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I am finally admitting that Pearl [Macintosh PowerBook 5300], the aging laptop, will permanently depart at any moment. In 1995, she was the first of her kind, a little wonder machine. As with all new computer toys, her leading edge position was lost in a few short months. Although she was no longer of interest to the "show and tell" computer crowd, she remained a faithful companion. For years, she played the role of a desktop computer. I did travel with her, but she is very heavy, so that it was only feasible for her to accompany me on motor trips. We did take a fourteen-hour bus trip once, on which she came along, not for the weak of heart or back. This laptop is possibly the most flawed computer every sold by Apple. Things began to fail apart shortly after her arrival. Apple, to their credit, setup a repair program that took care of things at no cost to the owner. So, Pearl had a few facelifts and kept chugging along. There is one problem, however, that is overcoming her. The power supply is part of the motherboard, the internal connection breaks easily, and the whole thing must be replaced to set it right. Apple did this for Pearl once, but now that she is seven years old, the repair programs have run out. Pearl's power supply is deteriorating quickly now, and I am afraid nothing can revive her. She is also suffering from a worn keyboard, the "e" and the "d" key do not function, and there may be more. This, however, is very easy to overcome by plugging in and using an external keyboard. Accordingly, I have deleted all personal files and archives from her hard drive. I have her here beside me, working for the moment. I am configuring her to stay right where she is, on the desktop. I think I will plug her into the hub and let her experience her last days of surfing, high speed. She can display files, relieving me of having to click back and forth between windows while I am working. Perhaps she can last indefinitely if not moved! Hmm... it might be nice to have my recipes ready to view instantly in the kitchen. She might like it there! How did I get this attached to a machine!?! The garden is thriving this year. Our years of planting and tending have paid off, now we have a lush green space where we can while away the time. Now all we need is some time to while away. Attila has solved the problem by taking our meals outdoors, commandeering the backyard as part of our living space. It is very pleasant to sit in the breeze, beneath the trees, enjoying a meal with a very good friend. In my first marriage, I did all the cooking, and cleaning, and banking, and... I took care of most everything related to the comforts of home. My strategy for hot weather cuisine, at that time, involved cooking late at night. Potato and macaroni salads were quick and easy to prepare and serve the next day with BBQ meats or cold cuts and sliced vegetables. Fresh fruit was always on hand for quick snacks. Suddenly, a few weeks ago I got to thinking, about how much I like macaroni salad. I rummaged through my long unused recipe box and pulled out the old card with scribbled handwriting. Now I am busy at night once more. It seems that Attila likes it too. Today is hot and humid. No matter how nice the yard is, during hot, humid weather I do not go there. We have a partially finished basement that remains cool regardless of the temperature outside; and that is where I spend hot, humid days. When the humidity drops to a comfortable level, I will head up the stairs and out the door. I will spend these uncomfortable days below ground and my nights in the kitchen. |
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