more on "a little help from my friends"

It's amazing the support you can get from your Internet friends.

Just in the past couple of weeks, I've found some things in my mailbox (not my AOL mailbox, the real one, outside) from folks I know from AOL.  I've only met one of the senders face to face.

When Carlene lost her husband recently, I sent her my book of poems.  Today I received the pamphlet that was distributed at her Danny's funeral, along with a wonderful letter in her own handwriting.

Day before yesterday, I received a post card from Hawaii.  My friend Wilona is spending a month there with a couple of her dear friends.  Wilona is one of the first "Internet people" I had the pleasure of meeting face to face.  She is one of the wisest people I know, and I'd go to her for advice anytime.

Yesterday I got a package from Robin:  She had sent two copies of a picture of my dog Mandy (the one who recently died on the highway in front of our house) that she had edited a bit,   One will hang in my cabin; the other will be just inside my back door, where everyone entering my house will see it. 

Not too long ago, Barbara ordered my poem book.  Along with her payment, she sent a cassette recording of herself, singing songs she had selected especially for me. 

I love my Internet friends.  Those of you who have propped me up know who you are.  God bless you every one. 

With a little help from my friends

When I got my first computer, a Gateway, I knew NOTHING about computers. 

One time I got a message, "This program has performed an illegal operation", and I swear I expected to hear sirens coming up my driveway, and cops with handcuffs waiting to take me away. 

I'd had that first computer a week or so, and skipped one night of attending the revival that was going on at Church to surf the 'Net:  A message popped up on my screen that said, "Aren't you supposed to be in Church tonight?"

I thought God was talking to me on my computer!  Turns out it was my very first instant message, from my daughter-in-law at the time, Kat.

That's how stupid I was.

My son, who was in the Army then, came for a visit and showed me "Windows Explorer" and taught me how to click and drag.  Amazing!

I found the now-defunct Christian Senior chat room on AOL, and made many friends with whom I still keep in touch.  There was a Virginia man there who had made it his life's goal to know everything there was to know about the workings of AOL, and computers in general.  His screen name was Havok.  He patiently answered all the computer questions so many of us "newbies" had.  I don't know what I'd have done without him.

There was another man who frequented that chat room, a Baptist preacher with the most wonderful sense of humor.  His screen name was WESTBILT.  He taught several of us dummies how to defrag our computers and get rid of cookies.  WEST passed away some years ago, but he'll live in my memory forever.

There's my friend Sue, in Virginia.  She's the one who first introduced me to Google, and so very many helpful websites that I still use.

Even now, there's a message board where I can go with any computer question, and get an answer.  It's run by some computer techies who know their stuff.  I've seen them devote eight or ten pages of replies to help someone who's having computer problems.  Free.  Just because they want to help.

I've been having a problem viewing movies I take on my digital camera.  The movies run just fine on the camera, but I'd take them to Windows Movie Maker and they'd totally mess up.  I was afraid I had something wrong with my computer.  So I e-mailed Nancy, an Internet (and real-life) friend in California who has a camera just like mine.  She's a whiz with computer stuff:  If I want an MP3 song turned into a WAV, she knows how to do it. 

I had been complicating something that was actually very simple.  Nance told me what to do, I did it, and I saw my little movie.

To every Internet friend who has helped me get this far, I just want to say, "Thanks!" 

I get by with a little help from my friends.

 

Monday Photo Shoot

Monday Photo Shoot: 80s!

Set those cameras for 1985!

Monday Photo Shoot: Got something that screams the 1980s? Get it in picture form! This can include things you currently have around the house that are from the 80s era, or alternately, is a picture that is so very obviously from the 80s itself.

That's Merlin you see me holding (ignore the hairdo; we rode the motorcycle today, and that's what a helmet does to my hair).  It's a game that first came out in 1979.  I believe my daughter received Merlin for Christmas in 1980 or '81.  She used to take it to bed with her, and we'd hear Merlin's beeping, musical noises coming from her room after she was supposed to be asleep.  When she left for school in the mornings, I'd play with Merlin.

  This is not the one she had, though.  I bought it on Ebay a couple of years ago, just for the memories it evoked.  It must have been a well-made toy, because there are dozens of them on Ebay at any given time, it seems.

There are six games on Merlin:  tic-tac-toe, Music Machine, Echo, Blackjack, Magic Square, and Mindbender.

I found a Virtual Merlin online that can be downloaded to your computer.

If you have a photo entry, be sure and leave the link with John Scalzi.

Weekend assignment #100

Here's the weekend Assignment John Scalzi has given us:

Weekend Assignment #100: Share 10 facts about yourself -- from the next five years. Imagine what you see happening over the next half decade and then tell us about it, in interesting fact form. You can be serious, or silly, or somewhere inbetween. But give it some real thought and then take a stab at your future facts. If you find 10 facts too much, just do five. Either way it'll be fun.

1. In September, 2006, I start receiving Social Security.

2.  In August, 2007, Cliff and I vacation in Colorado.

3. Christmas, 2008, I become a great-grandmother for the first time.

4. In 2009, Cliff retires and starts collecting social security.

5. In 2010, Cliff and I celebrate the fact that we’ve both maintained our weight loss for four years.

6. In 2010, we buy a very simple modular home and tear down this old house.

7.  In 2010 my horse, Blue, at age sixteen, is still a dependable ride, and patiently plods around the yard and pasture with my grandchildren and great-grandchildren on his back.

8. In 2011, we still have the old worn-out Honda Gold wing because we wouldn’t be able to get much for it anyway; we take an occasional short ride around here, close to home. Arthritis won’t let us travel comfortably for over forty-five minutes at a time.

9. In late 2011, we win the lottery, tear down the modular home we brought in last year, and build a house back in the middle of the pasture where we can look down and see the river bottoms. Cliff buys a bigger John Deere tractor, and also buys our old Allis Chalmers D-17 back from the guy who bought it six years ago. Now, of course, our children have no more financial worries because we’re sharing our winnings with them. Life is good.

10.  In December of 2011, we foot the bill for our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids to go with us to Hawaii for Christmas.

Extra Credit: So, who's president in 2011?   Hillary.  Was there ever any doubt?

If you're going to play, be sure and leave the link to your entry at John's blog.

A February Ride

Although one of my New Year's "goals" was to ride Blue at least once a week even in winter, I'm afraid I haven't done it.  The night after Mandy died, I couldn't sleep, so I got up and rode in the dark.  That's the last time I'd been on Blue until today.

I've intended to ride for the last couple of days, but Cliff and I were doing odd jobs; and I have less than an hour from the time Cliff goes to work until the granddaughters arrive from school, which isn't much of a ride.  And in winter, there's not a lot of daylight left when the girls leave for the night. 

Today I made it a priority to ride.  Blue did great, although when the awful wind gusts blew stuff like plastic bags around, he startled a time or two.

I always feel better after a long ride through the countryside. 

My grand-dog

My grandson, Arick, was here today with his Pit Bull, Dixie.  He had the audacity to go outside without her.  She watched out the door, wondering when he'd return.

The rear end of a dog you see in the foreground is Sadie, of course.

Sadie, what a long tongue you have!

I was sitting in my favorite spot, my poor, worn-out computer chair, when I realized Sadie was behind me at my left side, obviously trying to get some tasty tidbit from between the arm of the chair and the cushion.  (What does this tell you about my housekeeping?)

Yes, I do eat at the computer often.  But how I got food down THERE is anybody's guess.  It amazes me how Sadie could squeeze her whole tongue into such a tight space... of course, the cushion had some give to it.  But still.