LET'S HEAR IT FOR GOOGLE

More than a month ago, my desktop computer died & I was forced to take action; buying a new computer & attempting to save as much data as possible from the old one.

Thanks to the fine folks at Best Buy, I was able to purchase a nice Toshiba laptop computer.  Through their "Geek Squad", I was able to have most of my files -- & I had a LOT of them -- saved on to a separate hard drive. That was a big relief.  Trust me on that one.

What was NOT saved, was the files for my iTunes library, of which I had almost 4,000 songs.  The [not so] fine folks at Apple where not able/unable to be as helpful as those at Best Buy. Only the songs I purchased via iTunes -- 25 songs -- could be reinstalled into my account.  All the other songs -- which I loaded myself, from my own CD's -- could not be saved/reloaded by Apple.  Something having to do with copyright laws, since I did not buy the songs directly through iTunes.

So ... as I was learning all the nuances of my new computer, as well as the new software installed &/or upgraded, I was constantly thinking of my iPod, which still had all my music as I originally installed in it, but now I had no way of creating play lists or burning CD's from my iTunes library.

While the explanation from Apple for the "lost" songs made sense, the thought of "reloading" all my music into iTunes from my CD's -- not to mention recreating all the special play lists I had made -- was neither the answer I was looking for, nor a project I wanted to take on, no matter how I much time I could/would allot to it.

Time to Google !!!

Searching the Internet, I found sites for several companies offering/selling software which would reinstall music from my iPod back into iTunes.  I finally decided on system called MediaWidget.

With the "help" of THE WOBBLER (above), I was able to download the MediaWidget software, which then copied all the songs & play lists from my iPod ... and -- as it was supposed to do -- repopulated my iTunes library with all my music. 

So far, everything seems to be back to ... ah ... "normal" when it comes to my iTunes collection of music.

Thank goodness for Google !!

BIGGER, BADDER, BIRTHDAY SNAKE

The last time I posted a photo of my friend "Doctor Lamar" -- who lives in Tyler, Texas -- it was a picture of him handling a VERY LARGE Bushmaster Snake, while on one of his frequent trips to South America. Not only was the snake VERY LARGE ... it was also VERY POISONOUS !!

Well, time to include a more recent photo -- taken last week -- of him with another VERY LARGE, POISONOUS SNAKE ... this time closer to home.  The photo above is an Easter Diamondback Rattlesnake he is -- carefully -- handling, while on a visit to the state of Mississippi. 

Remember kiddies ... don't try this at home.  These baddies do SERIOUS damage if they bite you. "Doctor Lamar" is a professional & has been handling such reptiles for many years ... with another year added to that total today ... as it is his birthday.

WHY TURTLES ??

I have kept a turtle or two, at most times in my life, for the past ... well ... just about 60 years.

Turtles are not & can not be ... "pets". I can not recall the initial attraction I felt to them & probably even now can not accurately relate what emotion it is I feel towards them. I just find them ... interesting.

I believe the initial turtle was one my Father brought back with him from a day of fishing.  That one animal somehow led to the life long interest I have had in turtles & the small fortune I have spent over my lifetime acquiring various species of turtles & the cost associated with providing the proper care for my "non-pets".

The cartoon above pretty much tells the story of a "pet" turtle. Feed them & keep them clean. That's it. Turtles stay in their container, don't puke on the rug & there are no crashing noises & screams in the middle of the night. At this home, those things would be associated with cats ... and that's another story.

Why keep turtles ?? I have no idea.

IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE

Maybe it's time to start drinking again.  Alcohol has a way of clouding the brain & making the realities of the world a bit easier to comprehend, even if such clarity is in itself a falsehood.

I stopped drinking several years ago ... mostly as a result of my last hospital stay.  It was time for a change in lifestyle as well.  Too many foggy nights & slow-moving mornings were wasting my life.

Lately, I've been thinking it may be time to see if that last bottle of booze is still on the floor in the back of the pantry. Never opened. Never given away.

What's causing me to rethink my attitude towards the fermented grains ?? It's simple: CATS.

The three idiots sharing my life will drive me to drink. Just when I think I have them figured out, they throw me a curve ball.  Here is an example --

On a trip to Sam's Club, I picked up an empty box at the check out line to transport my purchases home.

Once home & the box emptied, the box became a point of interest for all three cats, but especially Precious, who investigated the empty box & quickly moved in. The box -- now sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace -- became a frequent resting/napping place for Precious.

On a subsequent shopping trip -- this time to WalMart, as I keep sending my $$ to Bentonville -- I bought a "Kat Kozzy" to replace -- & "upgrade" -- the corrugated box, which I removed to the porch, to be discarded.

Well, Precious inspected the new "bed" & promptly turned up her nose at the new, plush accommodations & walked away ... just as my $15.00 seemed to have "walked away" at WalMart.

And where did Precious go to ??  Right out on to the porch & up into her old box.

I can never figure out these cats.  Just when I think I know their actions & habits, they change everything.

Maybe I need to start drinking again in order to deal with these idiots. 

After all ... it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY ??

Along with hot weather, it appears the cats are returning to lounging in the empty 55-gallon aquarium on the side porch. They seem quite comfortable laying in the old fish tank, despite the enclosed porch not having air conditioning.

In the Winter, the dry aquarium is the several-month home for some of my orchids & bromeliad plants.  Now that the plants are outside, the aquarium has been cleaned & a towel placed inside it.  Very comfy !!

The latest inhabitant is THE WOBBLER, shown in the above photo taken yesterday. Today is Wobs "special day", as she was born four years ago.

Happy Birthday, Wobs !!  [Another one ?? Time does go by faster, the older we get.]

A BAMBOO FAVORITE

Almost all the new bamboo growth in my groves has ended for this Springs growing season.  Some species start sending up new shoots as early as March, with most all new growth having concluded with the arrival of the HOT weather.  That would be now, as despite what the calender says, we are having temperatures close to 100 degrees each day.

 One of my favorite bamboo's is called Phyllostachys 'Robert Young'. [Sorry. That's the name it is called. There is no "common" name.  Call it just "Robert Young" if you like.]

I don't know who Robert Young is/was, or what he did to get a bamboo named after him.  Probably a scientist who discovered this particular species.

Any way ... this is a large bamboo, which matures to a yellow color, with stripes of green appearing in some of the growing segments.  I have some culms -- which is what the "cains" are called -- of my "Bobby's" that are approaching 50 feet tall.

 One of the reason I like this bamboo so well is the color of the new culms which sprout from the ground each year.  Rather than the yellow color of the final growth, the emerging culms are a fine, lime green, with darker green colored stripes. Through the Summer, both colors will darken further, with the stripes remaining green & the main part of the bamboo turning yellow.

As much as I enjoy the new Spring colors this plant provides, the final yellow color of this bamboo makes a nice contrast all year long to the colors of other trees & plants on my property.

Robert Young -- wherever you are -- your namesake is a favorite of mine.

NO FREELOADERS

Wednesday morning, Mom returned to Florida, catching the 6 A.M. flight to Atlanta & then connecting on a flight to Orlando.  A friend of hers met her in Orlando & Mom was back at her home in Wildwood by one P.M.

I always enjoy having Hilda visit.  We don't see each other too often & the time passes quickly while she is here. 

Mom was surprised this time by the reception she received from my cats.  In the past, my youngest -- Wobs -- has been quite leery of Hilda & Wobs would always stay a distance from Mom.  This visit was a 180 degree change by Wobs, who sought out Hilda many times, "speaking" to Mom & being very friendly to Mom at all times.  The reactions & reception surprised me too.

Of course, my home & property is a busy place at all times & all visitors & those in residence have to put forth effort to help with the maintenance of the grounds & house.  All have to ... "pay their way". It may be a "mini vacation" for Mom & me, but things need to get done.

Hilda enjoys working in the yard, so that was her "assignment" while she was here. She was given a crew of "helpers", along with a rake & a wheelbarrow to help clean up debris from the recent storms.

Above ... Mom has gathered up a full load of sticks, leaves & leaf clusters.  Her assigned "helper" -- Precious -- provides her bulk to tamper down the wheelbarrow contents, to make more room in the cart.

With the cart about to gain capacity, "supervisor" Wobs arrives on the scene to be sure the cart load is sufficient & meets the desired fullness before I take the wheelbarrow contents to the fire pit to burn.

We all contributed to the yard work.  There are no freeloaders here !!