Decision Point

Well, I've gone and done it now.  I ordered a PC computer to replace my Mac Mini.  And I mean not only the one I was having trouble with recently, but also the one I bought as backup when I started having problems 6 months ago and couldn't get that one to work either (rip-off used computer, bad power cord, no operating system installed, who knows?

But I am leaving the Mac universe.  There are parts of it I will miss.  "Finder" is great, iPhoto is great.  I became accustomed to some of the Mac features.  But Apple has just become too darn restrictive.  I can't get one repaired without an hour drive each way twice.  There and back to deliver it; there and back to pick it up days later. 

There are 3 PC repair shops in town here.  You walk in, they are happy to see you, and they sometimes fix the problem on the spot!  That matters too.

And quite frankly, every thing I read says they are about the same these days. Well, that's how technology works.  Everyone figures out what the good ideas are and uses them.    I was just reading an old article in Scientific American mentioning how automobile manufactureres had focussed in on all the best ideas and the cars were becoming pretty much all the same (from the 50s).

So the new PC will arrive from Amazon Tuesday.  Not TOP of the line, but what I judge to be best for me a touch below.  Slightly slower gaming speed than the best at that, but more storage for photos and such, which matters more to me. 

But I may be offline for some days next week getting it set up, arranging email, copying sites and passwords, copying bookmarks and the like.

If I'm lucky, it might take only a day (yeah right, LOL) or it might take 3 (hoping not that long).  You never know. 

I'll keep the old Mac Mini plugged in but not on internet until it is done.  Email will be the first thing I set up.  Blogs 2nd.  If you don't see us after Tuesday or a while, don't worry.  We aren't gone or ignoring our friends.  We are just busy arranging for a GREAT return!

On More Normal News

Apparently, my Saucer Mangolias never stood a chance of blooming this year.  The flowers come out before the leaves, and every year is a gamble.  Their evolutionary strategy seems to be to bloom before all other trees.  I have no good idea why.

The hail that knocked off 20% of the buds was bad enough.  The freezes that followed for 2 nights killed the rest.  But if that had not happened, it wouldn't have matterred.

The next 6 nights are forecast to hit lows of 22F, 22, 23, 32, 28, and 19!  This is horrible March weather for this area.

The earliest daffodil stems fell over, so I don't know WHAT this freezing streak will do the the emerging hyacinths and tulips.  For the tulips, I may just have to wait til next year, but I am most worried about the hyacinths.

I planted the hyacinths late in 2015 and they did not emerge at all in Spring 2016.  But I gave them another year (hope springs eternal) and they are coming up this year.  If this freeze kills them, I will be very sad.  I've covered them with old blankets, but low 20s is very cold.

I know "global warming" means global and a warmer climate is actually less predictable and varied.  The warmer the climate gets, the more the weather patterns can move around and shift during transition seasons like now.

Nothing a gardener hates more than uncertain weather!

It Just Gets Worse

The computer situation is getting worse.  It all started when Verizon announced it was stopping its email service.  You could switch to their new partner AOL (and keep the Verizon email addresses) or go get your own (and start with new email addresses).  I started the procedure to switch to AOL; I can always get a new email service later, and the only assistance Verizon was providing was the transfer to AOL

It has all gone horribly wrong.  I mentioned the hours online with Verizon's overseas call center techs, but it is worse.  Well, yes, I can receive email addressed to cavebear2118@verizon.net on AOL's simple and unhelpful system.

But I have been using 3 sub-accounts on my Mac email where previous emails were sent to Verizon and forwarded to my Mac email.  Except 2 of them seem incapacitated now.  I may have caused that myself, but I'm not sure how.  Just know that the passwords in my "keychain" don't seem to work anymore.  And Verizon says they can't help me with anything on my Mac email.

So, I decided the only thing to do was restore my hard drive completely from my backup system (called Time Machine on Mac).  I've used it before for specific files and folders, even recovered my Word and Excel for Mac, and once to completely copy back the entire drive.  It takes time but it works.  

Time Machine backs up new files hourly, saves weekly, saves monthly.  Older backups are deleted when the external drive it saves to is filled.  There are dozens.

Except yesterday when I tried to restore the entire drive, there WEREN'T.  All gone except the most recent 2, which were from AFTER I switched my email from Verizon to AOL.

It may have been a new security program I purchased (and highly recommended at several sites).  It made some small annoying changes (like setting my security to demand a password everytime I opened the computer even after it merely went into sleep mode after 10 minutes.  But the first time it ran, I had it do a complete scan and cleaning of duplicate files.  If that allowed it into my backup drive, it might be why all the old ones disappeared. 

I don't know the cause for sure, but it doesn't seem to be reversible.  All my backups are lost, just when I needed them most.

My Mac email is perfectly willing to let me into to my subaccounts (cavebear2118, marksmews2118, and yardenman2118 - those are my personal email, my cat email, and my gardening email respectively).  IF I can type in the passwords.  Which I haven't had to do for years to access them, so something ELSE has changed.

I found a file called Keychain that stores passwords for every website I visit, my email accounts, and some various other kinds of sites.  Entering my Admin password allows me to display the specific passwords one at a time. 

There were upwards of a dozen email accounts with different passwords on various dates and I do recall having struggled with email accounts before.

None of them worked, or they did and I didn't know the right place to go after that.

The strange thing is that marksmews2118@verizon.net seems to work for receiving emails, but I can't send from any account or receive from the other 2.  I can receive emails at my new AOL page, at least from some sites.  But I can't send any to myself.

My Mac emails are still stored in my accounts, so I haven't exactly lost them.  I just can't seem to send anything.

I'll fight with this for a few more days before doing anything drastic.

BLAH!

Who ever said things can't get worse had a happy life.  Trying to adjust to AOL email, I managed to completely screw up the emails I did have!  My Mac Mini finally died, and replacement I had stashed away had no power cord.

Well, of COURSE it was different.  Apple changes everything as fast as they can.  If they could make household current suddenly change from 120 volts to 150 volts, they would.

So I went of to buy a new power cord.  About 5 years too late, it seems.  Apple went back to the cord for the Mac Mini I have that barely runs a few years ago.

My old Mac Mini is still running after cooling down for an hour., but it took another hour  to get the restore feature working.  It has worked easily before, but apparently, it get relly confused trying to over-write the new email system.

I've lost 1/3 of all my old emails.  Verizon said they were sorry (I was talking to them will I typed this.  I'll be trying to recover them.

But I may be absent for a few days.  I have only so much time I can spend on the computer and I've spent over 24 hours at it today.

The cats need attention, I need to eat, and I need to sleep.  Hopefully things will be better in a few days but I wouldn't bet any money on it.  I'm  p***sed.  And tired...

And I just got several legit emails warning of increasing Mac viruses. 

And I just learned the power cord costs $100.  That's it, I'm going back to a PC.  

My ISP Is Cheating!

I just received notice that my ISP - Verizon - is no longer going to be providing email service!  This seems bizarre.  It is one of the basic things they do.  Its a bundle - TV, Computer, Telephone, Email...  Pretty basic stuff.

I guess they ARE merging (or acquiring) AOL because I can keep my verizon email address is I switch to AOL.  I haven't looked into the details yet, but AOL has never been any favorite of mine.

It is possible that all it means is getting an AOL account.  I hope.  But I'll bet there are some problems that come along with doing that.

I have had my Verizon email forwarded to my mac email for 8 years.  The user name and password are long lost.  I spent 2 hours on the phone with them and they couldn't provide it.  Not "wouldn't", couldn't.  They sure tried.

   ********************

It took 4 hours on the phone with Verizon techs to get my email switched to AOL.  3 hours overseas to no result. An hour with local  Verizon folks and they had to kick it upline twice.  The conversion was managed.

And now on AOL, my only goal is to  get OFF it ASAP.  It is a piece of crap, drowning in ads, and not permitting me (so far) to maintain separate accounts for personal, cat, and gardening purposes.  And that's saying it nicely!

All email now comes into one account, the sender names are abbreviated,  and they all look the same.  Our email may be really screwed up until I figure out the changes.  I don't know when I will figure it out.  I'm not as good at understanding this stuff as I used to be.

I used to read all the blog comments by email.  I'm not sure how to do that right now.  I'll figure it out eventually, but I might not be online until I do.

I am researchibg alternate email systems today.

Forgive me if I get obsessed for a few days.  We all have our ways of dealing with changes and mine is to just research the HELL out of them until I find a solution I like.

See you then...

Late Hard Freeze

This mild winter helped the Saucer Magnolias to build huge buds, full of promise.  The hailstorm last week knocked off a lot of buds, but most were left and it promised to be a spectacular flowering this year in spite of that.  Possibly the best ever.  The forecast was for no freezing remperatures for 2 weeks.

But surprises happen.  A twist of weather brought 2 nights of temperatures down to 20F.  They were all killed!

Absolute mush!

Not a single one will open.

Last year they bloomed nicely, but 2 weeks later.

 Here is the backyard tree over the fence gate...

And the early daffodils were good.

But they are all knocked down.  The flowers can stand the cold, but not the stems.

So sad...

Some Road Construction Is Not Good

I live in a neighborhood with one road out.  20 years ago, the County considered bypasses around my town.  Option A ran through my front lawn.  Option B was a parkway (meaning no traffic light) at the front of my neighborhood that meant none of us could ever get out due to traffic unless we made a right turn and travelled for a mile before doubling back to local stores.  Option C was a bypass on the other side of town, which they built.

Today, I saw signs of road construction suggesting they are also doing Option B.  OK, that's better than having the bypass go through my front yard but it means the neighborhood will be just that much worse for driving.  It already takes 15 minutes to get 3 miles!

ARGGGHHHH!

If they make the neighborhood completely impossible to live in after all the yardwork I've done the past 3 years, I will positively SCREAM.

A Surprise Storm

It's one thing to have a 40% chance of a thunderstorm and quite another what we had here this afternoon.

I am glad I took pictures of the first 2 daffodil blooms and a few new crocuses before the storm.

 Because they aren't there now...

The rain started a bit sooner than forecast, but that was no great surprise.  Maryland, being between the Appalchians and the Chesapeake Bay east/west, and the northern and southern weather patterns, is considered one of the trickier areas of the US for weather forecasting.  We get unexpected swirls from all directions.

I was appreciating that there would be some rain; we have had only about 1/2" so far this year.  So I was watching the first few raindrop.  Then the hail came down!

We don't get hail often here and it is usually the size of peas when we do.  It falls straight down, bounces around oddly and lasts about 5 minutes.  The hail around here is usually the size of peas; this stuff was grape-sized.  Not much compared to what some people get elsewhere, but surprize is whatever is more than you are used to. 

Today, we had a hail-blizzard!  I've seen snow going almost sideways in serious blizzards before, but I have never seen hail do that.  The hail didn't bouncely politely of the roof; it smashed into the windows and doors.  It was so heavy (briefly) that it just looked like a thick fog outside (moving rapidly sideways).

The sound was deafing on the side of the house facing the wind and I am hoping that when I can see it in the daylight, there is no dented or broken siding.  It was exciting in an odd way (meaning I couldn't stop it, so might as well observe it for the experience).

And then the power went off.  It came on a few seconds, went off a few seconds, and then went off for 3 hours. 

It wasn't yet dark enough to need candles, but I did go around the house and collect battery-powered stuff in case it lasted a while.  I have several radios with rechargeable batteries,  a couple lights that operate off cigarette plug in cars, 2 portable battery packs with plugable outlets, several maxlite flashlights, and even a crankable emergency radio.  And multiple-wick emergency candles.  We do sometimes have hurricanes here.  And I always make sure to have dry wood and a couple bags of charcoal for cooking outside if things get bad for more than a day. 

I am SO boy-scoutish...  LOL!

The radio said we had wind gusts up to 60 mph and heavy hail.  There was a possible tornado reported nearby, so the wind gusts made sense.  I don't keep a rain gauge up in Winter so I don't know how much precipitation fell, but in the 30 minute storm the drainage easement was running higher than I have seen it for years.  I a thankful for 2 things about that.  First, that I raised the level of my lawn around it by 2' 3 years ago, and second, that I got the County out here to clean the imbedded debris in the storm drain at the end of the easement.  Otherwise, the street would have been inundated!  Even so, my front lawn near the street had standing water a foot deep.  Even a storm drain has finite draining capacity.

There is temporary damage.  The only 2 first 2 daffodil flowers were crushed, I think most of the crocuses are beaten down.  Perhaps most sadly, I lost a few 100 saucer magnolia buds that were about to bloom due to the warm weather of the past weeks.  I'll take heart that so many are left.  And the unopened daffodil buds seem undamaged.  Flowers are fragile; buds are tight and tough.

The deck...

The new edged front island...

The backyard...

Keeping to good thoughts as much as possible, the hail will melt slowly into the ground.  The ground needs water. 

The power came back on in time for me to re-heat a pre-cooked frozen meal (pulled pork with jalapeno peppers in roasted tomato sauce with noodles) and M/W sweet potato and a big tossed salad.  Good thing too, because I was staring at a can of beef chili and considering using the hibachi to heat it...

What irritates me the most (aside from the loss of the saucer magnolia buds really) is that I was JUST going to the basement to plant my tomatoes and peppers and cole crops when the power went out. 

And stranger?  It is dribbling hail.  Just started as I typed the last sentence...

Never...

slam the microwave oven door when you are annoyed at the news... It can stop working. 

So here I am with a selection of frozen meals (all home-made) to select from.  I'm not even sure I remember HOW to thaw and re-heat a frozen cooked turkey drumstick.  I haven't actually BAKED a potato in 15 years  (Nuke it 5 minutes, instant "baked" potato).

The cats are horrified: "How will he heat our canned food", they wail (sit can in hot tap water for 5 minutes. 

 I can't imagine reheating a turkey drumstick wrapping it in foil for 30 minutes.  It seems so wasteful of energy.  Maybe I'll simmer it in broth in a pan on the stovetop.  Or maybe I should finally order a pizza for delivery.  Do they still do that (its been a few years)?

I've ordered a new one and should arrive Saturday.  Just actually heating water in a pan tomorrow for my morning green tea is going to seem odd...

I better turn on the oven if I want to eat tonight...  LOL!

Sunday Outside

Today was even better than yesterday!  It reached 70 in midday!  I spread more compost in the wildflower bed.  I went light on it yeterday, not knowing how fr it would go, but I barely used 1/5 of the trailerful, so I was more generous today.

I have about 1/2" overall now and enough left to cover the seeds when I broadcast them tomorrow plus some to spread VERY lightly over them afterwards.  The need light to germinate, so they relly only want a sprinkle on top. 

And THAT leaves half the trailerload of compost for use elsewhere!  I have an surfeit of compost and what gardener does not want more compost? 

I will spread the remainder on the Spring Bulb bed.  As the worms work in into the soil, it will feed the bulbs roots and make them stronger next year. 

And I have good news about the bulbs!  I went to a lot of effort in Fall 2015 to plant tulip and hyacinth bulbs in wire cages to protect them from voles and squirrels.  The tulips came up fine.  But not a single hyacinth emerged.  I was ready to dig up the hyacinth cages and replant last Fall, but decided to with them another year.  Sometimes bulbs take some time to grow roots, and I had planted the hyacinths late.

Guess what I saw today?  Hyacinth shoots emerging from the soil!  I don't know how many will emerge and bloom, but however many come up will be good.  And THIS year, I will cover the spots where they grow with cardboard cut to size so that I will know where not to dig this year. 

And I am thrilled to see daffodils emerging from 2 years ago AND last Fall's plantings.  Just this one bed should have 4x as many as last Spring.  I now have 200 early daffodils, 200 mid-season daffodils, and 200 late-season daffodils!  Plus the usual old plantings of various daffodils around the backyard. 

I prefer tulips and hyacinths for color, but you can't beat daffodils for dependability.  I have some that are 30 years old now and still blooming.

And I've seen the first tulip leaves showing up. More than I thought I would have.  The wire cages seem to work as protection against the voles.  The unusually warm weather is bringing them up sooner than usual.  If it gets cold again, I will cover them.  But it is sure good to see them emerging again.  Tulips are my favorite flowers.  Especially the multicolored ones. 

Daffodils and hyacinths can't match THAT!

Another Nice Day Outside

I can't believe the mild weather we are having here.  It reached 70F here and in generally forecast to stay in the upper 50s to low 70s for about 10 days, never dropping below freezing.  This is weird.  It's MID- FEBRUARY!  There should be snow on the ground and daffodils huddled just below the surface waitibg fir decent weather so they can emerge in March.

Well, I'll take advantage of the nice weather!  Today, I spread compost over the wildflower bed.  Wildflowers are new to me, and as they are generally self-sowing (hence "wildflower").  Apparently all, the seeds want is want is some soft soil to land on so they can get sunlight to germinate and grow. 

I spread compost thinly today.  It went so well, I think I will spread more tomorrow.  I have had this neat gadget for that for 25 years and seldom used it.  It is a wire mesh barrel on a handle.  You fill it with compost and pull it around.  It distributes the compost evenly and thinly.

I could have dumped compost on the new wildflower bed and raked it around, I could have dumped compost on the new wildflower bed and raked it around,


I could have dumped compost on the new wildflower bed and raked it around,  but there are some wildflowers from last years seeds and I didn't want to injure them.  The thin layer of of compost spread by this just rolls over them.  I can add more, I think.

Then I'll spread the seeds with a handheld spreader.

You mix up the small amount of seeds with sand or vermiculite of bulk to help with even distribution. 

I'm cheating a bit.  I also bought separate seed mixes for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  Those won't last many years but will get things started faster and shade out the grassy weeds.