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.