My Adventure With Electronics

Everything needed upgrading. I couldn't properly see Google Maps unless I upgraded my browser, Safari. I couldn't upgrade Safari unless I upgraded my operating system. Why? Because I'm working on a 2005 model MacBook using a 2004 version of Microsoft Office, that's why.

I think it's time for a new Mac! I have been saving up just for this occasion. I knew exactly what I wanted...a new MacBook "something" with a disc drive.

I think I got to the Apple Store just in the nick of time. The only model they had with a disc drive was a 2012 MacBook Pro. They don't make Macs anymore with a disc drive. SOLD!

I also bought the One-On-One, which entitles me to a year of one on one help...by appointment. I had planned on taking just the free classes, AND they told me more than one person  could use the same plan, so I sold my plan to a friend and I would use that if I ever needed personal instruction. 

Now for the nitty gritty. I needed to have the data from the old, transferred to the new. No problem they assured me. And, they would install the new version of Word for me...no problem. And this is where the problems began.

I was told I needed an appointment to bring my computers in. I made an appointment. I brought both computers in for transfer (and was told I didn't need an appointment) only to be told my current OS was one level too old to do that, and I would need to upgrade the old computer to the next level OS. OK. So, I called Apple, told them what I need and they send it out to me.

I take my disc in, along with my two computers, hand them the disc only to be told they NEVER download ANY software. Not only that...without the One-On-One plan, the transfer can't be done...it's part of the plan. I was told I could not use the one I sold to a friend, so I had to buy one for my self. 

Are you still with me?

I should explain that I get sweaty palms and hyperventilate if I have to download software. I sat there for over an hour downloading the new OS, Snow Leopard, while they watched over me. By this time I was suspicious of everything they told me, because up to now, everything I've been told has not been correct. Finally, everything was ready for the transfer of data. I said good bye to my two computers and went home to my iPad.

Two days later I get the call my transfer is complete and I can pick up my computers. So happy to have them home. But...the problems aren't over yet.

The OS upgrade to the old computer does not support my old version of Word, and, since I don't have Word on the new computer yet, I HAVE NO WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM. I'm in the middle of a small project and the people involved need to be able to share the document...I need to work in Word. 

Hahahahahahahahaha! 

I have an appointment on the 21st to install Word. I will do it and they will stand by for support. In the meantime. I will go to a friend's house and use her computer, printer and email for the project.

I'm creating this in Notes on my iPad and will upload it to my on-line journal using my old computer. 

Bwaaahhaaaaahhahahaha!

My Gardens Are Exploding!

Just about three weeks ago I posted the progress of my gardens. You can scroll down to see those pictures, and also, compare what I'm posting today as compared to three weeks ago.

My front garden. The poor winter damaged azalea in the back still looks pretty pathetic. The 2 ornamental peppers have a lot of growing to do. When they are full grown, they will take up most of that space. I haven't weeded here yet today, but I will as soon as the sun goes around to the back.

The rest of the front garden. The phlox is ginormous and the bee balm is out-doing itself. The petunias in the middle are gallantly pushing themselves front and center. The ornamental peppers are doing great.

Now, for the back gardens. To the left of middle you see my neighbor's mass of corruption sort of bent to the left. I went in there and cut back all his mint that was invading my garden...that doesn't count the mint that traveled under the barrier into my side.

Another garden area just exploding. The bee balm has taken over. I can barely find the white phlox in there. The blue delphinium towers over everything. All my gardens will get a redesign next year.

The sedum has gone wild. The wild safflower (or what I think is safflower) has started taking over. I had to take out one pepper plant because it had no place to grow. My neighbor liked what I had done with the stones and the fencing, so they continued the stones on their part and put up matching fence sections. The back area looks so good!

This is probably a weed. It looks like it could be in the lily family, though. Don't know. I have two of them that I will let grow to see what they are.

The Fruits of My Labor Are All Flowers

Almost a month ago, I started planting my flowers. The front garden will look a lot better when the phlox and bee balm start blooming. It will take a while for the ornamental peppers to start putting out their colors, but it will be worth it come autumn. The marigolds add a lot of color. Unfortunately, the azalea was damaged by last winter’s never-ending snow. Half of it was broken and dead once the snow melted. However, what was left was pretty spectacular when it bloomed. Next spring, after it blooms, I will dig it up and turn it so the broken side is in the back. That should make it look prettier.

One part of the back gardens is coming along nicely. Along the fence I have bee balm; in front of that is white phlox; and in front of that is blue delphinium. Part of my patriotic garden. Then around the outside I have alternating upright fuchsia and tuberous begonia. That gives me the red and white, with the blue delphinium in the back…double patriotic.

The other side of the back garden is very interesting but not quite pretty right now.

The bleeding heart I transplanted from the front is not happy where it is. I think the soil is too wet and dense. I’ll see what they do next spring. Perhaps I will need to transplant them again.

I have added a couple of phlox (two different shades of pink). The sedum is going crazy and will have to be divided next year.

Now for all that weedy looking stuff that’s growing. I think it is safflower from the winter bird feeder. When I would clean out the bottom of the feeder and cast off what was mostly seed hulls…that is where I would throw them. Must have been a lot of willing seeds, too. I’m letting the “weeds” grow just to see if they are really safflower.

The hot pink watering can planter is just plain cute! However the flowers in that pot need to be transplanted to the ground. The pot is too small and the flowers need room. I hope to do that tomorrow morning. Then I will find something else to put in that planter!

Keeping one step ahead of the landscapers is an adventure! When I see their trucks coming on-site (which is usually before 8 a.m.) I dash to get dressed and get out there with my stakes and yellow caution tape. I stake off my gardens and, lately, my neighbors back garden too, so the workers don’t dare get anywhere near our plants. Last year they left a tall weed I was letting grow just for the fun of it, and they took out three ornamental pepper plants. They are not paid to think. How do you say in Spanish: Stay away from the crazy lady’s gardens!

Up on the deck I have the large pot in the corner with a spiky grass, New Guinea Impatiens and mini- licorice. The railing boxes have beautiful white and purple petunias and vinca vine. I decided not to grow tomatoes this year. I plan to raid my son Paul’s garden instead.

Enjoy the pictures. I love sharing my gardens with you. 

The front garden

Planter on the deck

The deck boxes

Garden on the left

Cute hot pink watering can planter

Garden on the left...I think this is where I'll put the plants from the watering can

No Coyotes; Eating Like a Bird; Summer Exercise; Computers

Where did all the coyotes go?

A couple winters ago, I was awaken one night by the sound of a pack of coyotes chasing something…probably a deer. There hasn’t been much in the way of wild life around here until this spring.

We now have a family of rabbits, and the other day I saw a young deer down by the river.

Is it safe to assume something happened to the coyotes?

If you’re eating like a bird you need to go on a diet!

This is a story told in dollars and pounds of birdseed. This winter I bought more birdseed than, probably, the two previous winters combined to the tune of almost $500. Here’s the tally:

120 lbs sunflower hearts

64 lbs safflower seed

198 lbs mixed econo-seed (for the ground feeders)

80 lbs thistle

20 trays of suet

Can’t wait for next winter. Maybe I should start saving up…or take out a loan. Watching the birds gives me a lot of pleasure, so I don’t mind the expense.

Staying out of the gym.

During the growing season, I spend my time out in my little gardens. In the morning I work in the back gardens before the sun comes around. There’s always weeding and I like to keep the ground loose with my garden weasel. And, of course, watering.

Speaking of watering…last summer I went through 5 of those green expanding garden hoses. Every one of them sprung a leak either at the nozzle end or in the hose itself. I was really tired of taking showers in full view of the neighbors. I only bought one hose…I kept bringing them back in exchange for a new one.

So this year, on the suggestion of my neighbor, Mike, I took the last green, leaky hose back to the store and exchanged it for a new, improved, black hose with brass fittings. Guaranteed!

Well, I’m done. No more expanding hoses for me. This one gave me a super shower. It blew like old faithful. I still have one down in the utility room that I use in the back gardens. You can bet I’ll be examining that sucker very closely. If it blows in the finished basement it will be a disaster.

Wish me luck!

OK. So gardening is one way to exercise. I also go bike riding and hiking on wooded trails. That’s it. Nowhere near as exciting as blown garden hoses.

Computers

The computer upon which I type these stories (plus emails and web browsing) was purchased in 2005. It has been upgraded a couple of times. Also has a new battery (that wasn’t cheap!). I love my MacBook, but it’s getting old.

I am at the point where I would need to upgrade my OS in order to upgrade my browser (Safari) in order to look at the latest upgrade of Google Maps. I can’t see some things on YouTube, and other sites tell me I need to upgrade my browser if I want to look at them. Grrrrrr!

There is a new MacBook in my future. It has to have a disc drive slot and I need a new version of Microsoft Office. The MacBook comes with Apple software, but I want Microsoft in addition. Depending on the price, maybe I’ll add a new printer. I would like to have my computer and iPad talk to the printer wirelessly. I want the whole enchilada! I’m putting it out to the Universe and going for it.

Don’t wish me luck…wish me a new computer. 

Letting Go

Last month I wrote about change bringing on chaos. And, here I am, making another change with its own form of chaos. This time I needed to let go of stuff. I like stuff. It gives me comfort to look at it…to know I have it…and have had it for ever so long.

In the 1980s, my kids and I were living in an old farmhouse when I started getting the “message” that I was going to be traveling light. It was this feeling, over and over again, that I had to get rid of a lot of my stuff, because I would be traveling light. At that point I didn’t know if it was Light (Illumination) or light (unburdened).

I had a tag sale. Put lots of stuff out on the lawn and traumatized my kids. They thought I was terminally ill, and was not telling them. I mean, I never got rid of stuff, so if that’s what I was doing, I must have been sick. Once I reassured them I was fine, but following a feeling I had, we all had a good laugh. This just illustrates the fact that I don’t get rid of stuff easily or readily.

The laughing stopped when I got the notice that my lease would not be renewed. The owner figured he could get my amount of rent (for the whole house) per room if he made it into a rooming house. Of the four kids only one was still living at home.

Twenty some odd years later, when I was getting ready to move from a house into a condo, I was having anxiety attacks (really) over what to keep and what to get rid of…in just one storage closet. My oldest daughter had to help me sort things out. She had no attachment to any of the stuff and was able to help me decide: keep, donate, toss.

And, now we come to yesterday. I do know what came over me. I’ve been doing a lot of internal work on anger I didn’t realize I was holding on to, so I’ve been getting rid of a lot of emotional issues. I guess the next step was to rid myself of material stuff.

When the inner starts feeling cluttered, look to the outer.

I went through my bedroom closets, where I had already stacked a lot of things destined to be donated…like they had been stacked there for a couple years. One shelf of one closet was piled high with bedding items I no longer needed/wanted. Then I went through the bureau drawers in the spare room. There were tons of old sheets and pillow cases. I filled one plastic bag with clothing and another with bedding. There was also a comforter set (stuffed back into its original plastic carrying bag) I had bought and decided I didn’t like after one season.

Just look at my closets now! And the bureau drawers!

While I was in the midst of doing this, my hips started to ache, especially my right hip, which really hurt. I figured out what was going on, so I talked to my right hip. I explained that the clothes no longer fit or were out of style, and the bedding was no longer needed and that all this stuff would go to people who really needed it. The hips stopped aching.

This morning I took everything to a charity in town that hires developmentally handicapped people (not that I could tell). They helped me unload my car and gave me a receipt.

I feel so much Lighter and lighter.

Change Brings On Chaos

Any change will create chaos...the degree of chaos is commensurate with the degree of change. Think about what happens when you change your name, phone number, address or, good grief, you change your lifestyle! Its one thing if this change is self-activated. But...what if it's someone else's idea?

This past December I started going to a Naturopath because I needed professional help with probiotics...what to take and how much. Of course, it hasn't stopped there, and that's OK. I want the best healthcare I can get. My regular doctor isn't into "natural" so much, but he understands I try to be. So, the  Naturopath takes over where my MD leaves off.

First, I was having a problem with UTIs ever since I was hospitalized for c. diff back in October. Dr. Marie had me go off sugar to see if that was contributing to my problem. No sugar made no difference thank goodness. Back to my sweet snacks.

Second, I've had this post nasal drip since my sinus infection back in October. Dr. Marie thought it might be an allergic reaction to a mold that is on peanuts and in peanut butter. I went off peanut butter for a whole month. PEANUT BUTTER IS A MAJOR FOOD IN MY LIFE! Change. Chaos. It wasn't the peanut butter. I still have PND. Phew! That was a close one.

Now...here's the big one...go gluten free to see if it's gluten that is messing up my thyroid. This is the first time I've had my entire thyroid function checked and some of its function is low. I was diagnosed with low thyroid back in 1996. Go online and read what it says about gluten affecting thyroid function.

I don't eat much bread, but I do love my cakes and brownies and cookies and pasta. Doing without these has created CHAOS in my life!!!

I won't have to go without...I'll just have to substitute. That's the problem. That's the chaos!

Gluten free sweets and snacks aren't all that bad. Bread is so so. But it's the pasta that creates the most chaos in my life...or at least it has the greatest potential. It has been my limited previous experience thus far that leftover pasta tastes pretty bad.

Warm weather is coming (honest...it is). It is my culinary habit to alternate potato salad and pasta salad all during the warm weather months. Do you see where this is going?

I recently went GF pasta shopping with my friend Elizabeth. She has no problem with GF. Elizabeth assured me that the chances are good that the pasta I bought will still be good on day two and three. I have yet to cook up the GF spaghetti or elbow macaroni. When I do, it had better taste good the next day and beyond.

Oh, and the most chaotic part...this will go on until I have my thyroid checked again IN AUGUST! And I so hope this goes the way of the sugar and peanut butter.

This a sampling of what gluten free foods I have in my pantry now.
 I also have Udi gluten free bread, but forgot to bring it out for its photo op.

 I don't do change very well.

Spring and Childhood Memories

When I was a kid growing up in rural South Windsor, CT, I would hop on my bike and ride down the street, usually with no destination in mind. Freedom was the only thing on my mind. During the spring and summer, I would pass a marshy area just past my house and the red-winged blackbird that nested there would chase me. It became a game that I always won…of course. Even today, if I should drive down that street just for old times sake, I slow down, as I go past the marsh, just to remember that small piece of my childhood. If I am on my bike (yes, I still ride a bike), I speed up because there is a new generation of red-wing in that marsh and I still get chased, and I still win!

Today is the first day of spring…even though I still have a foot of snow on the ground and it’s cold and windy…and we are expecting more snow this afternoon into tomorrow morning. However, there was a bright spot for me this morning.

As I cradled my cup of hot coffee and gazed out on the area where I feed the birds, there was a red-winged blackbird! And before I knew it, the rest of the flock joined him. It didn’t take long before their aggressive behavior expressed itself. They were jockeying for space even as they gobbled up as much seed as they could. They continued to fly in, argue with each other, then fly off as a flock…only to come back again and again. I guess they liked what I was serving.

This is why I feed the birds. The benefits are mutual. But, bringing back a childhood memory is a bonus.