I’ve just recovered from a computer crash. My hard drive finally gave up the ghost.
I had experienced this type of problem a number of years ago and lost virtually everything. By that I mean I lost my financial records, pictures and of course my email.
As a precaution I purchased a program call True Image. True Image is supposed to make a copy of your entire hard drive including the operating system so that it can be re-installed if it becomes corrupted.
It also has an option to create a ‘clone’ of your hard drive on a second drive. The idea is that this second drive can then be used to replace the original if and when it fails.
I was actually concerned that my original hard drive was becoming too small. I had noticed a real loss of speed and while investigating possible causes discovered that my drive was at something like 95% of capacity.
I had a second drive installed and since it was larger I decided it was time to try the ‘clone’ approach. The process takes several hours so I started it, made sure it was in process and went to bed.
The next morning I found that my computer would not reboot.
OK, that was not why I had made the clone, but it was what the clone was supposed to resolve. Time to transfer the drives.
Carefully, rechecked the instructions and moved the drive from master to slave and slave to master (planning to keep the original for future backup of data files).
Darn, it didn’t work!
My computer is old (at least 6 years, maybe as much as 10), it has limited memory by today’s standards and I’ve been having these speed issues. I decide it is time to replace the computer thinking that I’ll be able to in stall my cloned drive in the new computer.
Dumb idea! The technology has changed and my old drive will not attach to the new computer.
OK, I have an external drive (USB connection) and my new computer will read from it. Just a matter of getting the data from my old drive to the external right? Wrong! All the techies can do is copy the data (not the image) and the data does not include any of the programs.
I have a tremendous number of programs downloaded from the internet, i.e. no disks.
In the course of getting the data transferred we discover that my original hard drive has crashed. Nothing recoverable, except the backup of my financial data (which I already have on the external drive). Furthermore, most of the downloaded files are in the programs directory which the techies won’t copy for me.
Now I’m in a real sweat. I’m looking at many hours downloading the programs and re-installing.
But wait, my old computer is just setting there. Is it possible that the crashed drive, which I had switched to slave, could somehow be affecting my attempt to install the clone?
In desperation, I decide to re-install the clone and see what happens. I put it in, turn it on and everything works as though no problems had ever occurred!
Now I have two working computers, what should I do? The new computer is much faster and I really appreciate the speed so I decide to work at transferring the files, as much as possible, to the new computer.
It’s taken me days but I’ve been able to recover all of those downloaded programs and re-installing them on the new computer. I still have a few that I use infrequently that I haven’t moved, but at least I’m back.
Now to figure out what to do with my old computer.
I wanted to comment on the interview of Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by Ann Curry of NBC.
Now Ann is a regular on the Today program and I generally find her a good source of information, but this interview was juvenile to say the least.
Did she really expect to learn anything by asking “Mr. President, did you steal the election?” The rest of the interview was no improvement.
I can’t believe that Ann actually dreamed up those questions. Surely they were conceived by some recent college grad program director.
I’ll give Ann a pass on this one, but one more inane interview and it’s over for me. I’ll just shut down when she speaks.
This was something I might have expected from Katie Couric. I haven’t listened to her since she left the Today show where her silly interviews were at least somewhat entertaining. (I don’t really expect NEWS from the Today Show, but I’m occasionally impressed by Matt Lauer who can present news with some authority.)
I’m appalled by the apparent rush of our Democratic representatives to force through both a Health Care Bill and an Energy Bill.
In my opinion either one will break our economic bank and both are certain to wreck our economy.
The idea of forcing enrollment in a health care plan, that will apparently cost at least $3,800/year (the penalty for NOT enrolling) is beyond my comprehension.
I think I could support a plan that was less comprehensive and more of a safety net, rather than the all encompassing plan that is apparently being proposed.
I just don’t think we can afford a plan that covers everything for everybody.
I think back to when I was young and what would I have done? I think I would have taken the risk and avoided health insurance. I know I was lucky and didn’t incur any major issues over my life time. Only in my later years did I require any surgical procedures and they have not been life threatening.
They keep talking about all the savings from reforming Medicare. They are apparently talking about fraud. OK, why don’t we eliminate that now and save us all some money? Why does that depend on passage of a massive Health Care Bill?
I keep hearing that costs for insurance could be reduced by eliminating the state barriers that prohibit purchasing health care from insurance firms outside of your home state. I don’t know whether there would be savings, but why don’t they do that? A federal law could probably be crafted to eliminate that barrier.
If there are real savings and we actually saw them, then people who are on the edge could afford to buy insurance. This would lower the uninsured and probably lower our costs. As far as I know, emergency rooms must accept and treat whether the injured has insurance or not. Those costs must be passed on to those of us who do buy insurance. (I know I’ve paid much more than I’ve used.)
Today I heard that Kerry has introduced an Energy Bill (it already passed in the House) and his bill apparently even more aggressive.
Passage of the Energy Bill (Cap and Trade) will drive up energy costs in an ill advised attempt to reduce green house gases. We can’t even be sure that green house gases are responsible for global warming. The evidence in anecdotal and cannot be proven.
In the mean time we are losing jobs and business to other countries who probably won’t artificially increase their energy costs (read China). I’ve seen date from a Japanese Satellite that was launched specifically to monitor the sources of CO2 and Methane that indicates the greatest concentration is over eastern China. So what effect will reducing green house gases in the U.S. have on the total problem if indeed these gases are contributing to global warming.
I don’t mind encouraging people to conserve energy, or even pursue alternatives. I do object the big brother forcing it down our throats. When and where has big government ever been successful? More often we are faced with an unexpected and undesirable result from government mandates.
Please, think about it and if you agree contact your representatives.
I just realized it’s been more than a month since I posted.
Way back in the middle of August, I was busy making hay when my baler broke down. I expected a few days delay while I repaired it, but instead the key part required three weeks to obtain. Finally got it from Switzerland! Glad I didn’t have to pay all of the postage, the cost was bad enough without the extra freight.
I was concerned that I would have forgotten how to put the thing back together, but it really went rather smoothly. The only problem was that I had to carefully pound out some lobes on the primarly bar. Turned out the lobes had gone out of round and the bushings wouldn’t fit properly.
At first I thought, Oh No, another delay while I wait for that piece to be shipped. Much to my relief I found that a socket, I think it was the 1 1/8 inch, fit perfectly and using the socket I was able to reform the lobes to the shape that would accept the bushing.
Once that was done, the pickup went together very easily and I simply spread the job over 2 or three days. (I went ahead and started cutting before I had it completely together)
Finally on Saturday afternoon, after Ben and Hilary’s wedding, I was able to actually get started baling. Although the crop is very light due to the lack of moisture, I did get a little more than I expected.
I’ve finished one 12 acre field and another 10 is cut and ready to bale. Should be able to finish in a couple of days.
During the wait I started another web site where I put some horse equipment up for sale. I was immediately able to sell my pony harness and got some interest in a cart.
Speaking of the wedding. It was a very nice service and Marguerite enjoyed getting out and seeing people she knew. We wish Ben and Hilary a long and happy married life. They seem very well matched.
Ashes competing in distance driving
This morning I had to put down my pony, Ashes. We’re not sure how old he was, but certainly older than I had been led to believe.
According to Dr. Meyer, he was probably more than 25 while I had been led to believe he was 15 or 16.
Last year he developed Cushings. Three weeks ago we discovered an ulcer on his eye. Examination revealed a very deep ulcer and a good chance that the eye would rupture.
I treated diligently for 3 weeks with no improvement in the eye. This morning when I went to treat him he was sweating and could barely stand. Obviously, the onset of founder, which we had gone through a couple of years ago, with success.
Consulting with Dr. Meyer I was told that the Cushings reduces the immune response and may be contributing to the eye not responding to treatment. It would also interfere with his ability to overcome the founder.
Since he was obviously suffering, not responding to the eye treatment, and surely older than I had thought, we concluded the most humane action would be to help Ashes go peacefully.
Good Bye Old Buddy! We’ll miss you!
We have the television on virtually all the time. Marguerite likes to have something on, although she seldom stops to give it any real attention. I think she like the voices. If asked what she wants, she seldom has a specific program or channel.
Because the TV is on I do hear it with regularity and it suddenly dawned on me that I was hearing very similar ads, over and over.
I repeatedly hear ads for eliminating debt, or settling with the IRS.
I don’t know whether anyone else finds these ads objectionable, but they really bother me. These ads invariably tell us that we don’t have to pay those debts.
That really bothers me! It is the complete opposite of how I was raised and what I believe. I believe that if you incur a debt you are obligated to pay that debt.
If these people pay only a percentage of what they owe, then we, as either credit users, tax payers or simply consumers, are paying extra. Someone or rather all of us who pay our debts, must pay extra to make up for the losses from these dead beats. (At least that is the way I view those who do not pay their debts.)
I don’t object to people who get in over their heads negotiating a longer term to pay off those debts, but the idea that they end up paying less than they owe bugs the heck out of me. (I understand the need for bankruptcy, but I don’t have to like it.)
I don’t even like the idea of the credit companies negotiating a lower rate. That almost certainly means that the rest of us must pay a higher rate. I do understand that this is an attempt to recover something rather than nothing and that is perhaps better for all of us.
What has happened to the concept of personal responsibility?
When a person signs for credit, whether a credit card, mortgage or any other loan, that person should be responsible for that loan. The mortgage bailout (renegotiated loans) is another case of people failing to meet their obligations.
While thinking of this, I was reminded of a comment I read (I can’t remember the source or the exact words) that goes something like this: (I searched, but can’t find the source.)
Democracy must fail because the voter will always vote for his own benefit and this will ultimately bankrupt a democratic nation.
I’m afraid we are rapidly heading that way since we repeatedly vote in those who promise to give us more benefits.
I just realized that it has been a while since I posted anything to this blog.
The fact is that I’ve been having too much fun!
My son, Rick, and his boys, Sam and Jacob, came to visit for a week. This is a BIG deal. It’s been two years since I’ve seen them and the boys have grown a great deal.
Sam will be thirteen in just a little while and he is considerably bigger than me. He used to ride Ashes, my pony, but has obviously gotten too big. Ashes is only 500 – 550 lbs, Sam must be near 180. It just wouldn’t be fair.
We were able to mount Sam on my young horse, Ed, without any major difficulties. Being limited in experience (both Ed and Sam) was a potential problem but both cooperated with the other and things went pretty well.
I even pulled out my old mare, Quizzy, and rode with Sam a few times. Quizzy is even less trained than Ed to ride, but she also cooperated pretty well and I actually enjoyed the experience.
I was also able to give both Sam and Jacob a ride in my copy of an Austrailian brake behind Scooter. They agreed with Becki that this is the best riding cart I own.
The truth is that it is the second best riding cart. The new wheel chair cart is really a superior ride, however, to enjoy it the passenger must be in a wheel chair. Marguerite has the edge when it comes to a comfortable ride.
My time with the boys was somewhat limited by my care taker and farming duties. Can’t avoid the time required to care for Marguerite and I must bale hay when it is dry. Never the less we enjoyed our time together. The week flew by and we too soon parted.
Just as the boys left I discovered a problem with Ashes. He had a small ulcer on his eye. I had ointment that I had treated Scooter for a similar problem. The ointment didn’t seem to help and I called the vet.
Upon closer inspection we discovered that the ulcer was quite deep and threatening to rupture. Multiple medications were prescribed and treatment required on a 1 to 2 hour schedule.
After a couple of days there seemed to be improvement and after three days the vet did a re-check.
There appeared to be some improvement, but the risk of rupture remained.
I’ve now been treating for 7 days. I’m not able to determine if there is much progress. The only thing I’m sure of is that the eye has not ruptured.
I’ll be continuing the treatment for another week at least. At this point I just hope to save the eye. If he has any vision it will be blurred, but hopefully it won’t cause him any pain. Horses easily adapt to one eye, and some have managed even after total blindness.
While treating Ashes, I did manage to build a gravel path around the yard. The intent was to provide a path that Marguerite could manage in her wheel chair.
The path is about 175 feet long and 3 to 4 foot wide. I rented a compacter and packed it down to provide a firm surface.
The path works as I had hoped. The problem is that Marguerite doesn’t enjoy being out very long. So far she has made the circuit three times in a row, before deciding to return to the house.
I’d hoped she would enjoy the sights and sounds of being outdoors. She does enjoy the excursions, but just when I’m getting into some other activity, she is ready to go in.
At least it gives her the opportunity to be outside, without the fear engendered by the relatively rough lawn.
She has enjoyed our cart rides. Most recently we traveled about 9 miles and were out for 2 hours and 10 minutes. I really enjoyed that outing.
Hope to post again in the near future. I’m trying to research some RSS readers and hope to have some suggestions.
Yesterday I found a story that gives me real hope for the future. As noted in earlier posts, I am concerned about the economic consequences of restricting the use of coal for electricity production. I’m really afraid of the consequences from the ‘cap and trade’ (Waxman/Markey Energy Bill) legislation.
Just imagine a power plant burning coal to produce electricity (which is the primary source of electricity in the U.S. and the single largest contributor to CO2 in the atmosphere) where the emissions are captured and converted to a usable gas which is then used to power trucks and tractors. No CO2 is released to the atmosphere! AND our dependence on foreign oil is reduced.
A company called Synthetic Genome is pursuing an alternative that uses a biological approach to solving the carbon emission problem. This company believes it is possible to engineer and synthesize bacteria or other simple organisms that will literally eat CO2 and release more complex carbon based molecules that can then be processed into petroleum products.
Far fetched? Maybe not! They have actually synthesized and activated a virus which is a simple life form. Now that they have learned how to synthesize and (maybe more important) activate a virus, bacteria should be just around the corner. (Craig Venture, who started the company in 2005, states that the more complex synthesis may be only 18 months away.)
It is interesting to note that the primary ‘partners’ (financial support) are Exxon-Mobil and BP! Those “bad” big oil companies who are making obscene profits from oil and whom all governments (state & federal) seem determined to penalize. I think it is great that those profits are being turned toward projects that just might have an impact on global warming. Especially when I believe that federal legislation of the U.S. citizen will have virtually no impact. Remember we cannot tax other countries. While we reduce our carbon emissions India and China will increase their emissions. The result is likely to be no impact at all on the overall problem.
I believe it will be technology such as this that will be the ultimate solution to green house gas pollution. The end product may ‘lower’ energy costs rather that increasing them which is a certainty with ‘cap and trade’.
Finished making hay and took on a number of ‘projects’.
With other activity I had let the horse trails around the farm grow and they were now too tall for the ‘finishing’ mower so it was necessary to mount the ‘bush hog’ type mower and give them a rough cut. I was glad to see that there were no major issues (trees down, wash outs) and the mowing was simply a matter of traveling about 14 miles (7 miles each way) since it takes two passes to yield a 10 to 12 foot wide trail.
As I mow I am wondering if Scooter can handle the hills with the weight of the new cart. I’ll have to give it a try after I’ve gotten him in better condition.
I then decided it was time to resolve the walk way between the new entrance ramp to the house and the old sidewalk. This is a distance of about 24 feet and I had placed patio blocks and wood planks down to provide temporary access. This was quite satisfactory for most purposes, but Marguerite found it unsteady and scary in her wheel chair. It needed to be more solid and stable.
My first attempt was the ’stabilized soil’ idea. I got out the rototiller and tilled the proposed path, then mixed in some portland cement. Once thoroughly mixed I attached the roller to the lawn mower and proceeded to roll the path numerous times. This created a nice path with a good feel, but it was too low and not as level as I felt we really needed. (My conclusion: Stabilized soil is probably OK for a garden path that is used very lightly but it will require bringing in soil to build up the level and provide a little ‘crown’. It was not appropriate for my sidewalk.)
Sidewalk, phase II. I decided to test ’stabalized’ soil as a concrete substitute, but I would mix and pour just like concrete. I found a source of very sandy soil that was relatively clean and put this into action. I poured 8 foot sections so that I could cover with a sheet of plywood to keep the pets and pests off while it dried. This forced me to wait a couple of days between sections and it took all week to pour the 24 feet.
Preliminary conclusion: Without aggregate (stones) the finished product tends to be fragile. It is also slow to cure (harden) but does seem to get harder by the day. The surface can be scuffed for several days after it is poured, but it does support weight without fracturing. Only time will tell if it is truly a satisfactory substitute for ‘real’ concrete.
While waiting on the cement to set up, I worked on starting a couple of gasoline powered trimmers that hadn’t been used for a couple of years. I expected a lot of trouble, but much to my surprise they both started easily. One is a two cycle motor which requires mixed gasoline, the other is a four cycle. The four cycle is the heavier duty unit and I used it to trim the heavy growth around some trees and an abandoned flower bed. I was really only able to get a start on this project. It is very difficult!
Finally, I started cleaning up and organizing my tack room and barn. Another slow job, with a lot of mental effort. The tack room is taking shape, but the barn has a long way to go. I obviously have plenty of ‘tasks’ to keep me busy … and tired!
Just had to jot down these comments before they disappear from my memory, which happens a lot!
Lily is my neutered tom cat that has all the appearance of a Norwegian Forest Cat (see Lily’s page). He is a nice cat and even comes to his name, most of the time. A few days ago he followed me into the garage/shop and I forgot and locked him in. It was probably 8 to 12 hours before he finally got concerned enough to cry at the door. (He normally doesn’t beg and will lay patiently by the door until someone opens it for him.) It was late, probably near midnight, and I got out of bed to let him in. I was astonished when I saw him. He was totally covered with saw dust! I had recently planed some boards and there was quite a pile that I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning up. It looked like he had rolled in those chips. But being tired I went back to bed.
In the morning I realized my mistake. I should have escorted him to the back porch if not outside! There was saw dust in every room and on every piece of furniture. I couldn’t believe that even his long coat could carry so much saw dust! I spent almost 2 hours with the vacuum and I doubt that I got it all. The only bright spot was that Lily was quite clean when I let him out to eat.
Ed is a 7 year old Morab (half Arab/half Morgan) gelding that I raised from my mare Quizzie. Last year I sent him to Sara Licht to get started under saddle and I rode him several time in September and October. He has been a pasture potato ever since.
His exercise is provided by Tinker Bell, my border collie, who thinks her primary job is to aggravate Ed. It’s really interesting to note that she generally leaves all of the other horses alone, but constantly pesters Ed. I think he enjoys it and sees it as a game. The other horses tell Tinker in no uncertain terms that they don’t appreciate her ‘playing’ and she seems to respect their wishes. Ed on the other hand doesn’t seem to be irritated by her antics. I’ve actually seen him come to her if she doesn’t initiate the action.
My purpose in writing about Ed is to relate that after such a long layoff I finally found the time and inclination to try riding him again. I only rode him for about 20 minutes, but I was pleased to see that he reacted almost exactly as he had last October. The biggest challenge to riding Ed is his mother, Quizzie. She is his pasture buddy and she goes nuts when Ed is taken away. Ed was obviously bothered by her neighing and running, but when I actually mounted he seemed to give me his full attention. The only time he thought about arguing with my requests was when I had him go down a rather steep slope. My guess is that he didn’t feel secure in his footing with me on his back. We had a little discussion but made it safely to the bottom of the hill. I was quite proud of his behavior.
Tinker Bell, my border collie, is a very friendly and pleasant dog to have around. She is my buddy and keeps an eye on me where ever I may be. She will follow the tractor in the field but eventually gets bored and will wander off into the pasture. She frequently disappears entirely but obviously knows what I am doing because she will reappear immediately when I head back to the house.
I’ve been slightly concerned about her as a working dog. She tends to stay away when I am working the cattle, but she does show an interest. Just not enough to be of any help. This morning was a milestone in her development. I went to load a couple of cows that I was culling from the herd. She pulled her typical routine of lying under the fence and watching as I moved the cows into the loading pen. Everything was going along quite normally and the cattle were allowing themselves to be handled without getting upset. I got them started down the chute toward the trailer when I noticed that Tinker was actually in the chute behind the last cow and nipping at her heels. Not actually biting but threatening, which is just enough to keep the cow moving without getting kicked. This is exactly what I had hoped for and it looks like I may have a working dog in addition to a great companion.
