WE'RE ON YOUTUBE

     Thanks to Maureen Carroll of Anamcara Press several of us are on a YouTube celebration of Poetry Month. Oh, drat, I forgot to copy the YouTube link. I'll have to retrace and get it.

    I read one, no, actually two of my Friendship Fountain poems, one of which was published in the Summer 2023-24 issue of The Write Bridge, with the theme of Solitude and Solidarity.

    Why did I write a poem about a Friendship Fountain?

    Here it is: The Message

A gesture.

A message.

A fountain.

Dancing waters

blessing the air

with moisture.

Sun-worshipping sunflowers,

stalks of golden wheat,

flying birds atop the waters.

A gift from us

to the freedom-seeking

people of Ukraine.

A gesture, a message

the whole world

will understand.

CUSTOMIZED KEYBOARD

    I have to wonder -- Why are not keyboards color customized?

    Recently, I took matters in my own hands.

    In word-processing programs the user should regularly press the 's' key to 'save' the work. Failure to do so can result the loss of previously keyboarded material. Some people's sense of touch is so highly developed they can perform many activities even if blindfolded. I am not one of them. I need the sense of touch amplified by sight.

    A tiny square of red tape placed on the 's' key has helped immensely. In fact, it was so helpful I added a piece of orange tape on the question mark and a piece of green tape on the apostrophe / quote marks.

    I see a whole new business growing out of this concept: LET US CUSTOMIZE YOUR KEYBOARD FOR YOU.

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.