OK, guess I'm over-cautious/concerned. I made some more calls and they said it didn't matter where/what was planted near the phone lines; they are about 6 inches under and if I Cut it, they will deal with it (? never heard of that before!)and if a tree grows over/around it, oh well, they'll deal with it (this was from the repair department?!) So I guess I will dig where I please and let ATT deal. I know where the cable lines are because it's barely 2 inches under and you can still see the line in the grass where they "buried" it. I didn't plant anything around those boxes either...guess I'm one of the few who worry about the guy who comes to work on it and is greeted by a giant thorny bush or hornet's nest (which he'll get anyway because they love that box.) I even have a nice smooth stone he can sit on while working if he wants (ok that was just coincidence : ) too heavy to move and it looks nice there).

When it comes to our life style and living habits relative to cleanliness and food, you donÂt need a medical or science degree to conclude that our entire system and thinking are designed to accomplish two undesirable goals, i.e. the weakest humans and nastiest germs from generation to generation. We are already beginning to run out of chemistry to kill off some of the newer microbes. Who is to blame? You know the answer. Previously In another thread, I mentioned that I do make a distinction between being sloppy and unsanitary, and that I have an unusual method to keep my living area healthy, which I choose not to elaborate at that time. Perhaps I should talk about it now. Without going into a lot about our bodyÂs natural defense mechanism, and the whole science about good germs and bad germs, I believe there is always a perfect balance of nature; we are all part of the chain of food cycle. The moment you begin to upset the balance, the benefit you get may just be temporary. I donÂt have the desire or time to keep my living space spotless and surgically sanitary. I more or less just keep everything somewhat acceptable, whatever that means. I only do a major tidy up when I expect company. I donÂt use any chemicals to sanitize, as I feel that whatever is strong enough to kill germs will also be harmful to your body. I use a 55 watt UV germicidal light which I made myself to once in a while clean the various areas in the house. I use it mostly to eliminate odor causing microbes. I donÂt worry about sickness causing germs unless someone who is very sick just visited my house. UV light is very effective in killing microorganisms. ThatÂs why it is used extensively in hospitals and medical facilities. However I donÂt recommend anyone to use it unless you really know what it can do. It can cause various physical harms, it can bleach certain colors, it can degrade rubber and plastics, it can generate ozone gas which is harmful to humans and damaging to sterling silver wares, etc. When I use my 55 watt UV light, I normally put it on a timer and I use it when there is no one in the house. A 6 watt UV light wand is not much use if you use it only for a few seconds. dcarch My home-made 55W UV germicidal light

As an add on to this conversation regarding emergencies. Make sure your cell has reverse 911 (if available) for city/county emergencies. We lost many in fires who did not have this and got caught in fire storms and mud slides/flash floods. In these situations the danger was known, news reports gave information that the location was far enough away to give them some time for getting out, albeit a very short time. Emergency personnel going to so many homes was burdening the ability to get to all and in some cases not possible to do so. You need to sign up for reverse 911, registration should be for each phone. The use is for more than just natural devastations. Once the call/message is answered it won't repeat the information. Our city just started this last year due to the floods and fires. Most land lines already had the option. Check to see if you have this available, many cities are still working on activation. Also, somewhere in the last few years I remember having mobile phones connected to a main unit inhouse. Nothing worked when electric went out, so yes to the battery backup or the wonderful phone you found. I also took out the kitchen unit for tiling and it shut down the other connections. So make sure you don't mess with the main line, perhaps just cover it up with something that matches the backsplash and can be removed. Landlines are not available in my neighborhood area either, connections are strictly for electronic use. I never considered this until mentioned here. And now remember when my kids told me it was time to just go cell and get rid of the landline. But I'm not good at knowing where the cell is most of the time and unless it rings couldn't tell you on a moments notice. Doesn't bear well for emergencies either way since I'm the only one here. Tethered is not going to happen, out of reach does me little good if there were an emergency. How do others handle this one?

I guess it all depends on how much you call from home versus away from home or on the road. We use pre-paid cellular. The new phones were free after rebate and my wife and I each spend about $5-$7/month for the STI Mobile/Sprint service. We only make quick 1-2 minute calls for necessary reasons and it works fine anywhere in the country that Sprint covers. Voice mail and text messaging are turned off on both cellular phones. Other cellular providers are now joining the pre-paid game with good deals. We are still stuck with the old telephone company for home and home office lines. I must have the reliability and quality of a landline for my business. I do pay too much for long distance, toll-free, and local service for my business compared to the low rates available today. Bills are typically $35-$50/month for relatively low volume usage. The last time I switched was from MCI to Ameritech(i.e. SBC/AT&T/who knows?) It was a pain to switch, but the new lower rates were good for a year before they went up again. Our home phone line just went up to $22/month for local phone service. It started at $18 several years ago. Pre-paid long distance service is $.025/minute using cards from companies like Cheap Phonecards. The latest cards don't require you to enter the pin every time from home and you can program the 800 access number into speed dial. The long distance cards are great from hotels too. We are seriously considering the switch to broadband phone service, but our local numbers are not yet portable for Vonage or the others. We are just outside of their large markets. Broadband cable internet is $30/month and speed is around 300K or 10 times faster than dial-up. It is fast enough for our needs. The total bill (excluding my business) is around $67/month for all phones and broadband for my wife and I. Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap Phone Cards