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Spring is in the air…

By on March 26th, 2008

Line of Daffidils The weather has been pretty good the last couple of days. Today, I walked down to the mailbox and then decided to take some pictures of the yard. This one is just down from our side yard and after the fruit trees. As you can see we’ve got a lot of clean up to do.

I’m always surprised when the perennials come up. There’s a hyacinth struggling out of the leaf cover under the azalea. The peonies are starting to shoot up out of the ground. The strawberry plants we put in last year look like they’ve survived. My husband’s rose bush is getting new leaves, as are the two hydrangeas just off our front steps.

For many that may be just spring as usual but we live in the woods. We have a small plot that gets sun — the side yard garden area is about 20 by 50 feet and gets between 4-7 hours of sunlight and about 1/4 of that is our herb garden. Every where else gets partial to full shade. We’ve been here three years going on four and each year we try new plants in a test area to see if it will grow. Most is a bust. The Endless Summer hydrangeas did survive so now we have three of them. We tried another type.  It lives, but never blooms.

Since we have 5 acres tucked behind a lot of about 20 acres and next to another lot of 5 acres and bounded by a farm it is land with lots of trees and thus some pretty acid soil. Last year we moved some of the plants to containers and actually got some tomatoes, peppers, and a few cucumbers. We hope to do more containers or home-made earth-type boxes and see how that goes.

The house came with a fruit orchard: apple, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries. We’ve lost a few of the really young trees, all apples. The rest seem to do fine. They bloom, they actually get fruit, but so far in three seasons we’ve managed: 1 peach and 2 cherries. We bought a plastic owl with a head that turns in the breeze — no luck. The squirrels and deer just laugh at us. Last year a squirrel sat on the fence post eating an apple and when we yelled at him, he looked up at us like we were some sort of exhibit and shambled off with his apple tucked under his arm to eat in peace somewhere out of sight. And we won’t even discuss the bird.

This year we’ve got plans for shiny ribbon and cayenne pepper, container planting, and lots of hope and wishes along with the water and tender loving care.

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Review: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill And Came Down a Mountain

By on March 25th, 2008

DVD cover The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountainTonight we dug out The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain. We hadn’t seen it in a while and thought we take another look. It’s one of those movies that just make you feel better about being a part of the human race.

Based on the novel of the same name written by Christopher Monger, it tells the story of the mountain Ffynnon Garw in Wales. The townspeople took pride in having the first mountain in Wales (as you move west from England). World War I is raging in Europe and the people work hard to supply coal for the war effort. Then into town come two Englishmen to measure the mountain for the survey maps. Lo and behold the mountain is only a hill. The villagers band together to keep the Englishmen in town long enough for them to build a mound on the mountain, to have it remeasured, and return it to its status as a mountain.

It’s really the story of the indomitable will of people to not give up, to continue in the face of incredible odds in order to save what is important to them. To give them pride, to do something important, something that they can feel and see and touch. By maintaining the mountain status of Ffynnon Garw, they can forget the war and the men who may never make it back — they will maintain the home that they left behind — they will keep their mountain and the village intact.

It really is a heart-warming story of a community pulling together. I love happy endings. There’s a letter about the book, movie, and the mountain written by Ed Sullivan of Visalia, California for Professional Surveyor, Nov./ Dec. 1998. The story is really about Garth Mountain and the town of Taff’s Well. So there is some basis in fact for the novel and movie.

Simply done with no big fight scenes or special effects, it’s a simple film of hope and the spirit. A feel good movie that make one feel that maybe the human race sometimes gets it right.

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Emma — PBS The Complete Jane Austen

By on March 24th, 2008

EmmaSunday, March 23rd, PBS’s Masterpiece Theater aired Emma (with Kate Beckinsale as part of The Complete Jane Austen series. I’ve seen this particular version of Emma several times — I have it on tape and need eventually to get the DVD version. I do have Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow on DVD but don’t watch it as often — not because it isn’t a decent version but just because I find the A&E version closer to the novel.

Emma book coverNo matter which version of Emma you enjoy, all are based on the novel Emma by Jane Austen. Emma is a young girl, living alone with her father. Her sister is married to the brother of a neighbor, Mr. Knightly. Emma’s companion has recently married and now lives a half a mile away with her husband. Emma is a bit bored and thinking herself bright, intelligent, and wise in the ways of the world, she decides to befriend a woman of about her own age with no family but educated and mannerly and find her a husband. Of, course Emma is nowhere near as smart as she thinks she is and of course misunderstandings happen and through them growth occurs.

First I have to confess that Emma is one of the Austen novels that I haven’t read yet. While both movie versions listed above are interesting. I do think that I like the one that PBS chose for The Complete Jane Austen series. Here Emma is believable as the young lady who runs her father’s household and believes that she knows all there is to know about life. She’s confident that there is nothing she can not handle. And, of course, it’s that conceit that is at the core of the story. For, as you probably suspect, Emma must learn that there is more to being a young gentlewoman than being aware of her place in society. Emma has been a big fish in a small pond and when Jane Fairfax comes to live with her Aunt Bates — Emma learns that others may not be her equal in status but beyond her in sense, education, and talent.

The film allows us to see Emma’s flights of fancy as she leaps from a phrase or hope to full blown accomplished fact in seconds. She jumps to conclusions with little fact and less thought but with each failure or disaster, she learns until finally she learns to look within her own heart.

Austen, in Emma, creates a girl who has just stepped into womanhood, and must find her way to sense and thoughtfulness. A story of growth and filled with scenes that will make you laugh, some that make you uncomfortable, and others where you can feel the pain meted out and received.

I highly recommend this version and I’ll try to revisit my impression once I’ve had the chance to read Emma.

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A shiny thing day…

By on March 22nd, 2008

Branch of a Forsythia bush in bloomLong ago, I started calling days when you can’t concentrate or where the least little thing causes you to go off on a tangent, shiny thing days. Sort of like cats who chase the light from a flashlight all around a dark room or the way animals just go after every shiny thing they see because it catches their attention: shiny thing days are those where there is no straight lines from task a to task b.

Today started okay. But suddenly I realized it was a shiny thing day. How did I know? Well, my first clue was when I opened the cupboard to get my vitamins and instead saw the cereal. So, I got down the cereal and realized I needed a bowl. Opened the other cupboard to get a bowl noticed the coffee. So, opened the fridge to get water into the coffee pot so I could start it. Got out the water and flipped open the top and poured. Flipped it closed and snapped on the machine. (Note: I haven’t mentioned putting the grounds in the coffee machine.)

Well, the whole day has gone like that. It took me four trips up the stairs to get the dirty clothes before I actually got them down to the laundry area. I don’t want to even count how long it took to actually get them in the machine and started. Suffice it to say that in between email got read, some even got answered, mail got picked up, plants got watered, knitting got done, interviews got written up and sent off, articles got formatted, html tags got entered, news items got sorted and put up.

However, being a shiny thing day — no proofreading or copyediting was done. As interesting as it might be to find out what things would look like afterwards, I decided to give it a pass today. Maybe housework was invented to keep people out of mischief on shiny thing days. In spite of it all, tasks got done. They just took a lot longer with a lot of interesting side trips and I guess in the end that just makes the journey even more interesting.

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Proposed Maryland bill would make use of open wireless networks a crime

By on March 21st, 2008

Cover of Wireless Home Networks for DummiesSo, I’ve got insomnia and I’m catching up on some of the tech sites I haven’t read in a while and I come across an article about a bill being presented by LeRoy E. Myers Jr. that would make it a crime to surf the internet using unsecured wireless networks without permission. The article quotes Myers:

He (Myers) told the House Judiciary Committee that one of his neighbors, after buying a new laptop computer, got onto the Internet, thinking it was through a cable TV hookup.
Actually, the connection was through Myers’ home wireless Internet system.
He said he didn’t want unintentional use like that to be prosecuted the same as computer hacking.
According to the bill, intentional unauthorized access to another person’s computer, network, database or software is a misdemeanor. The penalty is up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000.

A quick search of Amazon showed at least a half-dozen books on wireless network and the one shown here is for people who aren’t that techno-savvy but want to set up a home network. I checked the table of contents and there is a section on securing your network. In fact, most of the books with a look inside have a section on securing your network.

We have a home network and it’s secured. No one can use our network unless we put them into the allowed table of MAC addresses and give them the proper security key, or if we intentionally open it up for all users. It’s simple and easy to do. I’ve read about other states trying to pass similar legislation and find it hard to believe that our representatives are so clueless. If you don’t want people surfing by using your wireless network — secure it. Networks left open are assumed to be available for use since they are so easy to secure against outside users connecting.

It’s kind of like McD’s putting those newspapers up by the front counter. It’s assumed because the papers are there and there’s no price on them that they are for people to read and return. At least I’ve never seen anyone pay for using the papers there. On the other hand, in hotels there is prominently displayed price lists by the fridges in the room so that you know if you take something, you will be charged.

All use of an unsecured network is unintentional use, in that I couldn’t use it if you didn’t specifically allow me to. If you don’t want someone using your wireless network Rep. Myers then secure it. Don’t try to penalize others for your lack of attention to detail in such a critical area. It seems that Maryland’s motto should match that of the US — Never take responsibility for your own mistakes, just criminalize anyone who happens to stumble over your mistakes. Isn’t that why whistle-blowers still take the fall for pointing out errors?

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Arthur C. Clarke — dead at 90, in Sri Lanka

By on March 19th, 2008

Arthur C. ClarkeYou may have heard by now that Arthur C. Clarke, the author of over 100 books of science and science fiction has died. Once of his best know works is 2001: A Space Odyssey though most people probably know it from the movie rather than the book. I read the book years and years ago but strangely we just watched the DVD a while ago along with 2010: The Year We Make Contact (I love the aero-braking scene).

2001: A Space OdysseyI’m a very visual reader and see the scenes as I read them. So, often I can’t remember if I saw something in a movie or read it. These two movies, 2001 and 2010, were filled with amazing visuals of space. I think it was reading so much SF when I was younger that got me interested in the sciences and space. I’m sure he has influenced many of his readers to learn more about physics, chemistry, space travel, communications, and many other fields.

I’ve never met him at a convention just seen videos and podcasts but I feel in some ways that I’ve lost a friend because he’s had such an influence on my life and my reading.

He’ll be missed.

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Monday blues…

By on March 18th, 2008

Blue RoseWhat better way to celebrate the Monday blues than with a blue rose. Got to thinking about blue roses in a round about way and found science has managed to create a true blue rose. Last year sometime there was a big thing about rainbow colored roses — horribly expensive and they looked more like melted crayons in all the pictures or that scene in What Dreams May Come when the Robin Williams character is in the painted landscape and the colors are being smeared as he walks through.

Today was a cool blue day. Did the minimum on the PC that I had to do. Then I curled up and read all day (with of course a break to make the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner). Finished reading Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett (the review will be in Gumshoe Review for the April issue). Then I started another mystery, Poison Pen by Sheila Lowe, also for the April issue. It was really nice to just sit with a warm afghan and coffee and read. I think I’m coming down with a cold or something because it was just so hard to move today to start anything — maybe I’m still trying to gather spoons.

I did manage to search some of my stash areas and find a spare bobbin for my Majacraft Rose. Now all I have to find is my Lazy Kate and I can ply my singles and finish the blue yarn I’ve been spinning up. The thing is I’ve been spinning and spinning and I’ve now got 3 bobbins full and there’s just as much wool in the basket as there was when I started. Honest, it sure looks that way anyway. I think it’s breeding in there — the problem is I’m now getting sick of all these shades of blue. However, next I have a lot of white wool that I plan to spin and then dye. Now I’m wondering if I should dye and then spin. What do you think?

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Barely enough spoons today…

By on March 16th, 2008

The Silver SpoonI really don’t know how it happened. I’ve been doing so well. I even managed with the zine work to actually clean the upstairs bathroom, do the floors, and pick up and organize another big chunk of my fiber stash. I’ve also started the sleeves on my sweater and spun up a spool of singles (next is plying and picture will follow).

Today, we headed out to my favorite yarn store, The Yarn Garden, in Annapolis, MD. They have a sale every year with fantastic prices and door prizes. Unfortunately, today was the last day of the sale and while there was still a lot of wonderful yarn — I took a pass. Having just partially organized my stash of yarn and fiber, I just couldn’t find anything that I need just now since I have so many partial projects going. So, I touched and dreamed and walked away — it was so hard to leave without buying anything at all, not even the yarn that I fondled and priced and dithered over. Sigh. Such is the decisions of life.

Next, we stopped in to Homestead Gardens. Homestead is just a beautiful oasis of spring. They had some small areas of landscaping that were so peaceful and calm. We wandered through the displays, picked up some vegetable seeds, some seedling pots, and a few herb plants. We have a perennial herb garden to the side of the house and have been adding to it each year. But the annuals we either have to start from seed ourselves or buy as plants. I tried to winter over my scented geraniums this past winter and lost 4 of the 5. At least the lemon grass made it through the winter.

Tomorrow we plan to get outside and make a big start on clearing out the garden area to get ready to turn the soil and ready it all for the spring planting in a few more weeks. That’s where the problem starts with the missing spoons (see earlier spoon post), I have been so lucky all week and today started strong but somewhere between Homestead and home I seem to have used up all but one and I need that one to finish this and get to bed.

I’m reading Charlaine Harris’s Three Bedrooms, One Corpse so I think I’ll just go curl up and hope that tomorrow brings me enough spoons to get a start on some of my grand plans for spring cleaning.