Follow-Up to the Art of Penmanship

Friday was the beginning of the summer "no more putting off the details" mood, no more jerry-rigged anything in the house, time to get the damned plants in the ground or planters, but FIRST, the wireless router has been inconsistent for weeks and I still did not have a backup drive to support my life as it is contained in my MacBook Pro. Dangerous position in more ways than one.  

First was to start moving and archiving the 8500 photos on my hard drive. That is a slow process and somehow I have hundreds of photos in my I Photo trash can that I am not sure are garbage yet and I can't get them back into the library. hmmmmmmmm. Somehow, I suspect, miles to go before I sleep.

I also started weeding the email repository and dropped 1500 useless emails. There is a start to that effort and all the while I am thinking of all the weeds in the front and back gardens that are having their way with me in the face of my neglect. But it is just mid-June so I am actually ahead of my usual pace.

But back to the issue at hand, my control center that is my computer needed attention and I needed reliable wireless connection, as well as a new battery for the little bugger since I now get less than 10 minutes of free wheeling. So it was time to visit "The Man," Dave at Day Tech Services in Fayetteville, NY. My first source for advice, Greg Yates, directed me to him and since I struggle with the geeks at the Apple Store, I was in the mood for a real technician who could give me authentic support without a logo.

This was great! I love Dave. He totally hooked me up and his mom, who works with him (and makes sure he doesn't give everything away for free), is a writer so when I got out my trusty new pen case, she noticed immediately. I noticed the basket of hand-turned wine bottle stoppers. Nestled into the wood-topped corks were a couple of lovely wooden ballpoint pens. It turns out that Dave makes both. I know the treat I want next from Dave...a unique wooden writing instrument that will take roller ball refills. That would be the best. Dave says he can make fountain pens but that getting the parts that are reliable is a challenge. I would take a roller ball pen for blue ink in a heartbeat. Maybe a birthday present to myself.

But for now, I have a climbing rose bush, a new clematis, and a bunch of dahlias and daisy varietals to distribute around the yard. Photos later. Happy Flag Day, all, and to fathers out there, here's to you!