High Tech Goes Country

After moving to the farmhouse more than a decade ago, I spent three days calling the newspaper circulation line and complaining that we hadn't received the newspaper. The mystery was solved on the fourth day when the woman on the other end of the line said, "You're not getting daily delivery because we don't deliver out there. You can only get the Sunday paper." I understood why it was -- it's simply not cost effective for a carrier to drive a mile or two to deliver one paper. Over the years, I tried to change it. "I write for the paper," I said. "Can't you make an exception for me?" Apparently not. When we moved to the farmhouse, I knew we'd had to provide our own water (from a well) and our own heat (oil trucked in and put in a tank), and that cable television was non-existent. I wasn't surprised to discover that we're last on the route when it comes to snow removal nor that our phone line is often static-filled (there's a lot of places that mice can wreak havoc on lines). When power outage blanket the area, we expect to be last on the list for repairs because repairmen will fix the higher population areas first. For the most part, I was fine with all that. But, I wasn't fine with a dial-up Internet connection. For years, I've made phone calls, requests, pleadings... And the truth was that there were few high-speed options, and none if we wanted reliability. I understood the reasoning -- who wants to invest those infrasructure dollars for a few houses? I am happy to say that that has finally changed. I think I've found an option that works. So, dear readers, I have finally entered the 21st century... and I can't stop looking at horses.