Limbo - computers, electricity, weather, wood, health, economic...

Too much dangling going on around here.  Downright discombobulating.

So, last week, Spice's computer finally, really, died.  Since she handles orders and phone calls for our business, that's a problem.  Beelar being still here, before returning to grad school, where he has been computer SysAdmin for a whole department- he decided this was the time for a business-wide update.  Buy one new machine (which I'm working on now) - transfer info all around, get a new backup system; and get all workers using the same OS (Leopard, if you want to know.)

And it was all much more painful than necessary, starting with the fact we have a new FedEx driver- so our packages wind up wandering the earth, looking for a house.  (You can't see a building of any kind from our mailbox...)  Then, the transfer process; "migrating" my machine onto the new one- from PPC chip to Intel chip; with all my computer files since 1986 in there...  and I really miss my goddam "enter" key, thank you so goddam much, Apple.

Won't get into the details here; just- it took about 6 times longer, with 8 times more cussing, than Beelar anticipated.  He did get us here though!

It was also time, last week, to do a serious update on our electric system- once again Beelar's chore; partly because he's still flexible, and the electric components are in a dark cramped corner, of course.  This involved switching out back-up inverter #1, for a real replacement inverter; sine-wave, this time, instead of "modified sine".  We also removed the original inverter, an ancient square wave from Tripplite, forsooth, which had still been wired in as backup #2.  Main house inverter (modified) had died some months ago.)  And, repositioning the battery charger into the inside, permanent mount.

Main point being- for 4 days, the upstairs of the Little House was inside out, making sleep a little dicey.  Feels great having actual sine power, though, and knowing that the wiring is good for the next 20 years again.

Weather- 4 nights ago; it went to -10°F; real midwinter cold.  This morning, I woke up to the sound of rain; and overnight it didn't even freeze.  A little bare ground showing here and there on the south slopes.  But.  We've got a big late winter storm heading right at us; predicted to drop 6-10" on Thursday evening.  Right back to winter we go.  And we're low on firewood...

Which means getting out and cutting a bit before it really gets messy, using our "backup" trees; a few dead elms specifically not cut previously- because they're very close the house, and can be reached even if we're in foot deep mud, or meter deep snow.

That'll be fun because I'm still recovering from the cold of the century; and the tooth extraction... a bit wobbly on my feet just yet.   Smidgen is out of her cast- but still needs to be careful of the arm, since it's not totally healed yet.  Great fun for parents; with a big puppy who would out-bounce Tigger, desperate to play...

Oh, yeah, then there's the continuing drama of total world financial implosion.

Here we dangle.

Gonna go cut firewood.  That, I can do something about.

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So, in the process of procrastinating, while pretending to check out the new computers, Spice's sis sent this: Haiku by cats

Should cheer you up; I laughed a couple times.

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still procrastinating.  The Cat Haiku thing seems to be phenomenon; one I've been oblivious to.  More.  More.