$86,000 Phone Bill for County.

The County paid more than $86,000 last year for phone service according to Eastern Commissioner Ben Johnson.

One reason for the high bill seems to arise from employees using Customer Optional Service (COS). The program, for a set fee, is supposed to eliminate long distance charges within specific geographic area.

County Clerk Jim Lobbey asked Southwestern Bell Telephone Account Manager Tracey Tinker three times Thursday, during the regularly scheduled County Commissioners’ meeting, for explicit dialing instructions regarding outgoing calls from his office. Lobbey obviously felt that Tinker's instructions were all less than clear.

Tinker said the person dialing has to know what numbers are toll-free and that other numbers are charged. Tinker thinks employees may be using County phones to make personal calls thinking they are toll free. The result being mounting long distance charges which is the reason the bill is so high. Commissioner Johnson continues to search for a reasonable explaination and a reduction in the phone expense.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Saw a neat trick on a bicycle the other day. A small girl of five or six, apparently still learnin’ the art of survivin’ a two wheeler, was ridin’ with four other children. She turned out of the alley onto the street and didn’t get straightened out. She continued in a circular motion and bumped square into the curb. Her slow speed and low proximity to the ground eliminated any chance of serious injury, but she dropped like a rock. The small boy ridin’ beside her was havin’ his own problems keepin’ upright and didn’t stop. The girl brushed herself off and got back on, slowly tryin’ catch up to the rest of the group.

I never saw a tear, just a face of determination and possibly some embarrassment. A spark of hope for the next generation.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

The Super Handyman

Q: I have an attic stairway that pulls down from the ceiling for access. The door is not insulated, and the cracks around the edges seems a little too wide. I was thinking about insulating or weatherstripping it somehow. What should I do to seal it up better? - S.B.

A: One solution would be to build a simple, hinged box to cover the entire unit within the attic. Then, glue bats of insulation to the outside of the box. As you climb the stairs, you can push the box out of the way.

You also might want to attach a rope to the inside of the box, for easier closing when you leave the attic.

Dear Al: I have tried to attract birds to my yard so I can enjoy their show. I have a variety of houses and feeders as well as a birdbath. Every spring I make sure to put up a little basket of nest-building materials for them. All of my dryer lint goes in it, as well as other odds and ends that they can use. It's neat to watch them start collecting because you can follow them back to their nesting sites and watch their progress. It's really enjoyable to see.

A SUPERHINT - Tootsie Rolls make good bait for mousetraps. Some readers say they never fail.

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