K.I.S.S. Control Key Shortcuts

Keep it simple, sweetie. You know me well by now and this is my motto. So here you are.

Control Key Shortcuts
Ctrl+F = Find something on a page – in a browser, text editor, PDF editor, ebook, etc. To
remember this easily, think F = FIND.
Ctrl+P = Print the document you have open. Whether it’s a web page, a Word doc, PDF file,
text file, etc. Think P = PRINT.
Ctrl+N = Opens new window in the program that’s running. Think N = NEW.
Ctrl+S = Saves the document you’re working on. Think S = SAVE.
Ctrl+H = Shows your browser’s history. Think H = History
Ctrl+J = Shows a list of downloads in your browser. Think J= ? I give up! J=Downloads! Junk?

And let us not fail to mention these basic Ctrl Key shortcuts:
Ctrl+A = Select All
Ctrl+C = Copy
Ctrl+V = Paste
Ctrl+Z = Restores deleted files instantly when used immediately after deleting a file.

It has been a long day.

I have been having some chest and abdominal pains of undetermined origin. So today was the big day with an ECHO test followed by a chemical stress test and then a doctor visit to hear the results. I have really dreaded the chemical stress test because I had heard things that made me very nervous. My friend Mickey told me they were nothing. Mickey has always had the chemical ones because of injuries when she was a teenager that made a traditional stress test undoable for her. And she was right! Not bad at all. This took all morning with testing starting at 8:00 am and ending at 11:50.
The results were worth it. Dr. C. said I have a strong heart of normal size with a few "electrical" issues, no blockages. We will have another look in September while still monitoring the electrical issues. For me it was the very best outcome. So now the other problems I have been having are most likely gut related. Knowing the heart is most likely not the culprit was reassuring.
One step at a time...

Then this afternoon Butch had a couple of cancers removed from his face. His turn this week. My turn again next week! This is not what we hoped for this summer. Oh, the things we need to do to stay healthy??

Teeter kids at the water Park

Elise-8

Leo-5

Plans get changed

Yesterday Colleen and I decided we were going to bike the trail instead of a walk but a toothache changed it. For once, it isn't me with a toothache. I could change the direction of this blog entry right here but I won't just yet. So Colleen went to the dentist this morning instead of biking with me. I am sure I had more fun.
I haven't ridden for a while so it was a pleasant trip down to the bridge and back despite the dark clouds lurking in the northern sky. We dodged a storm as often happens in the slot we occupy. I could veer off on that subject too but won't just yet.
I took several photos on the way to the bridge and also at the bridge. Some critter lost his life under the bridge from the sounds of it but I was unable to see the action and I don't think I wanted to.

Back to the first veering off subject-Toothaches
As many of you know I had dental implants in my lower jaw way back in 1998. It wasn't all that common at that time but I said then and still say now it was worth every penny. It was the closest thing to having my natural teeth that I had ever experienced. Once again I was able to crunch on raw veggies and eat steak. Nuts were a particular favorite. But I digress. I have always had a problem with plaque build up and I also had this with the implants. I went to the dentist twice a year to get the plaque removed from around the implants. On one visit they suggested to me I might want to consider a laser treatment and after looking into it I decided to do it. The dental tech told me I might be able to go as long as 3 years without having it done again. It has been three years and I have not had one minute of a problem with plaque buildup or the problems that ensued from that and I am not seeing any of the symptoms that would lead me to believe I need another treatment yet.
Here is a link if you want to check it out.
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/laser-use-dentistry

And here are the photos I have taken recently.

Beautiful Day

Perfect morning for a walk. Cool, light breeze, sunshine, good company (Colleen), who could ask for more. And I remembered my camera. Today's topic of conversation centered around kindness, the many forms it takes and the importance of even a tiny bit of it and how the smallest act can stay with you for years. What was the last kindness someone showed you?
Today's pictures...so far.

 Busy trail this morning This runner was doing laps because we saw him multiple times.

Okay, I just remembered something. I often see the darndest things. I was sitting at the computer and my view looks out on the backyard and alley. A white car pulled up behind the motorhome and a teenaged boy got out of the back seat and opened the trunk. A teenaged girl got out of the trunk and got in the back seat and the car slowly moved on. Oh yes, there is a story here. No doubt about it! But I do not know the rest of the story. This is always happening to me!! Guess I will have to follow in my mother's footsteps and make one up. Her stories always started with "I'll bet...". That is how we knew they were stories.

Plant story

I have known for a long time that something was funky about the soil near my clothesline posts. When we first started on our house project we needed to move a rhubarb patch because it was in the way of placing our RV sites. So naturally Butch and I disagreed on where we should put the Rhubarb patches. So to keep us both happy I placed a chunk of rhubarb near the clothesline while Butch put a chunk north near the property line. His flourished and mine struggled and finally died.

Next event was a clematis that I wanted to place near the west pole of the clothesline. It has been there for several years now and it has never been healthy, always looking like it was clinging to life on a thread.

The latest event was my recently planted honeysuckle vine, planted near the east clothesline pole and it started out looking great. Then I noticed the leaves were turning yellow and looking very wilted. I knew it was getting enough water so next, I thought perhaps the roots needed to be shaded like a clematis but it still looked sick. My last attempt to rescue it is to dig it up and put it into a bucket with fresh potting soil. I think I may have waited too long. Time will tell
Finally, I turned to the Internet and I think I have discovered the problem. Lack of nitrogen in the soil!!! The soil in the backyard has never been good quality but I had no idea it was as bad as it is.  We are in need of some animal manure so bring that horse or cow on by and let them drop that good ol' nitrogen in our backyard. Trust me I never thought those words would ever leave my mouth!!

Inspired

I received an email this morning that inspired me to post this article. Please fact-check things. Especially before you decide to send them on to others.

Myths about Social Security

https://www.ssa.gov/history/InternetMyths2.html

Selling fear is a full-time job these days.

Walk and Talk etc.

Colleen and I have both enjoyed getting back to our walk and talk. Sometimes because of the depth and breadth of what we talk about I wish we were recording it. One of today's topics was the genetic memory of crows. Yes, it is totally true that we talked of that and probably for a good 15 minutes or more. We both value our discussions as a super way to start the day.

Last nights trivia was AWFUL! Once again the questions were way out in left field entangled in the weeds. Example: Word scramble- CRANK THE LOWER HIPS. It is an actor's first and last name and you have 3 minutes to decipher it. I will tell you the actor at the bottom of this post.
Despite our difficulty, we came in 3rd!

Tonight I have a trial run as Trivia host at the Elks Club. I will be using the same questions I used on January 7th in Magnolia. I hope they have enough fun that they will want to come back like what happened in Texas. Time will tell.

Butch is out at Leo's sharpening lawn mower blades. The brother's share a love of mowing and sharp blades makes it more fun...I guess.

One of my favorite cartoons!

(Christopher Walken)

Small battles

Butch has been waging war with the squirrel. He calls her Piggy. I told him I thought she was pregnant and she sure was! There are 4 half-grown squirrels joining Mama Squirrels battle with the guy who controls the birdseed. Another wrinkle in the story is a rabbit. Butch thought the squirrel was upsetting the feeder to empty the seed out. However, I caught the culprit this morning.
The rabbit cannot get his snoot into the feeder so he picks it up and shakes it bringing the seeds to the top for easier access.
Here are some pictures to support my story.

Handling it

I do not handle tight schedules that well anymore and that has become very obvious when I go back and see the last thing I posted was almost a week ago!

So back to Wednesday the 23rd we go. We went to Ames to get the stitches out of my left earlobe where the plastic surgeon had taken his bite. I expected to hear all was well but Noooo! It is cancerous so will have to let him take a bigger bite. I told him we have got to quit meeting like this! He thought I was kidding but I'm not.
My friend Colleen is going to be here until mid-June and staying in the MoHo. We went to the DesMoines airport to pick her up. So good to have my walk and talk buddy back even for a little while.
Did not win at trivia Thursday night. I forgot to wear my smarty pants. Hopefully, we will be back on track next Thursday. And speaking of trivia the local Elks club would like me to have a trivia night like I did in Magnolia park last season and see if we can get some folks excited about it. I am up for the challenge. We do not have the particulars ironed out yet but should have by the end of the week.
Stay tuned.
I have been having some hopefully minor heart issues and will be going through some tests on the 8th of June. Butch has a cancer taken off his face that same day. We will be in Ames for most of the day. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Spent a few fun hours at the Jason and Laura Brooker house. Nicole and Terry Richardson along with son Ethan were there as well as the Mike Morlan family consisting of Valerie and baby Lincoln. Lincoln will be 6 months old tomorrow. I got some great pics of him.

We are having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave...and I for one do not handle that any better than I do tight schedules. Most of the Midwest is dealing with it and the poor people of Iowa are more than a little pissed that they were cheated out of Spring. Cannot say as I blame them. Going from March weather to July weather in a matter of days isn't fair. Butch is keeping the satellite dish/bird bath stocked with fresh water and the birds seem grateful. There is a waiting line.

The Deja Vu group ( Jeffersonians who grew up here and returned) had the first gathering of the season at the McQuillens. We had a good time despite the heat. We had supplemental fans and the deck is fully shaded and that made it tolerable. We also celebrated Mickey's birthday. Each one we celebrate reminds all of us to be grateful that we are still here to kick up our heels at least a little bit and throw caution to the wind for a few hours.

The fuzz from a cottonwood tree looks like snow on the bike trail.

Pretty daisies.

properly recycle your old lithium-ion batteries

How to properly recycle your old lithium-ion batteries.

Call2Recycle’s mission is to make Americans aware of the dangers of improperly recycling or disposing of lithium-ion batteries. It has a network of 14,000+ recycling centers in the U.S. According to their website, Call2Recycle has a public drop-off location within 10 miles of more than 87% of people living in the U.S. And it’s 100% free to all U.S. consumers. There are two drop-off locations within 10 miles of me – Lowe’s and Home Depot. I don’t have any lithium-ion batteries to recycle right now – but I have tossed old cell phones in the trash in the past. I was never aware of the potential dangers of throwing old cellphones and/or lithium-ion batteries in the trash… but I am now. And so are you.

Visit this page to find the nearest battery recycling center to you.

To learn what types of batteries you can recycle, check this page.

You never have to pay to recycle your old batteries; the rechargeable battery program is funded by major battery and product manufacturers.

Living in Canada?

If you’re one of our Canadian friends, visit Call2Recycle’s Canadian website here.

Hummingbird Mister DIY Bird Bath

Hummingbird Mister DIY Bird Bath


Create a hummingbird mister to give these little jewels a place to bathe and play!
By Kris Drake

Hummingbird Mister
Hummingbirds have difficulty bathing at traditional bird baths, but love to fly through the mist! This DIY bird bath project creates the perfect place for hummingbirds to play and bathe. Decorate this hummingbird mister to match your backyard décor, and wait for the hummingbirds to find it!

MATERIALS:
5-gallon plastic container, about 20 x 16 x 12 in.
2 unthreaded 1/2-in. PVC pipes, 14 in. and 15 in. long
1 piece threaded 1/2-in. PVC pipe, 18 in. long
2 PVC elbows for 1/2-in. pipe
1 PVC cap for 1/2-in. pipe
PVC cement
Steel wool
Submersible pump
Small rocks
One 1/2-in.-female-to-5/8-in.-male adapter
3 misters
Spray primer, paint and finishing spray
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1
Start by cutting the unthreaded PVC pipe. (You can use pipe cutters or a handsaw.) You'll need a 14-in. piece for the left leg and a 15-in. piece for the top. In the 15-in. piece, drill one hole in the center for the top mister and two holes for the bottom misters. The size of the sprayers will determine the size of the holes you drill.

STEP 2
The third piece of PVC, for the right leg, should be threaded at both ends. This piece is likely precut to 18 in. long. You'll want to cut this to roughly 12 in., but first do a little measuring. Attach the adapter to the end of the threaded pipe and pump. Meanwhile, place the cap on the left leg. Stand both legs up so they're even. Mark the top of the right leg to mimic the length of the left leg and make your cut. (Once everything is attached, you'll have a large U.)

STEP 3
It's time to attach all the plumbing pieces together. First rub the ends of the PVC pipe and the insides of the PVC elbows and cap with steel wool. This will help the pieces adhere together. Dust the pieces off, apply PVC adhesive to the outside of the pipe, and connect the elbows and cap. Be sure the holes you drilled face up and down. Let adhesive dry.

STEP 4
Remove sprayers and adapter from the piping, and lightly sand the pipes with steel wool. Start with a coat of primer on the piping and let dry. Prime your container, too, if needed. Once the primer is dry, paint the piping and container with the color of your choice.

After all the base coat paint is dry, it's time to get creative. Paint flowers or your choice of design with acrylic paint. When complete, spray your work with a clear matte finishing spray.

STEP 5
Now it's time to insert the misters. Use a toothpick to add a pea-size amount of cement to the base of the misters. Insert into the drilled holes, making sure not to clog any sprayer openings. Allow cement to dry.

STEP 6
Use the adapter to connect the piping to the pump. (If the seal isn't tight, you might need to add thread seal tape.) Place inside the container, and secure in place with small rocks or bricks.

STEP 7
Set your new hummingbird mister outside near your hummingbirds' favorite feeder or flowers, and add water. Enjoy!

Right On!

Posting past

This morning Gary and I rode out to Winkleman's switch. There were quite a few people on the trail. That usually happens on weekends. I am using the voice recording thing to make this entry. It should improve my diction but it can't improve my memory. Today is Monday and I'm trying to remember what happened on Saturday. Not working! If my memory serves me correctly I planted flowers and did yard work for most of the day while the guys played golf and that suits me fine. Aha! I think it rained Saturday! I remember because the guys were planning on going to Atlantic for a golf tournament and were concerned about the rain extending into Sunday. It didn't. They went and despite Butch saying he didn't didn't play well, they came in third in their flight so at least got their entry fee back and had a good time.
Back on track. Last Friday I had surgery on my left ear. It was just a little cyst underneath my earlobe getting a sore and then healing and then getting sore again so I decided to just get it taken care of so I could forget about it. Doc said he didn't think it was anything serious but you never know unless you check. Stitches come out on Wednesday. Trips to Ames have been pretty steady on Wednesdays and Fridays. I am ready for that to quit.
Gary is hooked up and ready to go. He has to get back to Missouri for one of Leo's baseball games. They are a real hoot when you're 5 and not something you want to miss.

New Gmail

If you are trying the new Gmail and wonder where the contacts went you can find out here:
https://www.howtogeek.com/350563/how-to-find-contacts-in-the-new-gmail/
Not seeing the contacts was my first WHAT THE HELL!

You know me, I had to try it and I think I am going to like it because the calendar is handier. Give it a try. You can always go back. To go back a bit- First, if you’re not yet using the new Gmail, open your Gmail account, click the gear icon in the top right corner. If the new Gmail is available on your account, you’ll see the option to “Try the new Gmail” at the top.

Livin' is easy

 Last night at trivia we came in second place again. That is the fourth win in a row for us.  It was another momentous night at trivia in more ways than one.  Gary went with us of course and he was a big help.  One of the questions Gary knew was a Madonna song that had the same name as a magazine for a title.  The answer was Vogue.  We old folk would never have gotten that.
 Another oddity on the timeline, and you trivia people would know what that is about, they have used the same year for four weeks in a row!  and I do believe our team is the only one that realizes that.  For some reason, the year used for the timeline question the week before seems to stick in my head.  So when I hear what the answer is and it is the same year as last week, I am puzzled by this!  I want to jump up and say don't you people realize this is the same year as the last 3?

There is a program or app, I'm having fun with right at the moment. It is a voice recognition program that allows me to speak instead of type and it's supposed to speed up communications.  There's a learning curve and so far this is not at all as fast as I could type it. I do see an advantage in having this so I'm going to keep at it for a while.  The first flaw that becomes apparent to me is punctuation and changing a word or two.  Also, the program itself making mistakes such as fly for flaw and miss steaks for mistakes.   I had to type that entire last sentence. Oh well,  it is always great to learn new things.
If you want to play around with it go here. https://dictation.io/speech As far as I can tell it is free. Do not fall for the ad they place right beside it. The ad has nothing to do with the program. There is nothing to download. You use it straight from the website.

Dictation (https://dictation.io/speech)
We were pretty impressed when we learned about this website. Enable the microphone on your computer and speak! The website transcribes everything you say, so you can then copy/paste it into whatever! Instead of typing a long email, just speak it!

The guys are out golfing again.  In my mind, they have it backward. Get the work done and then play! We must just see things differently,  ya' think?

From yesterdays ride. Today was a walking day.

Gary's checking to see if the corn is up. Taken at Winkleman's switch.

A visit from a dove this morning.

So far behind!

I would be on the bike trail or going for a walk or daydreaming while doing yard work and say to myself I need to remember to put that on the blog or in other words tell all my best friends because by now the only ones "tuning" into the blog are my best friends. I had surgery on my unicorn horn and it is greatly diminished and healing beautifully. And now I have developed another area near my left earlobe that will be taken care of this coming Friday. I do not think it is cancerous but then we never want to think that now, do we? Now we move on to Butch. He had a couple of spots biopsied and one is cancerous and the other is hypertrophic meaning it is close enough to remove too. He will be having that done on June 8th, the day before his birthday.

Gary brought his trailer up from Missouri to clean it up and get it ready for summer fun with Elise and Leo and whoever else wants to join them. We are both having fun with Gary. He either walks with me or we bike the trail and then he comes back and golfs with Butch. And tonight we will be joining up with Team McDugan for trivia as usual. Tonight one team member will be a math teacher.

Last Sunday, Mother's day, My sister Theresa and my niece, Karla and my grandnephew, Devon came to spend the day with me and we had a great time reminiscing about our mother and sister, who was Karla's mother, Jayne. Devon got quite an earful listening to all the stories. Most of them are HI-larious as we are a very strange and funny family.

Butch had the flu that day. So he kept his distance. Thank goodness he is back to normal.

Pictures:
Woodpecker

Grosbeck

Devon, on the left, is first chair trumpet

BlueJay

Projects

I wanted a trumpet vine and could not find one so I settled for a Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle. And we planted it on the east end of the clothesline. I did this a few days before Mothers day wouldn't you now. So now I also have a trumpet vine!  I have accommodated both in a very fine manner and will hopefully have hummingbirds both north and south. On the south side, we repurposed some wrought iron porch railing and posts we saved from demo during the renovation. I love the way it turned out. The trumpet vine is planted inside the square created by the posts. It will be well supported!!

Newly planted Trumpet vine we planted inside the square structure Butch put together with the wrought iron posts

Sculpture by Jason Brooker

Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle vine

Fan away mosquitoes

Fan away mosquitoes
Daniel Pankiewicz adds new ammunition to the war on mosquitoes. Daniel says he spotted information in the New York Times that suggests you ditch the DEET and just turn on a fan. 
Not only does the breeze make it hard for the mosquito to land and start a drilling operation,
 it also minimizes the concentration of carbon dioxide in your area – a “calling card” 
for the nasty little insects.

2-Day Mississippi Riverboat Cruise

Butch and I are interested in doing this trip. Anyone want to join us?
We want to go on the 2-day trip from LeClair Iowa to Dubuque Iowa. Let me know as soon as possible if you have an interest.

https://riverboattwilight.starboardsuite.com/choose-date

I do not have a group code as yet but would be willing to get one if there is enough interest. We plan to go either way. You talk about a photo op!!! Could not beat it with a stick!
If you are interested in going, email me with a variety of dates that would work for you.