Microsoft and Me

When I decided to switch, a couple of years ago, from a Mac to a PC because of the cost, I said to myself, "Myself, Microsoft has a whole lot of software and Windows Live that will give you everything that you got with Apple." I really tried to be a loyal and faithful Microsoft user. I used Internet Explorer, Windows Live including the Picture Gallery as my main photo repository and editing tool. I even got the full version of Microsoft Word, which I haven't used much

I am pretty fed up with Microsoft. It seems that their stuff just doesn't work all that well. I had trouble with Windows Live Picture Gallery which takes forever to load and is cumbersome to use. Explorer is a bother too. Some programs tell me that I have to download the latest version o Explorer, but I have the latest version. I switched between 64 bit and 32 bit versions, then I switched to Firefox and everything works fine. For my photos I switched to Picasa. That loads quickly and give me easy to execute editing tools. Anne was having some internet issues so I changed her to Firefox and now she reports that her email loads a whole lot faster. Why is it that Microsoft programs have so many issues and that other programs can't get along with them? I thought that would be a problem with Apple software, but no, the only problem with Apple stuff is the high price. I'm not ready for a new computer yet and probably won't be for a couple of years, but, in the meantime at least, I have found some programs that work like Microsoft programs should work.

There, I got that off my chest and I posted to my blog so that my faithful readers will have something to read.

Being a Rochesterian Part 1

My, my, it has been a while since we last talked and we have done a lot in that time. We decided that it was time to explore some of the local offerings in nature and culture. Once a month a free concert is offered by students of the renowned Eastman School of Music at St. Michael's RC Church in the city. I didn't bring my camera, but I should have. The church itself was worth the trip. Magnificent, old world feeling with beautiful stained glass windows. One of the windows is so beautiful that it won first prize at the Chicago World's Fair in about 1893, shortly after the church was built by wealthy German immigrants. The concert (piano, cello and violin) was really quite suburb. We got there early because I didn't know where I was going, so we got seats right up front. The church is very large and was well filled, but not crowded, so there would have been no trouble getting seats even if we arrived at the last minute. Mozart and Brahms trios were played professionally and with enthusiasm. The musicians' biographies showed that they had each played all over the world. It was very enjoyable and we will be going back again.

During the week we drove to Sodus Bay which is about forty minutes East of us. My optometrist told me that the kayaking and fishing were excellent there and that you put in at the south end of the bay. We drove through the small fishing village and down to the south end. The only place we saw with a boat ramp charged $5.00, which isn't bad, but I don't think that's what he was talking about. Farther south of that point, however, was mostly marsh. We didn't find another suitable spot. On the way back we came upon a sign announcing a public fishing and boat launch access point. there was a trail that led to some steep embankments on some creeks leading into Lake Ontario, but for the life of me I can't imagine how you would get a boat in there, even a very small boat. There was no charge though. Here is a picture of that spot.


We also took a guided walking tour of Durand Eastman Park with Anne's brother, Art and his wife, Marian. The tour was conducted by Master Gardeners and was about two hours in length. It was a beautiful day which brought out a lot of people, maybe thirty or so. We would have preferred a smaller group, but there were about nine Master Gardeners, so it wasn't hard to get questions answered. It was also good to get different perspectives on things. We learned that there are over 1,000 varieties of trees in the park. We learned a lot of other things too, but, of course, I have forgotten most of them already. The park is close to us and we were given a self guided tour booklet, so we can go back anytime. I brought my camera, but instead of taking pictures, I was busy recording the names of trees and plants.


Our next adventure was to Highland Park, also in the City of Rochester and designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the landscape architect that designed Central Park in New York City. May is lilac time in Rochester and the world famous Lilac Festival draws a hundred thousand people from all over the world. We decided to beat the throngs to the punch by getting there a little early. There are over 500 varieties of lilacs in the park and many, many other flowering plants. It was formed by a glacier and is really quite beautiful. We enjoyed our walk and our visit to the Lamberton Conservatory in the park. Both parks, Durand and Highland and wonderful resources for anyone interested in trees and plants or just wanting a really nice place to take a walk or to sit on the lawn.

My next adventure is not one I wanted. I decided to change the code on our garage door's outside keypad from the one the prior owners used. It was a simple enough project, but now none of the remotes will work and the manufacturer thinks I need a new receiver board. So, do I call someone to come look at it and replace the board, assuming that's what's the matter, or do I just go out and buy a new opener? Stay tuned, but, wait a minute. I have one more picture to post. Yesterday, I installed some updates from our favorite software company, Microsoft. They decided that instead of my chosen desktop background, I should have ones that they supplied. Their pictures weren't bad, but they weren't my pictures. I had a nice picture of a scene on Eighth Lake in the Adirondacks that I took, but it was gone. I uninstalled the program and for my trouble I got a Microsoft logo background, not my own picture back. I thought I found it from the thumbnail, but I found the wrong one. This is one of me canoeing on Eighth Lake a couple of years ago. Obviously, I didn't take it, but I'll have to live with  looking at myself until I find my original background picture.

Being a New Yorker

Maybe I should wait to publish this until I feel like a real New Yorker, but when will that be. What does it feel like to be a New Yorker as opposed to a New Jerseyite or a Floridian or a South Carolinian? Things aren't that different here, except a lot of things are cheaper, but not gas for the car. You can't tell by the weather that you're way up in upstate New York. There are less people living in this general area than there are in central New Jersey and a lot more open space. There are rolling hills, forests, streams and ponds. The other day we went with Anne's brother, Andy to help with some maintenance at his cabin, less than an hour from our house. Nearby is Canadice Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. There is no development allowed on its shores so there are trees right down to the water. A gravel boat launch allows for canoes, kayaks and motors up to 10 hp. You could be in the Adirondacks, or Canada or anywhere. There is very little usage of it so it is very pleasant to go boating there. You can't swim in it because it is a water supply for the City of Rochester, but there is another lake, Honeoye, where swimming is allowed as well as larger motors for water skiing, etc. I'm told that fishing and kayaking around here is excellent. Our next door neighbor saw a bald eagle fly over our houses the other day. I don't know if I feel like a New Yorker yet, but it's a nice place to live up here in Webster, NY.

It is raining today so I decided to try to get my technological self in order. That's no small task, but I got all, or almost all, of my CDs onto my computer and iPod and I am updating my photos on Flickr. You can view them by clicking the clink to the right (a clink is a link that you click on). While doing so I have noticed that I have been remiss in my pictorial pursuits. One of my readers is putting me to shame in that category, but hopefully her efforts will spur me on to greater photographic accomplishments.

Above are pictures of Canadice Lake from the boat launch, from the South end and a picture of Andy's cabin.

How Do They Do It?

These Blogspot guys are good. No sooner than I hit the "Publish Post" button on my last post, I got several ads for cabinets, racks and garage flooring. Someone is reading my Blog.

Hooray For Me

Today I got the second car in the garage. I have been working hard and thinking hard about this for a while. Mainly, I've been thinking about where to put the stuff that was preventing the second car from being in the garage. There will be a few extra things put out for the trash on Wednesday night. I also discovered that we are not utilizing our existing storage shelving in the most efficient way. I am working on that too. As one of my readers pointed out to me, once you throw something away, it gets easier. Of course, I've thrown things out or given things away before. It always seems that whenever I did that, about a week later I'm wondering what I did with that thingamajig and when I realize that I got rid of it, I wonder how I could have done that. I'm finding that having the space is better than having the stuff. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a computer program into which you could enter all of your stuff and the dimensions of the space that is available and then the program would tell you just how to organize everything? Pretty soon I will stop writing about organizing stuff, at least I hope I will stop soon, but at least, in terms of the cars, I'm ready for winter.

Today we did a little exploring and found a nice county park and a place to launch a canoe or kayak into Irondequoit Bay. It is about fifteen to twenty minutes from our house. On the next nice day we will explore Mendon Ponds, about a half an hour away. I think I should stop writing now so I can go get a chair and sit in the garage and admire my handiwork.

Now That It's Spring, It's Cold

I want the Winter to return when it was warm. It's downright chilly out there now that Spring has arrived. I was planning to work outside today to spiff up the rock (slab, flat stone) patio off of our deck. We removed a large holly bush that was obscuring a view of our pond. Well, it barely qualifies as a pond. It's more like a deep puddle. It is one of those plastic basins that you dig into the ground and let a water feature dribble water into it. I didn't install it, the previous owners did. It's nice. It has a large rock from which water pours to create the waterfall effect. Anyway, it was too darn cold and raw this morning to make me want to stay out there. Besides, my whole body was sore from hauling mulch from the town hall yesterday. We made two trips with the minivan and got some really nice mulch for the garden and some nice wood chip mulch for a garden pathway that we are constructing. The only trouble with the garden mulch is that it's mixed with horse manure, which is great for the garden, but not so great for the nostrils. Anne tells me that the aroma will dissipate. I hope it dissipates before Sunday when we will be hosting Easter dinner.

Not having the stamina to work outdoors, I descended into the cellar to continue to get my workshop in order. I have to say that progress is being made, both in the cellar and in the garage. I predict that one of these days, both cars will reside in the garage. When I got back up to ground level, I said to Anne, "I feel good. I got a lot accomplished this weekend." Then, of course, I realized that I had more weekend to come. It's nice being retired, when every day is Saturday..

We visited New Jersey last week, stayed in Basking Ridge, celebrated March and April birthdays, saw Katie Rose in Woodbridge High School's rendition of Cabaret (great show) and drove to Virginia to visit with Anne's sister and her husband. Living way up North now, I had forgotten what traffic was like until I hit the beltway around DC. They sure have a lot of cars down there.

It's About Time

Indeed, it is about time I wrote something on my blog. I have been severely reprimanded by my readers for being remiss. I see that the last time I had anything to say was in January. Well, that's not quite true. I've had plenty to say, but I just didn't write it down. So, where are we now? We are still in Webster, New York, where "Life is Worth Living." Sometimes it can be a little overdone. A local restaurant says it's the place where "The Food is Worth Eating." A wine store says. "Where the Wine is Worth Drinking." Anyway, it is nice here, but it's getting warm. People are walking around in shorts and short sleeve shirts. We may have to go to Canada in the Summer if this keeps up.

Most of the boxes are empty now. There is still only one car in the garage, but progress is being made there. There is a little creek, drainage ditch, rivulet or whatever it is running along the rear of our property . Our neighbor has created a small fish pond from it. There was a a little bridge across it on our property, but a large tree had fallen on it and crushed it. I was waiting for the tree guy to come back with his chain saws to cut it so I could move it, but he won't return until the trees are in leaf, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I got out my trusty ax and started chopping. The tree had partially rotted so it wasn't a real big deal, but I chopped enough so that I could swivel it off the bridge and out of the way. The bridge is still broken, but I was able to separate the two sections and Anne was busy getting the water to flow more smoothly. Not sure where the water is coming from, but moving water is better than stagnant water.

I usually find that trying to work on something where others have gone before is usually a troubling situation. So it was today when I decided to put a switch and outlet on a light post in our back yard. The light is rigged to a sensor to go on at dusk and off at dawn. There was no switch to turn it off, so I thought, "How much trouble can it be to put a switch on it and while I'm at it, an outlet?" I spent most of the day and two trips to Lowes to get it almost done. It works okay, but the cover on the thing doesn't close completely because the switch protrudes too much. You would think that the people that make the covers and the people that make the switches would talk to each other once in a while so that customers can keep their blood pressure under control.

We also have a number of low voltage lights in the front and rear of the house. There are three sets in the front. Two sets work, but the third doesn't. I know it worked when we bought the house, but for some reason some of the lights don't work now. I set out the reason for to know. I found that some of the wires were corroded, so I cut off the bad parts, stripped new wire, but without result. I also bought some new outdoor wire nuts. This is low voltage wire. There is no ground, so you need two wire nuts times the number of lights you want to connect. The nuts come in packages of five or packages of twenty. I needed a few more than five, but not twenty. I was so angry at the marketing flim-flam that I almost didn't buy them. But, I like so many of the rest of us succumbed. I should have gone to the store manager and loudly complained, but I didn't. I got two packs of five, still less than the cost of buying twenty, because I wanted to get on with my project. I fill up my car with $4.00 a gallon gas too because I want to get on with my business. The wire nut companies and the oil companies laugh. They are making plenty of money because I want to get on with my life and don't have the fortitude to stand up and say "I'm not going to take it anymore." "Oh, hum," the companies say, "Unless the rest of your 330 million countrymen stop buying wire nuts or stop filling their cars with gas, we really don't care."

This is only about half the bog that I wrote. I was getting an error message that it couldn't be saved. It didn't say why or what I could do about it and I carried on for a paragraph or so about the unfairness of it all and called on my readers, yes, both of you, to arise and take action. My ranting was quite good, I thought, but I can't remember exactly what I said and I don't care any more, so you can both sit back down now.