Low temps limited activity at Heart House this past week. However, I worked on small projects, kept the bird feeder full, watched squirrels devouring corn on the cob from their feeder, and identified a few new birds at the suet feeder. I made some changes to my web site pages. Here is what went down last week.
Our outdoor bird feeders had a banner week. We spotted a new finch, identifiable by a pale red breast and small body. We know there are finches in the area but had seen mostly the yellow variety during the spring and summer months. Good to know there are other varieties around and we hope to attract more.
The squirrels go through a cob of corn a day – my limit, not theirs. Much ends up on the ground but some of that gets picked up by other squirrels when not on the perch. I had to laugh; one day a squirrel pulled the cob off the feeder and hauled it up into the tree. I guess I need to screw the cobs further onto the holder so they stay put!
The suet feeder has attracted a red-headed woodpecker, several downy woodpeckers, and a pair of nuthatches. We enjoy watching their antics, viewed through the kitchen window. As with the northern cardinals at the regular feeder, the varied colors of the suet-feeding birds add a bit of cheer to the day.
Weather played a factor in limiting the week’s activities. Temperatures have been on a roller coaster, first with highs slightly above average (about 22 degrees F) for a day or two then dropping into the single digits or below zero the remaining days. Night time temps (normally about 6 degrees F) dropped into the -20 range. Below is a screen shot of the past week’s forecast. (From my iPhone’s Weather application.)
I worked on making a few changes to my web pages. Those with blocks of text, such as the Kids, Cats, Dogs, and others, now have first-line indents. This makes them read more like a book and improves their appearance. I am experimenting with having linked pictures open in an overlapping window instead of opening in a new tab. So far the only page modified this way is the Cats page.
The overlapping window is accomplished using a programming language called Javascript. I had used this only once; a Javascript code provides the navigation links at the top and the footer at the bottom of each page. I had some learning to do. After I had the images opening and close correctly, Pam’s sister Becky helped me turn the images into the clickable link that made the Javascript code execute. Thanks to Becky for that help!
One other change was accomplished as well. Many websites use “Tables” to display data, but I had not had to use them on Appleattic.net. However, one page, in my Motorcycle Trailer gallery, lent itself to conversion to a table. I had used tables before at my previous job but had not revisited the code for a number of years. I pulled out my reference books and went to work.
The Costs page now looks better, is easier to read, and requires less code now that it is in table form. Creation of this table included additions to my web page’s style sheet, also known as a CSS sheet. I don’t think I will be converting other pages to a table-style layout, but it was fun to convert this one.
Other web pages were cleaned up, deleting old code and replacing with newer code, and other maintenance was accomplished. Some of these pages, such as the motorcycle trailer build pages, go back to the earliest days of my web site. It seems like a good idea to revisit these page and update them. Many changes are to the background code that makes them work, not necessarily visual changes. Its all good.
Pam keeps busy with her projects. Out came the sewing machine and various clothing repairs were made. A plan was established to start updating the downstairs bathroom. (I picked up new paint for it today.) She hasn’t done much to this room; the revamp of the small bathroom will make a good indoor project going forward.
Becky is helping take over meal preparation and has come up with several fine-tasting meals. She continues her search for a new home, possible in conjunction with her brother Larry. The two have communicated re: combining resources in a home purchase; we’ll see if this becomes a reality. It would be a good way for them both to leave renting behind and enjoy their own space(s). Hope it can happen.
So that’s about it. All of us spend time on our computers or watching some TV. I’ve even taken to watching old CDs; Red Dwarf season 1 and 2 (BBC, late 1980s) have occupied a few of my hours between working on web pages and scanning slides. All of us can’t wait for better weather to arrive!
Photo Archive
Here is a blast from the past.
More “Fall Color” shots.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
Local lumber store staff informs me the line of Valspar paint we’ve been using to paint the house (interior and exterior) is now – and will continue to be – hard to order. The reason: the manufacturer can’t get the raw materials through the supply chain to make the paint. Really? Just when we’re working our way around the house, repairing and painting, and talking about finding a painter to (finally) accomplish the ombre effect in the gables, just then the paint supply chain goes wonkers? Murphy’s Law at work.
There are many things about the pandemic that changed life as we knew it. Supply chain shortages in home repair (lumber, windows/doors) and now paint have so far been a pain, but manageable. Empty shelves at the grocery store and higher prices for staple groceries have been a pain, but manageable. Waiting for plumbing and construction workers to fit us into their schedules has been a pain, but manageable. Wearing masks when we’re in public has been a pain, but manageable. It does become tiresome, however.
I suspect we may have been spoiled previously as to the variety of choices (across the board) we’ve enjoyed.
The painting we did complete in 2021 – particularly the red on Heart House’s first floor exterior – contrasts beautifully against the snow. The colors are vibrant and cheerful all around. We left the red heart rope lights on two windows and the garden fence (until Valentine’s Day) and turn them on at night, a distinctive glow in the dark of midwinter.
I take my cheer where I can find it at twenty below.
Happy Trails.
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