Sunday, April 25, 1999 - Computers and Birthdays and Supper at the Park

            This letter is being typed on a brand-new computer--one belonging to my nephew, David Walker.  It is now residing in the northwest corner of our living room, looking very much as if it belongs there.  I am borrowing it to type some of my father’s sermon notes with it, using a program called ‘Microsoft Word’, so as to match with the format of the notes that have already been typed.  My nephew Robert’s wife, Margaret, has completed the Old Testament notes, and has begun on the New.  Last week I spent three days proofreading the Old Testament notes--Daddy always put his notes into neat, precise outlines--which tally up at 246 pages.

            The New Testament notes will take up even more pages.  I will begin with the notes from Corinthians to Hebrews.  Friday night, Robert and Margaret and their three little girls came visiting, bringing the computer with them.  They set it up for me, and we had a nice visit before they departed.  Shortly thereafter, I hooked up our phone line and programmed Megavision (our Internet server) onto it, since our other computer will do no more than receive and send our E-mail.  It hooks up to the Internet, but it refuses to bring up any Web pages.  And what good does it do to be on the Internet, when you can’t see a solitary thing?!  Dumb ol’ computer.

            Well, I’d no sooner dialed, than I heard that familiar musical chord of “Ta-da!”--telling me I had E-mail.  I quickly checked my ‘mailbox’ to see who in the world would be sending me E-mail at that hour of the night, and discovered it was Seattle Filmworks, with previews of five of my rolls of film I’d sent them Monday!  I could look at all the pictures, enlarge them, turn them (in case they were in vertical position), and even order reprints if I so desired.  Isn’t that neat?

            Unfortunately, Saturday I couldn’t pull those pictures up, or return to Seattle Filmworks’ web site, to save my life.  Teddy finally managed to download my pictures onto a three-and-a-half-inch floppy disk, after which we were able to look at them on the screen; but the resolution on a floppy disk is not very high, and if we made the picture very big, every little square of color showed up in perfect detail, making the picture look extremely grainy unless one stood halfway across the living room to view it.  Bother.  Why can’t these incredible computers ever do what I want them to do?!!

            Part of the trouble is that I’m used to Windows 95, and this computer has the updated Windows 98, which is just enough different to bumfizzle me at times.  And now I hear on the news that the new, fantastically wonderful Windows 2000 will soon be out!  I tell you, I’d like to pull the ‘Registry Problem’ window (that insists on popping up all the time where it doesn’t belong) off my computer screen and pull it right down over Bill Gates’ head so he could wear it like a too-tight necktie, that’s what I’d like to do.

            The man who sometimes sells tools to Larry has his files on a computer in his truck.  Well, one day the computer lost all his customers’ files--including billing, inventory, and all.  The Tool Man solved the problem:  he punched his fist straight through the computer’s hapless, unwitting screen.  (Or did he solve the problem?)

            Yesterday was Joseph’s birthday; he’s fourteen years old.  A couple of weeks ago, he needed a twelve-digit calculator for his algebra class.  He was planning to buy it himself, but we told him we would buy it for him as an early birthday present.  Then, last week, Larry got a die-cast replica of Dale Earnhart’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo, on a 1:24 scale, from the Snap-On tool man (not the one of the smashed-computer infamy).  But today when his birthday arrived, it just didn’t seem like we had quite enough for him.

            Being rather short on funds, I took a trip to the Salvation Army.....and hit pay dirt.  They were having a super-duper sale:  all clothes were $.99 each, except coats, which were half price, and children’s clothes, which were going for three for a dollar.  Shoes were half price, too.  I found all sorts of things for Joseph:  a coat ($2.50); two knit polo shirts; a leather belt ($1.00); a framed oil painting of snow-covered mountains, a lake, and a log cabin which will make a fine addition to the decor in his room ($1.50); a brand-new book of White Fang by Jack London ($.25); a game of Trivial Pursuit ($3.99); three boxes of the game SkipBo (so that all the siblings can play, too) ($1.50 each); and--the coup de e`tat {I have no idea if my French is right or wrong}--a very nice tennis racket inside a zippered case ($3.50).  Just look at all those presents, for only $19.25!  I was entirely pleased with myself, and all the more so when Joseph seemed entirely pleased with his presents.  My mother gave him $$$$ and one of those nifty pocket-pliers that open up and have knives and tools and effects on them, sort of an enhanced Swiss Army knife.

            I bought two brand-new cookbooks for $.75 each.  For the girls, we got several new Janette Oke books, including one hardback.  The former were $.25 each; the latter, $.50.  The paperbacks are usually $7.00, or thereabouts.  I bought four big hardback books on knitting and needlepoint, which I planned to save for Hannah for Christmas; but, unfortunately, I forgot to say so, and Dorcas no sooner carried our box of purchases into the house than Hannah was pawing through it, exclaiming in delight over all the wonderful craft books.  One big knitting book that looked as if the cover had never even been opened still had the original price on the back--$39.95.  As usual, we also got an armload of stuffed animals, all for $.29 each.

            Tuesday was such a lovely day, we ate supper--tacos--at Pawnee Park, the first time we were able to do that this year.  The kids, as usual, brought along footballs, baseballs, softballs, bats, and soft bouncy balls for Victoria and Caleb.  The city has put up new play stations with tunnels and slides and swings and bridges and ladders and poles.  My goodness, it makes me wish I was six again, so I could enjoy them like the littles do!  Oh, well; I can still climb the ladders and go down the slides with Victoria on my lap; and just maybe that’s more fun than being six.

            Saturday Larry, Teddy, and Joseph rode the big four-wheeler (via country roads) to the Headgates (where the Loup Canal begins) by Genoa, about 25 miles west of Columbus, where there are lots of sandy trails especially for four-wheelers and motorcycles.  The paths follow the Loup River, winding around a series of small lakes and tributaries, weaving their way between the cottonwoods and cedars.  They saw lots of birds and waterfowl, and even a big wild turkey, a tom, who maintained his post only about ten feet from the track.

            One day we bought some vertical blinds for the front window of the living room.  Perhaps you’ll recall that I took down the heavy antique satin drapes last December, in the hopes that removing as much fabric fiber as possible would help Hannah with her asthma.  We left the washable lace sheers at the windows.  The trouble was, as the sun came back toward the north as spring progressed, and the weather got hotter, our living room was absolutely sweltering each afternoon.  Also, when I sat at the piano, the sun shone right into my eyes so that I couldn’t see the words on the music in front of me.  Sitting in the recliner to read or sew or do homework during the afternoon was practically impossible, since we could neither see what we were doing, nor bear the heat.  So we bought blinds.

            They are hunter green vinyl to match our new oriental rugs, and made to look like moiré taffeta, while the side facing the window is white, the better to reflect light and heat.  The living room is much more habitable now, and it sure gave it a new look.  I like it.

            Tonight after church, Larry noticed that Victoria seemed too hot.  I took her temperature, and it was 103 degrees!  Poor little sweetie; I hadn’t even noticed anything was wrong with her.  “Does your head hurt?” I asked her.

            “Yes,” she replied, nodding sadly, “and tummy and neck, too.”

            Poor baby!  I gave her some Tylenol, and in about fifteen minutes her temperature had dropped a degree.  She’s sleeping now, and that’s what I had better go do, too!

 

P.S.S.: Guess what!  I just managed to find my pictures again--in high resolution format--and they are just as good as they were the first time I looked at them!  I even found another roll just recently sent me!  Now.....how in the world did I do that?  And will I ever be able to do it again?