The Old Folks Home

[Wickedchicken6]

The Android phones are using Google for the operating system. The phone manufacturere then adds to it. A Samsung phone will have different apps on it than an LG phone for example. Google does make phones, the nexus and pixel for example and those are straight android.
You could go to Apple iPhones but those are more propietary than google.

We're likely going to move up to the new samsungs when our contract is up. I dislike having to change...but it seems like the phones start getting glitches. They're also supposed to be phasing out some of the choices we have now for plans so we'd like to get on those before the change is made I guess. Haven't looked into it yet. We have two companies that have split the customers of the original company...lol.

 

[bruceha2000]

I bought a $80 solar motion light a few yrs ago and mounted it to the corner of our garage, solar panel on the roof.

Not surprising you had bad performance. For $80 you aren't going to get much of a solar panel nor battery storage.

The good news is that some used electric cars are getting to reasonable prices. The Nissan Leaf is one. I see a lot of them in Woodland and Davis

I wouldn't consider a used one up here in the frozen north. Battery capacity degrades with time. The original Leaf was good for maybe 70 miles in the summer, much less in the winter so a used one would be questionable. They did up the range to about 107 a couple of years ago, again that would be summer, not winter in the cold climates.

I understand the 2018's are supposed to have better range - up to maybe 150 miles. There was a deal between the power company and a local Nissan dealer this summer. $10K off a 2017 LEAF. Obviously trying to empty the lot of old cars. I thought about it but the winter range just doesn't cut it up here. The 230 mile range of the Bolt will push Nissan to move to at least a 200 mile range. The Tesla Model 3 would as well, if you could actually buy one in the next 2 years if you aren't already on the list.

I don't think y'all quite understand the cold and dark we get here. My compost bin and all my piles freeze solid in the winter. I'm off in the woods, so we don't get a lot of sun, anyway, and in the winter the sun is barely above the horizon level. We will see the sun again in mid-February.

My black compost tumbler freezes solid in the winter as well and it isn't shaded at all. You are right, some people just can't quite fathom what cold is up here because they haven't experienced it.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Happy Monday everyone! Only two more days until we get to inflict a food induced coma upon ourselves!

I got on a kick yesterday afternoon and cut out a bunch of squares from old sweatshirts for my almost 10 year old quilt project, made supper, by the way if anybody wants a kick butt Shepard's Pie recipe, 'The Chicken Chick' had one in her regular news letter this week:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2017/11/shepherds-pie-recipe.html
I make Shepard's Pie pretty regularly but mine takes a lot more work than this one does. DH isn't really big on 'new' recipes but he really liked this, went back for seconds, and told me he wouldn't fuss at all if I made this casserole on a regular basis.

Then I worked on my sofa protector project in the evening and watched a few movies as we had a free HBO Cinamax weekend going.

I think the robodeer is funny. When we moved in here we had an incident where a pick up truck stopped on the bridge at the foot of our hill and was shining a spotlight down into the creek bed. We laid in bed and watched them until they started shining the spotlight on our timber and front yard. When they shined the light in our bedroom window, DH announced, that's enough, got up, grabbed his hunting rifle and went outside to the front yard. He stood just holding the rifle in his arms, the business end pointed at the ground and sure enough, it only took about 30 seconds before the poachers hit him with the flood light. It was hysterical. That flood light clicked off immediately, the truck engine revved and they were out of there never to be seen again. Word must have gotten around that the property wasn't occupied by Amish any longer because they never came back. DH came back in, announced that we could go to sleep in peace now and that was the end of it.

Neither of us can tolerate poachers.

I'm really surprised (naive is probably more like it) about the system that's going on. A hunter from a nearby town was telling us about someone discovering a dozen moose hanging in a shed about 4 miles from here. The lady moved and no one's living there. I guess it was good place on a dead road where no one would notice what was going on.

I hope this is a less eventful week as far as hunting. It's been surprising nice...today it's supposed to get to 2 C (35.5F) We're definitely enjoying this weather!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I don't think y'all quite understand the cold and dark we get here. My compost bin and all my piles freeze solid in the winter. I'm off in the woods, so we don't get a lot of sun, anyway, and in the winter the sun is barely above the horizon level. We will see the sun again in mid-February.

I checked the schedule and defied my odds today - I have what looks like enough folks that I won't be going in the clean room - so Deb's necklace, eye makeup and earrings. I had to punch out the left side. Ouch.

Fresh manure can generate 130 degrees and up! Block out the wind and it could possibly thaw your ice.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Just letting everyone know that it's @Cynthia12 birthday today!

The appropriate birthday greeting.

The one I want to send.

 

[bruceha2000]

Happy Birthday @Cynthia12 !!!

 

[bruceha2000]

Fresh manure can generate 130 degrees and up! Block out the wind and it could possibly thaw your ice.

So I need the alpacas to go poop on the compost pile? Of course I would have to move it behind the barn. Not that the chickens would mind. Of course the alpacas don't make a tidy pile. After it gets to a certain height they understandably move along a bit and start a new one. I think the current "active" location is about 50' from where they started a year ago. One long trail of poop slowly degrading.

 

[CapricornFarm]

So I need the alpacas to go poop on the compost pile? Of course I would have to move it behind the barn. Not that the chickens would mind. Of course the alpacas don't make a tidy pile. After it gets to a certain height they understandably move along a bit and start a new one. I think the current "active" location is about 50' from where they started a year ago. One long trail of poop slowly degrading.

Oh those alpacas are so cute!

 

[microchick]

@Cynthia12! Happy Birthday!

As for winters, they are slightly different here than what we were used to in IL.

Here we usually get at least one ice event where we get anywhere from a quarter to a half inch of ice. Then we will get ice and snow then all snow. Usually the worst weather doesn't hit till January. Temps like today are going to be near 60, but it can swing around really fast and have highs in the 20-30s and the lows in the sub zeros. It always seems to be damp in the winter here also, which is probably why Marek's just loves the area. By the end of Feb the temps start to moderate a bit but it can stay chilly here until the of May first of April.

In preparation for the sure to come ice storm, and remembering my crash and burn with a broken rib during the last ice event, DH made 'ice grips' for me on a pair of my old boots:

He used hex head 1/4inch sheet metal screws that he used to use on his motorcycle for winter riding.

 

[chickadoodles]

Can you expand the memory with a microSD card? I have a 64GB card in my phone. But I've filled it with chicken pictures. So I caught another sale and got another 64GB card. It gives more space for apps and running programs if you store your pics and such on a card. I've got a samsung 5. I'm obsolete...lol.

I don't mind the google platform. I do not want an iphone.
(Even though my family are all iphone users and they like to pressure me)

I could but I don't think it would matter they would fill up any size. It's just crazy!
I should be able to stop some of these apps from doing these updates without them turning them back on with their updates. They don't even give us a choice!
It's our phone when we buy it we should be able to get rid of the ones we don't want to use!