The Lake, Aches, Sofa & the Firefly

Lake Champlain in July

 Last Sunday was a perfect day for being out and about to enjoy the sunshine. Despite the wind, it was a lovely afternoon. 

My fribromyalgia is acting up. There are days when I'm thinking time to use my cane. The problem is, I'll probably leave it somewhere. Moving around more, (week 2 of back to the exercise bike), will help decrease the aches and pain.

Gardening, laundry, and puttering still make up most of my days. I finally tried Murphy's Oil Soap on the floors. It is an improvement over a pine cleaner.

The sofa recovering is progressing. I went to Joann's Fabric store recently. I was overwhelmed at the size of the place. They took over the store space that closed next door. I didn't look around much as I'm keen on shopping for what I need, check out and leave. I was so intent on leaving, I bought the wrong kind of batting. I want the fluffy polyester. Instead, I have the thin cotton blend. Oh well.

On the interesting events front:

lights out, I see streaks of green light about 3 or 4 inches long going across the dark towards the top of a storage cabinet. Once it stops, I see the blinking green light of a firefly.

Sad story somewhat. The lone firefly circles the smoke detector...with the little green light. Then the lone firefly goes over to land on the cabinet. I figure, it got its way in, then it can find its way out. Besides, I like the company.

I haven't seen it since.

Lovely Yarrow

 

Wild White Yarrow in June

Not far from the milkweed at the Dead Creek Visitor's Center on Route 17 in Addison, Vermont are small patches of wild yarrow,

In my planter I have Pink Grapefruit yarrow. A flower bed out front has red yarrow. Yarrow is a wonderful perennial. The older I become, the more I love easy to care for perennials.

Reflection Monday July 2024

Earth moving along without us

The Last Weekend of June 2024

Otter Creek Falls, Vergennes, Vermont

 Another landscape added to my paintings' queue.

 Have a Fun Summer Weekend!

Bake something spicy

Browse camp shirts online

Read a funny book

Think about 2025

Create a sculpture from a soda bottle

Write a letter to your front door

Research image versus truth 

Sing to your computer

Recite and record a poem

A comment from moi:

Society is saturated with embracing image. What we see, in reality or photographs, how we process the truth, 

need not be swayed with our romance with beauty.

An old man can have more truth and beauty in him, 

than any liar ever will.

 

Day 180 of Week 26 June 2024

Mushroom, Strawberry & Zucchini Tart

 What are y'all up to this weekend?

Last week I made the tart using phyllo dough: Saute the chopped veggies, parsley and strawberry; filled in 2 layers with slice tomato on top; and bake in a 400ºF oven until phyllo dough is brown. I like my phyllo dough crispy. Careful, it can be quite hot.

The next tart will be with Gruyere cheese and black olives. The strawberries are a nice burst of sweet flavor. (That I can actually taste.) I am keen on bringing back some of my sense of taste and smell by having spicy foods.

Applying gesso to blank canvases has been fun. Otherwise, I've done much of nothing, but putter and water plants.

I have tried to have this background more on the being side than pink. On this laptop's monitor, it leans heavily to pink no matter what code I try.

Deck Garden Update

 

The deck make-over this year is progressing slowly. The tiny ground garden space still needs to be done. I'm undecided what to put there.

 The white pole on the far left of the photo is a 2 x 4 inch stud set inside the large white planter. The stud is spray painted white, with a bracket attached for the hanging basket.

Mr Bixby, the goose had a mishap, back completely broken out. He is a planter now, painted blue for his new role.

 

P.S.

I'm not sure if it is my old laptop or glitches with Blogger. Things have been moved while some things aren't showing up anymore. I hope it is glitches that get sorted out soon.

Thought in the Last Week of June

 

Caught in a storm system Sunday that dumped a lot of rain on Upstate New York and Vermont on its way to the New Hampshire and Maine, I sat there and just watched. I did take pictures and videos.

Update on laptop search:

I was told by a sales person that the reason there are inexpensive laptops is due to the lack of features that are on the higher priced laptops. As in the S mode that will not allow you to upload unless it is from a Microsoft store.

None of the under $500.00 US dollar laptops will suit my need to upload and store photographs. If you are confused by that, then you are not alone. I am also confused because nothing I read in my research, the reviews and websites' recommendations mention S mode, that I recall. 

Thus, I will be watching for sales in July for a laptop over $500.00 US dollars. Having the old HP AIO repaired is an option that I'm not considering as yet. I like to imagine some day I will turn it on, and it will be working. Dream on is the theme of that daydream.

Meanwhile, this old laptop is fickle. Sometimes I can leave comments, and sometimes I can't. I have a lot of blog reading catch up to do.

Have a wonderful week!

 

Thunderstorms

It rained so hard (sideways even) earlier this afternoon, that it sounded and looked from my patio window, I was in a car wash.

I've heard some seriously grumbling thunder close from the storm cells that are passing over Vergennes as well as south of use towards Middlebury.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

If you can see the sky in some areas, watching becomes real.

Stay safe folks!

Enjoy the Beautiful Weather

 

Along Route 17 in Addison, Vermont looking towards the Adirondack Mountains. The weather is beautiful. Lots of folks out and about.

Enjoy your day no matter what the weather is like.

Once Again System Glitch

 

New Haven River in June
Lincoln, Vermont

Beautiful day here in Vermont. There is a good breeze that made me add a layer when at the river.

At home…

Unfortunately, my HP AIO is experiencing technical difficulties. I was online while searching for something off line, maybe 5 minutes or so. The website I was logged into timed me out or else the computer shut down. None of the Hewlett Packard fixes work. 

Electric is going to the system via the adapter indicated by that light being on. The keyboard, mouse and monitor are not receiving any electric connection. 

HP’s solution if reset doesn't work, to call.  Anyone who has had the experience of making a tech call, knows well what a nightmare that can be. Just the thought causes an anxiety surge. 

My questions as simple as can be, result in searches with a bunch of stupid answers not addressing the keywords. 

There is a lock slot in the back of the computer. I suspect that could be the issue. I was trying to connect my iphone to the computer by using that slot because it is the size of the iphone adapter piece. 

It is too frustrating to bother hour after hour with stupid instructions. Thus, I will be turning in my smart television. Who knows? I might find a video that actually answers a question about my computer. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

P. S.

My iphone 13 settings on Safari and Chrome don’t allow me to reply to comments. Sign in with Google keeps showing even though I am signed in. 

Making a Small Dream Come True

New Thrift Store
 Mug 2024

 With specific items on my shopping list, I set out on a beautiful day determined to not give up and go home.

Concrete and a 4 inch by 4 inch post, spray paint, and clips. Simple things. I forgot to write down the aisles where the items are located. If you don't do that, then Home Depot can feel like walking through a magical forest of stuff. (I have to stay away from the power tools or else I might have a surge of compulsion to by one.) 

I found the concrete first. There were two young men loading a big dolly. I could tell from their lifting, the bags are heavy. At the concrete I want to buy, I try to lift the edge. Aloud I hear myself say, "No." I could have lifted it. The issue is that it is dead very heavy weight I was not up to dealing with. I walked away.

Second, I find the 4" x 4" post. Lifting it out of the shelf area, I learn it is also very heavy. Not concrete weight, but bulking heavy as in there's a danger of hitting myself on the side of the head awkward. Once again, I heard myself say, "No."

Down the aisle, I see an 8 foot pine stud, thick enough to hold the bracket for a hanging plant. The clerk cut 2 feet off (for it to fit my vehicle). 

I found the paint by accident.

I forgot the clips. 

The alternative to setting the stud* into concrete is adding wood to the bottom, place inside a large planter (or waste basket), and fill the planter with a bag of stone. The stud is spray painted white to match the white brackets. 

Why the bother? Well, for years every spring I dream of how I want my tiny deck to look. Every year, it doesn't happen for one reason or another. One summer of depression was so bad, I spent nearly all of it sitting on the sofa. This year's plan is very simple, and cheaply done with spray paint, plants, homemade wood patio table top, tarp sun shade, and a hanging plant pole.

I will post photos when it is all finished.

* None of the wood screws or nails I have (dozens) are long enough to go through 2 stud thicknesses. One side of the stud needs to be sanded. I ran out of white spray paint. Good part, the screw eye bokts fit.