Swimming, SSL Certificates and Gate Gargoyles

It's Thursday, time for my final swim of the week. My hands will be happy to be out of the chlorine for four days starting tomorrow, but I always miss the water even though I have the treadmill to keep me occupied. I have quite a lot to do at the shop today, so I expect the time will move quickly. 

I'm wearing my Kelp skinsuit for swimming today. I've been 
wearing skin suits for swimming for several years now, and 
DH just noticed my style of swimsuit yesterday when he 
happened to be awake while I got changed for the pool. *sigh* 
NOT a very observant guy when they hang in the laundry room 
to dry every day and he's in and out of that room quite often 
grabbing this tool or that. 

I've been getting requests regarding my SSL certificate for my company website. I allowed the website itself to die during COVID when the host went out of business. It wasn't generating a lot of income by then (when I started it, we were getting a LOT of mail orders every week). There are too many players in that pond now, and I'm trying to wrap things up, not expand them. DH is in a similar situation, but with a few different parameters. He got caught in problems when his previous host company got purchased by a different firm. Everything needed to be shifted over to the new host, and it didn't transfer well. 

Apparently there are several different types of SSL 
certificates these days. For our purposes, however, 
we only need the one on the bottom right - General 
Purpose SSL Certificate.

So I'll have to deal with that over the next few days. I can at least keep my own website name active and my property. I'll have to delve a bit deeper for DH's. 

I've called our YMCA staff members behind the 
desk, the ones who carry the keys, "Gate Gargoyles" 
for years now. We've had some pretty awesome 
people doing that for us, Sabrina is just the 
latest in the long line. I'm still in touch with some of 
them, including my very first gargoyle, Brian, who 
recently moved back to Minnesota after living 
near Atlanta for a few years. 

Our "Gate Gargoyle" at the YMCA had a rush opening yesterday. She wasn't even dressed in her YMCA uniform. The guy she was having take her place hadn't done opening before, so she had to drive over, get everything opened properly (lights turned on, etc), and then, as soon as the doors were unlocked, she handed him the keys and headed out to her car. She apparently had an appointment with her mother-in-law (who is fighting breast cancer), and had to be at X place at Y time with her. I'll find out the deets today when I see her after my swim. 

I hope you have a lovely day today and I'll be 
back tomorrow after my treadmill run. 

So I'm out of here. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday. Mine will probably be a bit of this and that since DH is in a "mood" yet again. *sigh* Are you sure men don't have menopause? LOL I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's A Rainy Day - Thank Goodness! I'll Get Work Done

DH was up until the wee hours of the morning. I know when I took a quick sleep-walk to the bathroom after 1:00 am, the light in the computer room was on and he was doing something or other in there. Today is a cooking day, but it's also "Work on the website" day. We're concerned - things aren't as they should be for his website and I have to find out why and what can be done to get things operational. 

We developed (rather I developed) DH's website 
with Network Solutions. They're actually not 
too bad, but we're having problems now, so we need 
some technical support. 

It's just as well that it's supposed to be a rainy day today. My plants can use the moisture, and I won't be tempted to spend a lot of time outdoors communing with nature. My only problem will be getting my mandatory cooking out of the way ASAP so that I can concentrate on his website issues. Time for a lot of phone calls and a lot of time on hold - NOT one of my favorite things, but we need answers. 

It's time to contact Tech Support. I've done this in the past 
and it hasn't gone well, but I'm hoping for a better 
resolution this time. I know it'll take a LONG time, though. 
It's forever to actually get through to a human being these 
days. And getting a human being with tech skills? That's 
another thing altogether, right? 

Our main problem stems from company take-overs and mergers. What existed when we first purchased the website and started developing the website, simply doesn't exist any more. Company A was bought by Company B which merged with Company C, and so nothing talks to each other any more. I need to update two photos on our website, and we need to actually have his website live, and that isn't happening for one reason or another. 

DH wasn't happy with the quality of two of the photos 
we had on his web page, so he played with them and sent 
the new files to me. I need to replace them before we 
succeed in going live with the website (which should 
have been done six months ago). 

The other thing that's bothering me computer wise is Yahoo. For some reason Yahoo has taken over my search bar and my original Google search bar is nonexistent, even though I'm on Google when I'm searching. I totally HATE Yahoo's search engine and want my Google back. It's another computer issue for me to hopefully deal with today. I printed out instructions on how to get my Google search bar back, and I'll see if they work. I'm not holding out a lot of hope - these types of programs cling worse than lint to wool. But ... it's Friday, which is always a plus, even though it's going to be a rainy day. Rainy days are great for computer and kitchen work - LOL. Have an excellent day and I'll be back to wrap up the week tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Success and Successes - Yesterday Turned Into a Good Day

It's a bit of a crazy day today, even though it's not even 3:30 am yet. Still, I awakened early, did my meditation and morning routine, and am now settled down at the computer. I know I have a busy morning before I leave for the shop, starting with a swim, so I'll make this relatively short and sweet (somewhat). 

I always try to put forth the feeling of competency, when 
in reality I'm just a kitten playing with a ball of yarn and 
getting totally tangled in the strands of wool. 

I spent yesterday afternoon on the computer and phone chatting with the Tech Services department at Network Solution. Suddenly I'm very impressed with them once again. They actually understood what I was trying to accomplish, and what issues I was coming up against. We worked through what I was experiencing and what I needed help doing, and it turns out they will do that coding for me and they will do the initial upload of the website. After that point, I can add, change, delete or whatever and upload it on my own without difficulty. Whoot! It still took almost an hour on the phone, but I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere and like where I'm going. 

I tried phoning their tech services department yesterday and 
that actually worked out quite well. After a stall point of 
getting signed in properly, we were able to address the 
issues I was having and I feel quite comfortable now. It's 
temporarily in their hands, but I can continue working on 
it next week. 

Of course, DH wants to put in an "About Us" section. I had actually asked him about that section more than two weeks ago and he had brushed me off. But apparently he has something written up that he wants in there. Well, OK then. I should be able to add that without difficulty next week, and will take that as my first challenge to self-publish when I've made the change. 

Since I was having difficulty finding anyone who had 
this brand/style of snorkel available any more, when 
I finally did (at a sale price, too), I grabbed two of them. 
I certainly hope I like it - LOL. 

I also have been wanting to start using a snorkel at the pool. I asked my good friend Meg what she used. She swims with one all the time. She said after using many brands, that she ended up with a Michael Phelps brand snorkel and that she doesn't know what she'll do when it dies because the other brands just came up short for her. Apparently that brand is discontinued at our regular supplier, but I managed to find it through a Canadian firm in Ontario. Since they seem to be rare, I ordered two. I'll have one in reserve, or maybe I'll give it to Meg since she mentioned she'd be devastated if she ever had to order another one since they seem quite hard to get now. I hope I like it as much as she does. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but I'm hoping it will increase my speed. 

Tonight's game is an away game for us versus the 
Philadelphia Flyers. Here's hoping we can keep our 
very short "win streak" alive and pull out another 
win tonight. 

The Wild are playing Philadelphia tonight, so DH will be glued to the television. So far the season hasn't been great, but we've had some injuries to deal with. There have now been some personnel shifts and they seem to be more cohesive, so I'm hoping that will carry through from this point onward. Goodness knows, a team that works in practice doesn't always work under pressure and in "real life". It's been proven on the hockey ice as well as on the football field over the past two weeks. It's time for all of these guys to make adjustments to save their seasons. It's early yet in the hockey season, so we have breathing space. The football teams? ... Well, not so much. They have a much shorter season to get their acts together. 

I need to get going. I'm not late for the pool 
yet, but still have a couple of things I'd like to 
get done before I leave for the shop later this 
morning. Have an excellent day! 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope to be able to catch up with your comments today, but it's been a bit of a crazy week so far. I apologize. I'm usually more responsive than that. Please know that I value your comments, even if I'm not responding as quickly as usual. Have an excellent Thursday. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Focus and Focus and the Unexpected and Welcome Contact of a Dear Friend

I had a delightful way to awaken this morning. Just as I was settling into my morning meditation, my phone notified me of a live text from a dear friend who lives in India. She had a query regarding a comment I had made. She makes hand-made holiday cards every year, like I do, but she's far more creative and hand-makes every aspect of them, not just the decoration. I had commented that she might want to consider putting her finished card into a commercial envelope to assure delivery, at least in the USA where most of our mail sorting is automated. She wondered about dimensions, which of course I didn't have "off hand", but I did tell her that a purchased envelope at any office supply store or on-line vendor would be fine. I also told her that her last card had arrived in February! But, I'll take her cards anytime I can get them. They are miniature works of art and they are ones that I always save. 

If I am remembering properly, Shruti lives in a Western 
suburb or smaller town, close to Mumbai. She's a very 
talented multi-media artist and a strong, confident 
woman. She's one of the gems I call "friend" - someone 
whose very presence enlightens my own life. 

After that short interchange, I returned to my meditation. So, things are a little rushed today, but for the very BEST of reasons. To exchange even a short interchange with Shruti is to start my day off on a wonderful, happy and glorious note of joy. 

I'm going to start my grocery shopping at my Co-op today. 
Mississippi Market has been around for a long time. For 
years they operated out of a rented location near St 
Catherine's University, but then they built the St Paul 
location you see in the photo. They also have two 
locations in Minneapolis. They're fabulous! 

So today is my "day off" and I have too many things to do. WAY too many things to do. But, I'm looking forward to 4:00 pm and my weekly conversation with Aearwen. One tiny island of calm in a day when I'll be hustling here and there. I'm grateful that I don't have any doctor, dentist, orthodontist, eye doctor or automobile check-up appointments today. It's just me, a couple of grocery stores, my kitchen, my laundry, and my computer. I have enough food made to get me through until Friday, so I'll be working on the laptop and DH's website today. I hope I can finally get it up and running. *sigh* 

I HAVE to get DH's website up and operational, 
so that'll be a primary objective of today, since 
I can push off cooking until Friday. 

So, I'm off to the swimming pool. One hour of silence (relatively, since I listen to audio books while swimming), one hour of activity, to start my day out right. So far, when combining swimming with my quick chat with Shruti and a lovely morning meditation, my Wednesday is looking quite positive. Have an excellent day, Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

It's Going to be a Busy, Busy Day ... I Think I REALLY Need My Swim

DH needs his website operational, so that is tomorrow's main task. I'm also a pound heavier than I want to be, so ... basically, I'm starting my day out stressed. *sigh* At least the Vikings won their football game last night. One thing went the way we wanted - LOL. We have a hockey game tonight at home against Edmonton. It would help to actually get one in the Win column. *sigh* If not ... it'll be a LONG season. 

I did NOT watch the football game last night. I watched 
my baking competition show instead. Usually when I 
watch the game, my team loses, and really ... it's early 
in the season and my baking show was in the semi-finals 
stage last night. Baking won - LOL. 

So I'm trying to get my schedules in order and determine my priorities and tasks for my "day off" tomorrow, which is looking like it will be an extremely busy day. I'll get it all together, but sometimes my days are rather like herding cats - relatively unproductive and difficult in unforeseen ways. The cats run in all directions, crawling under things and climbing on top of furniture and cupboards. Yet, the end goal - getting all of them corralled into a single room, can be accomplished. However, you'll wear the scars and wounds incurred through the effort. 

Herding cats is nearly impossible, but I seem to keep 
trying in my life. I should know better by now, but 
hope springs eternal - LOL. 

We were busy at the shop yesterday - did some respectable sales. DH was busy with his own thing, so the sales floor was mine. I managed to get everyone taken care of well, but only because Fate was kind enough to send them through one at a time, instead of in a bunch. I'm quite grateful for that. I can only spread myself so thin, and can only juggle so many customers before someone feels they are not getting the assistance they need/want. Today Chickie is back (she works Tuesday through Saturday) so I'll be able to get the bills paid and maybe do some work on the website transfer. If I can't, then that will shift to Wednesday with an even higher priority. 

Our main problem is that Google Workspace sold that part 
of their structure to SquareSpace. Also, I developed the 
website on Network Solutions. If worst comes to worst, 
we'll switch our personal website over to Network Solutions 
too, which will make publishing the pages very easy. But 
DH really wanted the structure of Google Workplace. 
It may not be possible, though. And right now, it's a mess. 

I'm getting exhausted just thinking about the next 48 hours. I'm glad I'll be in the pool in a bit more than an hour from now. I need to work off some of this stress (and a pound or two wouldn't hurt either). I'm going to plug in some pictures, and head off to the YMCA. I hope you have a marvelous Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים לישראל.

A Day Off to Catch Up

The first thing I'll need to do today, after the basics of grocery shopping, is getting back to working on DH's website. I've get it ready to upload, but the "Publish" command isn't working, and last Friday, I tried later in the day and customer service wasn't answering the phone or the help line. I'm not sure if the basic customer service will be able to help me with this, but that's certainly one of the things I need to get done. 

We decided to use Network Solutions to help develop 
the website, and it's actually quite good, with decent 
customer support. But, I need some more advanced help 
now to get my website uploaded and active, so I may 
have to actually pay for that service to be successful. 

The other thing I need for his website is the photos. He has a page of product photos that he wants to present to a specific potential buyer. I made the page 3-across, in groups of two rows. It looks nice, but I would like the photos to be able to be blown up when clicked on by the customer. The actual dimensions of the photos is large, and right now I'm constraining them into a much smaller format to meet the criteria of the web design. I know a click-through is possible, I just need some solid help on how to accomplish it. 

Getting this small website developed and 
uploaded is taking a ridiculously long amount 
of time. I need this off my plate and active. 

So, I might have to grit my teeth and pay for the next level of support. There's a web development firm that they work with. I originally got an hour of free service from them, and used that to get the initial set-up for the website, and figure out the navigation and different options/drop downs that were usable for my pages. I knew that after that hour, I would be paying in 15-minute increments. It might be time to shell out some $$ and get some quality tech support. 

Of course, it doesn't help that Google Workspace no longer hosts their websites, having sold that division to Square. So everything is convoluted because of the constant shifts in the world of cyberspace, and I have to roll with the punches. 

He planted a lot of tulips and daffodils, along 
with some irises. I'm still expecting one more 
shipment from Holland Bulb Farms, but that may 
end up arriving too late to be planted this 
year. It's hard to say for sure, on that. But we're 
into the latter part of October, and it's not 
unusual to have snow by Halloween. 

DH spent several hours planting bulbs in the garden. He got the whole large box we received earlier in the week from Holland Bulbs in the ground, scattered throughout the four garden areas, and marking each area with tags. It's getting colder now, and he was very sore and quite cold by the time he was finished and getting into a hot shower yesterday afternoon. He tried to take an afternoon nap, but apparently his muscles were in too much pain, and he ended up getting back up after 15-20 minutes. Poor guy. He tends to put himself into "drive" mode and then go as far and as fast as possible, before collapsing from a lack of gas. Silly boy. 

So, I'll have a day off today, and there's plenty on my agenda. I hope all of you have a perfectly wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow for the final day of the work week. Until then, Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

It's Cold and Rainy - A Great Day to Make Chili and Warm Up the Kitchen

It's a cold, rainy and rather dreary day, but it's also a day off for me, so it's certainly not all bad. Given the weather, however, I've shifted into my cold-weather recipes, and I feel like making 13-bean chili today. I have almost everything needed except the onion, so it'll be a quick and easy put-together. I'll have to make sure I've got refrigerator room - after the baked pears with apples and the baked butternut squash, my shelving is getting crowded. 

I like a chili with beans, and use a 13-bean mix from 
Bob's for my chili recipe. It's wonderful for the 
colder months that we're moving into now. 

I have work to do in the house as well today, and some web work as well. I need to speak or at least text-chat with the customer service people and find out why the website isn't uploading onto our web, and I'm also curious about the photos that I've put in the private pages - whether those can be made to a "click to make larger" specification or not. With luck, getting this information on hand and actually succeeding will only take an hour, but given past track history ... I'll still have it unresolved after several hours by the time I close the laptop this afternoon. 

I have a lot of photos similar to this for DH's website. I 
need to make them visible on his website under a privacy 
block that will have specific photos for specific customers. 
They also have to be able to be clicked on to come up 
full-size on their screens, since I'm listing them in 
a 3-across teaser photo montage. 

Originally I had intended to make a beef stew today, but ground beef was on sale on Wednesday, at a really good price, so I really couldn't pass it up. The weather being colder and rainy dictates the meal, however. Chili instead of stew - it's a winner no matter which direction. I'll do the stew in another week or two. I'm actually looking forward to it. 

Minus the dairy products, this is pretty close to what my 
chili looks like when completed. It's thick and nummy, 
filled with lots of good stuff, and perfect for the colder 
days. Today is drippy and rainy, and we're definitely 
coming into the end of our growing season. I'll probably 
pull the last of the peppers and tomatoes this weekend, 
although I'll hold hope for a bit more than that before 
we have a hard freeze. 

I also need to pick up something I had dropped off at the dry cleaners. I don't even remember what it was, specifically. Only that it was something I couldn't clean appropriately on my own. The cleaners actually sent it to a restorer for specialty work, so it should be looking great. They're the people who helped clean and restore Mom's dresses for me last year and they do great work. 

On this note, I'm off to eat breakfast and start a busy day. I'll be catching up on everything I didn't get done on my normal Wednesday, including all of the laundry, so I certainly won't be bored - LOL. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים עבור ישראל. For those who may not read Hebrew (which includes me, by the way), the Hebrew words I'm putting down here read "Life to Israel".

A New Building Project and Argh - Just Argh!

DH started working on a new garden feature for the upper back yard yesterday. First item on the agenda (after he had cleared the area last week) was to buy pavers. He went for the less expensive ones rather than the top quality he had used in the castle walls of our patio area, since this is just a semi-circle of only three high - just to contain plants, not a major planting. 

We have walls similar to this in our main garden area - our 
castle walls. We have them tiered more because we have 
plantings for our flowers and plants to make the patio much 
prettier. But the concept is the same, and the total height 
is probably pretty close too. What he's building now is much 
lower - only three tiers total. Just enough to make a nice 
area for sunnier plants and flowers. 

He loaded the truck to within a pound or two of load maximum - maybe even slightly over. Lots of paver stones and foundation stuff and soil - lots and lots of soil. The area, against our South fence, will get a bit more light than our main garden. It's closer to the southwestern corner of the house, and grading will be important because any major rains, with poor grading, might actually affect the house and the computer room, which is in that corner. 

I think our retaining wall that he's currently building will 
end up being closer to this - relatively short, and really 
just to hold plantings within a specific area. Of course it 
will go along with the larger castle walls. 

I'd love to show photos, but he covered everything up after almost getting the first tier laid. Apparently he stopped at that point to reconsider a couple of fine points. The area slopes from South to North, but also, apparently, from West to East, and he hadn't considered the secondary slope in his initial plans. So, since he was wiped out from hauling multiple pounds of stone here and there all day, he covered everything up and will contemplate things a bit today while he's at work. 

Ax-Man Surplus is one of those stores you love to wander 
through. There's always something that you'll find here, 
but you never know what or where. The founder of Ax-Man 
was an acquaintance of DH's Dad (like the rest of the world, 
it sometimes seems - LOL). The guy who runs the main store 
will be by this morning to take a look at what DH has to 
offer to him. 

He has a 10:30 am meeting with a guy from the local salvage shop. He's hoping to sell his shrink-wrap tubing and some other things to them. That would clear out A LOT in the basement, and bring in some needed funds - although I'm quite sure the amount of $ will be minimal. Still, if we could dump the stuff, it would be fabulous. I'm busy working on the website and trying to determine how to upload the website onto our domain. That's turning into the real hassle. 

I've actually liked developing the website, and 
I like the way it looks. It's really only a quick 
two-page splash page - we'll have hidden 
pages behind the splash that are customer 
specific. That's the next headache - getting 
those pages set up - but that'll go quickly, 
once I know how to upload everything onto 
our website address. 

I've developed the website on Network Solutions, but our website host is Google Workspace which is now hosted by SquareSpace, and I'm not getting any real answers on how to upload into our new space. I've spent hours on the two sites without success and I need to get this uploaded so that I can start the private pages for the customer we're hoping might be interested in the electronics. Any ideas from those of you more knowledgeable than  I would be very appreciated. ARGH! 

Yeah - that just about sums it up. 

So, I'm off to swim off my frustrations in the pool. I pick up my final set of eyeglasses this morning - new lenses in my very oldest and favorite pair. Then that particular project will be complete and my eyes will be finished for the year (except for a regular checkup later). It will have been quite the year for my eyes, but I've come a LONG way since scheduling my cataract surgery early in the year when we were still getting snow. I'm heading for the pool. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Busy Schedules and Website Assistance - Now To Get Things Done!

I actually slept until my 3:00 am alarm today, so it will be a shorter post before I leave for the swimming pool. Aearwen and I had a truncated phone call yesterday - her schedule and mine meshed, however, because I was on the phone with technical service for DH's website until just after she and I would have started our weekly conversation on a normal schedule. I feel a bit more confident in what I'm doing for the website now, and I have a few questions for DH, which I couldn't ask last night for a variety of reasons. However, I told him that I would (hopefully) be working on the website at the shop today, and that he should keep his phone with him in case I had questions for him. 

I'm a person of routine. I set up schedules for myself all 
the time, because a schedule ensures that I actually get 
everything done that I need to do. Yesterday's schedule 
was a bit messed up, but I still got some housecleaning 
done, and four loads of laundry, and an almost hour 
with tech services on the phone re the web site, and 
my phone call with Aearwen, so I at least got things 
done - LOL. 

I harvested and cut up his banana peppers yesterday. We want to pickle those, and that had been my intention, but I didn't have a mason jar available. So, I'll write him a note and see if he can scrounge one up for his peppers. We have them - but they're used. I have rows of filled jars with natural dyes for use on wool and cloth, and he has some in his workshop, but I don't know of any empty ones available. I'll leave him a reminder note to take a look. 

I am a person who thrives under schedules. I like to know 
what to expect, and I'm focused on schedule because I 
always have bunches of things to get done at any time. 
Being a bit ahead of the game is novel, and won't last 
long, I'm sure. 

The website is both easier and more complicated than I had thought, and going through things with the design pro was extremely helpful. He was totally upbeat and happy and a joy to work with. He sounded like someone who really enjoyed his job - a rarity in this day and age it seems. Because so much of the website is drag and drop, and I've never used that feature before, I needed to be walked through that. I also needed to find out where to get X Y or Z and how to do A B and C. He walked me through all of that and I think this will actually work quite well. I'm going to give it my best shot, in any case. 

Although I've never used Network Solutions 
before, I'm finding it quite easy to get into, and 
I think it will start to work more and more easily 
as I work on getting DH's website set up. I'll try 
to get some work done on it today, if I'm not 
too busy with customers. 

I didn't get any beading done, however. I tried to block out an hour to work on another panel, but it just didn't happen. Still, it was a day off where I did get a lot accomplished, so it was worth it. I'll try to get one done at the shop today - early, before I open, of course. Have an excellent Thursday, I'm off to the pool to work off some of this pent-up energy. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Adventures in Website Development - Life Continues

Although I got a lot done yesterday, I didn't get everything done I had wanted. Still, I'll count my "day off" as a win. One of the main things on my agenda was working on the website for DH's inventory sale. It's not so much of a "sale" as a listing/photo album for specific buyers he feels might be interested in the products. He chose the website host because they have what's called "private links" - a method by which he could invite specific companies to look at specific pages where he has collected parts that would fit in with their product mix. Right now, however, things were a bit more basic than that. 

I think the template I chose will work well for DH's 
website. I'm sure he'll complain at some point, because 
it's DH, and complain is his middle name. *sigh* But 
I'll do my best and he can always choose something 
different. 

I settled in at his computer and got signed in (I may have double-purchased one thing, but I'll find out relatively soon and get that handled, if necessary). I chose a website template that I thought would work well for us and started some basic development of his "splash screen". I logged off, and then set up the laptop to make sure it would also work on Windows 10, not just the Windows 7 we have on our main computers at home. I did have a few questions, so chatted with their "Help" desk for that and got those resolved. 

It's going to be a huge change for Aearwen and her son, moving 
here from their previous home, and then have less than 
two weeks in which to finish "shlepping" things from one 
place to the other. It's a LOT of work, but they'll get it 
done. I think she's going to be very happy in her new, 
easier to clean, home. 

I didn't spend a super long time on it - it was a laundry day and a household day and a "chat with Aearwen" day too. I did one beadwork panel while chatting with Aearwen. Her yard sale went well - it could have gone better, but really, she was pretty pleased all told. When she called me, she was actually sitting down for a little bit in her new home, after having brought some boxes over. We actually had almost an hour to chat before one of her new neighbors dropped by the place to meet her and we had to stop for the week. She's got less than two weeks before she hands over the keys to her old house, closes the door behind her, and starts the next phase of her life. So exciting! 

I had a bit of a panic when I fired up the laptop 
yesterday afternoon and logged back in to 
continue working on the website. I couldn't find 
my website - the one I had been working on for an 
hour already. I quickly clicked on the helpdesk icon 
and they were able to talk me through the process 
of getting to the correct page. It actually was pretty 
easy, but my brain just wasn't functioning - LOL. 

I'll try to get some more work done on DH's website at the shop today, work permitting. I want to phone their help people (I get one free hour of personal assistance with the website) regarding some questions I'm coming up with, but I don't want to call them until I've figured out exactly what I want to ask them about. Until then, I'll play and work on the template until I'm comfortable with how it works, and plug in photos, if DH gets some assembled that he wants used. I get 14 days until I have to pay for that assistance, so I'll take advantage of that free hour, and don't want to waste any of it. 

I like the template I chose for DH's website, and I think 
it will work well. He had sketched out what he 
wanted in and on his website, and I made copies of that 
form to have with me for when I can work on things 
at the shop on the laptop. We'll get him up and running, 
and then, maybe, my life can return to "normal". 
Yeah ... like THAT's ever going to happen - LOL. 

We ended up yesterday with an unexpected and quite delightful cloudburst over my small section of the Cities. My plants were delighted, I'm sure. It was a hot day yesterday, and it's a long day for them between any morning watering DH does before leaving for work, and his watering when he returns home at night. My jalapeno peppers are getting beautifully red, although some of them have been sun scalded. The other two varieties of pepper are also doing well, so I'll have lots of tasty items to add to my dishes, salads and Ogre Juice. I roasted a pound of bacon yesterday, so my salads will be quite tasty for a few days. Yummy! 

I prefer to bake/roast my bacon instead of 
pan frying it. Much easier, less muss, less 
fuss, and perfect results every time. I'm 
all for easy when I have the option. 

So that's about it here. I'm off to the pool, then diving into what is probably going to be a busy Thursday. I hope you have a lovely day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A To-Do List for my "Day Off" - Yeah - LOTS To Do

I was afraid I would be caught by morning thunderstorms today, on my first "day off" in more than a week, but it's actually looking really good for no rain at all. I'm VERY grateful,  because I have a TON of things that have to get done.     My basic quick and dirty "To Do" list for the day reads: Reset Watch, Pay Bills, JTAP Web Site, Groceries, Laundry-Sharon Clean, Chicken, Aearwen. Small entries for large chunks of time. 

This was a rather nice "To Do List" that I 
happened across on-line. It's downloadable 
and printable. I might have to use it ... or 
not. It also seems that it's unnecessary. A bit 
fancy for me - a person who tends to write 
down to-do lists on the backs of envelopes 
containing bills to be paid later in the day. LOL

The first item on the list is Reset Watch. For some unknown reason, my watch reset itself to standard time from Daylight Savings Time, so it's now one hour behind. With most of my watches over time, resetting is easy. This watch has been challenging since Day 1. I'll have to actually look into the WWW to find the procedure necessary to get the correct time onto it. I know it's do-able, but have no real clue how. Nonetheless, it's something that has to be done twice a year at minimum, since we switch into and out of Daylight Savings Time regularly. I'll be checking YouTube for instructions, I fear. 

I bought this new watch last year because my old 
digital watch wasn't working well for my 
swimming. I couldn't read it while I was doing 
my workout. I like the fact that I can easily read 
it, but it took it into its' head Sunday to re-set the 
time to standard time from Daylight Savings 
Time, and it's really messing me up. I need to 
reset the time, and that's a TASK. 

The next major time sink (after purchasing groceries, which is quite essential), is JTAP web site. He needs me to call the host he has chosen and speak to them about their setup. Apparently they have private links that can be added to the site, which is exactly what he's looking for. They offer a free hour of consultation, so I'll try to get my questions written down and try to maximize it. He's shown me several websites he likes, and drawn out what he wants it to look like. I'm no website developer, though, so this will be a challenge. Again, it has to be done. We're stalling without it. 

DH has decided to go with Network Solutions 
to help build his website. They have a one-hour 
free consultation, so I'll be taking advantage of 
that today to get things set up so that he can 
plug in photos, and add his own text, etc. I'm 
not building the website, just putting up the 
framework for him. I also need to make sure 
it will operate correctly on a Windows 7 system. 

Groceries - well, that's fairly understandable, except I need to add my co-op to the mix today. They have one specific product that I haven't been able to find anywhere else, so, I'll make a special trip down there. On my way back from there, I'll pick up DH's prescriptions from the pharmacy and drop the price tags I copied onto tags last night at the shop for Chickie to do. It's a glorious day - Chickie will finally be back from her trip. Her desk is in the trailer, which is in the garage, and she's got two weeks to figure out how to get that ungainly, heavy item up to her apartment. I suspect I'll have to drive over there on Sunday and give her a hand. I've only got two open Sundays before Renaissance Festival begins. 

My co-op, Mississippi Market, has a lovely St Paul 
location. I remember when they were building the 
market - they had been located closer to the College 
of St Catherine before, and simply ran out of space. 
They now have three locations across the greater 
metropolitan area, and this one isn't horrible to 
get to. I love shopping there - they have lovely organic 
fruits and veggies and some very unique products. 

Laundry - well, Load #1 is already washing. My own load is always the easiest one. I did one load for myself last week, and one load for DH, but I finally can get the bed stripped and the linens done, which will be WONDERFUL. It's been hot and DH (and I) do sweat, as all humans would in the heat, so I need to get new bed linens onto that bed and wash the old set. 

The clock is ticking for Aearwen to leave the home she's 
lived in for decades and move into her new, much smaller 
but newer double-side mobile home. She's excited, and I 
think it will be excellent for her in the long run, but it's a 
LOT of work - to shut the door on so many memories and 
walk into a place where she'll make new ones. 

Aearwen is on the list. Last week we had to push off our conversation. For years we've been chatting every Wednesday afternoon for an hour, and it always seems wrong when we can't catch up with each other and whatever is occurring to us. There's a lot going on in her life. As of today, she has 16 days before she has to be out of her house and hand over the keys to the new owner. Her double-wide trailer is hers, and she's started bringing things over there a bit at a time. I'm quite sure those trips need to increase - moving always tends to be a bottom-loaded activity. a trickle becoming a torrent which becomes a "stuff things anywhere" flood. I wish I was closer, I'd give her a hand. 

Aearwen had a yard sale over the weekend that helped a 
bit, but it's never enough. She's filled one dumpster and 
is well on the way to filling a second one. It's hard to leave
 a house where you've lived for decades, but it really had 
to be done. In the long run, it's going to be a great move 
for her and her son. 

At this point, paying bills seems like the easy part of the day. That's simple, done on the computer, and will take less than 5 minutes. WHEW! At least not everything is a massive time chunk. But, the things I do need to get done today are super important and I can't miss out on any of them. I have a little over four weeks until Sharon arrives, and my house, although surface clean, needs some serious deeper work before it's company ready. So ... lots to do. I'll put on my headphones and get to work. Have an excellent Wednesday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow.