Some Time Next Year....

Our little house is rented out at the moment and so for now we are still all "camping out" in the mobile home until after the 10th of December when the renter will move out.  One of the challenges we currently face has to do with simple communications.  I was told that the mobile home had never been connected to a telephone line.  I didn't think that was a big deal, I'd just call and have the phone company come and put one in.  Wrong....  When I called I was informed that at "this time of year" they simply shut down all new construction projects until spring.  Therefore, they would not be putting in a phone line for me "until some time next year."  No, I'm not kidding....

Normally people would say, "Oh well, just hafta use the cell phones for a while."  Wrong again.... As I've mentioned previously there is no cell service in Geraldine.  So we have had to be quite creative in order to find a way to have any way of communicating outside of Geraldine.  It seems ironic that since moving to this remote, nearly unheard of place, my dependence and knowledge of technical things has been forced to increase.  I am not the type of person who enjoys playing with "gadgets".  But I have had to learn to set up a cellular booster in my house. Now I can take calls on my cell phone as long as I hold my head, just right, 3 inches from the antenna. I have had to become acquainted with  "mobile broadband devices", in order to have Internet.  Before, I couldn't have told you what that was if my life depended on it!  I took for granted that if our internet at home was down, Ryan could fix it.  Or I could run into Laurel and pick up a WiFi signal.  So far in Choteau County I have found one place to get WiFi.  The Carnegie Library in Fort Benton, 27 miles away. 

Since my mom has signed on to this adventure with us, she has taken over doing the books and managing the office for us. She helps, (or tries) to keep things running smoothly with the craziness that comes from our doing business in North Dakota. This means she pretty much has my computer tied up from first thing in the morning until we go to bed at night. 

So, tonight I have a new friend... well I hope we can be friends.  I am learning to use my new little tablet computer.  I'm hoping to squeeze in time to write my little stories whenever I have a minute between hollering babies, teaching Payson to be a well behaved young man, helping run a company, horse chores, errands, housework, meals.... I NEVER thought I would have one of these, much less find it useful.  But I read the manual and I think this little gizmo and I might actually get along well enough for it to help me document this simple, prairie life.

Tonight there is a fresh layer of dry, powder snow blanketing the town.  The air is bitter and we expect it to be around 5 degrees below zero by the time we get up in the morning.  I think of the good people that settled this town back in 1913 and what they faced with out our "modern conveniences".  No central heating, indoor plumbing, double pane windows, well insulated homes.  I'm thankful I don't have to keep a fire stoked all night so my babies can be warm.  I'm thankful that we could find ways to stay in touch with friends and family and run a business.  Even if it means a slow connection and many dropped and broken up calls....

Of course, the little house already has a land line....so the minute we move in, that baby will be hooked up!