Back when I was still a wee nipper, one day while Mom and I sat side-by-side at the kitchen table, she suddenly produced a small book entitled Susie’s Babies. In the next breath she announced “Linda, it’s time you and Mommy had a talk about the birds and the bees and we’re going to use this book, okay?”
So, thanks to this cute little book about Susie the Hamster and her babies, I learned about the facts of life that day. Nowadays, the birds-and-the-bees dialogue is just referred to as “The Talk” and I’m sure, in some cases, internet-savvy kids likely know more than their parents think they do when it comes time for that sit-down.
So, flash forward more than a few decades …
As you know, I’ve tried my hand at hummingbird feeding this year. I was disappointed that the sugar water level never seemed to go down and wondered if that hummer only stopped by once I walked into the house and was out of sight, or had one sip and took off again? Was my little hummer, which I nicknamed Homer, simply shy or skittish – perhaps I should have been using peanuts first to lure it to the feeder? Just kidding of course.
The other day, finally I was lucky enough to get a good look at the elusive hummer that I have been providing sugar water to since early June. It was hovering around, not alighting to sip, but at least there was a presence. That presence was just long enough for me to glimpse the front of this little bird. Aha! I had a rude awakening!
Michigan’s predominant type of hummer is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Much to my surprise I discovered Homer was not a male hummingbird, but a female. Instead of that iridescent ruby red collar and throat, this bird was a light greenish color with a white throat and breast. Yikes! Well silly me as I named that bird Homer as it rhymed with hummer … a little juvenile perhaps, but I liked how it rolled off my tongue and you all know how I love alliteration. 🙂 Hmm – so maybe that’s the real reason this little bird never responded when I called out “here’s some fresh sugar water Homer dear – come and get it!”
So, that day I opened the door to still another hot and humid morning – ugh. That welcome glimpse of the hummer was precipitated by a whirring of wings fairly close to my head. Of course the camera was in the pouch and my keys were in my hand as I had just locked the door. But clearly I saw that little bird that blitzed by had no ruby-red throat, thus it was a female.
I couldn’t believe how tiny she was, but I had researched hummers after my first sighting of her at the pink weed in my garden and was amazed to learn that this type of hummer was just the weight of a U.S. penny and only about three inches (7.5 centimeters) long. That’s pretty tiny. Hummers are the tiniest birds on earth I learned. Until now, the smallest footprints around this house have been that of the sparrows.
I’m used to the sparrows that congregate around the house, looking for handouts, with jeering looks as they can’t eat sunflower seeds or peanuts. So, they retaliate by making mischief such as clinging to the side of the house and pulling out brick mortar, using it as grit to aid in their digestion, or making nests where they should not, causing $$$ to extricate those nests. Grrr – thus, I’m not a big of fan of sparrows, even though I am a bird lover.
Sparrows are fond of evicting smaller birds from their nests or birdhouses and overtaking their homes for themselves. Sparrows do not play nice as you see in this picture, which ornery behavior I witnessed while holding onto the camera hoping for a hummer sighting.
So, that morning I mused while on my walk that the hummingbird feeding was not a wasted effort. On the way home I decided on a name for my feathered pal based on this message I’ve seen on many screen doors or windows in the ‘hood since the COVID-19 medical crisis began five months ago.
And, when I returned from that trek, I made sure I had the camera in hand as I walked up the sidewalk, hoping to catch another glimpse of Hope, but no luck. Several more times since that morning I’ve seen Hope hovering around the house – once, she flew over to the screen door as I carried out a feeder, as if to say “is that for me?” Of course my hands were encumbered – so no photo.
So Hope lives here and do I aim to get a photo of her before the hummer migration from Michigan in the Fall? Well, I hope so!
My neighbor and friend Marge loved hummingbirds and she had large feeders placed on shepherd’s hooks around the perimeter of her house. She often e-mailed me photos of her hummers – in fact, these are a couple of those photos of a female hummer at one of her feeders which I used in a 2014 blog post.
Maybe Hope is one of Marge’s hummers. My good friend, who suggested I begin this blog, passed away three years ago today. Her hummers were such a great joy in her life, especially the last few years when COPD had her tethered to oxygen 100% of the time and her living room became her window to the world. Since hummingbirds live three to five years. I’d like to think Hope is saying “finally you get it – what took you so long to help me out Linda?”
Susie’s Babies image is from Pinterest.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
I’m so glad Hope is hanging around now.
We’re remembering you today, Marge.
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Yes, I get a little smile whenever I see Hope now Anne – I saw her twice yesterday, yet she never perches, just hovers? Thanks to you, I knew how to identify her but it took nearly two months to get a glimpse of more than her back. 🙂 It was fitting I’d have this post today – Marge was so enamored with her hummers. Sometimes it seems like forever since we spoke and sometimes just yesterday.
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Hummers are programmed to feed while hovering. We have one feeder with a perch and one without.
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I have not seen her perch and she gets fairly close but does not sip from them, unless she doesn’t want to as I’m standing there. I thought they were fearless of humans when they want sugar water ? I think that’s what I read. I am pretty amazed how she appears out of nowhere and disappears seemingly into thin air.
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I’ve been about a foot away from the feeder when a hummingbird came. I was still, and the bird sipped his fill. Hope seems a little more skittish than some.
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That’s what I’ve heard from people who had hummingbirds at their feeders … if they want nectar, they are pretty fearless. I researched their behavior after you told me about distinguishing the male from the female by the red throat. I’ll have to break her of that skittishness … nope, not going to gather any spiders for her to eat though.
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Ugh! Spiders? Well, if the Hummers get their own, I guess it’s acceptable. One less spider in the world.
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I’m all for that as well! I follow Birds and Blooms and Detroit Audubon Society on Facebook. I just read today about what hummingbirds eat besides relying on nectar … one was they catch all kinds of small flies, spiders and bugs while in flight. Take as many spiders as you want dear … you are welcome to them. (A centipede would be almost the same size as a hummingbird.)
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I knew they eat mosquitoes.
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Mosquitoes are good for them to eat … here is the story Anne. I looked it up on Facebook to find the story. I used to get this magazine “Birds and Blooms” for years, but after I lost most of my butterfly garden, and didn’t replant etc., I just follow online now and they have a lot of info on hummingbirds: https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-hummingbirds/what-do-hummingbirds-eat/
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That was very interesting.
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I thought so too Anne … before I started reading up on them, I thought they existed on sugar water.
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Hummingbirds have so many different meanings to different people, I think because they are so special and such a treat to get to see them, especially up close. They are like little angels to me because they can hover in one spot so long. I have two hummingbirds now, the one keeps trying to keep the feeder to himself, but now and then he gives in and there are two sitting on it. 🙂
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Well the sightings for me seem to be so swift Sandra that by the time my brain registers the hummingbird is there, it is gone again. She zips over and is gone in a heartbeat it seems. I have taken to opening the door slowly so I could potentially grab a picture and when I come home have the camera in my hand – no luck yet. I have not seen more than one hummingbird at a time though.
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Glad you got to see her. I didn’t bother with feeders for them this year as I always found myself cleaning them out without any activity. This week there have been hummers at the flowers on my window box. I hope they enjoy that because I’m still not putting out the feeders!
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Ha ha – I was starting to feel the same way Kate, especially since you kind of “warned” me this happened to you before. But, having invested in feeders and other paraphernalia, I hung in there, so was happy to see her. I have roses in the backyard which are not a hummer flower and three shamrock plants (a friend sent bulbs to plant and they have finally bloomed after the squirrels dug the bulbs up a few times, so I had to rely on the sugar water only.
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I’m so glad that Hope is hanging around. I’m also so sorry for the loss of your dear friend. Being tethered to oxygen, I can understand how much Marge loved her hummingbirds. ❤️
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I am glad she is hanging around too Mary. I was beginning to think I should not have started this little adventure. Thank you – Marge was a good friend to my mom and me through the years. She was a very active person until the last three years and then she was tethered to the large oxygen machine and the small, portable machine did not work out so well any longer. I found a website called explore.org – have you every heard of it? It has all kinds of web cams where you can view animals, birds … I found three hummingbird cameras. So she would watch that in the Winter months. I see that some of the cameras are closed for the season – that’s a first. I saw babies hatching earlier this year. This is the feeder only cam active right now: https://explore.org/livecams/hummingbirds/hummingbird-fountain
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You’re welcome Linda. I’m so glad you and your mom had Marge for a friend. Due to multiple health conditions, I’ve started limiting my time online and can’t do webcams or videos. But I appreciate the suggestion. ❤️
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Yes, I was sad to lose Marge … she was very close to both of us and was with me when my mom went to the hospital her final time. Like you, my mom also had multiple health conditions … she was hit by a car at age 11 and had 42 orthopedic operations in her lifetime and other conditions not related to the orthopedic issues; she passed away due to a perforated bowel. I spend much time online and it’s not good for me – all the sitting is not healthy. I have worked from home for nearly a decade and so I pretty much sit most of the day … this is one reason the walking is so important and why I began the walking regimen in 2011. The nicest web cams look to be down anyway but they have quite a variety and I pop on there from time to time – more so before blogging took off three years ago – it was not like that in the beginning. Take care Mary. ❤️
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Mary – I saw that you have followed my blog and I went over to your site to follow back. I’ve enjoyed commenting back and forth with you and missed you while you were gone – now I know where you were. I read a few of your last posts and comments were closed, so I could not comment. My mom also loved yarn and crafts – she loved to knit and did so for many years – she decided to knit afghans for my grandmother (two of them) and one for herself and me. She got carpal tunnel syndrome from all that knitting and had to have surgery in both wrists – she never picked up her knitting needles again. Her knitting bag, which I still have, has a half-finished baby sweater in it. I will mention also that my mom was under the care of an infectious disease specialist for over 25 years – she had cellulitis in her legs. When she had a flare-up she went to the hospital for a week on strong IV antibiotics (Vancomycin). Then the last few years, they used a clinic where we went for IV antibiotics (same drug), sometimes twice a day, then once a day as she was weaned off – the hospital was better, less stressful and demanding on her as she had mobility issues. I am glad you are home again.
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Thank you for following me. I’m glad that you and your mom had Marge in your lives. I’m also sorry for everything they both went through. I’m not only living with multiple health conditions and physical limitations, I also live with considerable weakness. Which is why I’m scaling back every area of daily living. Including slowing down my blogging. I hope you can understand that I just don’t have the energy to answer lengthy comments. I’m going to post an update next week concerning the weakness and my need to simplify. ❤️
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I understand Mary … I had to comment after reading your post and I did think there might be a reason you closed the comments. Blogging takes an incredible amount of time … take care of yourself please. ❤️
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Thank you so much for understanding.❤️
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Oh, I do – my mom had many limitations … I do understand, believe me. I am usually not up this late. I’ve not even made it to Reader and I think I will have to save that for tomorrow.
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Thanks Linda!
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You’re welcome Mary. Take care.
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Mary – I followed your blog last week, and a couple of posts appeared in my e-mail inbox, but not in Reader … I noticed that the posts referenced “hospital” … I got behind here on WordPress earlier in the week due to work and taking my car in for service. When I went to catch up, your posts were no longer on your blog site. I apologize for not commenting then and all your other posts show “comments closed” so I could not comment on your site either. I wanted to wish you luck and let you know I am thinking of you. Take care.
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Hi Linda, No worries. I deleted the medical posts for privacy, since things have gotten more complicated since I was hospitalized this week. I close comments after twenty four hours, to keep things simple and avoid spam. Thank you so much for your kindness. ♥️
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I felt badly Mary – I only read the topics and a few sentences and intended to read/comment later. I have to check if the posts are in Reader or just via e-mail. What I read had me worried. You are in my thoughts – please take care of yourself. please. ♥️
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I emailed you! No worries! I really appreciate your prayers and caring! ♥️
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Thanks Mary – I am a worrier … take care. ♥️
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You, too! ♥️
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❤️
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So sorry about your friend. It is good that the hummingbirds bring pleasant memories of her.
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Thank you JP – she was a wonderful friend to my mom and me. I would like one day to have as many hummingbirds as Marge did. They brought her much joy.
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Miss Linda………………………that’s a cute story on naming “Hope”…………………………..yes she surely could be the same that visited Marge………………………already 3 years…………………I’ve seen our hummingbird just 2x this summer……………………….but I’m not always sitting around to catch her………………………..by the way that’s a great still picture of Hope standing perfectly still!…………..you’re a great photographer!
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Ann Marie – after I wrote the first story about Hope, a fellow blogger asked if it was male or female and I didn’t know how to distinguish so they said the red “collar” and neck area. So, now I know it is one hummingbird and a female. They said on various hummingbird sites that they can live even longer than that – it may very well be one of Marge’s many hummingbirds. I think you are on the go and I come in the house – perhaps more goes on as to sipping nectar than we know. Thank you for saying that – it is actually a photo from Marge from 2014 and I hope I get a picture of my elusive hummingbird before she goes South.
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I like the name “Hope” even better than “Homer”. I have faith in you, Linda. I think you will get some fantastic photos of hummingbirds before they move south in the fall.
My son puts out hummingbird feeders in Colorado. They get several different types there. It is fun to watch them. He actually gets bunches of them. Some species can be pretty aggressive at the feeders.
I agree with you about the house sparrows. They are an invasive species. Most birders don’t like them for the same reason as you – they are aggressive and crowd out the native birds.
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I like “Hope” better too Laurie. I did not even see her today and I lingered outside when I returned from walking too. I am thinking when the flowers are not so plentiful and she is forced to go to the feeder for food may be my chance. I keep hearing about how aggressive the hummingbirds can be at the feeders and very territorial about their food. I find it odd I have just one hummingbird showing up – the nectar always seems at the same level.
Oh, the sparrows are not nice at all … they have been destructive in the past and I came home one day to find a whole group of them clinging to the side of the house eating brick mortar. I see them doing it now, but that day, there must have been 25 of them clinging there … it was an odd sight. My neighbor Marge put out birdhouses along her gazebo and on the deck railing. The wrens moved in and the sparrows overtook each of the houses, chasing the wrens away.
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A lovely post.
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Thank you Amorina.
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Lovely post, Linda! Hope is well name and reminds me of the Emily Dickenson poem. I’m glad to hear Marge was there with you when your mother passed on.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
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Thank you Joni – you know, I should have thought of that poem … it would have been fitting for this post. A fellow blogger did a series of posts about Emily Dickinson’s works last year and at the time I re-read some of her poems that I had not thought of in 40 years since I was in school. I will use this poem for sure f I am lucky enough to get some pictures of her – now I will try harder. I am hoping in the Fall during the migration, when all the flowers are gone, I’ll be a great “second fiddle”.
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Hope you can get some pictures of Hope!
Raining cats and dogs here today…..no walking for sure.
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Yes, you’re right – raining hard and we got an inch of rain plus a lot of thunder, so I was good, stayed in (hot in afternoon but cleared up) and did housework all day. Didn’t get here until late which was not so good though.
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Perfect name Linda! Do you find you have to burp the feeders every day?
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For some reason my hummers drink so much and make an air pocket and if I don’t burp the feeder I don’t think they get any food.
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I am wishing there was another way to lure them to the feeder – I believe having flowers would work … my friend Marge had a birdbath nearby and it had a solar insert that she bought for it … that caused a mini fountain and I am wondering if that helped her get those hummingbirds, though she had the large upside-down feeders too. I am leery to get a birdbath – I had four birdbaths years ago but had to get rid of them due to rat issues and my neighbors on both sides have seen rats – one found a dead one. I hope we are not going down this long, sad road again. I had to stop feeding and watering the birds back in 2008 when a neighbor behind left his dog out 24/7/365. I never resumed feeding/watering again as I had a pest control service for several years. I am not planning to feed the squirrels at the house anymore … we have a Cooper’s Hawk in the area … I believe he was culprit for my cute “house squirrels” missing since April. I figured nothing but hummingbirds could mess with this feeder and I would not be inviting unwanted guests … it makes me sad as I have a pair of cardinals nesting in my barberry bushes for many years now. They would really enjoy the peanuts and have the past few years.
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Diane – that name is more befitting such a tiny bird … and a female! I did a lot of research after deciding to embark on hummingbird feeding but I have never seen that so I Googled and just watched a video and read a short article. I do not have a large feeder that tips upside down, but that makes sense to me to do that. I have two small high perch dish-style feeders. Third-picture down here is what I have … I don’t want to send a store link as it will visit you forevermore: https://hummingbirdpictures.net/hummingbird-feeders/
I have done all the tricks they said, including using red surveyor’s tape and tying it near the feeder,on the top of the shepherd’s hook – it wiggles in the wind or even with a small breeze. I likely have to get more red-colored flowers and that is the real problem. I’ve been researching what types of flowers for next year and will probably plant some near the feeder area. I have two feeders, both look untouched when I bring them in to clean them.
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Fingers crossed you’ll get your Kodak moment!
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Thanks Jeanine – I hope so too!
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Hope is the perfect name for your hummer. We don’t have a feeder but I understand that just because you put it there, they won’t necessarily come (to paraphrase Keven Costner in Field of Dreams). But, it sounds like Hope is warming to you and will soon give you the pictures you want. Can you see the feeder from inside? If so, you might want to set up a tripod with your camera set up and focused on it.
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Hi Janis – I am learning as I go along … sadly it’s not the Pavlovian response like peanuts = squirrel traffic! I was happy to see her actually alight on the feeder to drink and also hovering above to drink yesterday. I really was starting to think that I was putting out nectar for the occasional wasp that falls into the moat. I have two small, high-perch feeders fairly close together. And I have two other feeders (identical) that I clean and have ready to swap out when I put new nectar out. Yesterday i was carrying the one clean feeder and ready to hang it and grab the one that was there to clean it and she came over. She kept hovering until I changed feeders and that’s the second or third time that’s happened, so I am positive she is familiar with the drill and “hangs around” waiting for fresh food – having had pet birds for years and I fed the birds for years before a neighbor’s dog which was in the backyard behind 24/7/365 caused rats and I ceased feeding and providing birdbaths, and also spending more time in parks while walking, I have come to respect bird intelligence more and more. I went into the house, watched her through the door, but my hands were wet and dirty and the camera was not handy. To answer your question, it would be dicey getting a shot as the screen door is a hindrance and there is no other angle to get a shot but outside. I now have the camera ready when I return from walking every day … next year I’ll need to get more flowers that hummingbirds like. This was my first year doing this. My neighbor’s trumpet vine comes over my fence. He cut it down in the Spring as it grows like some kind of wild thing, and I’ve kept pruning it back too and yesterday I told him let’s let it grow little wild at the fenceline like before. He’s fine with that. We have a volunteer garden in a park near my home. That’s where I got the Monarch photos a few weeks ago … the lantana are just gorgeous and a butterfly magnet and they have a massive trumpet vine there … I have never used the tripod that came with my compact digital camera … I have a lot to learn about the DSLR as I just use the automatic feature now.
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Getting out of automatic just takes practice… and it sounds like the hummer is a good thing to practice on! Good luck!
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Thanks Janis – I need to try. Last year I spent an entire day reading manuals and got to the Park and each of my shots was either too dark or too light. I think I have to commit the settings to memory to “get” it.
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I, too, am a big fan of Hummingbirds, Linda. I didn’t realize they only lived 3-5 years. Probably because they expend don’t much energy while they’re alive. 🤷♀️
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When I started the hummingbird feeding, I researched some info to try to attract this one, as well as others. That is what I learned for the Red-Throated Hummingbird, although the article stated that hummingbirds in captivity can live 9-10 years, some longer. I sent the hummingbird web-cams to my neighbor who used to watch them in the cold months when the hummingbirds migrated. Some of the web cams are off season, but this one shows a hummingbird in the nest. P.S. – Since I wrote this post, I saw Hope up close yesterday and sipping nectar from the feeder by perching and hovering – I was happy to see that Pam.
https://explore.org/livecams/hummingbirds/alyssa-hummingbird-cam
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👏👏👏
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I like hummers, too. Watching them feed at feeders or on real flowers is a treat. I need to get a feeder + some food the next time I’m in Lowe’s.
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My neighbor loved hers Ally. She had a lot of hummers and used the big feeders where the bottle is upside down. She had the feeders all around the house positioned so she could watch them. She took pictures all the time and sent them to me.
I just got the smaller, high-perch feeders … it was suggested to start off small until you get a following, but fellow bloggers have the large feeder and it is always busy. I finally saw this hummingbird sipping nectar yesterday after 10 weeks of putting out food. I was excited to see that. I just gave Pam Lazos this site – it has multiple web cams for hummers, though some are down as they are out of season. This one shows close-ups of the hummer in the nest:
https://explore.org/livecams/hummingbirds/alyssa-hummingbird-cam
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That’s an interesting webcam. Watching it is soothing. Thanks for the link.
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You’re welcome Ally – I thought you’d like it. I pop on there from time to time and this past Winter, on the one cam, Bella was sitting on eggs in a nest. The web cam magnifies the scene a lot because in reality the eggs are the size of a Tic Tac breath mint. I went back to what I was doing and popped on later and the chicks had hatched! So I got an up-close view of them. If you go to the Explore.org home page, they have cameras for everything imaginable – even Zen Cams. Very soothing.
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I am so happy that you and Hope are getting acquainted Didn’t I tell you not to give up in the hummers – Hope is the perfect name!
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Yes you did Ruth and Monday this week, I was taking the fresh feeder out and she saw me, waited til I took the old one away and put the new one out and went over and drank for a long time, even sitting on the perch, as well as in air. That is the first time I saw her sipping so I was excited to see that. I liked that name better too – lucky I learned it was a female; she got a nicer name!
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Linda,
Since they are nectar feeders, do you think a couple of drops of honey may lure her in to the feeder? I have a lot of fruit flies on fruit I live outside now and a few drops of honey around them seem to draw them to that drop rather than the fruit.
Hope is a beautiful name and hope she comes again and again to your feeder and brings other humming birds there too.
The North American sparrows are huger than the ones we have here, very skinny and nifty. I am thinking because of their size, they could be bullies there- here they seem docile.
Susie
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Hi Susie – I researched a lot and am following several bird sites which talk about the hummers and what they eat and like for their environment. They advise against putting honey into the feeder as well as using red dye.
I am often angry at the sparrows because they are mean and rather destructive around here.
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The pictures of that hummingbird is wonderful!! They move so fast that I have not had the chance to take a non-blurry face forward picture of them. Such a small creature but with tons of personality.
Marge would’ve loved reading your posts about your walks and the squirrel’s antics. Love how you mention her inn your posts.
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You’re right Esther – when Marge passed away in August 2017, I only had a handful of people who subscribed to my blog and none were WordPress bloggers. So in November of 2017, someone from WordPress followed me and that led to a snowball effect. She would love to know that happened and that I had posted 1,500 posts and with so many pictures. I got some pictures of Hope the other day in the pouring rain – it was raining so hard, she was drenched. I will try for some more pictures of her and do a post then.
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Your story of how your blog started is inspiring!! The snowball effect has really brought you a big community of fellow bloggers. One special friend, like Marge, can make all the difference in getting something off the ground and trying new things.
Wow, 1500 posts. Congrats on your blog growing and thriving!!
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Thank you Esther – yes, I really wish Marge could see the stats now, compared to back in 2017 when she was still here. I hope to keep it going for a long time.
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I have no doubt: your blog will keep growing and thriving over the years! Marge would be proud and maybe you have a reader like Marge who cannot go out far from home. Your blog gives them a sense of being out in nature. 🙂
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When I began my blog, I only did one paragraph and a one-word title and no pictures. I didn’t really take a lot of pictures until I got a camera with more zoom (I had a 4X zoom digital compact and got a 12X zoom digital compact as Marge and I were on a little outing to Elizabeth Park and we took the same photos and she sent me hers and I showed her mine … I asked why mine looked so far away and she said “the zoom lens”). So when I got the new camera in 2015, I started being more desriptive and taking more photos, as she was not going out as much because she was on portable oxygen when leaving the house by then.
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I think you learn a lot about blogging through trial and error experiences. Thank goodness you got a camera with a zoom feature. It makes pictures more crisp and defined. Hmmmm, maybe a slow transition to a smart phone?! It has great photo functions and a map feature. (You know I’m saying these things in jest, right?) My mom loves her flip phone and I don’t think she’ll ever switch. She drops her phone too much anyway and one time she forgot and put it in the freezer.
Sweet Marge…for me, my Marge would be Pamela.
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I have learned about other bloggers’ cultures also which is interesting. I have had some fellow bloggers that wrote or posted photos every day, then they have just dropped out of the blogosphere and not been around for several years. I had a brief foray into smartphones about three years ago. I had a small phone, not even a flip phone, just a very small phone, for years. I just have a pay-as-you-go phone, so I load it with $100.00 of minutes every year and it carries minutes to the next year. So, I went to load minutes one time (I load every July) and I got a message that my 2G phone would no longer be supported by AT&T. I had to get a 3G phone by the end of the year. I could carry over the same phone number and my minutes. So off I went and got a smartphone for under $100.00 as I had a voucher provided by AT&T for a discount on the new phone (since it was their fault I had to buy a new phone). So I got the phone, took it home and spent most of the next weekend trying to figure out how to use it. I could not pick up any wireless in the house and to try to use it, I would get “not enough memory” … it lost calls and I had never texted before, tried that and experimented with Marge, my guinea pig and I lost texts. I only keep the phone for emergencies really, so it took so long to boot up and I didn’t like the “swiping feature” so I went back and asked if I could trade it in – “no” … so had to get a non-smart phone and I was mad about that.
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It’s great that Marge was a part of so many first experiences with you: texting, zooming for photos, and blogging.
Not having good wireless connection is awful. I don’t know how we survived the AOL days of dialing into the internet. I could still her that sound in my head.
I hear you…it’s hard to get used to and learn new phone features. Now the smartphones are close to a thousand dollars or more.
Glad you have it for emergencies though…maybe play around with it when you are out so you get more acclimated to its different features.
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I never used AOL as I decided to wait on my home computer til after Y2K and just used internet at work. We did not get Windows until just before Y2K – we were slow on the uptake. I know the smartphones have many features … I should learn more things about my flip phone.
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I forgot all about Y2K!! Gosh, I remember it but can’t recall much of how I felt about it.
You’re right: learn more about the one you have, probably has most or all the features you need. The new phones can dawdle away the hours of mindless scrolling, etc.
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We only got Windows at work because they were worried the computer system and mostly the accounting system would crash. I never got the “swiping” right and the phone constantly said no memory so I had to simplify things.
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♥️
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She’s still here Stacy – I saw her yesterday. Here in SE Michigan it is getting cooler, but I’ll keep her fueled up ’til late September before she goes down South.
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