Blue Screen of Death and a Greening Rain of Life

My neighbor added an owl last week to watch over our shared "heart" garden

I learned a new phrase last week. My computer displayed a lovely BSOD after a failed download.  After trying various delete and restore operations we called a tech guy. Today I picked up my laptop from the office of Patrick, who had done the work "on the side." He didn't have to wipe it clean--my files were preserved. There had been a problem with an old security system which he eliminated and replaced. I now have avast! Antivirus, he added a defraggler icon and cleaned it up a bit.

Along the way I heard a few horror stories of other cases (at least one terminal) of Blue Screen of Death. We had managed to save all my files to a new flash drive using safe mode, just in case it would need a "wipe."

I am so delighted to have my computer home again and completely functional. My last post here was early May and I have yet to tell my wonderful adventures in Florida on Mother's Day weekend. Now, if I could only find my glasses, and if only Mike would come over with some freon for the air-conditioner I would be happy--for at least a day or so!

It was cool and rainy today and we didn't need the air. I found my old glasses in a drawer. And the grass on the other side of the fence--and especially in my yard--could not be any greener. (See above)

And I am so happy about all the rain, even though the bathroom ceiling leaked a little today.

 I managed to mow all the long green lawn grass by Saturday. I also seeded a large section of lawn at the rental house, and on Wednesday and Friday I helped plant dozens of flats of annuals in the church garden. (Frank died in February, but all his flowers were already growing in the greenhouse.) The cool rainy weather is just perfect for the new plants to settle in and for the grass seed to germinate.

I also transplanted hostas and more in Marissa's garden last week. Hostas three feet wide popped right out after the gentle spring rains. I also helped my pastor divide old clumps of daffs and tulips at his recently purchased home. At Aunt V's I planted dahlias, cannas, callas and leftover Easter lily bulbs. All things green and growing are getting a good boost from the thunder-cloud rains.

So lots of volunteer work, too, last week and by Saturday night--utter exhaustion.

But, I sat around eating bad (indulgent) food and birthday cake all holiday weekend. My muscles are well rested now--except for my stomach muscles, which are once again stretched way too far.

We ate our first Costco cake (new members this year) on Memorial Day--pretty decadent, all decorated in white and purple roses for Aunt V's birthday. I took home the remaining couple of pieces, which are now demolished.

After our Memorial Day picnic lunch, it once again started to rain--more glorious rain.

I heard once, over a decade ago, that Martha Stewart did her transplanting in the rain and I make no apologies for occasionally gardening in the rain--or mowing the lawn after dark! Now, of course, Martha has a full time head gardener and many helpers on her farm, but I respect that she worked hard for years doing the nitty-gritty stuff, too--like de-lousing her chickens. Wow, I don't even know what that means. I don't remember our chickens on the farm getting lice or needing to be de-loused.

(I always manage to include some of my recurring themes in these posts! Lousy chickens. The farm. Martha Stewart. Rain and watering. Eating too much good food. The weather. My aching/aging/retirement body. Flowers.)

Life moves on, with another birthday on the horizon. Three friends join me for a July birthday and I hope we can celebrate with cake only once--or less!

 A church member died this week. A new baby joined us at the family picnic Memorial Day.

New baby birds (and their attentive parents) have lately been loud and chirpy. My neighbor Lynn picked up a fat worm from the wet sidewalk and dropped it into the wide open mouth of a baby robin who had jumped ship but could not fly. We still have a nest of baby sparrows that are surviving, their nest rimmed in poop. I took a photo today. They are staying dry and warm in their nest atop a porch light. A low-wattage bulb doesn't seem to bother them.

Lol. I even managed to fit in a "poop" reference in this post!