do is go to bed when it gets dark. I know that sounds kind of mid evil but I find that I am getting a good nights sleep because I am going to bed at a reasonable hour and I am not up til 11pm with all the lights burning. In the winter it is a little impractical when it gets dark at 4:30pm, but as the farmer says's you gotta make hay when the sun is shining, aka. save the bucks when you can.
I wash all my clothes in cold water now. I found with the new laundry detergents out there washing in hot water in almost any case is a waste of energy. I also hang my clothes on a clothes line when ever possible and do laundry when the weather is fair. I also never do anything but a full load. The washer exerts the same amount of energy for a low load as it does for a full one and I am out to the the biggest bang for my buck.
I do not run the AC unless my indoor thermometer reads 90 degrees. I open the windows and run a fan when it is below that. I realize that there are people who may have a lower temp tolerance, but my point is know what you can tolerate and use it as a point of reference.
When it comes to my computer I do not always shut it completely down at night. Since I make my living on a computer I have a extensive amount of information on it and it can take up to 20 minutes for it to start up and load. Once or twice a week I take the plunge and shut it down to reboot, and when I do this I do it at night so it will be off all night. The monitors do get unplugged each night as well as the printer and other accessories.
With these changes I have gone from $150.00 a month to under $90.00 a month. Yes it is a little bit of work to remember to shut everything off at night, and yes there have been nights where I have crawled into bed, got comfortable, and almost asleep when I realize I left something plugged in. And yes I get up and go unplug it. I have gotten used to the extra cash in my pocket and I am not giving it up!
....we're all in this together
Deb
Solar Power Your Home For Dummies
Solar Power
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Electric Is On
The electric service is now on in the house. I have to say as a company New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) sucks, their people however make up for it. The guys that worked on my pole were knowledgeable and accommodating. They did everything they could to minimize the time I would be without power.
I think this is a situation where the company does not know the value of customer service, or the people they have working for them. I watched a show on television once about where the President of the company takes a position with the people in his company. The employees have no idea who he is and he gets a good dose of what is going on in the ranks as well as the expectations his company has on the employees. He observes the customer orientation to his company in real time, unbuffered by suck-ups. I think this should be a federal law. I think every pencil pusher should have to perform a duty of their employees every year. I think companies would be run differently, customers would be treated differently and the world would be a better place for it.
So, that said I would like to thank the Employees of NYSEG at the Hammondsport, NY substation for all their help (Ed,Ron & Jeff), and wish Ed a happy retirement and God Speed. Your service to NYSEG, at least from my view has earned you your retirement for sure!
I would also like to thank Ed Hall, the Electrical Inspector for being so helpful and accommodating when it came to coming with lightening speed to inspect the service pole so I could get the electric turned back on as soon as possible.
Major thanks to my parents for helping with the cost of the project until I get the second job to pay them back because the job I have just does not allow for saving anything, and to my brother Ed for the time he took out of his Ice Distribution Business to help set the pole, and to Don Patone, who owns a local tree cutting business for stopping to help with wiring the service box. I would also like to thank Jerry at Empire Telephone for transfering the phone line on his way home from work,(I did not even call them, he saw it was going to need to be done and we had the pole in place and he took the initative to help without being asked...a service so appreciated but lost to so many companies!Hats off to Empire Telephone in Prattsburgh, NY!!!!!) and for the support at Empire afterwords to get my phone and internet up to speed. Thank you too to my employer and my co-workers for their support and understanding as they had to take up the slack for me in my absence.As it is said.......it takes a village.
Thanks again to everyone.
And as it goes..........
Deb
I think this is a situation where the company does not know the value of customer service, or the people they have working for them. I watched a show on television once about where the President of the company takes a position with the people in his company. The employees have no idea who he is and he gets a good dose of what is going on in the ranks as well as the expectations his company has on the employees. He observes the customer orientation to his company in real time, unbuffered by suck-ups. I think this should be a federal law. I think every pencil pusher should have to perform a duty of their employees every year. I think companies would be run differently, customers would be treated differently and the world would be a better place for it.
So, that said I would like to thank the Employees of NYSEG at the Hammondsport, NY substation for all their help (Ed,Ron & Jeff), and wish Ed a happy retirement and God Speed. Your service to NYSEG, at least from my view has earned you your retirement for sure!
I would also like to thank Ed Hall, the Electrical Inspector for being so helpful and accommodating when it came to coming with lightening speed to inspect the service pole so I could get the electric turned back on as soon as possible.
Major thanks to my parents for helping with the cost of the project until I get the second job to pay them back because the job I have just does not allow for saving anything, and to my brother Ed for the time he took out of his Ice Distribution Business to help set the pole, and to Don Patone, who owns a local tree cutting business for stopping to help with wiring the service box. I would also like to thank Jerry at Empire Telephone for transfering the phone line on his way home from work,(I did not even call them, he saw it was going to need to be done and we had the pole in place and he took the initative to help without being asked...a service so appreciated but lost to so many companies!Hats off to Empire Telephone in Prattsburgh, NY!!!!!) and for the support at Empire afterwords to get my phone and internet up to speed. Thank you too to my employer and my co-workers for their support and understanding as they had to take up the slack for me in my absence.As it is said.......it takes a village.
Thanks again to everyone.
And as it goes..........
Deb
Thursday, May 20, 2010
New York State Electric and Gas: Customer Review
New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) is one of the electric utility's here in New York. Since I have lived other places in NY and experienced customer service with other companies I can say that I feel qualified to review this company.
In the last 18 years I have paid over $10,840 in delivery fees. In that 18 years I have not called for service, nor have they spent any of that money to directly supply my electric, other than the original lines from the transformer to the pole.
The storm that occurred on May 8th, 2010 broke the pole and left it dangling, being suspended buy the electrical wires and guide wire. In the process it stretched the wires in the box as well. I called NYSEG and they totally blew me off. I have a dangerous situation and they have a total disregard for public safety. I do not know about you but to me it is a little scary. If the pole falls completely it will cause the wires to be pulled out of the transformer, probably causing an explosion.
I called to get the juice turned off so we could correct the service panel and they gave me a bunch of bull about making an appointment and maybe needing an engineer. For Christ sake, what a money grabbing bunch of thief's. I will tell you what. From this day forward I am going to do everything in my power to make sure they do not get one penny more from me.
I would rather spend my money on batteries than give it to them. Those people all drive new vehicles, get vacation time and sick time, they have health plans and who knows what else for benefits. I work from home on my computer, and qualify for HEAP, and other assistance. I do not get paid vacation, sick days, a raise or a health plan.
If I called RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric) about all this they would have been here 2 weeks ago, and the whole thing would have been taken care of. I would not have had to put my employer in a bad situation, I would not be worrying about it falling on a car coming into the driveway, or falling when someone is walking up the road. I would not be worrying about it shorting out and popping or burning a breaker in the house.
Maybe if they remembered who paid the wages they would be a little more accommodating. On June 13, 2010 we should all shut the electric off in the house and see who pays the wages on Monday. The real slap in the head to us all is the raise they got. Everyone does realize that your bill will be going up shortly, right? They are crying because they only got half of what they asked for. With service like this I can't understand how they got any.
I will update as the days go by. The lesson learned is do not buy property in the NYSEG service area. They admitted several years ago to the Town Board that they used shotty second hand equipment to service this area, I guess it does not stop there.
Want to see what they promise? Go here: nyseg.com.
Just remember they are a for-a-large-profit business.
....and as it goes.
Deb
In the last 18 years I have paid over $10,840 in delivery fees. In that 18 years I have not called for service, nor have they spent any of that money to directly supply my electric, other than the original lines from the transformer to the pole.
The storm that occurred on May 8th, 2010 broke the pole and left it dangling, being suspended buy the electrical wires and guide wire. In the process it stretched the wires in the box as well. I called NYSEG and they totally blew me off. I have a dangerous situation and they have a total disregard for public safety. I do not know about you but to me it is a little scary. If the pole falls completely it will cause the wires to be pulled out of the transformer, probably causing an explosion.
I called to get the juice turned off so we could correct the service panel and they gave me a bunch of bull about making an appointment and maybe needing an engineer. For Christ sake, what a money grabbing bunch of thief's. I will tell you what. From this day forward I am going to do everything in my power to make sure they do not get one penny more from me.
I would rather spend my money on batteries than give it to them. Those people all drive new vehicles, get vacation time and sick time, they have health plans and who knows what else for benefits. I work from home on my computer, and qualify for HEAP, and other assistance. I do not get paid vacation, sick days, a raise or a health plan.
If I called RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric) about all this they would have been here 2 weeks ago, and the whole thing would have been taken care of. I would not have had to put my employer in a bad situation, I would not be worrying about it falling on a car coming into the driveway, or falling when someone is walking up the road. I would not be worrying about it shorting out and popping or burning a breaker in the house.
Maybe if they remembered who paid the wages they would be a little more accommodating. On June 13, 2010 we should all shut the electric off in the house and see who pays the wages on Monday. The real slap in the head to us all is the raise they got. Everyone does realize that your bill will be going up shortly, right? They are crying because they only got half of what they asked for. With service like this I can't understand how they got any.
I will update as the days go by. The lesson learned is do not buy property in the NYSEG service area. They admitted several years ago to the Town Board that they used shotty second hand equipment to service this area, I guess it does not stop there.
Want to see what they promise? Go here: nyseg.com.
Just remember they are a for-a-large-profit business.
....and as it goes.
Deb
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Anybody Pulling Their Hair Out over A 2001 Chevy Tracker?
Well, I am. I own a 2001 Chevy Tracker. It is my first 4-wheel drive vehicle. I love being able to have access to the 4 wheel drive in bad weather, and it sits high enough to take through the field if I have to but the thing is nickel and diming me to death.
Two years ago the timing chain broke. The codes read that there was a problem with the cam shaft sensor. Yep sure was, it was not turning because the timing chain was broke. That said my two brothers and Dad tore the thing down and commenced surgery. They did an excellent job and the thing ran real well (so my daughter says because I never got to drive it after ward). About a year ago it started to run rough and now I can't take it out of the driveway without 3 feet to keep it running (it is a standard and have to keep one foot on the gas all the time, which leaves my left foot to the clutch and brake at the same time). It has no power and when you live in a region as I do where you are either going up or down and there is no flat road this is a problem.
The thing has 135,000 miles on it, which now days really is not that many, but she acts like she has 200,000. I like Chevy. Even my little Daewoo Lanos Hatchback which I might add has an engine light that NEVER goes off, unless something serious happens. The last time the engine light went off in that was when the timing belt broke. So unless the engine light is on in that car I do not dare drive it, and if I am driving it and the engine light goes off I get really scared because it means big bucks.The main problem here is that in NY if the engine light is on you can't get it inspected. Last year my mechanic had the vehicle for 2 months trying to get the light to off long enough to inspect it. The car purrs like a kitten though, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Tracker on the other hand will likely kill me and the engine light is not on. Thanks New York State to signing my death certificate over a damn engine light.
Perhaps my family will sue New York State when I kill myself driving a vehicle deemed to be safe by NY, that really is not, but because it will pass inspection it is the only vehicle I will have to drive. The New York State vehicle inspection program is nothing but a scam to fill the coffers, and maybe if more people died and families sued over it they would make the program based on safety instead of politics.
So I guess if you have a unsafe vehicle you have to drive like me because you live in New York State I will look forward to meeting you on the other side to swap body parts and horror stories.
And as it goes....
Deb
Two years ago the timing chain broke. The codes read that there was a problem with the cam shaft sensor. Yep sure was, it was not turning because the timing chain was broke. That said my two brothers and Dad tore the thing down and commenced surgery. They did an excellent job and the thing ran real well (so my daughter says because I never got to drive it after ward). About a year ago it started to run rough and now I can't take it out of the driveway without 3 feet to keep it running (it is a standard and have to keep one foot on the gas all the time, which leaves my left foot to the clutch and brake at the same time). It has no power and when you live in a region as I do where you are either going up or down and there is no flat road this is a problem.
The thing has 135,000 miles on it, which now days really is not that many, but she acts like she has 200,000. I like Chevy. Even my little Daewoo Lanos Hatchback which I might add has an engine light that NEVER goes off, unless something serious happens. The last time the engine light went off in that was when the timing belt broke. So unless the engine light is on in that car I do not dare drive it, and if I am driving it and the engine light goes off I get really scared because it means big bucks.The main problem here is that in NY if the engine light is on you can't get it inspected. Last year my mechanic had the vehicle for 2 months trying to get the light to off long enough to inspect it. The car purrs like a kitten though, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Tracker on the other hand will likely kill me and the engine light is not on. Thanks New York State to signing my death certificate over a damn engine light.
Perhaps my family will sue New York State when I kill myself driving a vehicle deemed to be safe by NY, that really is not, but because it will pass inspection it is the only vehicle I will have to drive. The New York State vehicle inspection program is nothing but a scam to fill the coffers, and maybe if more people died and families sued over it they would make the program based on safety instead of politics.
So I guess if you have a unsafe vehicle you have to drive like me because you live in New York State I will look forward to meeting you on the other side to swap body parts and horror stories.
And as it goes....
Deb
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Verizon Customer Service: A Review
Today I would like to tell you about my experience with Verizon. As you may remember back last December I was waiting for my Tracfone to arrive and out of desperation resorted to ordering a cell phone from Verizon. It was supposed to be an addition to my existing account and cost about $20. Well as it turned out my bill went from 66 dollars to as much as 265 dollars. It was a little more than the 20 dollars I expected. I have to say if I had used the plan as it was designed the bill would not have been that much. In the wake of my Dad’s illness the need for inter family communication went up 500 fold.
So today I called Verizon to discuss my plan and bill. I have to say I was greeted with a very knowledgeable lady who took her time and went over the last 3 months bills analyzing where the most usage was and discussed in full my other options, and the cost. She answered all my questions and did not at anytime during this conversation did I feel pressured or hurried.
I left this interaction with the Verizon customer Service Agent with a new plan that will be more within my budget and service that meets my needs. Thumbs up Verizon!
It was so nice to talk with someone who was interested in helping me rather than selling me something more than what I needed. Thanks.
And as it goes……
Deb
So today I called Verizon to discuss my plan and bill. I have to say I was greeted with a very knowledgeable lady who took her time and went over the last 3 months bills analyzing where the most usage was and discussed in full my other options, and the cost. She answered all my questions and did not at anytime during this conversation did I feel pressured or hurried.
I left this interaction with the Verizon customer Service Agent with a new plan that will be more within my budget and service that meets my needs. Thumbs up Verizon!
It was so nice to talk with someone who was interested in helping me rather than selling me something more than what I needed. Thanks.
And as it goes……
Deb
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Everything Is Growing Like A Weed And I Need to Get The Spring Cleaning Done
The home I currently live in I rented for many years before returning to it. It has been about 4 years since my return. My first year I had my gallbladder out, and last year I had the pulmonary embolism so I really have only had two healthy years since returning home. I am finally making some head way on cleaning up the dump this place has turned into. NY State says you have to keep your renters stuff for a year even after they stiff you on the rent and move out in the middle of the night. One set of renters left me 52 garbage bags worth of garbage (the 55 gallon bags I might add) and stole the TV I let them borrow. Others have left furniture, toys, clothes, tools, you name it, and it has been left behind. Most all of it junk, because it is broken, dirty, torn or misused in some way.
To this end I have been dividing stuff up into piles. One pile is going to the junk yard. Prices are up on metal recyclables and I could use an extra couple hundred dollars. Trips to the junk yard are a profitable venture if in need of some quick cash. Another pile is going to be relocated to the front yard for sale. Another pile is going to be donated to people I know who could use it, and the last pile is the “I am not real sure what to do with it” pile. My garbage pickup guy is not going to be impressed with me when they come to empty the dumpster because it is not all fitting in the dumpster.
Now, about the green growth. This is a rural area I live in and all this stuff is sitting in the field behind the barn. I had counted on the cool spring weather to give me a good month of gathering all the junk and going through it all before the field grasses started to grow and hiding everything in the field. So far this concept is not working for me. All this warm weather with rain every few days has set the field grasses in over drive, and the snakes are already out. I know this will not go over well with some folks who are snake lovers, but I am not one of them. If you have ever seen a snakes den full of eggs then you know nobody will miss the 6 that met with the end of my shovel. And honestly it is not the 6 I killed that bother me it is the 90 or so still out there. I have plenty of cats to keep my rodent population under control I do not need the assistance of this predator. Actually that is probably why I really do not see the number of snakes my neighbors do. I assume it is because the food supply is not as good over here as it is next door.
In the process of gathering everything from recliners to broken glass windows up there I lost my little Black & Decker cordless screw driver. I have walked that area twice today. The thing is bright orange for crying out loud. The grass has swallowed it up and unless I run the lawnmower over that part of the field I suspect I will not find it until I hit it and it breaks the blade on the mower.
I think I have done all the gathering of junk in my back field I will be able to do this year. We are expecting 3 days of rain and by the time the sun comes back out I will need the bush hog to mow up there, and until I get all the glass and garbage out of there mowing is totally out of the question. We will see how tough my little Black & Decker cordless screw driver is, maybe next year.
And as it goes…..
Deb
http://wormlady.dealsmall.com
To this end I have been dividing stuff up into piles. One pile is going to the junk yard. Prices are up on metal recyclables and I could use an extra couple hundred dollars. Trips to the junk yard are a profitable venture if in need of some quick cash. Another pile is going to be relocated to the front yard for sale. Another pile is going to be donated to people I know who could use it, and the last pile is the “I am not real sure what to do with it” pile. My garbage pickup guy is not going to be impressed with me when they come to empty the dumpster because it is not all fitting in the dumpster.
Now, about the green growth. This is a rural area I live in and all this stuff is sitting in the field behind the barn. I had counted on the cool spring weather to give me a good month of gathering all the junk and going through it all before the field grasses started to grow and hiding everything in the field. So far this concept is not working for me. All this warm weather with rain every few days has set the field grasses in over drive, and the snakes are already out. I know this will not go over well with some folks who are snake lovers, but I am not one of them. If you have ever seen a snakes den full of eggs then you know nobody will miss the 6 that met with the end of my shovel. And honestly it is not the 6 I killed that bother me it is the 90 or so still out there. I have plenty of cats to keep my rodent population under control I do not need the assistance of this predator. Actually that is probably why I really do not see the number of snakes my neighbors do. I assume it is because the food supply is not as good over here as it is next door.
In the process of gathering everything from recliners to broken glass windows up there I lost my little Black & Decker cordless screw driver. I have walked that area twice today. The thing is bright orange for crying out loud. The grass has swallowed it up and unless I run the lawnmower over that part of the field I suspect I will not find it until I hit it and it breaks the blade on the mower.
I think I have done all the gathering of junk in my back field I will be able to do this year. We are expecting 3 days of rain and by the time the sun comes back out I will need the bush hog to mow up there, and until I get all the glass and garbage out of there mowing is totally out of the question. We will see how tough my little Black & Decker cordless screw driver is, maybe next year.
And as it goes…..
Deb
http://wormlady.dealsmall.com
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Everybody Wants To Make Me Rich: For A Fee
I do not know about what kind of e-mail you get, but everybody wants to make me rich in mine. I get an average of 30 emails a day from people who promise for a nominal fee of anywhere from 27 to 197 dollars, or more they have the answer to all my bills. With all that available money to be made why is the United States still suffering a 9+% rate of unemployment? Why are people still loosing their homes?
It is just another testament as to why the honest guy never gets head. The guy loosing his home probably never scammed anyone, and just went to work faithfully
everyday thinking that if he did an honest days work everyday everything would be alright.
Even the Church is in on the deal. I bought into a work at home program called Disciplines Crosses. For 69 dollars they sent you materials for 25 crosses with instructions,ect. They also sent "perfect" example for you to look at. I did the crosses and sent them back, including in the lot the "perfect" cross. Now they will give you back your original investment after 8 lots of 50 are returned approved. Keep in mind you are buying supplies each time to get hose 8 - 50 count lots made. They claimed to pay you for them in a buy back program, if they are approved. Long story short...all my crosses were returned to me...including the perfect example as failures. They said that I could sell them myself though someplace else. First of all if you have your name on product, and reject it as junk would you honestly want somebody out there selling that junk with your name on it?
Well, if you are board and looking to surf the web a little tonight check out my site and see if anything appeals to you http://wormlady.dealsmall.com.
And as it goes...
Deb
It is just another testament as to why the honest guy never gets head. The guy loosing his home probably never scammed anyone, and just went to work faithfully
everyday thinking that if he did an honest days work everyday everything would be alright.
Even the Church is in on the deal. I bought into a work at home program called Disciplines Crosses. For 69 dollars they sent you materials for 25 crosses with instructions,ect. They also sent "perfect" example for you to look at. I did the crosses and sent them back, including in the lot the "perfect" cross. Now they will give you back your original investment after 8 lots of 50 are returned approved. Keep in mind you are buying supplies each time to get hose 8 - 50 count lots made. They claimed to pay you for them in a buy back program, if they are approved. Long story short...all my crosses were returned to me...including the perfect example as failures. They said that I could sell them myself though someplace else. First of all if you have your name on product, and reject it as junk would you honestly want somebody out there selling that junk with your name on it?
Well, if you are board and looking to surf the web a little tonight check out my site and see if anything appeals to you http://wormlady.dealsmall.com.
And as it goes...
Deb
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Latest Venture Takes a Turn
Ahhh... the hidden agenda finally hits the fan. The newest venture called me last night and tried to sell me consulting services to help my new venture succeed. Only a "Selected few" would qualify, and guess what the qualification is? Yep you guessed it, the ability to cough up $1500.00 instantly, like off your credit card.
With this program I have a site that costs $50 a month. I have to advertise this site, and when people buy off my site by clicking on to the ad site they are looking for I make a few cents, literally.
The site address is http://wormlady.dealsmall.com and if I do not clear the cost of the site by the 30th of this month i will be canceling out of the whole mess. So if the site continues to be live after the 30th of April 2010 you will know I am doing ok, if it is not then you will know how well this work at home enterprise works in the scope of keeping up with staying behind.
And as it goes.....
Deb
With this program I have a site that costs $50 a month. I have to advertise this site, and when people buy off my site by clicking on to the ad site they are looking for I make a few cents, literally.
The site address is http://wormlady.dealsmall.com and if I do not clear the cost of the site by the 30th of this month i will be canceling out of the whole mess. So if the site continues to be live after the 30th of April 2010 you will know I am doing ok, if it is not then you will know how well this work at home enterprise works in the scope of keeping up with staying behind.
And as it goes.....
Deb
Monday, April 19, 2010
My Profit Site: Review
Another site I looked at, and blew money on was a site called My Profit Site. In just a few words...don't go there. The sites they offer are "corny" and in my mind kinda stupid. They for a price offer you pre-set up web sites and claim they are live, and they are to my computer, but not to yours unless you pay extra for instant customers. Once you pay the "Pro" fee you can access stats on all your web sites. I have to laugh because it is as if they are paying someone to make them up when you look at them.
Trust me if you get a email about My Profit Site....run....run as fast as you can.
My newest venture has training videos and homework. I am working through the materials now, and so far everything makes sense...which is kinda scary. More to follow......
And as it goes.....
Deb
Trust me if you get a email about My Profit Site....run....run as fast as you can.
My newest venture has training videos and homework. I am working through the materials now, and so far everything makes sense...which is kinda scary. More to follow......
And as it goes.....
Deb
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Affiliate Marketing: Learning The Ropes
Well I have gone and done it again. I have entered into another money making enterprise. This one, at least at the moment seems to hold some promise. I have a website that contains commonly searched for merchandise and services. Some of these sites I have personally visited, and purchased stuff from long before this enterprise.
I will continue to update on my progress (or troubles) with this new venture as progress (or regression) is made. Wish me luck!
And so it goes....
Deb
I will continue to update on my progress (or troubles) with this new venture as progress (or regression) is made. Wish me luck!
And so it goes....
Deb
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Looking at My Email Cash Project
Well I am still looking at work at home stuff. I bought into My Email Cash Project. LOL...they market toward making money, as as with most all the rest nickel and dime you to death. They hook you up with Cash Network, but if you read the publishers agreement all Cash Network is concerned with is you signing to make sure they get their money. Then you move on to auto responders, 20 bucks a month or more depending on the payment option and site. Then unless you are into some other list resource you have to buy prospective clients lists to send email to. That is as far as I got before I got disgusted and discouraged. The return policy for the program states you have to have a Order ID to get your money back, but they do not send you one, so do not look to get your money back if you buy into it.
You would think after 20 some years of looking at these things I would know better. I have to say that it might work if you have a job to support it. If I were you I would take the fee and go outdoors and bring a lighter and start a campfire with it. At least you will something to show for it, even if it is ashes. My Email Cash Project will cost you upfront big time ....be aware.
Hey, just a heads up...
We are all in this together..
Deb
You would think after 20 some years of looking at these things I would know better. I have to say that it might work if you have a job to support it. If I were you I would take the fee and go outdoors and bring a lighter and start a campfire with it. At least you will something to show for it, even if it is ashes. My Email Cash Project will cost you upfront big time ....be aware.
Hey, just a heads up...
We are all in this together..
Deb
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day One Without TV
Today was day one without TV. Boy did I get a lot done. I have to say it is difficult to fight the urge to start putting seeds in the ground. The weather has been so summer like, and the trees and wild flowers are all coming out to bloom. I worked the ground with a hoe that I plan to use for a garden plot this year and it is so wet yet it was hard to use a hoe on it. Tomorrow I am going to know the true difficulty level of my activity today I am sure. My hands already feel puffy, hopefully tomorrow I will still see a separation between my fingers.
I have to say I am a bit set back as to the weather for tonight and tomorrow as I did not see the weather report today. Having seen it yesterday I believe we are in for a freeze tonight but I can't remember what tomorrow will bring. I guess it will be a surprise.
I have plans to plant enough veggies to get me through the next winter. Although I have a B.S. in Environmental sciences I am not sure it has grown me a green thumb. It fascinates me how some people can throw seeds on the ground and they grow, yet the others of us hoe, rake, weed, fertilize, water, and weed some more only to produce spindly want-to-be plants. I remember years ago my mother gave me a spider plant, and I killed it. I do not know how, but it died. This fascinated everyone I knew because spider plants are supposed to be able to withstand any personality.
Well as the season progresses we will see. I now need to research how to preserve my veggies just in case I luck out and get some to grow! Wish me luck.
And as it goes.....
I have to say I am a bit set back as to the weather for tonight and tomorrow as I did not see the weather report today. Having seen it yesterday I believe we are in for a freeze tonight but I can't remember what tomorrow will bring. I guess it will be a surprise.
I have plans to plant enough veggies to get me through the next winter. Although I have a B.S. in Environmental sciences I am not sure it has grown me a green thumb. It fascinates me how some people can throw seeds on the ground and they grow, yet the others of us hoe, rake, weed, fertilize, water, and weed some more only to produce spindly want-to-be plants. I remember years ago my mother gave me a spider plant, and I killed it. I do not know how, but it died. This fascinated everyone I knew because spider plants are supposed to be able to withstand any personality.
Well as the season progresses we will see. I now need to research how to preserve my veggies just in case I luck out and get some to grow! Wish me luck.
And as it goes.....
Saturday, April 10, 2010
What To Heck is Going On In The World?
I know when my Parents were my age they questioned the way of the world, as I am sure my Grandparents did as well, but it just seems to me that things are out of control. We have adoptive parents sending their charges back half way around the world because they turned out to be too much work. We have wars going like barbeque's all over the world. We have planes crashing, my condolences to the people of Poland and my sorrow for their loss as well as the families of the miners in West Virginia. Mother nature has jumped on the band wagon and just won't give a break anywhere. Although I have a great desire to keep up on current events I think I am going to shut the TV off for a while, and just stick the newspaper in the recycle bag for a week or two. I have enough of bad going on in my day without help.I read and hear of these world events and knowing full well I have no control, nor can I change or help in any way, yet I still feel bad for the people involved. It is said that no matter how bad you have it there is somebody out there who has it worse....Some days I am not sure who that might be.
...and as it goes.
Deb
...and as it goes.
Deb
Friday, April 9, 2010
Another Day, Another Dollar, Maybe
I gotta say I am really tired of beating my brains against the wall trying to pay bills. I work a 40 hour week, but by the time I get the check and the state and federal governments take their cut off the top there is not enough left to be bothered with. I do not have a pool, a fancy deck, a grill, or even a fancy home. All of 980 square feet is plenty. I do subscribe to satellite TV, electric service and propane for heat. I have a land line to support my computer Internet, but leave long distance to cell phone use. I do have a washer and dryer, but I also live in the country where the closest laundromat is over 10 miles away (and so is everything else for that matter). I use the dryer only occasionally and mostly hang my laundry to dry in a line outside (upside - cheap dryer bill, downside - bee stings in the rear of jeans if you do not turn them inside out and shake). Since my daughter moved out I find I eat a lot more sandwiches and easy foods, not necessarily a balanced diet. I have turned the heat down to 60 degrees so I now wear my outdoor insulated work clothes to function inside the house. I function in the dark for the most part to avoid turning on lights. At night if I have to see I use a battery operated light that you buy to attach to a wall as a portable light. It uses 3 AAA batteries and lasts longer than a flashlight. I just do not know how to spread my $8.25 a hour wage any thinner. I do have animals, I end up with them because other people bring them because they can't afford to keep them. I guess I am done with accepting them. I can't afford the expense of going non profit, and I am beginning to feel like I am being taken advantage of.
I have read some books on frugal living, and I leave those reads in laughter because living frugally is a step up from where I am at. I do like the job I currently have, I just wish I could earn a living wage at it. Even waitress gets tips to add to his/her minimum wage. They do offer a "bonus" at Christmas time...last year it covered my electric bill for the month.
I am grateful as I said to be employed, as so many are not, I am also grateful that my home is paid for other than the 2 yearly rent payments I have to make in order to keep it - school taxes and property taxes. I am grateful for my improving health, and the improving health of my family members who have been faced with extreme challenges as of late. I am also grateful for the possessions I do have, no matter how outdated and worn out they are, my vehicles for example. My car runs great with the engine light on all the time, and my 4-wheel drive does not run worth a damn but works good to use as the tractor I do not have to move stuff around the property. I am grateful that I can breath today even though I am having a lot of trouble taking a deep breath, and at times feel like I am drowning because I just can't get air in (my Nurse practitioner ignores my complaints of this problem, so I guess it must be all in my head). And finally I am grateful I woke up today because I sometimes feel that breathing is just to much work and one of these nights I will actually fall into a deep sleep and forget to force my chest to expand.
Some days keeping up with staying behind is just to much for my depleting energy level....So as it goes....
Deb
I have read some books on frugal living, and I leave those reads in laughter because living frugally is a step up from where I am at. I do like the job I currently have, I just wish I could earn a living wage at it. Even waitress gets tips to add to his/her minimum wage. They do offer a "bonus" at Christmas time...last year it covered my electric bill for the month.
I am grateful as I said to be employed, as so many are not, I am also grateful that my home is paid for other than the 2 yearly rent payments I have to make in order to keep it - school taxes and property taxes. I am grateful for my improving health, and the improving health of my family members who have been faced with extreme challenges as of late. I am also grateful for the possessions I do have, no matter how outdated and worn out they are, my vehicles for example. My car runs great with the engine light on all the time, and my 4-wheel drive does not run worth a damn but works good to use as the tractor I do not have to move stuff around the property. I am grateful that I can breath today even though I am having a lot of trouble taking a deep breath, and at times feel like I am drowning because I just can't get air in (my Nurse practitioner ignores my complaints of this problem, so I guess it must be all in my head). And finally I am grateful I woke up today because I sometimes feel that breathing is just to much work and one of these nights I will actually fall into a deep sleep and forget to force my chest to expand.
Some days keeping up with staying behind is just to much for my depleting energy level....So as it goes....
Deb
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Life and Time
I can not believe that it has been a month or more since I have written. This last 6 weeks has been but a blur. My Dad has in the last 6 weeks been handed a cancer diagnosis, had scans, and finally surgery. He is recouping now at home. Vacationers at work made for 2 weeks of extend hours, which probably for me could not have come at a better time as it kept my brain busy. Also during this time 4 cats have delivered kittens, 13 in all. And last but not least I have been given the ok to go off my coumadin.
My Dads surgery was done at Robert packer Hospital in Sayer, PA. When the surgeon came out to talk with us immediately after the surgery I addressed pain management, and the surgeon said they would work with him and keep him comfortable. I have to say that somehow this did not happen on Thursday and Thursday night into Friday following the surgery. I am disappointed in this event as I was under the impression Robert Packer was a first rate hospital. The surgeons did an excellent job, however, Dad waited in holding by himself for over 3 hours. If it were me I would have had a heart attack from anxiety before I ever got in there. After the surgery the recovery nursing was excellent. It would have been nice if the hospital had rooms for the immediate family so my Mother could have gotten a decent place to stay near him without having to leave the hospital as Dad's surgery was serious and could have turned out very differently, and we live so far from there and some one needed to be near. Having her roaming around Sayer, totally stressed out, and not familiar with the area would have been totally unacceptable. Once on the floor it was as if he was planted in a room and left there to emerge on his own ready to go home. This is were the pain management went out the window. I also found it interesting that they were keeping an I&O (input and output), but no one seemed to be concerned that his output was far exceeding his input. In other words he was not eating and drinking as he should. He had no IV for hydration and that place was so dry my dentures started to warp after the first 3 hours I sat with him. Unless the oxygen coming into the room was moisturized from the spicket that was not on a bubbler in his room to add moisture either. It is my understanding that the nursing staff commented on their inadequate staffing issues when Dad waited for his pain meds, which lead to the pain getting a hold of him, making it harder to manage later.
I have my own view of "nursing shortages". As a RN myself, and having worked in both the hospital setting as well as the office setting "nursing shortages" do not always revolve around a nurse shortage in numbers. All I will say is that you can't treat your employees like crap and expect them to stick around very long. There are a few that can put up with being mis-used and it rolls right over them. I think there are many more that worked their tails off for the nursing degree and expect to be treated like professional adults. Employer policies sometime conflict with common sense and smarts. This is very frustrating. I am done with it. I had been told throughout my career that I was an excellent nurse, that my patients' appreciated my ability to empathize with them and appreciated the extra feet I went to make sure they were comfortable. My employers however did not see those extra steps as profitable I guess because they were constantly running my butt over #10 sand paper about it. So hats off to the new nurses out there, and god speed.
My Dads surgery was done at Robert packer Hospital in Sayer, PA. When the surgeon came out to talk with us immediately after the surgery I addressed pain management, and the surgeon said they would work with him and keep him comfortable. I have to say that somehow this did not happen on Thursday and Thursday night into Friday following the surgery. I am disappointed in this event as I was under the impression Robert Packer was a first rate hospital. The surgeons did an excellent job, however, Dad waited in holding by himself for over 3 hours. If it were me I would have had a heart attack from anxiety before I ever got in there. After the surgery the recovery nursing was excellent. It would have been nice if the hospital had rooms for the immediate family so my Mother could have gotten a decent place to stay near him without having to leave the hospital as Dad's surgery was serious and could have turned out very differently, and we live so far from there and some one needed to be near. Having her roaming around Sayer, totally stressed out, and not familiar with the area would have been totally unacceptable. Once on the floor it was as if he was planted in a room and left there to emerge on his own ready to go home. This is were the pain management went out the window. I also found it interesting that they were keeping an I&O (input and output), but no one seemed to be concerned that his output was far exceeding his input. In other words he was not eating and drinking as he should. He had no IV for hydration and that place was so dry my dentures started to warp after the first 3 hours I sat with him. Unless the oxygen coming into the room was moisturized from the spicket that was not on a bubbler in his room to add moisture either. It is my understanding that the nursing staff commented on their inadequate staffing issues when Dad waited for his pain meds, which lead to the pain getting a hold of him, making it harder to manage later.
I have my own view of "nursing shortages". As a RN myself, and having worked in both the hospital setting as well as the office setting "nursing shortages" do not always revolve around a nurse shortage in numbers. All I will say is that you can't treat your employees like crap and expect them to stick around very long. There are a few that can put up with being mis-used and it rolls right over them. I think there are many more that worked their tails off for the nursing degree and expect to be treated like professional adults. Employer policies sometime conflict with common sense and smarts. This is very frustrating. I am done with it. I had been told throughout my career that I was an excellent nurse, that my patients' appreciated my ability to empathize with them and appreciated the extra feet I went to make sure they were comfortable. My employers however did not see those extra steps as profitable I guess because they were constantly running my butt over #10 sand paper about it. So hats off to the new nurses out there, and god speed.
Monday, March 1, 2010
I got my Tracfone- finally!
Well, the Tracfone has finally arrived. They sent it "next day" after I called the Headquarters in Florida. Next day turned out to take 4 days, but hey it is finally here. It took 4 calls to get it activated and the second tie I tried to call they had me o hold for over an hour and a half. The third call "hold" status only lasted 45 minutes. I resent the fact that I had to fight to get the phone and the service. Had I not harassed this company week after week for 2 months I would have ever t the phone at all. Had I not called the headquarters I do not think I would have the phone yet either. And why would they sell product in an area that they knew it would not work in? There were a lot of those types of phones hanging there on the display, I can't help to think how everybody that bought one is in the same boat.
For my trouble I got 30 more minutes (big deal because for $20.00 you can buy 200 minutes), and the service to keep the number alive for a year. The phone I bought cost $64.00, the one I got costs $19.99. Guess who got screwed here? So the lesson learned here is Tracfone is a company out for the almighty buck at your expense.
Have a good one-
Deb
For my trouble I got 30 more minutes (big deal because for $20.00 you can buy 200 minutes), and the service to keep the number alive for a year. The phone I bought cost $64.00, the one I got costs $19.99. Guess who got screwed here? So the lesson learned here is Tracfone is a company out for the almighty buck at your expense.
Have a good one-
Deb
Friday, February 26, 2010
All right - enough snow already!
For crying out loud, enough snow already. Yes, I know it is still February, but my brain and joints are screaming April. When I had the house in Norfolk, Virginia it snowed about 4 inches one day. The place closed up tighter than a drum. When my ex-husband (on is motorcycle) and I got to the Naval Station there was a sign on the gate that said they were closed and to call in to your command. I being raised in upstate NY, and he in New Hampshire, both were somewhat puzzled by the whole thing. All we could do was turn around and go home and call in. What was scary was all the other people on the road. A military town has people from all over the world. A considerate number of these people have never seen snow let alone driven in it. The roads are not snow friendly down south. They can't use tar like we do up here. The temperatures that are normal for that area would peel up tar based roads on tires 10 months out of the year. Their roads (or at least they used to be) made of concrete, crushed glass and sand, hence the gold, glittering appearance. And as for snow removal equipment...what snow removal equipment? I suspect after watching the news since I left there about 20 years ago they have invested in some because it seems like they are getting more and more every year.
I have to admit I am the biggest coward when it comes to driving in snow. When I was 19 I had a go-a-round with a tractor-trailer on interstate 81 in PA driving back to Philadelphia one night after a winter weekend up here. I lost. Since that wild ride and a clip off the 9 lives totum pole I have come to look at very oncoming vehicle in winter weather as a potential weapon. They no doubt think of me as the same when they pass by me and realize my eyes are bugging out of my head and the death grip I have on the steering wheel has just about bent it.
I got a call from the VA today. They are concerned about my triglycerides and cholesterol. A little background is needed here. Last spring I found myself on Coumadin (a chip number 3 on the 9 lives totum pole, leaving me with 6 lives left now). When you take this medication you need to eliminate, or be very careful about the foods that contain Vitamin K. Foods that contain Vitamin K are the ones that are good for you (greens, veggies, fruits). This change in diet left me with a new diet of basically fats and sugars. So today they call and tell me my cholesterol and triglycerides are too high and I need to adjust my diet. And to this I ask: to what? You now have eliminated all 4 food groups. Thank god Chesapeake energy pulled their application to dump the waste water in that well just up the road, at least I will be allowed water, and can still drink it from my tap.
Hang in there - we are all in this together-
Deb
I have to admit I am the biggest coward when it comes to driving in snow. When I was 19 I had a go-a-round with a tractor-trailer on interstate 81 in PA driving back to Philadelphia one night after a winter weekend up here. I lost. Since that wild ride and a clip off the 9 lives totum pole I have come to look at very oncoming vehicle in winter weather as a potential weapon. They no doubt think of me as the same when they pass by me and realize my eyes are bugging out of my head and the death grip I have on the steering wheel has just about bent it.
I got a call from the VA today. They are concerned about my triglycerides and cholesterol. A little background is needed here. Last spring I found myself on Coumadin (a chip number 3 on the 9 lives totum pole, leaving me with 6 lives left now). When you take this medication you need to eliminate, or be very careful about the foods that contain Vitamin K. Foods that contain Vitamin K are the ones that are good for you (greens, veggies, fruits). This change in diet left me with a new diet of basically fats and sugars. So today they call and tell me my cholesterol and triglycerides are too high and I need to adjust my diet. And to this I ask: to what? You now have eliminated all 4 food groups. Thank god Chesapeake energy pulled their application to dump the waste water in that well just up the road, at least I will be allowed water, and can still drink it from my tap.
Hang in there - we are all in this together-
Deb
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Chesapeake Energy Pulls DEC/EPA Application
Well, Chesapeake Energy has pulled their app to the DEC for the waste water well in Pulteney. I'd like to say it was the end of the subject, but really it is not. As a town we need to make sure that we are not a target in the future. I guess one lesson learned here is that you can't run over a country hick with out getting a flat tire no matter how big your truck is. I do thank Chesapeake for seeing the light and doing the right thing for our area.
So Governor Patterson is trying to hold back our tax refunds now. I guess I will change my withholding status this year. I do not think next years tax season will be any better will you? What has this guy got against the citizens of the state of New York? Why does he lay in bed at night thinking on how to burn the taxpayers? We did not get the state in this situation. I depend on that refund as seed money to help get the bait business off the ground his spring. Hell, we do not need business here in New York, do we Mr. Patterson? You can just keep bleeding the taxpayers. I have $46.00 to last me two weeks for food. Can you live on that because that is what you leave me with every two weeks. I think somebody ought to strip you of everything but the clothes on your back and drop you off in the middle of nowhere, and hopefully we can fix this mess before you find your way back. And you can take all your "aids" with you. Since you are blind it occurs to me that you have no idea what you are signing....only what they tell you that you are signing. I could not trust my ex-husband when we were married to be honest about what I was signing, and we could both see the paper to read it.
I spoke with the DEC yesterday about selling fish again out of the bait machine. Since the fish tracking laws went into effect a receipt is needed for the angler when they buy fish to certify they are healthy. Since the bait machine does not give a receipt they were very helpful in how I can sell the fish without the receipt. I was considering this option until I got word on the news we can about kiss our refunds good-by. Keeping up with staying behind is getting to be more and more work every day.
Have a good one.
Deb
P.S. I am still waiting for my phone from TracFone.
So Governor Patterson is trying to hold back our tax refunds now. I guess I will change my withholding status this year. I do not think next years tax season will be any better will you? What has this guy got against the citizens of the state of New York? Why does he lay in bed at night thinking on how to burn the taxpayers? We did not get the state in this situation. I depend on that refund as seed money to help get the bait business off the ground his spring. Hell, we do not need business here in New York, do we Mr. Patterson? You can just keep bleeding the taxpayers. I have $46.00 to last me two weeks for food. Can you live on that because that is what you leave me with every two weeks. I think somebody ought to strip you of everything but the clothes on your back and drop you off in the middle of nowhere, and hopefully we can fix this mess before you find your way back. And you can take all your "aids" with you. Since you are blind it occurs to me that you have no idea what you are signing....only what they tell you that you are signing. I could not trust my ex-husband when we were married to be honest about what I was signing, and we could both see the paper to read it.
I spoke with the DEC yesterday about selling fish again out of the bait machine. Since the fish tracking laws went into effect a receipt is needed for the angler when they buy fish to certify they are healthy. Since the bait machine does not give a receipt they were very helpful in how I can sell the fish without the receipt. I was considering this option until I got word on the news we can about kiss our refunds good-by. Keeping up with staying behind is getting to be more and more work every day.
Have a good one.
Deb
P.S. I am still waiting for my phone from TracFone.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Worms on the move
Fishing season will soon be upon us. After searching the world over I have secured a light bulb for the bait machine in Hammondsport. When I first put that machine in front of the car wash I think every drunk in a 20 mile radius tried to get a soda out of it. I can only imagine the mind bender it must have been for them in their state to punch a couple of bucks in the coin slot and open the cup to find night crawlers in it. Maybe for a few it was a moment of enlightenment as to whether they wanted another drink.
So many of us depend on the clean water we have here, whether it be in the lake or the run-off. I have a wonderful supplier for my bait, but a lot of the worms come out of my yard. If you go buy I am out there with my flashlight picking the crawlers just like Grama Egresi taught me to do so many years ago, (almost 40 now) so we could go fishing up in the pond, (which is no longer accessible to anybody but the part of the family that now owns it, which is sad, but true). As kids we all went fishing in that pond with Grama and it was what perfect memories are made of. It all went right to hell years later.
We have our vineyards that depend on the clean fresh rain water run-off. It is what makes New York State wines some of the best in the world. The grapes make the best jams and jellies found anywhere. As residents here we all have suffered the misery of the Keuka Watershed Association telling us where, how, when; and how much we need to sell our first born for to have a septic system here. We have had to endure the breach of our privacy when they trespass on our property because they "think" we might have a septic issue. We have gone through all this for years and the next thing you know we are looked at as a place to dump toxic-radio active waste---what a mind bender this has all been!
Anyway, I have noticed that over the years, actually since1998 when I started selling worms that I can tell how healthy the environment around my house is by the worms. Some years they have been stringy, or better put not very meaty. I figured out that it was the grape spray from the vineyard behind me that was killing the worms. I was going to clean up a spot I have in my back yard of old boards and the like, but decided to let it grow over to protect my worm hunting ground in my back yard. It has been rather successful except last year the wind must have been blowing in the right direction because the spray killed the little poplar tree in the middle of my back yard along with the small shrubs I had started there. I am a little worried about how "well" my yard crawlers will be this spring.
I was thinking on selling ice this year too. I have freezers left from the Diner I could keep it in, and since we don't have a store, gas station, or restaurant in town maybe it would be handy for folks in the summer to have some place to buy some. My brother sells ice as a wholesaler and can't sell to the public in small amounts because of our sales tax system. It is hard for people to understand this concept unless you know the legalities of it.
So it is time to get out all that fishing gear and seeing what needs to be replaced, and untangled. Waiting til the last minute only ends up in frustration. Smelt will be running pretty soon too. When I was a kid one net swoop equaled 5 gallons, now you gotta fight over them in the creeks. Boy how things change don't they? Speaking of change, Happy Birthday Ashley!!
Have a good one....
Deb
So many of us depend on the clean water we have here, whether it be in the lake or the run-off. I have a wonderful supplier for my bait, but a lot of the worms come out of my yard. If you go buy I am out there with my flashlight picking the crawlers just like Grama Egresi taught me to do so many years ago, (almost 40 now) so we could go fishing up in the pond, (which is no longer accessible to anybody but the part of the family that now owns it, which is sad, but true). As kids we all went fishing in that pond with Grama and it was what perfect memories are made of. It all went right to hell years later.
We have our vineyards that depend on the clean fresh rain water run-off. It is what makes New York State wines some of the best in the world. The grapes make the best jams and jellies found anywhere. As residents here we all have suffered the misery of the Keuka Watershed Association telling us where, how, when; and how much we need to sell our first born for to have a septic system here. We have had to endure the breach of our privacy when they trespass on our property because they "think" we might have a septic issue. We have gone through all this for years and the next thing you know we are looked at as a place to dump toxic-radio active waste---what a mind bender this has all been!
Anyway, I have noticed that over the years, actually since1998 when I started selling worms that I can tell how healthy the environment around my house is by the worms. Some years they have been stringy, or better put not very meaty. I figured out that it was the grape spray from the vineyard behind me that was killing the worms. I was going to clean up a spot I have in my back yard of old boards and the like, but decided to let it grow over to protect my worm hunting ground in my back yard. It has been rather successful except last year the wind must have been blowing in the right direction because the spray killed the little poplar tree in the middle of my back yard along with the small shrubs I had started there. I am a little worried about how "well" my yard crawlers will be this spring.
I was thinking on selling ice this year too. I have freezers left from the Diner I could keep it in, and since we don't have a store, gas station, or restaurant in town maybe it would be handy for folks in the summer to have some place to buy some. My brother sells ice as a wholesaler and can't sell to the public in small amounts because of our sales tax system. It is hard for people to understand this concept unless you know the legalities of it.
So it is time to get out all that fishing gear and seeing what needs to be replaced, and untangled. Waiting til the last minute only ends up in frustration. Smelt will be running pretty soon too. When I was a kid one net swoop equaled 5 gallons, now you gotta fight over them in the creeks. Boy how things change don't they? Speaking of change, Happy Birthday Ashley!!
Have a good one....
Deb
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Does your Represenives have your interests in mind?
Well, if you did not know where Pulteney, NY was, and you follow environmental issues in the United States you probably do now. A lot of interesting facts have surfaced since Chesapeake Energy decided to apply to the EPA and DEC for their toxic - radioactive waste water dump site in Pulteney, NY.
Chesapeake Energy is not the only company invested in the natural gas here:
A huge buying opportunity, which is exactly what Norway’s StatoilHydro did when they paid Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) $1.25 billion in cash for a 32.5 percent interest in its assets in the Marcellus Shale, the natural-gas field that extends from western New York south and west across Pennsylvania to West Virginia. Statoil also committed to spend an additional $2.13 billion to offset Chesapeake’s drilling expenses. Here’s the full release from Chesapeake’s website announcing the deal on November 11:
Chesapeake Energy Corporation Announces Marcellus Shale Joint Venture and International Unconventional Natural Gas Exploration Alliance with StatoilHydro
OKLAHOMA CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 11, 2008–Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) today announced the execution of an agreement for a joint venture with StatoilHydro (NYSE:STO, OSE:STL) whereby StatoilHydro will acquire a 32.5% interest in Chesapeake’s Marcellus Shale assets in Appalachia for $3.375 billion, leaving Chesapeake with a 67.5% working interest. The assets include approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold, of which StatoilHydro will own approximately 0.6 million net acres and Chesapeake will own approximately 1.2 million net acres.
StatoilHydro will pay $1.25 billion in cash at closing and will pay a further $2.125 billion from 2009 to 2012 by funding 75% of Chesapeake’s 67.5% share of drilling and completion expenditures until the $2.125 billion obligation has been funded. Chesapeake plans to continue acquiring leasehold in the Marcellus Shale play and StatoilHydro will have the right to a 32.5% participation in any such additional leasehold.
Additionally, Chesapeake and StatoilHydro have agreed to enter into an international strategic alliance to jointly explore unconventional natural gas opportunities worldwide. Closing of the transaction and strategic alliance is anticipated to occur by year-end 2008.
Helge Lund, President and CEO of StatoilHydro, stated, “I am pleased that we today have made a strategically important move by joining forces with Chesapeake, which is the leading U.S. natural gas player. We are establishing a strong platform for further developing our gas value chain business and growing our position in unconventional gas worldwide. The agreement we have entered into with Chesapeake provides us with a solid position in an attractive long-term resource base under competitive terms. Additionally, this deal adds a major building block to the gas value chain position we have established in the U.S., the world’s largest and most liquid gas market. This is a significant step in strengthening our U.S. gas position, building on our existing capacity rights for the Cove Point LNG terminal, our gas trading and marketing organization and the gas producing assets in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Aubrey K. McClendon, Chesapeake’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are honored to establish a business relationship with StatoilHydro and are excited about the mutually beneficial nature of our transaction with them. We believe this transaction creates substantial value for both companies and unique opportunities for international growth with one of the leading international oil and gas companies. Jointly we can export our world class unconventional natural gas technology for further long-term growth.
“Chesapeake has now completed three shale joint ventures that collectively value Chesapeake’s Haynesville, Fayetteville and Marcellus Shale assets (before the joint ventures) at approximately $34 billion. Through these transactions, Chesapeake sold a 20% working interest in its Haynesville Shale assets to Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE:PXP) for $3.3 billion (thereby retaining an 80% working interest valued at $13.2 billion), a 25% working interest in its Fayetteville Shale assets to BP America (NYSE:BP) for $1.9 billion (thereby retaining a 75% working interest valued at $5.7 billion) and now has agreed to sell a 32.5% working interest in its Marcellus Shale assets to StatoilHydro for $3.375 billion (thereby retaining a 67.5% working interest valued at $7.0 billion). The total consideration to CHK from these sales has been approximately $8.575 billion, of which approximately $4.0 billion has been (or will be) in cash and approximately $4.575 billion is in drilling and completion cost carries. Furthermore, CHK retains the remaining ownership percentages of the joint ventures that have been valued at approximately $26 billion, or over $40 per share of value from just these three shale joint venture transactions. These joint ventures clearly demonstrate the enormous value of Chesapeake’s shale natural gas assets and the unique capability of our organization to develop them.”
Chesapeake was advised on the transaction by Jefferies Randall & Dewey of Houston, Texas.
http://www.landreport.com/2008/11/chesapeake-gets-3-billion-injection-for-marcellus-shale/#more-377
Now knowing what Chesapeake has to lose and gain it is now wonder they are prepared to poison so many people, and live in a state 500 miles from here when they do. I would hate to see Aubrey McClendon have to take a cut in his $ 975,000.00 salary wouldn't you? And thank god he got that $76,951,000.00 bonus last year!! And all he got last year in total compensation including investments was $100,069,201.00, lordy, talk about living in the poor house!! I can't believe he could not make more off the backs of people like us....what a looser!
http://people.forbes.com/profile/aubrey-k-mcclendon/18103
Then there are our local and state representatives. Congressman Eric Massa (R) is a newly elected representative to our area. He has taken a strong interest in this issue and has shown his interest by his actions. This is been quite a step up from his predecessor. It is nice to have a Congressman on our side instead totally on his own.
Then you have Senator George Winner (R). What a farce he is. He has a solid relationship with the gas drilling companies including Chesapeake Energy as a recipient of campaign funds; http://www.fingerlakesfracking.com/Chesapeake-Energy-Corporation/1500003237.profile.
http://www.fingerlakesfracking.com/George-H-Winner-Jr/1500003647.profileIt is no wonder he would not get involved to help. Another reason special interest groups and big business should not be able to contribute to he campaign of our Representatives. They bought Mr. Winner and now he owes them. He was invited to the public meeting on Feb 7th, and from what I understand would not even return the invite with a decline! If anybody thinks he is gong to do anything to help anybody but himself they better think again next election.
Chesapeake Energy is not the only company invested in the natural gas here:
A huge buying opportunity, which is exactly what Norway’s StatoilHydro did when they paid Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) $1.25 billion in cash for a 32.5 percent interest in its assets in the Marcellus Shale, the natural-gas field that extends from western New York south and west across Pennsylvania to West Virginia. Statoil also committed to spend an additional $2.13 billion to offset Chesapeake’s drilling expenses. Here’s the full release from Chesapeake’s website announcing the deal on November 11:
Chesapeake Energy Corporation Announces Marcellus Shale Joint Venture and International Unconventional Natural Gas Exploration Alliance with StatoilHydro
OKLAHOMA CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 11, 2008–Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) today announced the execution of an agreement for a joint venture with StatoilHydro (NYSE:STO, OSE:STL) whereby StatoilHydro will acquire a 32.5% interest in Chesapeake’s Marcellus Shale assets in Appalachia for $3.375 billion, leaving Chesapeake with a 67.5% working interest. The assets include approximately 1.8 million net acres of leasehold, of which StatoilHydro will own approximately 0.6 million net acres and Chesapeake will own approximately 1.2 million net acres.
StatoilHydro will pay $1.25 billion in cash at closing and will pay a further $2.125 billion from 2009 to 2012 by funding 75% of Chesapeake’s 67.5% share of drilling and completion expenditures until the $2.125 billion obligation has been funded. Chesapeake plans to continue acquiring leasehold in the Marcellus Shale play and StatoilHydro will have the right to a 32.5% participation in any such additional leasehold.
Additionally, Chesapeake and StatoilHydro have agreed to enter into an international strategic alliance to jointly explore unconventional natural gas opportunities worldwide. Closing of the transaction and strategic alliance is anticipated to occur by year-end 2008.
Helge Lund, President and CEO of StatoilHydro, stated, “I am pleased that we today have made a strategically important move by joining forces with Chesapeake, which is the leading U.S. natural gas player. We are establishing a strong platform for further developing our gas value chain business and growing our position in unconventional gas worldwide. The agreement we have entered into with Chesapeake provides us with a solid position in an attractive long-term resource base under competitive terms. Additionally, this deal adds a major building block to the gas value chain position we have established in the U.S., the world’s largest and most liquid gas market. This is a significant step in strengthening our U.S. gas position, building on our existing capacity rights for the Cove Point LNG terminal, our gas trading and marketing organization and the gas producing assets in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Aubrey K. McClendon, Chesapeake’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are honored to establish a business relationship with StatoilHydro and are excited about the mutually beneficial nature of our transaction with them. We believe this transaction creates substantial value for both companies and unique opportunities for international growth with one of the leading international oil and gas companies. Jointly we can export our world class unconventional natural gas technology for further long-term growth.
“Chesapeake has now completed three shale joint ventures that collectively value Chesapeake’s Haynesville, Fayetteville and Marcellus Shale assets (before the joint ventures) at approximately $34 billion. Through these transactions, Chesapeake sold a 20% working interest in its Haynesville Shale assets to Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE:PXP) for $3.3 billion (thereby retaining an 80% working interest valued at $13.2 billion), a 25% working interest in its Fayetteville Shale assets to BP America (NYSE:BP) for $1.9 billion (thereby retaining a 75% working interest valued at $5.7 billion) and now has agreed to sell a 32.5% working interest in its Marcellus Shale assets to StatoilHydro for $3.375 billion (thereby retaining a 67.5% working interest valued at $7.0 billion). The total consideration to CHK from these sales has been approximately $8.575 billion, of which approximately $4.0 billion has been (or will be) in cash and approximately $4.575 billion is in drilling and completion cost carries. Furthermore, CHK retains the remaining ownership percentages of the joint ventures that have been valued at approximately $26 billion, or over $40 per share of value from just these three shale joint venture transactions. These joint ventures clearly demonstrate the enormous value of Chesapeake’s shale natural gas assets and the unique capability of our organization to develop them.”
Chesapeake was advised on the transaction by Jefferies Randall & Dewey of Houston, Texas.
http://www.landreport.com/2008/11/chesapeake-gets-3-billion-injection-for-marcellus-shale/#more-377
Now knowing what Chesapeake has to lose and gain it is now wonder they are prepared to poison so many people, and live in a state 500 miles from here when they do. I would hate to see Aubrey McClendon have to take a cut in his $ 975,000.00 salary wouldn't you? And thank god he got that $76,951,000.00 bonus last year!! And all he got last year in total compensation including investments was $100,069,201.00, lordy, talk about living in the poor house!! I can't believe he could not make more off the backs of people like us....what a looser!
http://people.forbes.com/profile/aubrey-k-mcclendon/18103
Then there are our local and state representatives. Congressman Eric Massa (R) is a newly elected representative to our area. He has taken a strong interest in this issue and has shown his interest by his actions. This is been quite a step up from his predecessor. It is nice to have a Congressman on our side instead totally on his own.
Then you have Senator George Winner (R). What a farce he is. He has a solid relationship with the gas drilling companies including Chesapeake Energy as a recipient of campaign funds; http://www.fingerlakesfracking.com/Chesapeake-Energy-Corporation/1500003237.profile.
http://www.fingerlakesfracking.com/George-H-Winner-Jr/1500003647.profileIt is no wonder he would not get involved to help. Another reason special interest groups and big business should not be able to contribute to he campaign of our Representatives. They bought Mr. Winner and now he owes them. He was invited to the public meeting on Feb 7th, and from what I understand would not even return the invite with a decline! If anybody thinks he is gong to do anything to help anybody but himself they better think again next election.
We can't even plead to our Governor on this issue to protect our state as he is pushing the drilling issue, and is blind, so he can not appreciate the beauty of this area that he has decided is worth trashing. We need a few more years of him too, don't we?
Well I have rambled on enough for today.
Hang in there - we are all in this together!
Deb
P.S. Still no TracFone in the mail box.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
TracFone - a new lesson in blood pressure control
Anybody out there have a TracFone? I used to until I put it through a full wash cycle. I had that phone for ten years. (A do it yourself tip):I immediately took it out of the bottom of the washer where I discovered it shortly after I heard the rumbling of the agitator. I immediately took it apart, battery first, the the rest as far as I could break it down and laid it on paper towel. I did dry off the battery first, then shook out the main body of the phone till the water stopped coming out. I let it lay there for about 3 days, turning the body over several times, and propping it up in various positions. On the third day I put it together, and gosh if it didn't work. I had that phone for 3 more years until I think the rust started on the ear piece part because it started to crackle when I was trying to listen to my caller. So, I went to the local K-Mart in Bath and bought a new one, a slider phone they call them. This is where the nightmare starts.
Now, because I have had some serious health issues as of late and I live in a country setting I have depended on that phone in case I needed medical assistance when I was out doors. I called to activate the phone and after 4 hours of trying the gal says I need a new phone. That was December 23, 2009. She says it will be here in 3-5 days, but may take a bit longer because of the holiday. So on December 30th I call and ask about my phone. She says another 3-5 days. On January 4, 2010 I call about my phone, another 3-5 days. I called again on January 11th, 15th, 24th, and February 8th, and got the same answer- another 3-5 days. Back in January, in serious need of a cell phone I signed up with Verizon. They said your new phone will be there in 48 hours. And guess what? IT WAS! I am still waiting for my TracFone. The fact that I no longer need it is totally beside the point now. I wonder if they are owned somehow by Toyota.
So here I am still waiting for the TracFone. Another thing that shows that keeping up with staying behind can really try your patients.
Hang in there - we are all in this together.
Deb
Now, because I have had some serious health issues as of late and I live in a country setting I have depended on that phone in case I needed medical assistance when I was out doors. I called to activate the phone and after 4 hours of trying the gal says I need a new phone. That was December 23, 2009. She says it will be here in 3-5 days, but may take a bit longer because of the holiday. So on December 30th I call and ask about my phone. She says another 3-5 days. On January 4, 2010 I call about my phone, another 3-5 days. I called again on January 11th, 15th, 24th, and February 8th, and got the same answer- another 3-5 days. Back in January, in serious need of a cell phone I signed up with Verizon. They said your new phone will be there in 48 hours. And guess what? IT WAS! I am still waiting for my TracFone. The fact that I no longer need it is totally beside the point now. I wonder if they are owned somehow by Toyota.
So here I am still waiting for the TracFone. Another thing that shows that keeping up with staying behind can really try your patients.
Hang in there - we are all in this together.
Deb
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Getting used to talking to myself
Well, another lesson learned. If anyone has tried to do a web directory listing project manually you know right were I am at. In an effort to get this blog started I am submitting it to web directories. Well these directories, at least 99% will tell you it can take up to a year for them to get around to you for approval if you use the free listing. Once again it is all about money. I am still trying to keep up with staying behind, so all my income goes to NYSEG, Burnwell, Empire Telephone, Erie Insurance, Direct TV, Dell, plus about 10 more. And oh yea...Save-a-lot. I get anywhere near a Tops and my check book starts to jump out of my purse and starts to bang its head against the car window. And then there are the taxes. Living here in New York, is it just me or are we getting nickel and dimmed to death? All I am hearing is how local governments need to raise revenue. This leads to taxes on stuff like water bottles, new license plates even though we do not need them, taxes on wages of people who live outside a given radius of their job. I just wondered if government realize they are getting their money off the backs of the few people who have a JOB, who can't keep up with staying behind themselves. If they want to be in government and d public service, let them donate their entire paycheck to government, which for most is taxpayer money anyway. Why should they have the highest priced health care premiums when the little guy who is working 80 hours a week to pay his taxes can't afford to have insurance at all? And what happens when this taxpayer can't pay the taxes so the government officials can have the best of everything? They take his home and kick him out on the street.
Well, anyway, I do not expect to raise any eyebrows with my rantings this morning being that according to the web directory wait period nobody will have access to my blog to read it for at least another 9 months. I guess keeping up with staying behind will involve this type of hang up if your trying to get ahead by do it yourself instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for the instant access.
As Red Green says, "Hang in there - we're all in this together"
Deb
Well, anyway, I do not expect to raise any eyebrows with my rantings this morning being that according to the web directory wait period nobody will have access to my blog to read it for at least another 9 months. I guess keeping up with staying behind will involve this type of hang up if your trying to get ahead by do it yourself instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for the instant access.
As Red Green says, "Hang in there - we're all in this together"
Deb
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
How do you feel about drilling for natural gas?
Well a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks to my little town in upstate New York. One day your looking out at the snow and thinking about how you might want to make a list of seeds to buy for the garden this year and the next minute As I look at my property tax bill I can't decide if I should pay it because if they get their way like they did in Texas all my animals will die, my water well will be contaminated and I will become sick along with all my neighbors as it happened there. I have a lease with this company, they pay me $6.00 a year, yes, six dollars a year to lease the property because it boarders on a well that they will never get gas out of. Since they started drilling around me I have had to re-drill my water well 3 times because when they "Blew" the gas wells around me it collapsed the well and trapped the submerged pump in the well, leaving it useless. About $10,000 later I have a good operational water well, no thanks to Chesapeake Energy. And no...they would not help pay for it...not a dime. The real kicker is that if you want to put a septic system in around here they put you through so much grief that people just give up and move on, yet, here they are wanting to dump toxic-radio active waste water into a 6000 foot abandoned gas well so it will seep into Keuka Lake, as well as my an my neighbors water wells. We grow grapes here for wine and grape juice. It is distributed all over the world. (Welches, Canandaigua Wine Company, Pleasant Valley Wine Company, plus any others). How would you feel about feeding your child grape juice from this area if they are successful? Would you look at your glass of wine at dinner differently? Our new sister city might as well be Chernobyl. So, is there anybody out there who prefers to live like this and thinks natural gas is worth it? I don't.
Citizens Against Watewater Disposal Well within ONE MILE of Keuka Lake:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=app_2361831622#!/group.php?gid=248752108132&ref=nf
Citizens Against Watewater Disposal Well within ONE MILE of Keuka Lake:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=app_2361831622#!/group.php?gid=248752108132&ref=nf
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Geezz is it cold out or what?
I am looking at the thermometer and I have a cool 7 degrees. As I get older I find I am not as thrilled with seeing the snow come as I was when I was a kid. As an adult I have had to consider things my parents did in the winter months that I did not even know about, and as a kid finding a candle to grease up the runners on my sled was the biggest concern. I now live in a mobile home. Anybody who also lives in one in the cold regions know the misery of manning the hairdryer in zero degree weather when the pipes freeze. I have decided I am done with that extracurricular activity. I have enclosed my bladder tank and related piping in that hard board like insulation, making a box around it and the crawl space getting to it. I then took a cinder block and placed it near the bladder tank and upon the cinder block placed a short bedside type lamp with a 60 watt bulb. I ran a heavy duty extension cord into the back room and plugged it in. My crawlspace went from 38 degrees to 44 degrees pretty quickly. I can unplug the cord without crawling under the trailer when the weather is a little warmer. The reason for the cinder block is that it tends to get moist in the crawlspace and the block keeps the electric lamp above ground level. Depending on how long your crawlspace is, and how much duct tape you want to use, and prices of insulation in your area this project will vary in cost. I spent a little under $100.00, but...at 3am when you get up and flush the toilet and the thing fills up and it is zero outside....there is comfort. With the new move to eliminate the old light bulbs I an a little tempted to start hording the 60 watt'ers. I go through about 1-2 a year and I am hoping to be around for another 40 years or so, so I need to buy at least 80 of them to keep my pipes from freezing until I die, just in case they quite selling them anytime soon. It is much more expensive to replace the broken pipes than run a light when the temps get near zero. I would estimate it adds about $30.00 over 5-6 months to my electric bill. This is a do it your self project that is well worth the effort, and anybody with any skill level can do it. This idea was passed to me from my Dad, boy is he smart!
Do-it-yourself Handyman
Click Here!
Have a good one..
Deb
Do-it-yourself Handyman
Click Here!
Have a good one..
Deb
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Saving on the energy bill
I do the best I can to keep my utility bills down as far as I can. What I am paying for utilities leaves less for groceries and my effort to pay off those credit cards. If you are a little handy natural energy generation might help. Long before all the sites came around that give you great direction I built my own wind mill. I had a old celling fan that I attached to a Ford tractor generator and nailed it to a large pole type post my clothes line was tied to. I ran wire into my back room where I connected it to a 12v car battery, then connected the battery to a converter I bought at the automotive store. I plugged a couple of old lamps into he converter and lit my back room that way for a few years until the celling fan blades rotted off the generator. It decreased my electric bill by about $20.00 a month, which to some people probably isn't much, but when your a single parent you learn to stretch a twenty into $40. Here is some help with such projects:
Tools for Solar & Wind Energy for Your Home
GO HERE
Simply Solar Guide
GO HERE
GreenDIYenergy (New) Solar & Wind DIY Guide
GO HERE
Solar, Wind, Green - Earth power Energy System - DIY Guide
GO HERE
Earth Power Energy System
GO HERE
If I can not afford to go to the Bahamas I sure am going to do my best not to send my utility company there!!
Have a good one-
Deb
Tools for Solar & Wind Energy for Your Home
GO HERE
Simply Solar Guide
GO HERE
GreenDIYenergy (New) Solar & Wind DIY Guide
GO HERE
Solar, Wind, Green - Earth power Energy System - DIY Guide
GO HERE
Earth Power Energy System
GO HERE
If I can not afford to go to the Bahamas I sure am going to do my best not to send my utility company there!!
Have a good one-
Deb
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Here is a site to look at.
If you are looking for a work at home opportunity you might want to check this out. It takes commitment, but anything worth while does, doesn't it? It is the site that helped me build this blog. I have never done anything like this before and had absolutely no idea were to start or how. I found it very helpful and supportive so far.
Web Colleagues
GO HERE
Web Colleagues
GO HERE
Has everybody looked at hundreds of work at home ads yet?
In 1998 I bought my second computer (my first was a Tandy EX I bought in 1980, but the Internet was not public yet so it was not Internet compatible) and so began my Internet search for a job I could do from home. I was a single parent making minimum wage and it was not working for me. So for 12 years I have been searching for something I could do from home that would pay me instead of shoving out all kinds of money to make it work. As a result of my single parent status and being scammed at an incredible rate my credit is shot. The upside is that I do not have to bother with identity theft insurance because any thief that steals my identity will be in for a big surprise..I wish I could only be there to see it. As a result of my years of searching I can tell ya what definatly does not work, and provide some leads for working from home. I have to say though that if it promises instant riches and their is no sweat investment - run - run as fast as you can!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Where we are all at right now.
The times they are a changing, but It seems somethings never do. If you are like me you are treading water, or trying to keep up with staying behind. Whether you have a job or not, robbing Peter to pay Paul is getting to be the norm around here, and I suspect my home is not the only one doing this.
Whether it is sharpening your do-it-yourself skills or clipping coupons, or starting a new business on the side from home we all seem to be at least trying to keep up with staying behind. There are a lot of good tips and ideas out there as well as companies that understand our pain. Banks do not seem to be part of our click do they?
So lets support each other. We have had our own earthquake here at home, and since we have been a couple of years now been trying to dig ourselves out it seems to be a very slow process. Ideas anyone?
Whether it is sharpening your do-it-yourself skills or clipping coupons, or starting a new business on the side from home we all seem to be at least trying to keep up with staying behind. There are a lot of good tips and ideas out there as well as companies that understand our pain. Banks do not seem to be part of our click do they?
So lets support each other. We have had our own earthquake here at home, and since we have been a couple of years now been trying to dig ourselves out it seems to be a very slow process. Ideas anyone?
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