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.  

 

Is anyone else...

 feeling like they are on sensory overload?

Everywhere I look I see stories and articles and videos about the mess we are in and how the next world war is likely just around the corner.  Some of it is true and some is not.  Some of it keeps us informed and some is just click bait.  But it seems like no matter where I look, it is getting more difficult to find anything good in our situation.  And I know that I am guilty of posting similar things.

My morning routine is to pour a mug of coffee and check the online news to see what new horrors are being thrust upon us.  And lately I find myself spending more time online than I should.  I don't know about anyone else, but a steady diet of doom and gloom can send a person down the slippery slope into depression.  And I haven't got enough time left to waste on 'poor, pitiful me' thoughts.

Everyone has things in their lives that bring them joy.  One of my daughters and her man just spent several days at their cabin on a lakeshore.  Disconnect from work.  No Wifi.  No cell phone service.  Drive into town to use both.  Play with their new puppy.  Good for them!

My son and his wife just spent a few days in Arizona.  Farmed the one son still at home and the dog out to Grandpa and Grandma.  Just the two of them.  They FaceTimed me to show me the beautiful red rock cliffs of Sedona.  Both work so hard and a mini vacation was needed.  And my heart is happy to see this couple who have been married well over 20 years and who still like each other!

Me...I need to stay in touch with what is happening in our world for it could easily have an effect on us all.  But at the same time I need to stay sane enough to make good decisions should the time come when those decisions could mean life and death.  

I once had an acquaintance who remarked when I said I was too busy for whatever event she had planned, "How can you be busy.  You're retired!"  Honey, get comfortable.   I'll tell you!

I will be canning more chicken and hamburger next week.  I am in the process of sewing little pieces of fabric together to make quilts.  (Snow flurries are predicted for this weekend.  Good grief!)  I am writing down family stories - mostly about my parents and grandparents - because my kids have shown an interest in them and maybe some day so will my grands.  There is a boat load of information being entered into my genealogy program so my family will know where they came from.

Staying busy works to keep me relatively happy.  Whatever works to keep you as sane as possible is a good thing.  These days when we have a truck load of lies, deceit and just plain bs headed our way on a daily basis, we need to deal with it while still keeping from losing our minds.

I find that prayer works the best of all.

Don't Care

I don't care what Trump is doing.

I don't care who becomes Speaker of the House.

I don't care that there are those who believe in multiple genders and I surely don't care if they are butt hurt over 'misgendering.'

I don't care what your sexual preferences are and I certainly do not wish to celebrate whatever they are.

I don't care what the news networks say for most of it is lies.

And I really do not care what most politicias say or promise, for not only are they liars, most are bought and paid for.

There are some things I care about.

I care about my grocery bill being more expensive by the week.

I care about what my great-grands will be taught when they reach school age.

I care about fuel prices heading skyward.

I care about illegals getting free everything while our vets are homeless and many of our citizens are suffering.

I care that the current administration allows our borders to be open with God only knows how many terrorists entering at will.

And I care that nobody in power gives a rat's ass about those who put them into office.

Mostly I care about my family and what could happen to them if the crazy doesn't go away.

Things really do need to change.

It is time.

No Rant. Just Work.

As you all know, I enjoy a good rant now and then.  Gets rid of some of the frustrations we are facing, and it really is kind of fun sometimes to virtually slap the snot out of those who are determined to rule over us.

Just now I simply do not have the time.

I pay very little attention to any of the major news sources.  For the most part, they wouldn't recognize truth if it bit them on the bum.  And I stay away from the YouTube Channels and Blogs that tell me if we don't do what they say, buy the gear they are selling or stock up on what they say we must stock up on, we will surely die.

But there are those who have earned my respect over the years.  Pinball Preparedness ( Pinball Preparedness - YouTube).  Patara at Appalachia's Homestead  (Appalachia's Homestead with Patara - YouTube).  Modern Refugee  (Modern Refugee. - YouTube).  Rudy at Alaska Prepper  (Alaska Prepper - YouTube).  Alaska Granny whose link is on my sidebar.  There are others, but these are the ones I pay attention to the most.

All of the above are not busy screaming that the sky is falling like so many others do.  They do not try to scare us. They instead are keeping us informed about what is happening and are urging us to continue our preparations or better yet, step up what we are doing.  

I don't care what the sound bites from the White House or Congress say, things are not getting better.  We are up to our necks in government debt.  I buy groceries every two weeks and every two weeks prices are higher.  There is a whole boatload of things that need to be fixed.  Not happening.

Those that I trust keep saying that the future is not looking all that great.  I seriously doubt that the upcoming election will make much of a difference either way.

So most of my time is now being spent doing whatever needs to be done.  Today I dehydrated broccoli and mixed vegetables.  In the morning 4 large bags of shredded hash browns are going in the dehydrators.  While they are drying, there are bags of flour that need to be repackaged to avoid creepy crawlers.  There are several quilts that need to be finished, including one quilt top made from bright pink plain and floral flannel that my daughter has laid claim to in exchange for a fabric store run to bring me quilt backing fabric and quilt batting.  :)  My storeroom (formerly my bedroom) needs to be sorted out so I know exactly what I have and what I need.  There can no longer be guesswork in my grocery orders.  Not with prices headed skyward.

Prayer has also increased.  Not for myself.  I am doing OK for a cranky old lady.  For our nation.  For those who are having a rough time keeping body and soul together.  But mostly to allow the Almighty back into the areas of our lives that He has been tossed out of.  Schools.  Courthouses.  Government buildings.  Some have even been arrested for preaching on city sidewalks.  

Pray.  Keep on preparing.  And pray some more.

I Know What We Need

 I check out the news because I need to know what the enemy is up to. 

I see gangs of kids hauling off merchandise from stores without paying for it.

I see elected officials sending billions of dollars to fund a war that is none of our business.

I see women marching in the street to have the right to kill their unborn babies.

I see an administration that has already declared war on vehicles fueled by gas and diesel, kitchen stoves fueled by gas, the kind of light bulbs we have used for decades and ceiling fans, announce that now, when winter is approaching, we need to get rid of gas furnaces and switch to all electric.  

And I see an entire generation - maybe more - who have no idea whatsoever might be the right bathroom to use.  Who believe lipstick and dresses have the power to turn men into women.

I know what we need.

We need to bring back the generations who knew how to recognize right from wrong.  We need to bring back our ancestors who believed in consequences for actions.  Most of all, we need to bring God back into every part of our lives.

And a Grandpa with a switch to tear up the backside of a miscreant kid might not be such a bad idea either.

I now understand...

the meaning of the phrase..."Stop the world.  I want to get off."

Evenings I will sometimes find a video to watch on my computer while sewing or crocheting.  A couple of nights ago I was scrolling through YouTube videos.  I understand that many videos are fake, just to get clicks, but many seemed to be somewhat true. 

I saw gangs of people stealing huge dollar amounts of merchandise from stores and nobody stopped them.

I watched an argument over whether men can become pregnant.

I watched a Senate inquiry of potential judges who were unable to define a woman.

I watched parents at a school board meeting reading pornography from books that are found in elementary school libraries, only to be hauled out of the meetings.  Apparently, it's OK for third graders to read what is too deranged for school board member's sensitive ears.

And there were countless videos of people screaming at one another over trivial matters.  

And, of course, everything bad known to man is the fault of one who has not been President for several years.

I would really like to know when stupid took over the psyche of many Americans.  

In the world I grew up in, none of this would have been tolerated.  Of course the world wasn't all honey and roses, but most people were held responsible for their actions.  We knew how many genders there are and which bathroom to use.  We mostly worked out problems by sensibly talking to our neighbors and reaching solutions agreeable to both.  

We honored the American flag and and all things patriotic.

The direction we seem to be taking is sure to continue with all things hateful.  

Saw a t-shirt the other day that had printed on the front, "Stupid Should Hurt."

True, that.