Some sad news to report. I was checking e-mail this morning and watching the bluebird house when I saw the wren go inside the box. The first egg from this nest disappeared right after being laid. The female came back and laid an egg Wednesday and Thursday. The wren pulled both of those eggs out of the box before I could get downstairs. I found them on the ground outside the box. That's four eggs that have been destroyed this year. My husband installed a wren guard on the box but there are no eggs in the box to encourage the bluebirds to come back. I sit here watching patiently for any sign of them. Since hubs was working on the box I expected them to stay away awhile. But the male just returned and had no problems with the wren guard. The female found the hole but hasn't gone in the nest box yet. She's been sitting on top looking through the crack between the roof and the wren guard. The male has been very encouraging, though. He keeps showing her how to fly under the guard and into the hole. If she will lay another egg in the box, we might have a solution to the problem unless the wren figures out how to get into the box. I guess the theory here is if the wren can't see the hole, they don't know it's a nest box. But the wren has already been in this box several times, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. The female bluebird is sitting on her usual branch on the crab apple tree grooming herself. I'll let you know what happens.
Friday, June 29, 2012
From this window - 6/29/12
Some sad news to report. I was checking e-mail this morning and watching the bluebird house when I saw the wren go inside the box. The first egg from this nest disappeared right after being laid. The female came back and laid an egg Wednesday and Thursday. The wren pulled both of those eggs out of the box before I could get downstairs. I found them on the ground outside the box. That's four eggs that have been destroyed this year. My husband installed a wren guard on the box but there are no eggs in the box to encourage the bluebirds to come back. I sit here watching patiently for any sign of them. Since hubs was working on the box I expected them to stay away awhile. But the male just returned and had no problems with the wren guard. The female found the hole but hasn't gone in the nest box yet. She's been sitting on top looking through the crack between the roof and the wren guard. The male has been very encouraging, though. He keeps showing her how to fly under the guard and into the hole. If she will lay another egg in the box, we might have a solution to the problem unless the wren figures out how to get into the box. I guess the theory here is if the wren can't see the hole, they don't know it's a nest box. But the wren has already been in this box several times, so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. The female bluebird is sitting on her usual branch on the crab apple tree grooming herself. I'll let you know what happens.
This card was created with the PTI hexagon cover plate. I used it to cut out a stencil from printer paper, placed it over my base and stamped over it using a PTI word stamp. I love the way this turned out. The flourish is a Marianne Die and the Stampin Up sentiment is on the Spellbinder octagon dies. The pearls are from Kaiser.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
From this window - 6/26/12...
The garden changes so much from day to day, there is always something to talk about. The bluebirds have egg 1 in the nest box. A brown-headed cowbird spent a lot of time yesterday at the box. She's checking for the first egg so she can lay one in the bluebird box and have the bluebirds raise it as their own. But, she didn't count on bluebird dad and, of course, me. Since the egg was laid early this morning, he's been close to the box. When the house sparrows landed on the box, he landed on them. He's very aggressive, unlike some male bluebirds who aren't aggressive at all. The less aggressive bluebirds usually are not very successful in their nestings. There are so many predators out to destroy the nests and nestlings. The brown-headed cowbird is just one. Starlings will build a nest over bluebird eggs; the wrens will break the eggs and pull the nest material out so they can build in the box (sometimes the wren already has eggs somewhere else but that won't matter); the house sparrows will also break the eggs and kill the nestlings, often even kill the female; if squirrels can get to the box, they will eat the babies and the eggs; snakes also love eggs and nestlings. So, we have a predator guard on the pole and I am religious in checking the box, sometimes twice a day.
The wrens in the deck box are a blessing. Both keep on the lookout for spider webs using them in their nest. And the spiders and bugs don't stand a chance. The male is all over the flower boxes on the deck and in between the spindles. No longer do we walk out on the deck and run into a big spider web that wasn't there the evening before - Go Wrens!
The raccoons finally broke my favorite feeder. We took the chance of hanging it from a tree branch on a huge hook. The filled feeder with the squirrel guard must weigh fifteen pounds. They managed to pull the feeder off the hook and drop it to the ground. After the top shattered all the black oil sunflower seed spilled out and it must have been feast time. They couldn't even eat all the seed so the squirrels and birds feasted the next day. I've ordered a hopper feeder made from recycled plastic to add to our squirrel/raccoon proof feeder system. It looks like it holds a good amount of seed and will replace the small hanging platform feeder we have now.
Hubs was on his way to the way-back bed to pull weeds (temps were in the low 60s this morning), and stepped into a small hole which turned out to be full of baby rabbits. It was right out in the open in the middle of our backyard. It's our second rabbit nest this year. We had to fill the first one to keep from breaking our ankles (after the babies were gone, of course). He put a plastic chair over the nest to remind him that it was there so he didn't step on it again. We have an over abundance of loose cats in our neighborhood; we've seen at least six different ones. One day last week a small black one was running down the street carrying an animal in its mouth; something that almost drug the ground. We weren't fast enough to see what it was but it had legs and was much too big to be a chipmunk. It could have been a kitten or a rabbit. Small mammals don't stand much change of growing up around here. On our way into the city yesterday to take the cat to the vet we saw the most glorious coyote. He was standing by the side of the highway and looked to be in great shape.
On a sad note: our cat was diagnosed with hyper thyroid disease. She's been losing weight while eating like crazy and it worried us. She will have to take medicine for the rest of her life and if you've never wrestled an octopus with claws, you don't know what fun is. So, we smashed her morning pill and mixed it with half a teaspoon of her favorite food and after she ate that, we fed her a normal breakfast. When we travel, someone else will have to give her medication and we need to make it easier than the first pill which left us both exhausted, the cat seriously angry, and cat fur all over the kitchen. The good news is she should start gaining weight and being more pleasant when the meds are adjusted and her thyroid is back in balance.
The wrens in the deck box are a blessing. Both keep on the lookout for spider webs using them in their nest. And the spiders and bugs don't stand a chance. The male is all over the flower boxes on the deck and in between the spindles. No longer do we walk out on the deck and run into a big spider web that wasn't there the evening before - Go Wrens!
The raccoons finally broke my favorite feeder. We took the chance of hanging it from a tree branch on a huge hook. The filled feeder with the squirrel guard must weigh fifteen pounds. They managed to pull the feeder off the hook and drop it to the ground. After the top shattered all the black oil sunflower seed spilled out and it must have been feast time. They couldn't even eat all the seed so the squirrels and birds feasted the next day. I've ordered a hopper feeder made from recycled plastic to add to our squirrel/raccoon proof feeder system. It looks like it holds a good amount of seed and will replace the small hanging platform feeder we have now.
Hubs was on his way to the way-back bed to pull weeds (temps were in the low 60s this morning), and stepped into a small hole which turned out to be full of baby rabbits. It was right out in the open in the middle of our backyard. It's our second rabbit nest this year. We had to fill the first one to keep from breaking our ankles (after the babies were gone, of course). He put a plastic chair over the nest to remind him that it was there so he didn't step on it again. We have an over abundance of loose cats in our neighborhood; we've seen at least six different ones. One day last week a small black one was running down the street carrying an animal in its mouth; something that almost drug the ground. We weren't fast enough to see what it was but it had legs and was much too big to be a chipmunk. It could have been a kitten or a rabbit. Small mammals don't stand much change of growing up around here. On our way into the city yesterday to take the cat to the vet we saw the most glorious coyote. He was standing by the side of the highway and looked to be in great shape.
On a sad note: our cat was diagnosed with hyper thyroid disease. She's been losing weight while eating like crazy and it worried us. She will have to take medicine for the rest of her life and if you've never wrestled an octopus with claws, you don't know what fun is. So, we smashed her morning pill and mixed it with half a teaspoon of her favorite food and after she ate that, we fed her a normal breakfast. When we travel, someone else will have to give her medication and we need to make it easier than the first pill which left us both exhausted, the cat seriously angry, and cat fur all over the kitchen. The good news is she should start gaining weight and being more pleasant when the meds are adjusted and her thyroid is back in balance.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
We call her Psycho....
We call our cat Psycho. She's a Himalayan bipolar schizophrenic serial killer. And we love her. She can go from sweet, loving, purring to a Tasmanian Devil in the blink of an eye. She doesn't 'allow' us to groom her, trim her nails, clean her ears or remove knots from her fur - every event is the Civil War all over again. She will snuggle once in a rare while for mere seconds and before you get over your surprise, she's gone. She doesn't like to be picked up or stroked. As she ages, she gets less social. She wakes us up at the crack of dawn for food she isn't interested in once we put it in her dish. She thinks that anyone who goes into the kitchen for anything is there for her benefit and will whine for food with a full dish. A cat food she adored two days ago is now her worst enemy and she will back away from it like it's on fire. She thinks it's all about her. My husband and I both indulge her. She spent her early years with his mother, a woman with little joy in her, a woman who never learned to express love. When his mother died, his father didn't want her so we took her home and have tried to make it up to her. She's never going to be sweet and cuddly but we are grateful for the entertainment. She wrestles with my husband - it's a daily ritual when he gets out of the shower and sometimes she draws blood. His mom had her front claws removed but left the back ones and she's deadly with them. We call him her big chew toy. She and I don't play like that, I try to be gentle with her. I recently purchased a set of pet clippers and we're going to try to clean up some of the mats in her fur. Unfortunately, the big chew toy will have to hold her down and I don't envy him that job. She won't go near him for days afterwards, can she hold a grudge? You bet. She's getting old so we won't have her with us someday. I'll miss her. She's been a bright spot in our lives.
Look at that face. You'd never know she was certifiable, would you?
Friday, June 22, 2012
A Fabulous Day.....
My husband treated me to a wonderful day yesterday. First, we visited the company I retired from for a classic car show. It made me feel really warm and fuzzy to realize so many people remembered and missed me. As I do them. I know they don't read my blog but I wanted to especially thank Hoisan Kim, Wen Ye, Carl Hergart (who owes me an e-mail), Darrin Johnston, Bett, Russ, and Devin (who owes me a lunch). You guys made me feel really special. And then, he took me to see Snow White and the Huntsman. Wow! Am I the only person in the world who didn't know who Chris Hemsworth is? And when critics say 'visually stunning', I now know what they mean. Some marvelous special effects and the only similarity between the Disney Snow White and this one is birds helped both. After the movie, he took me to Scrapadoodle, our local stamping and scrapping store. I had my gift certificate from my birthday in hand. I got a new larger Fiskars cutter, two really cute Memory Box dies (the sea turtles), ordered the sea turtle border which is just precious and will go so beautifully with the new GinaK set I ordered which features fish and turtles and purchased a pair of the tweezers that grasp from the side (I've been looking for those for ages). As if that weren't a fabulous day, he took me to dinner at The Famous City Bistro which is a small restaurant that features famous food from famous cities - as in: Shrimp PoBoys from New Orleans, Memphis Pulled Pork BBQ (to die for), Kansas City Smoked Brisket - well, you get the idea. By the time we finally got home, I was stuffed and I was a seriously happy camper. And the best part was, I spent the day with my very favorite person in the whole world.
I love my husband to distraction and the bestest thing about him is he's my bestest friend. After all of our years together, he still makes me laugh all the time. I can't think of anybody I'd rather be with. So, this card kind of reflects how I feel about him. The stamps are from both Papertrey and Cornish Heritage Farms, the sentiment is unknown. The copic colors are: B0000, 0, V91, V93, V95, YG05, YG03. I stamped the flowers twice and selectively cut out parts of the second one and layered them with foam tape. I thought it was strange that PTI would feature these flowers with the jar and no stems but I used them anyway. If I use this combo again, I'll add stems.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
From this window - June 19, 2012...
I went 'on walkabout' early this morning. Temp is already 81 and it's not even 9:00 a.m. yet. Gonna be a hot one again today but I've watered the pots, checked for Japanese Beetles (only found a few), pulled weeds in the annual bed (lots of Zinnias and Cosmos blooming), peeked into the new wren nest in the back bed (seven eggs so far - that had to hurt), ate some warm black raspberries from the way back bed (the critters don't leave us many), cleaned up the mess on the deck from the wren deconstructing his nest there, fed the birds, cleaned and refilled the bird baths and came in to cook jerk chicken for lunch for movie day. That made me tired just typing it.
As I sit here working I'm occasionally watching the bluebirds on the nest box outside the craft room. While I haven't seen any nesting material go in the box, there is plenty of interest from both the male and the female so I'm hopeful we'll have a nest and eggs soon. Since we are leaving on vacation about August 6th, we won't see these guys fledge; they'll be gone by the time we get back.
As I sit here working I'm occasionally watching the bluebirds on the nest box outside the craft room. While I haven't seen any nesting material go in the box, there is plenty of interest from both the male and the female so I'm hopeful we'll have a nest and eggs soon. Since we are leaving on vacation about August 6th, we won't see these guys fledge; they'll be gone by the time we get back.
From this window - June 19, 2012
I went 'on walkabout' early this morning. Temp is already 81 and it's not even 9:00 a.m. yet. Gonna be a hot one again today but I've watered the pots, checked for Japanese Beetles (only found a few), pulled weeds in the annual bed (lots of Zinnias and Cosmos blooming), peeked into the new wren nest in the back bed (seven eggs so far - that had to hurt), ate some warm black raspberries from the way back bed (the critters don't leave us many), cleaned up the mess on the deck from the wren deconstructing his nest there, fed the birds, cleaned and refilled the bird baths and came in to cook jerk chicken for lunch for movie day. That made me tired just typing it.
As I sit here working I'm occasionally watching the bluebirds on the nest box outside the craft room. While I haven't seen any nesting material go in the box, there is plenty of interest from both the male and the female so I'm hopeful we'll have a nest and eggs soon. Since we are leaving on vacation about August 6th, we won't see these guys fledge; they'll be gone by the time we get back.
I had such fun with the last step card that I created another one. This paper was a lighter weight than my last card and would not stay scrunched up; it wanted to keep trying to lay flat. So, I used my Crop-o-dile to punch a hole in all the layers, added eyelets to the front and back pieces, ran some ribbon through and knotted it. The tree was downloaded from the MTC library and I love the way it turned out (whoever created this file, I thank you much). I cut the tree trunk out of Kraft paper and then wiped it with Memento Rich Cocoa. I cut an extra layer of leaves and layered it on top, wiped with VersaMagic Hint of Pesto. The giraffe was a Sizzix die cut out of My Mind's Eye paper and stamped with a Papertrey word stamp. Grass was also an old Sizzix die rubbed with VersaMagic Hint of Pesto. The green paper was Best Occasions and it's got a linen pattern in it, the blue paper was Recollections from Michaels. The bottom of the first section was cut with an EK Success border punch and the green paper was added to the back. The sentiment is also from Papertrey. All in all, I'm very pleased with this card.
Till next time, I hope the weather is beautiful where you are and all the flowers smell marvelous.
As I sit here working I'm occasionally watching the bluebirds on the nest box outside the craft room. While I haven't seen any nesting material go in the box, there is plenty of interest from both the male and the female so I'm hopeful we'll have a nest and eggs soon. Since we are leaving on vacation about August 6th, we won't see these guys fledge; they'll be gone by the time we get back.
I had such fun with the last step card that I created another one. This paper was a lighter weight than my last card and would not stay scrunched up; it wanted to keep trying to lay flat. So, I used my Crop-o-dile to punch a hole in all the layers, added eyelets to the front and back pieces, ran some ribbon through and knotted it. The tree was downloaded from the MTC library and I love the way it turned out (whoever created this file, I thank you much). I cut the tree trunk out of Kraft paper and then wiped it with Memento Rich Cocoa. I cut an extra layer of leaves and layered it on top, wiped with VersaMagic Hint of Pesto. The giraffe was a Sizzix die cut out of My Mind's Eye paper and stamped with a Papertrey word stamp. Grass was also an old Sizzix die rubbed with VersaMagic Hint of Pesto. The green paper was Best Occasions and it's got a linen pattern in it, the blue paper was Recollections from Michaels. The bottom of the first section was cut with an EK Success border punch and the green paper was added to the back. The sentiment is also from Papertrey. All in all, I'm very pleased with this card.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Beetles (and not the German kind)...
We finally had a break in the weather - it rained most of last night. The ground is actually soft again after weeks of cracks. And that's the good news. The bad news is the Japanese Beetles have arrived and are eating everything the deer isn't. They were all over the Chinese Wisteria this morning, hundreds of them. We don't normally use chemicals in our yard, we like the bugs - except for the Japanese Beetles. I sprayed the wisteria to keep it from being eaten completely. They were on the zinnias and cosmos, too. And on the Joe Pye Weed which I don't worry much about, we have Joe Pye Weed out the wazoo. But on a good note, our veggie garden is gorgeous, bug free (so far) and we have loads of tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers getting bigger everyday. No flowers on the bush beans yet but I've never grown them before so I don't know how big they need to get before they bloom - if anyone knows, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me a comment.
Step, step, step
We finally had a break in the weather - it rained most of last night. The ground is actually soft again after weeks of cracks. And that's the good news. The bad news is the Japanese Beetles have arrived and are eating everything the deer isn't. They were all over the Chinese Wisteria this morning, hundreds of them. We don't normally use chemicals in our yard, we like the bugs - except for the Japanese Beetles. I sprayed the wisteria to keep it from being eaten completely. They were on the zinnias and cosmos, too. And on the Joe Pye Weed which I don't worry much about, we have Joe Pye Weed out the wazoo. But on a good note, our veggie garden is gorgeous, bug free (so far) and we have loads of tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers getting bigger everyday. No flowers on the bush beans yet but I've never grown them before so I don't know how big they need to get before they bloom - if anyone knows, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me a comment.
I woke up this morning with this card in my head. I don't know what made me want to make a step card, I've only done a couple of them, but this one pretty much made itself. The ingredients are from: Stampin' Up, Basic Grey, Waltzing Mouse, Papertrey, Rubber Stampede, Stickles and Martha Stewart. I fussy cut the sunflowers and layered them on top of stamped grass. I just used Memento Rich Cocoa for the stamping and rather like the gold and brown color combination.
I woke up this morning with this card in my head. I don't know what made me want to make a step card, I've only done a couple of them, but this one pretty much made itself. The ingredients are from: Stampin' Up, Basic Grey, Waltzing Mouse, Papertrey, Rubber Stampede, Stickles and Martha Stewart. I fussy cut the sunflowers and layered them on top of stamped grass. I just used Memento Rich Cocoa for the stamping and rather like the gold and brown color combination.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
It's baaack!...
Chums, I've lots to tell you. First of all my new computer arrived and most files have been transferred from the old computer. I was up most of last night arranging, reloading software and making sure everything was there. So far the only files I can't find are my Outlook data files so I have no calendar, no contacts and no saved e-mail. My computer wizard said he will copy them from the backup drive to a cd and I can pick them up when he's finished but there seems to be a question mark on when. So, I can't e-mail anyone who doesn't e-mail me first because I don't have ANY e-mail addresses, birthdays, calendar entries, etc. Those items were not on my list to copy to my external drive (note to self: please copy Outlook files to external drive for safekeeping).
The bluebirds have left the nest. Daddy bluebird stopped by yesterday to check out the empty box (I clean out the nest as soon as the babies are gone). Maybe he's considering another nest in the same box. We certainly hope so. Our drought continues. We had a small rain shower several days ago which lasted about ten minutes. Just long enough to make it very muggy outside. We have to water the veggies in pots everyday and clean out and fill the birdbaths. The rabbits ate all of the cardinal vine I planted on the new shade structure right down to the ground. Hubs took it personally so the new plants have been protected with rabbit fencing which is ugly but functional. We continue to have scads of honey bees among the clover in our yard. My husband is disappointed I won't let him spray for the clover which seems to be everywhere lending a snowfall look to our lawn. He's very particular about his grass and the lack of it drives him crazy, but as long as the honey bees are feasting on the clover, the clover stays.
The bluebirds have left the nest. Daddy bluebird stopped by yesterday to check out the empty box (I clean out the nest as soon as the babies are gone). Maybe he's considering another nest in the same box. We certainly hope so. Our drought continues. We had a small rain shower several days ago which lasted about ten minutes. Just long enough to make it very muggy outside. We have to water the veggies in pots everyday and clean out and fill the birdbaths. The rabbits ate all of the cardinal vine I planted on the new shade structure right down to the ground. Hubs took it personally so the new plants have been protected with rabbit fencing which is ugly but functional. We continue to have scads of honey bees among the clover in our yard. My husband is disappointed I won't let him spray for the clover which seems to be everywhere lending a snowfall look to our lawn. He's very particular about his grass and the lack of it drives him crazy, but as long as the honey bees are feasting on the clover, the clover stays.
Totally lifted.....
Chums, I've lots to tell you. First of all my new computer arrived and most files have been transferred from the old computer. I was up most of last night arranging, reloading software and making sure everything was there. So far the only files I can't find are my Outlook data files so I have no calendar, no contacts and no saved e-mail. My computer wizard said he will copy them from the backup drive to a cd and I can pick them up when he's finished but there seems to be a question mark on when. So, I can't e-mail anyone who doesn't e-mail me first because I don't have ANY e-mail addresses, birthdays, calendar entries, etc. Those items were not on my list to copy to my external drive (note to self: please copy Outlook files to external drive for safekeeping).
The bluebirds have left the nest. Daddy bluebird stopped by yesterday to check out the empty box (I clean out the nest as soon as the babies are gone). Maybe he's considering another nest in the same box. We certainly hope so. Our drought continues. We had a small rain shower several days ago which lasted about ten minutes. Just long enough to make it very muggy outside. We have to water the veggies in pots everyday and clean out and fill the birdbaths. The rabbits ate all of the cardinal vine I planted on the new shade structure right down to the ground. Hubs took it personally so the new plants have been protected with rabbit fencing which is ugly but functional. We continue to have scads of honey bees among the clover in our yard. My husband is disappointed I won't let him spray for the clover which seems to be everywhere lending a snowfall look to our lawn. He's very particular about his grass and the lack of it drives him crazy, but as long as the honey bees are feasting on the clover, the clover stays.
This card is totally lifted from another blog. I can't remember where I saw it but the word on the card was "spring" and the words were made by Papertrey Ink dies. I love this technique and plan to use it often.
Might I also say I am glad to be back. And, Nancy in Iowa, if you read this, I would have responded to your comment but didn't have your e-mail address - see paragraph one.
The bluebirds have left the nest. Daddy bluebird stopped by yesterday to check out the empty box (I clean out the nest as soon as the babies are gone). Maybe he's considering another nest in the same box. We certainly hope so. Our drought continues. We had a small rain shower several days ago which lasted about ten minutes. Just long enough to make it very muggy outside. We have to water the veggies in pots everyday and clean out and fill the birdbaths. The rabbits ate all of the cardinal vine I planted on the new shade structure right down to the ground. Hubs took it personally so the new plants have been protected with rabbit fencing which is ugly but functional. We continue to have scads of honey bees among the clover in our yard. My husband is disappointed I won't let him spray for the clover which seems to be everywhere lending a snowfall look to our lawn. He's very particular about his grass and the lack of it drives him crazy, but as long as the honey bees are feasting on the clover, the clover stays.
This card is totally lifted from another blog. I can't remember where I saw it but the word on the card was "spring" and the words were made by Papertrey Ink dies. I love this technique and plan to use it often.
Might I also say I am glad to be back. And, Nancy in Iowa, if you read this, I would have responded to your comment but didn't have your e-mail address - see paragraph one.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Red lights in the rear view mirror...
Have ya'll ever had that sinking feeling when you look in your rear view mirror and see a police car right behind you? Even though you're a law abiding citizen, rarely speed, don't smoke or drink, you still have that feeling like you've done something wrong. My last illegal act was third grade when I stole a candy bar from a local store. Not only did I get walloped within an inch of my life but had to go back to the store and apologize. Yet, I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see a police car behind me. Go figure.
My computer bit the big byte in the sky and has gone to gigabyte heaven. I've ordered a new one but delivery is estimated for June 21. So, I type on the netbook. I have no software to work with, pictures of my cards are on the dead computer which I'm told will be transferred to the new one when it arrives. I sit in limbo but I am recording movies as I sit so it isn't a total loss. I've recorded just under 100 movies (I know that because I ordered 200 dvd covers and I only have six left from the first 100. I've still got quite a stack left to record.
Update on the bluebirds: I've seen one of them poke his/her head outside the box today. Dad is sitting on top of the box as I type. When they start actively looking outside, they are close to fledging. I look for them to be gone this week. As soon as they leave I will clean out the nest and hope they have another brood.
I hope where ever you are things are going well for you. The second my new computer is up and running I plan to have a big giveaway to celebrate my 300 followers. So stay tuned.
My computer bit the big byte in the sky and has gone to gigabyte heaven. I've ordered a new one but delivery is estimated for June 21. So, I type on the netbook. I have no software to work with, pictures of my cards are on the dead computer which I'm told will be transferred to the new one when it arrives. I sit in limbo but I am recording movies as I sit so it isn't a total loss. I've recorded just under 100 movies (I know that because I ordered 200 dvd covers and I only have six left from the first 100. I've still got quite a stack left to record.
Update on the bluebirds: I've seen one of them poke his/her head outside the box today. Dad is sitting on top of the box as I type. When they start actively looking outside, they are close to fledging. I look for them to be gone this week. As soon as they leave I will clean out the nest and hope they have another brood.
I hope where ever you are things are going well for you. The second my new computer is up and running I plan to have a big giveaway to celebrate my 300 followers. So stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Computer died...
My computer died again on Monday. It just refused to boot up. My wonderful computer wizard said his diagnostics said the computer was fine - it just wouldn't boot up - lol. He thought maybe an electrical spike messed with the Windows boot sector. Our recourse was to make a backup copy of my computer, reformat the hard drive, load a new copy of Windows and then everything else. Which means I will be schlepping my computer back and forth for the next ten days as I find things that didn't make it back onto my computer. The really bad news is all the pictures of my current cards are on my hard drive. I make a copy every blue moon on my external drive but it has been a long time since the last blue moon. And there is software that I've had so long that I don't begin to know where the disks are. If my computer comes back intact the first thing I will do after thanking the computer fairies (and my wizard) is copy my cards to an external drive. And since the URL of each card is attached to a record in Access, all two thousand records will have to be altered with the new URL. Something to do when I have nothing to do, right? I originally put the cards on my C: drive so I could carry my computer and show people my cards. I will use a thumb drive from now on.
I am currently using our Acer netbook which is only about six inches by twelve inches and is very nice to take on vacation but not so nice to work on when you're using PhotoShop or Corel Draw. I have a seventeen inch laptop with a "real" keyboard, unlike this tiny one. So, since Monday I have been gardening and recording VHS tapes onto DVD and cleaning house - being on the computer? Not so much. If I've missed something wonderful you've done, I'm sorry. I hope to be back today or tomorrow.
I am currently using our Acer netbook which is only about six inches by twelve inches and is very nice to take on vacation but not so nice to work on when you're using PhotoShop or Corel Draw. I have a seventeen inch laptop with a "real" keyboard, unlike this tiny one. So, since Monday I have been gardening and recording VHS tapes onto DVD and cleaning house - being on the computer? Not so much. If I've missed something wonderful you've done, I'm sorry. I hope to be back today or tomorrow.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Movies that influence us...
I've spent several days converting old VHS tapes to DVDs. Not only are we running out of room for VHS tapes but our VHS player is getting old and replacements are getting harder to find. It makes so much sense to have a back-up copy of our favorite VHS movies. While I was watching a movie the other day, it occurred to me that movies have influenced so much of our lives. Watching movies led me to find out more about something or someone; Blaze with Paul Newman made me want to know about Huey P. Long who, whether you loved him or hated him, was a fascinating character, watching Gettysburg led me to several books on the Civil War. Not only have they instilled a desire in me to learn but they have made major impacts on our way of life. Take Clark Gable in 1934's "It Happened One Night". When he removed his shirt to reveal a bare chest (heavens, where is his undershirt?), sales of undershirts for men dropped 70%. Why should men wear one when Clark Gable didn't? In 1951 Marlon Brando turned the undershirt business around when he starred in "Streetcar Named Desire". Critics claimed he came from the "torn T-shirt school of acting" but he caused a national surge in undershirt sales. And isn't Mars candy red in the face after turning down the candy role in E.T.? No reason has been given for their refusal to allow M&Ms in the movie but Reese's Pieces sales went through the roof less than two weeks after the premier of E.T. I'm sure if you think about it, you can come up with a movie that influenced you and I'd love to hear about it. Did a movie make you want to travel to the area it was filmed in, make you run to the library or the Internet to research a topic or just make you go shopping?
Movies that influence us
I've spent several days converting old VHS tapes to DVDs. Not only are we running out of room for VHS tapes but our VHS player is getting old and replacements are getting harder to find. It makes so much sense to have a back-up copy of our favorite VHS movies. While I was watching a movie the other day, it occurred to me that movies have influenced so much of our lives. Watching movies led me to find out more about something or someone; Blaze with Paul Newman made me want to know about Huey P. Long who, whether you loved him or hated him, was a fascinating character, watching Gettysburg led me to several books on the Civil War. Not only have they instilled a desire in me to learn but they have made major impacts on our way of life. Take Clark Gable in 1934's "It Happened One Night". When he removed his shirt to reveal a bare chest (heavens, where is his undershirt?), sales of undershirts for men dropped 70%. Why should men wear one when Clark Gable didn't? In 1951 Marlon Brando turned the undershirt business around when he starred in "Streetcar Named Desire". Critics claimed he came from the "torn T-shirt school of acting" but he caused a national surge in undershirt sales. And isn't Mars candy red in the face after turning down the candy role in E.T.? No reason has been given for their refusal to allow M&Ms in the movie but Reese's Pieces sales went through the roof less than two weeks after the premier of E.T. I'm sure if you think about it, you can come up with a movie that influenced you and I'd love to hear about it. Did a movie make you want to travel to the area it was filmed in, make you run to the library or the Internet to research a topic or just make you go shopping?
Of course, this topic has nothing to do with my card which is another Saturated Canary image called Ava. I colored her in Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. In this card, I let the image shine. The sentiment was done on the computer.
Saturated Canary Ava, Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils: Cobalt Turquoise, Orange Glaze, Dark Chrome Yellow, Dark Cadmium Yellow, Light Cadmium Yellow, Rose Carmine, Dark Flesh Medium Flesh, Light Flesh, Grass Green, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber
Of course, this topic has nothing to do with my card which is another Saturated Canary image called Ava. I colored her in Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. In this card, I let the image shine. The sentiment was done on the computer.
