Scam the Scammers

 I have been really busy.  And when I am busy, those scam phone calls annoy me more than usual.  Especially since I am probably the only person on the planet who doesn't have a cell phone, so I have to stop what I am doing and go answer the phone.  About two weeks ago, being totally out of patience, I did something about them.

Typically, I get three kinds of calls.  The first is the call that starts out with a cheerful voice passing the time of day but soon asks if I can hear them alright.  What they want is for us to answer "Yes" so they can then use that recorded affermative reply for whatever nefarious purposes they have in mind.  My solution was to remain silent.  Someimes it took two or three minutes for them to hang up on me.

The second type of call was the one where they ask for me by name.  No amount of hanging up, swearing at them or any other response ended those calls.  So finally I used my sweet little old lady voice to tell them I was sorry, but I didn't know anyone by that name and they must have the wrong number.  Took about a week for those calls to stop.

There have been an astonishing number of calls trying to sell me additional supplimental Medicare.  Nothing worked to stop those calls.  That is until I let them read their script up to the part where they ask if I am over 65 years of age, to which I replied, "Well, no I'm not. I am 40 years old."  That's when those callers hung up on me.

It has been about a week and a half since I have received a spam call.  It is lovely to be free of just another annoying thing.  I won't claim that I have completely ended those calls, but so far, it seems to be working.

Stacking...

Doesn't look like the world situation is going to improve any time soon, so my days are filled with various and assorted preparations.

Grocery prices continue to shoot up like a rocket.  And I'm finding that the weekly store ads offer very little that I can use.  So like everyone else, I am paying the highly inflated prices for the items I need.  Does anyone who could fix this care even a little bit about what this inflation does to the average family?  Nope.

Twelve lbs. of hamburger arrived with my grocery order this past Thursday.  Since I am nearly out of frozen hamburger to use for cheeseburgers, meatballs, meatloaf, etc., that was divided into one pound packages and tossed into the freezer.  Next order will include more burger for canning.

Another four large bags of frozen shredded hashbrowns are dried and packed away.  Note:  The last time I tried dehydrating the frozen hashbrowns that are cut into small cubes, most of it turned black.  That is the only time I can remember having a problem dehydratibg frozen vegetables.  Might have been operator error, but I just don't know.

24 half pint jars of cubed chicken breast are in the pressure canner.  For someone cooking for one, that size is perfect for a couple of sandwiches or a small chicken and pasta salad or any number of dishes for one.  The whole idea is to eliminate leftovers.  I hang my head in shame to admit that sometimes leftovers are fortgotten in the fridge until they resemble science experiments gone bad.  Sigh.

Evenings are my time to relax, so that is when I sometimes watch a movie and crochet.  I have lots of yarn leftover from other projects and that makes for some pretty and warm granny square afghans.

Since I amuse easily, I have been having some fun messing with phone call scammers.  I have been getting more scam calls lately.  Some ask for me by name.  Instead of swearing at them like I have in the past, I very sweetly tell them they must have the wrong number as nobody by that name lives here.  I now get only maybe one or two of those calls a week instead of the former several daily.

But the most fun are the calls trying to get me to buy additional Medicare packages.  With those, I have been letting the spammer read through his script up to the point here they always ask if I am over 65 years of age, to which I reply that I am 40 years old.  That answer brings a 'click' on their end of the call.  The number of those calls has decreased significantly.  :)

I have no earthly idea what will happen in the future - near or far - but I feel like I need to keep stacking it high.  And more time spent in prayer is a good thing as well.