🥍 # 30 it is

  🥍..... ' boro is getting a wetting. Not torrential but steady. Typical, hot steamy turning to rain

Last night, the girls promised that I wouldn't have to deal w / masses of leftovers. Almost everything got ' doggy bagged ' and taken. We have a veggie tray, shrimp and rice.
The rice was my fault. I cooked it late and forgot it anyway.
Well, I love leftover rice. [ I suppose if I don't say that, it would be worse ]

OK coffee and typing. And listen to the pouring rain.

last night, warmth and rolling laughter. Stories of Leacock , a bit. Mostly, travels and work.

exercise is done. and so am I.

 Sunday was rail moving day [ I did try and be useful ], dug out stones and grass. Fetched tools, shucked corn and prepped the steaks. Rode shotgun on the trip to replace bolts that failed on the rails.
and yesterday on the go from 9:30 AM 

Veg tray VG. Rice ditto. Cookies ( came w / the cake ) a pleasant touch

🚜 say, Hi, 29 days in

  🚜 ..... or bye ....

back in the window, sunny and the Eternal Blue. Summer warmth is settling in w / 88 F coming at you

Re furbished in the front 

The decision has been on going, we need help

Can't do it all. Shouldn't do it all. Ask for the help 
Ah. Sounds easy and it isn't. We are slowly and reluctantly wrapping our heads around the whole package

From the real world. I'm watching a ' lady pilot in Viet Nam ???? ' run her cargo boat. Crikey, it s all sub titles. She picks up rice and transport s it down river. Give me a break !. 
BUT its tranquil and a work a day job. Could I do it. In your dreams !!!!
I doubt that I could walk down the side of the boat, on the gunwales, as she does

Back to life here. Tonight we host, a finale or celebration. of the Chipotle people or the Leacock grads that come and meet  thru the year at Scarborough Town Centre from Sep 2025 to May 2026

We offer the chance and you come. 

I'm slowly learning. The gulf between what you think that you type or message and what gets interpreted. Startling and terrifying
B/c this type of interaction makes the business world. Or not 

Grand evening. Everyone helped and made the evening so simple

🚢 closing out the month

  🚢 ... that ship has sailed. Sunny and the Eternal Blue, all day

Up at the Q ' on the ' bee. big doings. I drove up w / two friends. My bassboat was outside   [ all winter ] sitting on a trolley and able to move on marine rails down and to the water then up to land 
At 4:30 PM, the bassboat was sitting on a trolley and able to move on marine rails down to the water then up to land
BUT
this was inside the boathouse .... so, the rails and trolley moved from outside where they have been for 28 years ..... and now reside in the boathouse. 4 guys and me [ doing not much ] did this work in one day

Kudo s all round.

Thank you  

🛍 27 th of Jun

  🛍 .... the ' boro report. sunny and Eternal Blue w / chance of rain very low [ I think ]

typing in the window and coffee just finished burbling

and the test is in the testing, a 7. 

I slipped out for party food. For Monday, fish sticks, veggy spring rolls and appetizers in crust.

Not the whole shebang but a start

Read a review of C14+. The keyboard was judged better than average.  Back lighting. Yes. Screen pops yes.
and some limitation of ability to run apps [ games ? ]

my exercise app, has been updated, approx 7 months ago. The Wahoo app now asks you to categorize your workout. Hard, easy ......... and add the comments to a log. I answered once but stopped at logging on.
so. today, the workout was tiring mentally. I chose between a nap and workout. I am guessing that I did the minimum but made the 35 min and the 400 Kcal, goals. Actually, I exceeded both.
Finishing w/ half a can of Kostrizter, Edel Pils. BTW there is a double dot over the ' o ' .

I await the arrival of new slippers. No, there is wear left on the current ones but I think that they smell, not nice either. I decided that washing might work BUT Amazon Prime day had 35 reduced to $ 25. Yeah, sucker here

follow up.
the day was entirely as advertised.
the coffee was at least a 7
fish sticks are tasty
slippers arrived and are magic. wide toe box, cushy insides

the neighbour lady de weeded the front ' flowerbeds ' [but there are no flowers ]. Later she will mulch. Normally, she works indoors tidying and cleaning the house. But the cleaning service comes on Monday. Thus, we offered the outside work which she had agreed dto. Her son runs a landscaping service and there was / is a chance that one of her part time jobs besides us would be landscaping. 

⮔ XXVI of VI

  ⮔ ...... the view shows muted light and a sky that is cloud. not bad for work. rain chance should be small
coffee and typing in the window seat. coffee is from the thermos, so 1 day old

today s symbol is arrows in a counter clockwise motion

 another slow day, wait, do we have fast days ???? slipped out for beverage and vitamins
what a combo.
joined another club or store program at Healthy Planet, where an attendant came over and asked if she could help
yes, please, Answered all my vitamin questions. slightly expensive products but ..... the right stuff

💸 the 2 five of jun

  💸  .... and reporting rain, overnight and a cloudy view out the window, early day for us, coffee is burbling  .... and typing to the void

I hope the brew is a winner. My morning method is to microwave a 1/4 C of water.
The coffee goes in the filter w / the hot water mixed in and waiting a bit, turn on the coffee maker.
Otherwise,  the coffee maker sends that first water thru as it is beginning to warm. Then the coffee grounds sit in lukewarm water and the first bloom is weak. 
What proof that the change works, none.

Ah, coffee is stratospheric ! 

a compromise. rather than go for a ' powerwash ' on the Duet, I opted for a ' safety reset '. Last night, frustration set in w / the Duet.
Duet was slow and glitchy [ or I was, never can tell ].
Safety reset does what - " if your device is acting up, you can use the built in system menu '

So. Better ? I'm going to say yes, b /c I'm a coward and also hoping for the best

We shall see said the Zen Master
back on the C14+ typing, and its not fair to compare. but the Duet was less troublesome after the ' safety reset '.
Important b / c it will be the backup machine til 2030. 

Interestingly, both machines were hyped as ' ARM' devices, better able to handle Chrome OS or Plus and running MediaTek Companio processors [ the cat s miaow ]. The Duet never caught on here. 
C14+ however, boasting of the MT 910 chipset, did / does.

💒 two 4 Juin

  💒 .... tea for two ... or ... twofer and yes June is slipping away.

coffee, Si senor. Typing, aussi Si Senor. outlook, beauti. Green outside and sunny and the Eternal Blue Sky 

I want to say that there has been a shift in the running of the house. not subtle but more people are coming to the house. the PSW s are here, Tues thru Fri, one hour but here. the neighbour is scheduled for 2 - 3 h on Saturday. Plus the new arrangement for weeding and mulching

and I am much more relaxed ... except, I cannot imagine ' me' relaxed. I tend to wound up more or less always. I over think and then overthink .... the overthink

a bit of grocery shopping after a pedicure - thank goodness, that guy can bend over my toes. He doesn't even hesitate, clip, clip. His eyesight is better too, right.

🥻23 of Jun

      🥻 ... coffee stopped just now, the view is sunny and the Eternal Blue. summer scene out there

alright coffee it is
rate the coffee ..... we have an eight
shortly, out the door to buy bagels at Simit, up the street. Wholesale bagels [ they do large orders and sell the rest to peeps] We have a guest dropping by and lunch is bagels and fixings

and much to my ignorance : there is a new more adaptatable method for calculating Heart Rate Zones
the old traditional way was 220 - age and multiplied by 70 % or 80 % [ the typical boundaries for Avg Heart Rate ] during a workout.
the new improved estimate is 208 - .7 [ age ] times the 70 % or 80 % boundaries

much to my chagrin, the ' new ' way raises the values. 
however, my ultimate decider was always ' a good sweat ' 
that will not change. 

Bagels were a hit w / all. And the price is remarkable as well - 6 for $ 5

Oh. Or new house helper will do weeding too.

Not my favourite job.

👔 XXII of VI

  👔 ... this is the ' boro 2.0. or whatever you want
early, up at 5 AM and awake.
coffee and typing. looking out on a quiet, gray scene

re arrange the ' re arrange '.
our new cleaning helper, swept and wiped the floor in the living room / cafeteria / entertainment hub [ alright, we do everything in that space ], on Saturday.
she centred the area rug and centred the plastic rug protector and the round table. harmonious and aligned.
BUT the original arrangement allowed the plastic protector to align w / the rug edge, then a separate mat butted up to the protector, hence crumbs etc would fall on the plastic / mat. saving the area rug
yep, back again to the way we had it. It was a tryout and did not do the job

I'm trying to get by w / 1 1 / 2 cups of coffee as c.f. 4 or so. We had a guest and there wan't s much coffee in the thermos. instead, I'll try tea

I decided to garden, by trimming the front bush. Massively overgrown. Hedge trimmer and lots of raking - likely 20 lb of branches, twigs and greenery. However, the result was satisfying

don't think that this is an everyday event. Likely, on the order of monthly - maybe.

🏓 XXI in juin

  🏓 ..... sunny, Eternal Blue is all. beauti morning

I'm mobile today. C14+ is on my lap. I'm in the living room multi tasking. Airing sheets, breakfast, doing a small white load, watching ' My Life is Murder ' and typing. Coffee and tomato on toast - the backyard is a woody glade

Also, a visitor is due in 40 minutes. Quite the start to the day.

airing the sheets is really the comforter and cover. recall, the actual duvet is silk filled and cannot be machined ' anything '. Air and fluff, do not beat or scrunch or the silk will break up

on the theme.  how is the Nordic individual duvets going. the jury is out. sort of making it work. not real solid on the long term possibilities. The temperature fluctuations are difficult to figure each night. e.g. last night was ideal, the duvet was warm and convertible - the duvet is light and comfortable

follow up, small white load is based on a white shirt that was $ 3 on the rack, its a formal dress shirt cufflinks and stud holes on the front. I am getting it ready, in case, our visitor will iron the shirt for me.  Live in hope 

Yes. Newer white dress shirt is ironed, cuffs and all. A ... claimed that the dress shirt was an easy iron and felt good 

and sitting, typing in peace. exercise is over.   it s not horrid, as you know, much reduced in intensity - simple goals Avg BPM 111 - 116 and 400 Kcal plus a good sweat. I'm reading / learning that much of the handicap of aging is range of motion e.g. if you don't reach out as in max then your muscle memory is the limit that you settled for .

Truth is once that you have limited your motion - stretching out is tough 

👑 score for june

👑 ... I meant Jun 20 th, its a score right [ 20 ]
in the  'boro we see the Eternal Blue and 60 ish. A day w / promise. I promise
the basics, coffee [ from the thermos ] typing in the window on the street, C14+ [ doing its magic ]
this is season 5 of Clarkson s Farm. Last night, the word was modernize to stay relevant. Of course, I now apply that to the C 14+. Except there is no profit. The gain is psychological or prideful [ we don't tell anyone ? so  ?].
Last night, M was signing on to the C14+ for the first time, and comments ' what is the writing on the stickers, on the laptop '. Simple answer : ' all the keyboard shortcuts that I keep forgetting '.
Yes, the Chromebooks before were ... well, Chromebooks  ..... this is C14 PLUS *, the plus means more headaches if you are a slow learner [ calling it like it is ]

And Saturday, now in its fifth iteration, a neighbour has cleaned / re organized the house. Did I mention that this is psychological [ mental health support for me ] and hopefully re affirming
perhaps not expressed properly, but needed 

🚇 IX teenth juin

   🚇  hello ! Leacock peeps. A shoutout to the ' orange and blue '

' boro is fine. leftover damp and wind is noticeable. the Eternal Blue is in full glory

Reporting the second night or so that I awoke at 4 - 4:30 A and needed to read or as today, grabbed a banana and sips of water. Typically, used drops to moisten the eyes.

again : " .... I don't expect to sleep thru the night  ...... " sing it Paul.
..... the cross is in the ballpark ......

AI advice for dogwoods [ red stemmed ] prune only 20 %. Well, this AM the front dogwood got bushwhacked by the big loppers. As per usual, the doggy was hogging all the space. In fact, you can barely tell if I did any pruning

Garbage picker is not a sought after sobriquet. I was at it again. Recall, this corner computer desk was from # 21 across the street. So, today, I scavenged planks that were shelving. Straight boards, pretty much unmarked. Yes, destined to be re- purposed as my shelving

💄 eighteen it is

💄... the ' boro, a wonky nite. the sound of rain was like a snare drum, several times, when I got up. At 4:30 A couldn't get back to sleep.
But coffee and typing in the living room b / c the CB311 was here. 
slow as all get out. Really I am spoiled and expect  SPEED, baby !

Rain is the call of the day. Temperatures mid 70 s for a while

and ... the rain was not over, a blast dropped by for a 1 / 2 h. Now, big sun. Damp feeling but clearing quickly

Back on the CB 311. The C14 + is here but  M  ... got her hands on it and won't let go
Thus
back to the root question, do we need two laptops. likely, the answer is ' under most circumstances - one or the other of us, on the internet, not both '

I took advantage of the price reduction one year out from release and thinking strategically, where there is a rumour or promise that certain Chromebook + machines will be allowed to upgrade to ' GoogleBook ' status. Hoping that a premium machine [ Lenovo 14 C plus ] is in the mix

GoogleBook status ? a much hyped Operating System for Chrome but not called Chrome - yeah right, eh 

 

I believe the real question is how long ' can I keep up w / the changes ' or care. 

Well, back on the C14+,  M .... relinquished the new baby. I accepted delivery to compare the difference.  Ooh. not even close. 

The big decision daily is ' what s for dinner ' like a 60 s bygone kitschy thing

Choice is meat pies, broccoli and air fryer fries. Not Gourmet but terrif !

For a do nothing day, a bunch of typing going on here. BTW, this is C14+, doing the job.
A big hit in this house

📽 seventeenth of jun

 📽 ... in the ' boro, cool for June 27. Rain in the offing. 60 F out there

Sun and patchy Eternal Blue.

No coffee yet. Now.

This machine is the CB 311. And we remarked, slow. Today, the message window said ' cannot load app launcher ' The Google suggestion is to ' powerwash ' the system and re - acquire the Google Play Store.
Nope. We'll bring the C14+ up here and introduce it to the ' window seat ' sooner than expected

However, I may play w / the CB 311, Nothing to lose and the experience of ' powerwashing ' could be intstructive later down the line.

" .... somethings happening here .... what it is ain't exactly clear .... " Buffalo Springfield "

The C14+ is now the corner desk - view of the street machine.
The CB 311 needed a TV as a monitor [ 11 in screen ' but the plan is to test out the 14 in screen, alone.
Initial feel is good. Of course, types beautifully and the screen ' pops '

TESTING C14+: positive reviews are coming in. Bonus is the keyboard. Backlit and smooth.
C14+ does have a ' headphone ' jack. And USB A on one side.
Oh, quirky thing, yes, USB C on both sides BUT left jack is power delivery port.
We like. 

Time out for shopping. The basics, coleslaw, tomatoes, toilet bowl cleaner, borax, beans, canned oranges, chicken stock, bread - sourdough, light rye and dark.

Back at the keyboard, continuing the test run for C14+. Decided to play music videos. Sound and picture check. Good to gooder
Naturally, headphones are the best option.

Ah, a TV as before  ?????? nor sure AND not sure what to do w / the TV [ the real problem ]
hey, if this is worth the anguish NO, of course not but nice to fiddle

Further fiddling in the ' den '. I noticed that the WiFi signal was classed as  'weak ' by the laptop. I brought a signal booster from the basement and - now, Strong is the description.

" oh my, my - can you boogie and you slide ... ' Ringo Starr ?????

🎒 on the 16 th of Junius

 🎒 .... the topic is seduction

' boro is sunny and on the cool side w / rain due for days

Seduction. Certainly, it will take time to adapt / adjust to the C14+ , however, one aspect jumps out - speed. The C14+ loads and displays almost instantaneously. Now, typing on the CB 311, one goes ' Oh my, I have to wait '. Whereas, seven days ago, life as normal

And then, the ' Amazon fever ' syndrome. Why is my parcel taking 2 days. 2 days ! it might have come from the West Coast [ don't know for sure ].

OMG. the expectations that I now have for laptops and deliveries.

And I repeat. Expectation should bring joy and not angst

Well, Amazon is delivery is likened to Christmas. The C14+ ? Haven't a clue

the afternoon agenda did not include ; sweating, reaching and cursing. covered in leaf detritus [ hope thats all ] BUT I cleaned the eaves - all 3 sides. The long back run [ 2 stories ] swivel hose and extended blower pipe apparatus.

the back East and East side front  by shortened blower hose. And the front, by hand. I was sitting and then - get out there, 10 minutes and you're done. Not quite, but done. Last rain jag the back eaves spilled over. 

The rain is coming. Wind is gusting and the air temperature dropped.

Apparently, the T storms are spotty but powerful 

Now, Wed afternoon thru Thursday early AM rain will happen and some areas may experience accumulations 

🦽 fifteenth Juin

 🦽 ... sunny and pleasant in the ' boro
well, yesterday, a lot was accomplished re : the boathouse and rail swap. The ' project has gone from ' hunh ' to ' I can see the possibilities '
not done or is anything easy but anyone can see the steps ahead

in essence, the delivery of gravel and finishing mix to lay a base for the rails, occurred. Then on this past Sunday, the overall spreading was done. However, someone got the idea that since, we removed paving slabs, and that the slabs were there - arrange the slabs to help support the rails as well.

the plan became, find a height for the rails and lay the pavers on the gravel as a road. The finer finishing mix falls into the spaces between the larger gravel stones and binds the the layers. That leaves some parts of the boathouse floor spottily layered w / gravel.

OK. 

I'm monitoring my upper leg. I made sure to administer Robax in case

Last night, was a tad concerned but seems relatively in good shape w / no limitations on mobility and comfort

Figure that once a year, washing the car is a sound idea. This is the Subaru at 12 yrs old. Only used to transport M ... to appointments. Its HER car, and I wash it

👗 XIV of the VI

 👗... the ' boro, overcast and signs of rain from overnight
yes, coffee and typing in the window 

we are making a run to the Q' for day III of the boathouse make over. 

Survival is a goal. Scoring goals - good

I did little, still beat. Much accomplished 

Thnx to all .

🏩 its the big 1 3 of Jun

 🏩 in the boro sun and humidity building. Chance of Rain and T - storm s. But the Eternal blue is up there

This segment of my blog is typed on the CB 311, native keyboard and trackpad. Comfortable and intuitive

However, now, you can compare the C14+ and this Chromebook. C14+ is lightning.Chromebooks were touted as fast loading and Android friendly.
And I have discovered that the C14+ syncs all the laptops. 

I noticed that the ' wallpaper for ' homescreen ' was the same UK theme on the Duet and C14+. Yesterday for fun, I chose a pattern wallpaper from the choices on C14+. Well, its here on the CB311

Household news. This Saturday is the fourth in a row, when a neighbour [ way younger than us ] is coming to help keep the place clean. In point of fact, this new routine is psychological in the main. Giving me the feeling and support that I need not do everything by myself.
Plus the house is kept tidy and swept and dusted.
I wanted to say ' cleaned ' but ...... oh well.

Done and terrif!

🤔 🚇. ... the new era in our house 12 th of Jun

  🤔   🚇 ..... really, so dramatic [ ? ]

alright some exploring on the keyboard needed but this blog portion is all Chromebook plus, using the trackpad [ sans mouse ]

usually, this morning typing is done upstairs, at the desk. the new shiny machine was here in the basement, so, i look out on the backyard thru the sliders

sunny, humid w / the heat building in. predicted high is 77 F

the machine [ C14+ ] is offering me ' Gemini ' to aid in all things wordy. i'm still saying ' Np ' b /c after the free period comes the $ 7 per month.

We shall see said the Zen Master

overall, all functions and ' doo - dads ' appear copacetic. suddenly, realized that the backlit keyboard ' didn't '.  but online AI, was right on the money. Obviously, some learning needed

And the backlighting is super useful. 

I am still caught between, eye glasses and no eye glasses. So, magnify the screen or wear glasses. realizing that the larger screen often cuts off the page at the edges

 

🗿 XI of VI the ' boro

 🗿... sunny but windows are drip covered. I'm in the basement, looking out of the patio sliders

this Chromebook, Acer CB 311, was the second Chromebook to the Duet. Under $ 300 not powerful or smancy but a workhorse. M .. s favourite machine but due to come to end of Automatic Updates in Jul.
Yes, still useable and secured but cannot run Apps e.g. gmail and YouTube.

On the Chromebook plus front, latest news has the box in S Ontario, in the shippers hands and fairly close. Supposedly, I'll be notified via text re : progress [ BTW, only text said ' arrived ' ]

Already checked about ' what to do ' when your Chromebook arrives. Pretty sure that I knew the drill but good to verify

I want to say that the Duet is my favourite b / c the Duet was $ 500 AND the best example of what a 2 in 1 machine can be [ laptop and tablet ] EXCEPT that neither of us finds tablet mode easy to use. We are mouse people [ not track pad users ]. 
Fair. The Duet was powered by a MediaTek, ARM enabled processor. Supposedly, the device was as close to a android phone as possible.
Truth, we did not quite get there. OK but not fantastic.
The big factor is how easily the Duet accepts peripherals e.g. printers, monitors keyboards and mouse AND it better b /c the keyboard never was suitable and the trackpad,a dark mystery

Everything typed above was on the CB 311

Back to the Duet and the master keyboard

Definitely, I have ' Amazon induced ' anxiety. The order for the laptop was registered 3 P on Jun 9.
I have been on the Best Buy - find your order page. Now, I am using UPS s page. Delivery is ' end of day ' today.
Of course, I am antsy like all get out. See - Amazon fever 

However, exercise is finished. My weight was 175, up a tad from Apr 29 [ ready for travel weigh in ] then I can blame the gain on ' celebrating ' not going to UK or sadness dieting or feasting

Anxious moments ended

As package arrived ( 4 minutes after I left for Scrip pick up )

Ah, safe in the hall. Picking up ' fission ' chip s

the CHROMEBOOK 14+ now is on deck. charging and ........

Ah. a laptop that is on my lap. nice fit, Lenovo Chromebook 14 plus . keyboard is a joy. The screen jumps out at you bright and sharp. [ spell correct is a dream, folks ]. 

however, for me, to wear ' glasses / no glasses ' border is here. w / glasses - way to big ::: no  glasses blurry ish. Solution for now ' magnify screen ' to 125 %

The setup. fumbled around w / turn on WiFi and pair,  nope. scanned the QR code thingy and the pixel 6a and the Chromebook sync ed in seconds.

Now, realize, that this house will not quite utilize all the benefits / abilities of this machine. However, happily we will be ignorant and innocent.

' love, love, love ...... all you need is LOVE .... '

The Chromebook 14 Plus ... is everything that was claimed on " Chrome Unboxed " and other YouTube channels. Lightning fast, the visuals are stunning ... come on stunning ..... yessir
AND then realize we [ the house] will not come close to using its full potential

Discovered '  keyboard shortcut for enlarge the page ' - beauti 

🛣 X of the VI 'boro

 🛣 .... and dream about the pictures that I play ... changes -  ala Gordon Lightfoot

' boro outside, dreary, rained overnight, wind is stirring and potential thunderstorms for 36 h

changes. a new laptop.
 However, online yesterday was frustration mega. The Site was Best Buy, electronics etc. Sure, I hemmed and hawed but finally pulled the trigger or so I intended.
The rigamarole began. Add to cart, check. Review choice check. Payment, a blank screen.
OK. options, blank screen.
Finally, in desperation ' use PayPal ' was offered. I needed a new password, knew that going in. No problem but verification etc.
Finally, pay now. Window appears, successful purchase, you will be notified when BestBuy ships your order.
Ah, but nothing from Best buy. I go to the help section at Best Buy. Lady operator says ' I can help '. Except when I go to copy the model # etc, the help window blocks the details. So, she hangs up b / c I took so long.
Next go, copy the information first. Now, type to the next agent. Bankit by name.
Can I have your full details. Wait 3 minutes. ' I found your order #  xxxxxxxx, all is in order '

At first, Best Buy had no information on their site. However, an hour later, the full order appears. No shipping date but full description of item and details of purchase.

In like Flint.

Changes. The screen is 14 inches. Thus, the current setup, dongle and 19 inch TV connected, and external keyboard may be redundant.
Bonus, the Chrmbk 14 has 4 ports USB C and USB A plus a headphone jack. The Duet has one USB C

Of course, I have recently acquired 2 more dongles on sale. 

Waiting like at Christmas or Amazon [ relly, like Xmas ]

and  ... Lyrics

By Stevie Nicks Now here you go again You say you want your freedom Well, who am I to keep you down? It's only right that you should Play the way you feel it But listen carefully To the sound of your loneliness Like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had And what you lost And what you had And what you lost Oh, thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Say women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know You'll know Now here I go again I see the crystal visions I keep my visions to myself It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams And have you any dreams you'd like to sell? Dreams of loneliness Like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had And what you lost And what you had Ooh, what you lost Thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know Oh, thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Say women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know You'll know You will know Oh, you'll know

🚏 IX of VI

🚏 ... bus stop, bus stop .......

' boro, now. Sun and cool w / the breeze significant. Portending rain as the air is heavy

watering this morning, the grass seed patches and the wildflower s. I purposefully placed the wildflowers under the bay window as a ' window box ' treatment.
Little realizing how ' rain sheltered ' the area was. Thus, I need to water the guys. And since this campaign began [ a week hence ] the ' wildies ' are blooming in fine fettle

anticipating rain, I over seeded the lawn where patchy. Should get growing off to a start

on the electronics front. Ordered a Chromebook. One year out on the market. Garnering rave reviews from Chrome Unboxed last year. The device is a Lenovo Chromebook + 14 in. 
Whats up ?
The ' plus ' notation is to represent a powerful processor. The beast is a MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910. Along w / that comes 12 G Ram and 128 G storage [ c.f. this current machine at 4 G / 64 G. And fanless and silent
Alright. The skinny. No, we do not need 12 / 128. The thought process is, AI improvements will drive home computing [ no matter how simple ]. The end date for service is 2035. 
The gamble really is, in light of the arrival of Google Book laptops which will begin at 8 / 64 bare minimum, how long will the machine stay relevant

Now, waiting a year, allows glitches and failings to show and then price. The list for Chromebook 14 + is $ 1100. The purchase price is $ 550. Recognizing that, there is not a touch screen [ the machine is touted ' tablet ' like performance ] 
"" the display is a 1920 x 1200 OLED screen.
the weight is 1.17 Kg  [ 2.5 # ] 
To be sure, I raved about the Lenovo Duet [ MediaTek powered too ]. The Duet was a great tablet that we never [ rarely ] used. AND the Chromebook 14 + w / touch screen is said to be a good tablet as well.
And M  .. is not enchanted w/ the Duet. I use the external full size keyboard. She makes do w / the compressed Duet keyboard. 
I often go downstairs to sue the ' other ' laptop connecting to the TV screen via HDMI
So, 2 machines is a luxury and we deserve it

We shall see said the Zen Master.

🩰 VIII of VI

 🩰 in the 'boro, sunny this day. Mild temperatures and slight wind

dandelion patrol [ dig ' em up ] both morning and evening. I put in sticks to mark the refilled divots and grass seed.

basically, a job that will not end but finish cuz, I'll be finished

went for Chinese bring home [ spent $ 40 ]  at Skyland. However, there is leftovers for several meals. Add rice and eat [ for me, M .. not so ]. BTW, that $ 40 is standard for two eating out [ as a bare minimum ].
the spread was the combo 2 or rice / noodles and 2 choices e.g. veggy saute and S / S chicken. Added was inari sushi, chicken wings, torpedo shrimp and char sui [ alt. Chasu ] marinated BBQ pork

〽 7 th

 〽 and almost awake. roused at 6:30 A but tried to fall back again, nope
gave up and put on coffee

Tried to research 'trimming Dogwoods ' prior to doing, just that out front. basically, do not get carried away

coffee is burbling out there. the view .... is sunny, blue sky and green all over
I attacked the dandelions , last evening. 10 were hoisted out of the depths. a tithing is 1 out of ten - aha, not even close, maybe a tithe of tithe [ ????? ]

the campaign so far, has been to burn off the yellow flower and pods. hoping to deprive the plant of reproducing.  I reason that a lot of energy goes into making the seeds.
now, in moister soil, try to take out some root stock
ah, the struggle is the glory [ BS for sure ]

coffee is a big hit. or I take a big hit on tasting. ' aqua viva ' or Mother s milk or nectar of the Gods. Go Go juice. wake me up Scotty

[[ a report. A fellow teacher and I tried to build on the Leacock CI re union buzz surrounding May 20 something, last year. On Facebook, there was some regret at missing the re union. And some desire to see the event repeated. and some nostalgia that wished for fulfillment

now, in a moment of naivety [or ???? ]. 
I announced F ... and I were going for beers at a pub. ' want to come ' idea on FB
6 showed up, then I got phone calls and texts asking 'how long would you be there '
not long but we agreed to shift to Tim Horton s - where ten showed up.
hoping to build on this, we opted for a meet up at Scarborough Town Centre food Court.
Reasoning that we couldn't pop up at a restaurant and have 30 show.
no worries, our max has been eight. Thus, thru Sept to May [ canceled February due to T.O. standard winter horror ] we soldiered on. Lowest was 6.
But the thought was ' if you care, we will be there '.
finally, last month, I thought, OK, my place for a casual do, a little more relaxing and convivial

well, the last six at that May meet up were obvious [and most loyal ]. however, some others were a conundrum. In a fit of me. mainly, its your house, invite who you want. I added 3 more

at now, 5 have responded and 3 in the air. See, convivial.

overall, the attitude was, provide an opportunity, let s accept the outcome
many had ideas to grow the gathering but I resisted, deeming that if you need to drag them out - not worth the trouble ]]

this is now days later. I've re read the segment above. And edited the wording and not the content.
I was struck by the ' impreciseness ( ? ) ' of the text. The meaning was authentic but the expression was uniformly, dismal

I have since revised the statement. But it reminds me of the many instances while reading a text message or email, when you feel there is a misconstruction of the wording

🚍 VI Jun MMXXVI

 🚍  ... singing in the rain ..... or did overnight. still rain chance and humid out there [ guessing ]. plus the wind is up, so the storm conditions remain

coffee and typing. the day begins

my reading content has taken a blow. I'm reading [ re reading ] " Conan ", the Barbarian, the Conqueror, the Freebooter, the Victorius in the Hyborian Age, after the fall of Atlantis

hero, villain, pirate, Kozak and mercenary. yes, done 'em all. don't you know.
wenches galore. mages and beasties

Robert E Howard authored the original stories and then others finished and expanded the storyline

Well there's a pattern forming and it's good. I've been complaining that I need help around the house plus admitting to feeling disappointed, worried etc

and we're getting it. A next door, neighbor named K. ...  is very good at organizing the house, disciplined, all those sorts of words and we've had her now for three Saturdays.

  Example, today she cleaned our bedroom. Yes the regular cleaning crew was here on Monday but they leave dust bunnies under the bed. So we asked K. ... could you take a look at the bedroom and while you're doing the dust bunnies clean the bedroom and she did

She made the bed Scandinavian style. Yeah kind of ..... I've since re - juggled the arrangement 

Then she went down to the exercise room which gets very little attention. And yep, did a great job down there too. We're pleased

OR I am pleased or better be b / c this is what I said that I wanted 

⛴ ... Jun V

 ⛴.... ferry cross the Mersey ..... sing it Beatles

overcast in the ' boro, sun trying to show up. predictions have us at 90 F - peaking today and falling off w / the chance of rain

now,  the afternoon, warming quite nicely, patchy sky and increasing humidity
lunch out was the Magic Noodle and the Magic Noodle special. Noodles in soup [ beef or chicken ]. tow small sides
all delicious.

oh, coffee was tasty not bitter and hit the spot, I woke up

🚞 we got Jun 4

 🚞 in the dark of 4 AM typing and no coffee

yepper, could not sleep. the house was 77 F and I turned on A / C [ set point 75 ]
but of course, much drier air as well

" ... I get all the news, I need on the weatehr report ...... " ala Paul Simon
Thus, sunny and slightly humid and already [ 9 A ] comfortable. Rain due soon

Coffee now and ready to function. Air fryer humming away w / my breakfast potatoes 
cut and wash and let sit in cold water. dry and oil and into the baskets 20 min .... or so

I figure that these spuds are a better choice than slamming bread into the toaster. Slightly more vitamins etc than the bread.
Oh, well, done and gone [ sprinkled w / cheese and and Old Bay Seasoning

OK. start the day [ BTW, that is an expression and not prophecy

🥉of Jun

 🥉.... the run of sun, continues in the ' boro.
typing and no coffee [ yet ]
An early appt at the dentist, tho '

dentist and escaped. always good to get out of there - not bleeding

JUnius 🥈 of MMXXVI

 🥈....... yes. I went all Latin for the title

sunny in the ' boro. and for the week ahead w / temperatures at 75 + or- but rain comes next

luckee you, nothing about keyboards and mice and dongles
oh, oh, bought a new dongle from Amazon. The current dongles are having issues. the newer models e.g. Benfei arrive w / greater transfer ability and power options. 

forgotten items. Arsenal Football Club of North London [ this last bit is important, it seems ] are League Champions 2026. The ' Gunners ' are a storied item in British soccer lore. Much reviled throughout the rest of the UK, as uppity and not tough enough ' like us ' up here.
Arsenal are the longest serving club in Premiership and First Division, not relegated to lower divisions since 1908 or such.
I can still draw a slight shock when I say ' I 've been or was at Highbury Football Ground '. Highbury, the original home of AFC has been replaced by the Emirates Stadium.
story. walking thru an airport, I saw the ' cannon' logo of Arsenal. I said to the gent ' Up the Gunners ', he replied ' sorry, what ? '. I went on to explain the connection and he said ' didn't know '

' up with the Arsenal, the Arsenal s our name
we play at Highbury and football s our game  ......
... we are the Gunner s , the best you have seen ....

no exercise today. went out and torched the dandelion heads and puffballs. This burn is like number 5 of runs

🥇 JUIN

 🥇... un official summer ... start in the ' boro w /sun and bright and greening

cool for summer tho ' 65 F. 

ah. the typing corner [ coffee in hand ]. Wowzers ! a real keyboard, rather large, full QWERTY  array, side display of functions and numeric pad w / ' enter ' key on the right

THEN. the optical mouse [ operated via USB, same one as the keyboard ] which had salt corrosion galore, now works - great. I spent some time scraping the white crystal stuff from inside the battery compartment and added a metal strip to increase contact by the positive battery terminal - VOILA she works

Some tinkering w / the interface for the mouse and Chromebook settings is needed. The cursor motion is jerky
BUT a functioning system. Easy to use. Large and slightly ungainly. 

Thus went to the Settings menu

 and found ' mouse '. Tested and the jerkiness was there. Scanning there was one option left ' accelerate mouse for further travel '. Jerky, going faster ?
Guess what - the mouse is now smooth.
Only thought is, the interface from Keyboard and mouse to Chrome is slightly disjointed
Altho ' the MK 320 box says ' chrome compatible '. Da - Da ! success