This Heat Wave -A Solution to Robo Calls and Scammers on the Phone

Yes, another technical issue. I have long had a problem with robo calls (scams) and live Scammers on the phone. I complained to my telephone company and was advised to hang up and then pick up the receiver again, and dial *57. That gave me a recording which starts out, "Your last incoming call has been marked for trace..." That gave me a measure of comfort, and I often told myself that some day I would ask to see that long list of scammers who had called me. I might even take it to the police.

Well, of late these calls have increased to where I found myself riled up and angrier with each one. Just having them marked for trace was not calming me down any more.

Yesterday morning, while I was still praying, they started. One call every 10 minutes. Not all the same, mind you, but in 40 minutes I had 4 of them! Three were robo calls (that's recordings) and one was a man - whose voice I recognize - but he asks to confirm that he has Ruth Friesen on the line, and politely introduces himself, but always with a different name! I've told him several times that I'm reporting him, but he does not quit.

However, yesterday after 4 of these in 40 minutes, I was hot and bothered! I decided to interrupt my agenda to call Sasktel and ask about that long long list of numbers marked for trace. If that failed, I would resign myself to asking for a new phone number.

I was pleasantly surprised. The company agent explained another option. If I had call display and jotted down the numbers that were scammers, I could then press 3 digits and that would block that number from ever calling me again.

"Well! How much is that?" It would add $10/month to my phone bill. But that meant I could keep my number, AND stop those infuriating calls! I could rent a phone with call display from the Company, or buy one - even a used phone.

I found one on Amazon for $38, but I want to check the Rewards Program with my credit cards as I may have enough points saved up there so that I can ask to have one sent to me for free. I'll get on that this afternoon.

<*> TIPS & SOLUTIONS: <*>

Make Caddies for Misc. Small Clutter

Do you ever wince or complain at all the small clutter in your kitchen or on your desk? We need most of those small items handy, right? But how to organize them so they don't look messy - that is the challenge.

I'm trying to organize my desks these days, and just realized that I already have a good idea, but I need to improve it some more. Recently I saw a craft suggestion that may just work perfectly.

We all go through boxes of tissues fairly frequently. But rather than throw them out, I cut the top oval to the corners, and tape those 4 pieces inside the box. Often the decorations around the outside of the box are pretty enough, but it is possible to wrap and tape/glue or staple some wallpaper or giftwrap around the box, and if you make a matching set.... Ah, that will impress those who come into your space and see that.

I'll just mention a new idea I had on the weekend. Because I'd been sorting through some of my old backup CDs and DVDs and began to wonder what craft would use those shiny surfaces, most with soft rainbow colours... so I did a search on YouTube and soon had a number of ideas. One is to cut them up with a scissors and glue them around some boxes of the same size so that they would sparkle and add some pizzaz to my office. (I have some laser toner boxes that are a little longer than the tissue boxes, so a matching set made with them would go over well, and I could organize my clutter at last!

Let me know how you adapted this idea to your busy places. We may want to pass it on here.

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