The Yard boy, Ron Wilson checks in 12/20/2025

Gary Sullivan chats with our gardening friend, Ron Wilson, about smart home technology. They discuss the pros and cons of automated thermostats and smart refrigerators, with Ron sharing his personal experience with a smart garage door opener and security cameras. The conversation also touches on the benefits of battery-operated appliances, like a snowblower and lawnmower, and the importance of considering the environmental impact of these devices. With a dash of humor and curiosity, this episode explores the intersection of technology and everyday life.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
All right, time to bring in our gardening friend. Not
much gardening going on on the outside of our home.
Mister Ron Wilson, how in the world are you you're behaving?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yes, sir?

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Are you?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yes, sir? Really yes, sir. Congratulations, Thank you so much.
Congratulations on the snowblower. By the way, thank you so
much on that as well. By the way, what's wrong
with my thermostat where I can just slide it up
and down? Nothing's wrong with Oh.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Okay, but I was I was asking people because I
get both sides of the story. I mean, I get
some people that don' want nothing in their house, and
I got other people that everything is automated. I'm just
really curious where people stand on liking smart homes or

(00:48):
not liking them. But sometimes you don't you know, your
choices are limited, right, yeah, I mean everything is going
that way. I don't need a smart refrigerator, but those
are big.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, that was gonna be my first of all. I
don't have one of the little slide up and down temperatures. Now, No,
it's on a dial, so I turn it. Oh, a
little little pointer at the top of it.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Well, I have a friend. They go, like you use,
you know, your phone for your thermostat, and he goes no.
I said, you got a program, you know to cut
the temperature back. And then no. I said, well, you're
probably leaving a little money on the table. He says, yeah,
but probably not too much. I go, well, what do
you mean? He goes, well, I just turn it down

(01:35):
when I go to bed night. Oh, well you can
do that. You can do that.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Ye helps keep your memory going?

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, I mean it down. Yeah, or you can walk
into a room and flips the switch.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
So my question was going to be, do you have
a smart refrigerator?

Speaker 1 (01:53):
I don't. I do not all those to be set up.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Those those tell you what your inventory is and what
you need to order. There are there are inventory changes
so much in our refrigerator.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well you know, yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Didn't feel are you crazy?

Speaker 1 (02:12):
You don't need that?

Speaker 2 (02:13):
You don't need that, you.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Know what, because then if they start telling you what
your inventory and your refrigerator is, they'll put a conscience
to it. Hey, you're not supposed to have that.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
And did you know this is two hundred and forty
calories per Tablespooth.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Mister Sullivan, don't don't touch that. Ham So no, I
do not have that.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
But I got a smart stuff.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Garage door opener. Uh, smart security cameras, smart kids, thermostat.
Why are the kids always smart but we're not.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
I don't know how you picked up that. Yeah, where'd
they get that from?

Speaker 1 (02:52):
I don't know. I seem to be not as smart.
But the kids are always smart. They're right all the
time too, you know, like their mom. So tell me
about your snowblowers. Seriously, I mean this, you got to
be excited about that.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
It's you know, what's funny is still in the box
they shipped it to me, and you know in that
amazing it comes to your front door. Yeah, I can't
wait to get it. I can't wait to use it.
But it's a It's battery supposed to last up to
about an hour. Okay, I'm just you know, I'm gonna
buy two more batteries so I can make it go longer.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
But right, Yeah, what's the voltage on that battery? Do
you know?

Speaker 2 (03:31):
I don't remember?

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Okay, I'm just curious.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
I did do all that research, though, I did look
through all that Stuff's amazing, it's amazing available out there.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
How that makes I bought all I didn't well, I
did buy it. I bought a battery operated lawnmower back
in March, and the place I bought it from they
you could return it within I think three months. And
I was a little concerned because my yard was kind

(04:03):
of right on the borderline of the extent that that
battery could go, and it wasn't making it. And it
came with the second battery, so I could when it went,
I could charge it and use the other one and
charge it. But sometimes it would be three chargings and
they kind of said, like one And obviously what the

(04:24):
reasoning was was it was springtime. We have heavy growth,
even though you're cutting it every four days, and.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
It's damp and thick, thick, thick, Yeah, and.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
It just wasn't going to work. It probably would been
great after that ninety days when we go into drought,
it probably would be fine. So anyway, I returned it,
so not to discourage you. I've got other things that
are battery operated, you know, including a blower, which I
absolutely love. But I'd be real curious to see how

(04:59):
that goes.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
We're going to find out. Yeah, whenever for.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
An hour, because like I said, I did well, that
was their point fifteen or yeah, thirty minutes.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
That was their point. When you read the description how
large would drive away? It will clear And you look
at that compared to my mom's and I should I
mean I handshovel that thing in less than an hour
or so.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
You're an animal.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
I am an animal. By the way. That condo if
it moves and pops and cracks and has noises, how
to call an exorcistem run for cover?

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Christmas?

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Christmas to you, sir?

Speaker 1 (05:31):
Alright, any buddy, take care? All right? Uh, We'll continue
at home with Gary Sullivan.

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