Sometimes coming to the computer after a long absence can feel like coming to an old girlfriend after a long time away, like when you didn't know what to say to get past that first step. I got my computers mostly up and running the other day and developed some ideas as to what to do with the left over parts. I'm going to build a no-stress computer. I'm going to start with an Amiga, so it'll be easy on the user. I'll take the motherboard and fit it into an old radio cabinet and wire the power supply to the original on-off switch. Then I'll get a relatively cheap LCD screen... or even one of the old multisynchs I have laying around here and put it into a wooden frame, ala Maxfield Parish era. Set it to look all in all like something out of an art deco sci-fi movie. It'd be fun! and then sell the thing on ebay and buy a nice laptop for Margaret.

A good winter project. Hopefully the recent run of spasms in my back don't indicate a bad winter. I'd like to think I can get at least three seasons of work out of me. It's not winter yet, so I should be able to pile 4x4s top make raised beds in the garden, or plant some of those $2 plants I got from Hewett's. I'd like spring to be all planty and wonderful. Winter might be tough. I'm also getting concerned about some muscle spasm I've been geting in my hands. It's funny, but they twitch suddenly for no good reason and once or twice I've almost dropped my sandwich or cup of tea. Also makes typing problematic... one tends to spell excessively. But the roof doesn't leak. The houses's roof, not mine. And the doors close and the new windows mostly work so we'll all be warm. Margaret with her various woes and me with mine. Winter is good, like a crock pot, in cooking down woes, into a thick, rich, and flavorful stoup of little things that didn't quite make it the first time but now they're ready.

I bet I have a dozen plans for the "new" garden by March, and if I get the plotter running I might do entire plan sets of the yard and gardens, just to get something to look at. Margaret wants to go get a plane to fly us over the house and surrounding topo. She wants to follow the streams towards the river. That might take awhile, there's a hell of a lot of streams, but we'll see.