Month: July 2021

For those of you who do not know, I am a retired engineer. For the last twenty-plus years, I worked as the Engineering Manager or Research and Development Engineer for a plastics company that mainly does rotational molding. This should show that I am computer literate and intelligent. I have training in recognition of spam and phishing schemes in emails to prevent the spread of various types of malware. All of this leads me to the focus of today’s blog. I fell for a scam!

I decided recently that I would like to try kayak fishing on some of the local lakes. I started looking into different kayaks and thought I could get one for a low price, particularly if I could get a used one from Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List. The friend I have who does kayak fishing enjoys it a lot and even offered to let me borrow his kayak. However, I thought if I got my own, it would be more fun to go with him and he could show me how he does it. He got his Lifetime kayak at Walmart for around $200.00 a few years ago. I checked around and found that I could get a similar kayak for less than $300.00 today, but I still watched the listings on Facebook Marketplace every day looking for a deal. It wasn’t long before I came across a glossy advertisement selling Pelican kayaks on inventory clearance for $99.99. This was a lower price than the Lifetime kayaks at Walmart. I thought, wow, what a deal even with shipping I would get a better kayak for about the same money. I pulled out my credit card and ordered one. I received an email order confirmation stating I would receive a notification when the item shipped. The purchase price shipping also included shipping with delivery in 3 to 5 days. Sounds too good to be true, and it was.

Facebook ad for place that selling kayaks at unbelievably low prices. Probably a scam — Facebook Ad that is probably a scam

Three days later when I did not receive any further information or any notification that the kayak shipped. This puzzled me since the ad stated there were only five left in stock. I started looking more closely at the ad and the company. The ad from the company no longer appeared on Facebook, but similar ads from different companies did. I also could not find the company website. While looking at the original ad I viewed various products and all were legitimate, but all came directly from the actual Pelican Sports website. Further investigation into the company suggested it was a scam and the product would not arrive. The email address on the order confirmation was an individual’s name with a gmail.com address and not a company address. These clues led me to believe they scammed me. I immediately called my credit card company and reported the fraudulent charge. They issued a provisional credit to my account and later sent me a questionnaire regarding the transaction. It’s been over two weeks since I ordered the kayak, and I still haven’t received the kayak or any communications even though I didn’t cancel the order.

Order confirmation for the kayak I ordered that is probably a scam — Probable scam porder confirmation

When I decided it was a scam, I immediately contacted my credit card company. They provided me with a provisional credit for the charge against the card and sent me a questionnaire regarding the transaction. I also canceled the card and had them issue me a new card with a different number to prevent further use of the original card. Now I must update all my automatic payments, but at least my card number is not floating around out there. The moral of the story is: If it looks too good to be true, it is not true.

I am still looking at fishing kayaks but have found the low-priced kayaks probably are not a good fit for me since I weigh in at 210 lbs. With gear and everything else, the 275 lb. weight limit is too low. To get a kayak with a 350 lb. limit just costs more and I am not sure, at my age, I want to spend that much. Of course, my wife says the kayak would be like soccer. I watch it and think I can still play, but if I run and try to play, my knees hurt, and my hips hurt. I am just too old.

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Toby the Wonder Dog II Fishing Dogs

By doesbuck

On July 19, 2021

In Uncategorized

In my last post, I talked about how our dog Toby got to be called the Wonder Dog after surviving a run-in with a train. This week I thought I would spend a little more time talking about Toby. He was a wonderful dog, but we did not take the time to train him, which would have made him an even better dog. As I mentioned, my wife would regularly walk him out on the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds. One area, the Boy Scout area, on the East side of the U.S.A.F.A. went down into the valley where a small creek ran down to join Monument Creek. The creek was small and in the hot summer months would consist mainly of a series of mud puddles. Toby was a Golden Retriever mix, and he loved the water and never missed the opportunity to play in the mud. He would often come back from the walks, wet and covered in mud, which eventually took a toll on the back seat of our Honda Civic, making it unsuitable for anyone else.

Toby with my wife's hand weight — Toby Being Bad

Because Toby liked the water so much, he was a great fishing dog. I could take him with me to the river and he would wade right out into the water with me and stand there, sometimes shivering, while I fished. There are days I call perfect days which often involve fishing or hunting. One of those days was when I walked down the stream below Skagway reservoir to fish. The stream immediately below the dam gets fished heavily and so the fish are mostly small. But, if you go down further, there are deeper holes with larger fish. On this day, the weather was perfect, sunny, but not too hot. Toby and I walked down to where the stream goes down into a canyon with large rocks and deep pools. I caught plenty of fish and had a great time. Toby got to run around and wade in the stream. By the time we walked back up to the reservoir, exhausted, he slept the entire way home. Days like that are not only good because I catch fish and enjoy being in nature, but also because I commune with my heavenly Father. On another trip, I took Toby with me to Platte Springs which requires a short but steep hike down into a canyon where the South Platte River runs. It was a hot day, and when we got to the bottom, I walked to the pool I was going to fish, and Toby went with me and jumped right into the river. The problem was that the rock I was on was about three feet above water level and the rest of the bank surrounding the whole was about the same. Toby could not get out of the water. I had to lie down on the rock and pull him out, which was difficult since he weighed over one hundred pounds. Fortunately, he did not jump off any more rocks into the river that day, and again slept the entire way when we drove home.

When we got Bailey, I wanted to know what kind of fishing companion she would be. The first time we took her to the river, she would not stay with me and was afraid of the water, not wanting to get close to it. I thought since she was by nature a fearful dog, she would not be a fishing dog. However, first impressions are not always indicative of the result. Bailey has turned into a great fishing companion. She does not stand out in the water shivering like Toby, but she stays on the bank close to me. She will wade and even swim, if the water is deeper than expected, to stay with me as I walk up and down the banks. She will also stay with me on the shore of lakes, which I fish more often since I have aged. She finds the fish exciting and tries to catch them when I get them near the shore. She tries to catch my flies when I cast so I must be mindful of where she is. I look forward to having more perfect days of fishing with Bailey.

Toby playing in the yard — Toby Lying in the Grass

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Toby the Wonder Dog – Pets Are Amazing

By doesbuck

On July 12, 2021

In Uncategorized

I write about Bailey regularly in this blog even though it may not seem to fit within the overall theme of this website. The primary reason is, as a writer and aspiring author, I need to write consistently. I write daily during the week with four of the five days devoted to my novel. However, one day each week I use my time to write about something different and that appears in this blog. Today I want to tell you about another of our dogs, Toby the Wonder Dog.

Our dog Toby with our grand daughter — Toby and Juliet

Toby was a Golden Retriever mix and the only male dog we have owned. He was big, weighing over one hundred pounds and his wagging tail would hurt if it hit you. My wife would hike with Toby on the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds, (pre-2001) when access was easier. On one occasion they were walking on the West side of the Academy around sunset and my wife looked up and saw a mountain lion on the hill above watching them. If you live in mountain lion country, you know that is a perilous situation. Toby also saw the lion and took off running up the hill after the big cat. Here in Colorado, mountain lions occasionally kill pets. My wife called and called trying to get Toby to return, but he ran out of sight. She finally started back to the car and Toby eventually joined her. After that, she didn’t walk in that portion of the Academy at sunset again.

Our dog Toby playing in a pile of leaves with two of our grand children — Toby playing in the leaves with Zoe and Ryan

Another time my wife and Toby were walking on the East side of the Academy down along Monument Creek and the railroad tracks. My wife heard a train coming, so she leashed Toby until the train passed since he liked to chase them. Unfortunately, she let him off the leash too soon, before the last couple of cars completely passed. Toby took off after the train and caught up to the last car going under it between the front and back sets of wheels. The car tumbled Toby underneath it and when it had passed Toby was lying between the rails. He was too big for her to carry, so she went up the hill to a construction site to get help. When she got there, she asked if one of the workers could help her because she thought she had killed the dog. The worker looked at her and asked if it was the one behind her. Toby had followed her up the hill. One of the workers took them back to my wife’s car. She got Toby into the car and went to the vet. Toby only had a couple of broken ribs, some bruising, and a few cuts but was okay. The vet called him Toby the Wonder Dog.

Farside cartoon titled Toby vs Godzilla — Gary Larson Farside Cartoon

We had a good laugh sometime later when the Farside cartoon Toby vs Godzilla was published in our local paper. This was just like our Toby.

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Update and Bailey’s Reaction to Fireworks

By doesbuck

On July 6, 2021

In Uncategorized

In my blog, I try for a conversational tone to let the readers feel like I am sharing part of my life. I don’t think this is necessarily the ideal way to build readership, but that’s just me. I am happy with the progress that has been made on my novel. When I retired on April 2nd, I had about 40,000 words written though I had been stalled there for several years. I actually started writing in April of 2014. Since April of this year, I have added more than 20,000 words, edited several chapters, and submitted several for critiques. I mentioned in a previous blog, Like an Old Man In a High School English Class, that I am just learning to write, and getting critiques from other writers really helps me see where I need to make improvements. Initially, it was hard because I had so many grammatical errors it was hard to get to the real writing issues. Now that I have software to help me with those it is easier to understand the issues that occur regularly in my writing. The major plotline is nearly complete with the current 60,000 words. I still need to flesh out a couple of sub-plots and rewrite the entire novel based on the input I have received. My goal is to have a submittable first draft completed this year. I also hope to post the prologue on this site once I completed the rewrite to get some feedback from my followers so be sure to subscribe so you can be notified when it is posted.

Bailey anxious about fireworkset — Bailey lying at my feet

Since Bailey is still the most popular topic in my blog, I thought I would let you know how she handles the fourth of July and all of the fireworks. As I mentioned she is a fearful dog. (Bailey Becomes My Dog) She does not like the noise from the fireworks and tries to hide. This year has been especially hard since she reacts the same way to thunder and we are in a typical summer pattern of regular afternoon and evening thunderstorms. We bought a thunder shirt which does help a little but does not keep her calm. When she is home we put the shirt on her and if the thunder or fireworks are not too loud, she will lay at my feet while I sit on the sofa. When the fireworks or thunder is louder she will hide either under the kitchen table or in the back bedroom. Her anxiety causes her to breathe rapidly and stay alert not relaxing. She won’t even go outside to go to the bathroom. If I do get her outside, she is okay until she hears the bang. Then she will turn and go immediately to the door and inside through the dog door if the main door is opened.

Yesterday, we took her to the park during the afternoon, hoping we would avoid the fireworks and she could get some exercise. We made it not quite halfway around the park when someone in the neighborhood sent up a rocket that exploded with a loud bang. I was glad I had left her on the leash because she would have bolted at the noise. As it was, we turned around and headed back to the truck. Her leash manners were not good. She pulled trying to hurry back to a safe place. She spent the entire afternoon either at my feet or under the kitchen table and all evening hiding in the back bedroom where my wife had put the portable kennel we use on vacations. She stayed in there until late last night before coming to her regular kennel where she usually sleeps.

I don’t think people without fearful dogs know the anxiety they cause setting off fireworks, especially in our city where fireworks are illegal within the city limits. I understand the need for the celebration and am participated myself when I was younger. However, I don’t really understand the need for the fireworks to last for the two weeks around the holiday. Maybe I am just old and don’t like seeing Baily stressed. If you have an opinion on this or other of my blogs please fill out the comment form and subscribe to get updates.

Christian Sci-Fi Fantasy

Month: July 2021

If It Looks Too Good To Be True It Is Probably A Scam

Toby the Wonder Dog II Fishing Dogs

Toby the Wonder Dog – Pets Are Amazing

Update and Bailey’s Reaction to Fireworks