Easy does it
I actually worked up enough energy to wander outdoors today! The nasty virus I’ve been fighting seems to be letting up at long last. However, I am in still in no shape to wrangle wild animals so the leashes stayed in the house and the livestock were clipped to their cable run. They still had a lot of fun hunting cats, marking territory, barking at imaginary trespassers, climbing on the picnic table to lick my ear just as I framed a shot…….
The weather was beautiful and I was really enjoying the sun and mild temperature. Imagine……….shirtsleeves on January 24th! Why do I get the feeling Mother Nature is about to bury us in snow and ice? Maybe THE BOSS ought to stop by the store and load up on bread and milk……just in case.
Anyway, I settled for shooting some Goldenrod while it’s dormant and no threat to my seasonal allergies. It wasn’t until I downloaded the images from the camera that I discovered it was set to shoot in monochrome. I kind of like what I captured even if I didn’t mean to.
Can You See Me Now?
How many deer can you find in this first shot?
It gets a little easier as they graze their way out of the tree line.
No matter how many times I see it I’m always amazed at how effective natural camouflage is.
While I’m still battling this seemingly never ending virus I am feeling some better. At least I have something right outside my back door to keep me entertained . These were shot hand held at a range of about 50 yards using a Sigma 150-500M image stabilized lens.
DOH, A Thousand Time DOH!
Our youngest is a college student working two jobs to support herself and still keeping her GPA up and boyfriend in line. Right after graduating high school she found an apartment and has been out on her own ever since. We are very proud of her!She lives in town, a few miles from us and we get to see her often which is a great comfort to us.
Another nice thing about her living so close is that when her laptop craps out Daddy is nearby. You see, Daddy has done courses in multimedia programming, desktop publishing, web design and PC repair. I even have a few years experience in IT and was webmaster for a major US Navy command for a couple of years. That’s right…….I is a educated redneck who started building and repairing computers in the early 90s and would still be doing so if it weren’t for the fact that you can buy a new laptop…….with a warranty…..for less than it costs to build a system these days.
Why am I rambling on like this?
Mini Boss lets her friends play with her computer. She has smart friends for the most part. However, even smart people do dumb things sometimes.
The MINI BOSS called last night to announce that her laptop is dead……..kaput…..tits up…..game over…….BUSTED! The system locks up during the boot sequence and a whole stack of error messages pop up!
What to do, what to do?
Bring it here, Baby Girl.
After fooling with it for a couple of hours I finally pulled up my Dell account, prepared to put another dent in my credit limit. Damn, I thought I’d get those people paid off some day! While I was going through all the options for a new Inspiron 1500 series it hit me………A THOUGHT!
Smart people do dumb things sometimes. maybe someone downloaded a virus that got through the security software……..
I saved the machine I was building online, ran a web search for “System Check”, the title on the error message bars, and I discovered that she has a malwarre infection………and the name of the malware is SYSTEM CHECK!!! I even found instructions for fixing the problem and links to download the free software I’d need. WOO-HOO! I’m saving at least $600!
But I still have the new Dell system order saved……..just in case.
This is me, on page 5 of 9 of the instructions (almost 3 hours in) taking a photo of a functioning laptop (my Toshiba satellite) which is staring at a soon to be functional…..I hope……. laptop (Mini Boss’s Dell). I’m bored out of what’s left out of my mind because, while I successfully installed the anti-malware software, the deep scan has been running for 134 minutes and I have to jiggle the mouse every 20 minutes to stop the Dell from hibernating. I’d turn the power saver off but I have to kill the malware before I can change the settings!
At least 512 malware objects have been detected and quarantined……..so far. I can’t wait to click that “REPAIR” button!
A word to the wise: NEVER, EVER ,EVER, EVER click a pop up that says ‘”Your computer may be at risk! Click here for a free System Check.” System Check is malware and it will screw your registry up worse that a soup sammich!
Mind Over Matter
When you have an image like this in your mind’s eye……..
……….seeing this outside your window doesn’t seem to matter as much.
I hope the first frame is a small comfort for those of you caught in Old Man Winter’s icy grip. It is for me! That’s the beach I grew up on and no matter how far I roam or how long I’m away it’s forever in my soul. Stay warm my friends!
Baby It’s Cold Outside!
What a difference a day makes! 54°F(12°C) yesterday, 20°F(-7°C) with 3 inches of fresh snow today!
Cardinal in his pulpit.
The missus is not amused!
The snow showers partially obscuring Big Walker Mountain are moving this way. I doubt that we’ll get much more accumulation here given the strong winds blowing today. The forecast is calling for temperatures in the 50s again by the end of the week so the snow shovel and rock salt will stay in the shed for the time being.
Cardinals Stocking Up
The first serious cold snap of the season is bringing us a little snow and sub-zero wind chills so the cardinals are stocking up.
I guess this is the bird version of running to the store to stock up on bread and milk.
