The Death Of A Laptop
I have lost a dear friend. My laptop died last week. This was almost entirely my fault, and I am wracked with guilt. I can offer one tip – DON’T get frustrated enough with anything (and by ‘anything’ I mean your laptop) to slam it shut. Really. I am very sad at the amount of data I lost. However, I am incredibly grateful that I had MOST of it backed up to an external hard drive.
The death of this friend has led to something good. I got a new computer. It is my holiday (I say that because it really wasn’t for any particular holiday…just happened to fall within the ‘holiday season’) present from Rich. It’s sleek and fast, and tethered to my desk. That’s because it’s a desktop computer. heh heh heh. I love it. Eventually, I will get myself a nice little NetBook for travel, but for now, I can’t possibly ask for anything better. Here it is before it was set up, and after set up, with me staring intently at the beautiful glowing screen:
It runs Windows 7, has more RAM than I thought was possible. I can actually listen to music AND use PhotoShop at the same time. Can you IMAGINE?! I am enjoying it immensely. Mmmm. Windows 7. Ahhhhhhh.
Every day, I discover new stuff I had on the old computer that I need, and have to re-install it. Today, I realized the new computer didn’t have Google Earth, which is essential, as far as I am concerned. I have now re-installed it, and uploaded all my GPS waypoints, including geocaches that I have not yet found.
This beautiful new machine is so exciting! Thank you, Rich, for your help in keeping me geeking out connected! 
Huernia insigniflora (I think)
Hi, all!
It’s another plant with a story! This is Huernia insigniflora. I think. I posted it on The Garden Forums to try to get it identified, and this is what was suggested, and it looks right to me.
This plant was originally bought by my friend Barb at the cactus ranch on Hwy 126 in SoCal in August 2007. I was there when she bought it, and didn’t think to steal a cutting then. Barb sent me a cutting of it in my Christmas box that year. Actually, she sent 3 cuttings. I planted 2 in nice pots, and they get nice treatment…they get watered on a regular basis, and they spend the summer in partial shade in the front flower bed, and they winter indoors where it’s warm in the dining room. The third one is neglected, has frozen more than once, etc.
I placed that third cutting in a long, trough-like planter with 2 other cuttings of other things and with a LOT of herb seeds. I harvested herbs, the cuttings grew well, and I forgot about them when I took all my other plants inside during the winter of 2008. This poor little Huernia cutting lived through many nights which dipped down into the single (Fahrenheit) digits. This may be fine for some cacti and hardy succulents, but Huernias are almost JUNGLE plants, as far as their temperature needs are concerned. I guess it made it because it had had no water at all for almost 4 months. Poor thing.
In any case, that poor tortured little plant is the one I am writing about today. The other two look SUPER healthy, and shiny green, but have never bloomed for me. This dessicated little plant, however has rewarded my neglect with a beautiful flower. This kind of thing always makes me feel sad, and guilty. I should have taken better care of it. However, its indoor brothers have not so much as developed a bud.
Here it is, in all its glory, blooming October 26:
Cheers!