The blossoms are everywhere here on the high plains of the deserts of Northwestern Nevada. Where there’s water, there’s life. Believe me when I tell you we’ve had more than our share of water this year. Just Sunday, in the middle of the Mother’s Day party here at Winterpast, the heaven’s let loose again. Everything here is green, including the barren hills. Not quite Switzerland-esque, but not desert brown either.

The day after our party was a lovely time to enjoy a party for one. After putting up ten tables and forty chairs, three garbage cans, and a few dishes, Winterpast is ready to host another party. Yesterday was my day to do nothing but enjoy the clean house and weed free yard. It’ll remain that way a short time before I’ll need to do it all again.

In May, it’s customary for Zephyr winds to come up from no where bringing thunderstorms with them. After attending our many graduation ceremonies throughout the years, my mother would refer to “Graduation Weather” in May and June. The kind that would rip a mortarboard right off a Valedictorian’s beehive hairdo. (That will make my younger readers scratch their heads wondering what I’m talking about. Check out hairstyles of the mid 1900’s).

One thing is for sure. The heat will follow these winds. Even though summer won’t officially begin until June 21, high temps are on the way. By Friday the mercury should hover around 90, and that will feel cool compared to the summer afternoons to follow.

Around town, the mustang foals are popping up. Pretty amazing little creatures, they are ready to roam just a few hours after birth. They are as shy as they are cute, staying near their mom’s side. With a birth control program, along with the frequent round-ups, it’s lucky to see a foal these days.

Feeling like a spring dessert in the desert, I tried a new recipe for Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake. Of course, there is the word pound in the name. Just do a few more hours of weeding in the garden and fergetaboutit. Loaded with blueberries and bright flavor, this cake is absolutely delicious and easy to make, as well. I used fresh blueberries and lemon. I think it would also be delicious with raspberries.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

By Jennifer Segal

Loaded with blueberries and bright flavor, this lemon blueberry pound cake makes a wonderful brunch (or anytime) cake.

Servings: One 9×5-inch loaf cake (8 to 10 servings)

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE

• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, packed (see note)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, do not defrost)
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs

FOR THE GLAZE

• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest, packed
• 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then spray the pan again.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let sit for at least 10 minutes while you proceed with the recipe. (It will curdle; that’s okay.)
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour. Set both aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk mixture. Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining milk mixture, followed by the remaining flour mixture, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the flour-dusted blueberries to the batter and, using a spatula, fold until evenly combined.
5. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
7. When the cake is cool, transfer it to a serving platter.
8. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add more confectioners’ sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you’d think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Slice with a serrated knife. The cake will keep on the countertop for up to 3 days; store in a covered container or wrap in plastic wrap.
9. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen (without the glaze) for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
10. Note: You’ll need 2 large lemons for the entire recipe. Be sure to zest them before you juice them.

Whatever you do today, enjoy the beauty of spring. Get out in the fresh air. Take a walk. Smell the blooms. Watch for the first of many farmer’s markets. Eat some fruit. Be grateful to be alive. The world is such a beautiful place!

More tomorrow.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

For you are with me;

Your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies:

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love shall follow me

all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever. Amen

Such beautiful words to think about on this gorgeous spring day. Whatever you do today, celebrate life!

More tomorrow.

I’m so much happier when I have no electronic contact with the outside world. Life is beautiful at Winterpast, the garden of happiness. All day, I can tend to the needs of potted plants while pulling stray weeds under the big blue sky on the northwestern plains of the Nevada Desert. But, just like a moth to a flame, when I drive, I turn on the news. Yesterday’s main topic was troublesome.

Of course, humorous at times, too. Like envisioning THE Prince and Princess being chased to within an inch of their lives over a two hour period in New York City. Now, I’ve never been to NYC, but from what I’ve seen, that would be a little impossible with all the traffic. Maybe 30 seconds? A minute? But then, I’m not royalty. Maybe the entire town was on lockdown so those two could move about with their car chase.

If you haven’t watched the episode on Southpark about their “Privacy Tour”, you can catch some clips on “You Tube”. So funny I had to watch a few of them. Yes. We all want our privacy. Some just want it a little more than others.

Well, after the nonsense about the American royals, the news became more personal. The focus was on computer passwords. The ones we all use every day. In the very beginning, I was at a loss for thinking of new and fun passwords. Over the years, I’ve gotten better.

Now, it seems, the hackers have gotten better, too. A password of eight characters was the norm for 2018 standards. That’s what many companies recommend. Now, with Artificial Intelligence becoming so much smarter, it is recommended that our passwords are 12 random characters long, with plenty of symbols included. Don’t forget upper and lower case letters, numbers, and while you’re at it, throw in a picture of the family dog.

So, yesterday, I decided that I would comply for the bank. I would select a very new, random and personal code. But what would it be?

Being a writer, my brain can be quite creative. Two nights ago, I was enjoying a night at a most beautiful hotel just 46 miles from my doorstep. I was lucky enough to have a room on the 19th floor, which happened to be at the very top. I’ve stayed there many times, but on this occasion, I was lucky enough to be in a suite looking at the second tower across the way.

I had just turned off the lights and looked out once more to see the night view, when I was shocked. Across the way, at another tower (just a few floors shorter), were hundreds of birds reflecting in the lights. Dive bombing, this way and that. Reflected in the lights, they looked huge. They were swarming everywhere. I will tell you, it was unsettling. 10 PM atop a huge hotel, the place was under siege from birds.

Were they owls? Condors? Great Bustards? Trumpeter Swans? Pelicans? Were they hired by the hotel? I went to sleep wondering about random possibilities.

In the morning, still troubled, I Googled to find out what would cause the birds to behave in this way. There was the answer. Bugs and lights. These were seagulls and pigeons, not exotic at all. It’s a nightly occurrence. I’ve just never been on the top floor to witness it.

So getting back to the passwords (I promise it will all tie in soon). It seems that the hackers can now hack any plain jane password of 8 or less characters as if it’s not even there. We should be using 12 random characters. Are you kidding me???? I don’t know about you, but I need to have something to affix these passwords to my brain. What would I do now?

I’ve overused Oliver’s name in many forms. I’ve even used Winterpast once long ago. My name and address are way to obvious. As I sat trying to think of a new password, it came to me.

#SglsEtgBgs52023$.

It had everything. Uppercase. Lower case. It held a memory and the month and year. It even reminded me that a one night vacation can be a little pricey. Perfect.

I discarded my old password entered the new one, careful to write the new one down in my “Sh*t I Can’t Remember” book (Purchased from Amazon and quite useful. Look it up. I use mine several times a day. It’s a lifesaver. Sorry for the name.)

This morning, when I went to enter the new password, it was a disaster. With just way too many variables, I was quickly locked out of my website. At 4:30 in the morning, waiting for my WordPress site to unlock after an unsuccessful password attempts isn’t pleasant.

Don’t even doubt for a minute that everything is now changed back to passwords I know and love. Somedays, I can barely remember to blog. 12 characters, upper and lower case, mixed with $, #, and *** isn’t going to happen here.

The news.

It can take a perfectly peaceful day and invite new worries to our already full brains. I need to take my own advice and unplug. Put on some great music and focus on the beauty of spring. Hackers gonna hack and worrying won’t change that.

Whatever you do today, think of this. Although we all need to have passwords, just try to remember to change yours once in awhile. If you do change it, please write it down. Do check out the notebook on Amazon. Keep organized and carry on.

More tomorrow.

Do not be anxious about anything

But in everything,

By prayer and petition,

With thanksgiving,

Present your request to God.

And the peace of God,

Which transcends all understanding,

Will guard your hears and minds

In Jesus Christ.

Finally, brothers,

Whatever is true,

Whatever is noble,

Whatever is right,

Whatever is pure,

Whatever is lovely,

Whatever is admirable

If anything is praiseworthy,

THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS.

Whatever you have

Learned or

Received or

Heard from me,

Put it into practice.

And the God of peace will be with you. _{Philippians 4: 6-9}

Whatever you do, spend today looking for good. If there isn’t much happiness, try to create some. Your smile is a good place to start. Turn that frown upside down and get with it. Life is to beautiful to waste.

Have a wonderful weekend.

More tomorrow.

From time to time, all of us are lucky enough to get swept up in a magical moment in which time stands still. Whether it’s with someone you’ve known most of your adult life or someone you are just getting know. Those moments can hold plenty of “Ahh – Ha’s” and are certainly times to be remembered and cherished.

Such was the experience I had on Saturday night. As an old woman, I lost my Mother and my Mom over two decades ago. One at the hand of another, the other to the ravages of cancer. I changed after those losses. One left me wondering how in the heck a “skilled” surgeon could so easily take the life of another. The other left me with a gaping hole in my heart that has taken years to heal. One biological. One, my mother-in-love.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the benefit of visiting with a wise Mom. One who birthed five children, raised them to productive adulthood, while managing to remain true to herself. Saturday night, I had the rare treat of spending some quality time with MM and his amazing mom, Miss B. I realized, after our evening spent talking about our respective losses of our spouses, how much I have missed interacting with a mom figure.

Miss B had decided to stay a couple nights with her eldest son, my Mysterious Marine. Now, Miss B and I have something in common right out of the gate. We both happen to think MM is an amazing guy. Of course, she has known him so much longer than I.

Our time together started by enjoying homemade Red Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms with crab.

HOMEMADE “RED LOBSTER” CRAB-STUFFED MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb fresh mushrooms
• ¹⁄₄cup celery, finely chopped
• 2tablespoons onions, finely chopped
• 2tablespoons red bell peppers, finely chopped
• ¹⁄₂lb crabmeat
• 2cups oyster crackers, crushed
• ¹⁄₂cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¹⁄₄teaspoon garlic powder
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• ¹⁄₄teaspoon black pepper, ground
• ¹⁄₄teaspoon salt
• 1egg
• ¹⁄₂cup water
• 6slices white cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400deg F.
• Wash mushrooms and remove stems.
• Set caps aside, and chop half of the stems.
• Saute chopped mushroom stems,celery, onion and pepper in butter for 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate and cool in refrigerator.
• Combine sauteed vegetables and all other ingredients (except cheese slices) and mix well.
• Place mushroom caps in a sprayed or buttered baking pan stem side up.
• Spoon 1 tsp stuffing into each mushroom cap.
• Cover with a piece of sliced cheese.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is lightly brown.

Well, it’s impossible to start off on a bad foot with these mushrooms. MM had gone to the grocery store to hand select twelve of the most beautiful mushrooms in the store. Following the instructions to the letter, the mushrooms were delicious. We enjoyed them while folks at the Preakness were enjoying their traditional crab cakes. Very fitting.

Of course, I bet my traditional $1000.00 of imaginary bucks on the long shot, who did not win. There’s good reason why I never really bet on horse races or gamble much on anything, for that matter. I’m not very good at choosing a winner. The horse I bet on WAS very pretty.

As the evening progressed, MM created a fantastic dinner of Colossal Shrimp Scampi and angel hair pasta. Steamed Broccoli completed the dinner. For desert, we shared fresh Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake, our new favorite.

As the evening unfolded, I learned of a family member with a pet monkey who loved to play with MM’s hair as a child. I learned that family is all important to this mother and son. And, I learned that some Grieving Gardeners have more in common than we originally knew. Whether widow, or widower, the loss of a spouse is devastating. The only way through the maze of grief is to talk it out. Wait it out. Pray it out. All while continuing to put one foot in front of the other. Keep on, keeping on.

Throughout the evening, as a spring thunderstorm set in, we continued to share the our own inspirational stories. As we talked, we shared thoughts like, “But how did they get through? I could have never done that. I wouldn’t have had the strength.”

Through three very different tragedies, we faced challenges in different ways. We all found courage and resilience to fight the battles we were given in the year of 2020. We all lost the loves of our lives. Yet, here we are, building new bridges across a sea of grief while holding on to beautiful new friendships we’ve made.

The evening ended way too soon. Wookie and Oliver were waiting at my house. Wookie begged and begged for a girl sleepover, so it was only fair that as the sun disappeared behind the mountains to the west, I returned home to the dogs.

This weekend, I learned that we’re all much stronger than we think. Don’t forget all the battles you’ve won while fighting your uphill battles with widowhood or widower-hood. Everyday, you prove to the world you are stronger than anyone would’ve ever thought. There isn’t anything that you can’t handle when put to the test.

Whatever you do today, think of mentors in your life that are examples of strength and resilience. As you spend time with them, remind them of their heroic deeds under the worst of circumstances. We all need to hear that once in awhile as we find our way through the wilderness of grief. You and I did good things in the midst of a sea of sadness and loss. We’d do it again in a heartbeat. Don’t forget that for a minute.

More tomorrow.

Life is interesting these days. It amazes me the kinds of things one can order online. Of course, there are the normal, everyday items. Clothing. Accessories. Even food. And then, there are exotics. Things that I would have never believed would be delivered to the front door of a person’s home. Things like a 8 X 8 screen dome.

With all the trouble I’ve been having with mosquito bites, I might think about getting one of these delivered to put over my bed. At any rate, let me start at the beginning, which involved one very large greenhouse. That’s where the SNAFU began.

Having wanted a greenhouse for a very long time, I decided I’d waited long enough. If not now, when? The smell of fresh herbs. A place for my houseplants to vacation. Although I do have a pickup to retrieve such an item from the hardware store, the hardware store only ships these items. And so the SNAFU-able events started to unravel.

At first it seemed that the greenhouse was on its way and would even arrive early. In less than a week, I’d be helping to pour a foundation for this garden wonder and in two weeks, I’d have plants thriving inside. All that wasn’t to be.

It got as far as Sacramento when another freak storm hit the area leaving Donner Pass impassable. With nothing better to do, the company shipped the greenhouse from Sacramento to Los Angeles, where it lounged for two days before starting the journey back to Sacramento. It finally made its way over Donner Pass to my door, days after it was supposed to arrive.

With the excitement of the greenhouse, friends and family wanted to help! We had a brother that offered to help pour the foundation on the day it was supposed to arrive. Then, there was my bestie, CC, who was so thoughtful. She sent a book on greenhouse gardening tips along with some cute wooden plant markers that we could use to help us remember what seeds were growing. Each item came in a separate package including a nice little note.

A few days later, another package arrived. “Wow! CC is really getting into this greenhouse garden event! ” thought I. The evening the package arrived, I called to thank her for her sweet gift. I hadn’t considered a misting system, but what a brilliant idea. On a timer, this would help on those hot summer days!

Well, the SNAFU had set in. You see, she ordered the misting system for herself, but had forgot to change the shipping address on Amazon. CC and I live 7 hours apart. This wouldn’t be a little something I could drop off while we enjoyed a cup of tea.

After our call, a wonderful idea popped into my head. I’d just buy a system for her and have it delivered through Amazon. How easy would that be? I now wanted the mister for the greenhouse and she’d get a laugh when one arrived at her house. Except, I was out SNAFU’d. She’d already ordered another for her house. Now, she would have two.

But, the biggest SNAFU was yet to come. CC had ordered the above mentioned 8×8 screened dome for her house and …..you guessed already….it was coming to my house. She did mention that although she thinks of me as a sister, this was her item, needed and wanted at her own home.

I came home Monday to find the dome home safely delivered to my house. With a few calls and pick-up appointment, we finally got all our orders straightened out. UPS came to retrieve the item yesterday. Hopefully CC has another delivered to her house just as quickly.

Life in 2023 is fast and crazy. One had better pay attention to the fine print while ordering gifts delivered here or there. Amazon will definitely deliver any package to the exact address you select. With the push of a button, your own dome home will fly off to another state. If only our orders could tell their tales.

Whatever you do today, be careful when ordering on the internet. Make sure your passwords are at least 24 random letters, numbers, and characters. Keep your passwords hidden and try to avoid operator errors that can create unneeded SNAFU’s. It can happen to the best of us.

More tomorrow.

I love my appliances. When I moved to Winterpast three years ago, the appliances were new. Bright, shiny stainless, all. Stove, frig, microwave, dishwasher and garbage disposal, washer and dryer. Everything brand new to avoid troubles. When I moved into Winterpast, heaven knows I had enough troubles, having lost VST just 17 days before.

For the past three years, every morning, after a small breakfast, I rinse the dishes, placing them in the dishwasher. Unless I have company, it takes two days to fill, at which time I run a load. I’m one old widow woman. Not a family of four, cooking three meals a day.

When I selected my dishwasher, I was in for some training. Here’s the deal. If you want the quietest dishwasher, it has no food grinder. That’s why they are so quiet. Get it? If you want the most energy efficient one, it has no heating element. That’s why less energy is used.

Now, I really didn’t want a metal box that sprays water and calls it good. That would be the quietest and most energy efficient. I had to scratch my head on that one. My dishwasher is a upper mid-priced Chinese produced General Electric model that has both heat and a food grinder. It’s still pretty quiet.

Last week, it became really quiet when the pump stopped working. It just hummed, while excess water pooled in the bottom of the unit. Not good. Only three years old and already broken while there is only one old widow woman using it. Of course this happened right before the party for 40 people. Of course.

So, for the last two weeks, I’ve been washing my few dishes by hand. Last Friday, I finally called the Home Warranty Company. Now, I know Home Warranty Companies SAY they will cover Air Conditioning units. Trust me. In my area, in the hottest part of summer, they may say the will cover everything, but no AC company deals with them. I ended up getting ripped off with no service. The new AC was $10,500 replacement price. That’s a heart stopper. I was hoping it would be different for dishwashers.

When I went online to set up a service call for the dishwasher, I was told the NEW service fee was $125. My contracted fee was $75. There are so many ways to rip off the widow. After many calls, the service fee was finally reduced to ZERO. Best advice? Don’t mess with the widow. After the call, I’ll be deciding if I stay with the warranty company or not.

As a widow, there are so many things that are beyond my knowledge and ability. Top of the list is air and heating. But dishwasher repairs are right up there. The company I used did have a nice feature in which I could troubleshoot a few things to make sure I really had a problem that needed fixing. Indeed, I do.

As it turns out, my 3 year old GE dishwasher has two fried mother-boards. Parts will be ordered. Once installed, it should work just fine. Gone are the days that appliances worked for a decade plus. General Electric products are produced in China now, along with most other affordable products. How sad.

A very informative technician told me that he does this all day long. It appears it might even be by design. Planned failures built into the units. He can literally plan an entire day in a new housing unit going from house to house to replace fried mother boards. The scary thing is that it isn’t just the dishwashers that are going out, and not just General Electric either. Unless you are lucky enough to have bought German, it will probably happen to you, too.

Gone are the days that a young couple got their first Kenmore set lasting them 20 years. If you get three years without a problem, you are pretty darn lucky.

Whatever you do today, appreciate working appliances. In this crazy world, it’s something to cheer about. Considering the information shared by my repairman, Elijah, a home warranty is a really good thing to have. New, failing appliances keep his repair company in business. If you have experienced appliances, try your best to have them fixed. You won’t be very happy with the new versions.

For now, it’s dishpan hands for me. Calgon, take me away!

More tomorrow.

Not much more needs to be said. I am typing this on a very tiny screen that is not sustainable.

My desktop is sick so I must give my computer guru a call. T can fix anything. I hope he can help.

Please take some time to remember the heroes that’ve served our country, while keeping us safe and free. My two sons donated over 40 years of their two lives to do just that. Thank you, my sweet boys.

I’ll be back Tuesday with updates. Who knows? I might be typing on a new computer by then.

Remember our heroes.

Amazing things happened over the weekend! Heartbreak over the “broken” computer turned into triumph! The computer LIVES! Somedays are just a mixture of good and rotten. My Friday was such a day.

I love getting up in the morning to blog. Purposefully, I rise at 4:30, make coffee, feed Ollie, and sit down at the computer. I usually check to make sure the world isn’t on fire, check the banking to make sure I haven’t been hacked, and then get on with the blog. I’ve been blogging since September 24, 2000. You can look on this website and go back to my very first day as a “real” writer and read through the trials and tribulations of my journey through widowhood.

It takes a little bit o fine tuning to get this schedule to work. On most days, I do turn out the lights pretty early. Without the problems of insomnia or restless leg syndrome, I fall right to sleep. The flip side is that if I oversleep until 5:30, I do feel as if half my day is gone. Silly, I know.

Friday started as any other day, except for the first terrible event. When I turned on my computer, it had a mind of its own.

5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu5fu, and so on.

Whatever I tried resulted in 5fu.

I unplugged, waited 20 seconds and replugged.

5fu.

I tried to move the mouse.

5fu.

I unplugged the keyboard AND mouse.

5fu.

Finally, I had no choice but to contact my sweet son, T. He’s been in the computer business since he was a boy. Working for a group of doctor’s, his expertise keeps all the medical scanning equipment up and running. MRI’s, CT Scanners, and other medical equipment that I haven’t even heard of are all hooked online these days. Decades ago, when computers were new, he started his career. He’s tops at what he does. Lives and the doctors that save them depend on him.

Another part of his work involves dealing with frantic employees that can’t get their $%#%$#% computer to do what they want. He hears it all, day in and day out. He reads between the lines and makes things better. I would guess most of the problems he deals with are not even caused by what the employee thinks they are. He has an analytical brain perfectly suited for problem solving.

I never text the kids early in the morning. They have their own kids and lives to get going. But, last Friday, I needed computer help. It wasn’t my health emergency, but rather my computer’s. That’s more critical in my book.

When I saw his text that said “Oh No”, after we had tried ten different procedures, my heart sank. With a three year old dishwasher awaiting a motherboard, it seemed my 2.5 year old Dell All-In-One desktop (dearly loved) would be going to the bone yard. For another $800+, I’d need a new computer. It was just that simple.

Sadly, I used my i-Pad to order another. Thank goodness for Amazon.

All day, this was wearing me down. How could a computer be so new and just break? I had not spilled coffee on the thing. I hadn’t had any sort of power surge. Were things these days built to last two years and fry? My appliance repairman has his own experiential evidence to prove that theory. There had to be one last thing I could try to fix this.

And then, the lightbulb in my brain brightened.

You-Tube.

With that thought, my trusty i-Pad and I and went to work. Entering the model number, I asked for a fix. In seconds, I was watching a video on how to fix all kinds of computer issues. I could add more space or replace the fan. I could remove the hard drive and replace it with a bigger one.

The first step involved popping off the back cover. Just like the technician on the video told me, it would sound terrible. Like I was cracking the entire thing. Assured that it wouldn’t break, I just needed to start at a corner and lift.

I WAS a little scared to to this alone. Not to fear, my Mysterious Marine came to the rescue. After planting two trees and two rose bushes, he wasn’t done helping a damsel in distress. Nope. All he needed was a few screwdrivers and it was on it.

With the cover off, the computer was exactly as shown in the video. With the removal of four screws and a small cover, the tiny battery was exposed. A common flat battery that we’ve all seen many times over. The video suggested that to reset the computer, the battery needed to be removed for 20 seconds and then replaced.

Carefully, we did this while marveling at the beauty of the motherboard. Then, Snap-Crackle-Pop and the computer was back together.

When plugged in, it worked. Just! Like! New!

No need to spend hundreds on a replacement. Amazon will be getting a big return and I’m back in business. All it took was a look-see on You Tube.

As a widow, unexpected breaks can be devastating. From a broken air conditioning unit to a failing irrigation system, life as a widowed home owner is often frustrating and overwhelming. But, You-Tube holds answers for so many fixes. From programing a garage door opener to repairing a computer. With a brand, model number, and brief description of the problem, you too, can fix your clogged sink, leaky toilet, or even a computer that likes to type 5fu over and over.

With that, I hope your Memorial Day was grand. Short of replacing a roof or digging through layers of roots, there isn’t much an old widow woman can’t do. There are those things for which we aren’t strong enough. That’s true enough. But, with a little research, we can diagnose what’s wrong and understand the proper fix. That way, when someone arrives to do the job, we KNOW what needs to be done.

Whatever you do today, think of a small project that bugs you and find the fix on You Tube. You’ll be amazed at the different things you can learn to do yourself. It’s empowering and pretty darn exciting. Of course, a special thanks to my Mysterious Marine. Gardening AND Computer repairs. Pretty darn cool!

More tomorrow.