I'll be back soon with fibers and photos. First, though, I've had a bit of a new learning curve, by choice, to deal with.
It started with a phone call from the Raptor Education Group (REGI) in Antigo, asking if I could check on an eagle that was down. In that phone conversation came the request that if I would be driving down with the eagle, could I call as they could probably meet me part-way. Call??? I no longer had a working cell phone.
A couple days after the call from REGI, I stopped in to look at Verizon cell phones, wanting one that would be good for a couple years. That day, after years of very basic cell phones, I bought a new Verizon Thunderbolt HTC. I've picked up the basics of my new phone, and am also sure there is a lot to learn yet. I also signed up for wireless internet, and though there is a limit on the amount of data I am allowed per month on my computer, I am enjoying something faster than dial-up!
I also decided to purchase a new laptop computer as my desktop computer is seven years old. I'd asked for Microsoft Office (home edition), and am finding the new Microsoft Word more challenging than the old version in my desktop computer. I haven't yet peeked at Excel, Power Point, and anything else that might be there. One step at a time.
I've had a landline since moving up here, and dial-up internet for 16 years or so. Homes less than five minutes from where I live have had high speed internet for years, and for years, I've begged Frontier (and before them, Verizon) to make high speed internet available here. Each time, they declined. In one week, I'll be calling Frontier to end my relationship with them.
The outcome of all this? I have a cell phone again, about to be my only phone. The phone has unlmited data internet access so I can use it to check Facebook, Twitter, news, etc. This allows me to save the computer internet data limit for things I need to do or research on a computer. Camera and video capabilities are also nice to have on-the-go.
Bonuses of the new phone, laptop, and faster internet speed? I am spending far less time on the computer (no waiting long periods or going off to do other tasks while waiting for pages to load in), which will give me more time for weaving, making socks, and working on the house. The new software opens up all kinds of possibilities.
I'm starting to think about weaving software, and considering WeavePoint. Any opinions?
P.S. What happened to the eagle? When I arrived, despite a slightly injured wing, likely due to collision with a car, it flew up to a tree. I observed it from 10 AM to nearly 1 PM that day. Checking in on it again the next day at 1:10 PM, it was still sitting on the same branch. At 3 PM, it was gone. I searched nearby trees and the ground, but did not see it again. I wish it well. As a result of that call, the Raptor Education Group has a new volunteer driver.
