Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Putting the dishes away


Sayonara, DirecTV. You are dead to me. No longer will I pay your obscene and 
ever-increasing monthly bill for 150 channels, only 10 of which I ever watched. 
Take your dish and your crappy customer service and go out of business 
as more of us cut the cord and find other ways to watch TV. 
Whew. I feel so much better already.

I've subscribed to a satellite TV service ever since moving to the ranch. 
Back in 1995, it was the only way to get a signal out here in the middle of nowhere. 
Then DSL came to my house and I discovered the wonders of streaming video from the internet.
 Between Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, I can watch almost everything I'm interested in 
and save a whole bunch of money every month.

I cancelled my service two weeks ago, when the contract finally expired, and haven't looked back. 
DirecTV shipped me a box in which to return all of their equipment except the satellite dish, 
which they didn't want. So I wrangled it off the pole and literally got to cut all the cords. 
I dismantled the internet satellite dish while I was at it, and the only evidence remaining of 
my 10-year affairs with DirecTV and Wildblue are a couple of iron poles cemented in the ground.

I can't imagine trying to dig out the poles. I wonder how I could repurpose them...
the world's shortest clothesline? Maybe I could hang a banner between them...







35 comments:

  1. Put a bird house on top! It'll be something to entertain Johnny.

    Maggy

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  2. You get DHL out there? No fair! I only live 4 1/2 miles from town and I can't get it.

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    1. It really is a miracle. My rural phone co-op ran the fiber along the existing phone lines. Total game changer. Don't know how I lived, let alone worked, without it.

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  3. Maybe a place for more prayer flags. Or a bird bath

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  4. Atta girl! A move I'm dying to make -- next house in a year, yes! SUPER banner!

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  5. Cat perch?


    M in NC

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  6. The cable bandits have to rethink their strategy in gouging customers here too. It's gone on too long. There will be lots of big dishes along with old 8 tracks along side in the dump. Maybe you could use the dish for a planter or something. The poles could have a climbing rose or beans or tomatoes or something wound around them. Just a thought. Glad you got rid of the expense.

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  7. Sell it on Ebay as an avant garde baby socks clothesline.
    Whare are the blue looking blocks above? Are they non-see-through glass? They look so blue. What do they correspond to in the house?

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    1. Those are glass blocks reflecting the blue sky. They form the windows in both bathrooms.

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  8. i think the wave of the future is streaming and cable co will be hurting.. love the banner

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  9. Bird houses! Maybe replicas of your house and barn? Or maybe a house and a feeder. Ouuu on seconded thought JCC might just drool.

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  10. Good for you! We still have cable with its obscene monthly bill an horrible customer service and about 600 channels we never watch. Wish we would cut the cord but my husband likes his sports. We do watch a lot more Netflix now with its good programming and no commercials. (Can I tell you how I can't stand another commercial about a drug I need, or adult diapers?)

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  11. We are in same boat-Directv. We have low download nbrs, here at Back of Beyond, but hate paying for basic and being able to record to watch minimal content. You are our inspiration to finally DO IT! and cut the cord.
    Mick NW Oregon

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  12. I'm so jealous. We are stuck with crappy internet service.

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  13. Congratulations. Never had satellite, but do have cable. Probably should cap those poles before nature takes its course :)

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  14. World's Most Uncomfortable Hammock?

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  15. Good for you! Our son went out and bought "rabbit ears" antennae and he picks up a news station from... JAPAN! He also gets the 3 local prime time stations. We have DISH, and we love it, but honestly, we could do quite well without it, too, with Amazon Prime, Netflix, and yes, Hulu! I may speak to hubby about cutting out our DISH next year. We LOVE Netflix!

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    1. I tried one of those new-fangled digital antennas from Mohu.com - all I could get was a local Spanish channel signal and PBS, so I sent it back, since I can get PBS online. Seemed like a great invention but I'm too far away from the broadcast tower.

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  16. Hmmm, use for some wire artwork? Solar lights on each? It would be a nice perch for JC in the sun. It looks so much better.

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  17. Ooh, remind me never t

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  18. We are Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu plus as well. However I drop Hulu plus during the summer. It is great and so much less expensive! Plus less commercials! What are you watching now? I am on a roll with "The Good Wife."

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    1. The Hulu ads are so short, they don't even bother me. I'm watching The West Wing (love love love), Empire, Scandal, Better Call Saul (the only show I have to buy per episode from Amazon), catching up on Friends, McLeod's Daughters. Sounds like I watch too much TV! The Good Wife is in my queue. Good idea to drop Hulu plus during the summer when the reruns start. Finished House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Alpha House, 24 (cannot believe how much I loved that one). And I can rewatch Breaking Bad any time I want.

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    2. Cool. Gives me a few new viewing idea! 24 will be my next watch. thanks.

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  19. Hitching Post???? That was the first thing that popped into my mind. Alternatively, a table, upon which you could pud odd outdoorsy nick-knacks.

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  20. Believe it or not, there are a million ideas on Pinterest!

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  21. Let's see. They're next to your AC unit and what appears to possibly be the fuse box. Things that you'll want to have easy access to...and not get stung. So that might exclude colorful vines. Maybe 2 or 3 cool sculptures atop each pole.

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  22. You go girl! I've been wanting to do this with Dish..but my dh won't let go of his sports. I love Amazon Prime, and would like to try netflix. I honestly thing both of the big "D" satellite companies are going to be left in the dust in the near future.

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  23. like the banner. What about a nice board attached to the poles for Johnny to have a siesta in the sun?or cat hammock, great idea!

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  24. I want to do this how fast is your DSL? ATT&T tell me they have high speed and highest speed, But informed me I can only get the high not highest so I don't think it will be up to speed for streaming. I've been fighting with DirecTV for years just to keep the bill affordable! My last "deal" is about to expire...so have to get on my knees again soon...:o/

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    1. I get an average 9.9 mbps download and 1 mbps upload with my DSL. It's fast enough for streaming.

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  25. An American in Tokyo3/25/15, 6:50 PM

    Oh yeah! Good for you!
    I have never had more than just local TV. I get by with internet sites and DVDs! =D

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  26. We are at that same disgusted point - no dishes, but cable service bundles are so not worth it!

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  27. Knowing you like mosaic things....why not design a burro in southwestern colored tiles...and attach it to a weatherproofed plywood square. I think it would be lovely. You could use bigger times around the burro and only need smaller ones to do the burro and details. Sharon Graham.

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