Your neck of the woods part 6 1/22/14

I love those Sharries Berries. I got them for our Family Gift Exchange last Christmas and they got passed around for everyone to have a taste. Yum Yum. They are really pretty too - maybe you can show us how to decorate them like that now that you have experience LOL.

Dipping the berries, gather up the leaves and hold the berry by the leaves. Dip into a pot of warm chocolate all the way up to the leaf line, covering the entire berry. This will protect the berry and slow down the ripening process and make the berries stay nicer longer. Dip it into the pot 2X then, touch the tip to the edge of the pot to stop the dripping and lay on it's side on a parchment covered paper. If you are using some kind of sugar that you sprinkle on then you sprinkle each berry as soon as it is dipped. Making swirls (lines across each berry) Get an inexpensive squeeze bottle like the type you use for ketchup, most craft stores have them in the cake decorating isle. Put melted chocolate in that and keep it warm. If you are swirling a different type of chocolate on the berry you do that after the tray is finished just quickly moving the squeeze bottle back and forth quickly and evenly over the whole tray. The trick is to have good flow of the chocolate and keep the bottle moving.
The tuxedo, Dip your berries in white chocolate and give them a minute then dip them on the side holding the leaves and angling the berry do one side on all berries then do the other side. You will create a white V shape in the middle with dark chocolate up both sides looking somewhat like the shirt and front lapels of a tux.

Mark is on the phone w Verizon trying to cancel our TV and possibly our land phone line. He's been on hold for at least a half hour. How annoying. We just do not use cable tv, and the very few phone calls from real people to home phone can be fixed by just telling them to use a cell number.
We've spent more and more on entertainment stuff, services, and devices over the last decade? and its just ridiculous at some level!. We can't possibly consume all this FUN.

You are singing our song Sally, I love Netflix but seriously we don't use it enough and most of what we watch is on the major Network channels. We mostly use the house phone but could easily switch all that to the cell phones. I don't think I am ready to pull the plug on all of it but I doubt it would impact us much if we did.

We've been thinking of the same thing... about the land-line, that is. We only have cable for internet access, so we'd want to keep that, but it would be nice to reduce the phone bill a bit.

speedie--

I am not sure if this is stil around--but years ago, I had land line phone
service by "Pioneer". They were very reasonable--

http://www.pioneertelephone.com/

There were many different links given. I suppose many other businesses are called "pioneer" .
Check it out...go forward with the past...
G.

Land line is hardwired and neexds no electbakup to work. Works when cell doesn't. Phone companies want people to give up their land lines because they can't charge and increase the usage fees like they can do with cable or fiber optic services. once land line gone can't get it back
once land line gone, youu can't get it backCan maintain landline at lowest min for around $10 per mo. My land line will be there after my cable and fiber optic options price themselves far beyond my ability to afford them, Land lines are utilities, and regulated like utilities but cable and fiber optic are 'services' so can charge whatever market will bear and there is no competition or incentive to do otherwise.

One other thing. it is the landline that is connected to 911 not cell/GPS.

JUdy---all good points!

My DD and I often have an argument about the phone I still use in my BR.
It is the old phone--with the big hand-held receiver. I always want to keep it,
as I tell my DD that it is a "land line" and will work whenever the others loose connections.

Her argument is that ALL the phones in my house are connected to the same line.
I KNOW that if we loose power--this phone will work...hard to say, though,
as we have hardly ever lost power here--pour lines are underground.

What do you think? How is this phone connected? It is plugged into one of
those round, 4-hole connectors. You can make it out on the wall next to the phone.

Here is my BR phone...

The base unit for our cordless phone requires power from an electrical outlet as well as a telephone connection, so if the power is out, so is our phone. I have an "old fashioned" phone stuffed into my bedside table for the same reason... but mine is shaped like a frog. :-)

If it's got a wire all the way to the wall it will work with no power. We also have an old alarm clock phone that works with no power other than the very low level in the phone line.

So? Is that think my phone is plugged into the "wire"?

Does that make it a "land line"?
I need to clarify this in case my DD tells me different--again.
G,

Yes Gita, that looks like a land line phone to me. There are probably several other places in your home where you can plug in that same phone in the same kind of outlet. I have seven in my house. I get one bill from Verizon for my land line and a separate bill from Verizon Wireless for my cell phone. My landline # is in the telephone book and I can call 'information' to look it up by my name and address. It is what I enter as my home phone # on forms and applications and I've had it ever since I moved into my house 36 years ago!

There is no extra charge for this phone--as far as I know...
I have the Comcast "bundle"--Internet--phone--and TV.
I pay about $129/month for all that.

Yes--there are other places in my house that have this plug--as for YEARS--
that is all we had...just land line phones. The last Co. I was with was "Pioneer"--
as I mentioned above.
I have a T-Mobile cell phone that I never use--well, almost never.
It carries a bunch of minutes on it--which I will never ever use up.

Once a year--I have to go to a T-Mobile place to add minutes...which I don't need-
but if I don't do this--I will lose all the minutes that i have.
So--for $10--I add 30 minutes and I'm good for another year.
About 450 or so minutes just 'ride" the innards"--I never will use them up.
I have NO Smart Phone--NO I-pod--No Face Book--NO Twitter--nothing.....

I am SO behind everything--and I don't care and I don't need it.
What I have works for me. Don't miss what I don't have...
G.

So, our home phones can be served by 'land lines' where the signal is carried physically in three ways ie thru 1) telephone company wires or 2) cable company cable or 3) fiber optic cable. Of these only the telephone co wires do not go out when power goes out as their power is supplied by telephone company. Cable and fiber optic cable can go out if power goes out and the battery backup installed in each home when cable or fiber optic installed, runs out (typically 8 hours).
Generally when people speak of 'keeping your landline' they mean the original telephone line from the telephone company (copper wire) not either cable service wired connection, which are 'landed' as opposed to mobile or 'wired' as opposed to 'wireless'.
When Gita left Pioneer phone service and obtained phone service bundled with TV and internet via cable she left her tele co copper wired landline connection.
It is the traditional copper wired telephone service that I advocate keeping.

I'm gonna bet a nickel that the original copper stayed there and is functional up to the box on the outside where it joins. We were told that when questioning whether our phone is working inside the house, or is broken in the outside transmission to the house, take an old phone and plug it into a jack you will find in or under that box. Of course, this may not be a handy thing to do when trying to call 911...

I am still confused----nothing new......:o(

SO--my phone in the BR--plugged into that round thing with the 4 holes--
is--or is not-- a land line?

Judy when you said--
"When Gita left Pioneer phone service and obtained phone service bundled with TV and internet via cable she left her tele co copper wired landline connection."

Did you mean I "left it" as in kept it-------OR--did you mean I "left it" as departed from it?


I remember when we still had DSL--each of the phones we had had a tiny box,
they have us, that had to be plugged in between the phone cord and the wall outlet.
When I signed up for Comcast--these tiny boxes were removed--no longer needed...

Just FYI--for whatever it is worth... G.

Gita, whatever copper wire phone service you had is Not In Service and has been switched off at main telephone co switching operations.

Whether a copper phone line still runs to your house I do not know. but the incoming copper wire if remaining is not active as Sally surmises even at the service box at your house.

Whether or not you could reactivate your now 'out of service' copper line to your house instead of cable or in addition to cable phone service may be quite difficult since companies are trying to move away from copper wire based phone service by the end of this decade.

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/09/telephone_companies_abandon_copper_phone_lines_ap/

Gita, the phone in your bedroom is served by a cable landline (as opposed to wireless) but not the traditional coper wired landline in use since 1877! In short there are three forms of 'landlines' for telephone service: copper wired, cable. fiber optic.

Judy, you're such a patient and thorough person. Even I understand it now!

It is critter's birthday today!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1350773/

we've started season 2 House of Cards.
WHOA nellie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok---------------i HAVE READ ABOUT IT AND HEARD ABOUT IT---(oops..capitals.)..
When is this show on and on what channel?

Is it a regular show--or one you need special rates on to watch?
I have cable basic--sort of...not BASIC--but one level above that...

I cannot get the Geographic nor all these movies....NO net Flix!
G.

sorry it is Netflix

My BIL bought the 1st season DVD box set. During last week's snow storm, I did a marathon House of Cards watching. I enjoyed it, and it was kind of neat watching every episode straight through. We don't have FIOS or cable where I live, so streaming from Netflix for the 2nd season episodes is cost prohibitive with my Verizon hot spot useage constraints. Is it too soon for the 2nd season DVD box set to be out for sale?

I finished my latest Stain Glass Panel last night. I am so pleased with it pics will follow when I have it hung up.

Holly, I can't wait to see it. I don't remember - are you taking classes or did you just jump in DIY?

One of my favorite projects was designing a stained glass peacock panel for an antique book case. I searched the internet for a peacock design that I liked, and then worked with a stained glass artist to pick out all the glass. I didn't have the expertise to make it myself, but ever since that project, taking classes is on my "to do wish list" for retirement. Remind me to show you the panel when you come for the Spring Swap.

House of Cards Season 2 just started streaming last week, I don't know what the strategy is for selling the DVDs.

Love to see all the stained glass- special and beautiful, but some thing I don't see myself ever getting into.

Ric and I took a couple of beginner classes several years ago and recently I have started back taking classes. I find it very relaxing, really the glass isn't breaking where I want it to and the solder isn't laying down the way I want and it is still relaxing. Ric just got out of bed minutes ago and I already have him down in the barn looking for hooks to hang it. LOL
We are heading out to a local Flower Show tonight. Hopefully I will have some pics to share with you all tomorrow.

I bet that panel is just beautiful and I am looking forward to seeing it.
Here is my small panel, it is about 10 X 12, 25 pieces and finished with copper.

Not sure why that turned sideways. Will have to try to repost it. Ric said he rushed down to the barn to get the screws and help me hang it because he knows me so well and there would be no peace for him till it was up. He is now enjoying his morning coffee. LOL

Holly, that is really pretty. I used the same kind of textured look clear glass in my peacock panel. Where did you get Ric to hang it, and why oh why can't I get the same reaction from Mike LOL? He actually doesn't care if he has no peace when I repeatedly ask for his help with something - he just tunes me out hmpppppp... Case in point, my Christmas present bench and bird bath for the turtle garden are still sitting in the parking area up by the house and that kitchen renovation has been dragging on for 3+ years...

Teri, You have no idea how she whines, like fingernails on a chalkboard.ROTF

I'll set up your bench and birdbath when we come for the swap, I can probably get the Deadhead to help me. LOL unless you want us to come down the week before.

LOL There are many many unfinished projects and I have waited years for somethings to get done. I have learned it is all about timing and set up. Sometimes I gather up all the things to do the job and then lay in wait for just the right moment. Quite often I start something myself and then drag him into it. Then there is the whining like nails on a chalk board. LOL
I know that bench will be in place for the swap, he will have everything all spiffy for you. I know that when Ric and I host a swap or garden tour we pull out all the stops to get as much finished as we can.

Ok, ok, now I don't feel so bad... fingernails on a chalkboard, did that actually come out of Ric's mouth ROTFLOL??? Mike's favorite response to me is "You are a pain in the @ss" - I'm thinking about having it put on my headstone as a term of endearment....

I have another tactic that works once in a while. I start something without asking for his help, and then when he is nearby and can see me, I pretend that I am screwing it up - he can't help stepping in and showing how it is SUPPOSED to be done, voila. Like I said, that tactic only works once in a while - usually he continues on his merry way getting his bowl of ice cream, belching, scratching - you know, the IMPORTANT things - without a second glance in my direction LOL.

This message was edited Feb 21, 2014 10:03 AM

ROFLOL, Yeah, They are just "Guys" after all. Loveable but...........
I have it hanging in the Living room in the 4ft fixed frame window just about eye level. It doesn't block the view of the gardens or feeders when I am sitting. I am looking forward for a really sunny day to see how it looks then.

Lovely, Holly!!
wow all that snow, ours is melting super fast today

Holly, the framed stained glass is really pretty.

Terri, you're really funny!!

Stunning Iris panel! The clear glass looks like a frozen lake, or a rippling breeze. I love the texture of "glue-chip" glass, too, very similar.

Struggling a bit here to get back on top of things... seems like we were all sick for at least a month and still fatigued from it but trying to get back to what passes for "normal" around here! Just as well we had a weather delay of the seed swap party, perhaps, although I don't know I'll be that much more prepared by next week LOL.

Unfinished projects... boy oh boy... too many of those around here to even shake a stick at!

Hehehe, Terri.

Beautiful stained glass Holly!