Good tips, John. I get their name, but it doesn't always occur to me to give them my number right away. I don't talk to Apple tech support (I'm an Android and Windows user) but there are enough times I have to call for appointments, etc., that those are just good things to do when calling a help line.

Rain rain rain last night; the creek stayed in its banks but someone up the street apparently lost a tree over power lines. I'm sitting at my kitchen table with a power line from the next door generator (they bought one a while back and didn't realize how much capacity it had until the big freeze of 2021, so now if the power is expected to be out for more than a few hours, they have me run my long power cable over.) The electric kettle and the small fridge next to kitchen table are plugged in. I opened the big fridge once and will leave it closed the rest of the day, and won't touch the big freezer. Since the computer and Wifi are all off I'm for the first time using my phone to be a tethered (Bluetooth) device to my tablet. I have a little Anker Bluetooth keyboard also in use and can reach the outside world. Data will be higher on the phone plan this month. (The tablet doesn't have adblock so Mudcat is a busy place with all of the Google ads - I will research this when the power is back and see if I can add something to this tablet browser.) We expect power to be restored by dinnertime. If not, I'll move things around and plug in the big fridge and the freezer.

Many people upgraded their emergency setup after that outage and freeze. I have a propane stove I can use (or I can plug the microwave into the power strip) for dinner, and I have a portable power device the size of a modest toaster oven for everything from jumping the SUV battery to running a lamp, radio, and charging USB devices. The phone is plugged into that as I work. I carry a 6700 mAh power pack in my handbag, good for several phone or tablet charges. I've always tried to be prepared for emergencies (years ago I took a mountaineering class and they taught about the 10 essentials - the gear that would keep you safe in an emergency. I still apply those skills to life in general). When I lived in NY City I carried a pack back and forth to work so if the power went out in the subway I had a book to read, a water bottle, and a flashlight; I made use of them several times. These days it depends on charging small computers everywhere. I'm leaving in a little while and will have to disconnect the garage door opener so I can lift the door by myself, then reconnect it for when the power returns. I guess the test when I get back home is if the door opens or not when I push the button on the remote control.

With the power distractions this morning I missed getting trash to the curb in time; it is full of the shreds from sorting and filing that I finished yesterday. I fear my rain barrel has refilled itself with the several inches of rain overnight, but my work clearing the area in the side bed where I'll plant garlic won't have been undone by the weather. I'm not opening the fridge again, that delicious peach cobbler will have to wait until dinner (it can be a great breakfast). Tonight I start a long weekend of cat sitting for my friend and at least I won't have to worry about watering her potted plants. She has caterpillars in an enclosure on her porch and I have rue and dill growing here if I need to replenish their food supply. Word salad to finish this post (where there is an autocorrect setting I have to adjust in my MS SwiftKey app - it's being bossy this morning.)