If you need a hint, click here -- http://2busyandersons.blogspot.com/2011/06/fargo-gets-adopted.html
4.28.2012
Remember This Guy?
If you need a hint, click here -- http://2busyandersons.blogspot.com/2011/06/fargo-gets-adopted.html
Geek Squad: My New Best Friend
I'm not typing this post on my regular laptop - I'm on the little back-up that we use for streaming video to the television. It's what I've been using all week after dropping my Dell that I love so much off for repairs on Monday.
For the past few months I've had a problem with the power supply on the Dell. The cord had to be positioned just-so or my DC power light and my screen would flicker from bright to dim. Usually a quick "jiggle" of the cord would stop the flickering. Thinking it was a problem with the cord itself, which has been stepped-on, played with by cats and who knows what else in the two years I've owned the laptop, I purchased a replacement cord, but the issue persisted to a point last Sunday evening that the direct power wasn't connecting at all.
I wasn't happy thinking about being without my computer for the duration of the repair, and I was even less happy thinking about how much the repair might cost, considering that the power problem wasn't the only thing going on.
Sometime around Christmas, Diva knocked my laptop into the floor from the little table where I normally keep it. It didn't fall far or hit hard, but it was enough to make the CD/DVD drive malfunction. I don't burn a lot of discs or listen to music from CDs on my laptop, so I didn't realize anything was wrong until weeks later when I wanted to burn some new music to hear in the car.
Uh-oh.
Like I said, though, I rarely use the drive and was able to do whatever "burning" I needed to do easily enough on Jack's machine, but if it was going to have to go into the shop anyway, I figured I might as well get that repair made as well.
Jack was confident that the Geek Squad service we'd purchased when I bought the laptop would cover everything, but I was worried. When I needed to have the screen on a previous computer (not purchased at Best Buy nor covered by Geek Squad service) replaced, the Geek Squad quote was twice as much as I ended up paying at a private repair place, and face it - very few warranty products provide the "total coverage" their promotional materials imply.
When we walked up to the counter at Best Buy on Monday morning, my expectations were low, but a polite service agent named Michael quickly looked up my laptop's serial number in the Geek Squad super-computer, confirmed that my three year full-protection plan would cover BOTH necessary repairs, collected some information from me and took possession of the laptop. "We'll let you know when it's ready in a few days."
It was during this transaction at the Geek Squad counter that Chris called to say it was time to mosey toward the hospital for Beatrice's arrival, so my head was spinning, and I must have asked Jack about a dozen times, "He did say the repairs are 100% covered, correct? Even the DVD drive that Diva broke?"
The following day when I checked my e-mail, there was a message from Geek Squad confirming the service request and providing a number I could use to track my repair online.
By Wednesday night when I checked the repair tracker, the status update reported that the repair was complete and that my laptop was ready to for final inspection and shipping back to the store at Cool Springs. In looking at the repair summary, though, the power supply problem was the only thing mentioned in that the motherboard had been replaced. I used the "contact us" button and sent a quick message noting my concern.
The status didn't change on Thursday or Friday, and I was beginning to believe that my message had somehow doomed my laptop to a life of limbo at the Geek Squad service center in Louisville, but last evening I received an e-mail from someone with a real name, Carey, and real contact information acknowledging my message. He reported that in addition to the new motherboard, they had also replaced the non-functioning CD/DVD drive AND my keyboard. My KEYBOARD!!?
Sure, a few keys had worn thin to the point that I could see the circuitry underneath, but they still worked. A couple of the more highly-used keys, the space bar for one, would occasionally "stick" a little bit or show a more sluggish response...
I sent an e-mail back to Carey - "You replaced my keyboard?"
According to his response, before Geek Squad releases repaired electronic devices back to their homes, they put them through a series of quality checks, which are defined by the manufacturer, and anything with a performance problem gets replaced. In my case, it was a worn-out keyboard.
He also said that my laptop was ready for pick-up at the Cool Springs store.
I was flabbergasted. Still am. And in a very good way.
When I bought that laptop, two years ago on Monday the 30th, I remember waffling on the cost of the premium Geek Squad protection plan that covers pretty much everything except throwing your computer in the lake, but Jack convinced me that with a houseful of pets and a history of dropping things, the premium plan was the way to go. The plan was approximately the same cost as the screen replacement on my previous laptop, and it made sense at the time.
It still makes sense now.
For the past few months I've had a problem with the power supply on the Dell. The cord had to be positioned just-so or my DC power light and my screen would flicker from bright to dim. Usually a quick "jiggle" of the cord would stop the flickering. Thinking it was a problem with the cord itself, which has been stepped-on, played with by cats and who knows what else in the two years I've owned the laptop, I purchased a replacement cord, but the issue persisted to a point last Sunday evening that the direct power wasn't connecting at all.
I wasn't happy thinking about being without my computer for the duration of the repair, and I was even less happy thinking about how much the repair might cost, considering that the power problem wasn't the only thing going on.
Sometime around Christmas, Diva knocked my laptop into the floor from the little table where I normally keep it. It didn't fall far or hit hard, but it was enough to make the CD/DVD drive malfunction. I don't burn a lot of discs or listen to music from CDs on my laptop, so I didn't realize anything was wrong until weeks later when I wanted to burn some new music to hear in the car.
Uh-oh.
Like I said, though, I rarely use the drive and was able to do whatever "burning" I needed to do easily enough on Jack's machine, but if it was going to have to go into the shop anyway, I figured I might as well get that repair made as well.
Jack was confident that the Geek Squad service we'd purchased when I bought the laptop would cover everything, but I was worried. When I needed to have the screen on a previous computer (not purchased at Best Buy nor covered by Geek Squad service) replaced, the Geek Squad quote was twice as much as I ended up paying at a private repair place, and face it - very few warranty products provide the "total coverage" their promotional materials imply.
When we walked up to the counter at Best Buy on Monday morning, my expectations were low, but a polite service agent named Michael quickly looked up my laptop's serial number in the Geek Squad super-computer, confirmed that my three year full-protection plan would cover BOTH necessary repairs, collected some information from me and took possession of the laptop. "We'll let you know when it's ready in a few days."
It was during this transaction at the Geek Squad counter that Chris called to say it was time to mosey toward the hospital for Beatrice's arrival, so my head was spinning, and I must have asked Jack about a dozen times, "He did say the repairs are 100% covered, correct? Even the DVD drive that Diva broke?"
The following day when I checked my e-mail, there was a message from Geek Squad confirming the service request and providing a number I could use to track my repair online.
By Wednesday night when I checked the repair tracker, the status update reported that the repair was complete and that my laptop was ready to for final inspection and shipping back to the store at Cool Springs. In looking at the repair summary, though, the power supply problem was the only thing mentioned in that the motherboard had been replaced. I used the "contact us" button and sent a quick message noting my concern.
The status didn't change on Thursday or Friday, and I was beginning to believe that my message had somehow doomed my laptop to a life of limbo at the Geek Squad service center in Louisville, but last evening I received an e-mail from someone with a real name, Carey, and real contact information acknowledging my message. He reported that in addition to the new motherboard, they had also replaced the non-functioning CD/DVD drive AND my keyboard. My KEYBOARD!!?
Sure, a few keys had worn thin to the point that I could see the circuitry underneath, but they still worked. A couple of the more highly-used keys, the space bar for one, would occasionally "stick" a little bit or show a more sluggish response...
I sent an e-mail back to Carey - "You replaced my keyboard?"
According to his response, before Geek Squad releases repaired electronic devices back to their homes, they put them through a series of quality checks, which are defined by the manufacturer, and anything with a performance problem gets replaced. In my case, it was a worn-out keyboard.
He also said that my laptop was ready for pick-up at the Cool Springs store.
I was flabbergasted. Still am. And in a very good way.
When I bought that laptop, two years ago on Monday the 30th, I remember waffling on the cost of the premium Geek Squad protection plan that covers pretty much everything except throwing your computer in the lake, but Jack convinced me that with a houseful of pets and a history of dropping things, the premium plan was the way to go. The plan was approximately the same cost as the screen replacement on my previous laptop, and it made sense at the time.
It still makes sense now.
4.26.2012
Nan and Papa
I just realized that I haven't shared any of the photos I took of Mom and Dad with Beatrice, and I got several really cute ones...
This is Mom holding Beatrice for the very first time.
After Beatrice was born, Mom and Dad had to wait with Lucia and Jack for a couple of hours before they could visit with Sis and the baby. The labor and delivery floor of the hospital was very busy that day, and it took awhile to get everything done and cleaned up in the room. Then Sis needed to feed Beatrice... I'd already reported that the baby was perfect and beautiful and that everything was fine, but there's nothing like seeing with your own eyes. Nan's facial expression is proof...
The change-over.
Papa takes a turn...
Beatrice has already figured out what Nan is all about - check out the big smile on her sweet baby face.
4.24.2012
A Post I'll Call "Sister"
When bedtime came last night, I wasn't able to sleep and stayed up entirely too late looking at pictures and getting some more of them ready to share here on the blog. Sleeping late felt fabulous this morning.
Too bad Mom and Dad didn't get to sleep in... Lu is camping out with them until Sis comes home from the hospital tomorrow, and according to Mom she is an early and energetic riser, who was ready for someone to play with her as soon as her eyes popped open at 6 o'clock this morning. I imagine EVERYBODY was ready for nap time this afternoon.
Sis was careful to make sure Lu stayed involved in the whole "getting a baby sister" process and packed her a bag with a few new toys and an "I'm the Big Sister" shirt, and she made arrangements for Lucia to push the button at the nurses station on the labor and delivery floor that plays a chime to indicate a new baby has been born.
One of the new toys in Lucia's "waiting room kit" was a thing called a Zsu Zsu pet, which is a toy hamster with wheels and a little motor in it that runs around on the floor and makes all kinds of squeaky noises. Lucia LOVED it and had a hard time putting it down for long enough to love on her new baby sister. Oh, how I would've loved the thing when I was Lucia's age. I probably would've gotten my hair and my tutu hung in the wheels, too.
And yes, she is on the nasty floor in the hospital waiting room in this photo, but there was no way to keep her off of it. She had stuff to do, and we did make sure to wash her hands before she touched Beatrice.
Lucia also got a new doll, her first "Barbie", as a gift from Beatrice. She's wanted one for several weeks now but had been totally convinced by her Mommy that she would have to earn one with a month of good behavior, but getting a new sister is a big deal kind of thing, and it was important for Lucia to feel as included as possible in everything that was going on.
Isn't this the sweetest?
Isn't this the sweetest?
She even crawled up in the bed and helped Sis eat her lunch... And while this isn't the most flattering photo of either Sis OR Lu, how funny is it that they both have the exact same facial expression?
4.23.2012
Welcome to the World, Beatrice Page Vernon!!
Oh, what a day! We knew it was coming. Sis was due last Tuesday, the 17th, and we've all been anxiously awaiting "the call".
When the phone rang at 6:30 this morning, the caller ID told the tale. Nothing was imminent at that time, but Sis suggested that we go ahead and think about moseying over to be ready when the time came.
I'm thrilled and proud that Sis and Chris let me be in the delivery room to help support Sis' labor, which she managed like a Zen Master. And a rock star. And an Olympian. All at the same time.
I am SO proud of her and so full of love for my family right now, I feel like my heart could burst from the happiness and the love it holds.
My mind is going a million miles a minute right now. Please enjoy these few photos from today --
As Sis said after she'd had a chance to look at her perfect little girl - "She looks like a chubbier Lucia."
And she does. She weighed in at seven pounds, ten ounces - six ounces more than Lu when she was born.
Lucia is cautiously excited about the new addition. It was really sweet, though - after she loved on Beatrice for the first time, she looked up and softly exclaimed, "She said my name!"
4.15.2012
The Wildflowers of Hippie Hollow. And a Pony.
A couple of weeks ago Jack and Pam at the Lake took the long way home from a Sunday lunch hook-up with Mom and Dad and ended up in the famous (or infamous) Hippie Hollow, where we were totally overcome by the beauty of it all...
The entire floor of the forest on both sides of the road was carpeted with Dwarf Larkspur. Violets, phlox and another type of blue flower added additional layers of the same color to the scene.
Upon closer inspection, bright yellow and white "violets" provided bursts of contrast.
Huge trillium towered over the forest floor...
This Prairie Trillium was particularly lovely.
Fire Pinks are actually true red. And spectacular.
This friendly pony had the BEST bangs...
4.10.2012
Word up, y'all. Yesterday's chicken was better today. Cold.
I'm serious. And I'm not a fan of cold fried chicken out of the refrigerator at all.
Perhaps the fact that the chicken has essentially no crust to go soft is part of lasting goodness of it. Perhaps frying in lard instead of a vegetable-based oil does something to stabilize the flavor and texture of the meat. Maybe I was well-rested enough to really enjoy and taste it. I don't know, but I can say with certainty that I've never had day-old chicken as delicious as what I munched on for lunch today.
While I stand my assessment that the Edna Lewis version of chicken is time-intensive and a major undertaking, I believe it could be the perfect fried chicken for taking on a picnic or to the funeral home.
In other happenings, I totally forgot to blog about the day I spent with Lucia last week.
Sis was on Spring Break and had some things on her "to do" list that are better done without active pre-schoolers in tow, so I took advantage of the opportunity to spend a day with Lu.
She showed up wearing the tutu I got her back in the fall. Of everything I've spent and splurged and shopped for in the life of that child, it's hard to imagine that a five dollar homemade pink tutu is at the top of her list of favorites, but it is. I totally understand, though. When I was about Lucia's age, Mom had an old yellow nightie with layers and layers of lace that I absolutely LOVED wearing for dress-up.
We cooked pizza (thanks, Jack, for the dough-making) and made cookies (again, thanks to Jack for the dough-making) and watched way too many cartoons on the iPad. It was a wonderful day.
Like with Easter, I didn't take as many photos as I'd hoped, but I was having too much fun to drag out the camera. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I'm serious. And I'm not a fan of cold fried chicken out of the refrigerator at all.
Perhaps the fact that the chicken has essentially no crust to go soft is part of lasting goodness of it. Perhaps frying in lard instead of a vegetable-based oil does something to stabilize the flavor and texture of the meat. Maybe I was well-rested enough to really enjoy and taste it. I don't know, but I can say with certainty that I've never had day-old chicken as delicious as what I munched on for lunch today.
While I stand my assessment that the Edna Lewis version of chicken is time-intensive and a major undertaking, I believe it could be the perfect fried chicken for taking on a picnic or to the funeral home.
In other happenings, I totally forgot to blog about the day I spent with Lucia last week.
Sis was on Spring Break and had some things on her "to do" list that are better done without active pre-schoolers in tow, so I took advantage of the opportunity to spend a day with Lu.
She showed up wearing the tutu I got her back in the fall. Of everything I've spent and splurged and shopped for in the life of that child, it's hard to imagine that a five dollar homemade pink tutu is at the top of her list of favorites, but it is. I totally understand, though. When I was about Lucia's age, Mom had an old yellow nightie with layers and layers of lace that I absolutely LOVED wearing for dress-up.
We cooked pizza (thanks, Jack, for the dough-making) and made cookies (again, thanks to Jack for the dough-making) and watched way too many cartoons on the iPad. It was a wonderful day.
Like with Easter, I didn't take as many photos as I'd hoped, but I was having too much fun to drag out the camera. And there's nothing wrong with that.
4.08.2012
Easter
Happy Easter!
Oh, what a wonderful day it was!!
Since Sis and Chris weren't able to come to the farm for the weekend this year, Jack and Pam at the Lake came up with the idea to feed the family at The Baby House this evening, and it was an Easter feast.
For a couple of years now, Jack has been talking about making Edna Lewis' famous fried chicken, which has been celebrated over the years by everyone from Truman Capote to Martha Stewart, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to make a run at it. The process is time and labor intensive and not something you want to prepare every week or month or whenever you have a quick hankering for fried chicken, but it is something special.
Once Jack's mouth started feeling back to normal after having some major dental work a few weeks ago, he decided that the time was nigh to plan a chicken fry, and as Easter plans started being discussed, I suggested that we do Edna Lewis chicken with some tasty fixings for the whole family.
And that's just what we did.
The chicken took a lot of effort, but wow!
I know I've had chicken "that good" before, but it was a long time ago, and it wasn't in a restaurant.
Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese casserole, deviled eggs, a salad of spring greens with cranberries and pistachios and fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes rounded out the menu. Mom made her wonderful asparagus casserole, and dessert was a luscious chocolate brownie coated in ganache served with vanilla frozen yogurt and fresh strawberries.
Oh, and Jack's homemade rolls... Delicious!!
I was too involved in dinner preparations to make as many photos as I wanted, but food and family were the priorities today, not pictures...
I did manage to sneak outside with the camera while Lu was hunting eggs in her fancy new Easter dress.
Have a great week!!!
Oh, what a wonderful day it was!!
Since Sis and Chris weren't able to come to the farm for the weekend this year, Jack and Pam at the Lake came up with the idea to feed the family at The Baby House this evening, and it was an Easter feast.
For a couple of years now, Jack has been talking about making Edna Lewis' famous fried chicken, which has been celebrated over the years by everyone from Truman Capote to Martha Stewart, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to make a run at it. The process is time and labor intensive and not something you want to prepare every week or month or whenever you have a quick hankering for fried chicken, but it is something special.
Once Jack's mouth started feeling back to normal after having some major dental work a few weeks ago, he decided that the time was nigh to plan a chicken fry, and as Easter plans started being discussed, I suggested that we do Edna Lewis chicken with some tasty fixings for the whole family.
And that's just what we did.
The chicken took a lot of effort, but wow!
I know I've had chicken "that good" before, but it was a long time ago, and it wasn't in a restaurant.
Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese casserole, deviled eggs, a salad of spring greens with cranberries and pistachios and fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes rounded out the menu. Mom made her wonderful asparagus casserole, and dessert was a luscious chocolate brownie coated in ganache served with vanilla frozen yogurt and fresh strawberries.
Oh, and Jack's homemade rolls... Delicious!!
I was too involved in dinner preparations to make as many photos as I wanted, but food and family were the priorities today, not pictures...
I did manage to sneak outside with the camera while Lu was hunting eggs in her fancy new Easter dress.
Have a great week!!!
4.01.2012
Weekend Wildflowers
The white azaleas in our yard just started blooming two days ago and have already turned into clouds of blossoms.
Native iris that we relocated from the Page Farm occupy rocky ledges and stony edges.
I'd never given a thought to the presence of beautiful Cross Vine in our environment, and now I'm seeing it everywhere.
Paw Paw blooms often get lost in the grand show of the spring, but no blossoms are more beautiful in their understated elegance.
Painted Trilliums are a favorite. They bloom snow white then stain to dark pink as the blossoms mature in the sun.
Jack and I spotted these gorgeous native azaleas in three different colors growing along the road as we tripped out for provisions today. If only our local road department didn't cut things so indiscriminately, our local roadside beauty would rival that of places that actually give a hoot...
Hidden Treasure
My friend, Teresa, was pregnant with her first son, Peyton, when I first met Jack in the early summer of 1997.
In preparation for the impending birth, I'd purchased three skeins of baby yarn in variegated pink, blue and white and had actually completed about half of a crocheted baby afghan when I suddenly found myself with a boyfriend and little time for handicrafts...
At some point the half-finished afghan complete with the yarn and instructions and crochet needle, along with a part of a box of tampons, a dollar bill, and a never-mailed birthday card to my friend, Ward, got tucked into a bag and stowed in a basket along with other odds and ends.
Fast forward almost fifteen years, and guess what I find during a cleaning bender?
Oh, yeah. That and more.
A couple of years ago Sis asked me the whereabouts of a big, cool-looking art canvas of a Siamese cat that she'd helped me pick out at Southern Thrift back during my Nashville days. When I told her I thought I'd donated it to the local humane association's annual yard sale, her smile faded and her eyes looked sad for a moment or two. My heart sank a little, and I immediately regretted having gotten rid of it.
Guess what?
It's still here. Tucked away against the back wall of my closet, behind my long clothes, the cat print waits for Lucia to move into her first apartment. We'll call it pre-discovered treasure...
I also ran across the authentic Dutch wooden shoes, another thrift store purchase, that I feared I'd also given to the same humane society yard sale. Finding the shoes is especially relevant given my new interest in decoupage and serves as further proof that I do have the ability to hide "the good stuff" from myself when I get into purge mode.
In case anyone's wondering, I did give Teresa a nice baby present - it just wasn't a hand crocheted afghan.
I'm currently trying to research whether or not there's any superstition about finishing a baby afghan to be given to a baby other than the baby for which it was started...
In preparation for the impending birth, I'd purchased three skeins of baby yarn in variegated pink, blue and white and had actually completed about half of a crocheted baby afghan when I suddenly found myself with a boyfriend and little time for handicrafts...
At some point the half-finished afghan complete with the yarn and instructions and crochet needle, along with a part of a box of tampons, a dollar bill, and a never-mailed birthday card to my friend, Ward, got tucked into a bag and stowed in a basket along with other odds and ends.
Fast forward almost fifteen years, and guess what I find during a cleaning bender?
Oh, yeah. That and more.
A couple of years ago Sis asked me the whereabouts of a big, cool-looking art canvas of a Siamese cat that she'd helped me pick out at Southern Thrift back during my Nashville days. When I told her I thought I'd donated it to the local humane association's annual yard sale, her smile faded and her eyes looked sad for a moment or two. My heart sank a little, and I immediately regretted having gotten rid of it.
Guess what?
It's still here. Tucked away against the back wall of my closet, behind my long clothes, the cat print waits for Lucia to move into her first apartment. We'll call it pre-discovered treasure...
I also ran across the authentic Dutch wooden shoes, another thrift store purchase, that I feared I'd also given to the same humane society yard sale. Finding the shoes is especially relevant given my new interest in decoupage and serves as further proof that I do have the ability to hide "the good stuff" from myself when I get into purge mode.
In case anyone's wondering, I did give Teresa a nice baby present - it just wasn't a hand crocheted afghan.
I'm currently trying to research whether or not there's any superstition about finishing a baby afghan to be given to a baby other than the baby for which it was started...
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