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All this tech stuff is an attempt to rid the world of old folks IMHO. I’ve managed to keep up (and DD still takes my occasional calls for help, although with muffled sighs) but DH is completely lost at sea. One by one, all electronics, even appliances, have become odd, squarish things that only the females in his universe can control.
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My mother wanted only rotary dial and fussed about using a push button phone. When I bought her a simple cordless phone (21 years ago) she refused to use it.
We probably dodged a tech support nightmare.
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"I think if one has not been keeping up continually all along, it is just so much harder to then "jump in" because of the learning curve"

I think this is very true. Being a single person with no kids I could have very easily kept on living without tech in the 90's and beyond, but thankfully I had nephews that needed help with their homework so I was introduced to Windows and Word et al. and have tried to keep somewhat current since then. Even so I dread every update and new technological innovation because I find learning new systems is increasingly nerve wracking.
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Teckwiz, I was PoA for 2 elderly Aunts who live in FL (and one is still alive at 105). I live in MN. Back in the late 90s, early 2000s they had an "e machine" computer which mostly only did emails, and it was great. But then that was supplanted by laptops, etc. They called to ask me what type of computer to then get. I have been an Apple person in my business and personal life. I saw the writing on the wall. I told them to get a PC because I knew they'd be calling me every other minute. Best decision I ever made. My long-suffering cousin in FL has had to help them all these years. Our business purchased our first tower computer, a Mac, in 1989. I don't think that age is the dominant factor in adapting to new technology (but cognitive decline def is). I think if one has not been keeping up continually all along, it is just so much harder to then "jump in" because of the learning curve. Our parent's generation (and some in mine, I'm 65 boomer) still chose to remain tech illiterate. Sometimes it's the cost. I greatly benefited from being in the graphics/marketing business and therefore always needing to use a Mac (and for many years employed a tech person from whom I learned a lot). I still am the "tech help" in our house. It takes a lot of time but I have more of that now. My 95-yr old Mom finally broke her flip phone last year and I opted for a RAZ mobility phone. Looks like a smart phone but I control everything from the app on my own phone. The biggest challenge has been getting her to not grab the phone by the screen and inadvertently "thumb dialing" her contacts. But I can control when those contact buttons are active, so problem solved. Many years ago I gave her my old iPad on which to play games, and she loves it, but still sometimes manages to "break" it. She's called me at 11pm once to come fix it. Nope. A thing that gives me joy is to go to our Apple store and see all the silver-haired tech employees working there.
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My dad is SO technologically disinclined that he makes my mom look like BILL GATES by comparison. Seriously. The man can't even make his own online accounts. My mom is out here downloading apps, using a Fire TV, etc. My dad has a FLIP PHONE.

He didn't even HAVE an online account with Social Security until I made one for him LAST WEEK. He's been on Social Security for EIGHT YEARS!!!!!!! sjfkhkdjhfjhsjkfdhjsdhfjdh My sibling WILL NOT HELP because they 'literally can't deal with him' (their words).

I'm already tired of being tech support and he's only lived near me for a couple of months. UGH. END ME NOW, PLEASE. 😂
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Dang Golden, it’s +9c here. Heavy rain. Our driveway is almost as much water as dirt. Hoping it drains before it freezes.
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Re: spam calls. My favourite is tech support calls. As the person tries to tell me I need tech support, I talk over them and confirm that yes, we do provide tech support. “Windows, Linux or MacOS? Have you been advised of our rates? $99 for the first hour. $50 per hour for subsequent hours. In order to speak to a technical support expert, you must provide a valid credit card number.” (repeat the last line ad nauseum)
Those calls stopped too.
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Peasuep, keep reporting the packages and change your Amazon password. It’s a brushing scam to boost traffic by the vendor. Amazon will boot them.
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minus 20 C = minus 4 F
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cw - I got three more calls this morning but had a workman in the house so was distracted. On the 4th call I said, "I didn't ask for your help, I don't want your help, Stop bothering me." Haven't had a call since. Well not quite true, I just had some garbled something or other I shouldn't have answered. Not sure it even was a language

ana - well done. I like it! One of my techniques is to play the doddery old woman and keep asking them to repeat themselves. I repeat back to them what I "think" they said and ask them to explain, interspersed with, "You said what?" Then I go for the kill and get very assertive and tell them very clearly that I'm not interested and hang up. It gives me some satisfaction.

nacy - ice with snow on top is the worst. Cleats do help.

psue -no unsolicited packages here but lots of packages. Finally getting he little things I want for here. You were very polite to the APFM caller. It will be interesting to get the results of the eval.

Worked something out about the humidity. I didn't close my front door properly so it swung open and I didn't notice for a while. The humidity dropped like a bullet.to 15. There is always cool air coming in under the door. So I rolled up a rug and placed it as a barrier and the humidity started rising. Another Amazon purchase is on it's way - a draft stopper. There are always many small things (and some big ones) to buy when you move.
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Margaret, it’s always fun to get Christmas photo cards of my Australian grandniece in her kiddie pool. I wouldn't want to try to sleep in that heat though! Relentless!

Golden APFM called me too! Maybe I clicked on something I shouldn’t have?
I thought, well, yeah, could be nice to have some help looking for placement until the guy on the other end started asking for personal financial information. I told him “thanks, but I don’t think this relationship I going to work out” and hung up.

Nacy, things went pretty smoothly for the part of the neuro-psyche evaluation I was allowed to sit in on. It was cumbersome in that the doctor would ask DH a question, wait for an answer, then look at me for confirmation or rebuttal. It was a bit uncomfortable. I don’t know how the testing part went but DH said he thinks he failed.
We won’t get his findings for a couple weeks.
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Speaking of scams, is anybody else getting unsolicited packages from Amazon? Got the third one today. I called Amazon after the first one and was told to keep or donate the item. I didn’t bother after the second or third. I assume it’s a holiday phishing scam. Too bad the items are junk.
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Anx: My daughter’s are NEXGRIP Canada. (who doesn’t save a sturdy boot box?) Hubby and I use the strap-on cleats.
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Anxietynacy, I bought boots with flip out spikes in the sole, for my mother and daughter. My daughter says they’re so comfy she wears them from October through April. Hers look like hiking/work boots.

Margaret, a friend in Aus has been lamenting the heat. Wish we could split the difference.
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Anx, I'm in Alice Springs in the dead center of Australia. I've just woken up. It was 86F min all night, and now. We have an overhead fan, but I think we'll need the aircon as well if tonight is like that too.
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We were being bombarded with spam calls with spoofed numbers, at 4 minute intervals from 1pm until 5pm. One day, as I cleaned, I decided I’d answer them all. With my porn star receptionist voice.
“Hello, how may I direct your call?”
”I want speak with (husband’s names).”
”That is not possible. Your name and message please? I’ll have him return your call on the number from which you called.”
”No, no, no! He can’t call me back.”
”Certainly he can. I have your number right here.”
”I must speak with him directly, now.”
”Oh nooooo. (dramatically) NOBODY speaks directly with Mr. -—-!”
Same script, 4 calls in rapid succession. And we haven’t had a single spam call since.
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I hope you remembered to tell them to remove you from their call list Golden!
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send - we had a bunch of them over a few days. Wish I had written them down. You could put out a book of weird telephone conversations, I like yours.

psue -sunshine and warmth on snow can cause real problems. It melts the snow in the pastures and turns it to ice, Then the horses have trouble getting at the grass. Dark I like less, I walk the stairs and the underground parking lot in the cold weather - better than nothing. Sorry about the earring backs and the stink bugs Yuck! No bugs in the condo so far.

Good for you cw and nacy. I've dodged SAD so far but sunshine is always good.

LL - I can sit on my balcony in the sun all wrapped up with a warm cuppa.

Margaret - I wouldn't mind a little of it, but 107 is way too much!!!

Hard to believe but this morning at 8:02 am I got a call to ask if I needed help placing myself or my husband. For the previous couple of hours I had been surfing the web looking at multiple level care facilities in Edmonton. I like to plan ahead. Doesn't hurt be prepared. Who knows with R having prostate cancer which recurred after the first treatment, though he is doing well down with hormone treatment. Also re his severe concussion, I think has affected his behaviour a little.

Anyway, you'll never guess who the call was from.

Yup - A Place for Mom!!!! How did they get my phone number????
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At the moment it’s mid-afternoon here and 107 degrees. Please please come and take away some of our sunshine! You can have the vitamin D as well!
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Found my earring back - In my bra. Glad it wasn’t a stink bug. It is pretty warm in there…..
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Getting some real vitamin D (the sun) is good.
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Losing earring backs.
This morning is #3 lost this week.
We have so many stink bugs looking for a refuge indoors lately that when my earring dropped out of my ear and onto my shoulder I nearly jumped out of my skin!
Cant a girl enjoy a quiet moment with a cup of coffee without a jolt of adrenaline?
Good thing all my jewelry is crap.
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I try to get outside every day no matter what the weather, it really does make a big difference in my mood. Getting off my backside and doing some exercises (especially putting on my playlists and "dancing" to Walk at Home videos) is also an upper.
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I do not miss the snow and low winter temperatures of my old locale. At least there was a ton of sunshine but that brought its own problems in between snow storms - snow, sun, freeze, ice build up, repeat! Lots of homeowner claims in bad years. Of course there weren’t that many bad years out of the 25 we lived there.

Here, it’s rain and occasionally, ice. And it’s DARK. That’s the whine-worthy part.

I’m with Golden and Cw, I’ll stay indoors as much as I can. My cold tolerance has declined over the years. I do have a treadmill for exercise. So far this winter I’ve walked by it several times and said “hi”, usually on the way to the kitchen.
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It is somehow an encouragement to read that others are having crazy conversations with others.

Like this one Golden:
"R called a service number regarding something and was asked his phone number. He gave it and she said. "That's not what I have". He asked what she number she had for him. She said "1 800..." and he broke in and said "That's your number". Silence for a while then, "Oh!"

**

I was calling the City, after several official government agencies denied having jurisdiction over the issue. The City referred me to a number for help. It was the membership organization that I am a member of who directed me to call the agencies responsible.

**

I pay my phone bill by phone. Today, the automated system said to call during business hours. If I did that, payment would be late on Monday.
I called back, and my payment was accepted.

**

So, I am going to count every little positive thing happening in my world.
1. Phone bill got paid.
2. Netflix cancelled my account and will refund the 3 mos. billed in error.
3. Saw the ophthalmologist who removed the tiny things on my inner eyelid,
after living with the irritation for a year. It was his idea, and is taken care of now.
4. There is no snow making my life even more challenging.

Yay!
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Send - 4 months of snow here and I do hunker down.

Ana it must be awesome living out in the bush (if I am right about your home.) There are always lots of thing to do inside. As kids we used to go out and make snow angels. I'd like to do that again as long as there was something near to grab onto to get up. The birds are fortunate to have you cater for them.

nacy - it's like jumping to cold water. All at once. I don't like being out in the cold either. Wrap up warm now.

cw - "if we didn't have to drive in it or shovel it and we could just stay home when the temperature dips too low" That's me! Shop online, get it delivered, have someone to drive you or get an uber when you need to go out. Shovelling is done by someone else. Is it time for you to start looking for an easier living situation?
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I am at my kitchen table and birds are giving me stink eye from the roof of the empty feeder. Our dogs are elderly so their daily walks are strolls. Glad the temp has risen from -11c to -3c.
“Hey, stop looking at me like that! OK OK, I’ll bring out bird seed! Don’t you dare perch over my clean car!”
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Yeah, snow would be fine if we didn't have to drive in it or shovel it and we could just stay home when the temperature dips too low, that could be why our agrarian ancestors loved winter... 🤔
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My favourite season is summer, but, like Golden, I would miss the beauty of snow. I’d rather clean snow than mud from the dogs’ feet. We have a generator and fireplaces. Games, movies, books. And we always have a puzzle on the go by a southwest window. Bonus: we work from home. No white knuckle commute!
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Snow is not all that bad. I would miss it if I lived where there was no snow. It can make the landscape very beautiful and walking on the snowy woods is awesome -so silent. Mind you snow in the wrong places is a real pain,

I had a couple of whines a couple of days ago and have forgotten them. The blessings of getting older lol I guess they weren't that important.

I have just remembered one which illustrates to me the state of "service" pretty well everywhere. When I dropped into the drs office and found out there was a new dr I could see I asked for an appointment. She said drop in any time next week, you don't need one; I thought that was a bit strange but I followed instructions and dropped in Monday only to be told I had to have an appointment! OK Got it!

R called a service number regarding something and was asked his phone number. He gave it and she said. "That's not what I have". He asked what she number she had for him. She said "1 800..." and he broke in and said "That's your number". Silence for a while then, "Oh!"
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