Post-Christmas Thoughts

The Mews were all snuggled asleep on the bed

With visions of toy-mousies in their sweet heads.

Two napped together, one slightly apart.

And one napped aloof, that one darling old tart.

 

When what to my wondering eyes did I spy,

But the clock showing that my own bedtime was nigh.

I slid into bed with the greatest of care,

But the Mews sure did know, like I was a bear.

 

There were mews of complaints,

But we all did adjust.

One curled on the right of me;

Another chose the left.

 

A third lay beside me.

The fourth took a corner

And we slept through the night like

A drugged bunch of turtles.

And if you are noticing

That my poem lost the rhyme,

Just credit it to

That last glass of wine...

 

   ------

 

There are things that leave

My writing skills some agape.

Its the Wrath of Grapes...

 

    .....

 

I joke often, I am serious often.  I think.  I write.  It all blends together.  I suppose that sometimes, I am the only one who knows exactly what I mean in a post.  Jokes can hide serious thoughts and serious thoughts can hide jokes.

Improvements

You try all sorts of things when you have problems with the computer.

I upgraded the RAM.   I THINK that helped.  There are SOME warning messages I no longer get.  

But there were some suggestions of other problems.  So I deleted all caches and most cookies.  That helped, but some I will will have to re-enter.

I bought some new stuff to increase the directness of the ports my peripherals prefer.  That sounds strange but peripherals have options on connections and some are better than others.  I spent a day last week looking at the options.  

A lot of my stuff is old.  It is odd in a way to think of HDMI connections as "old".  Once, they were "best tech".  But things change and I don't always notice.  And problems sneak in gradually.  I have them.

So the RAM-upgrader tech guy explained "thunderbolt" connections, and Bluetooth.  Well, I thought "Bluetooth" was just for wandering around with a mobile laptop.  Was wrong.

He suggested a few cool add-on hardware things.  I checked them out pretty carefully and ordered a couple.  And, granted, this is all Mac stuff...

First was a multiport hub that fits under my Mac-Mini...

It adds many ports and uses only 1 USB plug..  And I needed them all.  And it made it easier to organize my cables.

He also suggested a Mac-dedicated keyboard.  I ordered that too.  It is Mac-dedicated.

It is good.  Macs have dedicated symbolic keys that keyboards that work for Mac and PCs don't have.  You have to figure them out on a combination keyboard and learn to interperate.  That's a pain.

So the Mac-dedicated keyboard is good, too.

My Christmas presents to myself...

Rehabilitating The Computer, Part 2

Oh, it's going to be one of THOSE posts; I made 3 typos tonight in the title alone.  LOL! I'm actually typing this Sat night, but it kinna late to post.  

But the RAM has been upgraded from 8 GB to 16.  It was scheduled for 4-6 PM Thursday, but the technician had some difficult repairs and then rush hour traffic problems made it unreasonable (Washington traffic is among the worst in the US and any accident just brings it to a screaming-mad halt). So we rescheduled to Sat 9-11 AM.  I wasn't exactly "thrilled", but things happen.  

He arrived early in the time-slot, so that was good.  I must say, he had 2 impressive bags of tools.  Well, it's an on-site service, so he has to have everything with him.  And I have to say that he was friendly, experienced, and helpful (even answered some unrelated  questions I had - I always try to learn a little bit during household repairs).

I left him to his work (mostly) but dropped into the room a few times just out of curiosity.   It isn't often I get to see the insides of a computer.  So I learned a few things.  The Mac-Mini has a fan, though I never heard it or noticed an airflow input).  Apparently it is a better fan than Window Companies use ("heavier and more wings".  The hard drive is the size of a Bridge playing card and is "solid state".  

I had my Mac upside down for some reason; probably some thought about how the ON button should be placed.  The circle I had on top is a combination base and Wi-Fi antenna (no harm done, though).  The RAM cards were more familiar-looking; you can see some circuitry.  

I originally bought the RAM upgrade chips months ago, but feared to attempted it.  The online instructions said you need special screwdriver bits and a "IFixIt".  I have some odd driver bits, but I didn't know what an IFixIt was.  And there were dire warnings about static electricity damage.  So I chickened out and finally called for the experts...

And a good thing I did!  It took the guy 2 hours to exchange the RAM chips.  It turns out that IFixIt is a massive case of REALLY weird driver bits that I didn't have a HOPE of having.  I couldn't have done it even WITH the right tools.  And he said the 2018 Mac-Mini (mine) was unusually difficult to work on.  

He had to almost completely disassemble it!  Replacing the RAM chips was the EASY part.  And even then, some very tiny connectors and 2 rubber insulators (and I THINK), a metal MESH heat-disippation cover gave him some trouble.  I'm far-sighted and can't see anything without reading glasses or a magnifier lens up close, so I NEVER could have done it anyway.  

After he was done, we talked for a few minutes (as I said, he was friendly).  First, he liked my (home-made) computer desk.  It's old but sturdy at 5' by 30".  By "old" I mean it even has a 12"x 1" slot cut though the top and a platform below for fanfold paper (remember that stuff?).  

Second, he said the computer was very clean inside.  Considering I smoke (and only while on the computer these days) I was amazed.  He said it looked perfect.  Good for years...

Third, he said he needed to test the computer to make sure every seemed to be working.  That was humerus.  I'm right-handed, but hold the mouse oddly, so I have the mouse buttons reversed.  From my earliest office days to the present, anytime an IT guy had to work on my computer I warned them of that.      I tell them to just reverse the buttons to "normal" (it's SO easy) They always shrug it off saying they'll adjust.  They never do!  And they always keep frustrating themselves.  They just keep pressing the wrong side button (it's muscle-memory).

But we tested out some apps and sites.  The Apple Menu confirmed it was reading 16 GB.  He wanted to test an online site, so I directed him to the Mark's Mews Blog.  He had seen Lori wandering around the room and mentioned he had 2 cats, so that seemed like a good place.  And he took a picture of the blog address to visit later.

He mentioned having to be professionally neutral among Apple/Windows/others.  So to test my files folders, (and because he asked why I preferred Apple, I directed his attention to Finder.  Its like Windows Directory, but better).  That was working fine, too.  But I pointed his attention to the organization of my files/folders.

I am very organized.  Well, there is a reason I was a Federal Agency Project Manager.  He loved how organized I was.  Some people have all their files dumped in "Documents".  I have 6 folders just for categories of pictures and all my spreadsheet and word documents are similarly separated by subject. He loved it.  And it demonstrated to him that my computer was working fine after the "operation".

He loved my keyboard.  That might not seem odd, but I wear the letters off regular keyboard in mere months.  I found one with ingrained keys (daskeyboard) months ago and there isn't the least loss of key symbols since.  He didn't love my motley assembly of adapters.  Said they were slowing things down and making the hard drive work slightly harder.  And it is true.  I have adaptors to adaptors.  I keep old equipment connected until it just doesn't work anymore.  

So he gave so free advice and brought up sites that provided more direct connections.  I mean, even the 2018 Mac Mini has ports I couldn't understand.  So he explained:  Those tiny ones are "thunderbolt ports".  My external multi-port adapters I was using were really slowing things down.  And that I had wireless connections I wasn't using.  There is an Satechi Apple-dedicated keyboard he thinks I might prefer.  There is also a Satechi base that exactly matches the Mac Mini and adds various ports.  Add he says they provide the best adaptors.  I'll be looking at them...

I know about "last mile" cable connections causing slowdowns.  And I know about UPS and FedEx using the USPS to make final divers for cost and speed cost and efficiency reasons.  I DIDN'T know that last inch of adaptors was slowing things down.  Normally, I don't do things that require much speed.  BUT!  It makes a difference when downloading updates to apps or the whole O/S.  And I HATE sitting around for an hour during some major updates.  

I need an update to Firefox.  I'll see if it "feels" like it works faster after this RAM upgrade.  But mostly, I will know if the RAM upgrade helps if I stop getting warnings to "free up some RAM".  And if the computer wakes up from "sleep mode" and doesn't make the monitor go on and off fuzzily several times "sometimes" before coming up normally.

If all this makes sense to you, GREAT.  If not, just read it as details of me learning from a tech guy and relating it to past and present experience.  I know "some stuff" but not much.  Hardware is nearly invisible.  Software is easier, only because the apps guide me through the choices.  And even the software drives me crazy.

I have the RAM upgraded.  Now it is time to tackle the tangle of email apps.  AOL recognizes my cavebear account but not marksmews or yardenman.  Apple email reads marksmews and yardenman, but not cavebear.  And I can't reply FROM marksmews or yardenman, so have to forward those emails to AOL cavebear.  

I have an AOL, gmail and an iCloud email account for cavebear.  It has gotten TOTALLY out of control!    AOL is threatening my account there because of "3rd party" reading issues, gmail (Google) wants to make itself my exclusive provider, and I don't like that Apple iCloud keeps my data "away".  I love my stuff "here on the Mac Mini (safer from data-extraction).  

So that's the work for this week...  

Rehabilitating The Computer

 Trying to some SOME problems, I have gotten the computer nearly beyond use.  I thought I would "fix" it last week, but I didn't.  I think I have too much of "everything".  

This week, I am going to try to recreate the basic functionality.  I don't know if I can.  I am getting stupid.  My smart phone just completely baffles me, and I am losing control over my email accounts.  I seem to have an iCloud email account, a Verizon email account, and a primary AOL email account.  And AOL is becoming increasingly unfriendly because of those others.

I need to go offline for a while.  I have some pre-set posts for the cat blog.  Sometimes, I write ahead of time.  

But mostly, I think I have to backup everything to my external drive, delete nearly everything I currently have, and save back carefully.

That is going to take a while.  I'm not really good or fast at this kind of stuff.  I may even change my ISP just to start fresh (saving emails, blogs, and bookmarks, which are mostly all that matter to me.

But I am going to start deleting a lot of options NOW!

I'll be back when I can...

Update:  First thing to do was get iCloud off my computer.  After several hours, I have downloaded iCloud back onto my hard drive.  That took a few hours.  But it also says it is "finishing".  And the dot on the bar is not moving fast.  Maybe the download is the "fast" part (hours) and the copying is slower.  I should check my internet speed...

Update:  Can't actually get iCloud OFF my Mac, but after downloading the files in it, I disabled it.  Took a while, but I love having companies UNABLED when possible.

Update:  12-14 2:47 AM.  Damn, just discovered my Mac Mini 2018 is NOT "user" RAM upgradable.  Apparently, I can't even buy the tools required to remove and replace them.  Sounds suspicious to me (you can buy anything) and I may check further, but maybe time to visit a computer store.  Macs are not as exclusive to repair stores as they used to be.  The local PC store geeks will do almost anything these days.  And I have the RAM chips to give them if that is an issue.  

But if I'm going through the trouble to have others upgrade it from 8 RAM to 16, I might as well to it to 24 or 32.  Can't be harmful...  Having money is WONDERFUL!  Sometimes overdoing things in the present is good for the future.  From what I'm reading, RAM is underappreciated.

Update:  1:32 pm.  OK, apparently, yes you can overdo RAM.  I found a site that says 64 RAM is the maximum my Mac Mini can handle.  So 32 is good.  I like to stay "just" under the danger limit.  I wish I had known the value of RAM when I bought this Mac Mini.  8 was recommended.  

I should have gone for 16 when I bought it.  But sites said 8 was "sufficient".  "Sufficient" sucks.  In computer world "more is better".  And especially after a few years.

Update:  1:55 pm.  Why am I fighting to do hardware stuff?  Software is hard enough and easier.  I'm going to the hardware guys.  After the hardware is upgraded, the software issues should be manageable.  And there are software geeks around here in case I fail.  Ads all over the place locally.  They are probably all able to solve my hardware issues.  "Incompetent Geek" doesn't even make much sense, LOL!

Update:  2:30 pm.  Wow, best price I could get for a RAM upgrade was $250.  It better be worth it!  On the other hand, they are coming here.  And it is a 2 hour minimum fee which means that I can get leftover time for software evaluation and "fixit".  The tech guy arrives Thursday PM.

Put another way, if there is a difficulty in the RAM upgrade more than 2 hours, they don't charge extra.  Oh the things we do to keep our computers working...  Well, cars aren't free either.  Neither is cable (but that's a future post).

*Sigh*

Holiday Tree

 I always debate (to myself) each December shall it be the big tree fully-decorated or the little one.  Usually the little one.  It's just easier and (placed properly) looks like the top of a big one (from outside).

But it HAS been a few years.  I might to the full decoration of  the big fake tree.  I have some decorations I haven't seen for many years.  

Little one from a couple years ago...

Big one from years past...

Some details of the ornaments...

I had forgotten how festive a house can look at times...

But the big one takes a lot of effort, and no one sees it but me.  Still, sometimes you just want to go full-out.  And I think it seems right this year...

I think I might go full-out this year and do both.  The big one for myself and the small one for the cats.  I went to Petsmart yesterday and found a pack of 10 small mice.  I can attach hooks into them.  I can't really sew worth a damn, but I do have the basic stuff.  I can push a heavy-duty carpet needle through each mouse and attach carpet thread and attach a hook.    

Wouldn't that be a lovely decoration for the little 2' cat tree?  Tiny LEDS lights and mosies hanging from the treem.  Under which to put Secret Paw gifts...

Sometimes, you just feel like decorating.  Just for even yourself.

Garden Projects

The fall off the extension ladder really messed me up for this year.  But I am getting back into yardwork.   The immediate problem is invasive weeds from a previous neighbor.  They planted them, they crept into my back yard, and they spread .  My neighbors had an empty back yard, so they just mowed them down (when they realized they were a a problem) every week until they died.

I was not so lucky.  I have flowerbeds.  The vines got in there.  I can't just mow them to death like my neighbors could.  I have pulled them up, but they have deep roots and return.

And I have a few verigated Euonymus shrubs in the flowerbeds that are growing out of control (label said 5' high and 3' wide).  Right.  10' tall and wide is more like it!  And they went all solid green after a few years, so not even much color interest.  I cut them down; they grew back.

Well, it gets worse.  When I first moved here I planted a row of forsythias along the property line (pre-fence).  They are everywhere now!  Cutting them down to the ground doesn't bother them a bit.  They just grow back.  I am nearly at my wit's end between the vines and forsythia!

So it is time for drastic measures (did I mention the poison ivy?).  

I've cut most of the vines to ground level.  I've cut most of the forsythia to ground level.  I've even removed (temporarily) the cat memorial markers.

Iza's is inbetween those now, but I can't find the picture.

But I have been saving large cardbox boxes for a decade.  REALLY large ones.  Like 5' on a side and doubled unfolded.  The memorial garden will be covered with several to smother the cut shrubs and vines and leave a clear space for the markers.

I bought a large roll of black plastic several year ago.  Time to unroll some and cut it to shape to smother the vines elsewhere.  Some collections of desired flowers grow so vigorously, they aren't invaded, so those will be left uncovered.  I have about half the flowerbed to smother though.  The plastic covers will stay there for a year.

It will be ugly.  But I don't see a way around it.  I can dig up a few individual plants surviving among the vines (a single beloved Brunella Frost for example) to move elsewhere.  The Stokes Asters seen resistent to the vines, so they will stay.

But really, I am nearly starting over for 80% of the flowerbed.  Next Fall (assuming the damn vines are actually dead by then) is going to be a busy time.

But I will take a cheerful view.  It's a chance to better this time with new look.  Self-sowing cottage-garden style plants that grow so thickly that they shade out weeds.  Separated by small patches of perennial like Stokes Aster and Autumn Joy Sedums (I love both).  

I WILL make my flowerbeds good again!

But, as I said, it sure will look ugly for a year...  Sometimes you have to mess things up before they get better again.

An Interesting Day

Some days are routine, others are not.  I went grocery-shopping.  I have a lot of meat stored away in the freezer, but fruits and veggies don't do well with that so I had to get more.  It's that time of year when many fruits are either not available or poorer quality through long shipping. 

And it has been a hard year for growers.  Haven't seen a peach since September and the plums are gone.  Strawberries have doubled in price.  But blueberries were cheap.  I have no idea why.  Bananas stay cheap.  Apples stay cheap.  So I eat those after dinner.

The grocery store cashier was unusually conversational.  Wanted to know how my day had been.  "average".  Was I happy?  Huh?  Well, I worked in department stores for a few years and every new manager thought we should be "friendlier" on demand so I know how that works.  So I was friendly in return (while watching the checkout display screen like a hawk; they make errors).

But I'm conversational about things that aren't secrets, so we talked.  Then I realized he was just standing there.  He had bagged the last items and handed them to me.  He was waiting for my card in the reader...  He could have mentioned that.

But the weird part of the day came after I got home and put the groceries away.  I knew I had bags of cooked and uncooked meat in both the upstairs and downstairs freezers (or refrigerators).  So I decided to sort them out and put them in meat-specific plastic containers.

Took HOURS!  OMG, I had more pork than I realized.  I think I like cooking more that I like eating.  Its almost a hobby.  And chicken.  And NY Strip steaks.  And Filet Mignon (when on sale).

So I sorted it all out.  I AM organized.  I have individual large plastic containers for each meat that fit perfectly into my basement refrig freezer.  So I put the newest stuff on the bottom of each and the older stuff on top.

But I had WAY too much pork to fit.  Well, I keep containers around, and found one that fit perfectly in the upstairs refrig freezer.  I'll be eating a lot of pork for a while, LOL!  I don't mind that.  Pork is easy to use in many ways.  Stir fries, cubed with gravy, smothered in carmelized onions or bell peppers, added to baked beans, etc.  But I sure won't be buying any for a while!

But I DID get all of it organized, and that was good.  

So what did I have for dinner tonight?  Spaghetti.  I found a frozen hamburger patty in the freezer, so used it up...  Can of crushed tomatoes, saute'd onion and mushroom, crushed garlic, lots of Italian Seasoning.  Touch of sugar and red wine.  Best I've made in a year.

But I really DO have a lot of pork to use up.  Any favorite recipes?

Pearl Harbor Day

 I'm old, but not so old that I was around on Pearl Harbor Day.  But it WAS "recent history" to me as I grew up.  And as I get older, events like that start to become "past history".  But I do not forget.

The war in the Pacific was brutal.  I had an uncle who fought there (Air Force).  Family lore says he dropped a bomb into a Japanese Destroyer's smokestack ship and blew it up.  The land forces had it harder.  

And I know history.  I know the Japanese actually tried to "declare war" officially preceding the attack but failed  because of translation issues.  And actually, the US fired the first shot on a mini-sub.  Weird stuff happens.

It was an utterly evil and brutish war, similar to the Nazis and Soviets at Moscow.  As US General Sherman once said "War is all Hell".

I don't forget Pearl Harbor.  But sometimes out of chaos comes peace.  The Japanese changed their views to the world.  They, former Nazi Germany, and former Facist Italy are now democracies and allies.  History is weird sometimes.  

The world continues...  But memories linger.  War IS "all Hell".

In Issac Asimov's 'Foundation' books, one character says something like "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent".  In real history, someone (Bismark?) said war is "the failure of politics".

So I am remembering today as a "failure of politics" that came from a series of historical developments that lead led to utter horror and butchery.  

Still, I cry today the the loss of life...

General Stuff

 Static electricity season has started.  I noticed it a few nights ago.  The outside humidity drops and the house follows.  I suddenly suffer itchiness from static.  In past years, I could actually make a fluorescent light glow dimly by touching the metal base.  I'm a real Leyden Jar.  

But it gets painful.  And with The Mews around me in bed, stroking them makes it worse.  I've seen blue sparks while doing that.

I have cotton sheets and blankets to mostly eliminate that now.  But they are old and one sheet ripped wide open from a small hole.  I threw it away expecting to easily buy a replacement.  I like Percale 100% cotton sheets.  And I like color.  And, having a waterbed, I only need 2 flat sheets.  Guess what is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find these days?  Flat cotton percale sheets as separates!

"Sets" (with a fitted elastic sheet) is easy.  But those don't work on a waterbed.  Looking at "waterbed sheets" just gets me the kind that have a sheet and blanket sewn together at the foot of the bed.  That doesn't work for me.

Doing internet searches was a complete failure.  Companies have so many keywords built in that even "Percale flat cotton sheets" brings up every sheet of any material, weave, or full set (meaning with fitted sheets).  The few sites I found that offerred flat sheets separate were all pale variations on beige (hotel style).

I finally broke though just searching "Flat Sheet".  It's weird that less is more sometimes, but it worked.  A site called Riley offerred separates, in red/burgundy, Percale, 100% cotton.  I ordered 2.  Now I just have to wait for delivery.

Expecting a wait, I went to the basement to see the condition of the inline humidifier.  I have a heat pump, which dehumidifies the air in the house as part of its natural process.  Great for 9 months of the year, but makes static bad the 3-4 Winter months.

I forgot to clean it last Spring.  It is a fabric drum that rotates through a tray of water that self-refills through a pipe.  But evaporating water leaves minerals behind.

It was encrusted with evaporated minerals from the water!  I spent an hour cleaning the rotating drum and the water reservoir tray yesterday.  A mild vinegar bath in a bucket did really well.  I saw the internal house humidity go from 20% to 30 after a full day.  That made a real difference.  Between that and cotton bed linens, I can sleep without static itchiness. 

The Mews appreciate it too.  I can let them under the covers and stroke their furs without "electrocuting" myself (or them) with static.

I Had A Busy Day

I've been having a problem in bed for a couple of years.  I sleep badly and lay there too long (10-12 hours) but get maybe 6 hours actual sleep.  And I never go through a ful REM sleep cycle.  But it suddenly switched to being awake after 6 hours the past few days.  Maybe I suddenly caught up to all the years of getting up after 6 hours sleep during my 35 year career.  But I doubt it.

I'm not sure what to make of that .  Just something else to add to my list of  questions for my DR at the next annual exam.

But the consequence is that I have actually gotten up earlier the past few days, and I got a lot done.  Not the best time of year to get active outside, but anytime is better than none.  

So:

1.  Mowed the lawn.  Nothing special in that, but 2 of my neighbors spent 4 hours using a leaf-blower to collect their leaves in a pile.  I just mowed the lawn twice (took only an hour) and shredded the leaves and grass back into the lawn.  Free fertilizer!

2.  Mowed the pollinator and meadow beds down to 1".  I plan to cover them both in brown shipping paper.  Lets water soak through but prevents light.  I need to smother the grass that has invaded.  $ months may not be enough (should have done in several months ago) but it should set them back a bit.

3.  Covered the daffodil/tulip bed with black plastic.  Bulbs like to be dry over Winter, AND that should REALLY smother the weeds.  I did that last year in early Fall, but the plastic held water pools and encouraged mosquitos.  So I waited for the first freeze this time.

4.  Took apart the garden.  Tomato cages removed. stakes removed, and the old tomato vines bagged for trash (the fungal and viral diseases will spread otherwise).  The tomatoes were a complete failure this year.  I will plant them in fresh spots next year.

5.  Harvested self-sowing and native seeds.  Snipped off the seedheads and placed each in a ziplock bag to store in the basement fridge.  When the soils thaws in Spring, I will spread the saved seeds and spread 1/4"on seeds and them rake it around lightly.  That way, most will be at perfect depth for growing.

6.  Charged up the string-trimmer.  My garden pathways have some invasive vines.  Cutting them down with stunt growth.  But I've been saving cardboard boxes for a few years.  Time to use them.  Covering the  paths with cardboard should eliminate those vines.

More work to do tomorrow, but rain forecast in the morning.

7.  Repotted 3 dozen Nandina shrub seedlings.  It was surprisingly difficult.  The deep narrow cells that released marigolds before do not release Nandinas for some reason.  But I expect all will survive.  Nandinas are tough,  All are under lights, so should do fine.

Software Updates

A year or so ago, I updated my software on my Mac.  Everything went completely whack. The apps failed. And the new Big Sur O/S was so mean that it couldn't be removed.  I actually had to buy a new Mac Mini to start again.

But some accustomed apps become obsolete and unsecure, so a few days ago, I upgraded to the newest Mac O/S "Monterey".  I expected a disaster.  Apparently, the BIG DEAL was that the programmers decided they liked Pink and Purple and rounded corners on the formerly square app icons.  

I may discover some problems with other apps, but not so far...  And if postibng works, I'm OK.

OK, pple mail is a bit different...  I'll have to get into that...

Covid Masks

I wonder if we think about the masks we wear?  This is not about whether to wear one.  I mean, I do and virtually everyone around HERE wears one.  But that's not my post today.  It is that there are a LOT of designs available, and we seldom really look at the designs people choose.  I have been doing that recently.

You can probably tell a lot about a persons interests by the designs on their mask.  I've seen everything from "question marks" to cartoon characters to fake mouths to smiley faces to plain surgical ones.  

This came to mind after I got compliments from several random fellow-shoppers and 1 cashier (who showed me the kitty paw tattoo on her wrist) recently.  I've been able to give most of them my blog address.  It never hurts to recruit new readers (and possible new cat-bloggers).

I need kitty-ears to go with it,  LOL!  Actually, I could probably fashion a passable set to attach to a plain matching black baseball hat I have.  I have a LOT of hats...

Another thought on masks.  You know how we tend to just smile briefly at other people in minor shopping or other social interactions with strangers?  They do a small thing like move a cart out of the way in a store, say "sorry", and you smile in return to acknowledge the action.  

Can't really do that very well wearing a mask. ;)  :(  But we do it anyway; the gesture is so automatic.  So I've been learning to actually say "thank you" out loud instead of just smiling.  

 

Been Busy

Lori, the new kitten (not everyone who reads THIS blog is cat-addicted) has taken up a lot of my time pre and post arrival.  But there have been other things going on.  

A minor but important event was returning a package of truly horrible frozen meatballs to Safeway (they tasted like ground up hot dogs mushed with Wonder Bread).  Because last year I went from the cashier straight to the Customer Service desk about a mispriced item and the lady there said they didn't accept "returns".  I pointed out I had only travelled 10" to the desk.  She GRUDGINGLY gave me a refund.  It was like I was pulling fish-hooks out of her butt.

So I went online to see Safeway's return policy.  It said they happily refunded any perishable or non-perishable item within the expiration dates.  So with that in hand (literally, I printed it out), I brought the meatballs back, prepared for an argument.

To my surprise, the Customer Service desk person didn't hesitate to give me cash back.  YAY!

Another surprise was to see that one of my upper kitchen cabinets was falling away from the wall.  Well, they are 35 years old...  But it wasn't that the whole cabinet was coming off.  The back for still firmly afixxed.  The cabinet SIDE was loose.

So, get out the glue...  But I couldn't force the side onto the back.  The darn thing was held together with staples!  I probably could have pulled all the staples out (because they wouldn't fit back into the holes and useless if they did.  Brute force seemed the best option.

Start 2 hours of work...  The staples made it hard to force the cabinet side onto the back.  But I'm nothing if not persistent, and persistence overcomes a lot of problems.

I failed in several ways, at first.  Wood glue and pushing had little effect.  But I had a ratcheting cargo bar and tried that.  It wasn't equal to the pressure of the loose staples.  I expressed a LOT of BAD WORDS... 

But I looked at it all again and reconsidered the problem.  That's what persistance is.  I realized the first thing to do was get the side in contact with the back.  So I measured the height to countertop and found things that fit under it.  

You'll love this"  My wood cutting board on end, a can of cat food, and 2 shims levered it up perfectly!  And I found that the cargo bar could be wedged in the open cabinet door at one end and the wall and another cabinet door.

That failed.

OK, the cargo bar had to be secured at both ends so I could actually rachet it without having to hold both ends in place.  

Having figured THAT out, I had to undo everything to squirt wood glue in the loose side and back.  Of COURSE the wood glue was old and the opening was dried.  So I soaked the tip in hot water and cleaned it.

THEN I squirted glue between the loose parts and clamped both ends of the ratchet bar in place.  And set the cutting board, catfood can and shims up tight.  MacGyver's got nothing on me, LOL!  Well, OK, I didn't use a paperclip...

Pushing and shoving, I ratcheted the cargo bar tight as possible.  So far as I could tell, it was a successfully re-joining.  But I also like to be sure.  Extremism in repairs is not a vice and it is not wrong to overdo one.  

So I cut wood strips 1/2" x 1/2" to fit between the shelfs.  That eliminates adjusting the shelves, but since I haven't changed them in 35 years, I probably wont ever need to.  I spread glue on those and wedged then into place with bricks.

I have weird odd tools for reasons.  You never know WHAT you will need sometimes...  

Cabinet, I'll be watching you...

Facebook

I've been on some discussion sites for years.  They are supposed to be dedicated to people of one thought as a safe place to discuss things among people of similar thoughts.  And I don't know how you will think about it (and some of you know), but I'm an atheist.  Always have been.  We are about 15% of the US population now and growing.

It used to be something to hide, but nor so much as time goes by and I don't worry about it all that much these days.  But the sites I visited have been allowing some really crazy people just to increase post count and maybe some ad revenue.  

So I went looking for an atheist discussion forum that promised "only atheists".  I ended up on a Facebook site.  I looked at it and it seemed OK.  But Facebook is weird.  I spent an hour trying to get my Cavebear avatar pic to fit their demands.  Never succeeded, but I suppose the front half is better than the back half, LOL!  There are probably assumptions and skills I do not "get".

But it is weird in other ways.  You can't seem to make more than one paragraph in reply, because "enter" sends the comment.  Finding previous comments baffles me.  Some seem to show up automatically, some don't.  Maybe that is a length of time thing.  

And well, by the rules, no non-atheist person is supposed to be allowed to post, the site is full of people posting who are.  I saw one post saying that saying "hello" was a mark of the devil because it included "hell" and saying "Hi" wasn't much better for some numerological reason.

I think I need my own site.  But I don't understand enough to set up and manage one safely.  Anyone out there who can wants a small side gig?  I'll go to a hiring site like Indeed , but I would prefer someone I know.  I would be the Administrator of course, but just to block the really crazy people.

Meanwhile, have to look at the FB site.  I posted a few replies and need to see if they got responses I like.

Electrical Outage

I've mentioned often enough that one of the positive things about my neighborhood is that we have buried cables.  So naturally we lost power yesterday!   Usually that means something at the switching station or a car accident knocking over a pole on the main road through town and lasts 5-10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, I knew something was unusual.  So I looked outside and saw construction equipment on the corner...  Great, some damn fool chopped the cable.  

Actually, the timing was fortunate.  10 minutes earlier and I would have been all soaped in the shower in a windowless bathroom.  THAT would have been fun!

So after another 30 minutes, I decided to go out to do some errands.  Haircut, grass seed, food...  Of course, that meant unhitching the garage door from the electric opener (yes OF COURSE I unthinkingly hit the "open" button first - habits are habits).  Geez, that door is heavier than I remembered.  

As I was pulling the car out of the garage, I noticed the small lamp on the opener was lit.  Was in on a battery backup?  No, the power had just been restored!  I closed the door and drove off anyway.

On the next street, I saw that people were burying concrete pipes along the side of the road (improving our drainage situation).  Certainly they had cut a cable.  If *I* had done that, I would have been charged for the repair.  But the County isn't going to charge a fine to itself, LOL!

Other than having to reset a few clocks when I got back, everything was fine.

The Old Dining Table

The new one replaces and old.  I was reluctant, as there is family history attached.  The table originally belonged to my maternal grandparents and there were a couple of matching pieces.  The only one *I* know of is a secretary desk I still have and the table.   Mom probably ate there when she was young.

I suspect there were more pieces of a set that were discarded over the years.  But the 2 pieces lasted through my parents and to me.  The secretary (writing table?) desk is pretty much untouched.  The dining table has sure gone through some changes though.  The 2 pieces were "honey oak" according to Dad.

He stripped the finish at one time as rec room furniture and painted it avocado with black legs. I got it as part of my first apartment furniture.  I eventually stripped it and renewed the original wood.   Dad saw it once and said I did "OK".  He was never heavy on praise and I might have been a bit heavy on the finishing.

But it has been my dining room table for many decades in spite of the weak side extensions.  Still,  I always wanted a sturdier one with a center leaf extention.  Bought it.  You read about the assembly yesterday.

The old one will live on though.  I have gotten it into the computer room.  It will be the platform for my old Civ2 offline game machine.  Beats the folding card table I'm using now.  WAY more stable.  I had to take all the legs off to move it and reattach them after.  Put a towel under the table to slide it on edge across the floors.

And quite frankly, as it is part of my family history, I can't bear to part with it...  I'm not sure what to do with the chairs...   I'll just find space to store them.  If someone wants the table after I go, there should be the chairs with it.

And all this (organized and without some junk parts)) will go on it...  Time to re-organize the computer room...

So the table and the matching writing table/desk live on.  I will probably keep them all my life.  What happens to them after depends on a time after I am gone...

Dining Room Table

 I bought a new dining room table and 4 matching chairs.  Self-assembly.  A couple reviewers at Amazon said assembly was horrible, but most said it wasn't too bad.  So keeping in mind that I've built a deck, a fence, and a shed among other things, I figured it wouldn't be a problem.

It was horrible!

You have to know something about assembly to truly understand, but I'll give some examples.  The whole table is assembled with a hex-head wrench.

It is a nice little tool when designed for proper use.  There are bolts designed for hex-head use (as opposed to slot or phillips head screws.  It doesn't slip.  But I emphasize "when used properly".

The table arrived with all the right parts.  Tabletop, legs to assemble and attach, and under-table cross braces.  The design and support structure is very solid.  I could tell that from looking at the various views online.  I'm not an engineer, but my Dad was and I didn't escape teenhood without some experience.

It took nearly a day to seperate the parts.  The box seems to have been mislabled "this side up".  There were parts to wouldn't separate.  Had I opened the box on the other side, it would have been easier.  Maybe it was my error...

\But iIt's the way the parts have to be assembled that was horrible.  There were holes where you have to feed a bolt into and tighten them.  They were designed badly.  You have to fit the hex wrench into the bolt (technically a "machine screw" if you care) and turn it.  1/4 turn at a time forever...  

And in the dark.  You can't get at it and shine a light in any way.  Your hand HAS to cast a shadow.  So it is all by feel.  And the fit is tight.  And sometimes the bolts locked up from poor fit.  I solved THAT by driving all the bolts with a socket wrench before I assembled the pieces, but that was just more wasted time.

The table had to be assembled upside down.  Damn it weighs a ton (or so it seemed).  The leg assemblies took a frustrating hour each.  Fitting the hex wrench for each 1/4 turn was difficult.  Each of 4 of the legs seemed to take forever and I had to take "frustration" breaks.  But I eventually got them together.

Had the assembly been easier, I would have remembered to take more pictures, but in frustration, pictures were the last thing on my mind.

That meant attaching the assembled legs to the upside-down tabletop.  That part was easier.  I had cut off 1/2 inch of a same-size hex wrench (good hacksaw) because it fit into a socket wrench socket.  That allowed faster turning when there was free access to the bolts.

And then I could add the cross braces between the legs..  That took some pushing but it worked out well.  I eventually had the table completely constructed, but still upside down...

The male friend across the street had a knee replacement a couple months ago and a 2nd one scheduled in a couple weeks. The lady mentioned recently she had an arm-sprain.  No one else to ask for help.  So no one else to ask for help.

I was worried that, if I tipped the table up on one side of laegs, they might break.  After all, sideways isn't what they are designed for.

I figured out many ways I might possibly get the table upright.  But the one that seemed most secure was to clamp the heck out of all the weak spots..

First, I had to get the upside-down table up on its side.  That was hard enough.  Not much gripping area at the edge (flush to the floor).  I finally got a small piece of scrap board and lifted the tabletop enough to shove the scrap under.  From there, I could reach far enough under to get a decent grip and turn it on a side position.  Hurray!

Then I needed to turn it from the side to upright.  That was what really worried me.  All the weight of the table  would be on 2 legs.  But that's why I had all the braces and clamps.  It did occur to me that when I turned the table from side to upright, the far legs were going to have a sudden shock of weight.  

So I taped styrofoam under the legs to aborb that!  And the edge of the table top was no more easier to lift sideways that flat.  So I had to do the "lift and scrap wood push under" again.  It took a few tries but I got it.  Full hand-room under the edge...

I was pretty much worn out by that time.  But there was only one more 90 degree turn to go.  One more HEAVY lift (squat, lift from the legs and stand up), and the table was upright, undamaged... 

Removed all the clamps (which I credit for the non-damage to the legs) and the styrofoam that eased the sudden weight of the table hitting the floor.

And here is the table upright.  The instructions said it requires 2 people.  Yeah, did it by myself...  I'm ornery that way.

I have 4 matching chairs to assemble.  I hope that goes easily.  Ay least they are each lighter to handle, LOL!

The table has a center leaf.  I probably won't use it, but I wanted the option.  A center leaf table is a lot more sturdy than a side leaf table.  My previous dining table had weak side extentions.  More about that next time...

Strange Neighbors

You may be getting tired of this, but there is always something new.

Mototorcycle Guy is driving back and forth up and down the street less frequently lately.  I don't know why, but maybe it finally became boring.  Or he can drive further away legally.  Or someone complained.  Or he he has a new hobby.  Or is getting older.  Or my brain is tuning it out.

My eastern side neighbors are taking up the noise slack from Motorcycle Man, though.   The lady there has taken up leaf-blowing.  Gas, not electric, of course.  She spent 3 hours blowing all the leaves into a pile in the back up the yard a week ago.  And did the same yesterday into a 2nd pile.  Why 2 separate piles?  I have no idea.  

I want to tell them that just mowing the leaves into the lawn if good for the lawn and a whole lot easier, but I hesitate becaue we didn't start out well.  They tried to burn my fence and then intruded on my property with a gas-powered metal-bladed whacker around a tree.  And I had to yell because the guy wouldn't turn his noisy whacker off.  And then complained I was yelling...

And I see a pile of brush along with the leaves.  I hope she doesn't plan to burn them.  It isn't utterly dry like it was last year, but it is routinely windy.  If she starts to burn it all, this time I will just call the Fire Department.  They will explain things with more authority than *I* have...

And they recently added some solar panels.  The Flip-Renovater added them on the south roof before they moved in, but I'm pretty sure there weren't any on the NORTH side of the roof until recently (it's not a noisy job, so I might have missed it happening).  I did see some ladders up to the roof last month, but didn't pay much attention.

Why would they do that?  There is little sunshine on the north roof here.  Maybe they don't know how solar panels work and that indirect ambient light is what powers them.

The neighbors 2 yards east had a nice hedge but cut it down 2 years ago.  Not down to the ground, 2 feet high.  The shrubs are completely dead, but they leave them in place.  Well, maybe the stumps serve as a property line indicator.  After all THEIR west neighbor is MY east neighbor who doesn't seem to quite understand property lines...  But a long row of dead shrub stumps?  That's odd.

I was surprised to look out the window (petting Ayla who loves windowsills) and see a guy walking the roof ridgeline of my helpful neighbors.  It's not something you see every day.  Then I noticed other people walking around all wearing identical tee-shirts, so it was some business.  So there was some project going on.  The van parked in front had a simple name that said nothing about the purpose.

I hope whatever they were doing doing out well.  I like that couple.  I'll have to wait for a chance meeting to ask about it.  But at least they tend to do sensible things.

The west-side neighbors continue to leave a fallen-down willow tree on their front lawn after 3 years.  They have a mowing service that carefully mows around the tree.  I almost never see them outside.  Five or so years ago, I saw them all in the far back yard digging.  I think they were burying one of their dogs.  I din't go looking over the fence of course, that would have been intrusive.

I live in a neighborhood where you can't just go knock on a door and ask "what just happened" or "why did you do that"?  People just aren't that interested in their neighbors.  Neither am I personally, but I enjoy seeing the odd things they do.  

I myself, am perfect in all regards, of course...  LOL!

Complaints Update

Well, the neighbors 2 houses away resolved my remnant tree trunk curiosity; they cut those down last.  But 5 DAYS of chainsaw noise - wow!  I can't tell if their yard is much brighter (probably is but surrounded by a fence).  The backyard between us sure is brighter; I wonder if they are happy about it.  

I can even tell some difference in my backyard in early morning.  There are patches of sunlight where I haven't seem it for years.  Unfortunately, not in my garden area.  The rising sun quickly goes behind trees of my southern neighbor.

Speaking of the "neighbors between us" who surrounded most of their tree trunks with kitchen plastic wrap, I remain baffled.  Internet searching finds nothing about it, so it is probably some hare-brained idea (given their apparent inexperience at yardwork). There ARE plastic tree-guards you wrap around trunks of young trees in Winter to prevent bark-scorching, but that is entirely different heavier-duty stuff and the there are holes in it to allow air circulation to the bark.  

I'll have to post a question on a gardening site I visit occasionally.  Actually, I hope what they are doing kills those trees.  THAT would open up some light to my garden!  I don't mind that they are "junk trees"; to some extent, "trees are trees" in the same way that green weeds in a lawn are at least green.  And they produce oxygen just like weeds in the lawn do.  But I sure wouldn't mind if they rotted and died from the plastic wrap, LOL!

So the chainsaw music from the neighbor 2 houses away ended Friday.  Another neighbor started their own cutting project Saturday.  Tis the time of year, I guess.

I might be doing the same soon myself.  I have a Beech tree that died last year.  I gave it this one to see if it send out any new shoots.  It didn't.  I have a small specimen tree that also died last year.  It sent out a few shoots in Spring, but they withered, so it's dead.  

And a huge Sweetgum tree in the westside neighbor's backyard lost the top 1/3 some years ago and another 1/3 fell into my backyard last year (which makes it my problem).  Fortunately, it missed the 2 Sourwood and 2 Korean Dogwood saplings I planted 2 years ago.  I'm depending on them to grow fast and tall enough to shade out the wild blackberries that sprung up when I cleared the backyard of my own junk trees.  So I need a professional service to clear those out.

Motorcycle Man continues to just ride back and forth along my dead end street.  He goes back and forth every 20-30 minutes most of the day.  I originally thought he was doing motorcycle repairs in his garage, but I finally realized it was the same 3 motorcycles all the time.

It isn't like the motorcycles are the huge types that gangs ride, but the sound still penetrates the house and it's the repetitiveness that is most annoying.  I don't know anything about the rider.  He wears a visored helmet.  But he is too large to be a teen hiding his riding from the law.  I'm guessing an adult  either living in his parents basement or married with an unhappy home life.  

One of these days, I'll take a stroll down the road and see if I can figure out what house he is in.  It's not that he is doing anything illegal, but it sure is annoying.  Sort of like someone putting a church bell on their roof and having it ring ever half-hour 8 am to 10 pm.

I've probably been complaining too much lately.  I'll try to get back to more positive stuff soon.

More Odd Neighbor Stuff

 I don't want to harp on the neighbors too much.  But I don't like mine a whole lot.  I think they are kind of weird.  The neighbors to the east are odd.  They don't have much sense of property lines.  And forgive me, it it hard to discuss concerns well.  They don't speak American well.  Damn that seems bad to say, but you have to be able to talk to resolve problems.

I can manage that slightly, but they seem kind of new to yardwork safety.  They  decided to burn fallen tree branches once, right next to my wood fence and below small trees.  And had no water supply near.  Then the guy decided to use a metal blade trimmer to remove grass around a tree in my yard.  It died the next year.  When I told him to stop, he seemed to think he was helping me.  

Now they have their tree trunks wrapped in clear plastic, taped all around 5' up.  None of my business, I suppose, but I'm curious and can't ask why.  

The neighbors one further had all their trees cut down, but only 8' high.  They left the trunks.  I can't imagine a reason.  That's the east...

My neighbors on the west side have a tree across their front lawn that has sat there for 4 years.  They have a mowing company that does their lawn, but they ignore the fallen tree.

The people to the south have poison ivy beds that creep into my yard.  I spray them, but they come back.

I have some neighbor down the street a few houses who just drives a motorcycle back on forth along the the street.  I thought maybe he had a repair business on the side, but it is always the same 3 motorcycles.

I feel trapped.  I love the city water and sewage, the buried electrical and good internet cable, the dead end street and the grandfathered no Homeowners Association.  And I feel like I have too much to move; woodworking equipment is delicate in some ways.

But if I don't move soon, I never will...

Deck Mums And A Surprise Visitor

I didn't do too well with the planters hanging from the deck rails (usually Zinnias or Salvia) but the deck floor planter Mums are beginning to bloom...

The beds were mowed for renewal, but do you notice a small object near center top?

A bunny was visiting...

Marley and Ayla have mostly retired from hunting the bigger critters (mice are just fine these days) but Laz has an interest in rabbits and squirrels.  I mean, he was LOOKING at the backyard (see the top pic).

It was funny.  The rabbit was obvious to ME, but even when I picked up Laz and aimed his head to it, he didn't see it.  Because the rabbit wasn't moving.

I understand.  I'm shape/color/movement/far-sighted evolved and he is movement/sound/near-sighted evolved.  And sees yellow-blue best (which is why bunnies and i are brown, I suppose).

So I whistled suddenly and the bunny twitched its ears.  Wow did THAT get Laz's attention!  He was off like a shot (I have a wound to prove it) and went right after it.  No chance to catch it off course but he was enthusiastic.  Give a rabbit a headstart and no hope for a cat.

But it probably made his day.  He didn't need any food, but "the thrill of the chase" was good...

Catching Up With The Yard, Part 3

I meant to show the clearing and mowing of the 3 beds and forgot...

So here some are:  Plus the goldfinch feeder.  Just couldn't leave that one out...

Some spots went unmowed for the year but that is mostly done now and thge mowed stuff will smother the grasses.  I have 2 Yuccas in one bed and a wild daylily in another.  There were 3 Yuccas originally, but I have one in the original spot that can be divided in 3 now and moved so I will have 5 in the future.  I'll wait to see the daylily color next year (I plan to divide most of them in the original area this Fall and mix up the colors anyway) while creating more plants.

The last picture is of a front yard island around the Saucer Magnolia (my best Spring-flowering tree).  There are daffodils planted around the bed, but I want Painted ferns and variegated Bishop's Weed in there too.  The Astilbes didn't thrive,  but the other 2 seem to like the area and the deer don't eat them, so they are good choices.

The unmowed area is where some Astilbes survive.  I will move them to a better location.  I have landscape flag next to each one, so I can dig up the roots and hope they like a new spot.

Catching Up With The Yard, Part 2

I mentioned that grasses were taking over some areas of the yard.  And those were flowerbeds.   Well, I "got behind" this year.  I wasn't healed from the ladder fall until about June (and will never be fully, but let's say I might be about 80%).  I can do most things OK.

But I have catching up to do.  I slacked last year a bit and then couldn't do much until June this year (and I have done a LOT of cutting-to-ground-level and digging this year.  So I'm doing basic stuff this late Summer and Fall.

Two losses were the meadow bed and the pollinator bed.  The meadow bed wasn't all THAT bad.  Lot's of Queen Anne's Lace, some Black-Eyed Susans and a few surviving wildflowers.  But both failed, so it is time to start again.

I cut all the tall plants near ground level with a hedge-trimmer (worked great) and then used the mower at the lowest level.  There is probably enough fallen plant material to smother the grasses.  Or maybe not.  But as they decay, it will sure be good for the soil.

But I have a plan.  The Meadow Bed will become a mix of native and adapted flowers that do well here.  Mostly Black-Eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers, Queen Anne's Lace, 

And some various self-sowing flowers (Tithonia, Calendula, and Butterfly Weed) that seem to attract pollinators.  

The pollinator garden will become more of a source of beneficial insect growth area.  A plastic tub will serve to host milkweed for monarch butterflies and others will help other beneficial insects.  I'll be deciding next month about what to plant for them.  There are lists on the net.

But the first thing to do is try to smother the more wild grasses that invaded the beds in the first place.  I've collected enough permeab;e black weed-smothering fabric to cover everything.  I tried solid black plactic over the Spring Bulb bed, but THAT did was create pools of rainwater for the mosquitoes.  Some pereamble it must be.  It WILL smother the grasses eventually.

I made a mistake trying to plant the specialty beds several years ago.  I SHOULD have covered them first for a year to kill the grasses that survived the rototillering.  But I was impatient.

Had I done that then, I would have 3 year old mature meadow and pollinator beds now.  You live and learn.  And such beds were new to me.

I have all THOSE above flowers growing now around the yard and in a nursery bed.  I'll be collecting the seedheads as they mature and dry to spread around in the 2 beds.  I think I will spread all the various seeds around about equally.  Some may grow better than others, and I would rather see a general spread of flowers adapted to my area all over than have barespots.  I can always diversify in a future year.

Catching Up With The Yard, Part 1

I got some stuff done in the yard in June and July (which got undone as weeds regrew in August) but at least it isn't as bad as before.  Young new weeds are better that old tough ones. 

August was odd.  Too much rain.  I never thought I would complain about THAT!  My 1st 25 years here, the soil would get so dry that it would crack open like a lesser version of parched mudflats.

When some rain DID fall, it would immediately be sucked into the depths.  OK, unlike the above picture, I DID have lawn grass, but dry and brown.  Things have changed.  Partly, by my own efforts to leave grass clippings on the lawn which gradually improved the soil.  And NO, grass-clippings do not cause "thatch". Frequent but only surface watering causes the grass roots to spread on the top inch or so (where the water is), and THAT causes thatch.  And that leaves the grass roots subject to drying and death.

I have a healthy lawn almost year-round these days, and I seldom water it.  But when I do, it is a long deep watering.  Healthy grass can send roots down a foot or more if that is where the water is, and deeper water doesn't evaporate away as fast as surface water.

And I'll mention the clover is good for your lawn.  Clover sends roots down several feet and brings nutrients back up to the surface as the leaves die.  But bees like clover, and I sure don't mind helping the bees.  

As far as the lawn goes my rule is pretty much "If it is green, it is OK".  I don't even mind a few dandelions.  I don't have many because the grass is healthy and I cut it at 3" which is enough to smother/shadeout most weeds.  

I have neighbors who cut their grass to 1" and are constantly fighting with weak grass and happy weeds.  I'm pretty sure all the dandelions I DO have come from them.  Well, you know, most people don't exactly study about lawns.  They just do their best in their busy days.  I've always been interested in growing things though, and a lawn is like a garden.  

In fact, it is time to spread corn gluten meal on the lawn.  It inhibits seeds from developing and Fall is when the dandelion and most lawn weeds germinate.  And since it is also mostly nitrogen, the grass loves it.  Turf grasses in temperate zones grow roots best in Fall/Winter (which admittedly does seem odd for most plants) and good roots make healthy lawns.  But Spring bulbs are like that too, so they aren't unique.

But the corn gluten that prevents weed seeds from developing also affects grass seed.  So I generally cycle the  Fall treatments.  Two Septembers, the corn gluten, and the 3rd, new grass seed.  My preferred lawn grass is tall fescue and they are not spreaders.  So new seed has to be spread "sometimes".  

Every few years, I get a trailerful of free compost from the County and spread it around on the lawn.  It's really kind of a cool system.  You have yard debris like fallen branches and even Christmas trees and bring it to the Mulching Center.  

They pile it up into huge mounds for a couple years while it heats up and breaks down.  Then they move it to a 2nd spot for a final "churn" where it heats up again.  The result is something between mulch and compost.  It's not like finely-sifted compost of course, but it is ready for lawn and garden use.  

I like it for several reasons.  It's free to dump the raw stuff at the start and free to pick the finished product.  And if you go on Saturdays 8am-Noon, they use a bucket-loader to fill the trailer for free.  I LOVE "free".

The commercial nursery near the County mulch center probably hates that.  They get $40 per bucketload (my trailer holds 3).  But they offer sifted compost and a 50/50 blend of topsoil at the same price and sometimes I buy some of that.  And I only know of them because I have stooped there on my way to the County mulch center, so they get some business from me for that and sometimes I buy plants.

But back to the lawn.  I spread the compost over the lawn thinly most Springs.  Every little amount helps.  An 1/8" of compost helps the grass quite a lot (they are good at living on very little help (consider that most grasses worldwide live without human assistance)...

But all that is about the lawn.  I have problems with TOO much grass in other places.  More about that tomorrow... 

Car Maintenance

I was reminded last week by receiving a registration renewal form from Motor Vehicles that it had been 13 months since I bought the new Subaru Forester and so it was time to have routine maintance done.  Never mind the car has only 700 miles on it, oils gets old etc  and I am planning to drive at highway speed 200 miles roundtrip in 4 weeks (pick up new kitten).  

I mentioned that previously, but I actually scheduled it for Friday.  I am a Class A procrastinator, so actually scheduling it was a Big Deal.  And why I scheduled it for 8:30 am is beyond me, but I suppose at the time I wasn't sure how long it would take.

All my life before I retired, I was a morning person.  Up early for school and job and even on days off, I got up early.  Then I became a real "night owl".  So 8:30 am was an unaccustomed time of day.  I managed it though.  Dropped off the car, reviewed what they would do, gave some warnings (I have a battery-charger device wire sticking out of the grill and I didn't want them to mess with it).

They have shuttle service, so they drove me home (I love shuttle service as I go nuts sitting around and doing nothing).  The van driver almost made me scream.  You might expect that it was because he drove too fast, but it was the opposite.  He was maddeningly slow and didn't understand directions very well.  

I haven't been the passenger in a car very often since my carpool days 15 years ago.  I kept thinking "go" when regular traffic allowed for it safely, but he just sat.  Let's just say it took me 5 minutes to drive to the dealership and 10 minutes to get returned, LOL!

And he seemed confused about directions.  I would say "next right turn", and he would hesitate at every house we passed.  And "next left turn" and he would ask if I meant each house we passed.  One street ends at a wetland.  I told him about that and to turn left, but I was 1/2 certain he was going to drive straight into it!

We got near my house and I said 3rd house on the left - the green one (only green house on the street.  He almost drove past.  I said "stop, this one".  *sigh*

So back in the house, I went straight back to bed, assuming I would hear a telephone call to let me know the car was ready and they could pick me up.  I must have been REALLY tired!  Apparently, I slept through 3 calls.  I got up at 2 pm and sure enough, there were those call on voice mail.  The car had been ready at 10 am!

Well, no great loss.   I called back and they said the shuttle guy would be there in 10 minutes.  30 minutes later, I called them again.  They said he had left 20 minutes before but not to worry "he doesn't get lost".  Sure enough, he showed up soon after.  He had gotten lost.  Said his GPS was charging.  He had my phone number...

But he arrived and got me to the dealership.   The good news was that they found nothing wrong, but did the usual tire rotation, oil and filter change, checked fluids etc and even washed the car (nice touch). And at no charge!  

Well, when I bought the car, the details of the costs were very specific.  I had negotiated for a month after all.  But they had charged $200 to fill the tires with nitrogen.  Hey "air" is 78% nitrogen already!  Tired of fussing about the final cost, I got a "free" oil and filter change at the first annual maintenance in exchange.

Salespeople are amazing.  Turned out that the first annual maintenance was free anyway!  No matter what you do, they always find "some" little trick to get a last dollar.  But, in the long-term, the $200 trick and the meaningless "free" oil and filter change doesn't really matter.  

Unless I suddenly decide to by an all-electric car in a few years due to some battery-tech breakthough, I the Subaru Forester may be my last car.  Each car of my life has been built better and lasted longer.  The Toyota Highlander lasted 15 years and I drive the Subaru less than the Toyota anyway.  It should last 20 and I probably won'tbe safe to frive at 90+.