Wish I'd Said It

Weeds are flowers too - once you get to know them.

- A. A. Milne

Monday, August 17, 2009

Everything Old Is New Again (#200)

Ch-ch-ch-changes.

The blog spiffication of which I wrote last time, waaaaaaaaay back in July, is just one of several renovation projects I have on the go. After a couple of decades of neglect, I’m having work done on my house. Soon, the leaking windows and skylight will be replaced. The stinky old, stained carpeting should be history by mid-winter, replaced by hardwood flooring.

As we speak, there is a large dumpster occupying most of my driveway and it’s nearly full of junk from the basement, garage and yard. I have a new back deck upon which my barbeque no longer lists at an alarming angle and a new front door that actually closes!

Pretty heady stuff, indeed.

However, one must be careful when caught up in the euphoria of change. A new this and a spiffified that could lead to regarding everything elderly with a critical eye. It’s a good job I rarely look in mirrors.

Where Was I?

Just came back from a longish visit at the family cottage with Hilary and Ben. At various times we were joined by sisters Lisa and Theresa, Lisa’s husband, Ches, their dog, their oldest boy Nathaniel and his girlfriend and Theresa’s two 10-week-old kittens. Two and sometimes a third raccoon were nightly visitors.

Theresa volunteers as a wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in orphaned raccoons, squirrels and occasionally, birds. Two of the nightly visitors are recently released young raccoons which were originally found living under Hilary’s deck some months ago. The third one, who appears somewhat older though not yet full grown, seems to be hanging around with them. We’re augmenting their feeding in hopes of fattening them up enough to have a chance of surviving winter. Without a mother’s teaching, the odds may be long. We’re hoping though, that the newcomer has learned a few survival tricks it can pass on to the youngsters.

Hilary took scads of pics and will no doubt be showing and writing about them soon at her blog. I’ll give you folks who aren’t regular visitors there (you should be!) a heads-up when they appear.

Good News & Bad News

I started this column a few years ago and distributed it solely via email which is how most of you still read it. Then I decided to post it on my blog as well and some folks read it there instead. I’ve hinted periodically that it’s quite time consuming having to format it separately. It’s possible that the hinting had a whiny note to it.

So...continuing in the spirit of change, I’ve decided to no longer send out the emailed version. However, I’ll continue to email notification of a new blog post and include the link, making it easy for most of you to visit. I know that some of you receive and read the column at your work computer and can’t visit the blog from there because of surfing restrictions. Apparently, the New Improved Blogger, to which I upgraded during the spiffication process, will allow me to automatically email the column to a select number of recipients. As of this writing, I have no idea how many or how to make it work. But I promise to find out soon. If you are among those who’d prefer to receive it that way, please drop me a line. (Donna, I know you’re one of ‘em.)

I think it very likely that I’ll write more frequently because of this decision. (That’s both the good and bad news.) It will be so much easier to compose and format only once.

Off Again

As I write this, I’m preparing to leave again for the cottage tomorrow. (Writing while the washing machine is running counts as multi-tasking.) This time, Ben and I will be accompanied by Son #2 and one of his buddies. Here in southern Ontario, we’re enduring our first prolonged heat wave of the summer, with daily temperatures in the 90s F and humidex readings well over 100F. It will be good to jump off the dock into the cool, refreshing waters of the lake.

So please forgive me if I don’t reply to your emails or comments for a few days. Hope all of you are enjoying a fine summer. (Or winter for you Oddsies and that Brazil nut.)

PS to fellow Bloggers: You might notice that I changed the name of my blog to match that of my emailed column. Those of you kind enough to add me to your blog rolls may want to reflect that change. If you're a techno-dweeb like me and avoid that sort of thing as much as possible, nevermind. The web address will remain the same.

16 comments:

Bruce Robinson said...

That does it!

Since you were in such an all fired hurry to leave town without looking at our responses, let me tell you what I did! And it is done! nothing you or anyone else says can undo what has been undone.

I have deleted the e-mail file folders "Frank Baron" from my Archives and Current folders. Yep! I deleted 105 combined copies of your previously important enough to retain columns and just dumped 'em. After what you have decided to do, why should i have kept them? (Don't answer - it was rhetorical question.)

Don't bother sending me any more of your self-serving emails, those items containing nothing more that your cheap self-promotion. I don't need them, I tell you!

The RSS feed will serve me just fine, thank you.

Hilary said...

It's looking good. I will indeed have some cottage photos sometime soonish.. though the street party comes first. Thanks for the linkage.. and that blog roll thingy takes care of itself. Blogger knows all.

Have fun back at the cottage.. sigh! :)

Frank Baron said...

Well Bruce, you techno-wizard...I dunno what an RSS feed is but I presume it means a little bell rings inside your computer when I post a new blog.

As long as you're happy, I'm ecstatic.

Frank Baron said...

I'll try to have some fun without you, Hil. Of course, it'll require a supreme effort of will....

Leah J. Utas said...

Frank, it looks good. I went so far as to update the name on my list.
Hear that?
Yer on my list, pal.

Charlie said...

Where are all the buxom wimmens offering Benny a fish?

Oh well.

Looks good, Frank. Enjoy the lake and feel free to add me to the fancy-schmancy oi-there's-a-new-post email list. I lurvs me my emails. Especially the ones from that lawyer in Macedonia who thinks I might be the last remaining member of the local royal family and wants to deposit the crown jewels in my bank account for safekeeping....

Barbara Martin said...

I like the photo, and everyone needs to update once in awhile just to keep things interesting.

Frank Baron said...

Leah, I'm honoured. :)

Charlie, I'm saving that one for #500. And I think mebbe I've heard from that lawyer too.... ;)

Yes indeed Barbara. A change is as good as a rest. :)

Skunkfeathers said...

Looks like Hilary's prodding paid off ;)

And I don't feed RSSes...I don't want them to become dependent on me ;)

Thumbelina said...

Oh! Oh! I wait so long for you to post and then... then... I'm leaving!
Boo hoo.
I just don't have the time so I got one more post up and then quitting posting. At least for a while.
But I'm still visiting and lurking. I love the new name, then find out it's an old name!
Is this how you're spifficating your house? New is old? Oh I hope not. Hilary will shoot you.
I haven't been to Hil's in ages. Off there now.
Great spiffifying.

Thumbelina said...

AND I changed your blog name in my bloglist (you were always there!) and I love that photo at the top.

Dianne said...

the photo at the top is sublime

you know I was worried about too much change but this is good, very very good

so now, when will Benny be setting up his blog?

Anne C. Watkins said...

'Bout time. Heh heh.

I love it! The new picture is awesome and the really colors pop. Now that I have improved Internet speed (and less whining about slow connections...lol), I can really appreciate your spiffiffication. :D

Anne C. Watkins said...

errmmm...mebbe I meant that the colors really pop....

Fabian Colossi said...

I wonder who that Brazil nut may be.

Frank Baron said...

Skunkfeathers, I guess I'm gonna have to find out what this RSS stuff is all about. Thanks for the visit.

Thumbelina, I'm sorry to hear you're (temporarily) leaving the blogosphere. I understand though, that catching up with the 3D reality can also be important. Ish. ;) Thanks, as always, for the kind words.

Glad you like it Dianne. But puh-leeze don't give that dog any ideas! ;)

Ah, I knew what you meant Anne. Glad you like the new look. :)

Fabian, I'll give you a hint: Check the mirror. ;)