The Unexpected Visit

by Amy Barnes

Had it been a different door or a different person behind the door, it could have ended much differently. But, as it so happened, the fates aligned to create exactly what was needed to create somewhat of a miracle.

It all began with a stranger on a front porch at 2 a.m., forcefully banging on the door, and talking to vehemently to himself and occasionally yelling. The wakened homeowner approached the door with caution, fully aware of his sleeping wife and children upstairs and how unpredictable people seem to be nowadays.

He had his gun in hand, just in case, as he reached for the curtain over the door’s window to peek out. His gun safety training clicked automatically into place, and he kept the gun down and out of sight so as not to escalate whatever the potential situation was outside of his door.

What George saw on the other side of his door stunned him.

The commotion on his porch was being caused by a frail, elderly man in pajamas and bare feet.

George, still cautious, opened the door a crack and asked the man what he wanted.

The elderly man started ranting, barely coherent, about a forthcoming attack on the country and urged George to turn on his radio.

In his brain’s fog, Bert had gone back in time to when the country huddled by radios for the latest news reports.

George gently reassured Bert that everything was going to be OK. He told Bert that he was going to call the police for help, and Bert agreed that it was a fine idea and calmed down, convinced help was on the way.

Now fully confident that there was no danger, George put his gun in a safe place and dialed 911.

Police arrived and safely escorted Bert home across the street.

That could have been the end of the story. For most people, that would have been the end of the story.

But somehow George could not let it end there. The old man was on his mind, and he felt compelled to reach out. He very much wanted to learn Bert’s story.

As it tends to be nowadays, the neighbors had not met prior to the 2 a.m. unexpected visit.

George was determined to change that. It was obvious this was a neighbor in need, and George was ready to help.

Meanwhile, Bert and his wife, Laura, had been quietly struggling for the last year to take care of themselves and their home, unbeknownst to any of their neighbors.

Worries about the future grew more intense for Laura when Bert started wandering in the night.

In Bert and Laura’s much younger days, neighbors all knew each other, took care of each other, and elderly parents lived with their children. But times had changed, and now stay-at-home moms were not as common, and often there is no one home during the day as families rush to work, school, after-school events, and obligations.

Little did Bert and Laura know that George was the new best friend they needed.

George walked across the street a few days later and officially introduced himself to the couple.

As the three talked, a fast friendship grew, and the two elderly people found a new connection with the world through the kindness of a stranger.

It turned out that Bert had owned his own hardware business for almost five decades and had been married to his beloved Laura for more than 40 of those years. They had been high school sweethearts, but life had gotten in the way and divided their path into other directions. When they finally reconnected, they realized how real their love was and married within months.

The more the three talked, the more George felt a connection to the old couple.

Over the coming months, George saw to the comfort and safety of the couple.

He helped Laura track down Bert when he wandered. He also installed hook-and-eye latches on doors because Bert was confused by those latches could not figure out how to undo them, decreasing the number of times he wandered away from the house.

But as time rolled on, it became apparent that no matter how much assistance George gave, it would not be enough for long. The elderly couple’s decline gained speed weekly, then daily.

George had been able to establish contact with the couple’s son who was out-of-state. Then, one day, Bert and Laura’s son, Mark, flew in to stay for a couple of weeks.

The couple was moved to an assisted living/ Alzheimer’s care unit. Their home was put up for sale. George felt a huge loss as the for-sale sign was pounded into Bert and Laura’s yard.

Except for a few family heirlooms, everything was either sold in an estate sale or donated and soon there was little sign that Bert and Laura had ever been a part of the neighborhood. George and his family were the only ones who remembered the couple had once lived there.

A new family lives there now. George still visits Bert and Laura when he can, but anymore, Bert does not remember who George is. They still try to do puzzles together like they once did, but Bert is losing muscle control and he is confused by the partial pictures on the pieces.

Laura still has some understanding of who George is but most of her memory slipped away as soon as she was removed from her home.

But George remembers.

He remembers for them; he remembers the gentle friendship they brought into his life. He remembers being grateful it was his door that Bert pounded on that night. He remembers their life stories they entrusted to him.

Next summer, George is planning a block barbecue party. He is hoping neighbors will come and share in the beauty of a summer evening and the birth of new friendships.

BUSINESS: FROM A TECHNICAL MIND

Unscrambling Router Box Lingo

by Tyler Hatfield

Home internet equipment is available in such a wide variety these days, it can be overwhelming.

The differences between previous the Wi-Fi standard and the new Wi-Fi 6 standard were covered in a previous column (Page 15, March 2022 issue, https://bit.ly/3Xqgr9R), but how to determine the best router option?

When reading the information on a new wireless router box, there are many terms and numbers that can be confusing.

Here is a quick breakdown of what each means:

• AC: Uses the Wi-Fi 5 standard

• AX: Uses the Wi-Fi 6 standard

• 2.4 GHz: A low-frequency and commonly supported Wi-Fi signal that has high levels of interference.

• 5 GHz: a high-frequency Wi-Fi range which can carry more data and usually has less interference

• MU-MIMO: Supports sending and receiving multiple streams of data at the same time and is great for homes with multiple users or online gamers.

• Gigabit: Capable of handling network traffic up to one gigabit per second, the common maximum for home networks

• OFDM/OFDMA: Uses special data transfer methods to increase speed and reliability

• LAN & WAN & WLAN: These stand for local (hardwired cables), wide (the incoming internet connection), and wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi).

Generally speaking, Wi-Fi 5 or AC routers are more than enough for most families in small to medium homes.

Those who live in a large home, where the signal must travel farther, or in areas where homes may be close together, causing Wi-Fi networks to interfere with each other, Wi-Fi 6 or AX wireless routers may be a better choice due to their advanced feature set.

Finally, the number often labeled AC1500 or AX2300 refers to the device’s maximum data flow over all connections. This does not matter for most users, but if a lot of data is used it may be worth looking for devices with higher total throughput. If you need help or suggestions on more specific situations, please feel free to contact me.

Tyler Hatfield has a passion for technology and enjoys working on computers. To learn more about Hatfield, go to https://bit.ly/3Qr0LkH He can be contacted with questions and for recommendations at hatsmediagroup@gmail.com