Tuesday, February 20, 2023

Yesterday got away from me.

A couple days ago, a cop pulled me over to ask why my Jeep isn’t sporting current tags. I was surprised, but on checking found him right. The cop checked my registration and let me go with a warning. The vehicle’s old tags were expired since last March. Perhaps I’d become sidetracked as for months my Jeep was away for repairs. The mechanic had difficulty finding usable parts for it, a problem that’s getting worse.

Yesterday, I couldn’t find the Jeep’s current stickers, so went online to Oregon DMV for duplicates. The online site was a mess, the system couldn’t recognize me. Come on! Who else has my social security number, my birthdate and etc.? I did the next best thing, pulled my Jeep’s title, and headed straight to the DMV. It was closed for Presidents’ Day!

So frustrating.

That wasn’t the only awful I faced yesterday. I also lost my phone, couldn’t find it anywhere. I asked my google watch to ping it, but the instrument was out of range. I struggled to remember every one of my moves since last sighting the phone and kept searching for it. Not in the Jeep nor anywhere in the house, nor in a pocket of recently worn jeans in the washing machine. Nor outside, in the barn, the horse area, or the chicken area. I was bummed. The phone with so much information is a “gotta have.”

Finally, I found it. I’m embarrassed to admit where, but “there” it was. Just a silly slip, that shook me up.

Later this week, I’ll fix the Jeep’s tags. I will make another fix, too, by swapping my Pixel phone and watch for the Apple versions. Months ago, I eagerly tried the less expensive google network, but with everything online, the process is cumbersome. I’m ready for a re-anchor to what’s worked before.

Dear Friends: Those plans for my day off from work mostly fell “on hold.” Diana

Monday, February 20, 2023

This isn’t a day at work for me. Luckily, the local temperature will climb into the mid-fifties. That encourages planning for gathering the dogs and heading to a BLM. We are overdue for a play-outing and photo shoot.

Last week, I turned down a new job opportunity. It would let me work from home and with more salary. Having long wished to work from home, I had to struggle with making a change. What finally won out was that I prefer to be among people. Home Depot meets that need as I’m assigned to the Garden Department with coworkers. Also, I get around in the larger store by helping customers locate products. I have fun, too, playing with dogs that accompany shoppers.

I’ve never had a green thumb, mainly for too little time and knowledge about plants. That’s changing as I’m involved with Garden Department plants. I water and read plant tags to learn their characteristics. Customers deeply into plants teach me, too. For instance, they’ve taught me that gro lights help flowering varieties. I’ve brought home lights and plants.

I have mixed feelings about staying the course. Working from home suggested relative independence. That’s opposed to my low spot on a large store’s totem pole and some social annoyances. Now though, Home Depot seems best. If that changes other opportunities are out there.

Dear Friends: Letting go of old perceptions and better comprehending a modern world. Diana

Miles

Sunday, February 19, 2023

I’m behind the curve this morning. Recently, I wiped and reinstalled my hard drive, and since, have been searching for and reinstalling apps. Some are huge and time-consuming, like Adobe, and my photos somewhere in the cloud.

This morning, I will share an excellent find, a cartoon essay by Roz Chast who for years has drawn regularly for “The New Yorker.” The magazine has republished (from 2014) “her take” on having to adjust to and cope with aging parents.

Chast expresses her experiences with her tightly bound parents as they enter their nineties. She uses cartoons, and does so profoundly, with insight and wisdom. Her cartoon essay is as impactful as the reality of having loved ones in the process of aging and changing in many ways.

Here’s the link: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/cant-we-talk-about-something-more-pleasant?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Classics_Sunday_HEU_021923&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9d7b63f92a40469e7251c&cndid=48830477&hasha=fcaa975f25ad07269658faaa47d2a8c6&hashb=33f80f8787ed481dba48fac411a7fb1761572d41&hashc=70af9c3a3c0ad914a93bb24a689e2c81ecc4f13988b15cc1d6a15d5fe367ae99&esrc=OIDC_SELECT_ACCOUNT_PAGE&utm_term=TNY_Classics

Dear Friends: You will enjoy and appreciate her skillful combinations of art and text. Diana

Mitzvah

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Yesterday, working at Home Depot, I became introduced to some of the newest light bulb technologies.

I learned that creating different lighting needn’t require installing whole new fixtures. Simply screwing in a smart bulb can make all the difference immediately.

Changing lighting has become so easy.

There are light bulbs with built-in sensors that automatically turn a light on at dusk and then off at dawn. Others have built-in sensors, movement sensitive, that independently light up briefly and turn off. Who knew?

Some Bluetooth light bulbs even are standalone sound systems. Connecting a Bluetooth bulb to wifi creates a color-changing music source.

I toured the lighting aisles examining products along with Ryan, a kind young coworker. He explained the capabilities of different lighting items, adding (kind of adorably) that people in “his generation” are very comfortable using and enjoying modern colorful smart lights.

As for me, I’m wide-eyed and admittedly galore behind younger generations. Fortunately, most of our shoppers are easy to communicate with and usually are seeking products that I understand.

It does boost alertness to be reminded, in regard to everything, that change is constant.

Dear Friends: New astonishing technologies are initiating another learning curve. Diana

Friday, February 17, 2023

I spent most of yesterday wiping out my computer’s memory and then initiating a factory reset. That lengthy and tiring work consumed hours to relocate and download previously saved data. I’m still searching for photos and documents; they’re either in the Cloud or Amazon storage. I’ll find them.

The reset was necessary as my computer was continually losing its wifi connection. As a result, I couldn’t create an entire document before the system suddenly wouldn’t save my work. I went online for technical support, and experts tried to help by unloading and reloading the computer’s wifi driver. Unfortunately, that didn’t improve anything.

Frankly, what had gone wrong was my fault. I had fooled around with internet connectivity, and while clicking on keys immediately sensed having just hit what might have been the wrong one. Enlightenment came too late. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but my wifi started failing often.

After yesterday’s reset, the system seems to be working well enough. Its wifi connection appears to be holding, making worthwhile the hefty fixing effort.

Earlier that day, I cleaned the poultry area. My pet hen turkeys like to follow me around, always making cool chattering and whistling noises. For today’s header photo, I captured one’s sweet expression.

My chickens, too, were fun to work around. Most have re-feathered and are beautiful, for wintertime is the period of reduced laying and less rooster attention.

Speaking of roosters, here’s my Cockoo Moran back when he sported a tall, proud tail. The girls keep following him around and plucking at his glorious feathers. The reason feathers are popular as snacks is that they’re pure protein.

Dear Friends: Using high technology successfully demands hesitation, caution, and courage. Diana

Thursday, February 15, 2023

My new renter, Jan, has begun moving in. Yesterday, she brought her three beloved giant chimes and hung each on different trees. She loves their sounds and understands my mixed feelings about their potential to interrupt this area’s typical quiet. I appreciate that despite my doubts, she dares to bring and hang them. She accepts that their survival in my trees depends on them being reasonably noninvasive.

Although Jan’s enormous chimes might disagreeably impact my neighbors and me, my next-door neighbor, Frank, isn’t among my worries. He’s a good guy, usually unconcerned if my dogs bark noisily or sneak onto his property and steal his dogs’ balls. Besides, Jan says that she and Frank have already become friends.

She is striking a home run with me by volunteering to train Chase, my energetic puppy. Jan is an experienced dog trainer; her breed favorites are Airedale Terriers. I’m learning about her past life, including her stint as a professional photographer for a Tulsa, Oklahoma newspaper. She also has been a licensed aircraft pilot. No doubt, there are more life adventures I’ll learn about.

Next Sunday, the floor installer will be here to finish some details. Finally, a year after I first considered changing my home’s flooring, all’s nearly done. The months have been filled with challenges: moving furniture, breathing dust, and listening to continuous sawing and nailing.

Ah, ahead, new hearing with those chimes that thankfully weren’t hanging during last Monday’s windy blizzard.

Dear Friends: A significant change with the potential to generate much good for us both. Diana

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

On Monday, Central Oregon’s winter weather was rough and resembled blizzard conditions. Fortunately, that was my off-work day, and I navigated the outdoors several times to feed my horses. For the final feeding, I wore ski goggles to help me move directly into westward-driving snow. The goggles made that feeding possible, as they’ve done at least once every winter.

Here in Central Oregon, the weather this time of the year is unpredictable. Weatherwise, February, March, and April can be ferocious, except for the brief spots that generate spring hope. Even the gentle month of May is iffy. Nevertheless, people loving to garden eagerly purchase seeds and plants. They’re willing to take their chances, but those who have greenhouses succeed best.

As this spring approaches, I’m on the garden team at Home Depot. Already, customers are buying inside potted plants. I have a steep learning curve ahead, am expected to become a subject matter expert on gardening. Nevertheless, I’m primed and understand our part of the store’s business will pop instantly when outside plants arrive. We in Garden will be busy throughout the summer.

(Fortunately, my next-door neighbor, Frank, has a large greenhouse and truly is a subject matter expert. Maybe I can tap into his knowledge occasionally to augment mine.)

Dear Friends: If my work history is any indication, I’ll start to create a greenhouse. Diana

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I read in the Washington Post that today one in six Americans is over sixty. That can explain much about what’s evolving socially and economically. Of course, recent medical advances and the focus on geriatrics enable longer lives. But, not surprisingly, the age shift brings real-time and striking changes to the economy.

When I was very young, people often died while in their mid-sixties. A popular theory was “death by forced retirement.” Retiring at sixty-five seemed to leave too little to keep individuals thriving, and so, around that age, the elderly kind of fell off like flies. Back then, I couldn’t have anticipated living well into my seventies or Beyond!

Healthy older populations are altering the entire world. Not long ago, few American organizations hired workers in their late sixties or beyond. Nowadays, workplaces are combining the young and elderly to produce and sell. Interestingly, young workers are undaunted by elderly co-employees, while the elderly struggle to comprehend the younger and more casual attitudes toward working or even driving a car.

Dear Friends: The significant impact of one in six helps to clarify much. Diana

Monday, February 13, 2023

He’s neither a special breed nor gorgeous, and mostly, still is a clumsy fellow. Why he’s remarkable is his easy-to-read face, with expressions clearly quizzical or humorous, and always friendly. In a couple of weeks, he’ll be one year old.

I adopted Chase on the spur of the moment while working at a feed store. A rescuer from Warm Springs brought him into the store. He was eight weeks old, very quiet, and barely bigger than her hand. Right away, I was on it. She said he’d grow into a tiny dog because she’d seen both parents. So I bit, and Chase came home with me that afternoon.

After eating and sleeping, he became very active, and I guessed that rescuer might have exhausted him. Warm Springs is about fifty miles away; maybe she had been dragging him around for hours. Well, at last he had a real home and would grow into a cute little boy.

Within a week or so, my neighbor, Julia, strolled past with her sweet Lexie, a doodle-type dog. To my surprise, Chase immediately charged at full speed after Lexie, wanting to play, refusing to give up, and barely reaching Lexie’s hocks. She tried avoiding the puppy, but he was unstoppable until I could leash him. Afterward, I began wondering how Chase’s temperament might develop. After all, he’d transitioned from super-quiet at first glance to a courageous and seemingly fearless little package.

Chase started growing without slowing until he reached the size of my fifty-pound hound, Ranger. A visit to the veterinarian confirmed Chase’s weight as fifty pounds. We decided that primarily he’s a Rottweiler-Shepherd mix and also has other genes.

Like his rapidly increasing size and weight, his early puppy energy with Lexie was no one-off. While growing up, he’s always been very busy, is a speed runner, and leaps higher than I want to see. He could clear the fencing with only slightly more effort.

Dear Friends: A quick summary of my first year with this fun and challenging mutt puppy. Diana

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Happy Super Bowl Day!

Yesterday, that upcoming game bounced around in Home Depot, a hot topic among employees and store customers. What struck me was that, like the customers there to socialize their dogs, others seemed focused on wanting to discuss the game. Well, loosely “discuss” because one’s favorite team should win.

Speaking of dogs, I met a couple of wing-dings there. Yesterday, a fellow with Tibetan Terrier in his cart stopped and chatted with me. I’d never in person met a TT, an adorable breed that always scores high in major dog shows.

That gentleman used his phone to introduce an associated giant breed, the Tibetan Mastiff. A total “Wow!

An hour later, a woman showed up with a mature Newfoundland, gorgeous and beautifully groomed.

My work at Home Depot offers the best parts of my former Wilco job. I can meet pets, talk with owners and learn about breeds. I can hand out treats and enjoy myself–and adopting isn’t an option!

Four hours daily are absolutely perfect. Like today, I’ll be able to get home with enough time to feed my outside gang before the Super Bowl starts. Go, Chiefs!

Dear Friends: No surprise, I’m still adopting by bringing home various plants. Diana