We recently bought a water feature, self-contained with an electric pump, that sits on the patio just outside, visible through big sliding windows. It has no on-off switch, so the only way to turn it on would be to go outside and plug it in.
So I got a a smart plug to plug it into. Now, we just say “Alexa, turn on the fountain” and ta-dah! Gurgling water. I thought I was brilliant.
She’s so helpful!
The grandspawn are here. No school for MLK day. SIL has taken the truck to do his dump run. FCD brought my dirt home and he’s hiding in his office. Somewhere along the line, I’ll go check the suitcases in the basement. But for the moment, I’m having some lunch.
I’m not going to join a group walk today, because 5 miles at 32 degrees seems like a good way to be sure I won’t be able to type or write afterward. Also, the sink is now draining, hooray! so I don’t need to pick up a sink plunger this instant.
It does seem that my doc started me on the wrong dose of Mounjaro, but since it’s an injection, all I can do is manage the main side effect, which is throwing up in the evening. I’m going to try hot herbal tea with meals, eating a no-fat dinner, and taking my night pill earlier to see if that helps. I’m not eating a lot, but my stomach is emptying slowly, so I’ll also try soup as a snack.
I think I’ll make a potato and green onion soup, clean a little, and write. I can walk more briefly if it gets sunny and I feel the urge.
We have no voice-activated devices, nor Internet of Things devices. We do have a Roku (not using voice functions, if there are any). I worry about the amount of data that’s scraped and what nefarious purposes it might serve, as well as attacks that might, say, knock out my thermostat or keep me from getting into my car. My lovely wife and I have discussed getting a Clapper for a light or two, but so far timers and darkness-activated night lights in bathrooms and halls have taken care of that need.
for a bit i had a remote controlled light. for some reason this was a plug in pendant light that did not have an on off switch. must be a swedish thing as it was from ikea.
in the days of yore, when internet was dial up, they had remote controlled extension type cords. i found one at k mart! (a k mart!, boy that was long ago. around 2007.) and got it for the pendant light.
as i came home in the winter dark, i would turn the light on from about halfway down the street. it was soooo very fun. one time a young cousin visited and was fascinated by the remote. he had quite the time turning on and off the light all from all over the house.
We have motion-activated lights for the stairwell, the laundry room, and the basement bathroom, plus the garage door opener has a motion detector inside the garage. And we have a few night lights with photo cells so they light up when it gets dark…
But I absolutely do not want a refrigerator that monitors my groceries. That’s just too creepy. And our thermostat is programmable but not via apps - you have to do it on the device itself.
I have a sack of dirt to put in my new planter. Guess I should get to that so I can move the plant back to the foyer and off my counter.
Sounds like you and I will both be running Grandma Basement Schools today. Best work you can get! Great minds are we.
Happy Moonday!
Happy MLK Day!
It is 19, feels like 5, degrees outside and snowing.
We got a delivery this morning and the driver told me the roads are worse than expected. I was surprised to get the delivery. I would have been fine if it had been delayed.
No Alexa here, although there is an Echo dot around here somewhere. It was free with something else I ordered and I’ve never taken it out of the box. I use the remote with my Firestick.
I’ve heard such things can be picked up by the neighbors and I don’t want the neighbors hearing anything we say.
One of my neighbors told me the previous people used to fight a lot and he could hear everything. That would be so embarrassing.
My son and I argue maybe once a year, and we don’t get loud .About the only thing you’d hear from us is me yelling at the dogs to close the door. All three like to stick their head out, one at a time of course, and see what is happening outside. Rayleigh has a bad habit of stopping where the door is resting on his back instead of coming all the way in.
I took a day off from irk today, I want to try to get some stuff done around here. I always say that but very little ever gets done.
I’m not looking forward to having to go out tomorrow.
The snow stopped and the sun is shining
Trash wasn’t picked up last week, or the week before. The can is full, but I have doubts about it being picked up this week. We may have to make a dump run, but I doubt it will be this week. Maybe over the weekend when it warms up a bit. It’s supposed to be in the 40s on Sunday.
This weather is freakin’ crazy.
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 3c/38f with a predicted high of 5c/42f, and mostly cloudy. Weather app says “This fucking weather is like the music from Stain’d. You might as just fucking punch yourself in the face.” It’s cold and grim out there but not quite bad enough to involve self-inflicted injuries!
I have had a busy day, took 'im indoors to the station first thing for his train, came back and got showered etc, sorted the cats out, and had a couple of morning meetings. At lunchtime, I took a longer break and did the grocery shopping, then had some salmon and salad for my lunch (Shadow approved, he got the fish skin and some of the flesh too).
Then I managed an hour of sorting out other people’s issues before I had to sit in on a 2hr dept meeting (minutes are my job there). So now that’s over, I am feeling very stiff since I’ve been in this chair most of the day and haven’t moved much. I am going to log off work next, and then do an hour’s exercise class downstairs in my living room because I need to unstiffen myself. Then it’ll be time to feed the ravening hordes again, and make myself some chicken curry for dinner.
As to the OP, we don’t have any electronic spying devices in the house either. I genuinely can’t think of a use for one. I have a small battery-operated light in the porch that I can turn on when I come home so I can see to unlock the door, and we have an automated light switch thing on the panel that covers the hall and staircase so those lights go on and off at pre-set times. The living room has blackout curtains so even if the light’s on, you wouldn’t be able to see in there either.
Oh, and it’s our recycling collection tomorrow so I need to haul the biiiiiig bin out to the kerb tonight once I’ve finished making dinner.
I’ve never heard such things - I believe you have to deliberately link with another user. Unless your home Wi-Fi isn’t secure. Our Dots are all on our network and without our password, no one else can monitor them. Unless Da Jungle lied! 
Just transplanted the monster peace lily. It was pretty root bound, but it’s now got lots more room to expand.
The pots came in a pack of 2, so I’ve got a spare for something this spring.
OK, off to search for the tote bags again.
News item: school buses aren’t running today. Diesel is not reliable enough in this cold, can turn to a jelly, apparently. Schools are still open for any student who snowshoes in.
I recently bought a bluetooth speaker to use with my phone and kindle.
When I tried to connect it picked up my neighbor’s home security system. I did not go any further than looking at it in complete surprise.
I don’t think my Bluetooth speaker’s that inquisitive :). I’ve only known it to pick up from the devices I’ve specifically paired to it.
I did not try to connect to the system and I don’t know how far along in the process it would have kicked me out.
that is a very big plant!
they are fairly hardy…
Weird. You might want to alert the neighbor to that privacy issue.
Attractive plant!
We do have a digitally programable thermostat that could be smart if only we let it, and an automatic garage light. The new freezer in the garage shines a green spot on the floor so you know it’s functioning. After we paint the house exterior this spring, I’ll put up either low-level motion-activated or dawn-to-dusk porch lighting. If the former, angled so random passers-by and animals don’t set it off. I don’t want to create too much light pollution. I also need to get a couple of dawn-to-dusk path markers. We have a shallow step up in the front walkway that is a tripping hazard.
Yes it seemed weird to me also.
I have an older Android phone that I was using to connect to the speaker and when I was under the Bluetooth settings their system kept coming up along with mini speaker.
I just checked my Bluetooth settings on my current cell phone and the neighbor’s Govee system comes up to pair with my device. It’s probably password protected but I am not messing with it.
I will let them know.
And here I am, talking to my toaster (“Hur! Ry! Up! Some of us are hungry, ya know!”) and reflecting on the very special relationship I have with my vacuum cleaner. (“You suck!”)
I have two Alexas because I got two as Christmas gifts in 2023. I didn’t want one until I was housesitting for son and wife and found myself lying in bed one night, too cosy to get up to get my phone, and wondering, as one does, which country has the highest per capita yogurt consumption. Alexa to the rescue! If I’m kneading dough, it’s nice to be able to ask it (Her? Them?) if whole wheat requires a longer knead than my usual white. Otherwise, I’d have to wash my hands to google it (the epitome of first world problems)
I’m very sleepy because I was kept awake until late by–Oh, you’ve already guessed? You’re right! Apparently SOMEbody wants to get evicted. What’s the deal with these Sunday night parties that rock until the wee hours? And why are there little kids there on a school night? At around 11 PM, one woman was yelling at her little kids in the stairwell. Maybe they didn’t see the BYOB on the invite. Anyway, I emailed the manager. They’re probably closed today, so I won’t hear back.
A friend sent me a book he recently got published. I critiqued an early draft for him, and he incorporated some of my memories, so my name is in the acknowledgements. it’s a good memoir, and he worked very hard on it, so I hope it’s successful.
Obligatory link to classic SNL Alexa for Seniors commercial, even though I think we’ve all seen it.
The only time mine creeped me out was when I was whispering the numbers I was adding up, and unprompted, Alexa whispered, “I can whisper, too!”
Taters, I’m sorry for the loss your mom must be feeling. That’s a rough one. And I’m sorry for your loss, too, even if it’s not a soul-cracking one.
How long are you supposed to refrain?
My inner history teacher blesses and applauds you.
You should find the light less blinding in a few weeks, as your eyes adjust to not having that cataract filter any more. Otherwise, has your vision improved?
What a lush plant, FCM!
Started Typing: 10:29 AM ET
Clicked Reply: 12:49 PM ET
I live alone, and in 2020 I started wondering how I would get help if I ever fell in my house and couldn’t reach/use my phone. After some research about which devices could make phone calls, I got a Google Nest; I had my father and WifeBFF install and configure the required app. My house is small enough that I could put it in the living room and it could hear me from anywhere else (even if I were in the shower with the bathroom door closed; the tub is likely my biggest fall risk). Every now and then I would ask it to play a song that was stuck in my head, but I never started using it for reminders or timers or anything. (I also don’t talk to my phone, or use voice stuff in general.) Then, sometime last summer I learned that the app needed for phone calls had changed. I kept putting off asking Dad/WifeBFF to make the update, and in September I learned that Alexa devices had started offering an Emergency Assist feature – which was what I’d wanted in the first place. Google still didn’t offer anything like it, so I unplugged the Nest and got an Echo Pop. In the past four months, I haven’t used it at all: I haven’t asked it to play any music, and I turned off all of the Amazon notifications/reminders. And, the Emergency Assist feature requires a $60/year subscription. But I’m much happier with this setup: if I ever ask Alexa for help I’ll be immediately connected to an operator who can contact the appropriate emergency service(s), and doing so will also trigger text messages to designated contacts (“Misnomer activated Alexa Emergency Assist”) who can then follow up with me. It’s exactly the safety net I want.
TL;DR - I have an Amazon Echo Pop, but only in case of emergency.
Happily, we wound up getting just a dusting of snow yesterday…wet snow, 'cause it was mixed with freezing rain (and a little hail for a moment), but I was able to move it off my steps/patio/sidewalks with a push broom. I went out shortly after 5:30pm, when all of the prognosticators agreed that the accumulation event was over. Of course, the slushy and wet surfaces froze overnight. I applied a thin layer of ice melter a few hours ago, but it pretty much re-froze immediately. Heh. And I discovered that the ice mats I got two weeks ago are useless: they don’t grip the ice or concrete, and aren’t heavy enough to lie flat on the steps/patio. Oh well; at least they were only $30. But the sun has been out for a couple hours now, and even though temps are low (currently 25°F and not getting much warmer; and, the wind is back) some drying has happened. Ice will be our biggest concern over the next few days, as the daytime highs stay below freezing and the overnight lows dip into single digits.
I finished the Lego X-Wing yesterday! It was a fun build, and went pretty smoothly…except that I got lazy while putting the 3rd wing together and accidentally assembled some parts backwards, which wasn’t obvious but made it impossible to secure the wing to the fighter. It took several frustrated tries for me to realize that some parts simply weren’t lining up correctly, and then another minute to see my mistake. Which I’d made fairly early on in the wing-building process. So, I needed to take almost the entire thing apart again to access/fix my error. 
After that, though, the build went back to being a piece of cake. A picture of the finished set is in my Lego photo album, along with one of it on display in the updated “Lego Corner” (plus a photo of The Globe’s new home). I’m not crazy about it being on the top shelf like that, because I’m only 5’3 and mostly all I can see is the bottom of the fighter, but it doesn’t really fit anywhere else. So, that’s where it will stay for the time being.
Next up is a very small set that will only take 1-2 hours to build: it’s a “gift with purchase” (GWP) from last year called Books Are My Passion. I didn’t really start paying attention to the GWPs* until late last year: I completely missed this one, but have been a little obsessed since I learned about it! 
Last week I ordered it from eBay; it’s supposed to arrive tomorrow. But I don’t know what the next “big” set will be: right now, there’s nothing I want that isn’t either backordered or discontinued. The Trevi Fountain is being released in March as part of the Architecture series: I’ve been there, and I thought about pre-ordering it, but ultimately I’m just not impressed enough with how it looks.
They’re never sold as standalone sets; they’re only available as gifts. And, only for a limited time. GWPs change every few weeks, so if you don’t buy something during the time when a particular GWP is offered the only way to get it later is through Amazon, eBay, Lego trading sites, etc. Most of them aren’t interesting to me, and if I accidentally get one I give it to my “nephew,” but a few have been kind of great: the retro record player, a light-up Halloween pumpkin, a winter holiday train, this set, etc. This will be the second GWP I’ve purchased aftermarket: the other was a holiday tribute to Charles Dickens.
I am Lego-less today – not to be confused with Legolas; I may be short, but I’m no blonde elf – but I think I’ll be able to fill the rest of my day. I have a piano, I recently finished a book and have a new sample on my Kindle to check out, and I have subscriptions to waaay too many streaming services. 
I’d have to let Bailey out, anyway; I’d just grab drinks while already outside with her.
Well, I don’t have any refrigerated food: the only things in my fridge are liquids. All of my cold food is in the freezer, and it would have to be Northern Piper levels of cold here for me to trust frozen stuff outside. But my yard is fenced and my 'hood is pretty safe, so even if I had food out there I’d only have to worry about a few 4-legged bandits.
Glad to hear that you’re recovering apace (if carefully)!
I’ve been a fan of heated seats for many years, but I always thought of heated steering wheels as kind of ridiculous…until I needed to borrow a friend’s car for a few weeks one winter, and it had one. I was instantly converted. I wouldn’t have made a new car decision based on that option, but when I bought my current car I was super happy that it had one!
Awww!
He’s back, ladies and germs… 
Yay, indeed!
Yikes! I don’t suppose you’re willing to stop taking it – and, I guess, effectively waste what you spent on it – until you’re able to see the doc again? That seems like a pretty harsh side effect. Maybe it’ll be super temporary. 
TX SIL sent it after MIL died. I wish she’d just sent a small dish garden. The foyer is absolutely the only place I can keep that beast! I like house plants, but DANG!!!
I found the tote bags - they were in my closet on the lower shelf hidden under the sweaters I had hung above. I had a moment of panic that I might have put them in the donation bags, but WHEW not the case.
Grandspawn are playing in the basement. I suppose I need to go down there and referee.