Categories Apollo, Gardening

The things you notice….

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….when you have a temperature of 101….

Why is “patent filled technology” a selling point?  Any specific technology isn’t patent “filled”, it might HAVE a patent, but you don’t fill technology with patents….

Reading John Ringo’s Under A Graveyard Sky, when your temperature is that high, right before bed, results in really really screwy dreams…..

(I’m actually feeling pretty good this morning, no fever!  But I thought that yesterday morning too, only to have the fever back by mid-afternoon, so I’m not holding my breath yet.  Yes, I’m on an antibiotic)

In other news: in the tiny bouts of energy I’ve had in between this cold and the dog show this past weekend (yes, I took Apollo to the show when I had a fever, yes I’m an idiot.  I did try to avoid breathing on anyone though), I managed to get my sprouted peppers and tomatoes out into the greenhouse.  It has been maintaining well above freezing with no problem since mid-day Thursday.  If temps take another dip (which so wouldn’t surprise me) I might have to bring them all in again, but so far its doing well, I even had to open it up yesterday to keep it from spiking to over 100 in there!

The snow is finally melting.  The space I want to put the garden expansion is is clear.  If I can get over this cold I will absolutely be working on that this week.  Cross fingers for me!

Categories Rants

How do I know it must be spring?

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The idiots across the street apparently decided yesterday that the weather was nice enough that the dogs could be let out for potty time without supervision again.  I have a five minute video of the two dogs wandering my front yard.  I was hopeful that they’d get in the habit of keeping a closer eye on the dogs over the winter (cause they were, all winter), but apparently that was to much to ask.

At this rate I might as well add the local ACO to my Christmas card list!

Categories Birds

Spring!

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It HAS to be spring, the Bluebirds are back!!

This fellow and his mate were checking out the Bluebird houses yesterday morning.  I was so thrilled!  After something killed mom and babies last year I was so afraid we’d not get any Bluebirds this year.  

Course, there’s still snow on the ground.  And although the grass is poking through in a few places most of the yard is still a good foot deep.  So I dug out the mealworm feeder and filled it with dried mealworms and some “Bluebird suet” and hung it on that clothesline post.  

Here’s hoping they stick around!

Categories Apollo, Birds, Cats, Gardening

Quick update

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Not a whole lot going on right now.  Or rather, what is going on I’m better off not talking about in public till its settled…..lets just say that attempting to screw with my career cause you have issues with women in power is a really bad idea.

Anyway, to top off my lovely New Year I’ve just found out that the one and only antiperspirant that I’ve found that I can wear reliably without breaking out into a rash has been discontinued.  Their clear gel version is still availible, so I may have to give it a try.  I’m not a fan of the gel antiperspirants, but its better than breaking out in a massive rash on a regular basis….

I have some very happy pepper seedlings:

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And Shadow is definitely becoming more comfortable in our house:

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though we’re still trying to convince him that Arty isn’t really devil spawn.

 

The birds have been clearing the feeders almost as fast as I fill them, hard to blame them, its been a hard winter:

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Turns out they’ve had help with the feeders though:

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we’ve not had much of a squirrel problem the last few years, but I’m pretty sure I recognize that particular one from last year…..Apollo was also very happy to “scare off” an opossum the other night.  I think it was  me flipping on the lights that really made it decide to leave the feeders, but Apollo’s sure that it was responding to him barking at it.

The deer have been back, though I don’t have time right now to upload those photos, I’ll do it later.  They’re looking skinnier, not sure if they’re just shedding their winter coats, or if this winter is finally taking its toll.

Categories Rants

Your computer laugh for the day

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So I’ve had a new computer for a few months. We finally decided to pull apart my old computer and pull out the hard drive (to see what we could get off it) and swap the wireless card from the old computer to the new (I mostly use wired, but wireless has come in handy on occasion).

So we get everything installed.

And my husband plugs back in all the various cables into the computer for me.

Including the HDMI cable that’s connected to the TV that we’d used as a 2nd monitor (to play games on) on my old computer. I’d not actually gotten around to setting up the duel monitor set up on the new computer yet, wasn’t a high priority. Remember this bit of information. Its important.

So we turn on the computer, and it boots, and it shows the desktop background image…..and doesn’t load the desktop. wtf?

Power down, power up into safe mode. Safe mode loads fine.

Ok, power off, unplug the wireless card, try again. It loads the desktop image and not the desktop.

Power off, unplug the old hard drive, try again. It loads the desktop image and not the desktop.

Power off. Think for a minute, plug back in the old hard drive, force computer to boot off it. It loads fine, no drivers for anything, but it loads fine.

Power off, reset it to load from the new hard drive, it loads the desktop image and not the desktop.

Reboot into safe mode, restore from a 3 day old restore point. Rebooting loads the desktop image and not the desktop.

Run Startup Repair….you get the idea. By this time we’re both swearing.

Unplug all the cables, start unplugging and replugging the video card, the hard drives……

And a light bulb goes off. I tell my husband, when you plug everything back in don’t plug in the HDMI cable to the TV. And he looks at me….

Sure enough, plug back in everything, except that HDMI cable. Desktop loads fine.

Its defaulting that “extra monitor” as the default monitor, instead of my regular one. Turning the TV input to the 2ndary HDMI cable shows my desktop when its plugged into my computer.

*sigh*

(yes, I know how to fix that, its ok)

(the old hard drive has passed every scan I’ve thrown at it, so still no idea why the old computer died, but hey, I have a spare hard-drive now!)

Categories Nothing Much

Common Spring!

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Monday and Tuesday the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  No jacket required lovely.  Snow was melting everywhere.

Yesterday, Wednesday I woke up to rain that was rapidly turning to snow.

By the time we snow-blowed the driveway, about 5pm, we were pushing a foot of wet nasty heavy snow.  The kind that gives people heart attacks trying to shovel it.

I haven’t checked the official snow-fall totals yet, but I’m betting for a solid foot here at least.

Right now my thermometer says its 8 degrees outside.

I want my garden!

Categories Nothing Much

aww fuck

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I would very greatly appreciate everyone’s good will, well wishes, healing prayers, and healing vibes sent toward a friend of mine who I’ve never met in person. She’s the owner of a lovely Tibetan Mastiff bitch, and over the last couple years has become a wonderful friend.

She was just diagnosed this week with stage III Small Cell lung cancer, and has been admitted to the hospital for an “infection”, type unstated, but it appears to involve her lungs. She expects to be in the hospital till Sunday, and starts chemo on Monday.

Did I mention that 2014 is not the New Year I wanted and I’m demanding a refund and a new New Year?

Categories Nothing Much

Spam comments

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I’ve added an additional plugin thats supposed to help sort out spam comments.  

In theory it shouldn’t affect you all, especially if you’ve commented here before.

However if you discover you are having trouble commenting, or that your comment isn’t showing up on the blog in a reasonable period of time please send me an email, the email address is under the “About Me” tab at the top.  

Thanks!

Categories Bleg, Food

Dehydrated foods bleg

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Ok, so I’ve been working on putting together a variety of home “mixes” and “instant” style soups etc for us to use when we want to.  For some of the trial stuff I just bought which-ever dehydrated products were easiest to buy.  But we’re getting to the point of actually using quite a bit of it, so I”m looking at buying in larger quantities.  Not TONS, but more than a quart jar too.

So, can someone suggest a company that they’ve had good luck with that sells (among other things) dehydrated (or freezedried) broccoli, diced potatos, other “soup or stew” type vegi’s, powdered sour cream and milk, etc?

 

(edit: eventually I hope to be able to dehydrate my own for this, but right now thats not happening!)