See Any Difference?

Yesterday proved to be an enormously productive day for me.

Although Donald was off work for the national holiday, he devoted the entire day to working with my computer on various projects. I’d compiled a two-page list of questions about computer workings and he taught me how to handle about 2/3 of my list.

To accomplish some of this stuff, he had to access DOS programs in the BIOS of both my computer and the remote dedicated server to reconfigure… stuff. (I have no idea what he did).

But the end result makes my work easier and my on-ling life a lot more fun.

Two immediately evident results show up in this blog:

First, he inserted a link with the Bluefish Books logo into the sidebar to make it easier for readers to browse my storefront. This may increase sales. I hope.

Then, he also set up on the blog sidebar a photo gallery site for me.

I’m having a blast playing with that!

Several e-friends inspire me to try my own hand with a camera.

Robin, in New England (http://alittlebitofmetosee.blogspot.com/) regularly posts hauntingly beautiful landscapes she photographs while driving her kids to school. She captures intriguing details in her pictures:

Funky Bug, a free spirit in Florida (http://funkybug.blogspot.com/) sometimes stands in front of her mirror and photographs herself. She studies photography and posts a wide variety of fascinating subjects:
Platypus in Danktown (http://lastblogstanding.blogspot.com/) works in a hospital emergency room. He ventures into abandoned buildings to photograph unusual architectural features. I consider him to be a brave pioneer in urban art. His gift is to capture beauty amid what others might see only as derelict trash. He inspires me.

Anyhow, with these excellent e-examples before me, I want to begin a photo gallery of my own – and Donald set up this fascinating toy for me to play with – now I can really avoid work with a passion.

However, toys and bookstore front aside, Donald also walked me through some editing techniques which will save me hours of drudge work. For instance he taught me how to use the Paste Special formatting tool which I’d never heard of before.

He showed me that, in ignorance, I’ve been using a lot of unnecessary steps in formatting the two manuscripts I’ve been working on: Strangers On The Earth and A Dirty Old Man Goes Bad. I can attack these two bears with renewed spirit now.

Even more important, he counseled me regarding my work’s focus. He pointed out places I’ve been sidetracked and he helped me think through a number of policy decisions.

I find great pleasure when my children give me wise advice. For years in my roll as father, I’ve dumped boxcar loads of advice on them. But now I often find our rolls reversed when I find that in many areas my children are wiser than I am. And it’s a real delight to heed their counsel.

Ginny was off work today also. While Donald and I played computer geek, she shopped for groceries. Then she announced that the curtains needed washing.

I checked and, sure enough, every window in our house has some cloth around it.

Ginny took this cloth down, ran it through the washer, and placed it around the windows again.

“Doesn’t that look better,” she said.

Since she does not usually read my blog, I think I can safely say that I see no difference; cloth is cloth – but, I haven’t been married for 38 years without learning a few things.

“Yes, those look a lot better now,” I said.

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As I prepared Ginny’s lunch this morning, the radio announced a nursing home fire underway in Southside. I recognized the spot as my friend Barbara’s address.

Barbara uses an aluminum walker to get around so her safety concerned us. Since I was up to my elbows in mayonnaise, Ginny phoned. Barbara said the fire is confined to another building in the complex and she’s ok right now. Damage and injury reports have not come in on radio or tv yet. I’ll keep you posted.

--- UPDATE: According to the noon tv news, the nursing home fire at Barbara’s started at 5:30 this morning in a bedroom where a short in an electric adjustable bed covered by an electric blanket ignited. Heroic nurses, aids and police officers successfully rescued and evacuated 20 elderly residents, many of them bed-ridden. Two of the police officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. But no injuries are reported among the old folks.