Category: miscellaneous

Since I am a regional employee, working from my home office, my employer issued me a notebook (aka laptop) computer. My personal computer is also a notebook.

I have only one lap.

Granted it’s a wide lap, but it is not wide enough for two computers. So Hubby hooked me up with this cool switch thingy that allows both computers to sit closed, side-by-side on my desk, sharing one large desktop monitor, mouse and keyboard.

It’s cool, really. Except that the poor keyboard and mouse get used twice as much.

My keyboard is suffering. Even though it is only a year old.

Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that the “L” was being worn away slowly. It eventually disappeared. But I got used to it. It wasn’t as bad as when the en on my last keyboard quit working.

Until yesterday, that is. That’s when Eric stopped by. (He’s been staying at his Dad’s so he doesn’t have to listen to me nag him about job hunting. But that’s another story.)

While here, he needed to use my computer.

“What happened to the el?” he asked.

“It wore off.”

“Why just the el?”

“I don’t know. I guess I type a lot of words with els in them. Like ‘clinical’. That’s got two els and I type that one a lot (for work).”

He managed to figure out where the el key was. But he screwed me up. The key may have been blank, but I knew what it was. I’d never thought much about it. Until Eric had to go and point it out. After he left, I couldn’t stop thinking about my missing el.

I thought for a nanosecond about buying a new keyboard. But I decided to fix this one instead. All the other keys are fine, after all.

Those Sharpies are handy little tools.

The fix worked. But now the el really stands out!

I am not a Blogaholic. That means I do NOT obsess about posting something new to my Blog every day. And I do not read a gazillion other people’s Blogs.

I do read some, though. But it’s easy ’cause I have a reading list. There are six Blogs on my reading list. Whenever someone posts something new, it pops up there. Which is cool, ’cause it means I don’t have to waste precious time navigating around, Blog to Blog, to see if any of my faves posted anything new.

Anyway… one of the Blogs on my list is Passive-Aggressive Notes (WARNING: they use the “f” word there… don’t say I didn’t warn you, Moms!).

It’s not always (not usually) rip-roaring hilarious. But it’s almost always interesting, in a semi-sick sort of way. Today’s post in particular struck me funny because the picture so totally looks like it could be the inside of the refrigerator of someone I know. Some family member. One who lives south of me, and a little east.

I’m not naming names, though.

For the record, the refrigerator I pictured above is mine. It has nothing to do with the passive-aggressive post. I just hate picture-less Blog posts.

My life isn’t super-exciting, but it is a good life. I really can’t complain.

After all, I have a super Hubby. He’s a bit abnormal, but in a good way. The other day, he came home from work and I said, “Hey, by the way, if you need something to do since I am still working…”

“Um,” he replied. “Who says I am looking for something to do?”

“Well, if you are looking for something to do, how about getting my bicycle out of the basement and airing up the tires?” I said before going back to work.

Not five minutes later, the air compressor was running. I peeked out of my office and saw this…

“Aw, you really do love me. Thanks,” I said.

“Yeah, I love you. But that’s my bike,” he replied.

I could have been upset, I guess, except back to the basement he went. A short — VERY short — time later, this is what I saw…

Both bikes aired up and ready to go, being inspected by Meg, of course, as Belle watched the backyard for squirrels.

Not twenty minutes had passed since I asked Hubby to do this. I told you he was abnormal. Most men would have put this off for weeks, or at least until the wife nagged some more.

On another note…

Spring in Maryland is weird. One day it will be sunny and warm, the next day rainy and cold, then hot and dry. And so on.

One rainy morning I was tickled to see this guy walking around the neighborhood during a downpour.

My guess was he had serious cabin fever and needed to get OUT. Love the boots!

Yesterday, after the bit of morning exercise I reported on in my previous post, I planted this shade garden.

This one corner behind our house is always shady. The grass won’t grow. All that will grow are noxious weeds that would, of course, spread into the rest of the yard. To combat the weeds, I made a little shade garden. The larger plant is mountain laurel. There are also some ferns and a couple of hosta. It may look small, but it required a good bit of digging, two trips to Lowe’s (I never seem to buy the right amount of mulch, it took 6 bags!), and several trips back and forth to the rock pile on the opposite end of the yard.

I still have one more thing to plant.

That’s mint. Is it wrong when you’re inspired to plant by a fabulous mint margarita recipe? The recipe isn’t really the inspiration. You can buy mint, after all. But it is expensive. Usually about $2.50 for a little plastic container that only holds a tiny bit of mint leaves. Once I plant this, I’ll have all the mint I need. Unless the dogs eat it of course. We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.

There are toads everywhere. To see for yourself, CLICK HERE.