Even as a rather old-fashioned senior with high blood pressure I still have to admit that I have fallen in love with the Internet as well as finally becoming a family and friend member on Facebook. It is truly a blessing to now be able to contact our long distant children and grandchildren face-to-face at least a couple of times and week.
Our amazing world of electronics also allows us to chat with family and old and new friends with a mere touch through the magic of email, to exchange special photos, and to send or receive greetings and messages for those countless year-round and sudden occasions that may be both happy or sad. The Internet has also helped and encouraged me to continue my favourite retirement hobby of writing, as well as allowing us all to stay close as well as unveil a whole new and exciting 24-7 view of the wonderful nation and world that we live in.
There are still some things that I don’t quite understand
My wife and I will be forever grateful that if we run into trouble with one of our new electronic gadgets, instead of going into a hissy fit, we simply pick up the phone and call one of our children or grand-children, who will get us back on track with very little embarrassment and no questions or rude remarks. There are however a few of these new and modern inventions where I still get frustrated, dig in my heels, and occasionally have a tough time accepting.
• The kids wanted to buy me a GPS for my 70th birthday because they heard that I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. After sitting in the back seat on several long excursions with other drivers I got really tired of listening to that annoying lady inside the gadget butting in every 10 minutes in her boring monotone voice and announcing that she was recalculating because we screwed up. I certainly wouldn’t want to be involved in that kind of a relationship with Gypsy (The G.P.S. lady), and when I really do get lost now I just call my wife, tell her the name of the cross streets or nearby landmarks and then she tells me how to get home. Occasionally she has developed the same tones as the Gypsy, but at least she still loves me.
• To be perfectly frank I am getting used to the three cordless phones in our condo because I don’t have to run so far to catch a call before they hang up. Sure, they occasionally get lost under the chair cushions, in the laundry basket, or wherever, but there is a button that you can push and they will beep until you find them. We have just one plain-Jane cell phone in our possession that goes with us everywhere just for emergencies and only contains the contact numbers of family and vital special services. Yours truly has always tried to stay away from complicated T.V. remotes, but thank goodness we are a ‘two-television’ family, where I can sneak away to my little office T.V. and choose my shows and games by flipping just the on/off and channel change buttons. Someone asked me the other day if I ‘Tweet’ and after pausing a few moments I casually replied, “No, but I occasionally pass gas.”
• The world of grocery shopping has also got a little more complicated with the ‘paper or plastic’ bag era, but we can now relax and become completely ‘bi-sacksual’ by bringing along our own reusable cloth bags.
On the lighter side
• When we were 18, we wanted to save the world, but now we’d be happy to save $100.00. Retirement is when we love to sit around and watch the sunset or the northern lights, as long as we can stay up that late.
• My good friends Sandy and Sharon over at the Fort Ostell Museum are hoping to borrow a CANOE for their colourful new display which will salute Canada’s gala 150th Anniversary in 2017. If you can help them out please give them a call at 403-783-5224 or pop in on weekday afternoons. Let’s all get excited about Ground Hog Day on February 2nd, start planning to turn up the heat on Valentines’ Day February 14th, and then have a great week, all of you.