Your dog may be the problem...

A post reminded me of last week's adventures in DSL troubleshooting. The connection was slow, so I called the provider, which is also our phone carrier. They connected me to their off-site 24 hour tech support service. Once tech support had done their predictable job of annoying me and pointing out that they're not local, I hung up on them and called the local repair department. As usual, they were here in 30 minutes. This always amazes me; I live out in the middle of nowhere.

Wilkes Telecom's bundle package includes maintenance of cables, jacks, etc. inside and outside the house, along with stuff like setting up modems and routers for the technically inept. They are so much better than tech support! 

Our house is one of those with the ground floor built into a bank. This make it easy to go to the rear of the house and jump onto the 1st floor roof. This is exactly what Dolly the dog had done. The repairmen discovered that she'd chewed up the lines on the roof! They replaced the chewed wires, then came in the house and replaced a couple of jacks while they were at it. Can't beat the service! 

Ain't that good news? Cheap spays are coming!

I live near the place where 3 counties join, and am often shocked by how much funding for different charities varies from county to county. The Watauga County Humane Society is part of a progam that collects animals onsite and buses them to a central site for checkups, shots, spaying, and neutering. With the aid from grant money they offer $15 neutering for male cats and $25 spays for cats and small dogs. It's a huge success; the number of unwanted animals at their shelter has plummented.

Wilkes County, that old conservative stronghold, featured a Humane Society that kept harping on owner responsibility and offered help tied to income with the max of a $20 voucher for spaying and neutering. It has been a disaster; the shelter is overflowing. People familar with Watauga's program kept urging Wilkes to check it out. A couple of weeks ago, there was a meeting with Wilkes and Watauga's Humane Societies and the Wilkes' desperate and heartsick Animal Control officers.  We will get the spay program! 

In this desperate economic climate, this is needed more than ever. It will prevent untold misery, and save money in the long run. There is hope in this world.    

Pre-sunrise service

We had our night before Sunrise Service party last night. The tradition got started because there are those of us who have no intention of getting up before sunrise. We have some spiritual talk, share memories, and drink ice tea. There are no zealots allowed. It's a pleasant way to spend an evening.