Wednesday, June 01, 2021

I’m still trying to work out the problems of writing and publishing on this site. Word Press has its live techies contacting me. They can’t figure out what’s wrong. From my perspective, if while writing I save this blog, I can retrieve it, but can’t edit or publish it. An odd situation.

So, today I’ll write straight through without periodic savings, to publish a complete draft. Please forgive any spelling and grammar errors that I might overlook.

The problems with saving and retrieving have me starting to blog on another highly-rated site, VIX.com. That platform might work out as well, or better, for writing and publishing. As my blogs transition to the new platform, I will publish links to them on this Word page. If the Word Press problems aren’t resolvable, maybe readers will change over to VIX with me.

My puppy Chase is twice the size he was when I adopted him. He’s grown taller but still is a little guy. His teeth are everywhere, grabbing at my clothing, digging into my skin, reminding me of why I’ve vowed never to raise a young puppy again. Well, we will get through this.

Mitzvah is helping. She’s a Jack Russell/Poodle mix, slightly older and still a little larger than Chase. Her energy level matches the puppy’s, and they play for hours before collapsing. She used to appear much larger but lately he’s catching up. I suspect he’ll eventually wind up to be about her size.

So, here’s a good morning draft, straight through. Now to find if it’s a publishable piece.

Dear Friends: Thanks for staying with me through days of technical confusion. Diana

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

I have written a blog today and posted it on WIX. However, I cannot get a link to that blog onto this page.

So, a good morning to you. I will keep working on this and hopefully can get us transferred to my new page tomorrow morning.

I have run into glitches with Word Press and cannot keep working with it.

Dear Friends: Have a good day, Diana

Movin’ On!

Monday, May 30, 2022

I am expanding my blog’s potential by changing to a new creative platform. For days I have struggled with a bot to regain access to my Word Press site, without success. It’s not possible to get a real person’s help with WP. The site refers me to “frequently asked questions” and provides robotic responses to emails.

I am in the process of switching platforms, turning to Wix, which is highly-rated. Wix will publish my blogs and photos on a new website, Diana’s Morning Blog.

Expanding the potential of my blogs has been my goal. Changing to a more flexible and helpful platform will allow greater creativity in publishing and interacting with readers.

I am working toward this change, targeting to be up and running tomorrow. I will publish new contact details on WP, and hope that friends and followers transition, too.

Dear Friends: This journey is taking a long awaited turn, stay for the trip. Diana

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Word Press continues to not recognize my current drafts, and I cannot post them.

I have been working away from home, and unable to pester enough for help from WP. If the site doesn’t respond to my already requests for help, tomorrow I will be home and more aggressively try working through the problem.

It used to be easy to contact a live person at WP, but the site has grown and now communications are by “frequently asked questions” or email. I’ve done both and am waiting.

Dear Friends: Technology! Great except for when it ain’t. Diana

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Friends, I’ve been kicked off the Word Press site. Trying to get this corrected. No blog today.

Sorry, Diana

Friday, May 27, 2022

Another mass slaughtering, by an angry young male, of helpless schoolchildren and their classroom teachers. It’s America’s worst nightmare, an AR-15 (designed to explode bodies) aiming at fish in a barrel. It’s a familiar tragedy again acted-out and still unresolvable by America’s fundamentally divided congress.

Preceded by the shooter’s message to a confidant that he will do something and make a huge statement. His rampage began by pointing the AR-15 into his grandmother’s face and shooting her. That she’s surviving is a miracle. That another twenty-plus humans are dead from that vicious weapon is unspeakably awful.

Easily accessible public places, like schools, grocery stores, massage parlors, and shopping malls, provide easy-killing targets. Powerful weapons, which represent outlets for entrenched anger, frustration, and overpowering mental illness, inspire internal psychotic phantasies. At the utmost levels becoming acted out.

It’s impossible to categorize freedom of weapon acquisitions and mental illness into two categories, separate and treatable. Killing-weapons are fantasy stimulants. Many people have self-control and many do not. Repeatedly, we have witnessed mass slaughterings of helpless people, often conducted by young men.

American cultures are polarizing; the positions bubbling ever-larger. Aside from America’s mass destructions, other nations, too, are polarized. The world’s players, negotiating among highly polarized perspectives, must avoid triggering a perfect storm.

Dear Friends: Our modern world lacking a Gandhi needs a palpable voice of sanity. Diana

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Steps are moving ahead to having all my carpeting removed and installing moisture- and (almost) damage-proof vinyl. I have selected a pattern (header photo) that goes well with my home’s light and dark structural woods and stone chimney. The installer and I tested the pattern throughout the house, wanting it to reflect the natural highlights of wood and stone. It does.

Moreover, this vinyl will resist typical damage from dogs. Mine live with me inside and outside, and over the years have ruined the carpet. The dogs are housebroken, but after some surgeries, or as they age, brain-to-body communications become less dependable. Finally, my carpeting is shot.

I’ve considered re-carpeting but the dogs discourage that. The dogs are invaluable alarm systems which I like. Recently, I learned about waterproof vinyl flooring, and after exploring decided to move ahead. My changeover will be room-by-room, consisting of moving furniture, ripping-up and removing carpeting, and laying new flooring.

This will be a significant upgrade. I will have to preserve by packing, and to downsize by discarding. I can remain in-home through the work, and through dust from old carpeting and confusion, like, “Where is this or that?”

A big decision and only the beginning.

Dear Friends: Guessing I will be living at Eight Pines for more years. Diana

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

They’re outside and in breast-deep water, my three-week-old ducklings.

Getting them outside to the water was an episode, because they are very timid. Regardless of frequently seeing me, the trio screams, tries to hide, and huddles, when my hand reaches into their brooder. My attempts to grab one initiates a rush of scattering, and each duck seeking a squeeze-through escape space. This behavior, they have repeated since the moment of their arrival.

I’ve learned to do what needs doing, grabbing each, putting it into a pet carrier. Now, the huddled mass screams bloody-murder while en route to outside. I released them in an exercise pen with a waiting small water-filled trough.

Guess what. They couldn’t figure out how to get into the trough. They ran circling it while grabbing sips, and escaping my helping hands. I set a brick beside the trough to provide height; the birds ignored it. Finally, I grabbed each duck, put it into the trough. In the water all seemed happy.

Soon it became clear that none could get out of the trough. I left them to work it out. On returning, I found one duck out and unable to get inside again. The others still were in the water; I added the escapee. That floating trio seemed happy.

Later I helped each (yes, again, screaming bloody-murder) from the water. They shook feathers, preened, and ate duck pellets. After they completely were dry, I repeated the noisy process of capturing and crating, to return them to the brooder.

Today, we will do all that again. I am hoping to notice that they did manage to learn something.

Dear Friends: The saving grace is that these littles are gentle, cute, and fun. Diana

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

He’s nearly three months old and changing rapidly. In appearance, his colors are more defined, body is heavier but still a small package. In action, increasingly he’s a handful, hangs onto my pants-legs, chews my shoes as I walk, bumps into my ankles, nearly always is underfoot. He has needle-sharp teeth and claws.

My poor cat, Maxwell, is a favorite wrestling target. Max is tolerant, plays with the pup until it becomes too much. It’s over when Max roars angrily and smacks the puppy. A focused paw lands with claws and rids the nuisance. In moments, caution forgotten, puppy re-attacks Max.

The pup fights instinctively. He positions his hip to land blows that will broadside Max. Puppy tries this as well against his other key playmate, Mitzvah. She’s quick, much rougher than the cat, keeps puppy on the defensive. This game little fellow hangs in through the action she forces, until I rescue him.

This pure mutt should remain handsome. It’s a guess as to how he’ll grow and appear eventually. His skinny tail is as interesting as himself, doing all sorts of things, curving up or down, twisting in funny ways, and wagging vigorously.

Dear Friends: Through it all, the pup’s consistent good humor is very catching! Diana

Monday, May 23, 2022

At last, my schedule at work has changed. Starting now, I will be off on Mondays through Thursdays, and work as a cashier on Fridays through Sundays. This will free up time to play with my animals and to explore and (hopefully) satisfy my curiosities.

Today, I intend to release several young hens into the flock, to fully become integrated. One is the baby with a missing eye. Generally, she’s done well, learning and gaining perspective, but the more mature and aggressive flock members could blindside her. I’ll evaluate whether to leave her with the flock or bring her to the house as a special needs pet.

Another goal concerns the baby ducks. They need to swim, and today might get a crack at it. I will set up an exercise pen, with a little pool they may use. They dislike being handled and will squawk like crazy while being carried. At last though, in a pen with a pool they’ll discover Duck Heaven.

Dear Friends: I will capture highpoint images and share them. Diana