Category Archives: Blogs

Is it really 10 years?

Posted on by

Clipart Number 10 15

This morning was foggy and frosty.  Fog had mostly cleared when I captured this image.

190102a

The effect was most evident on the asparagus fronds.

190102b

Ten years ago today, I posted my first tidbit on Secondary Rds.  That first year was fun and exciting.  I posted every day and sometimes more than once a day.

Lately that has changed.  It has been about a month and a half since my last post.  I’ve thought about posts, but they haven’t made it to publication.

About the time of my last post, Sylvia’s computer began to have problems–serious problems.  I checked for the last full backup of her system.  The program had stopped working over a year earlier.  (Note to self: check backup status at least once a month.)

The rescue effort started as I began to save data onto a thumb drive.  I got it all except her email addresses.  The last time I powered up her machine, it took two and a half days to boot.

We talked about alternatives and decided to put her on the Linux machine that I was not using.  I installed the data from her Win 7 computer on the Linux box.  Configured everything for her.  It worked well for a while.  Then Sylvia said, “How can I print?”

So I went to install a printer.  The system asked for a password.  I tried the words I had written on the sleeve of the installation disk.  They didn’t work.  Now what?

Next try.  I had a Win 10 computer hooked up to my amateur radio equipment.  I pulled that out and started to transfer data files.  That computer died in short order.

Fortunately, I had ordered a new hard drive.  I installed that in the Linux box.  After downloading the latest version of Manjaro xfce Linux, I installed that operating system on the new hard drive.  Once again, things did not work right.  Aarrgh!

Crushed, I spent some time pouting and feeling sorry for myself.  Then I took my XP laptop out of storage, hoping that it would be my rescue.  It was another miscue.

Inspiration struck.  Sylvia had been using Win 7 on her [now dead] computer.  I had an installation disk for that same version of Win 7.  Using the code from her old computer, I installed it on the new hard drive in the Linux box.  Joy!

The process took about six weeks, but Sylvia is back in business.  However, she is still reconstituting her email address book.

Another week went into fixing the Win 10 computer.  I only had to re-seat the four memory cards.  I’ve removed Win 10 and am now using Manjaro Linux on that machine.

Sylvia’s old computer and my old laptop, both without hard drives,went to recycling.

What’s Next?

Then our daughter-in-law’s father passed away.  It was not unexpected, but it still was painful.

Returning home from visitation, Sylvia stopped by the grocery store.  While I waited for her I watched a sparrow land on a beautiful red Cadillac.  What happened next had the makings of a blog post, but sorrow overcame.

More

Then our church’s new website went live.  Others had done that, but then it became my turn.  Because we are moving to a new domain name, my task was to setup two mailing lists and some email addresses.  Sounds easy, but it is not.

Most folks and ISPs have spam filters set very tight.  Each person on the list must be contacted directly.  They have to add an email address to their address book or contacts list.  Then I can get an invitation through to them to join the new list.  That is still ongoing.

Future Plans

No big plans here.  We are taking it one day at a time.

Plodding with Plugins

Posted on by

I’m tired.  I spent most of yesterday here at the computer finishing a project that began last week.  It’s all about WordPress plugins.  They add such handy and useful functionality that a blogger can hardly do without them.

One of the first plugins that I installed today is a comment reply notifier.  What that means is that when you leave a comment here, and I hope you do, and someone replies to your comment you will receive an e-mail notification of that reply to your comment.  If you think that’s confusing, wait until you see the message.  The generic parts are written in oriental characters.  I can only guess at what they really mean.  If you find this annoying, please let me know and I’ll disable this feature.

Thanks to another plugin, at the bottom of the form is a place to subscribe to all comments or to only replies on your comment.  It’s a bit more of a bother, because you have to do that each time.  Your opinions are always welcome and I promise not to get upset with you about them.

Also, just below the comment field you will find a collection of smilies that you can use to spice up your comments. 8)   Just click on your choice and it will be inserted into the text. 🙂   Try it out. ❗   Please. 😀

I’m also working on a font-changer plugin.  WordPress handles fonts differently than Blogger.  WordPress sets the type face and size in configuration files.  By contrast, Blogger allows you to select your font and size as you post or to use your defaults, which is one of only a few features that I miss.  At this point, I’m in over my head, but willing to keep struggling with it.

You’ll notice other changes too.  Will you help me by sharing your ideas on how to improve this blog?  It will be deeply appreciated.

Blogger Buds ~ Lydia & Patricia

Posted on by

Lydia

The first blogger bud I want to tell you about today is Lydia.  She will celebrate her one month blog anniversary on Friday.  She is in High School and you may already know her mother, Autie E.

Here’s what she has to say about herself:

“I’m just a teenager who loves to ramble, rant and rave. I love to take pictures, and experience new things. I’m a chocoholic, and I love life. They say high school will be the best years of your life, so here’s my random ramblings from the best years of my life.”

I think you’ll agree that she is a talented young lady.  Do stop by her blog, Ramblings From Lyd, and leave a comment with a word of encouragement.  Consider adding her to your blog list and encourage others to visit.

Patricia

When I started blogging at the beginning of last year, my sister Clara would rave about a blog called Subjective Soup.  On that blog, Patricia shares some of her adventures.  They are frequently very funny and usually make you think.  In other words, you really should stop by for a visit on a regular basis.

Patricia is retired from teaching.  I believe her specialty was communications.  She has a second blog that is a bit more serious, and it should be required reading for every blogger.  It is called Communication Exchange.  Perhaps it is because I’m a graduate of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences of Michigan State University that I find this blog so interesting.  But I think it is really because it is captivating with a lot of insight from an experienced professional who can write an compelling story.

Recently she invited her readers to suggest topics for her.  I took up the invitation and made a suggestion — really it was a question.  Patricia has answered that question here.  Thanks again Patricia.  You’ve confirmed what I had suspected — women are different than men.  I mean in the way they process humor.

How I Got Started Blogging

Posted on by
It was a little over a year ago that I launched a writing project. The idea was to write 365 letters to the members of my immediate family — one for every day of the year. I would write about things I remember. There would be snippets of family history and genealogy. And every day there would be an inspirational thought. I would wrap it up in time to present the collection to the family members for this Christmas.
That project went well for a few weeks. By mid December, I was not happy with where it was going. I enjoyed the discipline of writing something each day, but a review of my work left me convinced that I was not on the right path. I stopped writing for a while and considered methods to freshen my approach and to consider the alternatives to the original project.
My sister, Clara, had been blogging for a while, but it never occurred to me that I might want to do something like that. I would visit her blog from time to time and liked what I saw. Nothing clicked for me.
Then my niece (Clara’s daughter), Mikki, sent me an e-mail. On December 31, she posted an article about Sylvia and me on her blog. The message was to tell me that it was there online.A click on the link took me to her blog and the story. Mikki told of a visit she made to us when she was a youngster. That visit had happened over twenty years earlier, but it all came alive again as I read Mikki’s narrative. Once again the laughter and the tears flowed. (Have you never cried from laughing so hard?)
It clicked! The realization dawned that this [blogging] is an excellent medium for sharing one’s thoughts. After a couple of days of thinking about it and a phone call to my sister, Clara, I started blogging on January 2 of this year.
My original plans have morphed as I’ve sought to find my way. Clara has been a huge help and soon blogger buds were providing excellent feedback through their comments. You continue to provide encouragement and ideas. This should be post number 320. It is hard to believe that time has flown by so swiftly.

Mikki, you are aware that V returns to TV on ABC in four days, aren’t you? Watch for it on Tuesday evening (8 PM Eastern Time). You can catch the election results after the program. (She lives in Virginia.) Or record it and watch it after the kids have gone to bed. Thanks. I love you.

Posted on by
My Meme Mania is the home of I Did it! – Monday.
You are invited to participate and to register
your participation at My Meme Mania.
Please come, join us.

The icon above is for Extreme Tracker. You will also see that icon on the sidebar to the left of this page. I have been using Extreme Tracker on this blog since January, and have used them on other Websites since 2003.

This useful tool allows you to track visitors to your blog, where they came from plus the operating system, browser and screen resolution of their computers and more. It is well worth checking out.

Extreme Tracker counts one visit per day per IP address. The bottom line is that it will under report visitors. I am on a terrestrial wireless network that services homes in several rural communities. Each subscriber is connected to the Internet through a single router at the Internet Service Provider (ISP). Other networks function the same way.

Other services, such as Alexa, can help you track your traffic. Use that to see what difference your changes make and follow the traffic trends on your blog.

You Comment — I Follow

I found this next item at Blogger Buster. It involves editing the html for your blog. It allows major search engines to follow links and index them. This is not a big help for you, but it is for your commenters. Each comment establishes and index entry in the search engines. For me, giving you a boost is good for me too. Click on the Blogger Buster link here and read the details.

Caption Contest Winner

Posted on by

We have a winner in the caption Contest! [Big fanfare with horns and drums]

It is Reggie Girl who submitted this caption:
“Just say No to fried kitty.”

Honorable mention goes to Bryant.

Much thanks to all who filed an entry. You all showed unmitigated brilliance and fantastic humor in your responses. Of course, that made it very difficult to select a winner.

Reggie Girl is the latest recipient of the Tommy Toe Award. Congratulations.


Shall we do this again?

Awards Received

Posted on by

A lot of things have been happening here. It has been difficult to keep up with all of it. A couple of awards have been extended to this blog, and I’ve been slow to acknowledge them. So, let me first thank my special friend, Cacai. She has passed along the 2009 Friendly Blogger Award.

I’m passing this friendly award to:
Shinade
Clara
Lin
Julieta
Vanilla
Colleen

The Passionate Blogger Award has been granted to Secondary Roads by Clara. Is it nepotism that she has given this to her favorite (make that “only”) brother? We share a passion for communicating ideas and special moments with our friends in the blogosphere.


This fine award is given in recognition of the efforts by:
Caregiving Daughter (her mother is going through what my mother endured)
Rita T
Julieta
Ida
Sharkbytes

Jill and Justine you are both friendly and passionate so these are for you two. You can fight over them, share them or both claim them and get on with your interesting lives.

Recognition ~ Thanks & Awards

Posted on by

Thanks to all my regular visitors. You’ve been a big encouragement to me. You have left your comments and some of you have entered into private communications with me. It has been great to get to know you and to appreciate you.

Special thanks to top Entrecard droppers. I recognize you daily in the dropaholics list in the left-hand column. Your regular visits are most welcome.

Thanks Lin for this Lemonade Award.


If life hands you lemons, make lemonade. That’s the idea behind this. Ever the party girl, Lin is having a party and I don’t want to miss it. If I fall nod off, can I sleep on your couch?

I’m passing the Lemonade Award on to some folks who have been handed lemons in their lives. Rather than sucking on those lemons and being sour pusses, they have made their own brand of lemonade. Hats off and a bow to:

The care-giving daughter: Her mother is suffering from Alzheimer’s. My mother went through that. It is a difficult situation for a person to deal with. She has, and she has shared it with us.

Reggie Girl at Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff…: has come out of a difficult past and is building a better life for herself and those she holds dear. Steady on . . .

The Lyoness at Ex-Mormon Stories: has made a break with family traditions and is forging new frontiers in her life. Having found that she is not alone, she is encouraging others. Think of this as recognition to you for the hope you bring to others.

Jill at Jill’s Believe It Or Not: Once a troubled youth, she is now wife and mother to great daughters. Very creative and funny, she proves that the past doesn’t have to be an anchor to hold you back.

Let these examples encourage you to make lemonade.

A Fabulous Honor

Posted on by

I have been given a great honor by a gal who has become a friend. Her name is Jill, and I’ll tell you more about her in a bit.

I had to read her posting three times before I could believe it, but her blog is Jill’s Believe It Or Not. Please understand that the picture on the badge doesn’t look a bit like me — not even a little bit. Well I do have two arms and two legs, a torso, neck and head, but that’s as far as it goes.

The rules are simple. Name five things to which I am addicted. And five Blogs that I think are fabulous.

My Five Addictions:

Family

That starts with my wife of 47 years, Sylvia. She is the center of my world. I think I got in trouble last night, when I told her, “You are just like a bad habit. I couldn’t drop you if I wanted to. And I don’t!” She gave me “the look” until we both dissolved in laughter. She taught me that I have to be comfortable in my own skin before I can build a strong relationship with another person.

Then come our two sons, Bryant and Scott. Scott, the younger, is retired after 21 years in the US Air Force. He explained what he did with these words, “I can tell you exactly what I do Dad, but then I’d have to kill you.” (Do you wonder where he gets that sense of humor?) Sunday evenings I call Scott and we talk on the phone for an hour, and it’s not unusual for us to go for more than three hours. Most weeks we see Bryant at lunch in Grand Rapids. We spend about an hour together catching up on family news and enjoying being together.

Bryant’s wife, Barbara, and daughter, Briana, are frequent topics of our conversations and join us when they can. We love being with them.


Observing Life and Solitary Time

I think it started when I was a youngster. As part of WWII pilot training, my dad had studied weather. We used to go out and watch weather fronts as they moved in. It was fun! Later, I took notice of other things in the sky. The position and changes in the sun, moon and stars. Yet later, it became interesting to watch people and the things they do and say.



It takes time to think about things. I like being creative, and that requires time without distraction. Time alone is like silver and gem stones. Okay, being with family is like gold and diamonds.


Words

I am addicted to words and their usage. That’s why I write haikus and love to blog.


My Toys

These last two came after a discussion with Sylvia. I am addicted to my computers (there are many), radios (not quite as many) and my tractor. Sylvia calls my John Deere a toy, but to me it’s one of the most useful tools I have.


Food

This again came from Sylvia (see my top-most addiction). Her logic? You need it to live. Right? I’ve learned not to argue with a woman — especially if I’m married to her. She also hastened to observe that my favorite food is pernil (garlic roasted pork). Right she is! The picture (above) is of pernil Ecuadorian style. Also on the plate are: potatoes, onion, tomato, parsley, ripe (yellow) plantain, and salsa. Yum. Yum.

Five Fabulous Blogs

Here are my Fab Five:

Clara @ Coming Back to Life — She’s my sister and has helped me get this blog going and to get it known. She’s a real “what you see is what you get” kind of person. Honest, open and, like her brother, just a bit “nerdy.” Gotta love her!

Mikki @ Here’s What Let’s do Next — She’s Clara’s daughter and I enjoy reading about her life and family. She has fought a battle with celiac disease and has been sharing that story. (Makes me glad that my only food allergy is to chicken and turkey.) She’s a bit whacky — wonder where that comes from?

Jill @ Jill’s Believe It Or Not — This gal is very creative and has a wonderful sense of humor. I love reading about and seeing photos of her two charming daughters, Alexa and Gianna. She also has good taste in music.

Ida @ Losing Myself — Ida relates her personal experiences and gives some good advice for folks trying to lose weight. (I’m sure it would be very helpful if I’d only follow it.) Interestingly, she is in a Southern Baptist church. I remember when we moved to Connecticut. I prayed, “Oh Lord, help us find a good church. Please don’t let it be a Southern Baptist Church.” Most of you are wise enough to know that I did the wrong thing. We spent 20 years in Southern Baptist churches (mostly Hispanic). I knew I’d like Ida. She’s another good friend.

The Humor Smith Chronicle — This guy is hilarious! I’m still laughing from his last post when the next one appears. Perhaps I enjoy this so much because I have a certain twist in my personality. Where did you get that picture for “Sway Back?” That’s too good.

There they are. My Fab Five. Thank Jill. Sorry this post is so long, but I had to put all those pictures in. I learned that from Jill. It’s all her fault. 😉