Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
11 years ago
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy Happy
Happy New Year and so on.
New Years day is a day of new beginnings. It is a shame it has to happen at such a rascally time of year. It might be easier to make new resolutions stick if we could contemplate them with a tall drink while sitting in the shade – outside.
But that is not how it is.
So here we are at a new beginning. Not just a new year, but a new decade. You don't see too many of those in a lifetime.
The last decade was pretty good here. We have coped and survived and had a bushel of good times along the way. I lost some good friends, some to the big sofa in the sky, and some to the moving van here. I miss them all.
We were on the road a lot last year. We were out of town about 3 months. This year probably won't be that much. Most likely we won't spend a month hanging out with Emily, but we may go to daughters next fall (with our travel trailer) and spend a good while, though. This is the year the whole family gets together.
I am not too much into new years resolutions. The Big 3 automakers rolled out a new model with all sorts of new bells and stuff, and did it each fall. VW on the other hand (used) to make changes through the year, with little fanfare. I like the VW system.
Yesterday the Cavalier had a low tire so I stopped at the tire shop and asked if they had time to repair it. They did, and there was a 2” nail and it is all fixed, and the manager, yet another Dave said that those tires would last “forever.” I asked him if he would put that in writing, we both laughed.
Forever won't happen.
Today is a day to stay home, eat some good food and generally stay warm. We had snow yesterday, but by evening it turned to rain. Much of the snow will be melted off by evening.
And that is the way it is around here.
I filled my last journal a few days ago, and yesterday I got a new one put together. It has wood covers, black walnut yet, with blue linen yarn for binding. Two hundred and twenty pages. Should take a while to fill it.
New Years day is a day of new beginnings. It is a shame it has to happen at such a rascally time of year. It might be easier to make new resolutions stick if we could contemplate them with a tall drink while sitting in the shade – outside.
But that is not how it is.
So here we are at a new beginning. Not just a new year, but a new decade. You don't see too many of those in a lifetime.
The last decade was pretty good here. We have coped and survived and had a bushel of good times along the way. I lost some good friends, some to the big sofa in the sky, and some to the moving van here. I miss them all.
We were on the road a lot last year. We were out of town about 3 months. This year probably won't be that much. Most likely we won't spend a month hanging out with Emily, but we may go to daughters next fall (with our travel trailer) and spend a good while, though. This is the year the whole family gets together.
I am not too much into new years resolutions. The Big 3 automakers rolled out a new model with all sorts of new bells and stuff, and did it each fall. VW on the other hand (used) to make changes through the year, with little fanfare. I like the VW system.
Yesterday the Cavalier had a low tire so I stopped at the tire shop and asked if they had time to repair it. They did, and there was a 2” nail and it is all fixed, and the manager, yet another Dave said that those tires would last “forever.” I asked him if he would put that in writing, we both laughed.
Forever won't happen.
Today is a day to stay home, eat some good food and generally stay warm. We had snow yesterday, but by evening it turned to rain. Much of the snow will be melted off by evening.
And that is the way it is around here.
I filled my last journal a few days ago, and yesterday I got a new one put together. It has wood covers, black walnut yet, with blue linen yarn for binding. Two hundred and twenty pages. Should take a while to fill it.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
memories
Last night I decided to sit in my jetta tub for a while.
Filled it with quite hot water and slid in.
On the edge of the tub I saw two little plastic cups and a teapot/watering can. I know the history of those.
A long time ago, when Emily was small she took a bath here, played with the toys and put them on the edge of the tub. It was a LONG time ago.
No one has bothered to take them away or to put them away, wherever away might be, and tonight when I got into the tub, there they were reminding me of old times.
How fast they grow up, and how fast I am growing old. Every time she has a birthday it seems I have just had one (mine is in May, hers in June).
So, when I can spend time with family, whether daughters or grandkids, I jump for the chance.
Miriam has a birthday in a couple of weeks.
Once again she will be the older. (She is January to May older than I am!)
Filled it with quite hot water and slid in.
On the edge of the tub I saw two little plastic cups and a teapot/watering can. I know the history of those.
A long time ago, when Emily was small she took a bath here, played with the toys and put them on the edge of the tub. It was a LONG time ago.
No one has bothered to take them away or to put them away, wherever away might be, and tonight when I got into the tub, there they were reminding me of old times.
How fast they grow up, and how fast I am growing old. Every time she has a birthday it seems I have just had one (mine is in May, hers in June).
So, when I can spend time with family, whether daughters or grandkids, I jump for the chance.
Miriam has a birthday in a couple of weeks.
Once again she will be the older. (She is January to May older than I am!)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
'puters
Changing a hard drive is like buying a new computer.
Except that it does not come with all of those new programs and discs.
Everything is different. The version of iPhoto I was using is not on this drive. At $80 for a package, that is off budget right now, so I went looking for a replacement. So far I am using Picasa, which seems to be a workable alternative, except that it is a whole new program with a lot of it's own idiosyncrasies.
For one thing, it loaded all of the photographs on my HD. Problem is that I have a LOT of photographs that I did not take, tears, screen savers etc, so now my album is very cluttered. I'll keep working on that one.
Same thing with my word processing program. It was on a disc I paid for, but does not have the registation number in sight, so it won't load. I found OpenOffice which is a good program and it is free, but it is not quite the same.
Once I bought a program and installed it in my computer. Soon after that I changed computers and the old one would not load. A call to the company resulted in more frustration. I would have to buy a new copy for the new computer, so I went without.
Open source programs are pretty good. For an amateur like me they may easily take the place of the “standard” issue, but though the money price is lower, the learning price is up there.
I guess that will give me something to do!
Except that it does not come with all of those new programs and discs.
Everything is different. The version of iPhoto I was using is not on this drive. At $80 for a package, that is off budget right now, so I went looking for a replacement. So far I am using Picasa, which seems to be a workable alternative, except that it is a whole new program with a lot of it's own idiosyncrasies.
For one thing, it loaded all of the photographs on my HD. Problem is that I have a LOT of photographs that I did not take, tears, screen savers etc, so now my album is very cluttered. I'll keep working on that one.
Same thing with my word processing program. It was on a disc I paid for, but does not have the registation number in sight, so it won't load. I found OpenOffice which is a good program and it is free, but it is not quite the same.
Once I bought a program and installed it in my computer. Soon after that I changed computers and the old one would not load. A call to the company resulted in more frustration. I would have to buy a new copy for the new computer, so I went without.
Open source programs are pretty good. For an amateur like me they may easily take the place of the “standard” issue, but though the money price is lower, the learning price is up there.
I guess that will give me something to do!
catalogs
December 29, 2009
What a difference a time zone makes.
We have been in the neighboring time zone for the last 5 weeks, just an hour different. I am getting old I think, because it is a bit of adjustment.
Last night at 11 here (10 there) I was not remotely sleepy, and this morning when I got up at 8, 7 there, I was still off.
Our house has a lot of mass, meaning there is a lot of weight to the materials. That is good mostly. When the mass is warmed up it stays warm, or cool it stays cool. With the cold weather the house is like a big refrigerator.
Yesterday we kept the fire roaring all day and once it went out it was cold.
We put an extra blanket on our bed and that was very good.
There is a warming trend though. Last night it was 23ยบ.
But, the seed catalogs pile up, which suggests that some one out there is pretty sure spring will arrive at some point.
I wait, patiently, sort of.
What a difference a time zone makes.
We have been in the neighboring time zone for the last 5 weeks, just an hour different. I am getting old I think, because it is a bit of adjustment.
Last night at 11 here (10 there) I was not remotely sleepy, and this morning when I got up at 8, 7 there, I was still off.
Our house has a lot of mass, meaning there is a lot of weight to the materials. That is good mostly. When the mass is warmed up it stays warm, or cool it stays cool. With the cold weather the house is like a big refrigerator.
Yesterday we kept the fire roaring all day and once it went out it was cold.
We put an extra blanket on our bed and that was very good.
There is a warming trend though. Last night it was 23ยบ.
But, the seed catalogs pile up, which suggests that some one out there is pretty sure spring will arrive at some point.
I wait, patiently, sort of.
Monday, December 28, 2009
on line again
I have my computer back working, am on the internet, thanks to some one's generosity.
The computer required a new hard drive, which I had on hand ready to install, but a new hard drive is like a new computer. In spite of what it says about backing everything up, it does not get quite everything.
Some of the apps I was using I did not upgrade ($150 or so) so I went with open source apps instead. That is fine, but another learning curve.
Seems that every keyboard is different and like other things, there is no place like home!
Our house is a small house with lots of insulation and no central heat. The wood burning stove does a good job for us when we are here, but when we are gone and there is no fire, the house is like a giant refrigerator. Now the trick is to keep a hot fire burning for a few days and warm the whole insides up again.
Right now it is about 60 degrees in spite of a roaring fire!
The computer required a new hard drive, which I had on hand ready to install, but a new hard drive is like a new computer. In spite of what it says about backing everything up, it does not get quite everything.
Some of the apps I was using I did not upgrade ($150 or so) so I went with open source apps instead. That is fine, but another learning curve.
Seems that every keyboard is different and like other things, there is no place like home!
Our house is a small house with lots of insulation and no central heat. The wood burning stove does a good job for us when we are here, but when we are gone and there is no fire, the house is like a giant refrigerator. Now the trick is to keep a hot fire burning for a few days and warm the whole insides up again.
Right now it is about 60 degrees in spite of a roaring fire!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
home
We are home safely.
The Mac Book is running. The original HD bit the dust, but I had another bigger one ready to go.
Unfortunately I lost some photographs again. Oh well.
More later.
The Mac Book is running. The original HD bit the dust, but I had another bigger one ready to go.
Unfortunately I lost some photographs again. Oh well.
More later.
on the road yet again
Today is travel day!
We leave daughter one's comfortable and hospitable home, stop briefly at daughter two's house and head for home.
It was November 22 when we were home last. It must still be there, none of my three friends/neighbors has called to tell me otherwise and all have my phone number.
We will be glad to be home again, but we will never forget the joy and fun of this trip, of hanging with all of our grandkids, of hugging all of our daughters and then hugging them again.
It has been a good trip, but it is time to go home. Miriam has had spells of anger at me for wanting to move her, which was not a thought until she brought up the subject, but she has happily worked on jig saw puzzles and kitchen cleaning at every stop. Every day she has asked me when we were going home, and when I answered with a date too far ahead of time she would ask: "How come?"
As I look back at this year, we were away from home a month in the spring and a month in the fall and a few weeks in the middle. We were away about a fourth of the time. Nearly all of that was with family.
I am so grateful that it was possible.
We leave daughter one's comfortable and hospitable home, stop briefly at daughter two's house and head for home.
It was November 22 when we were home last. It must still be there, none of my three friends/neighbors has called to tell me otherwise and all have my phone number.
We will be glad to be home again, but we will never forget the joy and fun of this trip, of hanging with all of our grandkids, of hugging all of our daughters and then hugging them again.
It has been a good trip, but it is time to go home. Miriam has had spells of anger at me for wanting to move her, which was not a thought until she brought up the subject, but she has happily worked on jig saw puzzles and kitchen cleaning at every stop. Every day she has asked me when we were going home, and when I answered with a date too far ahead of time she would ask: "How come?"
As I look back at this year, we were away from home a month in the spring and a month in the fall and a few weeks in the middle. We were away about a fourth of the time. Nearly all of that was with family.
I am so grateful that it was possible.
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