This will be a fairly short post as not much worth reporting on happened over the last couple weeks. We did have a spell of warmer weather which enabled us to take down holiday decorations and I began a new photo project.
With a few days getting warm, into the upper 30s, it was time to take down decorations. Outside lights, tree, and inside decorations were taken down, repacked, and stored for another year. There is always some sadness associated with this as I enjoy having the lights on in the evenings.
Snow receded from the edges of the sidewalks but the “cat paths” we use to fill the bird feeder, acorn tub, corn cob feeder, and the path to the LP tank became very soggy and muddy. One unexpected result from us reconfiguring the dog run last fall is that it is getting wet and muddy from moisture coming off the house. Next spring we will have to re-think where the dog run should be placed.
I began a new project concerning my old 35mm slides. Originally these had been filed chronologically, which works for some topics but not others. Family photos and events work OK, but generic topics, such as sunsets, fall colors, and national parks should be grouped by topic and not by date. I have begun to go through my collection with the goal of combining like subjects together.
Given I have about 15 each 3-ring binders, some of them of the 4-inch type, this is an ongoing project for the winter months. At the same time, I am throwing away many slides knowing I will never use them for anything and decreasing the work anyone may have going through them once I am gone.
The first result of this activity is a new Gallery of sunset photos. I like sunsets and, it turns out, have nearly 60 slides and many digital images of them. Here are a couple used in the gallery:
Eventually I will go through my negative files as well. Those are mostly of family so less grouping will be needed. Just like the slides, though, it is highly unlikely the kids will ever do anything with these as they already have scrapbooks with relevant photos in them. We also have a collection of family scrapbooks containing dozens of photos so the original negatives are now more of a burden than a resource.
Pam has kept busy with cleaning and re-arranging projects. We are now looking for a new storage cabinet for the kitchen, having moved a small corner unit up to my bedroom. A new small shelf was installed in the kitchen. Cat posts recently received new sisal scratching pads. The address book has been updated after reviewing holiday cards received. There always seem to be many small projects to keep busy, nothing major, all necessary.
Other upcoming projects include getting a newer Macintosh computer to replace my aging 2013 Mac Pro. It will not run the latest version of Apple’s operating system, 26.x.x. I have been using a software patch called Open Core Legacy Patcher to extended the Mac’s useable life but that appears to be at an end. I am looking for a good price on a used Mac Mini equipped with Apple’s M4 processing chip, introduced in 2024. Not looking forward to having to transfer and reinstall all my programs and files, but something that needs to be done. (Another winter project.)
We keep busy. We keep looking forward. The arrival of seed catalogs is something of a treat with the bright and hopeful displays they contain. Now, to get through February and March!
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
USA 250th commemoration trivia: January 1776 was a pivotal month in the forming of the American democratic republic. On January 10, 1776 Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” was published. It made a compelling case for breaking from Britain, convincing many colonists independence was necessary.
In this current troubled time, it helps me somewhat to remain calm as I review lessons of political turmoil in our country 250 years ago.
Rock on.
Today’s Humor:
