Monday, January 20, 2020

Can't even snow right

It rained not too long ago. It sounded like wet, cold bad news, and it was. 



For the first time since the bus accident, I felt like knitting. I think because I looked down and saw my sock toe needed repair, sooner than later, I felt sock darning coming over me. I only do that in front of the TV, and I still won't pay forty dollars a month to watch HGTV and knit and darn socks.

I can't blame it on Google, it's more like the mind of Chrome. I truly do not understand how alternate programming works. I googled, of course, and got a chart comparing Netflix and Hulu and other unimportant things. Ever since, little nibbles for Hulu and Netflix have been floating by. When I had Netflix for Laura, it was ten dollars a month. Now it's eight ninety five. I bought it.

Then I was dead in the water for several days because I could not get down and plug in the power bar.

In the meantime, that rain turned into slush, and kept on and on until it turned into snow, and kept on and on, all day Saturday and half of Sunday.



In the meantime, my friend Linda, who's getting a new knee on Thursday, called me Sunday, after church. Some time ago she was given a list of equipment to purchase. I recommended she purchase nothing. It was the same list I followed when I broke my foot, leg and shoulder, one, two, three. She was welcome to come shopping in my shed for anything she wanted to borrow.



But my deck was in no shape for trodding, and I called Donny. No answer. No service. That man has a new phone weekly, but never gets around to telling customers the new number. So I went out, grabbed a snow shovel and attempted to move the layer of snow and ice. Nothing happened. Head down, shoulders hunched, I tried and tried and tried.

Then a young man I had not seen approaching said "Can I help you?"



He cleaned this frozen slush mess from the deck, the steps, the car. He pulled up both wipers. I went out with some bills rolled up and asked him to take them "No, no. I'm just paying it forward." And I put it in his jacket pocket and told him I was paying it forward too, to his truck down the road.

And all went off that day. Nancy borrowed my walker and other things, and her husband plugged in my power bar.

And come evening, I sat down to investigate Netflix. I couldn't get off the Roku screen, which is my streaming device. Don't ask me.
 I called Netflix, and after following some button pushing instructions, the technician said "Perhaps your Roku remote needs new batteries." A job for the next day, today.

I looked out this morning at four new inches of snow. I took a shower.



I ate breakfast. I put on clothes to go out and shovel snow, as I did not get Joseph's number.


I opened the door and a slip of paper blew in from the screen door.


And so, I spent my morning weaving, went to cards, lost happily, stopped at the hardware store and bought salt and triple A batteries for the Roku transmitter.

I started watching Grace and Frankie. I made myself quit! My knitting is in another room, and I need to figure out how Netflix works, and then I'll watch it. Thirty days for free. WooHoo.

44 comments:

  1. Well you're technically more astute that I am. We have really expensive cable and a smart television. Roku, Netflix, all of it elude me. So, I watch whatever is on cable. I'm too cheap to pay for HBO.

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  2. I just got NETFLIX too, I am sorry, not sorry- so much good stuff to watch, Right now I am stuck into a Norwegian thriller based on climate change.

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  3. If you're going to watch something, Grace and Frankie is a great choice. I just finished watching the new season (we just got the latest one on our Canadian Netflix which is different than yours). I have no doubt you will get it all figured out - if you can figure out that loom of yours, you can figure out Netflix. -Jenn

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    1. I need to understand how to get back to season one. Sounds like another phone call to Netflix. I just hate experimenting around for things someone can explain to me in a minute!

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    2. Wouldn't it just be a matter of calling up the menu and scrolling back through the seasons to the first one?

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  4. This post just fills my heart right up, Joanne. I'm glad you've found a reliable snow clearing person, and he sounds like a good and kind person on top of all that. And how wonderful to share your equipment. Kindness makes the world go round much more satisfactorily than all that other crap ever will, lol

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    1. I bought e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. back then, in a bid to be sprung from rehab. I'm glad to have it now. May I never need it again.

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  5. I hope Grace and Frankie have a good season. I think last season was poor, but that’s probably just me.

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    1. It's not just you. I agree with you Anvilcloud. Last season was not near as enjoyable to me as the other seasons had been. I thought that the musical show parts of the episodes really took too much time away from what was going on with Grace and Frankie.

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  6. My free Netflix ends tomorrow and I haven't watched the new season of Grace and Frankie yet! We ended up watching The Irishman through the snowstorm.

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  7. Great to find a help when needed and to give when needed too.
    Rain, slush , snow.. treacherous underfoot..take care xx

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  8. I love my Roku but lately I have been having problems changing channels. Maybe it is the battery in my remote. I will try that.

    You will enjoy Grace and Frankie. The first four or so seasons were hysterical and I laughed so hard. Last year was a disappointment and this season was more about the guys and the Grace and Frankie part was more serious than funny. Lily Tomlin is fabulous and I want her wardrobe.

    I am glad to read that Joe, your knight in shining armor, came back to shovel you out. We had that ice p/snowstorm on Saturday and our roads were very dangerous. It was a Netflix day for me.l

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  9. What a nice young man. To know that he helpoed with your snow and ice and did not expect money for it is so refreshing.

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  10. I don't have Roku and when I had Netflix I just downloaded the app on my phone and watch it that way (didn't craft at the same time like you are doing which is a wise thing on your part). I think it is a bargain at its price if you find things to watch. We have Amazon Prime too and something had to be cut with budgets so Netflix went (temporarily I hope :)

    Stay safe in the snow and ice!

    betty

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  11. Your days sound really busy! But it is always great to have someone volunteer to help!

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  12. your recounting was as entertaining as anything on TV!!! I'm getting a haircut tomorrow and my husband is doing laundry so nothing entertaining here in KC...

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  13. This is a lovely heart-warming post. Thank you and Joseph.

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  14. Hari OM
    Love that there was help where you needed it and that your determination did the rest! I don't do any of those subscription things. Just our good old BBC and then the You Tube rent by view service. Am loving that! YAM xx

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  15. Hooray for snow shovellers who come by in the nick of time. I don't have Netflix, on purpose. My daughter offered to let me use her password, but I still said no. I know that once I start, I will never leave my chair and that's not a good thing.

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  16. Seems like things are working out despite themselves! There's a lot of good stuff on Netflix.

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  17. You really have had some messy weather! I am so glad you found a nice young man to shovel for you. You don't see people like that everyday.

    We cut cable when we retired but we now have Sling TV along with Netflix and a Roku. Sling is $30 a month but we get a lot of channels including HGTV and History both of which I love.

    I hope we get to see what you are going to be knitting!

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  18. You had a very productive day despite the weather. So glad that young man came along and that you were able to lend your friend the equipment. I'm glad you are feeling up to knitting again. I usually feel like that in dead of winter but so far this year I haven't had the urge.

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  19. I darn my socks while I watch tv. They get darned with the wrong colour wool, but who cares, nobody sees them.

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  20. I won't watch anything except BBC and other free air channels, and if they go then I won't watch anything.

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    1. 'They' are talking of scrapping the licence fee, so we will probably have to pay for everything in the future.

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  21. Three times we have used Netflix. Twice using someone else's account and once on the free trial - also under someone else's name. I think you can have about 6 or 7 guests on your Netflix account, so if you really want to watch it, maybe find a kind person somewhere in the country that pays for it?

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  22. There are good people in this world, and sometimes we are lucky enough to meet them. Bravo, Joe!

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  23. What a good young man. You’ll have to get his number next you see him.

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  24. Joanne- you are the essence of strong womanhood in my eyes. I doubt seriously I could deal with the ice and snow the way you do. And your ability to deal with technology really impresses me. Don't worry about calling Netflix. Just do it. Trust me- they answer all kinds of questions and it's not theirs to judge.

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    1. If there were someone in this house to do it, I would give up everything. Mr. Cat, he don't say nothin'.

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  25. I also refuse to pay for cable or dish. Well, I would get one or the other IF they'd charge me only for the channels I really want - not interested in religious, shopping, sports, 80-dozen news, how-to, etc channels. But, it's all or none. So, none it is.

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  26. Grandgirl installed Roku for me as I had no concept of where such things fitted on the back of my screen. Netflix was a standalone and now I access it through Roku and it is much easier, far less buttons. I have it for Acorn as I love the British stuff. $80 for the year which to me is so cheap. I don't have cable TV threw it out 30 years ago and never missed it. The commercials drove me mad.So streaming is a bonus.
    I admire your knitting and watching, I used to do that and find I need the CC now so can't read and knit, darn.

    XO
    WWW

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  27. my daughter tells me that she is going to install some kind of device on out TV so that we can get Netflix, etc and use her accounts. right now she's busy getting her house packed up as they are moving come hell or high water at the end of the month into their new house out here whether the electricity is hooked up or not. I never learned to knit or darn. don't much care about the knitting but I would like to know how to darn.

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    1. I knit wool socks for Ann and her kennel crew. Ann used to weave for me. So, they began developing holes in their socks, especially inside their wellies. She asked if I could fix them. I said "Ann, darning is weaving." "Oh! Could you fix them anyway?" I did.

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  28. I know that for people who live in places where it snows, it is difficult to put up with it. But I saw snow for the first time in my life last year, and I was amazed. It is awesome! So beautiful...

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  29. How nice of the anonymous young man, helping you to clear the snow. Not something we oldies should be doing, as snow-clearing is actually very strenuous and not good for the heart.

    We don't bother with Netflix. We're happy with all the programmes Sky gives us access to.

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  30. That was nice of that guy to clear your snow, and nice of you to pay him. I hope you stay warm with all that snow. It's cold here in the UK but no snow yet I'm glad to say.

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  31. Thank goodness for people like Joe. As for Netflix, we get it through our son. I watch Grace and Frankie and Anne with an E. New seasons for them both. We also have Hulu and Acorn. Acorn is my favorite and only $5 a month.

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  32. What a dear boy/man! My son did that for some elderly neighbors. I was surprised and happy.

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  33. Dear Joanne, Joe truly renews one's faith in human kind, just as the young man did in the grocery store whom I met. (I told his story in my most recent posting.) What a blessing. Peace.

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  34. Watching TV via antenna is great, no excess channels I never watch and don't want, and it's free.

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  35. Look up how to get Netflix to work online. Mine is through a Firestick (Amazon) When you figure it out watch God Knows Where I Am. It is a documentary. Good. But kinda sad!

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