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Monday, May 13, 2013

Freeze warning



Over the weekend we had a cookout featuring shish kebob, our traditional Memorial Day fare.  We held it in honor of Hazel and Tony, who will be leaving this week. I think we counted seventeen in the house, including my friend Linda, who’s generally up for a picnic.  The operative phrase is in the house. In spite of the new picnic table on the deck it was not warm enough for anyone to go outside.  Even the children worked up minimum enthusiasm for throwing a football in the late afternoon sunshine.

Linda produced her new phone to get some advice.  Rather like hiring on at a job and everyone else is an “old employee,” even if they started the day before.  Not even a year ago I was a flip phoner, just like her.  But I’ve had a smart phone for six or seven months, have six apps that I use regularly out on the home screen, and am the very local expert.  If a grandchild showed me how, I’m pretty good.

Linda has a new phone too, with a slide out keyboard.  She bought it for a reason I don’t recall plus it fits in her pocket holster.  She only makes and receives calls on it; no plan upgrade.  No extra charge because it was the phone that fit the holster.

Later this week I’m going to Indianapolis with her, her roadie for the Broad Ripple Art Fair.  A couple of years ago a severe storm with high winds tore right through the grounds and did severe damage to many artists’ work.  There was no warning except one volunteer who ran through the show shouting “Take cover.”

This year the Indianapolis Museum of Art has offered to send weather tweets to any artist who signs up to receive them.  In case you wonder where this story is headed, we’re on the way.  Linda wanted to know how to tweet.  There was a general consensus her phone could tweet, but nothing was tweet ready, including her plan. Then there is the whole learning curve business.  We seventy year olds take a little longer.

I said for her near future I would download Storm Shield, the weather app endorsed by the major local television station, to my phone.  I did that yesterday, read the directions, entered the local settings, put the phone back in my pocket.  I have to say I was a little disappointed to see I have to tell the app where I am.  Google maps and navigator always know where I am!  And, they were free. But, Thursday I will tell the app I’m in Indianapolis and we’re all set for the weekend.

My phone has several discreet tones to notify me.  A ring for calls, other notes for incoming texts, missed calls, appointments, that stuff.  Early this afternoon there was a new tone from my pocket and before I could retrieve the phone, a man’s voice:  “There is a freeze warning for this zone.  There is a freeze warning for this zone.”

So, I sent Hamilton to bring in the hanging flower basket tonight.  He brought it in Sunday night, too, before the app went into effect.  Local weather included a freeze warning.



24 comments:

  1. so before Monday, you were your own Freeze Warning and it worked!!!
    Hate this new technology..Reason for my current phone #1 I was stranded in Louisville, KY with a dead phone.#2 I only take baby steps. #3, Yes it fit my holster.

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  2. Hubby just draped old sheets all over the veggy patch...asparagus and rhubarb have been long awaited and Mr Frost ain't gonna get them!
    Jane x

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  3. My wife's phone gets weather alerts. Problem is they are sometimes at night. I guess it could be life saver for a tornado. I still am very happy with my low tech flip phone.

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  4. That picture of the hanging plant at the end of your post sure is beautiful! I'd really hate to see it freeze. My friend in Columbus, Oh e-mailed me today that they, too are expecting low temps tonight.. she had to bring in her plants. Seems like a late spring to me.

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  5. The hanging planter is spectacular. I am full of lust for it, and may have to experiment. Later.
    And Linda's rugs look WONDERFUL. I will be over later to browse and drool.
    I hope that the Broad Ripple Art Fair (great name) is free of any calamities this year.

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  6. Well that's a pretty handy little app to have. So glad you saved your planter.

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  7. Frost warnings came our way on Sunday night also and luckily I had my grandchildren to help me bring in about 20+ hanging planters and then cover up all the in the in-ground flowers and veggies. I had worked all week on my gardens and running around and trying to save my plants from a May frost was not something I had thought would happen.

    Good for you for being the electronic guru in your family. I have downloaded about half a dozen apps, but never use them. I should because it looks like that is how people today live their lives. There is an app for everything.

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  8. As a slide-out keyboard phone user, I find this encouraging. Frankly, I'm a bit frightened by the smartphone!

    I'm behind the times, aren't I?

    Pearl

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  9. I have a very simple phone which is enough for me and leave the modern stuff to husband and kids !

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  10. haha i liked this--i have had a smart phone for a couple of years now and am just starting to text on it---i still can't even get my messages---i think i just haven't been that interested in learning how smart it is ;)

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  11. I still have a flip phone, but it is water proof as the first three ended up at the bottom of the fish pond which is four feet deep. Actually did a post on it titled “Really?.....Again?” March 17, 2011

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  12. We just got rid of our snow. Every night is a freeze warning! :) I have a smart phone. But I have discovered that it needs a smart user. Sigh.

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  13. I finally bought a smart phone last month that I like very much. Yours sounds out of this world. Wow, what a gadget!

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  14. All I have is a pay as you go flip phone and I am sorely in need of some advice, are they costly to have with monthly charges? If I have a lap top and a flip phone do I need a smart phone? Those flowers are amazing.

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    1. I wouldn't bother. The service is an extra sixty dollars a month to text and use internet. We're finding lots of clever uses, but nothing we need or don't have otherwise. When I figure out why we do it, I'll let you know.

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  15. Have a good trip. Hope the weather is better than last year. Love that hanging basket

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  16. Your caption under the flowers made me laugh!

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  17. I'd say you are a bold app user. Good for you.

    My sister lives in Columbus. She said the heat has been coming on for the last few days. It was upper 90s here yesterday (San Diego).

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  18. I think I remember that last year. A freeze warning in May! And we are having unprecedented cool weather in May. But they say we are on the verge of our normal May weather.

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  19. While you freeze we're suffering a "heat wave." This freaky weather is breaking high temperature records here and will most certainly drop snow on us as soon as things get into full blossom. I'll have to check out that Storm Shield app. I hope those beautiful flowers survived the freeze.

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  20. Sounds like a useful app - especially in the context of the kind of weather we have had recently.

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  21. I have a smart phone too and know how to use it since my Apple employee spouse and tech savvy daughter have taught me the tricks of the trade. What drives me crazy is that BOTH of them have this private joke between the two of them where they change my ringer tone. I have several ring tones. For my daughter, I usually have Taylor Swift's "The Best Day" and for my partner, I have "Ventura Highway." They think it is HILARIOUS when they change up their ring tones. Liv will change Bing's tone to "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" and Bing will change Liv's to some Justin B song where he repeats the word "baby" over and over again. Sometimes they change their ring tone. Once Bing horrified me by changing hers to the song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails and it came on while I was in a crowded elevator. Listen to the lyrics on this one, if you have a chance. They are extremely raunchy. People were staring at me incredulously. I burst out laughing after I finally found the phone in my purse and stifled the thing. But...good grief.

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  22. I feel like smart phones are the thing that have revolutionized day-to-day behavior more than anything else in my lifetime...so far!

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  23. Dear Joanne, all this technology--whether of computer or phone or tablet--astounds me and I'm extremely S-L-O-W at embracing it and then learning how to use it effectively. I just bought a pedometer, a rather simple aid, and I'm having to consider how to program it. I don't think that age is the problem for me--I'm 77--I think I've always been technologically challenged! I so admire the savoir-faire with which you use your phone? blackberry? what???? Peace.

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