Dressing on Memorial Day

Yesterday was Memorial Day here in the states.  Its a time to honor and think on the sacrifices made for this country.  Its a humble remembrance.  Most folks also think of it as the first day of summer.  Every year that I can remember, it has been a time for grilling out and celebrating with family and having fun. 

This year we did things a bit different.  Two of my bestest best friends, Ginger and Lily, are away on a cruise celebrating Lily's recent graduation.  Ginger's husband, Lily's dad, and  John's buddy, Mike did not go with them. 

Ginger, Lily, and Mike are our regular Sunday lunch buddies.  I have no idea how long this has been going on, but it is a rare occasion that we are not together for Sunday lunch.  Oh the conversations that have happened over Sunday lunch!  Over the years we have built a very tight relationship.  Mike is like the irritating brother I never had.  I love my brother from another mother dearly, but don't tell him.  Ginger and Lily "get me" like few do.  They are both only children and so we understand the quirks that come from being an "only".  Lily has battled Severe Aplastic Anemia twice and is my medical rock star.  Ginger teaches high school students so she is a miracle worker. 

Back to Memorial Day...

Since Ginger and Lily are out of town, we invited Mike over to have supper.  In the recent past, Mike and I discussed our shared bafflement over the fact that few serve cornbread dressing except for Thanksgiving and Christmas months.  Mike is like me and my Daddy.  We all love cornbread dressing.  At my folks house, my Daddy and I fight over who gets the left over dressing. 

During our dressing conversation, Mike told us about his love for cooked cabbage and squash casserole.  (You see where this going.) 

With all this in mind, yesterday for our out of the norm Memorial Day gathering, we served my sausage and cornbread dressing, squash casserole, cooked cabbage, mac and cheese, purple hull peas, cranberry sauce and marinated cucumbers. 

It was awesome!  Mike, my mom-in-law Hazel, my folks David and Wanda, John, John  David, Adam, Bekah and I gathered to celebrate summer with a Thanksgiving feast.  Oh and we had Guinness chocolate cake swimming in a pool of Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Icing. 

If you read this Mike, I love your stinkin' guts. 

Alphie

I promised an update on how my new techo-toy is working out.  I ADORE it!  It is old, old school, but that is what makes it absolutely divine!  Here are my pros and cons on the Alphasmart Neo2, battery operated, word processor. 
  
Top Pros:  
1.  Weighs less than a pound and a half and is very thin.  
2.  It fits divinely in my large hipster bag by Vera Bradley, meaning I carry my sweet little Alphie (thats what I've named it) anywhere I want to go without having to carry a computer bag!  Yip Yip Yahoo! 
3.  The battery life has not drained one bit since I started using it.   Other reviewers say that a set of AA batteries can last up to a year.  
4.  There is not glare on the wee screen when using it outside.  On any laptop, ipad, Kindle Fire, etc. that is generally an issue. 
5.  It is a tough little bugger.  I dropped it the other day and it bounces quite well.  Whew.  
6.  It automatically saves everything.  I don't have to remember to back anything up.  Squeal!!!! 
7.  Transferring files to my home computer is a breeze.  Plug up the USB cord between Alphie and my home computer, then hit send.  Boom.  Done. 
8. Because there is no backlighting, there is absolutely  no eye strain like you experience with a regular computer.  
9. Because Alphie has no internet connection capabilities, it is distraction free! Alphie helps me stay on task! 
10.  I have taken Alphie on road trips and he works beautifully in the car (when I am not driving).  Alphie went with me to Starbucks.  Alphie enjoys working on the patio in the cool pre-summer breezes.  Most importantly for me as a Dysautonomia patient, Alphie works well while I'm propped up in my bed and from the recliner when pain gets in the way of me working from a regular desk.  
11.  It is a lovely little quiet friend.  Makes no noise whatsoever except for the clicking of the keys.  Yumm!  
12.  Cheap.  Alphie only cost me $43.  I'm planning to purchase a backup Alphie just in case, since they are no longer in production.  
13.  I've discovered Alphie has a cult following in the writer world.  It's been fun to link up with fellow Alphie lovers.  

Cons:
1.  Since it has no lighted screen, you can't work in the dark.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking a wee book light will solve that problem.  
2.  No internet connectivity.  Oh wait, that was in the PRO list.  Oops.  
3.  The screen is quite small, so going back and trying to edit is a real pain.  I've determined that Alphie is for getting the words out of my head and into a written format.  I'll edit on the home computer.   

If you are a writer, GET ONE. You can purchase via second hand sources on ebay and Amazon.  Soooo worth it!  

BTW, I have no idea why the font is so small on this post.  I've tried ump-teen times to make it normal size and blogger refuses to cooperate.  
 

No bells and whistles

I married an engineer.  For those of you who also married one, lets form a support group.  I'm quite sure we could have lots of fun.  Moving on... My favorite lad in the whole word, who also happens to be my husband, is a bells and whistles guy when it comes to computer equipment and any kind of electronics.  The man's eyes practically roll back in his head when he starts telling me all that my "forced upon me" iphone will do.  Pieces of equipment that do tricks scare and confuse me.  If it only does one trick, I'm likely okay, but two tricks and I'm screwed.

I'm a creative type.  I photograph and write.  I love art.  I love thinking about photographs, writing, and art.  But if you mess with the tools I use to make art, I might hurt you.  Seriously, don't change the icons, the home page, the process, nothing...just don't.  Artsie-fartsie girl here will not handle the changes well.  If you are married to me, I will call you repeatedly at work and cry into the phone for help.  Real. FOR real. Tears.

I have Dysautonomia and one of the most annoying issues with this disease is that I can never tell from one day to the next how I will be feeling.  Some days I can jump mountains.  Okay, scratch that...hills.  Okay so maybe they are just small bumps in the road, but I can, some days, jump them.  On other days, pain hits me like Mack truck and I can hardly get out of bed.  Some days I can sit at our regular home computer for hours and work, while others days the pain shuts me down.  With all this in mind, we started discussing a laptop for me, so I can work from the recliner, bed, patio swing, etc.  Those of you married to a bells and whistles engineer can already see where this is going.

When smart phones started coming on the scene, I was not impressed.  At one point I needed a new phone cause my hot little flip phone died.  (Don't judge.) I walked into the phone store and the 11 year old sales person whipped his long black bangs out of his eyes.  With his bleached blonde side burns and tattoos up and down his arms he asked, "So what do you need your phone to do?"  I felt that was fairly obvious, but I played along.  "I want it to ring."  My kids had finally taught me to text and since this was the only way I could get them to communicate with me, I could see the benefit of a wee keyboard.  So I added, "And a teeny tiny keyboard.  That is all."  The black bang wearing 11 year old was not amused.

A year and a half ago, my family forced me to start using an iPhone.  While I do enjoy the social media apps and the camera on board, I don't like texting with it.  The flat keyboard gets me in trouble all the time.  I type live for love and all manner of other typos that I will not mention.  Anyhoo, I have it and now I'm adjusting to life with a smart phone.  Back to the laptop issue.

When I discuss laptops with my favorite lad, he begins using foreign languages.  He explains to me how I can sync one device to another and have all my devices talking to each other.  I really only need the device to talk to me.   

Yesterday I came across an article about an old school product that writers LOVE.  It is a 1 1/2 lb. portable, battery powered, word processing keyboard.  It doesn't connect to the internet, so it won't allow for checking email, shopping and researching online, or checking social media.  It will however connect to my computer with a handy dandy USB cord so I can download files into a proper word document.  NO BELLS AND WHISTLES.  This allows for writing with less distraction.  I often write with a pen and paper (real old school), but sometimes when I get in the zone, my brain works faster than I can write, so typing is helpful.

Let me add this little tidbit.  I was taught how to type properly.  On a typewriter.  In a class.  With proper finger and hand placement.  By Doris Durham.  I can type fast.  Kudos to Mrs. Durham.  I love me a keyboard.  You know, the real kind with actual keys that make that lovely clicking noise when you type. It is the little things in life, isn't it?  

So I talked to my favorite lad about this product.  He didn't seem impressed because it won't talk to him on the iphone or via his Apple TV, but he played nice and agreed I could give it a try.

So for a price of less than $45 my new toy is now on its way to my house.

I shall keep you updated.