In the garden, and RAIN!!!!
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1005090
PAGE 48 of 116
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Okay, where you would plug in an internet cable is covered over and I said that there is a hole in it where an "internet or video card" should be.
Well... I'll be damned. It does sound like somebody removed that card. I just can't figure out why. They're not worth anything. Motherboards have had them on the board for two decades now. Most motherboards in the last 5 to 10 years even had wireless internet capabilities built in. I can't even remember how long ago I had to purchase an internet card.
Did you, personally, ever get online with this thing? How long ago was that?
I know that you use your laptop to get on the internet, but I thought you also used this thing for internet too. Now I'm thinking that was a miscommunication on my part and you never did.Quote:
He was using a modem with this thing but I doubt he ever used and it does have USB ports on the back of it. He had another large external drive that he used for his work files.
Well... if we're going to make this thing work at all for you, we're going to have to make the best possible use of those USB ports. That means that we cannot use those USB ports for your mouse and keyboard.
If we can't find you a keyboard/mouse with the pink/green PS2 connectors at the end, they do make these...
https://www.amazon.com/Oxsubor-PS2-USB-Female-Converter/dp/B01N5MYE72/
ref=pd_lpo_147_t_2/138-7030405-2277526?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N5MYE72&pd_rd_r=d8baafb1-747b-411a-9244-b90033a6174d&pd_rd_w=pO8hL&pd_rd_wg=t68J6&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=AJFGM840RM28CHPNCE8R&psc=1&refRID=AJFGM840RM28CHPNCE8R
I'm not sure where you'd get them if not online, and I think they'll cost quite a bit more than $6 for the set of them though, I'm afraid.
I think we're going to want to use one USB for a wireless internet stick and one for your regular USB storage thumb drive. But since we're talking about a PC this old, chances are it uses a very, very old version of Windows that wouldn't have the drivers for them and we'd have to make sure they even worked with the PC.
Honestly, I'm hoping that your keyboard and mouse do work now, because I think your best bet is just to get this thing up and running so you can get your information off of it before you buy a new desktop PC where you won't have any of these issues. A new one will have wireless internet built in and have more USB ports than you'd know what to do with.
I hope you feel better. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
As I said my IT friend did the work and then forgot to replace the card. He wanted to redo it then but I said no. Looking back that was a mistake but that place I was living in was crap and I was on my landlady's wifi. So I told him not to bother and I would get him to do it when I moved to a better place. 3 years later and I am in a better place but no one could really forsee the shite show that came down the end of last year into this. Guess I should have gotten the work done after I moved.
The keyboard and mouse have their own separate holes that they plug into. The USB drives are free.
I think I am stuck until my IT guy can help me because I think when this thing dies I will be buying another ^&%^&%^&& laptop which is what I don't want.
So hard to get help.
I'm feeling a little better today.
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Well the problem is that if you need to buy a new keyboard and/or mouse, you might not be able to get ones that use the old PS2 ports... or at least not easily. It's old tech. Even the ones I find at Goodwill haven't had the pink/green connections years.
So if you have to buy new ones, they're eating up your only 2 USB ports, leaving you with nowhere to plug in the other two important bits.
And the ports from 1994 are super low powered and you're not just going to be able to plug in a hub to split them because then you're splitting that power output too.
And without the internet, it might be next to impossible to find a correct internet card for your computer at this point, so the only hope of getting that thing on the internet is crossing your fingers and hoping that a USB wireless stick will work on whatever old version of Windows you have installed and that the drivers work.
Like I said before, I think your best best is powering that thing up long enough to pull all of your work off of it and just throwing it in the trash and getting a new desktop. Hopefully you don't have to replace the keyboard in that case since you're probably just going to get another mouse and keyboard when you buy a new desktop and have an extra one lying around.
Glad you're feeling better. 
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Hi Brenda!
I'm glad to see you're out and about!
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Sweet...
The A/C is going to be MUCH cheaper to run than I thought it would.
I just verified a few facts here.
Not including today, I had the A/C running roughly 45 hours since I got it.
Last June was 3 degrees cooler on average. I spent 10% more on Electric this June than I did last June.
But...
I spent the exact same per-day amount this month that I did last billing cycle before the A/C was installed.
Not only does that mean that I used around 45 hours of A/C and broke even from last month, but that also includes having two florescent fixtures in my garage as well as a 300 watt bulb lighting it up in there quite frequently for a few weeks while I was working on the car and cleaning out the garage before that.
The only habit's that have changed from last month otherwise to break even that I can think of? Well... not using the box fan since I don't need it now.
Other than that, it's got to be energy savings from fixing the water heater and turning it down to non-scalding levels. I literally never notice that thing going off anymore when it used to go off all the time.
I also took a look at my history from last summer. I installed that blower fan in the middle of July, shortly around when my August bill would have begun. My August and September statements show an increase of 25 to 30% in electrical usage for those two billing cycles from last June. And as nice as it was to have, it wasn't nearly as hot last summer as it will be this summer, the blower did nothing to remove any of the humidity, and since I was still never able to even get close to equilibrium with the outside temp at night it made things more "comfortable" but nothing like the lower temps and less humid air in here now with the A/C.
This is thrilling news.
I was thinking about turning the A/C off now even though it was a scorcher and I wouldn't mind having it on longer. But now that I see the bill I think I'm going to leave it on a few more hours since the sun is down and it won't get cool enough tonight to justify opening the windows.
It's pretty much that way for the next 4 or 5 weeks at least in the forecast. I think I'll figure out how to program it to go on about 20 minutes every hour and just forget about it. That would probably do a better job maintaining a good level of humidity throughout the house than keeping it on 8 straight hours everyday.
I was fully expecting my bill to be at least $30 more than what it was.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Well the problem is that if you need to buy a new keyboard and/or mouse, you might not be able to get ones that use the old PS2 ports... or at least not easily. It's old tech. Even the ones I find at Goodwill haven't had the pink/green connections years.
So if you have to buy new ones, they're eating up your only 2 USB ports, leaving you with nowhere to plug in the other two important bits.
And the ports from 1994 are super low powered and you're not just going to be able to plug in a hub to split them because then you're splitting that power output too.
And without the internet, it might be next to impossible to find a correct internet card for your computer at this point, so the only hope of getting that thing on the internet is crossing your fingers and hoping that a USB wireless stick will work on whatever old version of Windows you have installed and that the drivers work.
Like I said before, I think your best best is powering that thing up long enough to pull all of your work off of it and just throwing it in the trash and getting a new desktop. Hopefully you don't have to replace the keyboard in that case since you're probably just going to get another mouse and keyboard when you buy a new desktop and have an extra one lying around.
Glad you're feeling better.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Thanks for the info Jack.
Yeah, I am. Still some pain but nothing as compared to yesterday night. Least I'm not cussing tonight.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Hi Brenda!
I'm glad to see you're out and about!
Hi Kiki.
Yeah, I was. Didn't really need to do anything but I thought the exercise would help my hip and I think it did. Least I haven't been cussing tonight like I was last night.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Thanks for the info Jack.
Yeah, I am. Still some pain but nothing as compared to yesterday night. Least I'm not cussing tonight.
No worries.
I'm glad you're feeling better.
It occurred to me that it might not be the worst thing in the world if you have to buy a new keyboard and mouse for the old computer, even if it's just to temporarily get the data off of it.
Even if we have to eat up both USB ports with them, I could still walk you through the process of swapping the keyboard with the USB thumb drive and using the mouse to copy the data over.
Then, after you buy a new Desktop that comes with its own keyboard and mouse, you will have an extra set that you can plug into your laptop so you don't have to use that track pad anymore and if you bought a nice ergonomic keyboard that is comfortable to you, you can do more typing without your hands cramping to the tight fit and awkward angle of the laptop keyboard.
Just a thought.
And definitely look for keyboards at the local Goodwill or thrift store when you're there. I have bought 2 or 3 of them over the last 5 years for a few bucks that would have cost me over $50 or $60 new and they work flawlessly. I'd probably skip looking for a mouse at the thrift shop though unless you're willing to gamble a few bucks. They are much more likely to be broken when you get them home.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Off to do my laundry. At least I will be out of the rain which we got here today.
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Quebec now has a major forest fire in its Lac Saint Jean region which is a big tourist area of the province.
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Sigh.
I suppose it's true that there's rarely good news in 'the news', but I'm always unhappy to find out about forest fires.
Anyways - yes! you get to stay dry while doing your laundry.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Sigh.
I suppose it's true that there's rarely good news in 'the news', but I'm always unhappy to find out about forest fires.
Anyways - yes! you get to stay dry while doing your laundry.
Too true and really Quebec doesn't need anymore disasters.
It is soooo nice to be able to stay and dry and warm while getting the laundry done.
Though I did go out for a walk in the rain to stretch out my right leg after sitting and reading for an hour while doing the laundry.
I always have a book with me even when I was doing it at the laundromat. Keeps the boredom away.
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OH! btw - it was a video so I couldn't link the graphic, but Canada is doing EXCEPTIONALLY well with SARS-CoV-2 infections. After a sharp rise up to distressingly high levels, it achieved an nearly equally sharp drop down to less than 10% of the peak.
So CONGRATS! to Canada! In terms of rampant infection spread, the worst definitely does seem to be far behind you!
And may your reopening be equally well done!
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It seems like we are Kiki. There have been no health related disasters on the news for Covid and that is a very good thing.
Openings are going good in BC.
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Babysitting the front of my house ATM...
This was right around the time last night when I was on the phone with my brother and I just happened to peer out the kitchen window and see a bunch of small shadows bounding up to my house from the street lamp and they stopped dead in their tracks by the bottom of a tree when I opened up the front door and let my brother know I had to let him go. I looked like a scene out of Gremlins or one of the Gremlins clones out of the 80's.
I went back in and got clothed and got a flashlight, and when I went to the tree I heard them crawling up it. When I put on the flashlight, I saw that it was raccoons. It wasn't until a few hours later of harassing them in that tree with a flashlight miscellaneous things I could throw at them any time they went on the limb that went anywhere near my house that I was able to count the mom and 5 young.
I wasn't trying to hit them, but I was letting them know for damn sure they weren't welcome, especially when they went anywhere on that limb. I was trying to hit the tree though. It was hard to find the things I was throwing if I missed.
It wasn't until about 2 hours into this little game that we were playing and I was able to study their behavior for a while when I realized that they probably weren't actually trying to get on my roof in the first place. At this point, they started climing extremly high into the tree when I'd do my thing, and then it would be about a 10 minute waiting game before they even tried to move.
They'd repeat the same pattern... Climb down to the next highest limb, then one at a time walk toward the end of it and just stay put for a few minutes, then slowly go back to the tree and repeat the process with the next highest limb. The one that goes over the roof of my house just happens to be the lowest. It dawned on me that this was just the behavior they exhibited when any predator or potential danger forced them to take refuge in a tree. They had to scout the situation to make sure it was safe enough to have time to run away when they got down, but they were also on a ticking clock too because at the end of the experience they had just wasted two hours of foraging and burning up extra calories while up in that tree.
I think after several hours of this, they realized from my behavior that I wasn't going out to "attack" them unless they went on that branch. So at the same time I decided that I wasn't going to make any movements unless any of them got dangerously close to my roof on that limb, they also seemed to learn from before too.
The last time they went down, once they got to that limb I only ever saw 2 of them go out on that limb, just a few feet. I couldn't really see the other ones and what they were doing in the darkness, but it was clear they were congregating where all the limbs at the bottom stemmed from.
Then they all got down and started making their way across the street. That's when I took my pipe and ran after them. The young all made it across the street, but the mother split off and stayed on my side and started climbing up the telephone pole. I said "I'm coming for you mama", bent down and hunched my shoulders up and banged the pipe on the driveway and started hissing, barking and growling at her while circling around the pole as she'd try to get out of my line of sight.
Eventually, when she realized that I wasn't getting closer than the length of the pole, she must have decided that rather than climb up a completely vertical pole and be stuck up there for a few more hours and separated from her young, she quickly made her way down and started running across the street. I chased her until she went over a hill and I couldn't see her anymore.
I'm probably worried over nothing at this point. It was actually quite an interesting experience we shared there. And really, they're a lot more clever than I think most people would give them credit for. I've probably got two g
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Well after a little more heat on lower back and right hip, I was able to stretch my back and legs this morning while lying in bed. Think I am on the mend from what I did to myself on Wednesday.
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Was listening to some Ray Stevens last Sunday and realized that some of his stuff would not be accepted today. Songs like "Ahab the Arab" and "It's Me Again Margaret", and possible "Mississippi Squirrel".
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More music this Sunday. Right now some Alan Jackson.
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Quote:Very nice.
Originally posted by Brenda:
Well after a little more heat on lower back and right hip, I was able to stretch my back and legs this morning while lying in bed. Think I am on the mend from what I did to myself on Wednesday.
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Quote:Very nice.
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Well after a little more heat on lower back and right hip, I was able to stretch my back and legs this morning while lying in bed. Think I am on the mend from what I did to myself on Wednesday.
It is and because of that and a nice hot shower, I am able to get and down from my computer chair without too much grunting and groaning. Also no cussing.
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Funny story, SIX! Just remember, when all else fails ... ammonia!
Apparently we have a growing population of skunks in the neighborhood. The one I've seen around looks like a juvenile. not quite as big as an adult, with a fair bit of white. I saw either it or one of its littermates squashed on the road, apparently not streetwise. But last night the dog was whining to go out on the backyard, so I let her out and she raised such a ruckus I had to go out with a flashlight and see what was going on. THIS skunk was quite a but larger, mostly black. I had to call the dog off. There are only three things I worry about: coyotes, raccoons, and skunks. (Not that I can smell them, but she'd be so unwelcome in the house!)
*****
So we picked up the four pieces of 3/4" 2'X8' Baltic birch plywood, and laminated them into two 2'X8' 1 1/2" countertops. The plywood wall patch and back wall looked so ugly I primered the lower half of the back wall. (I figured I wasn't going to smooth the wall but I may as well make them a consistent color even tho hubby said it was entirely unnecessary. But I think it looks way better this way.) We oiled both sides of the countertops with tung oil, now all we have to do is wait for the paint and oil to dry so we can install thebenchtop on the brackets, and hubby will have a 16' workbench and (at this point) ten 8' shelves. If he can't figure out where to put his stuff, he has too much stuff!
I think after that it's all cleaning and organizing, then bring the bandsaw back into operation and he'll be all set.
So I'll be working on paperwork and legal stuff, and the pollinator garden again soon, I hope.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:Very nice.
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Well after a little more heat on lower back and right hip, I was able to stretch my back and legs this morning while lying in bed. Think I am on the mend from what I did to myself on Wednesday.
It is and because of that and a nice hot shower, I am able to get and down from my computer chair without too much grunting and groaning. Also no cussing.
I know the feeling!!!!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Funny story, SIX! Just remember, when all else fails ... ammonia!
Yup. Ammonia works. I wish I had used it much sooner than I did last year. There's obvious structural damage under that side of the roof where I let them live for too long. The attic was finished, and the drywall is cracking everywhere now. I think that was from a combination of the blower motor I had installed on the overhang and whatever nightmare lies behind that drywall. Fortunately, at least for now, it doesn't seem to be making anything below the attic level break,and the roof itself seems fine since I've never seen any evidence of water making it in anywhere. But it is sad because despite all the other work I've been doing this is just one more major project that I'm going to have to eventually get around to tackling.
Quote:
Apparently we have a growing population of skunks in the neighborhood. The one I've seen around looks like a juvenile. not quite as big as an adult, with a fair bit of white. I saw either it or one of its littermates squashed on the road, apparently not streetwise. But last night the dog was whining to go out on the backyard, so I let her out and she raised such a ruckus I had to go out with a flashlight and see what was going on. THIS skunk was quite a but larger, mostly black. I had to call the dog off. There are only three things I worry about: coyotes, raccoons, and skunks. (Not that I can smell them, but she'd be so unwelcome in the house!)
Skunks suck, but I'll trade you. You don't even want to know how paranoid I've been the last few days about my house after learning that raccoons have no problems climbing trees like that, and then learning on the internet that they can survive falls of 8 stories... so literally any one of the limbs on any of my trees that aren't pointing completely away from my house would be a way for them to get back on my roof if they wanted to. I'm also now certain that the hole in my roof that I repaired was from a raccoon and not from a squirrel. Maybe one of the babies from the last litter remembered what a nice place it was until I Ammonia bombed it and wanted back in there so bad that she ate a hole in the roof to get to it. I'm just lucky I caught it early and scared her out this time before she had time to make it her home and have the babies.
Quote:
So we picked up the four pieces of 3/4" 2'X8' Baltic birch plywood, and laminated them into two 2'X8' 1 1/2" countertops. The plywood wall patch and back wall looked so ugly I primered the lower half of the back wall. (I figured I wasn't going to smooth the wall but I may as well make them a consistent color even tho hubby said it was entirely unnecessary. But I think it looks way better this way.) We oiled both sides of the countertops with tung oil, now all we have to do is wait for the paint and oil to dry so we can install thebenchtop on the brackets, and hubby will have a 16' workbench and (at this point) ten 8' shelves. If he can't figure out where to put his stuff, he has too much stuff!
Sounds nice. Hope it gets rid of the overflow.
Quote:
I think after that it's all cleaning and organizing, then bring the bandsaw back into operation and he'll be all set.
So I'll be working on paperwork and legal stuff, and the pollinator garden again soon, I hope.
Good luck.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:I know the feeling!!!!
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:Very nice.
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Well after a little more heat on lower back and right hip, I was able to stretch my back and legs this morning while lying in bed. Think I am on the mend from what I did to myself on Wednesday.
It is and because of that and a nice hot shower, I am able to get and down from my computer chair without too much grunting and groaning. Also no cussing.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
Yeah, everything seems to be working again. Thank goodness. That hurt.
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So KIKI, how's your back?
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Oh, it's reverted to being merely stiff in the AM, like usual, so it takes a few hours for me to get doing anything physical, and stand up straight. And the arthritis in the SA joint is aching, which it hasn't done for a few years. But it's all WNL for me. So, all has gone to being pretty much like always.
I wish it was better b/c it really is an overall drag on me getting things done. But if wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak!
HA HA!
It sounds like you're doing OK, which I'm glad to hear!
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Rained out pretty well for June. Hopefully with Canada being next week, we will get some proper sun for July.
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Quote:WNL???
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Oh, it's reverted to being merely stiff in the AM, like usual, so it takes a few hours for me to get doing anything physical, and stand up straight. And the arthritis in the SA joint is aching, which it hasn't done for a few years. But it's all WNL for me. So, all has gone to being pretty much like always.
I wish it was better b/c it really is an overall drag on me getting things done. But if wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak!
HA HA!
It sounds like you're doing OK, which I'm glad to hear!
I go thru days where "everything hurts" and days where NOT everything hurts, just a few things. I wish there was some fix for your back. Regular appliction of heat, maybe? Antiinflammatory like aspirin?
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Oh, I get it!
WNL= within normal limits
Once upon a time I was communicating with dd's neurologist and she used the abbr "hx".
Hx?
Well, if Rx = meds and dx= diagnosis, then hx= history. I guess it's doctor shorthand.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Sorry, yes, WNL = within normal limits 
and along the
rx = prescription
lines, there's also
tx = therapy/ treatment
ddx = differential diagnosis
I had hoped you'd gotten past your 'everything hurts' episodes by getting off the statins. I'm truly sorry to hear that you haven't. 
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Hey Brenda - things seem like they're going OK up there, except for the rain of course!
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Anyway ... good night all.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Hey Brenda - things seem like they're going OK up there, except for the rain of course!
Yup, they are. I just wish it would dry up. I can't remember a wetter June for where I am.
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Out for my walk in the dry for right now.
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Quote:So, what happened to that long term forecast predicting a terrible fire season? Did they change it? Or is a very dry July and August still in the cards?
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Hey Brenda - things seem like they're going OK up there, except for the rain of course!
Yup, they are. I just wish it would dry up. I can't remember a wetter June for where I am.
We have had terrible fire seasons because of late, wet springs (causing a lot of vegetative growth) followed by very hot dry late summers, so I can imagine a bad fire season, even with a very wet spring.
Just wondering!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Hubby decided that he didn't like the gap between the plywood patch and the plaster wall, so hubby and I filled it in with plaster (where the gap was large) and silicone caulk (where the gap was small) and I reprimed the work.
That's where I stop for now with garage-work. DD will have to help him mount the workbench .... I have too many other things to do.
But it DOES look great, tho!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:So, what happened to that long term forecast predicting a terrible fire season? Did they change it? Or is a very dry July and August still in the cards?
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Hey Brenda - things seem like they're going OK up there, except for the rain of course!
Yup, they are. I just wish it would dry up. I can't remember a wetter June for where I am.
We have had terrible fire seasons because of late, wet springs (causing a lot of vegetative growth) followed by very hot dry late summers, so I can imagine a bad fire season, even with a very wet spring.
Just wondering!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
There are fires burning up in the Interior inspite of lots of rain. Some of those fires are probably caused by lighting strikes. Been a lot of lighting up the Interior. So that is never good. I haven't heard of any evacuations due to fire. Flooding yes. But not fire so far. Will have to wait and see what July and August bring.
No worries. Like I said will have to wait and see.
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Been sleeping through my alarm the last couple of mornings. Can't do that tomorrow got a semi early appointment and need to be there on time.
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Ran into the lady who runs the mah jong group and I told her that some of the exercise classes are up and running at the senior centre. She didn't know but then she has a lot on her plate right now. Her husband has cancer.
So, I don't know if she will keep running it or turn it over to her second.
Wondering if I should call the centre and see what is happening about the cards and mah jong.
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Cancer?Yes, I imagine that culd occupy her thoughts.
I hope herhusband's treatment is successful and that he does well.
In the meantime, I hope that she DOES pass along her Mah Jong duties tothe next person in line.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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I knew there was a reason why I planted so much basil!
I made Thai red curry and stir-fry pork with shirataki noodles, and I was able to harvest a giant handful for the curry and another giant handful for the pork!
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Did you ever try that monitor yet, Brenda?
I've been mostly working on some finishing touches after getting a nice huge external hard drive to make double backups of everything that is important to me and work I've done in the past. It's kind of insane how cheap those things are getting for the amount of storage you these days. Still... more than I really care to spend right now, but a lot of my work is HUGE in file size and having at least two backups of everything with even 3 or 4 of the smaller mostly text based and coding/scripting work is going to be one less thing constantly nagging at the back of my noggin.
I managed to scrounge up an old 2GB SD card for an old defunct smart phone and it's now the best MP3 player I've ever had for when I'm doing work around the house. Even found a 2nd one to put more music on if I can find more of my old music or see if my brother still has copies of all of that. Another 16GB drive was repurposed for my tablet that I take all the photos and videos of my work with, doubling it's storage. I verified that my car radio will take up to 32GB on thumb drives, so now all I have to do is buy one of those new super low profile 1/4" nub drives so I can plug it in and not worry about accidentally smacking it while I'm driving. The radio is so cheap compared to my old one that I think the drive would survive and it would be the radio that broke if that happened.
I've still got to back up all of the notes I've written over the last few years that I feel are still important. I know that in two of those I have gutter lengths that I'll need and I'm hoping that my memory serves me right and that I got the same lengths when I measured with a friend a few years after I measured them alone the first time.
I also managed to get a distributor to mail us new parts on the scooter my brother got a few months back that broke. I had his back 100% on getting that and was ready to argue with my dad about it if he said no. It turned out he didn't, but he basically said he was washing his hands of any responsibility and didn't think it was a good idea. That first day he drove it to WalMart and back he called me up and said it was the first time in his life that he really felt independent and I knew I made the right decision.
Until it broke...
I know my dad wouldn't say it, but he felt a little bit of justification there. And, true to his word, he put the replacement duties on me. (This is very unlike him, since he is excellent getting things done for my brother otherwise).
So I was left with a 100% made in China unit with what I thought would be a dodgy retailer in the US selling through another online outfit that explicitly stated not to deal with them and to contact the distributor directly.
To my surprise and my delight, not only was the process of trying to explain which parts were broke without any catalog giving us any part numbers (using pictures I had my brother take), but the replacement parts are already in the mail.
Next time I'm going down with my dad to install it myself. My dad is still leery of The Coomph, so we won't be staying overnight (which would in any other case be a deal breaker for me because it means about 10 hours of driving in a car in one day), but this is important enough to me that I'm not going to put it off until an overnight visit happens again.
I found a leak in my roof last night. I caught it after the rain, and I don't think it was much because even though the wood below it was wet the pipe entry where it must have come in was dry as was the pipe itself. I've got a bucket under it now and I'm going to have to monitor it the next time we have a heavy rain to figure where it's coming from. That roof is scary and I want to know exactly where I'm going when I go up there to seal it in.
Maybe I better just knock down all the drywall up there and finally figure out what is going on behind the scenes once and for all. It&
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Cancer?Yes, I imagine that culd occupy her thoughts.
I hope herhusband's treatment is successful and that he does well.
In the meantime, I hope that she DOES pass along her Mah Jong duties tothe next person in line.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
Yes, she told me on the phone a week ago or so. She was checking on me then and I just happened to see her and her young granddaughter out today.
I don't know. On the phone she said it was in his spine and effected one leg. He's had surgery for it and radiation on his spine. Now, he is taking the chemo pills. So its a matter of wait and see. She said he's a little stronger now than he was. He has a walker with 2 wheels, I would imagine he is walking the halls of their apartment building which would be good for him. He's over the age of 70 that much I know also.
I hope so too. Which is why I am wondering about taking a wander over to the centre or emailing or phoning them.
Believe me looking after someone with cancer is not an easy thing. You have a lot to juggle with keeping all their appointments in line and meds.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Did you ever try that monitor yet, Brenda?
Do Right, Be Right. :)
No, I haven't Jack. Wanted to wait till I was out of pain which I now am. So maybe over the rest of this week I will. I've been staring at it and thinking on it.
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Glad you're feeling better.
No hurry. Whenever you get to it.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Glad you're feeling better.
No hurry. Whenever you get to it.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Me too. It's nice to be able to move and bend down without pain.
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Also my brother left a message on FB today. The lady that hit him last year is now getting to experience the BC justice system. His hit and run case in the courts.
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Need sleep.
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Well, while I was out I went to my local senior's centre to see what is happening. The lady at the desk said they are closed officially until October and then they will see.
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Oh the last few days have been busy busy busy!
I managed to get out my usual three bins of greenwaste out to the curb, altho this was an "easy" three bins because two of them were from the five lima bean towers that were so tangled that I took them down. I had let them run rampant for three years, they were SO overgrown that all of the leaves except outermost ones had died and gotten black mold for lack of sun, and they had rambled all over the climbing roses and the brick wall. Plus it was SO huge it was impossible to harvest. I never expected them to be so robust! I did leave one lima bean tower, severely cut back, with the idea that it will produce more beans for planting next year.
DD and I (mostly "I") have been steadily working on the pollinator garden; it has been spaded and raked smooth and is ready for planting. Once that is done, I REALLY need to turn my attention to the front yard!
We mounted the benchtop on the brackets, and dug ut all of the electrical supplies that had gotten scattered around because the next step is to wire outlets back in.
In the meantime, we've been inundated with zucchini. I think we'll be eating zucchini nearly every day of the week for the summer.
My first attempt at something other than plain zucchini was something like "zucchini parmesan" - we had a couple of really big zucchini that I cut into about 1/3" lengthwise slices, nuked 'em in the microwave until they got soft, them dipped them in eggwash (egg, flour, parmesan, salt, garlic powder) and dredged them in a flour/parmesan mix, pan sauteed until gold brown, then topped with cooked ground turkey and mozarella.
Now, you could go two ways with that: cooked ground turkey, tomato, basil, and oregano; or the alfredo way. I'm allergic to tomatoes and DD doesn't like them, so I just stirred a packet of commercial Alfredo sauce powder into the cooked ground turkey, and then topped that with mozarella.
I really can't taste anything, but I think it came out OK because the family liked it.
For the next few recipes I'm going to try zucchini "noodles": one day stir-fried with red pepper and basil and fish sauce; the other day stir-fried with Caesar dressing-marinated beef and onions, with a Greek-style salad on the side.
Family is certain they will "never" get tired of zucchini.
HA!
I can't taste them, but I'm already tired of them!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Out for a walk in the sunshine in a bit.
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Good to hear you're still making progress Sigs. Always nice to get more trash out.
I didn't even bother putting anything out to the curb this week, after 6 weeks of putting out two full containers and wishing I could do three. Nothing really to throw out when I'm not dehoarding the garage, tearing something down I plan to rebuild or (thankfully) when the springtime weeds and seeds and fallen branches and constant lawn clippings finally give way to a much needed break.
I decided to buy more of the vinyl window film. I'm LOVING the stuff that I put up in the master bedroom and the excess I used on the front door. It looks great, and contrary to some really negative reviews about it not sticking, I think they'll stay up for 10 years since I prepped everything well and followed the directions. Not a single sign of any of them peeling at all.
It just occurred to me today that the windows in the basement are shorter than the ones upstairs and you can buy the same stuff that is twice as long so I can get the entire basement done with only two rolls and have more to spare. One more roll makes 3 and that will be pretty much every window in my house except for the large window in the living room.
In the basement, I'm going to put them on both the top and the bottom pane. Everywhere else, just on the bottom pane.
I love how clean they look upstairs and how I don't need to put holes in the wall or window frames to install any blinds or drapes. They'll look great when I repaint everything that I haven't done yet and make the new frames for the living room, and whenever I sell the house down the road it will be a clean slate for the new owners to decide what they want to do with them.
When my friend saw the windows I did at first glance he thought that I'd bought new windows. The last time he was up there was before I'd done the new sills and framed them out, and the windows had at least 8 years of dirt and grime built up. He actually thought I sprung for brand new windows with privacy panes on the bottom.
That means I get to tear down those old horrible blinds I have up everywhere that are caked with years of dust and crap on them too. Even though the film gives privacy, it lets a whole lot more light in than dingy blinds that are closed most of the time.
I can't wait!
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:YEE HA! I have some old blinds, too. I'll give the film a try. Which one did you use?
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Good to hear you're still making progress Sigs. Always nice to get more trash out.
I didn't even bother putting anything out to the curb this week, after 6 weeks of putting out two full containers and wishing I could do three. Nothing really to throw out when I'm not dehoarding the garage, tearing something down I plan to rebuild or (thankfully) when the springtime weeds and seeds and fallen branches and constant lawn clippings finally give way to a much needed break.
I decided to buy more of the vinyl window film. I'm LOVING the stuff that I put up in the master bedroom and the excess I used on the front door. It looks great, and contrary to some really negative reviews about it not sticking, I think they'll stay up for 10 years since I prepped everything well and followed the directions. Not a single sign of any of them peeling at all.
It just occurred to me today that the windows in the basement are shorter than the ones upstairs and you can buy the same stuff that is twice as long so I can get the entire basement done with only two rolls and have more to spare. One more roll makes 3 and that will be pretty much every window in my house except for the large window in the living room.
In the basement, I'm going to put them on both the top and the bottom pane. Everywhere else, just on the bottom pane.
I love how clean they look upstairs and how I don't need to put holes in the wall or window frames to install any blinds or drapes. They'll look great when I repaint everything that I haven't done yet and make the new frames for the living room, and whenever I sell the house down the road it will be a clean slate for the new owners to decide what they want to do with them.
When my friend saw the windows I did at first glance he thought that I'd bought new windows. The last time he was up there was before I'd done the new sills and framed them out, and the windows had at least 8 years of dirt and grime built up. He actually thought I sprung for brand new windows with privacy panes on the bottom.
That means I get to tear down those old horrible blinds I have up everywhere that are caked with years of dust and crap on them too. Even though the film gives privacy, it lets a whole lot more light in than dingy blinds that are closed most of the time.
I can't wait!
Do Right, Be Right. :)
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:YAY SUNSHINE!
Originally posted by Brenda:
Out for a walk in the sunshine in a bit.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
YEE HA! I have some old blinds, too. I'll give the film a try. Which one did you use?
The brand is called Gorilla Grip. I got it off Amazon. The price seems to vary a bit depending on which style you want for no reason, but it's reasonable.
They weren't supposed to come until the 2nd week of next month, but a majority of it will be here tomorrow.
I already tore down the 4 blinds on the windows in the basement. I never put one up in the unfinished bathroom since both panes already had privacy glass. Once I did that, I realized that I let the lawn go longer than I should, so I had to change course and do that and some other yardwork before the storms came in.
Surprisingly, I was able to clean two of the windows already. They were beyond gross behind those blinds. The basement is just gross overall since I haven't finished it yet, but I'm so glad I got to that today. I haven't had wasps in my house in years, but always wondered why I'd see one occasionally. I'll be damned, there was a little wasp nest up behind the bracket of one of the blinds. It wasn't able to get big like they tend to because there was no more room for them to build it out, but it sure was hidden. Who knows how many years old that thing was. It was dormant now.
I'll clean the other two windows tomorrow and hopefully get the film up by the end of the day. It's already such a huge improvement. It's been so dark down there for so many years that even with dark clouds out all day long I couldn't believe how much brighter everything was.
And my power went out 3 times during the storm for about 5 to 10 seconds, but thankfully it came back on and stayed on. I believe the storms are over for the night. I figured out where my leak is too. I think I'm going to call around and see if I can get somebody to just go up and patch everything... all the stacks and pipes on the roof and the vent that goes along the peak of the roof. I think I can do it myself if I can't get a decent price from anybody, but I really, really, really don't want to.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:YAY SUNSHINE!
Originally posted by Brenda:
Out for a walk in the sunshine in a bit.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
For today it was okay but muggy. Then it rained around 4pm. Heading for another rain by the look of the clouds. We shall see.
Decided to buy a copy of "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker". Since I don't know when my local library will get a copy of it in.
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Got the other two windows done.
Decided that I'd rather do it now while it's 72 degrees with 100% humidity than tomorrow when it's 85 and 100% humidity and the A/C is on.
It's like detailing a freakin' car when you let them get that bad.
All ready for vinyl when it comes. I might spray for weeds and bugs again tomorrow while I'm waiting for it.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Been out and back for my walk. Can't seem to decide if it wants to rain or shine. Mix of grey clouds and blue sky.
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Don't you just hate when grocery stores put stuff you want on the highest shelf. That happened to me twice today. Good thing I had my umbrella with me to get a box of cereal down. The other item was close enough to the edge that standing on my tip-toes I was able to get it.
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I've had to do that too!! Someimes I've had to make them fall and catch them on the way down - fortunately it's usually something like paper towels (100% recycled!) so that if(when) I fail to catch them getting bonked on the head don't hurt.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Don't you just hate when grocery stores put stuff you want on the highest shelf. That happened to me twice today. Good thing I had my umbrella with me to get a box of cereal down. The other item was close enough to the edge that standing on my tip-toes I was able to get it.
I buy on the bottom shelf. That's where all the real bargains are.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Another 3 gallons of weed spray and 4 gallons of bug spray out today.
That should be the last of it for the weeds if we don't get much rain. It's likely this year since by far this is the hottest summer on record in about 6 years around these parts. Not a single day in the forecast until late August even dips below 80 degrees for a high. I could probably count on my fingers and toes the days that were over 80 degrees last year.
Got my vinyl. Going to do a few Windex treatments and get to cutting and fitting all of it.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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By all of it, I meant only 2 of 8 panes...
Unlike the windows upstairs, it turns out every one of these is just a slightly different measurement, seemingly both dimensions... Another Uncle Bob Job, I'm sure. Nothing you'd ever notice with the naked eye for sure, but it matters when cutting this stuff.
I didn't take account how much more work this new pattern would be either. The one I used before had tiny iridescent squares that do a cool light effect both with the sun and with lights outside at night. This one has larger opaque squares around 2 1/2 inches that are broken up into a grid with about 2-3mm lines that are just clear plastic... no effect. It gives me somewhat of a base to work with when making my marks, but not nearly as easy as it was when I was working with squares that were about 8mm on the other pattern.
That being said, I would highly recommend that you do not purchase a straight opaque vinyl sheet with no squares on it if you want to do this, Sigs. That would probably be extremely difficult to get a good cut, especially if you had to cut both length and width, and without any squares to draw your attention away from any parts that aren't perfectly cut to the end of the window I don't think you'd be happy with the result.
The two that I did look great so far though. Went out with a flashlight and left it out there pointing in and came inside and shut off the lights and it looks awesome. It should be cool to see what these things look like when the sun is out. I shouldn't have any problems getting the other 6 done tomorrow and having time to do some other stuff I need to take care of before tomorrow night.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
I've had to do that too!! Someimes I've had to make them fall and catch them on the way down - fortunately it's usually something like paper towels (100% recycled!) so that if(when) I fail to catch them getting bonked on the head don't hurt.
That is basically I had to do with the cereal. Got it close enough to the edge that I could tip it over and catch it.
Even had it happen on a different occasion in the freezer with the ice cream. Stuff I like always, always on the top shelf. So, I either climb the shelving or use my umbrella handle to edge it over. Though I have been known to knock other boxes of ice cream down.
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Don't you just hate when grocery stores put stuff you want on the highest shelf. That happened to me twice today. Good thing I had my umbrella with me to get a box of cereal down. The other item was close enough to the edge that standing on my tip-toes I was able to get it.
I buy on the bottom shelf. That's where all the real bargains are.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
The cereal was on sale which is why I wanted and I happen to like it as well. Spoon-size shredded wheat.
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At just a little after 9pm, I saw part of a rainbow out of my balcony window.
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Occasionally I have to hunt up and down the aisles of a grocery store looking for a ladle or chopsticks or anything long enough so that I can slide the item I'm looking for off the shelf and grab it as it falls. That, or find a helpful tall person to get it down for me!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Busy, busy, busy. I HOPE it lets up soon, in the famous words of Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) I need a rest
Been walking the dog and KP duty and putting in an hour or more of yardwork every morning (just correcting past neglect) then doing something project-oriented in the afternoon, then making dinner for the family. And today for some reason, everyone wanted pancakes for breakfast whihc kinda set my day back.
Today dd and I finally planted the pollinator garden. It's very late in the season for planting, but we did sow some reliable seeds like cosmos and evening primrose and nastutrium so a least SOMEthing will come up!
Tomorrow I believe rewiring part of the garage is in the works.
Also, in trying to get our tax papers together I discovered something hinky in hubby's retirement investments which I need to correct on Monday. Plus I'm STILL trying to sort out something that they screwed up late last year so there's that.
ONE good thing happened tho: we are innundated with zucchini, so today I made a stir-fry with red pepper, ginger, leftover snow peas, leftover cabbage (shredded) and zoodles (zucchini noodles) which the faily really liked. I made the zoodles with a vegetable peeler that doesn't work well as a peeler because it peels too thick, but I kept it around as a spare and discovered its perfect for zoodles.
So, one more zucchini recipe under my belt!
Anyone want any zucchini??
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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No zucchini for me - sadly, they don't freeze well.
But I did create a good recipe from this and that - refried beans with cooked ground meat. The tricks, I discovered are to cook/ brown the meat separately from everything else (beans, onions, tomato juice, jalapeño, cilantro) so it doesn't end up as a tan mush with the beans ... AND ... you need to add lots and lots of fresh cilantro and fresh cut jalapeño at the end (sliced thin with a mandolin) so that it tastes like pico de gallo. All those 'white' beans that I cooked for taste-testing went into it, which I intended.
I've been too lazy to finish my next batch recipe, which is sweet and sour cabbage with onions and apples, and herbed (lots of fresh thyme and parsley, and some fresh rosemary) meatballs.
AND ... after that I need to do another batch of something. Maybe I'll go back to a reliable standby, perhaps my Greek-style frittata, with potatoes, herbs, kale, and feta.
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The vinyl looks GREAT in the sun.
It's also up there as if it was a part of the window. I can't imagine that anything is going to make this peel for years to come. The trick is to prep the windows correctly. Not only did I use the dollar store all-purpose cleaner on the panes while I cleaned the rest of the windows and casings, but then I used two applications of Windex. And a little tip I learned from my grandpa years back is to use newspaper to wipe them down after you clean them to make them completely streak free.
Then take time to get the air bubbles out with a credit card. It's hard to explain the best way to do it, but after you've done one or two you will develop a good system to make it as easy and efficient as possible.
Can't wait to get the rest of them up in the basement today. I am going to see what happens about the heat though. The blinds I had didn't black everything out, but it was a lot darker down there. We're having a pretty consistently hot summer around here and with only the single window unit, trying to ask that to cool a now heated basement on top of two above ground floors and an attic is a pretty tall order.
Bezos is on the ball right now. Despite the constant hard sell to get prime whenever you checkout, I'm getting the bulk of my shipped free order today, which is the day I would have gotten it if I had Prime, despite the fact that it was said at checkout I wouldn't get any of this until the 2nd week of July. Only one other item on the list after today's delivery, and that was one that was sent by a third party seller that doesn't take part in any Prime offers anyhow and it wouldn't have gotten here right away.
Side note... I don't know how I lived without A/C all these years. I'd be lying if I said that I'm not enjoying it. I've got to do a bit of work generally later at night using a high powered fan to blow cool dry air up into the attic to get it down to a cool temp and then send it down to the 1st floor for a while before I turn it off and go to bed.
It hasn't been under 73 in my house for days, with the high being around 76, but the key is that it's dry air and feels extremely comfortable. Our summers have been so cool around here for so long I forgot what a hot one felt like. If I didn't have my A/C right now it would be over 90 degrees in my house with a huge amount of humidity and I'd be dripping sweat on the floor even just in my boxers.
That being said, my one negative I'd give the A/C unit is that the evaporator system is all but useless. This thing dumps buckets of water on the side of my house in an 8 hour cycle. I've got a large pan you'd use for baking propped under that just to get it a little further away, but I really need to devise something that will make it drip outside of the barrier to the hasta bed.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Occasionally I have to hunt up and down the aisles of a grocery store looking for a ladle or chopsticks or anything long enough so that I can slide the item I'm looking for off the shelf and grab it as it falls. That, or find a helpful tall person to get it down for me!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
Been there and done that too Sig. Once got a broom to get something down off a high shelf. That was when my mom was still alive. It was something she wanted.
I have asked grocery store staff when they are around too to get things down for me.
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An actual bright sunny Sunday here.
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Jeez... According to the weather report, today was the coolest high temp until the 15th of next month by 5 degrees.
They've been known to be wrong before though. Like when they said no rain today and we got hit with a thunderstorm that dropped an inch of rain in a half hour and flooded the street again, because the city storm sewer systems and/or pumps failed again.
Of course, like last time, it was on a Sunday and there was nobody in the entire freaking city there manning the phones off hours because of muh Covid.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Trying to sort out my latest Firefly story. I posted a beginning to it but over the week, I wrote another beginning to it and have 2 different endings to it. I will straighten it out.
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Quote:I can see how any kind of weather would be unpleasant if you had it day after day ... I happen to like foggy/ rainy/ drizzly cool (but not snowy!) weather, but I imagine even I would get tired of it over time.
Originally posted by Brenda:
An actual bright sunny Sunday here.
So YAY for your bright sunny day!
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Jeez... According to the weather report, today was the coolest high temp until the 15th of next month by 5 degrees.
They've been known to be wrong before though. Like when they said no rain today and we got hit with a thunderstorm that dropped an inch of rain in a half hour and flooded the street again, because the city storm sewer systems and/or pumps failed again.
Of course, like last time, it was on a Sunday and there was nobody in the entire freaking city there manning the phones off hours because of muh Covid.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
An actual bright sunny Sunday here.
Quote:That said, it's actually a bit drizzly* here this AM, and I welcome it!
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
I can see how any kind of weather would be unpleasant if you had it day after day ... I happen to like foggy/ rainy/ drizzly cool (but not snowy!) weather, but I imagine even I would get tired of it over time.
So YAY for your bright sunny day!
Ahhh ... a reprieve from heat and relentless sun.
(* Sadly, there isn't enough precipitation to accumulate and water the vegetation, but at least it means there's no fire danger today.)
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Quote:I can see how any kind of weather would be unpleasant if you had it day after day ... I happen to like foggy/ rainy/ drizzly cool (but not snowy!) weather, but I imagine even I would get tired of it over time.
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
An actual bright sunny Sunday here.
So YAY for your bright sunny day!
I don't mind fog because I just let my mind wander while I am walking in it.
Bright and sunny today too. And I am out for a walk in a bit. See if this weather holds for the week.
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Got the privacy film up on all the windows in the basement and finished doing the windows on the 2nd floor.
I even cleaned the kitchen window, removed the dirty old blinds and got that one up as well. That was especially fun since I had to be an acrobat and do all that work while standing over the sink.
I have enough left over for three more windows, and I have three in the living room that I'd like to do. I think I'm going to remove the large vertical blind system that's in there since it's old and discolored. I don't smoke in my house, but I think the previous owners must have. At least, I can't imagine that anybody would buy those in "pee yellow".
They've got to come down anyway before I break off the old window sill and make a new one so I can properly frame out all the livingroom windows. I'm going to have to buy one more roll though because even though I'll have enough to do the two smaller side windows that open, I won't have any to cover at least the bottom part of the large window in the center that doesn't open. I do most of my living in the living room and I don't just want that wide open to the world without any way of closing it off.
I might try to get my neighbor to babysit me for 10 or 15 minutes and try to scope out the situation on the roof tomorrow, weather permitting. If I don't feel it's safe, I'm going to have to start calling around and get a few people up there to give me their thoughts on what needs to be done and what it might cost.
If it's just a matter of re-sealing the rubber around the stacks and replacing the ridge vents, I think I can handle that on my own. But if the wood under the shingles has been damaged I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and have some pros do the work.
Fun times.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Sounds like great work on the vinyl, SIX! I'll bet it makes a HUGE difference in the way your house looks!
I have one question: since the vinyl will inevitably get dirty, just like a window would, can you wash it?
And one comment: Drapes and blinds have a purpose besides privacy, and that is to block light. It may not be an issue for you, but for us it definitely helps to keep the heat out. That's why I have thermally insulative sun-blocking curtains on our bedroom and livingroom windows which get sun. Personally, I like "plantation shutters" which are made with wide slats of wood, but they would be prohibitively expen$ive since they would need to be custom-made. So I would go with both privacy vinyl AND curtains. The vinyl for when I want the curtains open.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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I HAD to take a break today, my arthritis (or whatever it is) is really catching up with me. But we got the new conduit up for the demand water-heater which runs inside the garage (we did the outdoor work a few weeks ago) and we put that up so hubby could run additional lines and put in an additional breaker to give him outlets at either end of the workbench separate from the heater.
Got the hinky thing straightened out with his portfolio. Also got the RMD thing... if not exactly straightened out, at least I know what happened and can file taxes appropriately. Also, happy that I took a dive into his portfolio because I found that thanks to the CARES Act he does not have to take a RMD this year. WOO HOO!
Yesterday we had bbq pork and "zoodles" with bacon, onion, and potato. Today we're having beef stew (which I'm not eating because allergic to beef) with chunks of ...guess what? Tomorrow, ham and bean soup with beet greens and ... more of "guess what?" After that, maybe back to Asian-style zoodles. I HAVE to pick the zucchini at least every other day otherwise they get ginormous very fast!
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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"I have one question: since the vinyl will inevitably get dirty, just like a window would, can you wash it?"
I started looking into painting my lower windows with acrylic (artists) paint a while ago. And I found out that not only do they have thinners which would allow me to modify the opacity, but they also have mildly to wildly opalescent pigments. So for instance, one might be able to create the appearance of milk glass 
or opalescent glass
or iridescent glass (not my style, but it gives you and idea)
or paint any pattern of stripes, etc you might want.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Sounds like great work on the vinyl, SIX! I'll bet it makes a HUGE difference in the way your house looks!
You can't even imagine. Your mileage probably won't be as much as mine since I'm sure you clean your windows more than once every 8 years.
But it looks so neat and clean, and once I repair the holes from the old brackets and get to re-painting walls and such, I already know how much better it will look since I know what it looks like upstairs. So much sunlight in my house now. It's crazy.
I feel like I have some major things that need to be done and I'm messing around doing arts and crafts BS, but this is important. I can't say that it's going to fix my mood everyday, but having 10 times the sunlight or more than I used to have in the house can't hurt.
Quote:
I have one question: since the vinyl will inevitably get dirty, just like a window would, can you wash it?
Yanno... I thought about that yesterday. I had been measuring it and cutting it on the concrete floor in the basement and making a huge mess because of residual sawdust that was still there from the baseboard/trim after I swept it all up. I had to rub both sides on my sweatpants, shake them off and wipe my hands and do it a few times before I could even think of putting those up on my clean windows. (I was smart today and saved a ton of time and got a lot more work done by sweeping and washing my work area first).
But it did make me think about the cleaning question... I mean, it's vinyl. So yes? But I'm not going to be able to let it go now that it's up there. I'm sure if I let a few years of dust and crap get on them that it would be a nightmare to clean. If I got a duster and just hit them every few weeks I probably wouldn't really need to wash them.
Quote:
And one comment: Drapes and blinds have a purpose besides privacy, and that is to block light. It may not be an issue for you, but for us it definitely helps to keep the heat out. That's why I have thermally insulative sun-blocking curtains on our bedroom and livingroom windows which get sun. Personally, I like "plantation shutters" which are made with wide slats of wood, but they would be prohibitively expen$ive since they would need to be custom-made. So I would go with both privacy vinyl AND curtains. The vinyl for when I want the curtains open.
I thought about that yesterday. It is notably hotter in the basement than it ever has been the last two days. My problem is that I have full sun exposure the first half of the day on the back of my house where two of the windows are. Granted, I didn't have them covered until mid-day today, so I'll have to monitor that tomorrow. The ones I used for the basement "diffuse" the light and don't do the luminescent effect that the upstairs windows do, so they might block out the heat better.
It's the same story with the 2nd floor windows which are right above the basement in the tri-level house. Also, where I covered the top and bottom panes in the basement, I only put the film on the bottom pane of the 2nd floor windows. But the A/C is up there and it doesn't seem to be a problem.
I won't have to worry about that on the 1st floor because the 2nd half of the day the sunlight is blocked by all the trees out front (assuming, of course, that I don't have them torn down at some point... but then I'd still have the tall trees across the street blocking a lot of it).
But really, around here I only have to think about that 3 months out of the year, max. If I ever felt it got unbearable I could just tape up a few black trash bags over the basement windows for a few months.
But I probably won't do that. The A/C is amazing. I've play a few games with a big metal fan I've got and have it pointing down stairs at times and around sundown I point it up into the attic which seems to drop the temp up there 15 degr
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Well, the sun will not hold where I am. It will be a wet Canada day but then with everything cancelled it won't matter too much.
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Same here, Brenda. Rain until Friday by me.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Yeah, it is absolutely pouring by the looks of it right here and right now Jack. Soggy end to June and it looks like a soggy beginning to July.
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Hey I think the garage is finished as far as the big stuff. The shelving and countertop/ workbench are up, the lights have been changed out for LEDs, we added two outlets and circuit breakers and did new conduit for that and the demand water heater, so that is done.
And my tomato and peppers are finally developing fruit, I see four baby watermelons the cucumber is ready to pick
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Nice work.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Great going on the garden SIG.
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Quote:hey that looks pretty!!!
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
"I have one question: since the vinyl will inevitably get dirty, just like a window would, can you wash it?"
I started looking into painting my lower windows with acrylic (artists) paint a while ago. And I found out that not only do they have thinners which would allow me to modify the opacity, but they also have mildly to wildly opalescent pigments. So for instance, one might be able to create the appearance of milk glass
or opalescent glass
or iridescent glass (not my style, but it gives you and idea)
or paint any pattern of stripes, etc you might want.
I could do some really fancy stuff with that!!
But is it washable?
What I really want, for two windows anyway, is something really sparkly like grist patterns, or "misty" looking, like looking into a fog.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:I know it's not YOUR project, Signy, but it seems like a good project, done well, and finally completed!
Originally posted by SignyM:
Hey I think the garage is finished as far as the big stuff. The shelving and countertop/ workbench are up, the lights have been changed out for LEDs, we added two outlets and circuit breakers and did new conduit for that and the demand water heater, so that is done.
And my tomato and peppers are finally developing fruit, I see four baby watermelons the cucumber is ready to pick
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:milk glass
Originally posted by SignyM:
opalescent glass
iridescent glass
patterns of stripes, etc
Quote:Well ... I got as far as wondering if it would stick, and if it would be removable later on. And I haven't tried it yet! Stuff like opacity, ease of use, etc are all theoretical!
hey that looks pretty!!!
I could do some really fancy stuff with that!!
But is it washable?
What I really want, for two windows anyway, is something really sparkly like grist patterns, or "misty" looking, like looking into a fog.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
For sticking, I think all one would need is to clean the glass well. Art stores do have a product for painting on glass, but I think it etches the glass a bit and is supposed to be permanent. So I'd avoid anything that wasn't removable because one might wish to sell the house later on without replacing the windows! As for removal, if you're using regular artists acrylic paint, I think it would take a razor blade, but it could be done.
And then one might need to put a clear topcoat on to give it a glossy effect.
Anyway, it's just an inkling, not yet a real idea. I'm afraid you'd have to carry it further.
https://www.ehow.com/info_12061876_can-acrylic-paint-used-glass-window
s.html
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/paint-art-window-panes-26986.html
https://www.thebeginningartist.com/painting-on-glass-with-acrylic/
https://arthearty.com/tips-to-use-acrylic-paint-on-glass
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+
I did go to Michael's craft store a few times to check out their stuff and talk with the people there. https://www.michaels.com/
They have an acrylic 'thinner' which isn't really a thinner since it's just as thick as regular acrylic paint - it's simply the acrylic resin with no pigments, fillers etc.
So I was going to paint my windows this way:
block off vertical stripes with painters tape
create a 'streaky' semi-opaque and slightly opalescent paint with a combination of white acrylic, thinner, and subtly opalescent pigment
paint across all the window with the 'streaky' paint in curves and swirls so that there's a free-form sets-of-curves pattern of more opaque/less opaque curves in the paint across the window pane, continuing across the painter's tape
remove the tape and paint the stripes a uniform translucent light lemon yellow
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HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though it is a soggy one in BC.
Out for a walk in a bit.
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Those are pix of real frost patterns, correct? Sadly, I don't see how I can reproduce them excpet by laying glass horizontally and evaporating something like magnesium sulfate on them. Which would be impossible because the glass is not removable, and the dsign would not be durable and definitely couldn't be washed. Maybe use a thin sheet of acrylic and work on THAT?
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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AFAIK those are real frost patterns, though they're internet-worthy quality.
Yeah, frost patterns are exceptionally detailed at the atomic level and intricate; and even the differences in which way the ice crystals run (because ice crystals are anisotropic, or, not the same in 3 dimensions) might make a difference in refraction, reflection, and other optical qualities. So if you could create a real frost pattern, and if you could capture it without melting it (starting perhaps with hairspray and then spray acrylic to make a mold, and then casting the mold with acrylic resin), it might not have the same visual effect. I think it would look like intricate carvings of bulk acrylic, at best.
Unfortunately, I can't think of a way around that. So I think you're best off trying to find an artistic, human-designed pattern you like.
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Quote:Indeed!
Originally posted by Brenda:
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though it is a soggy one in BC.
Out for a walk in a bit.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:Indeed!
Originally posted by Brenda:
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though it is a soggy one in BC.
Out for a walk in a bit.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
#WEARAMASK
Yup. Had an odd feeling to the day. I know it is Wednesday but being out for my walk it felt like a Sunday.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
It would be great to know more about what he did the US but that means getting to the US and Louisanna specifically to go through civil war records.
I think you might be surprised what you can find out online these days.
Gotta get that computer up and running. ;)
Do Right, Be Right. :)
I did decide to take a quick look at something on line. National Archives which wasn't much help. Course I could just keep trying on line. Different takes.
The monitor works but at the rate things are going. I think I will end up just buying another flaming laptop until I can get a hold of my IT guy.
The monitor works. Good.
Does the desktop work?
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
It would be great to know more about what he did the US but that means getting to the US and Louisanna specifically to go through civil war records.
I think you might be surprised what you can find out online these days.
Gotta get that computer up and running. ;)
Do Right, Be Right. :)
I did decide to take a quick look at something on line. National Archives which wasn't much help. Course I could just keep trying on line. Different takes.
The monitor works but at the rate things are going. I think I will end up just buying another flaming laptop until I can get a hold of my IT guy.
The monitor works. Good.
Does the desktop work?
Do Right, Be Right. :)
I just plugged it into a wall socket. Haven't gotten around to unhooking the old monitor and trying it with desktop.
Also this monitor comes with a start up disk. This is where I need hands on help.
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