Thursday, January 5, 2023

Puzzles real and toy, and surprise brownies

Yesterday I ventured out for the first time since the olden days before this virus struck two weeks ago.

 I'd planned three errands, one to the post office, two to libraries. I managed the post office, yay, gloves on their way,  and the return of the puzzle which I never got to start, to one library  then had to come home, too tired to drive safely any further. 

The other library return has to wait a day.Also increasingly urgent alerts on the dash, now complete with beeps, about the low battery in the key fob, encouraged me not to push it.

So, once home and fuelled with tea, I finally had to change the keyfob battery. I had a battery in the house, the other one from the other fob that went down.

You have to remove the key, separate the parts of the shell and after that the actual replacement isn't so hard. What's hard is opening the shell if you don't have big burly hands like the nice man on YouTube who says just insert the key, rock, there!

You can do that till the cows come home and the thing is so tight fitting it won't give. Last time I used a screwdriver blade which opened it so fast that tiny parts flew all over and required endless reassembly. I hear this is a common problem. Inside that shell the parts, all the command functions,  are just resting in shallow grooves, not fixed. 

So this time I started with the screwdriver then inserted an xacto blade to open it further until it worked. Right way up, battery visible, tiny parts safely underneath.

Changed out the battery, then comes the other issue, shutting the shell again without exploding the parts. The burly handed man acknowledged that even he had to bring pressure, so I stood up, fob on hard surface, full court press with upper body, thumbs whining, till yay, it clicked into place.

I tested, it works, no further hysterical alerts on the dash. Quite proud of my success there. Boud 1, tech 0. For once.

However my less than two years old Fire tablet has gone to a quiet murmur when I use it for audiobooks, inaudible. Every workaround tried, it just wore out, I think. 

It's my go-to for audiobooks, sigh, Hoopla installed, which won't install on my phone whose sound is much better, even using all the sneaky tricks I used to get Hoopla onto the Fire. 

I notice other users with similar media sound issues, and I've already tried all the remedies they suggest. Everything except the media sound, all other sounds, all the video, work fine. 

If you have any good ideas, and they're not on the btdt list, I'll be glad to hear. 

Then Misfits arrived 

with lovely spinach, sardines and wholewheat pita, some of which became supper, lovely fresh spinach leaves wrapped around sardines in best olive oil, inside a pita bread. So good , I could feel strength coming back!

Later Gary came over, with this


He had got it before Christmas hoping his daughter would make brownies. Too busy, didn't. Her mother likewise. He wondered, knowing my habits, if I would ever use a mix. I think he's dying for some brownies. So I accepted it and he'll get a share. I'll add in walnuts though, because they just arrived, and anyway I think you should.

He changed the lightbulb at the top of my stairs, expressed dismay that I'd tried errands, and I explained I think you have to try just to start getting well. 

He's not convinced, but he's never known about managing chronic illness as I have. There's a psychological component to consider. If I didn't push a little I'd be on the sofa till spring.

Speaking of which here's a new puzzle

Once again, don't make it too hard! And if you solve it, don't post the answer, just try a funny clue.

Happy day everyone, may all your fobs, real and metaphorical, work, even if they need a little help.




21 comments:

  1. I saw the word spinach and thought immediately of the pack I didn’t buy yesterday which cost $8.00.

    Slow and steady recovery I pray for you, Boud.

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    1. This spinach, organic, $2.59. You may have been looking at a bigger package though.

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  2. Brave tackling the key fob. Someone ought to make rechargeable ones - like the tiny light on Mr B's hat. It flicks out (of the hat) and plugs into a USB port (and it is no larger than a key fob). We have a suggestion re the puzzle but it's two words and that probably doesn't count. Must stew on it a little longer perhaps.

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    1. I think it's cheaper to make fobs with changeable batteries. Or maybe they own battery mfrs..

      The puzzle is a single word answer. Puzzle on!

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  3. That seems a lot of effort to change a battery. But, you got it done! Yes, walnuts are needed in brownies.

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  4. That is quite an accomplishment- changing out that battery! Good for you!
    I've had some brownie mix brownies that were not bad. Never tried that Hershey's. The Ghirardelli brand doesn't seem to have a bit of that "box mix" flavor in it.
    I have to tell you that when I read the title of your post, I was wondering about the surprise brownies, curious to know what the surprise might turn out to be.

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    1. The surprise was that I was about to use a mix!

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  5. Good job on getting that new key fob battery in, Boud, as they are not the easiest to insert. I replaced mine a couple of months ago even as a precautionary measure so good now for another few years. My car is not one that issues beeps to alert me and the fob has a key that would open doors if the battery had failed, benefit of an older car. Brownies always better with a few walnuts, unless someone is allergic.

    We are now dealing with colds so laying low and indoors as the weather is rainy, misty and quite unpleasant.

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    1. Resting is the ticket if you can manage it. I'm not very expert myself, tend to be jumping up all the time.

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  6. Won’t your local car dealer do it for you? They could talk you into considering a new car at the same time
    I think the answer is something that has grown and flown the nest

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  7. Can't imagine driving all the way two towns over to the dealership for this little job. It's much further than the trip I couldn't manage. Easier to do it myself really.

    Looks as if you got the puzzle, from your clue. Good for you.

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  8. Cathy's clue helped although I'm not sure about flying the nest!
    I swear car manufacturers make those battery changes so hard you have to pay through the nose to get them changed at a dealership.
    Well done for venturing out but more so for recognising your limits.
    Feel even better soon.

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  9. I had to reset my foxtel box and then the remote had to be connected to it again.
    Thank goodness for clever people who do YouTube’s for us to follow
    Yes. You do have to push a tad. Or you do kinda spiral down into a depression and you give up trying at all.
    I’m glad you did something and you got out for a little bit

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    1. You get it! if I stayed home until I felt well, it would never happen. I get better by trying, once I'm clearly on the getting well side. Feeling well is not the default for people whose childhood were consumed with illness which they had to battle through and manage continually. In order to recover strength I have to move, to recover confidence I have to drive. Even tackling the fob battery was a physical as well as mental challenge. I'm glad I did it though I'm tired today.

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  10. Great job on the fob! You've earned a nap! Thanks for the trip to the post office too.

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    1. Glad to get to the PO at last, longest I've ever had to wait.

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  11. I agree, sometimes you have to push getting well. Lazing around leads to more lazing around. I find I have to force myself to 'start' again after the week between Christmas and New Years. My brain is not awake enough yet to try to figure the puzzle. I thought I spotted a pattern but the last word broke it.

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  12. I've never (touch wood!) had to change the battery on a key fob, which is a wonder considering how many we've had over the years.
    Like you I've never made brownies from a mix and only very rarely made a cake that way either. We're 'from scratch' cooks for pretty much everything.

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    1. I suspect if I'd made it from scratch it might have been more to my taste. I'd probably make it less sweet.
      You're very lucky about the fobs. I've now done both of mine. Never had a car with fobs, just the old fashioned put your key in the ignition type.

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