Goals

Today is Friday, February 24, 2012. It is 5 minutes after my last post. The sun is still bright and beautiful.
I've been thinking a lot about this new year and goals I had set for myself. They are not really resolutions - just some goals.
While we were in Nauvoo for the last year and a half, each day was pretty well scheduled for us. As it came time for us to be released as Temple Missionaries and return home, I bagan to wonder what I would do with all of those hours. I decided I would practice the piano everyday, write in my journal every day, spend time identifying photos, and do some sewing and write a blog at least once a week.
Here it is nearly the end of February. How have I done with those goals I set for myself? Well, I've written in my journal at least once a week (sometimes I play catch up on Sunday). I've done some sewing (made 6 or 7 hot pads from quilt blocks my mother cut out years ago). The;re have been days when I have not even touched the piano - other days when I have spent more than an hour playing it. Blogs - well, I have done ONE so far this year. This is my second one for 2012. (Well, actually my third.)
I've been sorting through possessions. We have many possessions. And I am such a saver. I have school programs and certificates for each of our children. I have a file folder for each one with all the things I find. I need to ship them off to each one now that they have their own homes. That would make a lot of room in my filing cabinet.
I am trying to be very selective in what I keep in the way of paper stuff. In 1991 Christo, a world renowned artist, had an unmbrella display through the Lebec and Grapevine area of Hwy 99. The Bakersfield Californian did a whole section about it. Should I keep that thing any longer? And I have a large calendar from the Californian where I wrote our activities for each day. It is packed with family history. And pages and pages of Valentines from when I was in the second grade and the third grade. I decided to pick out one or two that looked special and sent the rest to recycling.
Fabric - oh my gosh! My grandma loved fabric, my mother loved fabric and I love fabric. I am trying to be relentless is sending fabric to DI. We only have so much space and when will I ever use it? Most of it was given to Mother or me by someone else who collected fabric and had to clear out their supply.
And costumes I've kept over the years - I have been involved in many plays and productions and used many of them. I am narrowing down from 7 boxes to only two and considering just saving one. Nowadays, unless the costumes are vintage or wonderful looking, no one would wear them. I used to think our grandchildren would like to play dress up but not so. Our grandchildren have too many electronic devices to play with. Dress up only happens once a year, at Christmas for the Nativity Scene.
And dishes and pots and pans. I remember my mother's kitchen when she lived all alone. She had a huge cupboard (it had been the storage place for the washing machine) FILLED with pots and pans. Some she hadn't used in 20 years. Guess what? I have some I haven't used for 3 years. And guess what got donated to DI. Dishes, too. We lived for a year and a half with 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 sets of silverware, 4 pans, 2 skillets, 8 glasses, 2 mixing bowls, 2 cookie sheets, 2 or 3 serving bowls. And we got along just fine.
We have spent these first months sorting things in the house. Now we are working on the "keepsakes" in the garage. We are de-cluttering. It's a great feeling. Maybe we are helping someone else, too. But I want to do better at my first plan - play the piano every day, write in my journal every day and blog at least once a week. The other activities I can enjoy as well. My Grandma McG used to say you have 24 hours everyday and just as much time as the President.
That's all for this blog.

Computer Frustration

Today is Friday, February 24, 2012. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day outside.
And I am so so very frustrated with getting onto my blog. Yesterday I had 30 minutes to spare after getting showered and dressed to go to the Temple. "A great time to write a blog, " I said to myself. I sat down at the computer, clicked on Favorites, went down to my blog. Clicked on it. Everything came up just right but when I tried to sign in, I couldn't. I clicked on all the right places. Then I had to reenter everything again and add those crazy little words. Well, my eyes aren't what they used to be. I was sure I typed in the right letters but another crazy word just kept appearing. I typed it in - I can't remember how many times - but too many. Then I got the message that they would send me an e-mail with instructions for getting onto my blog.
Well, by this time my 30 minutes was all used up and we went off to spend our afternoon at the Sacramento Temple. And I tried to not think
about my computer frustration.
Home about 5:30. I decided to eat supper before I checked on the crazy blog problem. Sure enough, there was an e-mail.. I followed everything it said. LOL that anything worked. Same old process as in the morning. Finally I gave up and went to my iPad to send a text.
Wouldn't you know it? Even that "computer" caused me problems. I put a new contact in the other day. (I read all the info in textplus, my texting program, followed the instruction and got this new "contact.") I pulled up the new number, typed my message and pushed send. Within two minutes I had two answers - but not from the person I sent the message to. What's up with that?
I totally understand better the Biblical description of "the great and terrible day of the Lord. " I love all the things computers can do and I consider them great. But some days nothing seems to work right and they are "TERRIBLE."
My biggest challenge is I can't figure out why they are frequently inconsistent. I am not a stupid person, I know that. And it seems to me if I do the same action, the computer ought to behave in the same way. But it doesn't. And "help" doesn't HELP very much either.
Okay, that was yesterday. Wednesday wasn't much better. We were working on Family History. I went to the PAF program to find my files. Guess what? I couldn't bring up my records. We went through a box of disks, found the last back up disk, put it in and got them on. Finally!! For some reason we had more than one back up disk. (I will take the blame for that.) And we did throw away 4 disks that seemed to bring up nothing on the computer. (Was that all we accomplished on Wednesday?) And the big problem is - we don't know that we learned anything. And for some reason I have dozens and dozens of duplicate names. Did I have more than one back-up on the same disk? Who knows? Anyway it has been two days of computer frustrations.
Now the big question is - Why, why, do the games all work right all of the time? It has to be a conspiracy of some sort. When I want to be productive - work on family history, or my blog, or e-mail, or something really constructive I am faced with challenge after challenge. Yet if I click on a game, it comes right up, everything works just right and I could play it forever without a hitch. Talk about temptation!!! Thankfully, I can resist spending hours with some silly game - leave the computer and go play the piano or sew or do dishes or sort pictures or write in my journal.
I am going to do more than one blog today - that is to make up for what happened to me yesterday. Yesterday I was planning to write a blog about my goals. I am going to do it today.
That is all I have to say about computer frustrations for the time being. It's going to be a great day.