Transition time

Life has been anything but boring lately. On top of that, I am dealing with transitions.

The first one you can probably guess: Our cat, Maggie, peacefully left this plane of existence last Wednesday morning. Maggie meant a lot to us, and I am preparing a post about her with some photos from over the years. (In fact, the literary part is nearly finished--I just have to edit up some pictures. Here's a hint: Maggie was an extremely furry kitty.)

Over the weekend, I found a few snapshots from about 10 years ago, when Maggie was in her prime, and I wanted to scan them into my computer. No problem: I have an all-in-one printer/scanner that I hadn't hooked up to the new computer yet. Just hook it up, install the software, and it's scanning time.

Or so I thought. But--aha!--things didn't prove to be so easy. It's a Dell unit dating from six or seven years ago (an estimate: the label on the back doesn't say). Anyway, I couldn't get the printer to install, no matter what I did.

Then I identified the source of the problem: The printer is simply not compatible with Windows 7, and there is no work-around. Actually, there are two options: Get myself another scanner, or do my scanning elsewhere. In my case, that would be the office.

Haven't decided yet what to do. That's because something else has happened. I had to order a new lawnmower today. Really, I should have ordered it a few weeks ago.

We got the old mower in 2004. It's an electric model that uses a rechargeable battery, and it's worked very well for us. None of the muss and expense and noise of a gas-powered mower, and our yard is small enough to make a mower like that feasible. But the mower and battery have been getting weaker and weaker over time, and with all the rain we have been getting since June began, the grass is growing thickly and quickly. It's gotten to the point where a new mower is the only solution. I ordered another cordless electric model, one that's rated well at the Home Depot website.

Another factor: I just don't get along with two-cycle engines. Let's be honest here. Mixing gas with engine oil, the blessed choke and then tune-ups every year ... just too much muss and fuss. Two-cycle engines have not been wired into my DNA. The electric mower did well with us, and I hope the new mower does just as well.

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We had a very quiet weekend. I was busy getting photos at one of the various local summer events, but aside from that we both took it very easy. It wasn't an easy week. Not only did we have to deal with Maggie's final days, but we also had a mini vacation (two days, one night) in central Wisconsin. Very busy trip--some photos will inevitably show up here.

But not right now. I'm too tired. Time to read for a little while and then shut off the light.