MAKING US DUMBER

     I do agree: computers are making us dumber.

    Today's mail brought a bill from a communication provider. Two pages. On the upper part of the first page there is a line that reads This month's charges are $10.00 more.

    Down toward the bottom of the page there is another line which reads This month's charges are the same as last month's.

    Soooooo, which is it?

    I made a copy and mailed to the Customer Relations department. I predict I will eventually get a letter explaining how correct they are and how dumb I am for not being able to understand, intuitively.

JUST PICK UP THE PHONE

     Why can't I just call someone, a business, on the phone? Why can't they just pick up the phone and say "Hello?"

    I was at church when the phone in the office began to ring. No one else around so I picked it up. Heard nothing. Said "Hello?"

    No response.

    There were about twenty buttons on the front of the phone. Four of them were grouped at the top. None of them said "Talk". I turned to look on the side. There was a PTT, which in other circumstance I recognized  as "Push To Talk", which I did.

    Nothing.

    Next time at the church the office assistant was there, asked him how to answer the phone. Well, of the four buttons on the upper part of the phone, you need to push "phone". I turned the phone on the side, showed him the PTT button. Do you know what PTT means?

    No.

    Why can't you just pick up the phone and have someone answer with "Hello?" 

WHAT TO DO ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

     Does any city, town, village have the answer to homelessness?

    Leavenworth County does not have the problem of homelessness totally solved, but they have come a long way toward providing some answers. What appears to be working is a two-pronged approach.

    The Hope Shelter provides an overnight bed. Overnight only. Under most weather conditions people will be admitted between 8-10 pm, and are expected to leave by 7 am. During the day the "Welcome Center provides services to those in Leavenworth County living in poverty which include instructions about daily living skills, information about social service providers, access to job seeking skills, assistance in getting personal documents and transportation to helping agencies and other essential services." The Hope Shelter seeks donations and many hours of volunteer time.

    Not connected, but overlapping, is the Leavenworth Attainable Housing program, where the goal is to put individuals or families in adequate housing. Occupants pay one-third of their income in rent.

    

    

CONTAINERS

     I don't really need it, but I can't throw it away.

    Couldn't resist buying it in the first place. At the Monarch Book Store on 151st Street I found a beautifully decorated tin cylinder that contained Gone With The Wind teabags. When I first opened the tin I noticed that there was a rubberized inner ring, which further protected the contents.

    The tea bags all used I have no reason to keep the tin. Except . . .  For even a short time ago in the history of housekeeping good convenient containers to protect and preserve the contents were not widely available. My tendency now is to hang onto every good container that comes through my door.

    Over time we have received big tins containing popcorn. The popcorn consumed -- by others, popcorn is not my thing -- the tins are still on the premises, mostly in the basement. Impenetrable by either mice or insects they preserve all manner of things, even extra wax candles.

    What shall I do with the Gone With The Wind tin? Surely I can find something that needs to be preserved. How about tea bags, which normally are packaged in thin cardboard boxes? Perfect.

TRIPPING ALONG

    Where is my order? I ordered -- from Kohls -- several large blue bandanas, which I plan to send to various grandchildren for their go-bags. I have an inordinate curiosity about where things I order are coming from and when they might arrive. Tracking the package.

    First I learned that the package would be coming from Bolingbroke, IL. I'm pretty sure that is a location near Chicago. My bandanas were next in Glendale Heights, IL, also near Chicago. That was Saturday morning. Saturday, Sunday, plenty of time to get to Olathe. I expected that when I checked on Monday I would be informed that the package was in Olathe, at the postoffice, maybe even out for delivery.

    Wait. By Monday my package was in Grand Prairie, TX. How stupid of me to think my order could be delivered to me without going through Grand Prairie, TX, wherever that is. Given the size of Texas, it's possible my order might actually be farther away than when it was in Bolingbroke, IL. I'll have to look it up on the Fibber McGee map.

    

    Oops, wrong again. From Olathe to Bolingbroke, IL is about 503 miles. From Olathe to Grand Prairie, TX, is 492 miles. My package is getting closer.

A NEW TYPEWRITER

     It's time for a new typewriter.

    A keyboard NOT connected to the internet. The mechanical typewriter developed slowly over decades. Early typewriters were cumbersome and difficult, but still superior to the quill pen. The IBM Selectric was another vast improvement. Modern lightweight materials could be used to create an even easier to use machine.

    The fonts should be Optical Character Recognition, which would be scannable onto the internet, if later desired.

    Without a typewriter there is no choice, it's all out there, available to be hijacked. Please give us back our privacy. 

IN HIGH REGARD

     A person I used to hold in high regard I no longer hold in high regard. I read your blogs. Almost always commented. I read all your books, actually bought some of them, those the library didn't have. I spoke favorably, admiringly, of you to others. I contributed generously to what appeared to be your favorite cause, which always needs money.

    I was delighted at an opportunity to meet you in person. I gave you a copy of my book, Sidewalk Sale Across America, parts of which mention the skill (yours far better than mine) that we share. Gave you a couple of bookmarks which have the pattern for the Chameleon Scarf, which I accidentally invented.

    Frankly, I expected an acknowledgement in return: a thank-you for the book, a comment on the scarf pattern. What I received was nothing. For all I know both book and bookmarks were thrown in the trash before you left town.

    Well, person with a well-known name, I personally no longer know your name.