Exede Voice Review

I signed up for Exede Voice after hearing how much money it will save me and how well it works in all of their ads. Now the test begins. I can't say much for the sign up process. It took too long, they had to call me back because they didn't get all of the information that they needed in the first two calls. I hate calling these places because they never get your info correct. I would much rather fill out online forms.

If you are going to port an existing number, make sure that you have your account number for that carrier. The number that I wanted to port was with AT&T, so I had to give Exede my AT&T account number and the last four digits of my SS number.

The name on my new account conformation email was not right. In order to correct any errors you must call Customer Service again to get it changed. Did I already say that I hate calling Customer Service?

When I called this time, I got someone who wasn't awake yet or at least hadn't had her coffee. She talked so softly that I had to ask her to repeat herself and she seemed to resent that. After telling her why I was calling and explaining my problem, I was told that their system wasn't running yet and that I would have to call back in 45 minutes.

*Update: Just called Customer Service for the 4th time! A man with a very thick foreign accent told me (I think?) that their system is down for upgrades and to call back later. I wonder when later might be?

*Update: After waiting a couple of days I summoned my courage and called Customer Service back. I was told that the misspelled name didn't matter! Even though the email and the paper letter that I received said to call them if any of my personal information for Caller ID and 911 services was not correct.

While on the phone with them, I was told that my number had already ported, so I could activate my service. I told her that my land line phone was still ringing in at that number and she said that it might do that until I did the activation.

So, I hooked up my equipment, got online to activate my service and wouldn't you know, it only worked until I got to the MAC address entry then it said, "Invalid Device".

I just cannot bear to call those people again. I am so very, very tired...

Dear Exede Internet,
You are suppose to be an Internet company, why can't we take care of our Internet services on the Internet?

*Update 3/26/14: Since I could not bear the thought of calling CS again, I posted my problem on the Wildblue/Exede World Forum. A helpful moderator offered her assistance. I explained my entire problem in a PM. I told her that I wanted to make sure the number was already ported because I didn't believe that it was. I also explained that the caller ID and 911 name was misspelled.

Instead of changing the name and coming back to tell me that the number was not yet ported, she activated my account. When I asked about the name she told me that she would change that information when the number ported. I am seriously dizzy from dealing with these people. I could have waited patiently for the number to port, if I had not been told that the port had already been completed.

As I wait for my land-line to stop working, indicating that the number has transferred so I can finish this process. I eagerly await my next anxiety filled communication with Exede's finest. I think the thing that grates on me the most is the fact that they all tell you how sorry they are that you are having difficulty. Then offer to help you in any way they can, while they are no help at all. Followed by asking you if there is anything else they can help you with.

Oh, did I mention that your billing for Exede Voice begins when you call to order it and not when you receive the equipment and/or get them motivated to straighten out your account? And did I mention that it is supposed to be $19.99 per month for the first 6 months and then $29.99 after that? I bet you can't guess what they charged me for the first month? That's right, $29.99! Now, can you guess what I have to do to get this straightened out? My Husband is rather strongly suggesting that I cancel it all and go with HughesNet!

*Update 3/27/14: It has been 8 days since I ordered. I am waiting for the number to port, I guess. Can't use the service until the number ports but I am already paying. I am too scared to contact anyone about being charged $29.99 for the first month instead of the $19.99 that they promised, I fear that they will charge me instead of refund me.

*Update 3/29/14: From the Exede Voice Website: "Government regulations allow your previous carrier to take up to 3 business days to release your number to us. However, most porting requests are completed within 1 business day." Well, it has been 10 days and I am still waiting. I posted on the forum about this yesterday (I refuse to call CS again!), the moderator checked on my account and said that the number transfer would be completed on April 4th. So much for Government Regulations and so much for the info provided on the Exede website.

I hope to think that the number port was requested on the 19th and not by the moderator yesterday. So I am paying for over 2 weeks of service that I can't use. The moderator also told me that she had resolved my billing problem. We will have to wait and see if that is true, I am not holding my breath! She also told me that she had requested a sooner release of my number, that she would see this through to the end and that she would keep me posted. I really don't care for pretty words and promises, I just want some action!

As a side note, it makes me a little nervous that I have talked to 6 different people in the last 10 days and they have all had access to my personal information.

*Update 4/4/14: My number finally ported on April 2nd, at that time I was assured by the forum moderator that everything had been taken care of. My bill had been adjusted and the 911 info had been corrected. When I got into my account today (two days later), I found that everything is the same with no changes whatsoever.

*Update 9/6/16: I am now an Exede Voice Expert after using it for over two years. But I am stuck with it because AT&T is no longer providing landline service in our area and we don't have a cell signal here. My opinion of Exede Voice is that it is totally useless. When we first started out with it, it was not too bad but I don't even answer my phone much anymore because the latency issue is unbearable. My Exede internet speed, in general, is nearly as slow as dial-up now, so this makes the phone service unusable. If you call someone they normally hang up before they can hear you say hello. It also drops calls constantly, I never have an uninterrupted call unless it is less than 5 minutes long. We don't even try to make important calls and the first thing we tell people is that we have Satellite and that our call will be dropped, just to prepare them. I hate everything about Exede at this point!

*Update 4/5/2018: This is my final update because I no longer have Exede Voice. I was offered a great new plan with Viasat (formally Exede) and in order to be able to afford it, I had to drop my Exede Voice service which is very overpriced with all of their add-ons and fees. I now have an Obihai box and VoIP with Google Voice. It works just as well as Exede Voice ever did and it is FREE! Loving my new Viasat Silver 25 Unlimited Internet Plan as well, but don't bother looking for it because it is no longer available.

Click here to see a review of Exede Satellite Internet.

White Headed Wisdom

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 

2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and won't mold.

3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 

4. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream before beating. 

5. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 

6. Reheat leftover Pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. Or warm it in the oven on a cookie sheet or pizza pan at 350 degrees for 8 min. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. 

7. Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag, seal and mash until they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing  and mixing thoroughly, cut off the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done for easy clean up. 

8. When you buy a container of ready made Cake Frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You will double it in size. You can then frost more cake or cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

9. To warm left-over biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

10. Use wet newspapers in your garden or flower beds, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic but they will not get through wet newspapers. 

11. Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of broken glass that you can't see easily. 

12. Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 

13. To keep rabbits or other animals from eating your plants, sprinkle them with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and animals don't like it. 

 14. To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

15. Reduce static cling by pinning a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress.

16. Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using.

17. If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two and it will unseal easily. 

 18. Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it on your hair. 

 19. To get rid of pesky fruit flies or gnats, take a small glass, fill partway with Apple Cider Vinegar and a little squirt of dish washing liquid; mix well. Those gnats will be drawn into a watery grave.

 20. Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They will eat it or take it home to eat later but can't digest it, so it kills them. It may take a week or so, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed. This only works for certain types of ants.

How To Get Rid Of Ladybugs or Asian Lady Beetles

They aren't really Ladybugs but since that is what everyone calls them, that is how I titled this post. Ladybugs are helpful and useful insects that you don't want to kill. I am not sure if Asian Lady Beetles are helpful or useful, they probably are but they are also total pests when they come by the millions trying to gain entry into your home.

 

Yesterday on October 28th they swarmed our neighborhood in numbers greater than we had ever experienced before. They crawl into every nook and cranny of your home, get in your hair and hitch a ride on your clothes. It was a plague of Biblical proportions. Plus they stink when you smash or excite them and they bite. I got a few bites yesterday.

So here is my plan of action: I am going to buy and use this spray which has excellent reviews and is a best seller at Amazon.com

Suspend Sc Insecticide
Flea, Tick, Roach, Ant, Spider, Wasp, Gnat, Fly
Professional Pest Control Product
Price: $38.50
Free Shipping

•   The Same Products Pest Control Companies Use
•   Active Ingredient: Deltamethrin -75%
•   One pint Suspend SC makes up to 64 gallons of solution
•   Indoors and outdoors, including food handling areas
•   Target Pest: Ants, Carpenter ants, Carpet beetles, Firebrats, Fleas, Gnats, Midges, Centipedes, Millipedes, Pantry pests, Silverfish, Ticks, Bees, Bedbugs, Boxelder bugs, Cecid Flies, Cockroaches, Crickets, Stable flies, House flies, Cluster flies, Horseflies, Elm leaf beetles, Ground beetles, Moths, Midges, Hornets, Killer bees, Lice, Mosquitoes, Multicolored asian lady beetles, Pillbugs, Scorpions, Sowbugs, Spiders, Yellowjackets, Wasps, Formosan, and Eastern subterranean termites.
•    Lasts up to 3 months after application
•   Cannot be shipped to: NY, AK, CT. 

This all sounds pretty good to me!!

Here is a sprayer, if you don't already have one:

Exede Internet Satellite Review

Spinning Yarns from the Farm: Exede Internet Satellite Review

"Let me state emphatically that if you have any other internet options take them! Do not get Satellite!!"

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent! - See more at: http://spinnersfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/exede-internet-satellite-review.html#sthash.cHfN3UTv.dpuf

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent! - See more at http://spinnersfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/exede-internet-satellite-review.html#sthash.cHfN3UTv.dpufV

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent!

*Update 9/6/16: Even if you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, do not get Exede Satellite! Life is too short to deal with this much aggravation and turmoil! It just does not work and the longer we have it the worse it is getting. It takes about 15 minutes to download a 214 MB file. The internet has totally outgrown a 10 - 20 GB data cap. I try so hard to stay under 10 GB but it cannot be done with Windows 10 updates, app refreshes, and two people using it. Our whole life is dictated by being careful not to use any data. I have to keep my iPad in airplane mode all of the time, so what is the point of even having it. The Late Night Free Zone is a sick joke. You never know if it is working and can end up using all of your data sending pictures to your cloud storage in one night.

*Update 4/5/18: Loving my new Viasat (Formally Exede) Silver 25 Unlimited Internet Plan, but don't bother looking for it because it is no longer available. It is still painfully slow but at least we have 150 GB of data. (I guess I will never understand what unlimited means. No, they don't shut you off at 150 GB but your thin stream becomes a dribble, but most of the time it is just a drip.)

*Update 9/19: My last update! Around the first of August, we started losing our connection for hours at a time. It would reconnect for 10 minutes or so then nothing for a couple of hours. This was horrible for us because we had no phones without an internet connection. 

I reached out to Viasat 3 or 4 times but could get nothing done because I couldn't CALL THEM! I tried emailing them and was told to call, I tried Chatting with them and was told to call. 

This all happened during a very busy and stressful time for us and I just couldn't devote the time or energy to getting anything done. 

We had paid our $110 for August and used very little data because the connection was always down. When the time came to renew for September, we paid again hoping that I would get the time to get it fixed at some point. I didn't want to lose my plan because it was no longer offered.

In the meantime, I got another letter from AT&T saying that Fixed Wireless was now available in our area for $50 per month. So, I signed up because they offered a 15-day free trial. Our neighbor had gotten it and loved it but it took a long time for them to show up to install it. So I was expecting a long wait and wasn't sure it would even work at our house because we can't see a tower and don't have a strong cell signal anyway.

Surprisingly, they showed up right away to install it and said that it would work for us! After a 4 hour installation, I had fast internet!

After my 15 day trial, I got my first bill and it was for the $99 installation fee and the flat $50. My second bill was just $50 too! No hidden fees?? I am still holding my breath though, it seems too good to be true.

Amazingly, so many things that never worked right before, started working. My Echo Dots work with my smart plugs now. My security camera works seamlessly and our VOIP phones are perfect with no lag! The Grandkids can even play their online games together with 14 devices online! Pinch me!

Did I mention that we went from 150 GB of data per month to 215 GB, that it is $60 cheaper and that we never lose service? Also, if you go over your data limit, they warn you and you can purchase 50 more GB for just $10.

It was a very happy day when I called Viasat to cancel my service. It was the first Customer Service call that I had ever had with them that went smoothly and quickly, I could even understand the man I talked to.

We joyously removed the TRIA from the Satellite dish. We packed it up along with the Modem and cords and merrily sent them back to Viasat. It was an amazing feeling to haul that $10 per month rented junk to the UPS Store, I still get goosebumps when I think about it!

Exede Voice Review

I Am Not Ashamed To Be Called A Hunter!

I just read an article about record Alligators being killed in Mississippi. The comments following the article made me want to scream. So many people are either just plain stupid or they are complete hypocrites. They whine and cry about big, bad hunters who enjoy killing for the sport of killing. "Why do these animals have to be killed?" "Why don't we just leave these animals alone?" "Why don't we kill fat people and eat them instead?"

I have a hard time understanding why humans hate humans so much. There seems to be an element of people who hate their own species but love all other species. I hope these people aren't prejudice and love only certain species more than their own. I mean, if you love Alligators then you also have to love snakes, lizards, scorpions, mice, rats, wasps and flies, right?

Maybe it's just hunting that they hate or hunters. These alligator hunters don't just kill gators for sport, it's how they feed their families, it's how they earn a living. I am a hunter myself although I have never killed with a gun. I am a trapper type of hunter. I set traps in just the right locations to have the best chance of catching my prey. I do not skin or eat my catch, so I guess you could call me more of a sport hunter. I do not, however, waist my prey. I donate my catches to feed the hungry. Both of my cats enjoy my hunting hobby. It is worth all my efforts of scouting, baiting and checking my traps, when I see how much my cats love to eat those mice.

I am also a vicious hunter and killer when it comes to flies, mosquitoes, fleas, ants, roaches, wasps, wood bees, bumble bees, hornets and spiders. I use many different methods to eliminate these prey, I smash, squash, swat, poison and burn alive.

It is not that I would be opposed to killing with a gun if I had to, the sad truth is that I tried several times to shoot a fox who was quickly ridding me of all of my chickens but never could hit him. If times and resources required it, I could hunt for my food without any guilt. I could shoot an animal that was causing me continued problems, like the fox did. I could also shoot a pet, livestock or wildlife animal if I thought it was suffering and there was no one else to do it.

The truth is that the same people who whine about hunting are the same people who would be whining about all the deer in their gardens and in the roads. They would want some kind of protection for their kids from the over-population of alligators in their neighborhoods. They wouldn't like it if 15 bears were in their backyard going through their trash cans.

Let's just talk about life and the circle of life. I could use scripture here and talk about God, creation, stewardship, husbandry and dominion. But that would offend the non-believers, so we will talk about nature, conservation and common sense.

The DNR monitors and sets up rules and regulations about hunting. They know that without hunting seasons, animal populations will explode and natural resources will be depleted and everything will suffer. They keep an eye on all areas and animal numbers and adjust hunting seasons and limits accordingly.

Why, you might ask, do humans think that they know more than nature about how to handle these things? Why don't we just let nature balance its own self. The answer is so simple that I am surprised that you didn't think of it yourself. We humans are a part of nature!!! Amazingly, we are part of the food chain, we have canine teeth and are omnivores. It is up to us to play a role in the circle of life.

Actually, if you think about loving the environment and being all natural, that would include eating meat with your canine teeth. Whether you like it or not, man is the dominate species. Nature (or God), whichever you prefer, designed us this way. We have the abilities that we need to manage the earth's resources and that includes managing animal populations.

One more thing that always disturbs me is when some supposed expert out there says, "Humans are the only animal that kills for sport or for the fun of it.". That is not true. Neighborhood dogs are the best sport killers of all time. They will kill a whole herd of goats or flock of chickens and not take one with them when they go. My cat tortures and kills for the fun of it too, not for food, out of fear or because he is teaching his young. Horses will even kill small animals like cats, kittens, rabbits and even chickens, not by accident, not for fear, not for food and not to teach their young. Just because they are feeling frisky and want to stomp something.

One commenter said that he hated humans and wished they would all become extinct. That's a pretty intelligent way of thinking. I was surprised at the number of people who called for the killing of the hunters who killed the alligators. That in itself seems a little hypocritical since they despise killing living creatures. They must hate this earth and nature in general since they would like to see the balance of all things upset. Humans are a natural being, we are what we are.

As to the comments about hunting making these rednecks feel like real "men", one of the alligator hunters who broke a record and got a trophy gator that same day was a woman. Someone also mentioned that he hoped that the people complaining about the kills didn't eat hamburger, to which someone actually replied that it was different eating beef because those animals are raised for food. I wonder how all those beef calves feel about this distinction? Probably about the same way all of those young deer, fish, racoons, birds, turtles, cats and dogs feel when they get eaten by an alligator

Creeping Gradualism

Progressives = Socialists = Communists, whatever they call themselves they have the same goal to take over America from the inside by setting one group against the other to cause chaos, so the Government can step in and solve all our problems.

Blacks – Whites
Democrats – Republicans
Liberals – Conservatives
Illegals – Nationals
Gays – Straights
Anti-Gun – Pro-Gun
Pro-Choice – Pro-Life
Bullies – Victims
Business Owners – Environmentalists
Religion – Atheism
Animal Rights Activists – Pet Owners
Rich – Poor
Welfare Recipients – Tax Payers

Don't be a pawn in their games! Stand your ground for what you believe but don't be a "Useful Idiot" who will be eliminated after you have furthered their agenda and become a threat to that agenda.

The reason I am posting this is because I have an elderly German neighbor who preaches this to me and tells me that a lot of people saw what was coming in Germany but they were afraid to speak up and educate others. I don't want to be afraid to share what I can see so clearly.

****************************************************

The following was taken from a post I saw on Facebook. From the research I did it appears to be legitimate and a true story.

Kitty Werthmann's Story:

December 22, 2012 - “What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books,” she likes to tell audiences. “I am a witness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history”.

If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty Werthmann wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching.

“We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls.

She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers.

“Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.” Not so.

Hitler Was Welcomed To Austria

“In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs."

“My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people - about 30 daily."

“We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living."

Prosperity and Change

“Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler."

“We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed”.

Austrians Saluting

“After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service. Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.”

“Then we lost religious education for kids.”

Education & Political Indoctrination for “Hitler Youth”

“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education."

"Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. And then things got worse. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had."

“My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun, no sports, and no political indoctrination.”

“I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing."

“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy."

The Government's Children

“When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had."

Healthcare

“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna. After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 am, 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full."

“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.”

“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing."

Small Business

“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. “Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. The government owned the large businesses and not many small ones could exist, they were controlled."

“We had consumer protection, too. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it."

Purging Begins

“In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school.”

“One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.”

“As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia."

Next came Gun Registration, then Confiscation

“People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.”

No More Freedom of Speech

“Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.”

Creeping Gradualism

“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”

“This is my eye-witness account. It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.”

“America is truly is the greatest country in the world. Don’t let freedom slip away or taken from us!!”

“After America, there is no place to go.”

Kitty Werthmann

****************************************************

Please, please, please set aside 1 hour and 30 minutes to watch this documentary!

 

Save Our Families

Loved this blog post today:

The Day I Stopped Saying, ‘Hurry Up’ 

DIY No-Grate Powdered Laundry Soap

Like so many other people who are making their own cleaning supplies, I thought I would try it out myself. So, I found the preferred recipe for Laundry Detergent and went to work. The one thing that I ran across repeatedly was that no one liked grating the soap. So here is an alternative idea.

Recipe:

1 Box Borax (4lb 12oz) 

1 Box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (3lb 7oz)

1 Container OxiClean (3lbs)

2 Boxes Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (2lbs each)

3 Bars Fels Naptha Soap

Mix all ingredients together except the Fels-Naptha. You can either add the bars to the mixture by grating or microwave the bars using the directions below. If you are sensitive to strong smells, you had better just use the grating method.

Place Fels-Naptha Bar in microwave safe bowl like Corningware. Microwave on high for around 3 minutes (microwaves vary, so this is an estimated time). It will swell into a monstrous glob. When finished, carefully remove from microwave and set aside for a couple of hours to cool. After it is thoroughly cooled it easily crumbles and flakes apart in your hands. If it didn't cook quite long enough there will still be some hard chunks in the middle, you can just pop them back into the microwave for a few seconds until they plump up, then cool again and crumble.

You may end up with some unusual shapes like my Alien friend below:

 

* I cannot stress the cooling part enough because I did burn my fingers by being impatient. It cools very quickly on the outside but will maintain hot pockets of goo inside for a long time.

* The scent will not be unpleasant but will be very strong and quite overwhelming, your microwave may retain the smell for quite awhile.

This is definitely the best and easiest method for me but please do not try it if you or a family member cannot tolerate strong odors. Your whole house will smell like Fels-Naptha!!

Judge Not

Polled Goat Genetics

Our new doeling, "Tillie" is naturally polled.
She comes from a horned Registered Saanen Buck and a naturally polled mixed breed Doe (Boer, Nubian, Saanen). Her twin brother was horned and has been disbudded.

Polled Genetics in Goats

Taken From:
Polled Genetics | American Goat Society

Genetics for Polled vs. Horned

The dominant trait is for goats to be polled which is indicated here by the capital P for polled.  Horns are the result of two recessive genes which are indicated here by the lower case p for horned.  You would not be able to tell the difference in a polled animal that carries two dominant genes from one that carries one recessive gene for horned.  This explains how it is possible to breed two polled animals and have some offspring have horns.  This would indicate that both parents carry a recessive gene for horns.

PP: This animal is polled, and does not carry the gene for horns.
Pp: This animal would be polled, and carry a recessive gene for horns.
pp: This animal has horns.  An animal must carry two genes for horns to have horns.

Here are the various breeding scenarios with the resulting offspring:

Horned (pp) X Horned (pp) = 100%  horned (pp) offspring.
Polled (Pp) X Horned (pp) =  50% polled (Pp), 50% horned (pp) offspring.
Polled (Pp) X Polled (Pp) =  25% polled (PP), 50% polled (Pp), 25% horned (pp) offspring
Homozygous polled (PP) X Horned (pp) = All polled (Pp) offspring.
Homozygous polled (PP) X Homozygous Polled (PP) = All homozygous polled (PP) offspring.

We Have New Kids!

Born on Friday, June 14, 2013 at 6:30 and 6:40. The first born is a Doeling and she is naturally polled (no horns) like her Mother. The second born is a Buckling and we aren't sure yet about whether he will have horns or not. I really hope he doesn't because I hate disbudding, but we will have to wait and see.

Here are some pictures that I took of Hazel kidding, so if you are squeamish about this sort of thing turn back now or just close your eyes.

 Hazel needed a little help with the clean up process and Angel needed to make sure everything was alright and that anything that might draw in predators was cleaned up. She also needed some bonding time with her new charges.

The Doeling has erect ears like her Saanen Daddy.

The Buckling has floppy ears like Mom.

Post Inside My Kitchen Cabinet Door

Yes, I will print this and tape it inside one of my kitchen cabinet doors because I never can remember this stuff!

I Love The USPS

How To Get Rid Of Wood Bees, Bumblebees and Wasps

This spring brought a huge swarm of Carpenter / Wood Bees, Wasps, and Bumble Bees into our barn. I started spending a great deal of time with a tennis racket swatting at and missing the invaders. I thought there had to be a better way, so, to Google I went.

I found swatting, wood puttying and chemicals to be the remedies of choice. On one forum, somewhere, I read that Wood Bees don't like noise. Since I didn't want to stand out in the barn and yell all day every day, I plugged a radio in, turned on Rush Limbaugh and cranked his volume up.

The results were immediate, not only do Wood Bees dislike Rush Limbaugh but Wasps and Bumblebees don't like him either. They also don't like Sean Hannity, music, sports or advertising. They don't even like Liberals but since I have to listen to this also, I haven't tested the Liberal theory very extensively.

I haven't seen many flies either but have seen a few, so the jury is still out on fly prevention.

The downside of this for me is having to have the radio on all day. I prefer peace and quiet but certainly, don't like the damage that Wood Bees do.

For more Wasp tips: www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-keep-yellow-jackets-away

Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD | Psychology Today

"French parents, Druckerman observes, love their children just as much as American parents. They give them piano lessons, take them to sports practice, and encourage them to make the most of their talents. But French parents have a different philosophy of discipline. Consistently enforced limits, in the French view, make children feel safe and secure. Clear limits, they believe, actually make a child feel happier and safer—something that is congruent with my own experience as both a therapist and a parent. Finally, French parents believe that hearing the word "no" rescues children from the "tyranny of their own desires." And spanking, when used judiciously, is not considered child abuse in France.

As a therapist who works with children, it makes perfect sense to me that French children don't need medications to control their behavior because they learn self-control early in their lives. The children grow up in families in which the rules are well-understood, and a clear family hierarchy is firmly in place. In French families, as Druckerman describes them, parents are firmly in charge of their kids—instead of the American family style, in which the situation is all too often vice versa."


Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD | Psychology Today

Exede Internet Satellite Review

If you follow my Blog you know that we live in a rural area with no high-speed internet options. You have heard me whine about it from time to time. Before I go on let me state emphatically that if you have any other internet options take them! Do not get Satellite!! Since nothing else is available to us, we finally held our noses and had a Wildblue / Exede 12 Satellite Dish installed. The installer was great and I have no complaints with him. The speed is great and the service is mostly reliable. The problem lies in the way they meter your usage.

They can't seem to get their meter to work properly, sometimes it just eats up all of your data, even when you have your computer shut down and are not using a wifi router. This happened to us during our first month and I had to call Customer Service. They did restore a few gigabytes to our account but that was not sufficient and we ended up being slowed down to where we were back to dial-up speeds.

Then the next month when our account was to reset with a new 10 GB, it renewed fine but somehow it didn't reset us back to normal speed, here we were stuck on dial-up speeds at Satellite prices. So, again I called Customer Service!! They got us back to normal speed and said they would credit us 5 GB. Well, of course, that never happened.

This past month everything was just rosy. Our account re-set on the 24th of April and after a few weeks I posted on their Facebook page and Tweeted about how happy I was with their service. Big mistake! We average using less than 200 MB per day, so on Saturday the 18th we had a little over 7 GB left to last us the rest of our cycle, which meant that we could relax a little and watch a few news stories and youtube videos for the remaining days before we reset to 10 GB on May 24th.

However, on the 18th I stayed up late to use their LNFZ (Late Night Free Zone). That is where you can use all the data you want for free from midnight to 5:00 a.m. I downloaded updates and watched a few things during this free time from 1:00 am to 4:00 am. The next morning we got an email from Exede warning us that we were getting dangerously close to using all our data for the cycle. I went to check our usage meter and it had counted the 4 GB that I had used during the Free Zone.

I explained what had happened on the Wildblue / Exede Discussion Forum and was not surprised to find that others had experienced the same problem. We were told by one of the Customer Service Reps. to send them our names and phone numbers and they would call us. It is now May 22nd and we have still not received a call or any other attempt to reimburse the data that was stolen from us.

I am sure that they think all will be forgiven when our account is reset and we begin a new cycle but my trust in this company is gone. They are not trustworthy and they have terrible customer service. Their representatives are never on the same page, they make promises that they don't keep and their meters are horribly unreliable.

Once you sign that contract you are stuck and they know it. I would not recommend this company and feel bad for the people who we have already referred. My only recourse and satisfaction is to warn others before they make the same mistake that we have made. If, in the future, they should win back my trust. I will revise this post.

** 9/4/2013 UPDATE: I must say that the past 3 months have been smooth sailing and I am loving EXEDE! It is super fast and has been totally trouble free. The only time we have lost connection has been during really bad storms. I can't comment on whether Customer Service has improved because I have not needed them.

With that said, they currently have been making more changes and as of today, I can no longer access my Usage Page. While using the Late Night Free Zone last night, I lost my connection and my modem lights started flashing in strange sequences. They were probably updating the modem software. I don't like change because it is normally painful. If I experience any problems during these updates and changes I will post here.

*** 9/13/2013 Update: All is well! I found that they changed the link I was using to get into my account. Exede is working fine for us at this time.

10 Gigs per month, however, is very restricting if you want to do anything but surf, Facebook and do email. Don't even think about trying to use Exede for more than a couple of people. Not family friendly at all!

No music, no video, no gaming, no software downloads, no computer updates or online backups, unless you are a night owl and want to use the Late Night Free Zone from approx. 12:00 am to 5:00 am. Even then, the Exede usage meter gives you no indicator about when this free zone actually starts and ends. It is supposed to be according to your local time but it is unreliable.

"Let me state emphatically that if you have any other internet options take them! Do not get Satellite!!"

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent! - See more at: http://spinnersfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/exede-internet-satellite-review.html#sthash.cHfN3UTv.dpuf

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent! - See more at: http://spinnersfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/exede-internet-satellite-review.html#sthash.cHfN3UTv.dpufV

Conclusion: If you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, then Exede Satellite is figuratively and literally Heaven sent!

*Update 9/6/16: Even if you are an elderly couple living on a farm in rural America that has been forsaken by your Country and companies that are only interested in highly populated areas, do not get Exede Satellite! Life is too short to deal with this much aggravation and turmoil! It just does not work and the longer we have it the worse it is getting. It takes about 15 minutes to download a 214 MB file. The internet has totally outgrown a 10 - 20 GB data cap. I try so hard to stay under 10 GB but it cannot be done with Windows 10 updates, app refreshes, and two people using it. Our whole life is dictated by being careful not to use any data. I have to keep my iPad on airplane mode all of the time, so what is the point of even having it. The Late Night Free Zone is a sick joke. You never know if it is working and can end up using all of your data sending pictures to your cloud storage in one night.

*Update 4/5/18: Loving my new Viasat (Formally Exede) Silver 25 Unlimited Internet Plan, but don't bother looking for it because it is no longer available.

Exede Voice Review

Trick Riding Goat For Sale

I put Gimli on Craigslist last night. According to the "Best Days" calendar of the Farmer's Almanac, today and tomorrow are the best days to wean. So I was hoping that someone would just show up and take him but I am going to separate him from his mother today regardless. Which means that I am going to have to start milking twice per day.

He is cute and fun but he is also getting a little annoying. Especially when it is someone else's car.

He was no problem to keep in the goat lot as long as the fence was hot but for some reason it is no longer hot and he knows it. He slips underneath it anywhere he wants to. I worked on the fence yesterday for hours and nearly had a heat stroke but I can't find the problem. I cut weeds, moved limbs and replaced insulators but there is a mile of fence meandering around pastures before it gets to the goat pen. It's really hard to find the problem. I am going to walk it again today.

But in the mean time, if anyone is interested in buying a 3 month old boer wether who does some trick riding, let me know. Mr. Shorty says, "He has to go!"

Who Is Raising Your Children?

If the Government started informing us this week that they will be taking over the total education of your children within one month, how would you react?

This would include visual and audible teaching and training on what they should believe about all things. Not just their ABC’s, Reading and Math but about; morals, politics, spirituality, physical and mental health, sexuality, family, fantasy, imagination, how to control their emotions, appropriate and inappropriate emotions, eliminating fear, the modern idea of right and wrong, acceptance of things that make them uncomfortable, who the enemy is and who the enemy is not, how to do triage in their lives about what is important and what is at the bottom of the list, how they should feel about themselves and their own importance, etc...

This indoctrination would take place on a daily basis, every day of the week. While physical education would be taught and exercise would be encouraged, there would be no time set aside for these activities. Great things about nature, natural resources and our earth’s ecosystem would be taught and outdoor exploration would be idolized but there would be no time for that either. Some of you might think that this is a great idea and that the Government should have started doing this years ago, and if you think that way, then you have already been indoctrinated by this method yourself.

Actually this system is already in place and has been in place for several years. It is currently doing the job that it was, maybe unintentionally, meant to do. It is called Television, Movies, Video Games, Books and the Internet.

The problem is not with these devices in themselves but with the who that is behind them putting their opinions and ideas into your child's fertile and eager mind. It may not be the government who is producing this curriculum that is being poured into your child's brain everyday but who exactly are you letting educate and raise your children? If the government decided to do this we would be up in arms but because it is someone that we don’t see or know, that makes it safe?

Parents are too busy with their own lives to educate their children. They have jobs, TV shows, Facebook, YouTube, Movies, parties, games, friends, and of course they have to have their own “Me time”, as if they weren’t spending all of their time on themselves anyway. So, they park their kids in front of a TV, Video game, iPad, iPhone or Computer and they have a built-in babysitter. All the time not realizing what their children are learning from these hidden people who have all of their kid’s undivided attention.

Don’t think that you can stick a book in your child’s hand and feel better about yourself or buy them an eBook reader to get them away from the TV and Video games. Books are just as bad, if not worse. With the new digital books comes a new danger. Anyone and I do mean anyone can write a children’s or young adult book now. There are no editors or publishers needed. You can just stick your agenda into a children’s book and put it up on Amazon. Parents will download it because it’s free or cheap and without reading it themselves, put it on their kid’s Kindle or Nook.

So what can we do? Get your children out in the world and out into life. They need to learn things with you and from you! Spend time with them, teaching them things that you learned in your pleasant memories from childhood. Let your kids go outside, ride a bike, roller skate, horseback ride, jump rope, go barefoot, catch frogs, catch lightening bugs, swing, play in a creek, swim, fish, camp, get dirty. Spend hours each week with your children focusing on them and not on your smart phone.

Don’t let them read a book that you haven’t read first. Don’t let them play a video game without your supervision. Don’t let them watch anything that you haven’t watched first. Don’t trust the internet or TV with your child just because you need some “Me time”.

Take Action Before Monday, July 9th, 2012

Federal Government Acts Against Trojan; Some Users May Lose Internet Access Monday!

Here is the McAfee test for this Trojan:

Find out if you have been infected with the DNSChanger virus

This test only takes a second (even on a dial-up) and it could save you a lot of grief on Monday when they shut the bad DNS servers down. If you are infected, it will tell you what to do next.

My New Goats

After waiting on Collette to kid in January and nothing happening, we decided to give up on her. We sold Pascal after I was certain that Collette was bred. You can read about them here: In One Year.

We sold Collette this spring and I was totally goatless for quite awhile. Then I bought Hazel who had just had a wether weaned off of her and was ready to milk. She was born in 2011 and had been raised on a bottle. She was bred in the fall and had twins in the early spring. The owners took the doeling off of her and bottle fed it because Hazel didn't have a lot of milk. But she raised the buckling twin on her own.

We brought Hazel home and she drove us crazy. She was a lonely goat and she was not happy. She cried constantly and a goat crying constantly will wear you out pretty quickly. She was fine if I went out and sat with her but the minute I left, she was howling again.

We thought about buying another doe but in the end, we went back and bought the little wether that she had just weaned. She was happy, he was happy and we were happy. Having him here meant that I could be lazy about milking her. When I want milk, I just lock him up away from her for a few hours and milk her. He is getting pretty big now and I know that I will have to really wean him sometime soon.

Hazel

Gimli