New Phone

 I am getting so tired of changes in technology, rearrangement of websites, and always something new.  I guess nobody else goes by the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  Even writing and publishing my blog post is a challenge these days - I just want it to stay the same - easy to learn and easy to use - as it has been for a long while.  What improvement is made by changing things around just for the sake of change?  I'd be interested to hear from people who might like and look forward to the occasional changes.

I'm irritated because I got rid of the phone I had - way too many options for a person who uses their phone to make and receive calls and maybe to text and read messages now and then.  I opted to go back to a flip phone, and my son, Steve, set it up for me last night.  I like the phone, but when I wanted to make a call it wasn't all that straightforward.  I think once I get used to it I will really like it, but I don't recall having a problem with my first cell phone, a Jitterbug, touted as a cell phone for seniors.  That's all I want - a cell phone that works like a telephone - not a secretary to manage my life!  (I even went online and found that there are still regular old-style phones available.  The kind that sit on a desk or table, that many of us grew up with.)  I wish I had thought to look it up before I bought my new cell phone, although it would no doubt take having someone from the phone company come out and install the hook-up. 

I am so sad about the fires burning in the next county over, which is the county I hope to be moving to by the end of this year.  I can probably assume that the move-in date will be delayed - the folks who are working on the house might not want to go into all that smoke filled area.  The fire isn't to our new neighborhood yet, but the smoke is likely unhealthy to say the least.  Planes (tankers, I think) are constantly flying over my current house, no doubt carrying fire retardant, and the skies are hazy even here, about 30+ miles away.

The area burning right now is a special part of California, and the terrain, flora and fauna are beautiful.  Or at least they were - before this fire.  All my kids spent a week with their 5th grade class at a place called "Sly Park".  It was so special, and they learned much about the geology, geography, plants and animals, and the ecology of the area.  It has been a "rite of passage" for kids in the Sacramento area, and no doubt other areas of the state.  Now, I doubt if it will be replaced any time soon, if ever.

The stack of boxes in my living room has steadily been reduced - mostly because Jeannie has been advertising and selling a lot of small appliances and things from their old home.  She mostly does that on weekends, so nothing moves very quickly.  I grew up as the oldest in a large family (8 kids), and had 4 kids of my own; I have never been a stickler for a
"model home look".  Chaos has always been more of my style.  But I have had to look in the other direction many times in the past 4-6 weeks, as I know this chaos will pass.  I'm glad I've been able to "go with the flow" throughout my life, even though sometimes it felt like the chaos was going a bit too far and too fast!   And now this fire has caused me a lot of stress about the future move, but I feel guilty even thinking that.  The people who have had to leave their homes are the ones with a lot of stress!  My heart goes out to them, and to the precious wildlife who have lost their habitat, and even their lives.