FUN WITH ALEXA

Hallie and Silas

I admit that I get a bit impatient with those folks in other parts of our country who fail to take care of themselves when tornados are pending. I shouldn’t think along these lines because I really don’t know anything about their situation. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don’t have overwhelmingly devastating storms. The devastation here is more likely to be in the form of summer wildfires. The lack of winter moisture we experience contributes to that phenomenon.

But I will say that weather alerts that fail to materialize contribute to complacency. “Do you think we’re going to have ferocious wind today,” I asked Mike when Alexa announced a wind advisory on a day that seemed calm. “No!” was his immediate response. And we were right. The wind didn’t gust at more than five mph.

However, one day later, we now have another wind advisory. The forecast is for up to 60 mph in some regions, but it might affect the upper country more than the Valley. And the weatherman still says a cold snap will begin on Wednesday.

Silas

Speaking of Alexa, we have an Echo Show in the kitchen window, a gift from Hallie so that she could share photos of Silas with us. And she does. Wonderful photos of Silas and his parents fade in and out as I work in the kitchen. I also bought a unit for the farm, which is wintering in my sewing room. In addition to sharing photos, we also message each other and have face-time calls.

I use “Alexa” for other purposes, too. Last year I listened to the “Harry Potter” books through Audible on my Echo Show. This year, I balked at the cost of annual renewal, not to mention the price of the books if you don’t have credits, and I refused to renew. However, I found that I really missed listening to books as I worked in the kitchen, so I subscribed to Audible on a monthly basis. Maybe they’ll eventually offer me a better deal.

My favorite photo 

So, what am I listening to now? – All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. I remember when the book first came out, but I didn’t read it. I also remember the long-running first television production, but we didn’t watch it. We have watched the present series and really enjoyed it. It’s so refreshing to watch a program with reasonable certainty that nothing really bad is going to happen.

Oh! And the book I’m listening too is read by Nicholas Ralph, the Scottish actor who portrays James Herriot in the present series. It’s wonderful! I listen every chance I get. I might even re-listen!

Well, Mike is off on his bike. He needs to ride before the wind blows and the temperature drops. And what am I doing? Winding yarn for the afghan. KW

[I took these photos of the Echo Show screen this afternoon. And yes, it really was 59 today. Will it drop to 34 on Wednesday? That's the prediction.]