HAPPY NEW WEEK and HAPPY NEW MONTH!
February 1 is Imbolc (or Imbolg), the old Gaelic festival marking the coming of spring and traditionally celebrated throughout Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. It falls about halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. We're almost to the time of warmer weather (cooler weather for you, AQ)! Yay! I'm so hoping for an early spring, so we'll only have about 4 or 5 more weeks of the cold. I hope everyone has an easy week!
Marsh Marigold wildflowers, Shenandoah National ParkU.S. National Park Service: NPSPhoto labeled Public Domain (Copyright Free)
Annette: Lindy is absolutely right. Sound quality has decreased, unless you have super expensive equipment. I read that it's because TVs are now so very thin. People wanted very thin TVs that they can hang on the wall (above a fireplace, etc.). But when the TV is that thin, manufacturers have to sacrifice the bigger hardware that's required to produce clear, crisp sound.
Lindy: You are also correct about the mumbling. It drives me crazy!!! Like Rosy, I often use subtitles.
Be careful with that microwave. This is a true story (honestly, it is). I had an old microwave make that "BANG!" sound and start to smoke, so I unplugged it. I looked for an explanation on the internet, and I read that the sound results from an electrical short. I had already unplugged it, so I didn't think much about it. Later in the evening, I was lying in bed reading and I heard an odd sound--a murmuring sound. I got up to investigate and followed the noise to the kitchen. THE MICROWAVE WAS RUNNING. It was also producing an alarming chemical-smelling smoke. It was still unplugged!!! I turned to the internet again, and I read that microwaves can indeed turn themselves on--even if they are unplugged--when there's a serious electrical short. It's because they retain electricity for a while. You might want to take that microwave to a place where you can get rid of it away from your house. My experience scared me!
LINDY: If I remember right, the electricity short was caused by the door of the microwave. It had gotten bent and wasn't aligning correctly, so it wasn't closing properly.
I'm posting this link only because I don't want people to think I'm goofy. I know my story above sounds delusional. LOLhttps://www.doityourself.com/stry/5-reasons-why-a-microwave-might-turn-on-by-itself
Diane: Not goofy at all.
Just back from getting first Covid vaccine jab. All very well organized in the hospital's parking lot (we stayed in our cars) with docs and nurses in attendance, not to mention traffic coordinators. It had a kind of festive air. Doc told me people get more of a reaction from the second shot. OH off getting his now.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Just a thought
Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us. (Samuel Smiles)