Updating computers to use on the farm

I am not going to talk about the mud, the beautiful 75-degree sunny day with high winds that was starting to dry out the ground, immediately followed by a day with a high of 42, more rain and a low of around 21. Nope, not going to mention those things at all. Instead, it’s all about new computers.

I have been using for the last two years Ellie’s old Vista laptop that she bought with her own money six years ago. She sold it to Levi for $5 and he gave it to me for free. (Of course Ellie and Levi have modern laptops because they need them “for school.”)

Ellie told me I didn’t need a separate keyboard and mouse with a laptop but I said, “Yes I do, I was taught how to type on a manual typewriter in the 12th grade and I need a keyboard.” (It did not hurt that the class was an elective composed of mostly girls.) And I need a mouse; I hate touch pads.

The Vista laptop had lately become slower than Underwood Family Farms molasses.

Jenifer’s desktop died last spring, and she has been using Levi’s laptop to get online. Apparently Ellie’s laptop is off-limits. To be fair, Levi likes to play games, but Ellie uses hers to study.

Still, I don’t understand how people can be on a laptop and their smartphone at the same time. I find that bizarre.

I got a flip phone with a piece of gorilla tape attached to it so I can pull it out of my belt pouch easier. A strip of masking tape across the back with my phone number written with a Sharpie so I don’t have to pull out my glasses and search my phone for my own number.

Anyway, I said enough of this and ordered two exactly-the-same HP laptops running 8.1 with touchscreens – I was getting fancy-dancy. Jenifer and I were going to practically be the Jetsons.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Updating computers to use on the farm."