WONDERFUL THINGS

Bess & Nell

The computer tech called promptly at 10:30 this morning as arranged. Working remotely on my Acer, he eventually found that my profile had become corrupt, and it took him several hours to correct the problem. And don’t question me about this because that’s all I know. Now I’m to use the computer and let him know if I have trouble. Yay! I can now play with my new toy, which is pretty much like my old toy – just better.

As brother Chuck observed last night, I haven’t posted much recently, and of course, we all know the reason. The laptop was down, and beyond that, when things aren’t right, the muse goes away.

Bess & Nellie

And yes, it’s food for thought that we seem to be lost without our devices, and when they go away, we’re worse off than before we had them. But, they are wonderful, aren’t they? Even 20 years ago, it you had told me that I would have my own computer and what I’d be able to do with it, I wouldn’t have believed you. When the personal computer concept began to appear in what seems like recent history to me, I couldn’t imagine what I would be able to do for the price of connection to a server. And – it’s both good and bad.

Mild but windy in the 'hood

And as Chris suggested, I, too, wonder if I should go “cold turkey” and get my old life back, but . . . my computer literally makes possible some wonderful things that I would not have without it. I say again – WONDERFUL THINGS! KW



[Formatting is not great here. I'm now using Libre, a free program, instead of Word. I'm not impressed with the paste into Blogger. (I wasn't really impressed even with Word.) Well, I'll get it worked out.]

WHEREIN KATHY LEAVES HER LAPTOP AT THE FARM

It’s true. As we were packing to leave the farm on Sunday (Oct. 11), Mike said, “I just need your electronics.” I proceeded to pack them up – laptop, iPad, all cords and chargers, my study books, our supply list for the next trip – all neatly settled into the big black carrying case. Unpacking in town, Mike said, “We left your laptop.” I took a moment to reflect and stifle swearwords. He went on to say he had left a place for it while packing, and it wasn’t there. I had no memory of carrying out to the pick-up.

Frankly, had it been up to me, I’d have driven right back to the farm for it. But the ever-practical (and frugal) Mike said, “We’ll go back on Wednesday.” And I decided I wouldn’t utter any words of disappointment or let a few days without my devices destroy my productivity. Instead, I picked up where I left off on my latest crochet project, the scrap afghan, and will soon finish it. And I scrubbed the kitchen and utility room floors on my hands and knees.

We did have a discussion on elder forgetfulness. It’s scary. It’s different than younger forgetfulness because you simply can’t hold as much in your mind. As with packing my laptop, you tend to dismiss tasks before they’re finished. Distraction is the worst – trying to visit while tasking, perhaps answering a question or leaving a task to do something else, etc. Or, you think you’ve done something and you haven’t. You go to write something on a list, another thought comes in, and you can’t remember what you were going to write in the first place. Keeping stress to a minimum is helpful but not always possible.

Well, we came back to the farm yesterday (Wed., Oct. 14), and I was reunited with my laptop and all the wonderful things it holds – documents, patterns, embroidery designs, etc., plus my connection to family and friends. Fortunately it was safely in the house -- right on the dining room chair where I left it. (Last winter I left my book satchel on the porch, including window wax that isn’t supposed to freeze.)

Farmer Kyle knocked on our door last night, and we had a nice visit. We discussed how warm it is for October – and how dry. Regionally, we remain at risk for wild fires. He said he’s never done fall work in the dust before. We haven’t had a frost yet, and gardens, though slowing, have been productive long beyond the usual date. With this trip, I picked a handful of small tomatoes and a few strawberries. I should water but I’m tired of that drill.

Kyle said he doesn’t know what next season's crop will be on our place – maybe spring wheat. KW

[The photos here were taken at the MWHomestead one evening last week.]

BEANS -- AND THE ANSWER TO DOC M'S QUESTION IS . . .

Yikes! It's been nearly a week since I posted. What's been going on with me? Well, some of my family and friends have not escaped the long version of my story, but the short version is that my laptop failed. I had backed up my documents a month ago, so maybe the damage isn't too bad. Right now it's just a matter of inconvenience, especially for Mike who must share his PC with me. On the other hand, before too many weeks pass I will probably have my right arm restored. I could go on and on but suddenly I heard myself whining and decided I should count my blessings. It's a machine and I can replace it.

But enough about me. A while back, Dr. Molly asked what kinds of beans the Dobson Twins grew. I didn't know, and Hallie suggested asking a neighbor (choose the "phone-a-friend" option). So, on my morning bike ride, I stopped at Neighbor Pete's and asked if he could tell me about the beans the Dobson boys grew.

Yes, indeed, he could. He said various kinds but primarily white or navy beans because that was the government (military) market. He also mentioned red kidney beans and "buckeyes," I believe he said -- little yellow beans. But then he reiterated that the primary crop was white or navy beans.

Pete added that he didn't know how the Dobsons marketed their beans but his dad developed his own clientele and sold all the way to Walla Walla. The only piece of information I have is that Grandpa Julian mentioned to Vance in a Depression-era letter that he had a carload of beans sitting at the train depot in Orofino that he had been unable to sell.

[I posted the photos previously. I think they were taken about 1912, so they are images of life about 100 years ago. My dad was still too young to be of much use in hoeing the beans, I suppose, but all of the children learned to hoe and to hoe well. And they hoed acres of beans by hand. Well -- you develop some strength.] KW