Wyoming Breezes

from Facebook This graphic sums up my feelings perfectly.  Please wear a mask when in public to help stop COVID-19 from infecting you, your family, friends, and community. 

deceptive marketing ploy March 2018 I am aware that businesses have to be creative to be successful, but using deceptive tactics is not acceptable to me. A "credit adjustment" document (portion of it shown above) arrived in the mail from a marketing group for O magazine. I haven't subscribed to this publication for at least two years (I can read it on my iPad using the public library app), and do NOT have a credit balance.  The statement states the magazine is $54 annually and my "adjusted rate" is $8 because of all my "credit." A bit of online research clearly shows the annual subscription rate is $15. source The $8 rate is a great deal, but why would the publisher resort to such deceptive tactics? I have become cynical: I question every piece of mail, every phone call, every email, every interaction.  Do you?

As ridiculous as it seems, I cannot answer my phone if I don't recognize the number on caller ID. I am being besieged with telemarketing calls: forty-five calls in the short month of February, and as of today, I have received 23 calls in March. I registered on the Do Not Call list in 2008, and according to the Registry, my number is still listed. It appears the crooks have outsmarted the authorities once again. The problem is that they change numbers so quickly that they cannot be tracked or even blocked. Some calls I receive are local numbers, and others appear on my caller ID with names I recognize, but they are not those individuals: their numbers have been "cloned." Technology is allowing the telemarketing industry to legally stalk and harass citizens. If someone rang our doorbells two, three, or four times a day, local authorities could deal with them. Ignoring the calls is not working and being on the Do Not Call registry is not working. Disconnectin...

September 2017 Since my knee surgery, I've been walking in the surrounding neighborhood(s), and I've found a number of camper trailers blocking most of the sidewalk which makes walking difficult.  Pedestrians are forced to walk on the lawns or over rocky and uneven ground, which for my recovering knee can be challenging. Sometimes it's easier to just walk in the street: not an entirely safe solution. I know the campers are parked this way to make them level. Unfortunately, this is not a temporary situation as the trailers tend to remain in this position for weeks at a time. To add another level of frustration, most of the campers have electrical cords leading to the house or garage, causing an additional hazard. One of the biggest complaints I have about my community is that it is not very pedestrian friendly. Does your community have safe places to walk?

It appears that my neighbor's Riverton Ranger was delivered by drone or by a carrier who needs a bit more training. I subscribed to the Casper Star Tribune (the only published newspaper delivered state-wide) for about 10 years, but I battled with two/three carriers two years ago. The carrier would drive up my short driveway at an angle to toss the paper on the front porch. The only problem was that he/she also drove on my lawn right where one of my underground sprinklers was located. I tried putting up a wire barrier with attached red reflectors, but the carrier just drove into and over the barrier. I tried a heavier barrier (1/2 inch thick metal frame), and it too was bent and broken. Other times, it was like a scavenger hunt to even find the paper. After numerous calls to the regional director, I gave up and just cancelled my subscription: it just wasn't worth the aggravation. Is your paper delivered by a reliable carrier or by drone?

Update : I found a solution for this frustrating problem and posted about it on Cautiously Optimistic It started several weeks ago when I received an "undeliverable email message" after posting a comment on Thankful Me , then it expanded to JulieKQuilts , to Dakota City Quilter . Recently, The Quilter , Irish Eyes Knitter , Suburban Jubilee , This and That , High Plains Footprints , and Institches with Bonnie were added to the list. What was causing this? I've read and commented on many of these blogs for years, so why are my comments bouncing and the blog owner no longer receiving emails for the comments I left on their blogs? After a lot of research and frustration, I have discovered, despite the "advice" show above there is little I can do to change this frustration because in order to comment, I must be signed in with one of the required profiles. Mine is Google, and I have NO control or how Google lists the "From" and ...

Apple Store Genius Bar Park Meadows Mall June 2014 While in Denver I purchased a new MacBook at the Park Meadows Apple Store. This store is always a madhouse of activity. The air practically buzzes from the numerous conversations; add the shrieking of an unhappy child being pulled away from the children's table by an impatient parent, and the noise level is nearly intolerable. I love Apple products and have used them for years, but I do not understand why the process to get assistance is so frustrating and complicated.  I knew what I wanted to purchase, but I first had to find an associate in a blue shirt with an iPad in order to be placed on a list for a sales associate. The store was filled with blue-shirted individuals, but many had iPhones and could not help me. Finding the person with the iPad was like a scavenger hunt. In my opinion, this person should be stationed at or near the entrance to greet and assist people as they enter. Once I was on the iPad list, the p...

Wind Generators Shirley Basin Wyoming Highway 487 May 2012 I was not expecting to see these giant wind generators when I topped the hill on the Shirley Basin Road because the last time I travelled this road, they were not there. The structures were so large and so close to the road that they created an eerie scene, and honestly, it made me sad to see them looming over the landscape. Click on the photo to get a better idea of their size and gain some perspective. Note the dark vehicle in the left-hand lane of the highway and the white vehicle in the field near the center of the photo. The wind generators are enormous. Even though Wyoming's strong winds can generate a lot of power, every year more of these huge columns line the ridges and stretch across valleys, and they can be seen for miles. While the generators might be necessary, in my opinion, they are unsightly and destroy Wyoming's natural beauty. Yes, we may be gaining "green energy," but we are losi...

Monday was a disaster! After meeting two friends for lunch, I tried to leave the parking lot at the restaurant, but my car would not start: it was dead. AAA was called to arrange for a jump. I scrambled to find the phone number for my stylist, explaining that I may not make my hair cut appointment. An hour later, the guy AAA sent arrived and jumped the battery. All was well. I barely made my haircut appointment. Thinking I would need a new battery, I left the car running. I decided to go to the service station after my hair cut.  It wasn't meant to be: the car stopped and refused to start. Another call was made for a jump. This time the service guy was from a different business and was not as competent as the first. If it wasn't so stressful, it might have been funny. The guy fumbled around inside the service truck cab, came out and stared at the hood, went back inside the cab and fumbled around even more. It was obvious he was looking for a hood-release lever. ...

Friday's paper had an interesting headline: White pages head for graveyard . It was reported that in the past month alone, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania approved Verizon Communications Inc.'s request to quit distributing residential white pages. Telephone companies argue that most consumers now check the Internet rather than flip through pages when they want to call someone. "Anybody who doesn't have access to some kind of online way to look things up now is probably too old to be able to read the print in the white pages anyway," joked Robert Thompson, a pop culture professor at Syracuse University. The article continued, fewer people rely on paper directories for a variety of reasons: more people rely solely on cell phones, whose numbers typically aren't included in the listings; more listings are available online; and mobile phones and caller ID systems can store many frequently called numbers. My community's White Pages section is less t...

When I purchased my new computer, I also purchased the 2010 version of Hoyle Card Games . I had earlier versions and loved playing all the game varieties. This version's box states it is "New & Improved" with large, easy-to-read cards. This "improved" version is a nightmare, and the cards are anything but large and easy-to-read. Check out the screen for Spider Solitaire below. Now, I may be senile, but those cards don't look very large to me, but my don't they look cute on that beach towel. The designers must have thought people buy a computer card game for eye candy. You can select different "tables" on which to play, but note how small the cards are and how much of the screen is wasted. This is the "Beach," but I can also play cards in the Garage or  in the Mansion, in the Kid's Room, or six other fabulous locations.  It is impossible to turn off this feature and to make the cards larger. In the lower left corner, the...

Since Monday, I have been experiencing the madness surrounding healthcare that is going to become even more prevalent in the future. On Monday, I ordered prescription refills online and noticed that one of my medications was listed as nonrefillable, which was odd because the bottle clearly stated I had one three-month refill remaining. I called customer service and that is where the madness began. I was told, as of January 1, 2010, the drug needed prior-authorization. I would need to contact my doctor who in turn had to contact the insurance company and file a pre-authorization request. Okay, I know this process is understandable for speciality medication, but I don't see how extended-release nitroglycerin capsules would qualify as a speciality drug. I had checked the formulary I received in November to make sure all of my medications were listed and they were. There on the list plain as day was "Nitroglycerin"; however, my error was not digging deeper and seeing...

I admit it - I am an idealist with images of how the world should be and delusions that all people are honest.  I received a statement in the mail several months ago for Creative Knitting . I like the magazine and promptly sent in payment without any question.  Fast forward to yesterday when a statement arrived for Knit Simple . I checked my list of magazines and discovered that I had already renewed it for two years, but nothing on the statement reflected the expiration date.  The buzz on one of my Yahoo Groups is about statements for quilting magazines that the individuals hadn't ordered or had previously renewed, so I began to wonder about my invoice. I found contact information on the Knit Simple website and sent an email, inquiring about my subscription expiration date. I received this response: Re: [Subscription Inquiry] subscription renewal notice‏ Nancy, Please disregard mailing from Publishers Billing ---- this mailing is not authorized by So...

Look very close. What do you see? If you said ants, you are right! I've been battling these little buggers all summer. The "hills" appear overnight, but a quick dousing of Ant-B-Gone Dust takes care of them until a week or two later when another batch or should I say "hatch" appears in a different location. They are the tiniest ants (less than 3/8 of an inch) I have ever seen and in the thickest concentrations. I first noticed a hill in my yard about five years ago. The hill was nearly three inches tall and was all ants, no dirt.

I openly admit that I am an idealist: I have a strong sense of justice and expect the same from others. Unfortunately, some people do not share my respect for the law and act irresponsibly. During the last two weeks, my neighbor and I have "cussed and discussed" two vehicles at the end of our street. We wondered why the police had not solved the situation. Of course, neither of us had called the police and reported the violation, and obviously, none of the other neighbors had complained either. So, the miscreants continued to thumb their noses at the law. Last night, I decided that I was tired of grumbling about the two vehicles (a car and a pickup) that have made a habit of parking directly in front of a fire hydrant on my street. Not only are they parked illegally, but they also block the view of on-coming traffic, creating a blind spot and forcing traffic to swerve into the other traffic lane. When I got home from knitting group last night, I walked down the street and to...

I don't know why the tradition of sending "Thank You" cards or notes is dying, but it truly is not fashionable or trendy to express gratitude for a gift. I will be the first to admit that some of the gifts that I have received in my life were not desirable, but I have always appreciated that someone thought of me and took the time to present me with the gift. A written a note of thanks or gratitude is sent within a week of receiving the gift. I've noticed in the last decade that more and more people (family and friends) don't bother to acknowledge a gift - wedding, shower, birthday, birth, Christmas, and other occasions. Sometimes, if it wasn't for Delivery Confirmation, I wouldn't even know if the gift was received. I find this trend unsettling.

Nothing irks me more than to go shopping and find the parking lot filled with free-range carts. In Wyoming, it is common for the wind to blow 30 mph and up to 60 mph, so those loose shopping carts become missiles and slam into vehicles. Often, the safest place to park is near the cart corrals because very few people use them. The stores have multiple corrals throughout the lots, but they are nearly always empty. Locally, one of the worst lots for the renegade carts is Walmart. People unload the carts and leave them right in the middle of the driving lane, in between cars, and even behind cars. It is crazy, and it's downright rude!