March chitchat

[Virginia]

Aww Jingle, what a precious picture!

Agate, keep us informed re Howie. Glad his sister is going to his house.

[Virginia]

My brother has been here for the past two days doing some work on my computer. Thursday he was here all afternoon. He left for a couple of hours and got food but came back and worked until 11:15PM. I didn't get to bed until 1:30AM. He came back yesterday and worked all afternoon. After he left I found I had a message from Howie's sister which I shared on here and it was 2:30AM before I got to bed. I can't remember what happened Wednesday but that was a very late night. That is 3 nights in a row. My brother just called and he is on his way back today. He thought of something he wanted to do to a backup system that he installed.

Well, my brother left at 6:10 this evening. He spent much of the time just sitting and talking to me. He had the computer on and he is trying to install a backup system that will automatically backup every day. He has a program that he bought and has thought it was one of the best for a long time, even for his business. He can put it on 3 systems. So he has it on his and his Father-in-law and mine was to be the third one. He can see from his computer that all 3 have backed up. Well mine didn't back up during the night like he thought it would. He finally realized it was because he had it on his phone as well as computer so mine made 4 instead of 3. He says it is taking so long on mine because my computer is so old. It is still sitting there working and if it doesn't back up the whole computer this time he is going to get a thumb drive and keep what I need on that. He has assured me several times that my computer is going to crash. He thinks it is awful that I have such an old computer. I spend most of my time on my iPad so I will get a new computer when I need it. Actually, I happen to love my computer.

The weather is cold and windy here. Still, it's better than being in some parts of California. I do think it is supposed to rain here tomorrow. I have my fireplace on right now.

I hope everyone remembers to change their clocks tonight. I have already changed mine so I wouldn't forget.

[agate]

Virginia, it's great that your brother is helping to keep your computer running well.

As for backups, the type of Norton Antivirus I have (which costs over $100/yr.) includes an automatic backup of my hard drive.

How old is a computer when it's said to be an old computer?

[Virginia]

We think mine was bought between 2011 and 2013. I can't remember, but I do remember going to buy it all by myself. I had a hard time walking, then I stood forever it seemed and got absolutely no help. It is a small tower that sits on the side of my computer hutch. Turns out it was a state-of-the-art computer at that time. When. I couldn't get any help I finally picked it up and walked to the front of the store to a checkout and told them I wanted to buy it. It was in a case with a handle, so I was able to pick it up. I was in Best Buy. I felt very proud of myself. Someday I am going.to find out just how old it is.. Eric doesn't want a backup like you have for me Agate. He declares it is going to crash and he prefers to have an external backup. I love my brother dearly, but I need tomorrow to do some personal stuff like my hair and other things. I need to go out Monday to do errands. Maybe that will happen. The first day he was here he copied every piece of data on that computer. I wish he was 30 years younger I think he could become an IT person. He agreed.

[Virginia]

Well, I did go out yesterday to do errands. The wind was blowing and it felt so cold. I went to Kohl's to take back a couple of things that I had ordered. I had to walk in from the parking lot, but I made it and then to the counter where they take returns and back out to my car. After that I went to the bank, the pharmacy and then the grocery store. Today was a really bad day. I was so tired and felt so bad. However, I did get my bed changed and linens washed.

Tonight I had one of my "famous" salads for supper. It was so good after not having one for a while.

My brother, Eric, came back today and spent more time on my computer. He confessed he was doing this backup for himself. I couldn't figure that out until I told him to go ahead and look around and when he decided on one that he thought I would like to tell me and I would look at it on the internet. He kind of laughed and said "sister, I have already bought one and it will be here tomorrow". He said he got a HP and that he didn't over buy or under buy. He is going to put my backup on at his house and then bring it here - at least I think that is how it is to go. He bought less hard drive than I have now, but more ram. I have a 1TB with a Intel Pentium processor. He got something like 500GB because he says I have used so little of my hard drive.

So that was my day. As I said, I am extremely tired today and this evening, but I have my fireplace going and I am going to have some popcorn before I go to bed.

Hope all of you are doing well.

[agate]

It was looking like a not-very-good day as I was reading your post, Virginia. But then I got to the popcorn.

A truly inspired idea!

[Virginia]

Yesterday my Amazon tablet gave out. I ordered another one last night. The one I have only wants to go to Alexa and I don't have and don't want Alexa. I don't know what happened. I was going through my daily email when a red line came up at the bottom and then it opened in stuff that I have never seen. The only settings I can get to keeps defaulting to Alexa, and the iPad wants to talk to me all the time. It got on my nerves so bad. I have enjoyed that table a lot. I got it on sale about a year and half ago and I do most of my email on it and I have been coming on here. That is the reason my typing is so bad because I sit in my chair with my feet propped up and that is not a good position to be in to be trying to type. Actually I think it was Wednesday rather than yesterday that it started acting up. Eric could tell over the phone that I was getting upset. Wednesday I stayed on the phone for almost two hours with a support person and it was worse than when I started out with her. I finally just said I am ending this call and she hung up. I do not want to be without one.

Eric has my new computer in and is working on getting it set up at his house. He will probably bring it to me tomorrow. I kind of dread learning a new computer, especially since I am not there to tell him what I do and do not want on it. It is windows 11 and I am now using windows 10. I don't know how much difference there is.

When I went to the grocery store Monday I bought more milk for my coffee. I looked for the organic grassfed milk I had been using because I like it in my coffee. They didn't have it so I bought some oat milk. Turns out it is just that oatmeal milk. I opened it this morning and put some in my coffee and it was just like drinking black coffee. Luckily, I had a little of the organic milk left that was still good. Ikoiko, I ordered another box of the coffee a few days ago, so looks like you have started something with me.

Going to do my email now. I am running late with everything.

I hope Snuggles is alright. She had fallen and hurt her wrist and she also had some other problems.

[Snuggles]

Hi all,

Jingle, did you have your MRI yet? I hope it goes well and there is nothing to worry about! I hate lying in that tube trying to keep still while all of that clinking noise is happening.

Ikoiko, I understand about having to make and go to all of the doctor appointments. I went through the same thing last fall. I lost count of the number of times I went to doctor appointments! I am still going to one today. I hope they all go well and everything is good.

Virginia, I am glad to hear you are getting a new computer. I got a new one a few months ago and I am still getting used to it. My old one was from 2010 and I didn't want to get rid of it but it stopped working one time and wouldn't boot up so I got a new computer. The funny thing was that when my son came home for Christmas he used his power cord on my computer and it worked so it was my power cord that was bad and not my computer. I had already bought and started to use my new computer but my son was able to get bookmarks, files, etc. off of my old computer and put them on my external hard drive for me.

Agate, How are you doing? Have you seen your grandson lately?

As usual the thing I talk about most here is my health problems. My arm/elbow has healed up nicely and I have an appointment with my orthopedic doctor this afternoon. I hope he says it is good and I don't have to do anything more or see him again. In the meantime I caught a nasty cold again. I m sure it was passed from my grandkids to me. A few weeks ago when we babysat my grandson had a cold and runny nose and cough. While we were driving home I said to my hubby that we would most likely be sick in a few days. Well a few days later I was sick. No surprise. The cold lasted 2 weeks and a lingering cough that prevented me from sleeping and pink eye prompted another doctor appointment last week. Happily everything seems to be almost gone. The pink eye cleared up in 2 days after applying an eye ointment and the cough seems to have gone for the most part. We haven't babysat for 2 weeks now so I hope everyone is healthy when we go this week to babysit.

I think I forgot to mention my son and DIL had a baby last month. A new baby boy. So now they have 3 kids girl(5), boy(2 1/2) and a newborn boy. I think we will have our work cut out for us when my DIL goes back to work in a few months and we have 3 to babysit. Now we are able to play one on one but that will end when we are outnumbered!

I am looking forward to warmer weather and getting out in the sun. I get a little seasonal depression around this time of year. The time change has helped some with the daylight lasting longer into the evening. Does anyone else feel this way?

Still thinking about Howie and missing his humor and posts about his life.

[agate]

Hi Snuggles,

I'm so glad you mentioned that you've had your computer since 2010. That means that there's hope for mine to last a bit longer. I've had it only about 3 years and my previous one lasted 12 years, which I was told was unusually long. I really dread the day when this one won't work any more and I have to think about replacing it.

Too bad you had the nasty cold and pinkeye on top of it.

But congratulations on the new grandson! I hope he will be a good baby and he'll probably stay entertained by his older brother and sister, at least some of the time.

I saw my grandson a week ago, and he's headed for a 5th birthday. He's having a party. There will be plenty of people there without me--I'll give him a couple of presents next time I see him, probably early next month, and in the meantime he'll get a card.

I do enjoy having more daylight in the late afternoon but the changeover each year is what you might call a challenging adjustment.

After 22 years of reading Howie's posts and always finding them well worth reading, I certainly will miss him. This board has a huge hole in it now after so many loyal people have moved to another world: nuthatch, Joy, Matt, Cat Dancer, Frog42 (Vicky), Sally, and now Howie and I've probably forgotten or not known about a large number of other people. All of them were willing and able (somehow with great difficulty) to visit here, read, think, and reply over a long period of time. That is a huge achievement. They could have been spending that time at the local casino, or at a spa, or trying to find work, or traveling, or just about anything else you can think of, but they didn't.

[Ikoiko]

Haha at the idea of spending time at a spa instead of here!!!

[Virginia]

Ikoilko, surely you thought your recent Doctor appointments were actually like going to a spa.

[agate]

Yes, medical appointments are surely like trips to a spa--all of that care! (Well, they do try to make you comfortable in whatever chair or table they put you on...)

Speaking of people many of us remember, if anyone remembers mmcc who used to be here, I remembered her real name and looked her up on Facebook. Sadly, I learned that she passed away a couple of years ago (lung cancer).

[Parsi]

Hi all. It's been a long time since I visited here. I stopped in to connect after reading Agate's post on Facebook that Howie has past. That will leave a big gap.

But after looking around here again I realized that laziness may not have been the only reason I haven't been back. I barely can read anything here. The size of the writing is too small except in my own posts which I have increased. I can't find a way to zoom other posts. And some of members use one of the blue colors that I can't see so I don't know who is writing the posts. I do remember having those problems before which I apparently didn't find a workaround. So I probably will be scarce here.

This past weekend I had an acute cough and tested positive for RSV. My lungs seem to always get hit hard. I was thinking it was bronchitis or pneumonia. I was fairly certain it wouldn't be covid, but I'm at the age that RSV can be dangerous too. But I'm on the mend now. Still not venturing out for another week. Unfortunately, hubby is sick now.

I've overextended myself with activities. I was feeling nostalgic and joined my mom's old HCE group. Unfortunately I don't live in the old neighborhood so it's driving 30 minutes to get to most meetings. I attend my hometown church which again is a weekly 30 minutes drive. Luckily and unsurprisingly my husband comes with me and he does that driving. I volunteered to organize the archives at the church (again 30 minutes out). I've joined the local area history museum which again is 30 minutes out. My heart is in my old neighborhood but my body isn't.

Plus I'm trying to organize my family trees which are in a real state of disorganization.

But at certain time of the day I just sit and veg out in front of the tv. I have piles of laundry which are screaming to be done.

[Virginia]

Snuggles, so glad your arm is healing well. Little ones carry a lot of germs, but you definitely can't stay away from them, especially when they are your Grandchildren. I found something to my computer that my brother just replaced that says it was from 2010 also. They don't make things like that anymore. These newer ones will probably only last a few years and be gone to computer heaven. Mine was still working, but my brother insist that it was going to crash--soon!

I went out yesterday. I went to the cleaners, drugstore and grocery store. I was all ready to sit for a little bit and fix some food when I got home and all of a sudden I remembered an item that I didn't get at the grocery store. I put my coat on and went to one near by and picked up that one item. By the time I got supper it was 8PM.

More unsettling news from my family today. Eric called and his daughter was at the hospital. She is 7 weeks out from delivering their second child. She has been back and forth to the hospital since last Thursday. She is having bad swelling and high blood pressure. She has headaches and dizziness. He took her to work this morning so her husband could have some time to work. He said he told her when she started to get out of the car that he knew she loved working and that the people depended on her, but that she was carrying one that depended on her for his life and he would always depend on her to take care of him when he gets here and that she should not take any chances if she thought she had a problem. Not long after she got to work she called his wife to come and take her to the hospital, that her blood pressure was high. At the time he talked to me he didn't know anymore. I am praying that both she and the baby will be alright. They have one who is now 20 months old and of course my brother and his wife are keeping him entertained through all this. I think her husband is about to go crazy with worry.

[agate]

I'm so sorry about your niece, Virginia! I hope she will be all right. I believe there are quite effective ways of controlling some of the problems that come along with pregnancy, and I hope that her condition will be one of those that can be controlled easily.

Parsi, thank you for letting people know you've been having trouble seeing the posts. I don't know if this would work for your system but I magnify the entire page on the screen if I press CTRL and the + sign. If I do that repeatedly, it keeps on magnifying. If I want to reduce the magnification, I press CTRL and the - (minus) sign.

And as for the blue typeface, I opted to use that for all of Ralph's (Tom Cat's) posts so they would stand out from the part that I was posting. Ralph hasn't yet got the computer help needed to figure out how to post here on his own, and so he sends messages to me by the Facebook system, and I copy them over here. I'll just stop turning them blue now that I know some people aren't seeing them. They can be made to show up by just being indented and by using the quotation feature.

I had been wondering what had happened to you. It's a shame that you've had RSV--that must have been miserable. I hope your husband will recover soon too!

Just a question because I seem to live in another century and often don't understand things--I can't figure out what HCE stands for. Maybe you could clue me in?