Sometimes It’s Just Easier To Watch The Andy Griffith Show
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The Blink cameras are an excellent choice for home security. Activated by movement, the cameras at David Howell’s house capture his neighbor’s visiting gobblers who are convinced a lonely hen is hiding around his front porch. Read Dave’s World to see why the gobblers are a little confused.
DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
Facebook has been buzzing around the Valley as TVIfiber service is getting hooked up. The social media consensus is – it was well worth the wait! Joe and Jeani Black were the first to get TVIfiber in the Water Valley area, receiving service on May 8. TVIfiber has reported that much of northeast Yalobusha County is now active. Work continues on the southern portion of the county and is expected to be completed in September.
I’m far from a tech guru and admittedly my wife does most of the “programming” around the house, but I thought this would be a good time to share my successes (and failures) with streaming television and home security. So far, I would rate the streaming television as a little overwhelming. Not because of the lack of opportunities, but I honestly think we spend more time channel surfing than actually watching a show. With a few paid services, Netflix, Amazon and Paramount, and endless free services like Pluto and Freevee, it seems like it is hard to settle on one show. There may be something better to watch just a few clicks away. And there are times I give up and settle for an episode of the Andy Griffith Show.
Gone are the days when you cut your television on and simply click the remote up or down to settle on a channel. Admittedly the gadgets for streaming are easy enough, we have the Fire Stick and Roku. After hitting the home button, all of the streaming services are ready to select. You can also search for a specific title on the home menu item and the Fire Stick will show you which streaming services offer the show. The problem, it seems like more often than not the specific show I want to watch is not available on the service I have. That’s okay, you can quickly scroll through all eight seasons of the Andy Griffith Show and find one of the 249 episodes you don’t remember watching.
For the security cameras, that is much easier. While I hate to recommend a specific product, I sure love my Amazon Blink cameras. They are relatively inexpensive (a pack of five cameras costs $380), wireless and easy to hook up. The little cameras run on two AA batteries that reportedly last for up to two years. I believe my back-door camera that gets the least use of my four may make it that long. Being battery-operated means no wires, you simply install a little bracket with a couple of screws and pop the camera in. I have a camera on all three exterior doors and another on an oak tree monitoring movement at the shop.
The quality is decent, both audio and video, and it gives me a little peace of mind when I am at the office working. Best of all, (I know I promised no more turkey stories), I can see when my neighbor’s pet turkeys come visiting. I made the mistake of pulling my turkey call out last week when they were across the road and now they are convinced a hen is hiding somewhere on my front porch.
For almost a week after I talked to them they would come by the porch a couple times a day. The four gobblers apparently don’t have the company of a hen at home and are pretty desperate for company. They almost look like wild turkeys, the two guineas traveling with them are the giveaway. I’ve heard of peacocks getting loose and running with wild turkeys, but never guineas.
Did I mention you can keep track of all those orders from the wife. For about a week the UPS delivery man and turkeys were running a close race to see who stopped by the house the most. The delivery man and turkeys left “evidence,” Amazon boxes and a little turkey poo. The poo wasn’t appreciated near as much as the packages, and this time I promised my wife the turkey calls are put up for good. Or at least until next year’s season!
