The Daily Rave

[jp1]

The new ones with solid state drive technology are much more responsive. I have my eye on an all-in-one model.

Last fall I bought a new PC with both a 500MB solid state drive that holds the operating system and all the software programs, and a 2TB regular hard drive to hold all my documents and other files. OMG, the solid state drive is AMAZING! It boots in about 20 seconds and launches programs so quickly that the program is open and ready to go before the splash screen goes away. My old computer was still functional but I decided to buy it because I didn't want to have to switch to windows 11. Windows 10 functions just fine for me so I wanted to be able to stick with it for the time being. My last computer served me will for 7 years. Hopefully I can get as much use out of this one.

[iris lilies]

I’m so happy to have exited the World of Windows. I am not a heavy duty text or spreadsheet user, so the simple Apple world of Pages and Numbers work for me. With my last Mac, the expensive Mac Pro, I bought Windows for Mac, but I didn’t realize that I had to store those documents in a non-Mac environment.. Or something. It was just so confusing. I never really got it off the ground with that machine.

So when I started using this MacBook Air, I told myself everything will be Mac, I’m saying goodbye to the PC world.

The main downside is that I always have to send all documents in PDF form when I’m sharing them to all of my groups.

There have been a couple of documents that several people work on, but that seems to have been OK and I know they’re not all Apple users.

I have a wonderful use for a Google Docs spreadsheet, since two of us are making additions to it, or two of us want to anyway. But I don’t want to force Google Docs on someone else who doesn’t know how to use it. Sigh. This was exactly the scenario Google docs was set up to serve.

[SiouzQ.]

Here is a photo of my iris bed today - the previous owner planted these. We also had some excitement earlier in the yard - I heard a weird noise just outside the kitchen and went to investigate. A squirrel must have lost his balance trying to get a drink out of our rain barrel and was thrashing around frantically trying to get out. My husband lifted him out with a rake and off he ran towards the iris beds (where they have a den in the rock wall) looking very much like a drowned rat. I get really pissed at these rock squirrels around here because they will eat the garden bare. Any kind of flowers I plant have to have a cage of chicken wire around them.

Life in the high desert...Iris Bed.jpgSquirrel.jpg

[jp1]

Poor little guy! Good for husband on saving him even if he's one of the munchers. What a beautiful garden!

[iris lilies]

Nice Iris!

[SiouzQ.]

I thought you'd like them! I know next to nothing about how to take care of them but they look better now in the three years we've been here now that I keep the beds a bit cleaner of other debris.

[catherine]

This rave probably belongs strictly in my journal, but I think some of you will relate and be supportive. As you know, I downsized and have been trying to contain all my "wants" so I can retire sooner rather than later. Well, my son is getting married to a woman who is perfect for him--she's very much a "simple-liver"--she still has an old flip-phone and buys all her clothes from church thrift shop bins. Her father, however, was a bigwig who worked at a major bank and had a Westchester NY McMansion before moving to a Bend, Oregon McMansion after retiring.

So the kids are getting married in VT. That means her parents will be hanging out here for a couple of weeks, and of course, we will invite them to our home during that period of time. The angst begins there. DH already gets mad at me every time I tell people I live in a small house ("Why do you have to tell people that and make them think you're poor?"). So yesterday, we just for the fun of it went to a local furniture store. Our living room furniture does not work for us, either functionally or aesthetically. Within 20 minutes DH had me nearly talked into two new chairs and an end table. I told the saleswoman I'd think about it. DH said, "If I were you I'd pull the plug. YOU DESERVE IT."

I came home and thought about it. It sure would make our home look nicer and more modern. I texted DD who is my partner in crime in decisions like this.She asked me good questions about why I wanted it, why now, would I be excited.. etc etc.

So then I starting thinking about my old aspirations to make some kind of a slipcover for the wing chair that I actually like, which DH and I bought at a second-hand consignment shop in Princeton. I thought about the fact that while I think the recliner is ugly, it does serve a purpose. Being zero-gravity, a guest like my BIL could technically sleep in it--plus the grandkids LOVE it. I went online to look for bolts of vintage fabric and found a VT-based seller who has tons of vintage fabrics. I picked an indigo blue one, and bought it. That's that.

I'm not going to spend $2,000 on new furniture. What I "deserve" is to retire as soon as I can. I will enjoy making the slipcover, even it turns out wonky, which it probably will. And I'll know that this is an example of who I am--a person who likes old things with a history and patina and values a wabi-sabi vibe that feels homey and homespun.

If the in-laws think my home is quaint and tacky, and even if they think we're "poor," well, they'll be back at their PNW McMansion before long.

[beckyliz]

Catherine - I love how you took time to think about what is really important to you. My guess is that if you had bought the furniture, you would never really enjoy it, because it would always be in the back your mind that the reason you had it was to impress the new in-laws.

Their thoughts are their thoughts and none of your business - good for you finding some beautiful vintage fabric and making your own slipcover.

[JaneV2.0]

I look askance at trying to impress other people, whatever one's age. Impressiveness, like intelligence, is something you either have or not, IMO, and it's usually clear after awhile.

Recovering furniture, well-considered, is a good solution.

Written here in my PNW Mchovel . I doubt I'd like Bend much (I've only been there briefly, for work)--too many carpetbaggers.

[flowerseverywhere]

This rave probably belongs strictly in my journal, but I think some of you will relate and be supportive. As you know, I downsized and have been trying to contain all my "wants" so I can retire sooner rather than later. Well, my son is getting married to a woman who is perfect for him--she's very much a "simple-liver"--she still has an old flip-phone and buys all her clothes from church thrift shop bins. Her father, however, was a bigwig who worked at a major bank and had a Westchester NY McMansion before moving to a Bend, Oregon McMansion after retiring.

So the kids are getting married in VT. That means her parents will be hanging out here for a couple of weeks, and of course, we will invite them to our home during that period of time. The angst begins there. DH already gets mad at me every time I tell people I live in a small house ("Why do you have to tell people that and make them think you're poor?"). So yesterday, we just for the fun of it went to a local furniture store. Our living room furniture does not work for us, either functionally or aesthetically. Within 20 minutes DH had me nearly talked into two new chairs and an end table. I told the saleswoman I'd think about it. DH said, "If I were you I'd pull the plug. YOU DESERVE IT."

I came home and thought about it. It sure would make our home look nicer and more modern. I texted DD who is my partner in crime in decisions like this.She asked me good questions about why I wanted it, why now, would I be excited.. etc etc.

So then I starting thinking about my old aspirations to make some kind of a slipcover for the wing chair that I actually like, which DH and I bought at a second-hand consignment shop in Princeton. I thought about the fact that while I think the recliner is ugly, it does serve a purpose. Being zero-gravity, a guest like my BIL could technically sleep in it--plus the grandkids LOVE it. I went online to look for bolts of vintage fabric and found a VT-based seller who has tons of vintage fabrics. I picked an indigo blue one, and bought it. That's that.

I'm not going to spend $2,000 on new furniture. What I "deserve" is to retire as soon as I can. I will enjoy making the slipcover, even it turns out wonky, which it probably will. And I'll know that this is an example of who I am--a person who likes old things with a history and patina and values a wabi-sabi vibe that feels homey and homespun.

If the in-laws think my home is quaint and tacky, and even if they think we're "poor," well, they'll be back at their PNW McMansion before long.

Material things are not the true measure of wealth. Sure you want a roof over your head, indoor plumbing, heat, food in the fridge, a decent car and food. But riches lie in experiences and relationships. Hold your head high and be proud of yourself and your family. Because all the money in the world does not bring you love or self respect.