Ugh! Trying to get a chance to post something on my blog has been very difficult this past month or so. I started having problems with my computer. It kept slowing down and being very difficult every time I tried to do something. It got slower and slower until I was at a point where it was taking 15 to 20 minutes just to get it to boot. Two weeks ago or so I started getting "That program is not here" messages when I tried to open a program. Any program. At this point, I have no idea what's going on. After working on it (stumbling around in my ineptitude) for about an hour and a half trying to fix it, I gave up and burst into tears. I was sure that one of two things had happened. 1. I got a horrible virus or 2. My hard drive had crashed.
I went looking for my daughter who kindly took my laptop and proceeded to start working on it. A few minutes later my husband walked by (He'd been outside working on the tractor.) and when I told him what we were doing he said "Oh! Did you install the new Windows update?" Well, yes, I did. "That's what's wrong!" He grabbed my laptop and spent the rest of the day fixing it for me. Apparently, the latest Windows 10 update should never have been sent out. He got it all fixed.
He ordered a new hard drive too, because my old one was about full, which was part of why it was so slow. I have a brand new Terabyte drive now and it has my computer just zipping along! He's ordered some more ram, but it hasn't come yet.
So, for two weeks I've been working on "computer" stuff, trying to catch up on things that didn't get done because my laptop was malfunctioning. One of those things is going to every online account I have and changing my email address.
We have a new Internet provider now. I need to cancel the old one, but I felt I should make sure all the important places know the new email first. Places like my banks, credit card companies, medical agencies, Utilities, yarn sellers, etc, etc. I can't believe how much business I do using the internet now. I've spent hours and hours updating accounts. I'd sit down to work on the blog, and then I'd feel guilty because I really needed to work on updating accounts (Dear hubby has been nagging me about it). I think I've got all the most important ones done now because everything is coming to the correct mail box.
Another thing that has happened is that I've been put in Facebook jail, again. This time for 30 days. I was accused of posting hate speech, which I honestly have not. I can't post or comment on anything. I can read it though. This is my 4th time. All 4 times I did not post hate speech so I'm completely bowled over by this. I'm beginning to think one of my FB 'friends' has been reporting me to be mean or something. I've sent emails to the FB powers that be, but have not received any response. I've also unfriended people I hardly know, and made some changes in my privacy settings.
Facebook uses computers to look for use violations amongst it's members. No humans actually do it. The computers look for certain words. Unfortunately, it doesn't know how to take things in context, so people are ending up banned for ridiculous reasons.
For instance, people in the Ball Jointed Doll groups I'm in are getting put in jail for talking about selling bodies and heads, and stuff like that, which doll collectors talk about all the time. Unfortunately, the FB computers are interpreting it all as sex trafficking talk, and several of us have been banned for it because it's being misunderstood due to computers not being able to understand the words IN CONTEXT. It's been very frustrating.
By the way, a friend of mine has been banned for posting "OMG" recently. We have no idea why. It means Oh my god. Sigh.
I do not want to give up FB because I really enjoy the knitting and beading groups I'm in. I've learned so much from them. I'm at a loss what to do.
Another thing to add to my frustrations is I got a new phone.
My old phone (Motorola Moto Play G6) stopped ringing when phone calls were received. It was getting very difficult to make phone calls, and when I did it constantly dropped the calls. So, during Amazon's Pride day, I got a Motorola Moto G Power 2021 for a very good price. I absolutely LOVE it. It has a long lasting battery and a 48MP camera in it. Actually, there are 3 cameras in it. The 48MP is the main one though. It takes very good pictures, now. It didn't at first. It's taken a longer learning curve to figure it out than usual.
Now, when you get a new phone from anywhere but the phone companies themselves, you have to transfer your stuff from the old phone to it. Your apps, and files-photo and data, as well as your contact list and whatnot. It's supposed to be easy, but as with anything that has a computer in it, it's not. I got all my photos and most of my apps transferred right away, but there were a few things that did not, as usual. I've spent hours trying to get them transferred. I worked on it today and I think I'm finished. It required me using my laptop as a go between. Lots of cord swapping and copy and past between hard drives. Ugh! Should be good to go now.
We have had unbearably hot weather for weeks now. We had 3 days in June that were absolutely horrible. It got up to 109F at my house. We have never seen heat that high here before. The heat has dried things out very quickly and we have an early wild fire season. We've already had two scares near use. Lightening started one fire near us, and farming equipment started another one. I'm so nervous about fire right now. The air has been filled with smoke for quite awhile, so I've not been going outdoors unless I need to. No deck knitting. Despite my caution, I am having more asthma attacks than normal. We need rain. ASAP!
Over on the coast the heat caused a natural disaster. When the tide was out, the heat killed miles and miles and billions and billions of sea animals. Every Mussel, Star Fish, Sea Anemone, Silver Dollar, Sea Urchin, Snail, and everything else living in the tide pools when the tide's out died in the heat. Clams cooked to death in the sand. It will take years for the earth to replace it all. Here's a link to one article about it: Pacific Northwest Crushing Heat Wave. It breaks my heart. We camped a lot on the ocean when I was growing up. I spent a lot of time in tide pools.
I do have good stuff to talk about. My husband has a job. It's a small job, and won't even begin to support us, but it will get him out of the house two days a week, so I'm happy. Starting in August, he is going to teach computer classes at North Idaho College. It's only 2 of them, for very little money, but it could lead to better things in the future.
We've been visited by Moose! There's a cow with a little one hanging around the house. I got pictures with the new phone. This first one was taken early last week. She chewed on the flowering plum for a bit-despite me standing in the window taking pics about 8 feet from her.
I have not been knitting as much as I usually do. I did finish a layette set, and I've got another one almost done, but it's been slow going. I haven't worked on the mittens at all. It's been too darn hot!
I have been working on the cross stitch though. I discovered the flowers in the bike's baskets are supposed to be beaded. Here's part of what I've got finished.
I didn't get the beads called for in the pattern because they are not available in the U.S (the pattern comes from Russia). I just dug in my vast stash and found some that are a good substitute. I admit, though, I didn't have any dark pink so I had to order some from Shipwreck Beads.
I got some new clothes. Woman Within is having a big summer sale this month. I got some great deals on some pants, shorts, and t-shirts. Mostly casual wear. I don't have much need for anything fancy.
Well, I'm pretty much caught up now. I hope to post a finished project tomorrow.
Live long and prosper. \\//
NICE POST
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