Follow-Up

Oh, who the #@#! am I kidding?

I just spent over an hour in futility downloading a keystroke recovery program onto that laptop (I'm now on my big computer in the office), then carefully selecting the (close to 100) files I'd used or modified today and finally clicking on 'Recover'.  I was brought to a screen that said, and pardon me if I paraphrase here, "Oh, if you actually want to RECOVER these files / keystrokes, you NOW have to upgrade to a paid-for program vs. the free one you downloaded.  The free version will show you the modified files, but to actually recover or read them, you have to pay us for it, SUCKER!"

It's not too early to start drinking, is it?

In a much briefer overview, here's what my lost post said . . . .

I have a schedule, but it's not one that works with the hours of the universally accepted Work Day.  This is because I'm a Night Owl.  Definitively and conclusively NOT a  Morning Person.  Fortunately, I do have some options.  Namely, I am fortunate enough to be able to do some of my office work here at home.

Also, because I am not "allowed" (wrong word, but true) to have gallery hours until after 4:00 or 5:00 PM on weekdays due to the nature of the other businesses / Non-Profits in my building, I think I need to change my heretofore work week from Tuesdays - Saturdays to Wednesdays - Sundays in order to capitalize on the hours I CAN be open to the public (there are no restrictions on me in the weekday evenings nor weekends).

Too, to take advantage of my folks' generous offer to watch the dogs during the day (I need to pick them back up between 4:30 and 5:00), I need to start getting the dogs to them earlier . . . and then, as a direct result, myself into the office earlier.  Right now, my schedule has me dropping the dogs off around 2:00 or 3:00, working until 4:45 when I pick up the dogs and feed and exercise them, and then returning to work until 8:00 or 9:00-ish, but not much later than that since I don't like the dogs having much more than those couple of hours in the cold car at night.

So, the conclusion to all that I've outlined in the above abbreviated fashion, is here's my new "school day" (work day) schedule . . . one I hope you'll help me stay honest to.  They say that if you're trying to make or break a habit, you need to do that thing for 21 consecutive days.  That might be hard with Christmas and the New Year coming up within those 21 days, but I'm gonna try it. 

• 6:45 / Alarm
• 6:45 – 8:00 / Feed Dogs & Cats, Shower, Ready for Day
• 8:00 – 8:30 / Chores, Abbreviated on Work Days
• 8:30 – 9:30 / Drive to Town
• 9:30 – 10:00 / Drop Dogs Off, Get in to Office
• 10:00 – 4:45 / Office
• 4:45 – 5:30 / Pick Up Dogs, Get Gas
• 5:30 – 6:30 / Drive Home
• 6:30 – 8:30 / Chores, Dinner, Whatever
• 8:30 – 10:00 / Blog, Unwind
• 10:00 - 10:30 / Bedtime

The 6:45 AM alarm is gonna be a killer . . . especially since it will still be dark at that time for many more moons!  But, if I *DO* get to bed on time, that SHOULD help.  Anyone out there have any “get up when the alarm goes off” tricks?  I already do the “put the alarm on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed” theory, but it doesn’t work:  I hop RIGHT back into bed and snuggle under the warm covers.  Hmmm, maybe I should take the time to boot the computer up each morning so I can post an “I’m UP!” note to you all!  ;)

Those of you who know me well (especially my ex) are surely chuckling over this because I have made UMPTEEN schedules for myself over the years, and NONE of them stick.  But, I do enjoy having one because it allows me to not have to think!  Instead, I just look at the posted schedule, find out what time it is, and say, "Oh, look!  I should be doing this right now!"

Aside from going to bed early on the day of the week that will end up being "my Sunday", I'll allow my two-day weekend to follow its usual, organized chaos schedule.

So, there ya have it.  Aside from more detail, that's pretty much what my morning's post was about.

Misunderstandings

Okay, I hate it when I don't express myself clearly, and the beginnings of the previous post are just that:  the beginnings.  It doesn't reflect the conclusion as I worked out, via blogging, my problem.  So, if you can, please ignore what I wrote and wait for the re-writing of the entire post.  I've downloaded a keystroke recovery program on my laptop and am trying to retrieve the post.  Believe me, I worked through the problem so comprehensively there that I think it's worth it to try to find it, in its original form.

Stay tuned.

Me (That's Right, It's All About Me)

There's repeat of a meme going thru Facebook right now:  25 Things About Me.  I've done this one before, but, let's face it, it's fun, so I'm gonna do it again.  (I wonder if I'll have any repeats?  It would be interesting to see!)  So, without further ado and in no particular order . . . .

25 Things About Me

1. I used to hate cats.  Hate 'em.  Now I have three.
2. I smoke.  A pipe.  On occasion.
3. Fundamentally, I am a very lazy person.  What keeps me moving are the examples set by my folks (the hardest working people you'll ever meet!), the desire to be "a good person", and doing what's required to live the life I want.
4. With our wedding scheduled for (and held in) February, I convinced Tom to marry me in a civil service the previous June.  I felt quite sure he would get cold feet if we waited.  (Analyze THAT, why don't you, given the fact that we're now divorced!!)
5. I think I (?!) believe in previous lives.  At least, I believe that there is some unknown entity that connects us to certain places or lifestyles that we've never experienced in this life.
6. I have two stoves in my kitchen, and I use the old, wood cookstove that raised a family of 13 local children 95% of the time.  And, I wouldn't give it up for love nor money.
7. If it weren't for the solitary fact that I'll be able to use it as a digital picture frame in my office/gallery once I can replace it as my laptop, I would use this computer for target practice.  (Update:  considering I had this list written up to Item 15 when this computer crashed, and I lost all of those [8-14], I may use it for target practice yet!)
8. I wish I could be more organized.  (That's actually my biggest wish in life.)
9. I think I could be a very "good" rich person.  
10. If I was rich and didn't have to work to make money, I still don't think I'd have enough time to do ALL the things I want to do in life.
11. Caffeine doesn't affect me.  I can drink coffee right before bed.  Conversely, if I'm tired while driving, caffeine doesn't help.
12. You will never come to my house and find ALL the dishes done.  Just . . . can't . . . do . . . it.
13. I designed this Swamp River Ridge house and know every inch of it, down to the 4 1/2" difference between the "matching" bump-outs that are the kitchen and sunroom.
14. I will forever be grateful to Tom for getting me through my depression / years of infertility struggles.
15. I am very glad that Tom finally had the strength to tell me, that horrible January day, that he was not happy in our marriage.  I never would have (ended the marriage), and we're both better, happier people now, because of that.  For that, I thank him.
16. I'd always wanted a big, commercial strength Kitchen Aid and got one, from an old boyfriend, for a wedding gift.  It has sat, proudly, on the kitchen counter these past 10 years.  I have used it . . . once.
17. I have always wanted to live by myself, in a cabin in the woods, for an entire calendar year.  No human contact other than, perhaps, two or three visits . . . but for no more than a couple of hours (mail & resupply & news).  I don't think I'd want to do it w/out a computer connection to the world, though.  Nor would I do it without the companionship of some four-leggeds.
18. I have always wanted to live, for some period of time (at least two weeks), without clocks.  I'm interested to see how my internal timepiece would adjust.
19. I love art.  I wish I had the money to spend on it.  I would support a lot of local artists.
20. I would like to travel across America in an RV some day.  (With no time or money restrictions.)
21. I almost lost the nearly 35-year friendship of my best friend following her wedding.  I'm glad I didnt.
22. I have been to only one open-casket funeral and touched only one dead person in my life.  She was cold.  (Go figure.)
23. I have never been able to stick to any sort of diet (not just the lose-weight kind).  If there's something I'm choosing to omit from my food groups, I can think of nothing but that treat / bready-goodness / alcohol . . . and immediately cave.
24. I could never live in a part of the world where spiders were big and common.
25. I've gotten the autograph of only one famous person, David Byrne of The Talking Heads.  If a friend who "knew music" hadn't picked him out at the London airport, I would have had no idea who he was.

Here's the link to the last time I did this - in January of 2009.  And, yep, I DID have some repeats!

Now, dear reader, will you do the same?  I l-o-v-e learning things like this about my friends!

Sunday Night

It’s Sunday night, and I’m in bed in the dark, laptop propped up by my knees.  The window is open, and I can hear the spring peepers chirping out their song in the warm night air (it’s still 60 degrees).  From downstairs, I just heard Maisy growl at . . . ??? . . . something that went bump in the night.  Tucker has WAY better hearing than she, though, so if he didn’t hear anything worrisome, it’s not an issue.  She’s been “off” all day though, anyway – driving me just a leetle bit batty!  But, after all, she is the neurotic one in the family.

I worked Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this past week, and yesterday was the open house for this new business I’m (assistant) managing.  We held a pie social from 10:00 – 2:00, and for 95% of the time, it was just me out there, slingin’ slices o’ pie and hot coffee.  The boss lady was short-staffed due to it being prom, so she couldn’t leave the clothing shop. 

I’d forgotten how exhausting that exhaustion feels.  ;)  I felt like I was back in the days of the family-owned restaurant after a super busy summer day.  Last night, even tho I was so tired that I couldn’t think straight, I didn’t sleep well.  TOO tired, I guess, and probably not enough wind-down time.  Hmph.  Murphy’s Law strikes again.

The Partridge Rock chicks that were hatched around April 5^th got to explore outside of their brooder for the first time today!  They’re 6 weeks old now and big enough that I’m not too terribly worried about them getting picked on by the big, bossy geese.  Besides, that Cuckoo Maran mama is still being every inch such a fantastic mother that I suspect that anyone who dared hassle one of her babies would have a helluva fight on their hands!  I am a little worried about the wily ravens, though.  Each spring, they and I battle to get to the goose and duck eggs (because they are oftentimes laid outside) first.  And, when we lived at Hastings-on-the-Lake, I did have problems with them killing a few of my pullets when they were much larger than these chicks.  But, I had to cut the apron strings at some point, so only time will tell how many of these babies I lose to predation or other dangers.  (And, yes, I kept forgetting my camera each time I went out today to check on them . . . duhhh!)

I got the lawn mower gassed up and started for the first time today.  I HATE sweating, so lawn mowing is not a favorite pastime . . . even tho freshly cut grass is one of my favorite smells AND I love seeing the progress that a sharp lawn mower blade makes.  And, of course, today was the warmest one so far this year.  Anyway, I attacked it in a couple of different spurts, and that helped.  And, it’s always more time-consuming, too, when I bag the clippings and haul them to the chickens . . . something I hate messing with, but I love the happiness and benefits that it brings to the poultry and so I do it . . . even though that tips the scales towards making lawn mowing even a little more bothersome.  (And to think that I had a lawn care business for about 30 seconds back in my early 20s!  Hahahahahahahahahahaha!  Although, my business name WAS great:  Mother Earth’s Daughter.)

Rather than it being an annoyance, I was looking forward to my new, self-imposed bedtime tonight!  I think, I hope this is going to work out well.  I NEED the sleep and it’s just so nice to have a concrete END to the day’s work.  So, off I go to dreamland.  I’ll post this tomorrow (Monday) morning when I can hook up to the Ethernet cable in the kitchen* . . . while eating the zucchini bread that I can still smell, it having come fresh out of the oven only within the last hour.

*  I guess I forgot to mention, didn’t I, one of the reasons I haven’t been blogging much lately (the other is the simple lack of time)?  The wireless modem on my laptop died.  So, no writing and blog posting in the sunroom, in the library, or here in bed . . . my three most favorite places to do so.  In time, that will get fixed, tho, too.  G’night.  10:48 PM / 16 May 2010

Did You Hear?

Did you hear my colorful language punctuating the hours yesterday?

After just touting our relative happiness with ISP HughesNet to a blogging friend, I was tearing my hair out again yesterday. As I've said before and will say again, Technology is great when it's working, but it can REALLY screw you up (once you've become accustomed to it) when it's not. (And, it [not working] really illustrates just . . . how . . . MUCH we [at least I] do use it in our daily lives.)

I do everything on the computer. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. That's where my calendar is. I'm not sure if I'm missing something important if I can't access it. I shop (from printer ink to my new iron to Christmas presents), pay bills (and I like to check on the status of them pretty much every day), keep in touch with friends (Tom never uses our home phone, and I RARELY do), see what's happening in the world (we have no TV), talk to my mom (again, that no phone thing . . . but we send e-mails to each other constantly throughout the day), check the weather, do our banking and see what checks Tom's written each day (vs. asking him to bring his checkbook in from his office every night), do all the ordering & invoicing for the supplies / essential oils for a massage therapist, etc., etc., etc. And, that's all just the PERSONAL stuff! It's not even my graphic & web design business that I'm trying to get off the ground . . . for which I need 24/7 access to the Web!

UGH! Obviously, it was a very frustrating day. I was on the computer from about 6:45 - 7:45 yesterday morning, and then the modem just went belly-up. I tried everything. I even searched out the correct wrench size in Tom's shop and moved the satellite dish (did I mention that it was only 5 degrees yesterday?). Multiple times. And, with each hair's-breadth-move, I had to come inside to run diagnostics. Then, there was the shutting all systems down and rebooting. Multiple times. And swearing. Multiple times. (That helps! Not.)

Finally, I called tech support and got a lovely Indian man on the line. And, I only had to ask him to repeat himself 2 or 3 times, so I was pretty pleased about that! They couldn't fix anything from their end and so would have to send a technician. Of course. One would call us within 3 days to set up an appointment. Yeah, a 3-day wait to just MAKE the appointment. Oh, but he couldn't set that up until he spoke to "Thomas". That's whose name the account is under. Of course.

So, I talked to Tom at his desk 70 miles away, giving him all the details I'd just spent 30 minutes giving to HughesNet Tech Support.

Then, I called our friends - the Going To Have A Baby Any Moment friends - to ask if I could drive the 30 minutes to their house to steal some of their bandwidth for a couple of hours. Of course! But, only if I had a bowl of homemade soup while I was there. (Twist my arm.)

I hopped into the shower to scrub away the nasty pall that had surrounded me since 7:45 that morning and got dressed. Got the dogs fed early so they would be more content. Packed up all my bags and got my boots on. Started shutting down the house and walked into the kitchen last. Glanced towards the offending modem, ready to throw it through the window (I mean 'turn it off') . . . and ALL the lights were flashing merrily away at me shouting, "Hey! Lookit me! I'm working now! All's well with the world! Aren't I special?!"

By this time, Tom had already ordered a modem & satellite dish upgrade (something we'd talked with the tech about the previous time he'd visited) AND bumped our rate up $10 a month in order to get a much higher speed. It is a 24-month commitment, but he wants his wife to be happy. He hates to see her tear her hair out when life isn't going well. :) Besides, we're BOTH hoping that my web-based businesses will be able to take a good-sized chunk of the financial responsibilities off his shoulders . . . and I DO need reliable Internet access for that!

So after seeing that things were operational here at home, I unpacked my bags, told the dogs to "stand down", and called our friends back with a chagrined "thank you, but no thank you". I needed to get on the keys ASAP and while the service was still working. After I spoke to them, they - amazingly sweet, wonderful, caring, thoughtful, sweet, loving, wonderful people - talked to Tom and asked that he still stop by their house (where I thought I'd be) on his way home. "It's a matter of life and death!" (They wanted to send him home with a big Tupperware of the still-warm chicken soup. And a huge chunk of delicious summer sausage for Tom from their freezer.)

Have I mentioned that this young couple is ABOUT TO HAVE THEIR FIRST BABY??? Any . . . day . . . ?! And they're doing all this for US?

An aside, at the art festival this past Saturday, they stopped by in the morning for a visit. I, not thinking anything of it, mentioned that I hadn't had time to make a lunch that day. They immediately responded with, "Oh, we'll make you a sandwich and bring it back!" No, no, nooooo! Getting me lunch was NOT their responsibility! So, I said that I didn't feel comfortable eating sandwiches at these things, anyway, 'cause I was invariably caught taking a huge bite when a customer walked up and asked me a question. That is the truth, but I also didn't want them to go to a trouble like that for me!

Well, fast forward a couple of hours, and back in they walk - covered plate & cup in hand. In the cup? Egg nog. On the plate, perfectly cut & sliced into small pieces and lovingly displayed . . . fancy little pieces of flat bread; yummy, yummy cheese; crackers; and some of the previously mentioned summer sausage. Oh, and when they'd arrived for their visit in the AM, it was with a plate of fresh-from-the-oven molasses & spice cookies in hand . . . which I'd quickly commandeered and had been munching on all day. I tell you, these two - soon to become three! - are incredible.

And, speaking of incredible friends . . . .

I remember that I joked to the husband of a dear friend (and fellow art fair participant) when he brought lunch in for her & their daughter, "Where's mine?!" He said, "I can go home and make you something, too!" Again, I exclaimed, "No, no, noooo! I was just kidding!" And, I was! This was before the other friends had returned with my unexpected plate of goodies, and I didn't like that ANYONE was even THINKING about going to any trouble for me!

Well, an hour or so later, in rushes the friend's little (okay, not so little anymore) adorable son. He pushes a bag into my hands and says, "Here's your lunch!" WHAT??? I hug and hug and squeeze him. (Fortunately, he hasn't gotten old enough that he's beyond hugs . . . and in PUBLIC, no less!) And, I have to admit, I was starving. Mmmmm, Cheetos! (Gotta start with the good stuff.) And Sprite. Ahhhhh. (And a Diet Coke for Mom - smart men!) And a granola bar with a particularly heavy coating of rich chocolate. Mmmmmmm. Notice how I get to the good stuff BEFORE I eat the sandwich?

Tom lucked out, too. He devoured my ham sandwich when I got home that night, and there was even a little left of the summer sausage & crackers. And so, supper was taken care of, too.

Morale of the story? "I get by with a little help from my friends . . . ." And what friends they are! :)

You've Gotta Be Kidding!

This is an old(er) post, but due to our Internet problems, I'm just getting it up now.

October 07, 2009

We're still in bad shape regarding Internet / e-mail service. So, don't depend on it (e-mail) to get ahold of me like usual. Yesterday I had service in the AM but then none in the afternoon or PM. Today I have afternoon service after none this AM. Go figure. And, my use of the Internet is V-E-R-Y limited.

Anyway, back to the title of this post. Earlier, I was outside doing some fall cleanup in the garden . . . until I got chased out by . . . bugs. Yes, BUGS. Mosquitoes & flies. In October. Obviously, we "grow 'em hearty" (or is that hardy?) up here, but, in this case, that's NOT a good thing. I didn't get any bites, but they sure were bothersome, flying in my face. Had I needed to stay longer, I would have had to come inside for my head net!!!

Thanks to an off-hand and brief conversation weekend before last while I was crocheting granny squares for a quilt, I am now addicted to crocheting hats. (Want one?!) The thing I enjoy about granny squares is their ease in both making & transportability (is that a word?). I can shove a small skein of yarn & a crochet hook in my purse, and I have a wonderful, productive thing to do, no matter WHERE I was. But now? INSTANT gratification! No sewing the squares together at a later date. With hats, I can have a finished product pretty darn speedily.

Continuing now on the 14th of October . . . .

I have cranked out 3 hats now, and I have a 4th nearly complete. The first was a complete test: me trying to figure out how to do it! And, I will boast that the shape was PERFECT. But, it would have fit . . . a Barbie. (I'll take a picture & post it some day when I feel that you need a good laugh.)

Here's my first human-sized hat. It's mine. I mean: for me. I wear it ALL the time since I finished it - inside the house, too! It's a slouchy berét style. Maybe that's what I'll call it: the Slouch Berét. Berét Slouch? (Any better suggestions?)


This is my second - your Basic Tuque (with embellishment) - and is for my nephew (nephew by friendship, not family - his mom & I have been besties for 33 years now!). I am his Una, and Tom is his Unu. I love our names: (U)p (N)orth (A)untie & (U)p (N)orth (U)ncle! Now I just need to get it packaged up and sent.


And, this is the 3rd / nearly finished. Matter of fact, it may BE finished. Dunno if it needs one more row on the headband or not. I envision it on the head of a beautiful black woman. Unfortunately, in this area of nearly-only Scandinavian & German descendants, I have only one recipient in mind, and I have NO idea if she'd have any interest. BUT, I am going to run it by two of her best girlfriends to get a read on whether or not she might be amenable to being gifted with a such a noggin topper. :) Name / style suggestions? It's kinda Lapland-esque, no?

Blessed be the . . . .

Blessed be the Technology . . . when it's working again!

After countless trips in and out yesterday between the satellite receiver and his laptop plugged into the modem here inside . . . the HughesNet tech finally got us up and running again! Yayyyy! We still have a few hitches to overcome . . . which we'll take care of by upgrading to a new system. Apparently, technology has improved in the 3+ years since we bought our system. (Imagine that!) I'll price that out as soon as I get a chance.

And, lest you think that getting a service tech here is "no big deal": he came from over 220 miles away! Super nice guy, though, and it was a pleasure to have him in my kitchen for 3 hours!

Anyway, the thing I'm truly excited about is being able to work on the websites I'm in the middle of developing again . . . AND getting some new pictures here on the blog!

So, without further ado, a little photographic catch-up:

Our first snow greeted us this past Saturday morning! That melted, but then we got another 1/2" on Monday. Looking outside, it's cool enough that there are still patches of the white stuff left here and there.


Both of these photos were taken of Saturday's first snow, though.

How's your FAS?

Did you know that you have an FAS? Free Access . . . something (I forget). Anyway, Tom and I spent a most aggravating 3+ hours yesterday TRYING to get the live feed for the Inauguration celebrations up on the computer and fed through our flat screen TV in the upstairs library. We finally managed to get the laptop monitor's picture pulled up on the TV, but the live feed was STILL not coming through . . . despite monkeying with the modem, the router, the Ethernet cables, the EVERYTHING! Finally, the coverage (which we'd been listening to, at least, on the radio) was over, so we threw up our hands in disgusted surrender.

The aggravations remained, though: any/all Internet access was still as slow as molasses in, well, January! What the . . . ?! Finally, at the exact stroke of midnight last night, I had gotten deep enough into the bowels of HughesNet (our ISP) to discover that there are these pre-set FASes. Basically, you get a certain amount of bandwidth based on which "package" you purchase through your ISP. Yup, makes sense. But, certain online activities (such as trying to access/download a LARGE live feed . . . or watching a movie online with Netflix, etc.) exceed your "purchased" bandwidth. Such was our situation.

BUT, wouldn't you think such an activity would generate an automated e-mail that would explain the situation??? TELLING you that you were now on a 24-hour "probationary" period and that, after that time had elapsed, your Internet speed would return to normal (or, they'd be happy to move you up a level in "packaging" for more bandwidth)? I mean, it certainly would reduce the time that Tech Support (and/or we, their unhappy customers) had to spend on this problem!

Anyway, just let it be a lesson for everyone: if your Internet speed suddenly falls off the map and you've checked ALL possible issues . . . check your FAS.

Okay, rant over.

This morning I'm preparing for BUTCHERING! We've had too many roosters in the coop and an improper ratio in the flock ever since last spring's chicks matured. The culling process is wayyyyy overdue. Egg production has been HORRIBLE for quite some time, too (despite the addition of artificial light to bring them up to their required 14-hours-of-daylight-to-lay), so I have high hopes that this reduction in stress* will bring about positive changes. I don't have the full count in front of me, but I'm guessing we'll take out about fifteen.

* I'm sure the "marked men" and old biddies wouldn't agree that today's activities will create a reduction in stress!

I'm going to "chance it" and take all but my one, good old rooster, Big Boy. The only thing I DON'T like about him is that he's not a pure breed. Instead, he's one of my 'Taj MaCoop Specials', bred (no idea who his folks are!) and hatched when we lived at Hastings-on-the-Lake. But, he's huge, gentle and a good leader of the flock. If I lose him due to some unforseen accident / tragedy, I'll be sans a rooster until this spring's chicks come of age, but worse things have happened. Besides, I'd still have Turkey-Durk and at least one drake (I'm going to take all but one or two of the male ducks) to be The Man of the House.

Okay, I just heard the generator turn on (actually, I "hear" the change in electrical current cycle in the fish aquarium's filter & bubbler motors in the livingroom), so I'll take advantage of that on this grey day to throw in some laundry or get some ironing done.

Have a great Monday! (And enjoy this latest, favorite picture of Turkey Durk / Tom the Turkey.)

Techie Question

I've a question for all you techies out there. Anyone at McK wanna jump on this one?

I'm looking for a widget that will give me BOTH the current time & temperature in any given location around the world. And, of course, it would be a double bonus if it looked cool, too!

So far, I haven't had much luck finding one.

To quote 'Ferris Bueller', "Anyone?"

"Yippee Ti Yi Yay . . . ."

"I'm on my way . . . . back in the saddle again!"

Ahhhh, technology. That said, I know I wouldn't miss what I didn't know about. So, is it better that I KNOW about the technology of the Internet and computers . . . or would I have been better off without it all in the first place? And, that's a dilemma for another day, I guess. Point is, as of 10:45 PM last Thursday night, we're back online!

Now, the first order of business is to welcome the newest little baby to Minnesota via his parents who are home from Uganda (their home-away-from-home) for the birth and the four weeks following! At a healthy 8 lbs. 7 oz., OAB arrived on Saturday, I heard from his proud ex-pat grandpa in England this AM (see, we're so wide-spread now that we DO need that thing called Technology)! We can't wait to meet this little bundle of love!! (This stunning photo was taken by the papa - an incredible photographer.)



Meanwhile, the other bean (the aforementioned bean's cousin!) we're expecting with much anticipation is still in utero, due mid-month. But, both mama and baby (and daddy, let's not forget him!) are completely healthy and ready-to-go, so we are on "Baby Watch"! With their respective parents (brother and sister) having married their respective spouses just 2 weeks apart in our hometown, it will be exciting to see these little ones grow up together! August 2008 - a good baby month! (This photo of the ravishing mommy was taken by this bean's proud papa!)

Baby news aside, onto This Is Our Life!

I am, quite literally, in a state of disbelief that it is August. Now, were it the beginning of June, I could (almost) handle that. On the up side, I am looking forward to the cooler temps that September always brings. And, really, we have not had the hot, hot summer that we had last year, but I can no longer tolerate ANY heat (since my early menopause - sorry for the TMI, fellas).

And, then there are the bugs. Due to the long, wet spring, we have been INundated with nasty little biters this summer. I'd hoped the cool weather precipitating the hatch would keep the mosquito numbers down, but it was an "Alaskan Bug Season" this year. From the beginning of June until the end of July you simply COULD NOT GO OUTSIDE unless you had bathed in 100% DEET bug-dope (sticky, slimy, and smelly . . . not to mention fairly toxic) or covered yourself (in those hot temps) head-to-toe in non-breathable netting. The last two months have just NOT been conducive to enjoying The Great Outdoors. Fortunately, there are 10 months left to each year when outside activity IS possible. It's just a shame that - in the (very) limited growing season - we have to make so many uncomfortable adjustments just to get out in it.

You'll notice a new August picture that I've posted above. No, Maisy hasn't morphed into a much bigger dog: that's Tanner who we were babysitting for 8 days at the end of last month. Although the picture doesn't adequately show it, he's really a small horse and proverbial "bull in the china shop" . . . but, fortunately, also a complete lover. :) And, true to that description, he made the bottom half of the front door's screen his own personal dog door one day when he decided that he wanted to be on the side of it that we were on. On the up side, we and our dogs like / use it so much that, with a few modifications, we're going to make it a permanent addition! So, no harm, no foul!

As I've mentioned before, Tom has been gone SO much now with his new job(s): painting for a friend's very successful LLC and developing Trapper Cabin Handyman Services. The former finds him working 65 miles from home (although he's only 36 miles away today!), and there's no sense in him driving all that way (home again) at night only to turn around in fewer than 12 hours to do it all again. So, we're using our little cabin just outside of town a lot more, and it's nice to have that option. Unfortunately, it would be nice to see my husband once in a while! Although our time was limited due to a run into town for the entire evening Saturday, we did get a few things done this weekend.

That huge spruce tree that we felled back in May has finally become many linear feet of good, solid lumber, thanks to help from my dad and Tom's use (more skilled each time) of our portable sawmill.

I think I mentioned that the crack in the tree was so massive that we thought sure it would be hollow. But, much to our surprise, it was solid as can be. So, rather than become firewood, it has provided some good slabwood (to become snap-cracklin' kindling this winter); some beautiful, wide 1/2" thick panels which will become cabinets in the kitchen; an extra, solid 10' (12'?) 6 x 6; and these two 10" x 10" x 12' lunkers for our front yard gateway.

Tom got them stained (grey) on Saturday, and the upright supports will get stained the same red as the house and garage fascia*. Yesterday, we got them on their supports and perfectly placed. And, yes, they are H-E-A-V-Y!!! Tom came away with a bloody foot (as usual, he was wearing just his Tevas), and I came away with VERY swollen and sore forearms (where the butt ends of the timbers rested as I lifted them for Tom to adjust the supports underneath). * In the first picture, you can see that Tom got the staining done on the garage fascia. The garage, itself, will still be painted a lighter grey to match the house. Maybe NEXT summer?! Yikes.

Another notable aspect of these pictures is our MASSIVELY OVERGROWN yard! It looks like it should belong to an abandoned residence! Good grief! I've used the lawn mower ONCE this summer . . . and only for about 1 hour (that's all the heat and bugs would allow). Now that the bugs are beginning to abate, though, I really hope to get out to make a difference.

A month (or two?!) ago, I spent a good wad of money on many well-researched flower and ground cover seeds for the area between this gateway and the house. Perennials, all of them. We hope to have ground cover in the area closest to the house where the trees / shrubs / evergreens are planted along the two slate walkways. Then, alongside the gravel path (soon to come - the gravel was delivered) that will join the gateway and the slate walkway will be taller wild flowers. I'm trying to figure out how to produce that organized chaos of an English garden without it looking like a care-less mess. Any ideas?

Okay, that's all for now. My hat goes off to those of you who are doing a bang-up job of updating your blogs regularly. I'd love to say our lack of Internet was the only thing that prompted this latest dearth (SUCH a good word, that is!) of posts, but we all know that ain't the truth. ;) I just have to get my MIS under control (Multiple Irons [In The Fire] Syndrome).

Third Arm: Still Missing

We're still suffering from No-Internet-itus. Last week, they said the earliest they could have a tech to us would be August 5th. I told them that was unacceptable (it will be 2 weeks tomorrow). They didn't care. Nor would they send us the parts to fix the system ourselves. Then, on Saturday, they left a voicemail saying there was a cancellation and that they would be here on Wednesday! So, keep your fingers crossed for us. I'm still not convinced they won't say, "Yup, it's the so-and-so part which we'll order, but I won't be able to install it until I'm up next in Septmber!"

Anyway, hold tight. Believe me, we'll be back online A . . . S . . . A . . . P!!!!

Scanner: Up & Running!

Thanks to one of Tom's techno-weenies at work, I finally got my scanner up and running today (after hours of aggravation of trying to fix it myself).

Here's a (scanned) picture from "back in the day" when we used to go to England.

March of '99, Leeds Castle.