Devices after dinner. Awkward frontiers in digital inclusion. Thanksgiving Part 2

RantWoman's Christmas cactus
as of Thanksgiving

The feast of conversation after the meal

After dinner, RantWoman and RantMom had the most lovely chat. 

We chatted about this and that:

--having upwards of 60 people from her dad's side of the family for holidays at the family farrn house, and more importantly how that many people managed in a NOT THAT BIG farm house.

--impending construction, need to move, what RantMom values about where she is living, the Venn diagram of affordable elder care and transportation challenges when everyone in the family except Irrepressible Nephew the Subaru Influencer is transit dependent.

--some much-loved pictures RantMom discovered in a box as she tries to downsize before an impending move.RantWoman thanks the person who encouraged RantMom to hang up the pictures even though a move is several months away but on the horizon.

--How RantWoman decides what to trust as far as online transactions.

--RantMom's frustration with one site both of us love for simplicity, size appropriate selection, and everything except that some of what RantMom wanted to buy runs out quickly and RantMom would SO much rather order by phone.

Here we came to an awkward moment in RantFamily standards, the very presence of devices at holidays. RantMom would definitely prefer fewer devices and more conversation. Alas, the RantFamily feels awkward in each other's presence without regular electronic dopamine hits. ONE way to handle this issue is to offer RantMom useful information gleaned from the devices.

Here come the digital inclusion frontiers in all their mutant aggravation:

--RantMom is taking a new eye drop and does not know much about it. RantWoman set the Google on her phone loose and the first thing that popped up was several ads for how to by it. RantWoman had to scroll down a lot and finally just added "side effects" to the drug name. Modestly useful information which RantWoman will research in more detail on a larger screen. NO WAY would RantMom have wanted to scroll through all the ads.

--Somewhat more fun: what has happened to the last RantFamily home RantMom sold before doing the magnetic grandkids thing, picking up, downsizing, and moving to Seattle. RantMom was back once for a religious anniversary and did not like what she saw. But the Google exists and tends to include specific addresses and visual detail, perhaps from the last time the house was staged for sale: a coat of stucco to help insulate the concrete block construction, new probably double-paned windows, a beautifully redone kitchen. Redone bathroom. Marketed as 4 bedrooms which probably means the room that had been Rantdad's music studio is now considered a bedroom. No more pathetic grey paneling and NO MORE ORANGE DRAPES. On the downside, the front porch and a couple trees GONE. Not bad!

RantWoman had not only to figure out herself how to swipe through the photo gallery on her new phone but also to nudge RantMom toward justthe right gestures. We are not dissatisfied.