So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight

Illustration from Pinterest

In the words from a song from one of my favorite movies of all time:

So long, farewell,
Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight.
Adieu, adieu
To you and you and you.

I'm usually not the best with goodbyes. But I will gladly say goodbye in any language to my long-time satellite internet provider, HughesNet. I've been a customer since April 2007. But I am so happy to say:

Au revoir (French)
Sayonara (Japanese)
Adios (Spanish)
Zai jian (Mandarin) 
Ciao (Italian)  
You're outta here! (Kim)

Golden Belt Telephone installed internet here on the County Line a week ago. I kept my HughesNet account open, just to make sure I was going to get quality service from GBT. I had planned to keep both active for a month because I have a 30-day trial period with GBT. 

They were honest. I'm within their service area "as the crow flies," but I'm on the outer limits. Plus, my house is smack dab in the middle of plenty of trees. It's great for reducing the heating and cooling bill. It's not so great for satellite internet. 

But, using a phrase from another song from a musical, "Wonder of wonder, miracles of miracles," the connection is faster with GBT.

So, yesterday, I called HughesNet to cancel. And for the umpteenth time, I was told that only the "account holder" could cancel the account. I have been around and around with them on this issue. I've been assured repeatedly that I am listed as an account holder. But, when it comes down to it, only the "man of the house" could cancel the internet.  

It doesn't matter that 99.9 percent of the internet usage is mine. It doesn't matter that I've been the caller when we've had problems or equipment upgrades (and given them more money, by the way). It doesn't matter that Randy has told them repeatedly that I am the authorized user on the account. It doesn't matter that we use a joint checking account to pay the bill. 

I was the one who called them repeatedly for the month we were without internet this summer. I was the one who drove to the Hutchinson Public Library and to my parents and to our church to get on the internet so I could do my job. 

I called again at noon when Randy came in for dinner. For the second time, I tried to cancel it myself. But it took Randy getting on the phone line to get it done. They wanted to send a technician out. They wanted to offer me a discount. And it gave me great satisfaction to tell them I would have welcomed a technician to quickly appear anytime during that month-long hiatus from service this summer. 

Nope. I'm done. Finis. Kaput. 

With Golden Belt, I have a Kansas number I can call if I have a problem. They actually speak English as their first language. They assured me that I will never be without internet for a month. Each of the three people I've dealt with so far have been friendly and prompt.

And best of all: I am the account holder. (So is Randy, but I can guarantee GBT that I'll be the one they'll deal with. And he's first to admit that.)

Hello, GBT! Welcome to my home!

Ta-Da! It's a Beautiful Day!

I started yesterday morning outside at my sunrise tree, watching the night transition to day with wisps of pink thread streaking the sky above the horizon. I imagined a heavenly chorus of angels, elegantly rustling their wings, and whispering, "Ta-da! It's a beautiful day!"

I certainly hoped it would turn out to be. After two long, LONG weeks, the satellite internet repairman was supposed to arrive on the County Line. I hoped it would signal the end to my exile from easy access to online news (which I need for my job, by the way). I hoped I would be able to blog in my PJs in the comfort of my own home office instead of driving 15, 35 or 45 minutes to use someone else's internet connection.

I tried not to get my hopes up, but the magnificent sky seemed a good omen. The sky was pretty from all angles, even as I looked west opposite the brilliant sunrise, across a neighbor's field with CRP grasses neatly baled. I hoped the technician would have his truck neatly packed in every nook and cranny, too, prepared for every eventuality for repair. He was coming from Wichita, so it's not like he could just run back to his shop for a forgotten screw or something.

I know I should just be grateful that I can get internet here on the farm. It's certainly better than the dial-up access I had for years. But I'm frustrated in my lack of options. After multiple phone calls and at least 10 "case numbers" from Hughesnet, my satellite internet provider, I was ready to try something, ANYTHING, else. A repairman had to come from Wichita? Surely there was someone closer?

I polled other farmers' wives on a Facebook group to which I belong. Surely these other country dwellers would have ideas. And they did. But none of them served the Stafford/Reno County line of Kansas, America.

I was stuck. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. And, you'll notice, I didn't say I waited patiently because that is not my nature. But I made do with trips to my parents, to the church and to the Hutchinson Public Library to access their internet.

The last time I was without internet for an extended period,  I didn't have a smart phone. This time, at least, I could check and respond (briefly) to emails and keep up with Facebook. So it could have been worse.

Lo and behold, the repairman didn't even get lost. He showed up early. He found moisture inside my outside receiver and replaced the parts. He told me he hoped that would be the last I'd see of him for awhile. And though he was very nice, I told him that I hoped I wouldn't become his best friend either. He drove off to save other poor people who (I assume) had been waiting forever to have their internet fixed, too.

So, what have I learned? Well, if I'm honest, probably not patience. But I am thinking that I don't have to blog five days a week. If I want to, fine. If I don't, that's OK, too. I've learned that even though I pay for the absolute best service Hughesnet provides, it's still not very fast when compared to internet in town.

 

I ended the day as I began it, watching the expanse of Kansas sky just beyond the trees that surround my rural home - no internet required.

And though I might long for speedy internet or a quick dash into the grocery store for a forgotten ingredient instead of a 15-minute trip, I am grateful for this beautiful place I call home.

(Especially now that I've got internet - sad but true!)

It's a Small, Small World

Photo by Leowang1995, posted in Wikipedia

When I was in fifth grade, my family went to Disneyland during Christmas break. I distinctly remember riding the boats in the "It's A Small World" attraction. The characters from around the world twirled and sang one of those songs that just gets stuck in your head:

 It's a world of laughter, a world of tears

It's a world of hopes and a world of fears
There's so much that we share that it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all

There is just one moon and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to everyone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small world after all ...

 I've been having the same feeling lately as random emails have arrived in my in-box. Here's one:

Hello! I saw the photo of the girl on a fence, overlooking a paddock. She wears pink, shiny, fringed chaps. My 4-year old granddaughter Charlotte is more horse-crazy than I was at that age.

I absolutely need to get a pair of those chaps for her. I've surfed thru so many sites and can't find them. Do you know from where those chaps can be purchased?

Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you!

I thought I recognized the little girl, but the blog post about the Stafford Rodeo was from July 2010. So I did a little detective work, and yes, I had the right Stafford family. I used Facebook to message our cowgirl's mama, who just happened to still have the chaps. Long story short (or at least shorter than the 11 emails it took), the mom sold the chaps to the grandma and they were soon on their way to Duluth, Minnesota, to make another little cowgirl happy. Don't you love happy endings? I do!

CJ, the chap purchaser, lives just six blocks from Lake Superior and has four grown children, eight grandchildren and one great grandson. I'm now her Facebook friend, too.

My next out-of-the-ordinary blog reader was half a world away - Nitin, a farmer in India. He wrote:

Hi

I think your blog is awesome

I am sending some pics of my farm land with wheat and vegetable crop.

I am looking forward for association and opportunities of farming in USA and India.

Happy Farming

He sent this photo of his wheat field in India.

Also through the blog, I got an email from a University of Nebraska student, asking for help in finding people for a heat management survey in tractors and combines. I shared the survey with a Farmer's Wife group on Facebook. I hope it helped her out.

These were more unusual emails. But, through blogging, I've developed friendships with bloggers from all over the U.S. and the world, including Lynda, the Country Mum who posts a photo from their Australian farm each day at Farm-ily. There's Buttons at Buttons Thoughts from Canada and Robyn from The Ranch Wife Chronicles in South Dakota and Cheri from the scablands of Washington at My Ranch Life. Those just scratch the surface of the people who have become friends across the miles by commenting on each other's blog posts.

As I wrote last year, my photography has shown up on Facebook and sprinkled through the internet, including this May Day basket. Jill's family ended up on a K-State promotion for the Vanier Football complex.

But there can be a dark side to it, too. Besides the greetings from Minnesota and India the past month, I had an email from someone who thought one of my photos was being used by a person for nefarious purposes:

My name is Sue, and I found your blog in a very unusual way - a Google reverse image search.

Long story short - I have an acquaintance who I believe is being catphished by someone online. (Catphishing is when a person makes up an online persona with fake pictures and details in order to lure others into relationships with them.)  Because I believe this to be true, I used some of the images that the person posted as their own online and reverse image searched them on Google.

I am not saying you did anything!! I think someone found your image and used it as their own in order to keep up the ruse of their online persona - and if you could just give me some info on that photo - like if you took it yourself and when, that would help me prove to this acquaintance that somebody is using other people's stuff to trick him.

I'd like to reiterate that I don't think you are doing anything weird - I think someone used your photos, and just wanted to have some proof for my friend to help him see what's happening.

I wrote her back, telling her when and where I took the photo. I hope it helped her friend.

The internet is an amazing place. It can be used to build friendships and connections. But it can also be used in less reputable ways. I suppose that's true of life in general. It just is magnified by social media.