In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, September 17, 2026 03:49
VIEWED: 346110
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BRENDA

Friday, March 24, 2023 9:56 AM (P)

I'm off to work tomorrow. So later peeps.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, March 25, 2023 9:11 AM (P)

I won't be getting into what I've been doing this week just yet because Second reads everything we post in here and throws it in other threads at random.

It's been stressful, and it's something I've actually been dreading in the back of my mind for a couple of years now.

I'm making headway though and I've had a few positive signs today that this might just end up going my way in the end.

I'll let you know what it was and how it turned out when it's done. I don't need the dipshit's POV on this one.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Saturday, March 25, 2023 9:18 AM (P)

Got back from work at about 6pm. Had a sandwich at work as my supper. It's been raining most of the day.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, March 25, 2023 8:22 PM (P)

Rain here too, for days and days...

It's actually possible that it may even snow a little bit today too. It was supposed to be 50 degrees today when I looked on Tuesday, but the high now is only 38.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Saturday, March 25, 2023 11:37 PM (P)

I hear ya SIX. Not suppose to really dry out here until at least Monday. It's only a couple of degrees warmer here right now. 5C which is 40F.

But I got things to do as I couldn't yesterday because of work.

SIGNYM

Sunday, March 26, 2023 12:19 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I won't be getting into what I've been doing this week just yet because Second reads everything we post in here and throws it in other threads at random.

It's been stressful, and it's something I've actually been dreading in the back of my mind for a couple of years now.

I'm making headway though and I've had a few positive signs today that this might just end up going my way in the end.

I'll let you know what it was and how it turned out when it's done. I don't need the dipshit's POV on this one.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

I hear ya. SECOND is just a nasty troll who delights in other people's problems. He's such a loser.

****

Amazingly, a little more rain predicted for the end of the month. That's usually it for our rainy season by then, but this has been such a weird season I've given up making predictions for now!

I managed to get out my trusty weed whacker and whacked weeds until I ran out of string. Going to refill the whacker and keep whacking until all the weeds are gone. That's just to keep them from going to seed and spreading seeds all over, then it's back to digging. But this year, I have a plan! It's called sheet mulching and it's supposed to work better than landscape fabric (which isn't saying much) so after I dig up the worst of the weeds/grasses and re-gradebthe front yard (some idiot sloped the dirt towards the house, not the other way around) and dig up one defunct irrigation line and install another, I'll be good to go

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Sunday, March 26, 2023 2:42 AM (P)

Back from my walk and grocery shopping. It did rain on me and now it is trying to sun up and dry out.

SIGNYM

Sunday, March 26, 2023 4:36 AM (P)

Apparently the rain that's predicted for us is the tail end of a large storm... another atmospheric river... heading towards Sacramento.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Sunday, March 26, 2023 6:04 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Apparently the rain that's predicted for us is the tail end of a large storm... another atmospheric river... heading towards Sacramento.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Hold on tight then SIG. BC knows all about them.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, March 26, 2023 7:20 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I won't be getting into what I've been doing this week just yet because Second reads everything we post in here and throws it in other threads at random.

It's been stressful, and it's something I've actually been dreading in the back of my mind for a couple of years now.

I'm making headway though and I've had a few positive signs today that this might just end up going my way in the end.

I'll let you know what it was and how it turned out when it's done. I don't need the dipshit's POV on this one.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
I hear ya. SECOND is just a nasty troll who delights in other people's problems. He's such a loser.

****

Amazingly, a little more rain predicted for the end of the month. That's usually it for our rainy season by then, but this has been such a weird season I've given up making predictions for now!

I managed to get out my trusty weed whacker and whacked weeds until I ran out of string. Going to refill the whacker and keep whacking until all the weeds are gone. That's just to keep them from going to seed and spreading seeds all over, then it's back to digging. But this year, I have a plan! It's called sheet mulching and it's supposed to work better than landscape fabric (which isn't saying much) so after I dig up the worst of the weeds/grasses and re-gradebthe front yard (some idiot sloped the dirt towards the house, not the other way around) and dig up one defunct irrigation line and install another, I'll be good to go

GAH!!!!! I hate re-spooling the weed whacker almost as much as I hate cleaning my bathtub!!!!

Good luck with the sheet mulching.

I've already seen weed growing up through my river rock. My grass is still brown from the cold, but the weeds are as healthy as ever.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SECOND

Sunday, March 26, 2023 7:23 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I won't be getting into what I've been doing this week just yet because Second reads everything we post in here and throws it in other threads at random.

It's been stressful, and it's something I've actually been dreading in the back of my mind for a couple of years now.

I'm making headway though and I've had a few positive signs today that this might just end up going my way in the end.

I'll let you know what it was and how it turned out when it's done. I don't need the dipshit's POV on this one.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
I hear ya. SECOND is just a nasty troll who delights in other people's problems. He's such a loser.

I am delighted when Russia's murder-rampage gets thwarted by Ukraine, but I do understand, after 6ix and Signym wrote "Fuck Ukraine" a hundred times, that my attitude toward Russians comes across as harsh and unforgiving to them. An example from 6ix on Saturday:
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=64887&mid=11713
89#1171389

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

SIGNYM

Sunday, March 26, 2023 7:31 AM (P)

Well, another day where I did yardwork for a while.
Looking better and better!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Sunday, March 26, 2023 11:31 PM (P)

Just a Sunday around me.

SIGNYM

Monday, March 27, 2023 6:54 AM (P)

And another one down, another one gone
Another bin bites the dust!
UH!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, March 27, 2023 7:14 AM (P)

Pretty massive thunderstorm ripped through here today.

Power stayed on and the sump's working.

Considering how much thunder there was, there wasn't much rain. We lucked out there.

Really getting tired of this weather. It's still too cold for this time of year and the sun hasn't been out forever.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Monday, March 27, 2023 9:29 AM (P)

It's been dry here all day. But I have to check the weather for tomorrow as I have to go out early because I am expecting a phone call from the poet who is helping me. We have a fair amount to discuss on what publisher or publishers I should try first.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 2:22 AM (P)

Couple of things done out and phone call in. We seem to be on the same page as to the first publisher I should try in Canada. They are in Ontario. I just need to do something up for her to look at again and discuss it. Then it should be good to go.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 3:51 AM (P)

Good luck Brenda.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 4:55 AM (P)

Thanks SIX.

Hey, maybe you can answer a question for me. I need to write out an email for my poet friend to check but I need to include about 25 pages of my book. How with Google Chrome do I add to an email just the pages that I need?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 8:21 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Thanks SIX.

Hey, maybe you can answer a question for me. I need to write out an email for my poet friend to check but I need to include about 25 pages of my book. How with Google Chrome do I add to an email just the pages that I need?

Which email do you use? (Gmail, hotmail/outlook, yahoo mail, etc)

What program are you using for your writing?

Whatever program you used, you should have an option when Printing a file in Windows 10 to "Microsoft Print to PDF" in the "Destination" box on the top right of your print dialog box (after you select "File" then "Print" from the dropdown box). This will save it to a file instead of giving output to a printer.

I just tested this in my Firefox browsing session and I can do it from there, so you can probably do it from any program that allows you to print to a printer.

While your in that Print dialog box, there is also a Box for "Pages" a little bit down from the Destination box.

If you wanted to put the first 25 pages in the PDF file, click on the box where it says "All" and pick the bottom option "Custom". A new box will appear underneath where you should type in "1-25" without the quotes.

Here's a picture:

Disregard the warning that you can only print page 1 to 3. It's only saying that because when trying to print from this page in Firefox there are only 3 pages to print. Your limits will be the amount of pages of your full book.

If you wanted to skip any pages in the beginning like a table of contents or blank pages or whatever, you can type in something like "8-33" instead. You get the idea.

After you save that PDF file, no matter which email client you use you should be able to just drag and drop it into your email to the poet from an Explorer window.

Let me know if you have any questions.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 9:20 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Thanks SIX.

Hey, maybe you can answer a question for me. I need to write out an email for my poet friend to check but I need to include about 25 pages of my book. How with Google Chrome do I add to an email just the pages that I need?

Which email do you use? (Gmail, hotmail/outlook, yahoo mail, etc)

What program are you using for your writing?

Whatever program you used, you should have an option when Printing a file in Windows 10 to "Microsoft Print to PDF" in the "Destination" box on the top right of your print dialog box (after you select "File" then "Print" from the dropdown box). This will save it to a file instead of giving output to a printer.

I just tested this in my Firefox browsing session and I can do it from there, so you can probably do it from any program that allows you to print to a printer.

While your in that Print dialog box, there is also a Box for "Pages" a little bit down from the Destination box.

If you wanted to put the first 25 pages in the PDF file, click on the box where it says "All" and pick the bottom option "Custom". A new box will appear underneath where you should type in "1-25" without the quotes.

Here's a picture:

Disregard the warning that you can only print page 1 to 3. It's only saying that because when trying to print from this page in Firefox there are only 3 pages to print. Your limits will be the amount of pages of your full book.

If you wanted to skip any pages in the beginning like a table of contents or blank pages or whatever, you can type in something like "8-33" instead. You get the idea.

After you save that PDF file, no matter which email client you use you should be able to just drag and drop it into your email to the poet from an Explorer window.

Let me know if you have any questions.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

I use Gmail for email and write in Word doc.

I'm not printing anything just sending the poet an email with what I need to do for the publisher.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:15 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
I use Gmail for email and write in Word doc.

I'm not printing anything just sending the poet an email with what I need to do for the publisher.

I know. You're not printing paper. You're printing to a file.

If you follow the directions and the picture, you will print a PDF file to your hard drive. For simplicity, you should save it to your desktop.

Then open your Gmail and type your email to the poet and drag the file from your desktop onto the email in Gmail and it should attach to the email for you to send it.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:25 AM (P)

I'll rewrite it out simple.

Click on File at the top of Word, then select Print from the dropdown box. (Depending on the version of Word, the Print might be reached differently. If I remember right, Word 2007 has a big circle button at the top left and Print is accessed by clicking on it.)

Once the Print dialogue box is open (see picture below), click on the "Destination" box and change it from your printer (if you have one) to "Microsoft Print to PDF" on the top of your print dialog box.

While your in that Print dialog box, there is also a Box for "Pages" a little bit down from the Destination box.

If you wanted to put the first 25 pages in the PDF file, click on the box where it says "All" and pick the bottom option "Custom". A new box will appear underneath where you should type in "1-25" without the quotes.

Here's a picture:

Disregard the warning that you can only print page 1 to 3. It's only saying that because when trying to print from this page in Firefox there are only 3 pages to print. Your limits will be the amount of pages of your full book.

If you wanted to skip any pages in the beginning like a table of contents or blank pages or whatever, you can type in something like "8-33" instead. You get the idea.

Once you've done that, click on "Print" at the bottom. Instead of printing paper, it will open a Save dialog box and you can select your Desktop, name the file what you want to name it, and then when you're in Gmail you can drag your new PDF file into the email from your Desktop.

ETA: PDF files used to require a program called Adobe Acrobat to open/edit. It's now a standard file that can be opened in any web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, etc.). When you send it to your friend, they will be able to double click it and it will open in their web browser. Most likely, if you sell your book on Amazon as a digital file, it will be published as a PDF file for download on a Kindle.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:38 AM (P)

Okay SIX. I think I get it. Thanks for the help.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:39 AM (P)

Let me know if you have any trouble with it. Going to bed soon, but we can pick it up in the morning if we don't get to it tonight.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 10:06 PM (P)

Hey SIX. Had a look last night and what you posted doesn't seem to line up with what Word looks like for me. I will admit that I was doing it in a rush. So will have a better look at it this afternoon.

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 10:07 PM (P)

Dental appointment that was set for 10am has been moved to 12. But still have to get moving as I have a couple of things to do before I get there. So later peeps.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 10:32 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Hey SIX. Had a look last night and what you posted doesn't seem to line up with what Word looks like for me. I will admit that I was doing it in a rush. So will have a better look at it this afternoon.

That doesn't surprise me. I was using the Print Dialog from Firefox. It could look somewhat different in word. I usually don't pay attention to any of that. It should be similar enough for you to figure it out.

What year of Microsoft Office (Word) do you have. I can give you better specific steps if I knew that.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 3:22 AM (P)

It's 2007 and I also went into my library to speak to the internet people there. Not helpful. The lady was all full of destroying my document and I can't do that.

The poet and her husband are trying to help from her end. But again I'm not sure.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 3:23 AM (P)

Back from the dentist and filling all done. I go back in two weeks to have the last two root tips removed.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 3:41 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
It's 2007 and I also went into my library to speak to the internet people there. Not helpful. The lady was all full of destroying my document and I can't do that.

The poet and her husband are trying to help from her end. But again I'm not sure.

My way would work if you changed the printer output to "Microsoft Print to PDF" instead of the printer at the top (I've actually done so with three documents myself just this week in Word 2007), but try this option in Word 2007.

Save that to the desktop when it asks you where you want to save it. Then drag and drop the PDF file into your email on Gmail.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 9:07 AM (P)

It just occured to me...

You ARE using Widows 10 as your operating system, right Brenda?

If you aren't, the "Microsoft Print to PDF" feature isn't available. (It may be in Windows 11, but anything before 10 didn't have that feature).

If that's the case, open up 2 documents in Word 2007. One is your book, the other is a blank document.

Select all of the text you want to send to your friend.

The easiest way to do this is put the cursor right at the beginning of the text you want to send, then scroll down to the page you want to stop at. Hold down the SHIFT key and click the left mouse button at the end of the text you want to send.

That will highlight all of the text you want to send.

Right click anywhere on the highlighted text and a drop down box will appear. Click "Copy" on that drop down box.

Now go to your blank document and right click anywhere on the page and click on "Paste" when the drop down box appears.

Now you can save your selection in the new document. Feel free to make any fixes/alterations to make it appear the way you want to if you'd like and save it again.

Make sure to save it on your desktop and when you open your email just drop it in and it should attach for you to send it.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SIGNYM

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 9:14 AM (P)

I'm glad SIX is here to help out, my system is very different and it's been a long time since I worked with Word. I hope it gets figured out.

Been getting quotes from contractors, it sure sucks up a lot of time! Between that and yardwork and doctor appts and daily chores I'm beat!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:04 AM (P)

I hope I can help Brenda out. It's hard doing that via Web 1.0 forum.

I tend to avoid contact with contractors by any means necessary myself. They're going to charge far more than I would every pay anyhow, and it's hard to find people to work for you that you can trust.

Had to bite the bullet with the gutter guy and the tree cutters. Both were reasonably priced. One worked out OK. The other was not up to my standards. You get what you pay for I suppose.

I've been busy with the thing I don't want to discuss here yet. It's been eating up most of my time. Making a lot of good contacts and getting a lot of good info.

One of my other friends who I've never mentioned here before asked me if I would help him with his kitchen remodel. He picked a pretty bad time for it with this thing going on, me helping my buddy on his rental on the weekend and then getting my 2nd attempt at the partial reline on Monday/Tuesday.

I'm going to my other buddy's house tomorrow night and we're going to shoot some pool and watch a movie in the new man cave.

Maybe I'll call my friend back up and tell him that I'll make it out there Thursday and Friday to help with his kitchen. I could use a break from the thing I'm doing anyhow and I've got several months to complete it since I'm being super proactive about the whole ordeal.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:19 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
It just occured to me...

You ARE using Widows 10 as your operating system, right Brenda?

If you aren't, the "Microsoft Print to PDF" feature isn't available. (It may be in Windows 11, but anything before 10 didn't have that feature).

If that's the case, open up 2 documents in Word 2007. One is your book, the other is a blank document.

Select all of the text you want to send to your friend.

The easiest way to do this is put the cursor right at the beginning of the text you want to send, then scroll down to the page you want to stop at. Hold down the SHIFT key and click the left mouse button at the end of the text you want to send.

That will highlight all of the text you want to send.

Right click anywhere on the highlighted text and a drop down box will appear. Click "Copy" on that drop down box.

Now go to your blank document and right click anywhere on the page and click on "Paste" when the drop down box appears.

Now you can save your selection in the new document. Feel free to make any fixes/alterations to make it appear the way you want to if you'd like and save it again.

Make sure to save it on your desktop and when you open your email just drop it in and it should attach for you to send it.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

The operating system on the desk top is Windows 10 and that makes sense because what you are telling me isn't showing up at all.

I just knew that I would have to redo it somehow. Thanks for the help. I will get to it over the next bit.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:20 AM (P)

Got a call earlier this evening and I have a pick up of mah jong tomorrow afternoon.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:51 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
The operating system on the desk top is Windows 10 and that makes sense because what you are telling me isn't showing up at all.

No. If you have Windows 10 than it should show up. Not just in word, but every program with a print function.

Can you get to the Print menu? Do you have a printer? Have you ever printed anything off your computer before?

If you've printed and gotten to the print menu, one of the things on the print menu that you probably never touch is a box that shows your printer as the device to print to. You need to click on that box and a dropdown menu with other options will show up. One of them is "Microsoft Print to PDF".

You can do this in any program that allows you to print on Windows 10. Try it in your current web browser that you're using to talk to me now. Click "File" on the top left and select "Print" from the dropdown menu. From there you will have the option to select the device you want to print to and you can choose to print to a PDF file instead of sending the document to your printer. The process will be more or less the same in Word 2007, just with more options than in your browser.

If you can't do that for whatever reason, use the 2nd method I posted above and copy the 25 pages from your book to a blank document, save that new document with the stuff you copied from your book to your desktop and then drag and drop it into your email that you're sending to your friend.

ETA:

A third option would be to save your book with a 2nd name to your desktop. Then delete everything that you don't want to send. Save that. Then drop it into the email you're sending to your friend.

Just make sure that you're deleting the stuff from the new document that you saved with a different name on your desktop and not your original. Especially if you don't have the book backed up in like 5 different places like you should.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:45 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
The operating system on the desk top is Windows 10 and that makes sense because what you are telling me isn't showing up at all.

No. If you have Windows 10 than it should show up. Not just in word, but every program with a print function.

Can you get to the Print menu? Do you have a printer? Have you ever printed anything off your computer before?

If you've printed and gotten to the print menu, one of the things on the print menu that you probably never touch is a box that shows your printer as the device to print to. You need to click on that box and a dropdown menu with other options will show up. One of them is "Microsoft Print to PDF".

You can do this in any program that allows you to print on Windows 10. Try it in your current web browser that you're using to talk to me now. Click "File" on the top left and select "Print" from the dropdown menu. From there you will have the option to select the device you want to print to and you can choose to print to a PDF file instead of sending the document to your printer. The process will be more or less the same in Word 2007, just with more options than in your browser.

If you can't do that for whatever reason, use the 2nd method I posted above and copy the 25 pages from your book to a blank document, save that new document with the stuff you copied from your book to your desktop and then drag and drop it into your email that you're sending to your friend.

ETA:

A third option would be to save your book with a 2nd name to your desktop. Then delete everything that you don't want to send. Save that. Then drop it into the email you're sending to your friend.

Just make sure that you're deleting the stuff from the new document that you saved with a different name on your desktop and not your original. Especially if you don't have the book backed up in like 5 different places like you should.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

Now, I'm confused. Don't think I see a print menu and I have a printer but it is not hooked into this desktop.

I'll have to do the second method you talked about.

I'll get it done.

Appreciate the help.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:46 PM (P)

Out in a bit. Got to get something done before my game this afternoon.

SIGNYM

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:47 PM (P)

I really agree with backing up your book, The one thing you DON'T want is to have one copy and have it garbled somehow. If nothing else, save it under a couple of different names ... [booktitle_backupcopy1, _backupcopy2 etc] which will save you if your original is accidentally] deleted or the file gets corrupted.

Better yet would be to save a copy on another storage device. If you have a removable drive or a second hard drive, store a copy on that. Or if you have a thumb drive ("USB stick") or flash drive, store it there. All you need for a USB stick is another USB port, like the one that (probably) connects your keyboard and PC and the stick itself. The software will figure out the rest for you. If you want to try that and run into trouble, just ask us.
Well, ask SIX.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

SIGNYM

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 11:04 PM (P)

Rain across California again, and raining here today, as predicted.
I really like the rain. It's such a gentle way to wake up, and it's good for my sinuses.

I'm going to predict, tho, that this is THE LAST significant rainfall of the season. HA! Let's see if I get proven wrong... AGAIN.

This article is a good summary of what California's rainy season has been like so far. I edited it for bevity.

Quote:

Thousands were under evacuation orders Sunday in two small central California towns -- Alpaugh and Allensworth -- as officials worried roads could become impassable and isolate residents, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. First responders from dozens of agencies, including the California National Guard, were out Sunday afternoon helping residents evacuate -- a sight that has become familiar in the flood-ravaged state this winter season.

"The devastation is indescribable," Tulare County farmer Brandon Mendonsa told CNN affiliate KFSN. "The water is still coming -- this is far from being done."

Yes, but... historically, the first white men to see CA's Central Valley described it as a (temporary) shimmering lake as far as the eye could see. That was before Europeans drained the land for farming, and ruined the aquifers. So, historically, it's been wetter!

Quote:
The next atmospheric river, mainly taking aim at southern California, is expected to be colder than the last and arrive Tuesday with high winds, heavy rain, mountain snow and the threat of more floods. ... Though not forecast to be as potent as the atmospheric rivers of previous weeks, the system is expected to bring 1-3 inches of rain across the lower elevations and 2-4 inches across the foothills of Southern California through Thursday. Arizona could also see up to 3 inches of rainfall.

Good for Arizona! It gets bypassed so often!

Quote:
This winter, California was hit with 11 different atmospheric rivers [not counting this one]

Twelve!!! Unheard-of!

Quote:
Last week's atmospheric river alone shattered daily rainfall records in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

There's been so much rain that the Southern California water board called off emergency drought conservation measures for over 7 million people.
Severe drought in California was cut in half from the previous week, now covering only 8% of the state -- down from 80.6% just three months ago, according to the US Drought Monitor.

"Moderate to exceptional drought coverage across the U.S. is at its lowest since August 2020 and is likely to continue improving, or end entirely, across much of California and the Great Basin," NOAA forecasters said.

As the snowpack melts in the coming months, it's expected to further improve drought conditions across much of the western US, according to NOAA. But, that could also mean more floods.

"Approximately 44% of the U.S. is at risk for flooding this spring," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center. "California's historic snowpack, coupled with spring rain, is heightening the potential for spring floods."

There is still a stubborn area of exceptional drought on the eastern (downwind, dry) side of Oregon's mountains, and that north-south band of drought from N Dakota thru S Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas is getting worse. But I expect that to imrpove with spring storms.

Hard to believe but just a few states away you're getting so much rain, SIX.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 11:22 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Now, I'm confused. Don't think I see a print menu and I have a printer but it is not hooked into this desktop.

There's a print menu in every program that has a print function, regardless of whether or not you have a printer set up. The computer I use to talk here doesn't have Word 2007 installed or a printer, but I can print to PDF from any program that has a print feature.

Do this (follow the numbered steps on the first image, then follow the numbered steps on the second image):

After following the 3 steps in the first image, it will bring up the Print menu for you.

If the images above are too small for you to read here, right click on them and open the image in a new tab for the full size.

Quote:
I'll have to do the second method you talked about.

It just occurred to me now to ask... Are you sending this to your friend to make edits, or just to see what they think? If you are intending for them to make edits, a PDF file won't work and you will have to use the 2nd/3rd method. I prefer always printing files to PDF before I send them so nobody can edit them after I've created them.

Quote:
I'll get it done.

Appreciate the help.

No problem.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 11:32 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Hard to believe but just a few states away you're getting so much rain, SIX.

It's hardly the worst I've seen, at least so far...

Right now I'm not worried about the amount as long as my sump doesn't fail and the power stays on. I do have an unused backup sump pump that I can do an emergency install for the former, and the generator for latter, but I really don't want to have to do either of those solutions. Hopefully this spring isn't too and I can install the 2nd well and get a battery backup sump down there and start breathing easy for the first time in 12 years at the hint of rain.

One inch of rain and severe thunderstorms on Friday expected. Looks like maybe around another inch in total next week with thunderstorms expected in the middle of it on Wednesday.

This amount of rainfall is borderline stress free for me if it weren't for the thunderstorms. It's when we start getting back to back to back 3" downpours and then get a 36 hour period with 12" of rain that makes me feel like I'm on Noah's Ark instead of a house.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 11:37 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I really agree with backing up your book, The one thing you DON'T want is to have one copy and have it garbled somehow. If nothing else, save it under a couple of different names ... [booktitle_backupcopy1, _backupcopy2 etc] which will save you if your original is accidentally] deleted or the file gets corrupted.

If you don't have a backup, you don't have a book.

I couldn't tell you how many times it took for me to finally learn the lesson over the years.

Quote:
Better yet would be to save a copy on another storage device. If you have a removable drive or a second hard drive, store a copy on that. Or if you have a thumb drive ("USB stick") or flash drive, store it there. All you need for a USB stick is another USB port, like the one that (probably) connects your keyboard and PC and the stick itself. The software will figure out the rest for you. If you want to try that and run into trouble, just ask us.
Well, ask SIX.

I'm pretty sure we already covered this a long time ago and Brenda does have it backed up in several places. I just wanted to reiterate how important this step was and make sure she's backed up everything again now that the book is finished. Especially when I brought up "Option 3" above, which requires copying the book to a separate file and then actively deleting most of it to make the file to send to her friend.

There's no such thing as too many backups. Especially when we're talking about something as small as a Word Document.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Thursday, March 30, 2023 9:28 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I really agree with backing up your book, The one thing you DON'T want is to have one copy and have it garbled somehow. If nothing else, save it under a couple of different names ... [booktitle_backupcopy1, _backupcopy2 etc] which will save you if your original is accidentally] deleted or the file gets corrupted.

Better yet would be to save a copy on another storage device. If you have a removable drive or a second hard drive, store a copy on that. Or if you have a thumb drive ("USB stick") or flash drive, store it there. All you need for a USB stick is another USB port, like the one that (probably) connects your keyboard and PC and the stick itself. The software will figure out the rest for you. If you want to try that and run into trouble, just ask us.
Well, ask SIX.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

That is a good idea and I have one copy that I printed out ages ago when I had another printer and a different desk top.

BRENDA

Thursday, March 30, 2023 9:30 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Now, I'm confused. Don't think I see a print menu and I have a printer but it is not hooked into this desktop.

There's a print menu in every program that has a print function, regardless of whether or not you have a printer set up. The computer I use to talk here doesn't have Word 2007 installed or a printer, but I can print to PDF from any program that has a print feature.

Do this (follow the numbered steps on the first image, then follow the numbered steps on the second image):

After following the 3 steps in the first image, it will bring up the Print menu for you.

If the images above are too small for you to read here, right click on them and open the image in a new tab for the full size.

Quote:
I'll have to do the second method you talked about.

It just occurred to me now to ask... Are you sending this to your friend to make edits, or just to see what they think? If you are intending for them to make edits, a PDF file won't work and you will have to use the 2nd/3rd method. I prefer always printing files to PDF before I send them so nobody can edit them after I've created them.

Quote:
I'll get it done.

Appreciate the help.

No problem.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

Seeing this diagram, now I follow what you are saying.

She could be making edits. It depends on what she thinks when she reads my draft submission.

BRENDA

Thursday, March 30, 2023 9:32 AM (P)

I got back from my pick up game around 6pm, then it was dishes and supper.

Regular game tomorrow and I hope I have better luck than today.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 30, 2023 10:18 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Seeing this diagram, now I follow what you are saying.

Good. It's what I should have done in the first place, but because I never bothered installing word on this PC since I'd never use it here, I couldn't make screen grab images to show you. So I finally did some Google image searches and found the pictures I needed to make those images for you.

Quote:
She could be making edits. It depends on what she thinks when she reads my draft submission.

Okay... well if that's the case we probably don't want to do the print to PDF file anyhow.

After you've made several backups of your book on the other computer and a thumb drive, do option 2 or option 3 and send her just a second word document that only has the 25 or so pages you want in it so she can make edits.

You REALLY want to have as many backups as possible of that thing as you can because it would be a travesty to lose all that work you've done. (Ask me how I know!) And every time you edit it here on out keep making those backups.

Actually. As soon as you read this you should send it to yourself in an email. Open up Gmail and put your own email address as the recipient, then drag and drop your Word Document into the email and hit send.

That way, even if an EMP went off in your area and ruined everybody's hard drives, you'd still be able to go somewhere that you can access your email and download it to a new thumb drive.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Thursday, March 30, 2023 11:22 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Seeing this diagram, now I follow what you are saying.

Good. It's what I should have done in the first place, but because I never bothered installing word on this PC since I'd never use it here, I couldn't make screen grab images to show you. So I finally did some Google image searches and found the pictures I needed to make those images for you.

Quote:
She could be making edits. It depends on what she thinks when she reads my draft submission.

Okay... well if that's the case we probably don't want to do the print to PDF file anyhow.

After you've made several backups of your book on the other computer and a thumb drive, do option 2 or option 3 and send her just a second word document that only has the 25 or so pages you want in it so she can make edits.

You REALLY want to have as many backups as possible of that thing as you can because it would be a travesty to lose all that work you've done. (Ask me how I know!) And every time you edit it here on out keep making those backups.

Actually. As soon as you read this you should send it to yourself in an email. Open up Gmail and put your own email address as the recipient, then drag and drop your Word Document into the email and hit send.

That way, even if an EMP went off in your area and ruined everybody's hard drives, you'd still be able to go somewhere that you can access your email and download it to a new thumb drive.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

No worries. I know I love my tech but I can be a bit of dummy about it.

It is something to think about for sure.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 30, 2023 7:43 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
No worries. I know I love my tech but I can be a bit of dummy about it.

It is something to think about for sure.

If I ever come off as being impatient or insulting about it, please don't take offense. I'm not directing that at you, Brenda. My frustration is with myself for not being able to direct you properly.

Did you email the book to yourself? You really should do that first so you always have a copy in your email to re-download if something goes wrong.

Then you should make a few backup copies on a thumb drive and your other computer.

Please send yourself the email and do the backups first before we move on to making the 25 page doc to send to your friend.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SIGNYM

Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:26 PM (P)

Speaking of EMP... we had one bolt of lightning all yesterday evening.
Only one.
But it either hit a powerline of very close to it, bc it made all of the lights do a slow blink and reset our microwave, tablet, and a few of the clocks.
If I had been doing anything on the PC, it would have screwed it up for sure.

(Did I even tell you about the time hubby had been programming furiously for 3 hours when the power suddenly went out? There was a moment of silence, the I hear a big "SHIT!" coming from a dark room).

So, si, se puede".
SAVE, and back up often!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:28 PM (P)

I wanted to repost this on the new page so Brenda doesn't miss it:

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
No worries. I know I love my tech but I can be a bit of dummy about it.

It is something to think about for sure.

If I ever come off as being impatient or insulting about it, please don't take offense. I'm not directing that at you, Brenda. My frustration is with myself for not being able to direct you properly.

Did you email the book to yourself? You really should do that first so you always have a copy in your email to re-download if something goes wrong.

Then you should make a few backup copies on a thumb drive and your other computer.

Please send yourself the email and do the backups first before we move on to making the 25 page doc to send to your friend.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 30, 2023 8:34 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Speaking of EMP... we had one bolt of lightning all yesterday evening.
Only one.
But it either hit a powerline of very close to it, bc it made all of the lights do a slow blink and reset our microwave, tablet, and a few of the clocks.
If I had been doing anything on the PC, it would have screwed it up for sure.

Ehhhh... Probably not. I mean, anything you were working on when it knocked your PC out that wasn't saved would have been lost (if the program didn't have an autosave feature), but my computers have been hit quite a bit over the years with blackouts and brownouts and there's only been one instance where I felt one of the computers may have taken some physical damage from it because of how it performed afterward, but it never screwed up any of the data on my drives.

Quote:
(Did I even tell you about the time hubby had been programming furiously for 3 hours when the power suddenly went out? There was a moment of silence, the I hear a big "SHIT!" coming from a dark room).

So, si, se puede".

No. lol... But I've been through something like that once or twice in my life.

Quote:

SAVE, and back up often!

Absolutely.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SIGNYM

Friday, March 31, 2023 1:29 AM (P)

Busy busy busy... indoor work past couple of days.

Forecast said rain in the AM but when I got up (at stupid o'clock) the sky was clear from horizon to horizon. But I got fooled again! It clouded up and poured right quick, and now it's cloudy and cold-ish by LA standards.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Friday, March 31, 2023 2:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
No worries. I know I love my tech but I can be a bit of dummy about it.

It is something to think about for sure.

If I ever come off as being impatient or insulting about it, please don't take offense. I'm not directing that at you, Brenda. My frustration is with myself for not being able to direct you properly.

Did you email the book to yourself? You really should do that first so you always have a copy in your email to re-download if something goes wrong.

Then you should make a few backup copies on a thumb drive and your other computer.

Please send yourself the email and do the backups first before we move on to making the 25 page doc to send to your friend.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

No offense taken as I can get quite frustrated with myself as well.

I hope to get something done over the weekend as I am doing nothing today. Back morning will explain in another post.

BRENDA

Friday, March 31, 2023 2:17 AM (P)

Back from mah jong and grocery shopping. No luck at mah jong.

This day started off real good with the power going out in my building and all around the area someone in the building told me. So, I ate a cold breakfast to take my meds and walked down 10 flights of stairs to get out to go to mah jong. I was going to get my garbage out but I am tired and will do it tomorrow.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, March 31, 2023 2:17 AM (P)

Got my errands run for the day. 5 birds with one stone, the way I like it.

Eggs were $1.99 for the first time in forever, so I treated myself.

Gas was up 36 cents per gallon though. Yay. FJB.

Going to hang out with my buddy tonight, shoot some pool and watch a movie or two. It's a de-stressing day for me.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, March 31, 2023 11:33 AM (P)

Had a great time at my friend's tonight. Got fed really well too and sent home with some more food.

His daughter loves her new room. Her dad got her those strip/tape LED lights and put them all along the top of the walls. They're real cool and can change all different colors. She likes the pink though, so even though she wanted a big girls room without the pink and purple colors on the walls she's still got her favorite color in there.

He wants me to join his pool league. I'm kind of flattered that he thinks I'd be good enough, considering I hadn't played in about 15 years until I started playing with him again. I'm not good enough right now though. I can make a lot of great bank, rail and cut shots, but then I'll blow an easy straight on shot and lose the game. I can tell he's gotten a lot better since we got the pool table in his basement and if I miss just two shots in a game it's pretty much a sure thing I'm going to lose. I still won 3 out of 10 games though. I've got to start playing Safety shots if I don't have a shot. In my mind that's just playing dirty and/or weak, but it's a legit strategy they use. I've just got too much Tin Cup in me to do it.

Just going to relax tomorrow I think. I'm going to be helping my other friend on his rental this weekend.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SIGNYM

Friday, March 31, 2023 1:07 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from mah jong and grocery shopping. No luck at mah jong.

This day started off real good with the power going out in my building and all around the area someone in the building told me. So, I ate a cold breakfast to take my meds and walked down 10 flights of stairs to get out to go to mah jong. I was going to get my garbage out but I am tired and will do it tomorrow.

I trust the power was on by the time you got back and you didn't have to walk UP 10 flights of stairs??? If I thought I was facing that on the way home, I wouldn't leave in the first place.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

SIGNYM

Friday, March 31, 2023 1:08 PM (P)

Sounds like you need a break, SIX. I hope you have a nice time relaxing.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

SIGNYM

Friday, March 31, 2023 1:10 PM (P)

I heard a great horned owl tonight, what a treat! They show up once or twice a year. It would be nice to have a permanent popuation: they would keep the rats and mice down.

Yeterday and today was workin the house. We had a handyman come and patch walls under he sink from our drain line replacement. OMG SIX you could make a fortune here. Altho I know you wouldn't dream of living in LA!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, March 31, 2023 8:15 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I heard a great horned owl tonight, what a treat! They show up once or twice a year. It would be nice to have a permanent popuation: they would keep the rats and mice down.

I don't know what a great horned owl sounds like, but that might be the one I hear only once or twice a year around these parts since I was a kid too. Never seen one, but I was told by my parents it was an owl when I was a kid.

Quote:
Yeterday and today was workin the house. We had a handyman come and patch walls under he sink from our drain line replacement. OMG SIX you could make a fortune here. Altho I know you wouldn't dream of living in LA!

I bet I would, but I'd spend it all right away on living expenses. My brother lived in LA for a short stint and even though he was making buckets full of cash, he was paying $2.5k per month for an attic apartment so he could live reasonably close to work. And that was years ago, way before Bidenflation.

At that time, just a little over 2 months of his rent was about what it cost for me to live.

Quote:
Sounds like you need a break, SIX. I hope you have a nice time relaxing.

Yeah... I've had what I would call more than a little bit of unintentional weight loss this winter. I'm hoping it's just living in the cold all winter and the recent stressors. I've been making an effort to eat better and eat more the last week. I'm feeling more energetic, since yesterday, but the week before was pretty rough.

I look fantastic though. I need to take advantage of this after I put on a few pounds and feel better. If I went back to doing crunchies for a month I'd be rocking an 8 pack that I haven't seen since I was 22 years old.

I just gotta make sure that I didn't get an ancient gypsy curse put on me like the guy in Thinner... or worse.

My old man says that if I'm not sick, I need to figure out how I did it and patent it and I'll be a millionaire.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, March 31, 2023 10:18 PM (P)

Lovely... Severe thunderstorm this evening with a side of tornadoes.

Better get prepared.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Friday, March 31, 2023 11:10 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Back from mah jong and grocery shopping. No luck at mah jong.

This day started off real good with the power going out in my building and all around the area someone in the building told me. So, I ate a cold breakfast to take my meds and walked down 10 flights of stairs to get out to go to mah jong. I was going to get my garbage out but I am tired and will do it tomorrow.
I trust the power was on by the time you got back and you didn't have to walk UP 10 flights of stairs??? If I thought I was facing that on the way home, I wouldn't leave in the first place.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

No, I didn't SIG. In fact the power came back on as I was going down the stairs but since I didn't want to get caught in the elevator I just kept on walking down.

BRENDA

Friday, March 31, 2023 11:13 PM (P)

Got rain for my area today and over the weekend. At least we had a taste of Spring for a couple of days.

Out for my walk soon.

BRENDA

Saturday, April 1, 2023 2:21 AM (P)

Back from my walk and there is some rain around today. Couldn't be bothered to take my umbrella with me.

Legs sore after walking down all those stairs yesterday morning to get out.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, April 1, 2023 5:32 AM (P)

First wave of TStorms weathered. Not too bad. Gutters all look good, well is operational and power is still on.

Worse one coming though. Looks like we might get 1.25 inches of rain in an hour, starting about an hour from now.

Fingers crossed about the power. :(

And then it will be freaking snowing tomorrow while I go out to help my friend after the high today reached 70 degrees.

Excellent.

I hate spring.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, April 1, 2023 8:35 AM (P)

I think we survived. I had a little damage to the siding on the side of the garage, but eventually that garage is going to be resided anyhow. Nothing was lost, but I'll just have to re-affix it for the time being.

Rain is mostly past and will be negligible for the next hour or so.

Sump well is going off every 5 minutes or so, but everything is operational and I haven't gotten any water in the basement where it shouldn't be coming in. It wouldn't even be coming in that fast, but we have had quite a bit of rain over time and no days of sun and heat for any of it to dry up in between. We only look to have had 1.50 inches of rain in the last 72 hours, with about 1.25 inches of that in the last 24 hours. This was about double what they were predicting this morning, and about half of what they upped it to later in the day. Looking at that nasty radar, I think my area got EXTREMELY lucky. Most of the yellow and red stuff missed us tonight.

All I've got to worry about now is the power going out with the wind gusts that are supposed to be pretty bad until early afternoon tomorrow.

I think I'll go help my friend anyhow. By the time I'd leave here there's only about 4 or so more hours of gusts, so if the power doesn't go out tonight I'm not going to lose a day of helping him just because I'm scared of a little wind.

Sucks that it will be cold again though. :(

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Saturday, April 1, 2023 11:04 PM (P)

Off to laundry and walk. Weather people called for rain today but they are wrong. Bright and sunny out right now.

SIGNYM

Saturday, April 1, 2023 11:37 PM (P)

I had a response to this but when I tried to post it the site had logged me out so it got lost in the ether. I really should do this in a text editor.

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I heard a great horned owl tonight, what a treat! They show up once or twice a year. It would be nice to have a permanent popuation: they would keep the rats and mice down.

SIX: I don't know what a great horned owl sounds like, but that might be the one I hear only once or twice a year around these parts since I was a kid too. Never seen one, but I was told by my parents it was an owl when I was a kid.

AFAIK they're the only ones that go WHOO WHOO at night. (If you hear something similar during the day, it's either a mourning dove or the closely related pigeon) The WHOOO HOOO is when they're looking for, or trying to locate their mate.
Owl sounds, various owls. We used to have a pair of great horned owls nesting on a window ledge a work.

Great horned owl hooting duet.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds#

Quote:
Yeterday and today was workin the house. We had a handyman come and patch walls under he sink from our drain line replacement. OMG SIX you could make a fortune here. Altho I know you wouldn't dream of living in LA!

SIX: I bet I would, but I'd spend it all right away on living expenses. My brother lived in LA for a short stint and even though he was making buckets full of cash, he was paying $2.5k per month for an attic apartment so he could live reasonably close to work. And that was years ago, way before Bidenflation.
At that time, just a little over 2 months of his rent was about what it cost for me to live.

You could have paid a month and a half of rent for what we paid this guy for a sloppy job. Decent handymen are as rare as hen's teeth around here! But I know I can't sell you on LA bc it's just nota vey nice place to live.

Quote:
SIGNY: Sounds like you need a break, SIX. I hope you have a nice time relaxing.

SIX: Yeah... I've had what I would call more than a little bit of unintentional weight loss this winter. I'm hoping it's just living in the cold all winter and the recent stressors. I've been making an effort to eat better and eat more the last week. I'm feeling more energetic, since yesterday, but the week before was pretty rough.

I look fantastic though. I need to take advantage of this after I put on a few pounds and feel better. If I went back to doing crunchies for a month I'd be rocking an 8 pack that I haven't seen since I was 22 years old.
I just gotta make sure that I didn't get an ancient gypsy curse put on me like the guy in Thinner... or worse.
My old man says that if I'm not sick, I need to figure out how I did it and patent it and I'll be a millionaire.

It's probably the cold. I remember reading somewhere that the Innuit burn 20,000-30,000 calories per day ... more than ten times normal for most people... just generating enuf body heat to survive. There was an engineer who need to lose weight, and after reading all about diet and exercise he decided to immerse himself in cold water for a number of hours every evening, and it worked. Personally, I'd rather go the "diet and exercise" route. I hope you put some healthy weight on this summer, tho.

*****

Haven't had time to catch up with the news, even. Been real busy playing catch-up on all fronts. Front yard has been beaten into not being such a mess and back yard it getting the same once-over. That, plus contractors.

BRENDA

Sunday, April 2, 2023 3:00 AM (P)

Laundry done and walk in. Nothing grabbed me at the grocery store so it is grilled cheese for supper tonight. I don't feel like cooking. Also got some paper down to the recycling bin too.

Still no rain which was nice but there is a cold breeze out.

SIGNYM

Sunday, April 2, 2023 7:50 AM (P)

I gave myself a bit of a break this AM. I guess it was an early Sunday for me.

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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Sunday, April 2, 2023 9:11 AM (P)

No harm in that SIG.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, April 2, 2023 9:40 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I had a response to this but when I tried to post it the site had logged me out so it got lost in the ether. I really should do this in a text editor.

Oh, that's a bummer. I used to have that problem here years ago, but Firefox does a great job at saving any text I haven't sent.

Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I heard a great horned owl tonight, what a treat! They show up once or twice a year. It would be nice to have a permanent popuation: they would keep the rats and mice down.

SIX: I don't know what a great horned owl sounds like, but that might be the one I hear only once or twice a year around these parts since I was a kid too. Never seen one, but I was told by my parents it was an owl when I was a kid.
AFAIK they're the only ones that go WHOO WHOO at night. (If you hear something similar during the day, it's either a mourning dove or the closely related pigeon) The WHOOO HOOO is when they're looking for, or trying to locate their mate.
Owl sounds, various owls. We used to have a pair of great horned owls nesting on a window ledge a work.

I want to say that it's a Great Horned Owl call that I've heard, because out of all of those it's the closest sounding, but I always hear the same call they do and none of the hoot patterns I've heard on a few other videos for them matches what I've noticed.

It's like a Whoo! Whoo! Whooo-WHOOOOOO! Whoo-WHOOOOOOO! Whoo! Then it starts over again over time. The two "WHOOOOOOO! parts actually sound kind of "warbled" too.

Quote:

Great horned owl hooting duet.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds#

Now that I've looked at the 2nd link, it could possibly be the "Duet" going on, but it still doesn't sound right to me. Maybe it's just different because I'm listening to a digital file with headphones?

Quote:
Quote:
Yeterday and today was workin the house. We had a handyman come and patch walls under he sink from our drain line replacement. OMG SIX you could make a fortune here. Altho I know you wouldn't dream of living in LA!

SIX: I bet I would, but I'd spend it all right away on living expenses. My brother lived in LA for a short stint and even though he was making buckets full of cash, he was paying $2.5k per month for an attic apartment so he could live reasonably close to work. And that was years ago, way before Bidenflation.
At that time, just a little over 2 months of his rent was about what it cost for me to live.

You could have paid a month and a half of rent for what we paid this guy for a sloppy job. Decent handymen are as rare as hen's teeth around here! But I know I can't sell you on LA bc it's just nota vey nice place to live.

It's a shame we don't live closer. I'd love to help you out.

Quote:
Quote:
SIGNY: Sounds like you need a break, SIX. I hope you have a nice time relaxing.

SIX: Yeah... I've had what I would call more than a little bit of unintentional weight loss this winter. I'm hoping it's just living in the cold all winter and the recent stressors. I've been making an effort to eat better and eat more the last week. I'm feeling more energetic, since yesterday, but the week before was pretty rough.

I look fantastic though. I need to take advantage of this after I put on a few pounds and feel better. If I went back to doing crunchies for a month I'd be rocking an 8 pack that I haven't seen since I was 22 years old.
I just gotta make sure that I didn't get an ancient gypsy curse put on me like the guy in Thinner... or worse.
My old man says that if I'm not sick, I need to figure out how I did it and patent it and I'll be a millionaire.

It's probably the cold. I remember reading somewhere that the Innuit burn 20,000-30,000 calories per day ... more than ten times normal for

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, April 2, 2023 10:19 AM (P)

Dinner cooking now. Had a late night at my bud's building that social credit some more. His dad was there too, so we had a fun and productive day. I know my bud will pay it back when he has time. We just need to get him out from under that bad situation and get his life back. Poor guy barely has time to sleep he's over there working whenever he isn't doing his real job.

I can't wait to get the help working on my house some day. His dad really came through for me the last two falls.

We're not going to start super early tomorrow but I'm going back for round two sometime in the AM.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Sunday, April 2, 2023 11:15 PM (P)

Just a Sunday around me. Not much happening.

SIGNYM

Monday, April 3, 2023 12:31 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Dinner cooking now. Had a late night at my bud's building that social credit some more. His dad was there too, so we had a fun and productive day. I know my bud will pay it back when he has time. We just need to get him out from under that bad situation and get his life back. Poor guy barely has time to sleep he's over there working whenever he isn't doing his real job.

I can't wait to get the help working on my house some day. His dad really came through for me the last two falls.

We're not going to start super early tomorrow but I'm going back for round two sometime in the AM.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

Seems like you (collectively) have been rehabbing that rental for quite a while. It must hve been really trashed. I guess a family of hoarders can really ruin things.

Realistically, what else is there to do? IIRC the hoarders were booted out and the place de-junked. This was the house with the sinking front stoop, yes? That's been corrected. Last I remember, you were cleaning cat piss off the lower walls and baseboard. [HINT: Since the compounds responsible for the bad smell are basic (amines) , vinegar, being an acid, helps neutralize the odor.] What else? Windows? Painting? Door repair/replacement? wiring?

Just being nosy, but I'm always interested in the details of a rehab. I guess even if our progress is glacial, reading about someone else's progress makes me feel better.

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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

SIGNYM

Monday, April 3, 2023 12:45 AM (P)

According to Climatestations.com for LA (which my backyard tracks closely) we're just shy of 28" of rain, which makes us just shy of twice normal 14.3". That's what I call a good rain year! I see 90F in our future. Not my favorite weather, I have to do outdoor work late in the day. It looks like we might be roller-coastering into summer.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

SIGNYM

Monday, April 3, 2023 12:48 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Just a Sunday around me. Not much happening.

I guess I had my Sunday yesterday, today is almost a regular "work" day for me excpet I ot out of bed late. Time to get back to it, my list of "things to do" gets longer and longer every time I think about it. Have a nice one. Do something fun!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, April 3, 2023 8:11 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Dinner cooking now. Had a late night at my bud's building that social credit some more. His dad was there too, so we had a fun and productive day. I know my bud will pay it back when he has time. We just need to get him out from under that bad situation and get his life back. Poor guy barely has time to sleep he's over there working whenever he isn't doing his real job.

I can't wait to get the help working on my house some day. His dad really came through for me the last two falls.

We're not going to start super early tomorrow but I'm going back for round two sometime in the AM.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
Seems like you (collectively) have been rehabbing that rental for quite a while. It must hve been really trashed. I guess a family of hoarders can really ruin things.

Realistically, what else is there to do? IIRC the hoarders were booted out and the place de-junked. This was the house with the sinking front stoop, yes? That's been corrected. Last I remember, you were cleaning cat piss off the lower walls and baseboard. [HINT: Since the compounds responsible for the bad smell are basic (amines) , vinegar, being an acid, helps neutralize the odor.] What else? Windows? Painting? Door repair/replacement? wiring?

Just being nosy, but I'm always interested in the details of a rehab. I guess even if our progress is glacial, reading about someone else's progress makes me feel better.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

Yeah. Those Democrat pigs really trashed the house. And after Covid came out and the put the eviction moratorium on him, he couldn't even get them out even though the city was on his ass to fix code violations that they created. They wouldn't even let him in the house to do work on it for a full year.

All the cat piss is gone along with the mouse crap I removed from the basement last summer. You can't smell anything bad in there anymore. I'm really proud of how much he's been able to get done in the house over the winter months in between working a full time job.

We were painting doors and trim this weekend. He's got more doorways in the main hall than I've got in my whole house if you don't include my closet doors.

It's really starting to look like a home again. I just hope we can wrap it up soon and he can get something for it on the market. I'd hate to think he'd have to hold onto it any longer and rent it out again.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

SIGNYM

Monday, April 3, 2023 9:08 AM (P)

So his plan is to sell it?

Renting out is such a headache. Several of the people I worked with built up their equity by renting. But I heard a few horror stories about horror renters, like the pedophile who spent a lot of time in law library and knew how to avoid being evicted while living for free. One thing he'd do is call code violations whenever he got close to being booted out. OTOH my colleague did have 15+ units and wasn't too careful screening prospective tenants so...

Another guy only rented one house and he did a much better job screening his tennants and I never heard a peep of trouble from him.so I guess it can be done.

There are a lot of financial advantages to renting: you can depreciate the house off your taxes and all repair/ improvement expenses are business expenses and can be deducted. But unless the rental income is higher than the mortgage it doesn't make sense and I never thought it was worth the headache.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, April 3, 2023 9:22 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
So his plan is to sell it?

Well... It was. I don't really talk about it with him because I know what's happening to the market right now... possibly more than he does even though that's a large part of what he actually does for a living himself.

I feel terrible for him because of the timing of everything.

Quote:
Renting out is such a headache. Several of the people I worked with built up their equity by renting. But I heard a few horror stories about horror renters, like the pedophile who spent a lot of time in law library and knew how to avoid being evicted while living for free. One thing he'd do is call code violations whenever he got close to being booted out. OTOH my colleague did have 15+ units and wasn't too careful screening prospective tenants so...

Another guy only rented one house and he did a much better job screening his tennants and I never heard a peep of trouble from him.so I guess it can be done.

He kept telling me 23 years ago that ownership and rental was the way to go. I think for a good deal of time he was probably right, but he got himself into a really bad position with these people and, quite frankly, I think he's just too nice of a guy to be a landlord. He let them get away with murder for years and in the end they stuck a hundred knives in his back for it.

But the real killer here is when Covid happened and everyone who was a landlord learned that they have ZERO control. Tenants destroying your house? Tough shit. Tenants not paying their rent? Tough shit. Get fucked. You can't afford to pay your mortgage and property taxes because your tenants haven't paid rent for a year? Fuck you. You have to take out a huge loan to repair the damage your tenants did when we forced you to board them for free and then pay all of our fines for the code violations they were creating while they told you that you couldn't come inside to fix them because "Covid"? Eat shit and die.

There's no way in hell I'd ever be a landlord.

Quote:
There are a lot of financial advantages to renting: you can depreciate the house off your taxes and all repair/ improvement expenses are business expenses and can be deducted. But unless the rental income is higher than the mortgage it doesn't make sense and I never thought it was worth the headache.

I hope he knows what he's doing. He's a huge ball of stress but when I go to his house he and his fiance never seem to be panicking about how they're going to put food on the table or keep the lights on. But there's been zero rental income for at least 6 months now (plus whatever they weren't paying before he finally had the police escort them out after YEARS of trying to get that done), and Illinois has SUPER HIGH property taxes. I know that he can write off a lot of this stuff as losses and he knows how to do it, but he's still getting creamed right now. He was paying over $260 per month just in natural gas alone this winter just keeping the house warm enough so the pipes wouldn't burst.

He needs to get rid of this house. It's gorgeous, but even under the best conditions it's a money pit. It's just too old and the design isn't something that they'd even be allowed to make today. The house is over 100 years old, and I'd bet it's even hard to get insured.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Monday, April 3, 2023 9:32 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Just a Sunday around me. Not much happening.
I guess I had my Sunday yesterday, today is almost a regular "work" day for me excpet I ot out of bed late. Time to get back to it, my list of "things to do" gets longer and longer every time I think about it. Have a nice one. Do something fun!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

My to do list starts tomorrow with some actual grocery shopping.

BRENDA

Monday, April 3, 2023 10:59 PM (P)

Out for my walk soon on a bright but not overly warm day.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 4:52 AM (P)

Back from my walk and though the temp has gone up it is still very cold out.

SIGNYM

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 7:48 AM (P)

Family is sick. Headache, sore throat,stuffy drippy nose, low grade fever, cough. It's not Covid- I know, I tested them! But they're miserable. I'm serving chicken soup tonight.

As for me... my eyes and nose drip all the time (chemo side effect) so I wouldn't know if I was sick or not. I had a scratchy throat a few days back, but I think I'm ok!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 9:23 AM (P)

Was talking to someone I know about my book today and she already has me doing a book tour. *L*

SIGNYM

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 9:29 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Was talking to someone I know about my book today and she already has me doing a book tour. *L*

I hope so! How exciting!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 9:45 AM (P)

Awwww... sorry about your family, Sigs. Hope everyone feels better soon.

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Was talking to someone I know about my book today and she already has me doing a book tour. *L*

Wow, Brenda. That sounds great!

I put another piece of the puzzle together on the dread work I was talking about today. I'm still going to have a lot to do.

I'll probably be helping on the rental next Saturday, but maybe not with Sunday being Easter. His family is big into the holidays. May or may not help my other buddy this week with his kitchen, but that's not going to happen until I make it through this next round of terrible storms over the next 2 days. :(

I seem to have put on a few pounds. At least it's trending upward. Been between 149 and 151 lbs for 2 days now, which is up from the low of 146. But jeez... do I have to eat a lot right now. I must have put my metabolism in hyperdrive. You wouldn't believe how much I'm eating. It's almost a chore at this point.

Feeling my energy pick back up. Once I get back to about 153 I'm going to start working out about 30 minutes a day and hopefully all these new good habits stick after a few weeks.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 11:40 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Was talking to someone I know about my book today and she already has me doing a book tour. *L*
I hope so! How exciting!

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

I think we need to rein things in. Getting a foot in the door with publishers on either side of the line is hard.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 11:41 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Awwww... sorry about your family, Sigs. Hope everyone feels better soon.

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Was talking to someone I know about my book today and she already has me doing a book tour. *L*

Wow, Brenda. That sounds great!

I put another piece of the puzzle together on the dread work I was talking about today. I'm still going to have a lot to do.

I'll probably be helping on the rental next Saturday, but maybe not with Sunday being Easter. His family is big into the holidays. May or may not help my other buddy this week with his kitchen, but that's not going to happen until I make it through this next round of terrible storms over the next 2 days. :(

I seem to have put on a few pounds. At least it's trending upward. Been between 149 and 151 lbs for 2 days now, which is up from the low of 146. But jeez... do I have to eat a lot right now. I must have put my metabolism in hyperdrive. You wouldn't believe how much I'm eating. It's almost a chore at this point.

Feeling my energy pick back up. Once I get back to about 153 I'm going to start working out about 30 minutes a day and hopefully all these new good habits stick after a few weeks.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

One step at a time and I would have to deal with my nerves in order to do such a thing.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 11:07 PM (P)

Out for my walk on another bright but most likely cold day. Temp is only 38F. Need refill for one of my meds.

SIGNYM

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 2:25 AM (P)

That's chilly!

*****

Had to call AAA to replace a battery this AM. We've had to jumpstart the car for a few weeks now, and the fuss was getting old. But it was a 7-year old battery so I guess we needed a new one.
Still dealing with sick people here. I was going to take the family out to see the superbloom but between illness and Easter I think that'll be later.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:08 AM (P)

Here comes the rain again...

They're calling for some monster Tstorms with a chance of tornadoes again.

Might not be getting too much sleep tonight. Had a nice nap though.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

BRENDA

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:51 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
That's chilly!

*****

Had to call AAA to replace a battery this AM. We've had to jumpstart the car for a few weeks now, and the fuss was getting old. But it was a 7-year old battery so I guess we needed a new one.
Still dealing with sick people here. I was going to take the family out to see the superbloom but between illness and Easter I think that'll be later.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

It is and even in the afternoon now it is only 52F. Guess we are going for a cold Spring up here.

BRENDA

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:52 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Here comes the rain again...

They're calling for some monster Tstorms with a chance of tornadoes again.

Might not be getting too much sleep tonight. Had a nice nap though.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

Don't mention the "r" word. My area is expecting that on Thursday.

BRENDA

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:52 AM (P)

Meds refilled and returned something to the library as well. Cold day again.

SIGNYM

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:53 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Here comes the rain again...

They're calling for some monster Tstorms with a chance of tornadoes again.

Might not be getting too much sleep tonight. Had a nice nap though.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

Yeah have you seen the news about all of those tornadoes further south? Here's hoping they avoid your area!

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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 6:10 AM (P)

More news on tornadoes south of me in the last 24 hours you mean? ... Or from over the weekend?

There's a possibility we're going to miss a lot of it again tonight. It depends on which weather service you look at. They've made it a habit not to agree with each other for about 5 months now, dating back to the bomb cyclone in December.

We should have already had an inch of rain today, but it's been barely a drizzle here and there. I'm not complaining at all about that, for sure.

I'm just really getting sick of this weather. If it's not cold out, it's dark and rainy and potentially dangerous. Not a good start to spring in these parts so far.

--------------------------------------------------

Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 7:01 PM (P)

Looks like tornadoes are probably out. Power stayed on last night.

They're saying we're going to get 1.25" of rain in the next 4 hours now though.

Yikes.

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Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.

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SIGNYM	02:39
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6IXSTRINGJACK	03:29
BRENDA	03:31
BRENDA	03:41
BRENDA	03:42
6IXSTRINGJACK	03:49