I'll be Leaving on a Jet Plane, but before I go...look

Two of the three of us...at Tubbs Hills
Down the trails, meeting people
secret beach......Sanders Beach????...who cares
Carla..from Florida who is writing a book
another lady and her dog

What a Wonderful DAY

This is the Pub with the great sandwiches....and the cool picture out on the side wall.
Doesn't this look inviting... up close, the cool and nice sunny day
Several boaters enjoying the last of the summers offerings.
The swinging bridge, no problem...
The gals asking about the picture on the outside wall...You will have to check the side for Dogwalking Musing for the story he told....

Well, some one was on Sanders Beach today

How is that Again???

Avista is my electric/gas company.
And they sent in with their bill this
month, a yellow piece of paper.

Now, I know I am up in years, and it
maybe hard to follow spins. But
I surely feel like the pea and nutshell
effect here, in reading this paper.

I guess I should have read the bold
print at the top of the paper and let
it go at that. Because that really is
the bottom line.

"Filing will result in 0.7.% increase
for residential customers and" etc.
What I put in bold is the bottom line.

But wait, if you read the fine print below,
it tells about a sale of Centralia Power Plant,
in the year 2000. And how there has been a
rate credit in place since August of 2000. And
the proceeds will be fully refunded to customers
by Nov. 1, 2006.

You mean my bill has been cheaper for the past
6 years? News to me. How much cheaper..2 cents?
So if I understand all this pea and nutshell business,
they are trying to tell me that all of us customers,
have been getting a cheaper bill for the past 6 years.
And now our free ride is over as the discount has run
out, and we are having our bill raised up 0.70%!!

I am sooooo confused. I understand the words. I
understand the principal. But I don't remember a
rate decrease. Or do they mean they would have
raised it more, had there not been this credit? After
all, I think I remember a raise in rates within this 6
years.

And this is with them telling us for these 6 years,
to turn down your heat, be more efficient with your
gas and electric. Trade off those expensive appliances,
to make your bill cheaper. Save, save, save... for what?

We all read in the papers about the CEO getting
raises. Not the peon people type raises, but huge
raises. Heck, their bonus are more than the average
person gets a year. Way more. Not to count the
shares. And then there is the big amount of money
they give to candidate's each election. Seems the
paying out goes to everyone, BUT the customer.

And I am sure those 1700 who did without electric
last week for several days, are really love this notice.

Speed

I was downloading my virus
protection again, as I goofed
something. I couldn't believe
how fast it downloaded.

1 and half minutes... repeat..
1 and half minute.It took me two flaming
hours last time.

I was always scared the server would
dump me, or cutting off after an hour.
Which it did some times when I was
not using it.

Of course it doesn't when I forget and leave
the dang thing on.. over night.
(this is before, during dial up days)
But less than 2 minutes!!!

Oh, yea, going to like this new fast lane.

But it kinds of reminds me of life. How
we would boil things for half hour. And
now we can't wait the two minutes you
can do in a micro wave. Why is speed,
so addicting.

And we wonder why kids are the "I
want it, and want it now" generation.

Update on my blog of
August 10, 2006
Are the Sandpoint Gods Mad.

The Sandpoint City Council
is going to give the time of day to
the thought of a tunnel at their
meeting tonight ( Wed. 9-27-06)
The city council must be having a
slow meeting, to listen to a person
who doesn't live here yet, probably
isn't a property tax payer yet.

They are going to listen to a man
who is "IN THE PROCESS" of
moving here. The heck with the
last 50 years of discussion!! The
heck with the people who have
lived there all their lives or close
to it.
What part of SANDpoint didn't they get?

How Connected Are We?

With conversations with my cell phone
company today. Knowing how much we
pay each month with the combo of our
home phone. And then of course there is
my computer. I can't believe how much
we pay. And then add on the television.

I can remember way back when, that is
when they first talked about pay TV. I laughed.
I wasn't going to pay for what I got for free thru
the air. They are nuts.

Well, that was all fine and good when we lived
near a big city where an antenna brought in
about 7 or 8 channels. But now I live out
in-between mountains and yes, you can if
the leaves are just right, can get one channel
maybe two if lucky.

So here we sit paying big bucks to watch
15 channels even though the package is for
56. The other channels are selling channels,
sports, and religious. We don't do sports, and
we have our own church, thank you and like to
see first hand any thing we want to buy.

The cell phone is the real attachment. I personally
use mine for long distance on weekends (free minutes)
and to find my husband when we are in Costco,
Sportsman Store, Black Sheep and other big box
stores. It keeps our sanity, and stress down. After
walking the store about 8 times, the seeker is ready
to kill the seekee. Cell phone help keep the spouse
alive and in good humor.

Taking the King's cell phone away would be like
cutting his umbilical cord.

I wonder, how did I ever make it when I was in my
40's. That is just 20 years ago. No satellite TV.
No cell phones, no computers... but I seem to
do quite well.

Languages

There has been the subject of having
English for the American language.
Which in a way,is kind of oxymoron.
As we speak American not English.
And a good share of it is slang American.

Coming from a state that had several mix
languages and people, who came here to
the good old USA and went to school with
out interpreters. The adults went to night
school and learn the language. Kids learn
in school.

Over those years I never notice anyone have
great difficulties after they learn. They took the
time to learn. I give them a lot of credit for going
to classes to learn. Instead of demanding their
new homeland to bend to them.

While new residents of Italian and French were there,
the biggest percentage was Portuguese. Half
of my Portuguese friend's grandparents use both
languages heavily. I never heard any of them
complaining, about how they thought it should be
the companies, signs and etc. print everything in
their languages as well as English.

Now days, there is Spanish, German, French
taught in schools. There will have to be more
as time goes on. Vietnamese, Japanese (which
surprises me that we don't have, with the heavy
trade we do with Japan), Korean and etc.

I was talking to a friend and she said something
that makes sense to me. Why not teach sign
language in all schools. Starting at the 3rd grade.
Reinforced again in high school.

What a great idea. It is an Universal language.
If you can do sign language, you can talk to
anyone... anywhere. And then the plus, of course,
is that you could also talk to the deaf. And
the deaf could have everyone talking to them.

Just a thought.

Sunsets of September 06

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Well, maybe not that fast. And
then there is the machine's speed.
But still waaaaaaaaaaay faster than
what I am use to be. So this just might
be nice.

It will take a bit to get use to. For one,
the biggest so far, is to remember I
don't have to turn off the internet. I
have gone down to do that, so many
times. Old habits are hard to quit.

The next thing was getting my new
address out to all of those who I email.
I decided a couple of days ago, to change
my sites that I visit, to my hotmail address.
as it is such a pain to change. So that
should be easier. And I check my hotmail
more often now. After I got the blog, I would
check every other day. Before, I would be doing
good to remember to do it once a month.

So ....so far this fast lane is going pretty
good. And Phil was right. Going to site,
and have them come up in 3 seconds
instead of 3 minutes is sure nice.

I haven't downloaded anything yet. That
should be great. As I put on a new virus
protector 2 weeks ago. 2 HOURS of downloading.
That was the straw that broke the camels back
and sent me to the fast lane.

Now I will go see how fast this takes
to post.

Changing Internet Lanes

I am going to take the next step up
on Thursday. That is if the good
service installer shows up on time.
Don't you just love it. "He will be there
sometime between 8:30am and 12 noon.
I like life a little more specific. But service
people don't do specific time.

I am going to start life in the fast
lane. Internet speaking that is.
Figured I would spend the extra,
can always go back to dial up, if
it isn't worth the extra.

Which means learning some new
stuff. I hate that. I am a rut person.
I get something down pat, and I
will stick with it. Knowing the
familiar.

So if I don't post tomorrow, it is
because the Mr. Goodwrench of
the high speed internet, didn't get
it all done or what ever.

And that too will be blogable.