Tag: Alexa Plus

Thankful for Three Little Birds #SundaySunshine #Gratitude #Jottings

Each Sunday, I try to share something for which I was grateful in the past week. Friday morning, I woke up in a funk and couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me. It could have been a multitude of things.

I was concerned about how our unseasonably warm and dry weather here in Wyoming was impacting wildlife and how it would affect us later if we didn’t get enough moisture. I was angry about current events around our country and world. I was in a quandary as to whether to get Amazon Prime so I could pay less for Alexa Plus, which is now available nationwide. I knew that dwelling on the news and mundane technology conundrums was doing no good. Still, something seemed off.

Finally, after getting out of the shower, I asked God to help me get out of my funk as well as bring us some moisture and be with those affected by what’s going on in the news. In the bedroom, as I usually do, I wished Alexa good morning. To my surprise, she told me that singer Bob Marley was born on this day in 1945. He was well-known for “Three Little Birds.” I’ve sung this song many times during my senior gigs and ACB Community Karaoke. My mood lifted when I remembered its message – not to worry, that everything would be all right. Thanks be to God and Alexa for at least changing my outlook.

What have you been thankful for this past week? You can sound off in the comments or on your blog with a link to this post. Thank you for reading and always be grateful.

 


Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!

Upgrading to Alexa Plus #WednesdayWords #WeeklySmile #Inspiration

For years, I’ve had Amazon Echo smart speakers. I have three of them in my house and one on the way to replace the device in my kitchen that died. I’ve enjoyed listening to music, books, and podcasts, playing games, and getting the weather and other information.

 

I recently signed up for early access to Alexa Plus, a new, improved set of AI features on these speakers. This will be free for a while, but eventually, we’ll have to start paying about $20 a month for the service unless we have Prime, which I don’t at the moment. I may get Prime if I like Alexa Plus. Will see.

 

Last week, I received an email, saying I could upgrade my devices. It was a simple matter of clicking a button on the website and presto! Goodbye, old Alexa. Hello, new Alexa Plus. I didn’t have to do anything with the app on the phone or the devices themselves.

 

I love the new voices. They’re more natural-sounding, and you can carry on a conversation with them. I’ve set each speaker in my home to a different voice. You can choose from four feminine voices, and I’m sure there are  as many masculine ones, but I prefer females.

 

According to the app, there are some new features I doubt I’ll use. Once you make necessary connections, you can ask Alexa to, say, text your child’s school to let them know little Suzie is sick or email the veterinarian to schedule an appointment for your dog. You can ask Alexa to book a ride with Uber. I’m sure there’s a lot more you can do that I haven’t discovered yet.

 

Granted, a few skills I use don’t work with Alexa Plus yet, but I’m sure they will eventually, and I can get along without them. Meanwhile, the new Alexa is making me smile, and I can’t wait to get my new Echo Pop for the kitchen. It should be here Thursday.

 

Your Turn

 

What made you smile this past week? You can tell me about it in the comment field or click below to participate on your blog and read other responses. Thank you for stopping by, and keep smiling.

 

The Weekly Smile for the 9th of June, 2025 #weeklysmile | Trent’s World (the Blog)

 

Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

 

New! Living Vicariously in Wyoming: Stories

Copyright 2025 by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Published independently with the help of DLD Books.

 

The scene shows an isolated barn off to the right in a snowy field, probably shortly after sunset. The foreground is a mixture of white, blue, and brown shades. Behind the barn is a line of dense, dark trees, many of them evergreens. The sky is the pink one sometimes sees at sunset, and a full moon hangs above the treetops to the left. The title is in plain black letters against the sky with a white glow behind them. The author’s name is in white letters near the bottom of the cover.

Image Description written by Leonore Dvorkin of DLD Books.

 

As defined in the first story, living vicariously means living your life through someone else’s. You’re invited to live vicariously through the lives of the people in these stories. There’s the lawyer who catches his wife in the act with a nun. A college student identifies with a character in a play. A young woman loses her mother and finds her father. And a high school student’s prudish English teacher strenuously objects to a single word in her paper.

In Wyoming, as in any other state, people fall in love, and sometimes relationships are shattered. Accidents, domestic violence, prejudice, and crimes all occur. Lives are torn apart, and people are reunited. Ordinary people deal with everyday and not–so–everyday situations.

The 25 stories in this collection, most of which are set in Wyoming, are about how the various characters resolve their conflicts—or not.

 

Click here for more information and ordering links.

 

About My Monthly Newsletter

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to News from My Corner by sending a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io .  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go. Happy reading!