Happy New Year!

To my husband, children, grandchildren, brothers, family and friends: Here's wishing you a fantastic 2009!

Wood Stove Woes

So after having the chimney and wood stove cleaned on December 10th and having them back a week later when the stove was smoking us out of the house, when they put in a new ceramic fabric blanket in the top of the stove.

Two days later we're smoked out again. Now we're being told it could be the pecan tree next to the house. The same tree that was here when the stove and new chimney was installed in October 2006.

Wood burners, please give your opinions!

The Pond

Here is the pond

Let It Snow!

Chyna playing in the snow!

The butte behind the house

Another shot of the butte behind the house

Woke up this morning to another snow storm. This is twice in one week! Poor Paul had to drive to work in near white out conditions because they didn't cancel school in his district. Our schools here are closed. It's still coming down and we already have about 5" on the ground.

Chyna Jade 20 Months

My girl at age 20 months.

My Vegan Coyote

We have a coyote that comes every day to eat the juju fruit off the tree in front of the house. I keep an eye on him because last week he came up on the front porch. Big no-no! I had to go outside and chase him away. I saw him coming up yesterday by the house in the snow and got a picture of him as he was heading up the butte behind the house.

It's Snowing in Hooterville!

Quail enjoying the snow...
My car...
Horses

I've lost my satellite tv and internet and snow is still coming down pretty good. We're having a white Christmas a couple of weeks early!

Why Bill Gates Needs A Bodyguard

Or, can I claim the Geek Squad on my taxes as a dependent?

I have been in email HELL since right before Thanksgiving. I use Outlook Express for my email program for my business. I like it. It's simple and easy and I don't want or need all the bells and whistles of Outlook. But somehow, OE got corrupted and I was having issues in sending attachments. They were actually sending, but not leaving my outbox. How does that happen? I guess only Microsoft knows the answer to that one. In fact, even though they didn't leave my outbox, they were sending multiple times. That led to emails from people thinking I was drinking on the job. Actually, it has crossed my mind these past few weeks.

So, I called in the Geek Squad. Three visits later and an online chat with Microsoft ended up with my having to purchase Outlook 2007 since Microsoft no longer supports Outlook Express and the amount of email I get seems to be an issue. OE and Outlook 2000 only hold 2G of files while Outlook 2007 says it will hold 20G.

So I order O07 and the GS came back yesterday to install and move my messages and folders over. After three hours when he checked the folders they were empty! None of my work emails were in my folders. So now I have Outlook 2007 with empty folders and still am unable to use my email on my desktop.

Meanwhile in order to work I have been using my laptop email (OE) but working on my desktop. I am able to access my pc files via my wireless network, but unable to modify them--just view, print and email them. If I receive an email on my laptop that has an attachment I need to save on my pc I have to forward it to my Hotmail email so I can open and save it on my pc.

Let me say I have been getting my exercise these past few weeks. I run downstairs to fax, make a swing by my laptop to check email, go to my pc to do any work I need, then back to the laptop to email or back downstairs to fax.

Today the Geek Squad is sending in the BIG GUN to see what the problems are and hopefully I'll have email once again on my pc. In the meantime, Bill Gates is not welcome here and once this PC goes I will be buying an iMac. Then I can start hating Steve Jobs. Hopefully not!