Computers

Back in the day, I took typing in high school. Of course, this was in the last century, and our typewriters were huge, manual monsters, requiring strong fingers.  It proved difficult to press hard and at the same time to type quickly.  Speed was never my forte.  There was one electric typewriter in the classroom and we all had to take a turn at it.  Oh my!  You barely touched a key and bang! it typed.  Scary for certain.  

When I was a Senior in high school, I started working at our local doctor's office, at first just filing charts.  As time went on, I was able to learn the different jobs: receptionist, insurance billing, typing in patients charts using comments the doctor would dictate into a dictaphone.  All the typewriters were electric, so I quickly learned to use them.  No longer scary, they were amazing with their plastic ribbons that created crisp letters.  And no more hanging capital letters, the bane of typists who didn't press hard enough on the shift key.

Fast forward to the mid eighties when Dan began to regale me with tales of an awesome machine called a word processor which the secretaries at his work used.  He said I'd love them!  I couldn't even fathom such machines.  Then I went to work for the school district as an aide for the gifted and talented department and part of my job entailed using word processing and spreadsheet programs on a little Apple computer.  It was out of the frying pan and into the fire, but as I learned the in's and out's, I was amazed at what I could do. Soon I was convinced that we need a computer at home, and so we purchased an Apple clone and the whole family was off and running.  Several years later, we upgraded to a PC and we've never looked back.

A month or so before I retired, Dan presented me with my very own laptop.  He had a laptop for his consulting business and we had a desktop in the basement, but this would be my very own toy--I could put all my machine embroidery software on it, haul it to my sewing room, or use it upstairs.  I've loved my personal "baby" for almost five years, so last Saturday when it went into a coma and then died, it was a sad day for me.  Fortunately son-in-law Eric is always willing to be our computer tech, so I put my baby into my briefcase and took it to him on Sunday for a final diagnosis.  He checked it over and was pretty sure it had died.  

Monday, Dan and I set out to look for a new computer. In five years, computers have changed a lot. My baby ran on Windows Vista, and while many have cursed that version, I always got along fine with it.  Now, it's Windows 8.1 and touch screens.  Oh. My. Goodness.  To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. However, after several stores and finally finding a sales person at one store whom we knew, we felt we were getting a handle on the search.  One big issue for me is my embroidery software which is a few years old and only lists Vista and Windows 7 as compatible operating systems.  I was relieved to hear that most likely any program that could run on 7 would also run on 8.  The touchscreen was kind of alluring, so having to get a new computer wasn't looking quite as dismal as it had.

Then, Tuesday evening, after nine, our phone rang and it was Eric.  He said he and grandson Keaton (age 11) had taken my whole computer apart, had searched the internet for possible solutions, had found an unlikely one, tried it, and . . . my baby, when they'd reassembled it, had started up!  They'd previously removed my hard drive and given it to me so I could put my files on a new computer, so Dan and I decided we had to take it back over, plug it in, and see if indeed my baby was alive and well.  We hopped into the truck, drove to Ann and Eric's, handed over the drive and waited while they installed it. YES!!  We had success!!

And what, you ask, was the unlikely solution to the problem?  A suggestion on the internet was that there could be a soldering problem with the motherboard and the solution was to bake it at 390 degrees for ten minutes.  Yes, you read correctly:  bake the motherboard.  So they did, and it worked.  This blog post is being typed on my baby and I'm thrilled to have it back home where it belongs.  

The above picture was taken this afternoon.  ♥

I Did It!

I got my little wool applique stocking done!  And it's hanging by the front door, where it is the perfect size.

Here's a view from a bit of a distance.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the directions for this project were terrible.  So, I sort of made this up as I went along, changing things I didn't like and doing what seemed right when I couldn't figure out what the directions were saying.  I like it!  ♥

January Days

It's been a dry winter and the last few days have been dark with lots of fog.  This means the days are not so beautiful, but the upside is that often, when it's cold enough, the fog freezes on the surrounding vegetation and creates frosted beauty that can take your breath away. Every little blade of grass and every twig will be covered with frost and the world becomes a fairyland.

Today, the frostline is higher than our house, but I just snapped this picture of the hill across the way.  The trees are white and beautiful with the fog hovering just at the top.

Sometimes we are tempted to call January "Janudreary", but it's amazing how any kind of white brightens up the day, even if it's not snow.  

Meanwhile, I continue to feel much, much better.  A little cough still lingers if I catch a whiff of any scent, but it's almost gone and I'm rejoicing!  I spent this morning running around town getting my hair cut and getting my teeth buffed and polished at the dentist.  I really need to be dusting and doing some laundry right now, but it'll wait a little longer.  We have leftovers for supper so I can putter where I want knowing I don't need to be in the kitchen.  Which reminds me; last night I made an old recipe for cauliflower and it was as good as I remembered.  

Frosted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cored and left whole

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 T mustard

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup grated cheddar (I used Mexican blend)

paprika

Rinse cauliflower and place in microwave safe bowl and cover.  Cook 6-7 minutes per pound. Mix mayo, mustard and onion powder.  Spread over cooked cauliflower and sprinkle on the cheese.  Add a sprinkling of paprika and microwave another minute, uncovered.  

Way back in 1980 when Dan got me my first microwave for Christmas (I was so in hopes of getting one, I was like a kid and could hardly sleep that Christmas Eve!), it came with classes at the local appliance store where he purchased it.  This was one of the recipes we were given. I think I could eat the whole thing if given the chance. Yes, it's that good!

And now, I really need to get that last load in the washer. By then the dishwasher will be done and I'll need to empty that.  The dusting?  We'll see!  ♥

Whew! Glad That's Over!

Have I mentioned I have a few allergies?  My body is strange (but then I think probably each of us has our own strangeness) and I'm  allergic to such unusual things as oregano, chocolate, perfume, and flowers.  Dan says it makes gift giving easy for him:  a new sewing machine now and then and he's covered!  :-)  (I'm not a jewelry lover, either.)  

Anyway, I digress.  A little.  Before Christmas I had a cold and seemed to have it licked.  Then, the Friday after New Year's, I worked, as usual, at the quilt shop.  Said quilt shop is also a flower shop.  I have had problems with the flowers in the past, but as soon as I got to work that day, I started coughing.   The florist was working away and had all manner of flowers spread out including my arch nemesis, lilies.  By the end of the day, I was toast.  I couldn't even talk without coughing.  I came home and by the next morning, I was sick, sick, sick and coughing up a storm.  Finally, after staying away from the shop, drinking lots of hot water with lemon and honey, and sleeping (when I could--cough, cough), I've come out the other side.  But I confess I'm leery of going to work again next week.  I may have to retire again because I don't think I can face another lily!  

Meanwhile, nothing much has been accomplished here at the resort.  I did finally start on my little wool stocking applique the other evening and am part way done.  I think it's going to be cute.

The directions for this little project are among the worst I've ever seen so I'm kind of making it up as I go along.  I have no idea if I'm doing it correctly or not, but as long as I like what I end up with, it'll be okay.  I hope to work on it when I'm done with this post.  Those pesky football games are on and I'm going to need something to keep my mind occupied because I don't think I'll be able to stand the suspense.

Happy, Happy New Year!

It seems strange that we are so far into this century already.  Y2K and it's suspected problems was fourteen years ago!  And I can remember, when I was in high school, thinking 1967 and my graduation would never come!  Can you see the smile on my face?  

So here were are--a new year and already the second day of it.  I must say, I do love New Year's Day and the getting out of new calendars and the putting away of the old.  All those pages yet to be turned.  For many years Dan has gotten me a new calendar for my kitchen.  They are lovely, made by Lang Graphics, and feature folk pictures on heavy, linen-like paper.  I've kept them all, and have even framed a few pictures from them in the past.  

I'm regressing to last year in the following picture.  On our way to Kirsten's on Christmas Eve, I had Dan stop so I could take a picture of one of the aprons I embroidered and wrote about here.  The front window of the shop was decorated to be a kitchen with the bear as the baker of gingerbread cookies.  

The other eight aprons were worn by the various people who worked there.  My friend Cyndie told me they loved them, which was very gratifying.  

We spent yesterday relaxing and then attended an "Italian New Year Party" at the home of some good friends.  Tina's family is Italian and a few years ago, they began a new tradition of having an open house on New Year's Day featuring Italian food and music--Perry Como and Dean Martin could be heard crooning on LP records on a turntable.  The event has grown each year (Steve and Tina's motto is once invited, always invited), and I suspect that over the five hours yesterday, more than eighty people came to eat and visit.  This year's party was especially important as Tina was diagnosed with breast cancer last August and following surgery has been undergoing what will be a year's worth of chemotherapy. But there she was, busy in the kitchen, her infectious smile and wonderful laugh going full blast, determined that nothing would stop this special event.  

And so, dear readers, let's take a cue from Tina.  Let's not miss a chance to laugh, love, or spend time with those dear to us this new year.  Time passes so very quickly, but love and friendship last.  Happy New Year! ♥

The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

Ah, the holidays.  Busy, busy times, much to do, and not enough time.  A little history.  When I was growing up, my mom's family lived a great distance from us and were never a part of our holidays.  My father's family lived (mostly) in our small town and we, at least when I was small, usually got together with them, usually at our house.  Mom would cook a wonderful meal, complete with seafood cocktails for starters and going on through the turkey with trimmings to pies, pumpkin and mincemeat. Our decorations were simple:  a tree and a few other things including a small creche.  

My best friend when I was growing up lived a few blocks away and had a large extended family including grown sisters and a brother along with their families.  Christmas was a huge undertaking at their house and I was part of it, if only on the edges.  I loved it all!  Decorations, indoors and out, a huge tree, days of baking, stockings, and a huge gathering on Christmas Eve.  

When Dan and I married and finally settled into our first little house (complete with mortgage), I began to recreate the Christmases I remembered at my friend's house.  I made stockings (very simple ones at first) and fortunately, Dan liked to decorate the outside of the house with lights.  I was on my way!  As the years passed, I added more and more to our traditions. Decorations in every room of the house, yes, including the bathrooms!  I baked and baked.  Christmas was almost always at our house, with Mom and Dad coming to stay.  After our kids grew up and married, we continued to celebrate here most years and it grew to having four generations celebrating together.  We missed my brother and his family during most of this time because he lived in the midwest and south.  Phone calls united us as we passed the phone around to share thanks and love.  I loved it all!

Fast forward to the last few years.  Dan and I have grown older (not old, but older!), and we can tell our energy levels have dropped.  Our son moved far away and is no longer a part of our celebrations.  My parents are elderly and lately struggling with health issues.  Things change. I need to learn to change.  I realized that this year when, in an attempt to be all and do all for Christmas, I once again came down with a bad cold.  Too much to do, and I wore myself out.  Which does not make for good Christmas memories.  

My brother and sister-in-law are back in our state, although quite a ways away.  Their second daughter, Kirsten, is three hours away from us, and a plan was hatched to celebrate Christmas with our whole family at her house--my parents, Dan and I, and Bruder Bear and his family minus their oldest daughter, Jennifer who lives in the south.  I worked hard to cure my cold, but Dad was down with a bad back, so plans were somewhat up in the air.  Then my sister-in-law called to say that Bruder Bear was in the hospital with chest pains (they were already at Kirsten's) and tests were being run.  Prayers were sent up and we were prepared to stay home.  

The next day, all tests showed John's heart was fine, so he called to tell us to get in the car and come on over. After assuring us he was fine, he convinced us to do just that, so we packed and started our drive.  Mom and Dad, however, had decided not to go, and so they stayed home (which may have been the best for Dad's back, anyway).  

We had a great time at Kirsten's.  Karen cooked up her usual storm and we ate like kings--crab legs, prime rib, eggs benedict for breakfast...  I had a few moments of guilt as I sat while she worked, but I did get to fix breakfast the day after Christmas.  And Dan hung a blind in Kirsten's kitchen that she'd been unable to get up herself.  

We were thankful to spend this Christmas in the company of people we love so much.  The real meaning of Christmas is so easy to lose amidst all the planning, doing, and even the traditions that mean so much. Remembering that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that he came to set us free and give us eternal life is the REAL reason for this time.  Christmas:  It's all about love--God's love and the love of family and friends.  I hope I remember that next year.  

A Monday Morning in December

So here it is, Monday morning, and here I sit, in my nightgown after a busy weekend.  

It was graduation at the University and Bruder Bear, Karen, and niece Kirsten were here to celebrate their son and brother's big event.  Karen put on a wonderful brunch for the family Saturday morning with yummy breakfast casseroles, fruit and breads and lots of fun visiting.  Ann, Eric and the boys were here, but we all missed Great Papa and Gigi who were unable to make it because Great Papa has a pinched nerve in his back.  

Following breakfast, BB and family headed out for JR's graduation (we don't go, didn't even go to our own!) and I snapped this photo of the graduate and his dad.  His degree is in Forest Products and he will be heading to his new job in Oregon come January.  

Niece Kirsten snapped the photo below of JR and his girlfriend Jill following graduation and I (again, shamelessly) stole it from her.

We had a great weekend of visiting and celebrating. Congratulations, JR!  We are all so proud of you!  ♥