Journal/Blog

Oops!

Oops, missed a day...

I never got around to this yesterday. With my wife on vacation my routine is all messed up...and another week to go.

Squirrels are testing my patience. I let them get access to part of my bird feeders but they are GREEDY! They destroy the feeders. I just got a "squirrel proof" feeder. It has a cage around it so the squirrels can't reach the seed...so one sits on top of the cage and reaches through to pick at the plastic tube. Apparently it thinks if it destroys the tube the seed will all drain out and it can eat it. That is true, but it would be a one shot deal. Once the seed is gone, nowhere to put more. I guess squirrels don't think long term. I have a baffle on the feeder pole and it is rare that a squirrel can get up above it...but it has happened. I felt sorry for them so I put a chair so they could go ahead and jump up. Enough is enough. I've been buying expensive feeders only for them to be destroyed in a week. The chair has now been moved. No more free lunch.

Out air still has a slight haze from the Canadian smoke drifting down. I would think we are far enough south but apparently the upper winds carry it down here. It makes for increased difficulty in getting quality images with my camera. I'm critical enough about my photos without having additional haze added in. I can remove with software but, any alterations with a computer always come with tradeoffs. I strive to have the best image I can get straight out of the camera but often there is something that can be enhanced with a computer. I'll be scanning many of my 45 year old photos from when I was on the island of Guam while in the Navy (best move I ever did was joining up). They were taken with a cheap camera but the camera doesn't make the photo, the person behind the viewfinder does. Many of them are worthwhile but have some fading after this many years and the color can be improved. That's my project when the wife returns. I hope I'll have my reorganization complete by then but it hasn't been moving very fast. I'll try to get to it today and get my speakers set back up and rewired.

I upgraded my internet service and it requires I put a different interface card in my computer. If I can get that done today and shift the computer to a stand on the floor, that would be a major step. Then I can reroute the video cables to it. I had to get a faster network switch and I hope I can get that installed today as well. Many things to do, little motivation to do them.

I am still watching this series on streaming video. There are 9 seasons, 22 episodes per season. I just started season 5 yesterday. I feel guilty since each episode is 40 minutes and I'm not really gaining anything, well, actually i am paying attention to the writing so I guess it isn't a total waste. It would make for a good "who done it" style of mystery writing. Maybe that isn't really accurate but it is mystery themed. It makes you want to keep coming back Apparently a guy I was in school with has watched the whole thing. And another is a season behind me. I'll watch more today since I like to stay downstairs with the dogs. Usually the wife is with them and with the loss of one of their siblings, I've been giving them more attention. Frequent trips outside, bathroom and just trips to go bark. I spoil them rotten. What else are dogs for?

I've done some minor cleaning but the dust is thick. Little by little I'm working at it. The lampshades I put in the dishwasher look much better. I washed the blankets the now gone dog used. Hmmm, I think one is still in the washer...I should probably go get it in the dryer. I made up fresh juice for the hummingbird feeders this morning. One of these trips outside I'll go ahead and grab the feeders and refill them. This is the first year that I haven't had mold issues with them. The weather has been extremely warm though but apparently I'm changing often enough that the mix doesn't get sour.

I better go get that blanket into the dryer.

Tim