"We become what we think about." ~ Earl Nightingale

Welcome to Sacred Ruminations

I hope you'll look around & leave comments
then visit me at my new blog ...

Giraffe Journal

and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.

I've not had much time for posting or blog visits, but if you're interested I hope you'll find time to check out my new blog, Giraffe Journal or my Labyrinth Journal website ... both self hosted at WordPress.

Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wordful Watery Outdoor Wednesday



1. I've always liked this pretty blue fountain in my neighbor's garden, but it's especially pretty surrounded by colorful Spring flowers ... yellow Kalanchoe, purple & yellow Irises and an Amaryllis getting ready to bloom are just a few highlights right now.


2. My own yard looks colorful too (see yesterday's post for a view of yellow & orange Nasturtiums and pink Amaryllis in bloom. Here are a few more views ... just because:

One last purple & yellow iris
before the yellow ones take over this area
LOTS of buds on my Just Joey rose
about to burst forth ... and a yellow iris bud
ready to open in the foreground

My first red rose bud of the season ...

Remember the unusual 'unknown' white bloom
that I shared a while back? Here are some more of the same
... methinks they're Allium, in the Onion Family


3. I'm delighted that the folks at Dell Tech Support have finally figured out how to make my Inspiron 1720 laptop bright enough to use on battery power. After having me download & install new drivers updating my WLAN card and system BIOS that 'stabilized' my system, I used the 'Set Up' Menu (tap the F2 key repeatedly as you start your computer) to check the Brightness where we discovered the 'battery setting' at 3 of 8. Changing this to 8 of 8 then saving before exiting this menu made all the difference. Now when I unplug the laptop from AC, there's no change in brightness on the monitor even when the settings are for 'Balanced Power' usage and I get about 3 hours of use before I needed to plug in again. After a while the screen does dim a bit (especially when you stop working), but holding down the Fn key (located between the left Control key & Windows logo on the keyboard) and pressing the 'up' arrow brightened it right up again. It only took 20 months to make my Inspiron 1720 functional, but I'm not going to complain because I'm happy it finally works as intended and I might even update the system to Windows 7 when I have the money to spare.

4. I gave brief thought to returning the Sony Vaio to Costco (since I have 90 days to do so) but have decided that since my Inspiron 9100 bit the dust, keeping the Vaio makes sense, in a whimsical sort of manner, and that's what I've decided to do ... just because.

5. Regular reader might recall that my HP Photosmart 6180 'All-on-One' printer developed problems last December when I tried to print my Christmas Cards. After doing just about everything imaginable to solve these problems, I decided to take advantage of the offer to turn it in to Staples for $50 off a new printer ... and I'm now the proud owner of this Canon MX780 'all-in-one' printer:



I'm hoping it will work reliably for years to come
and plan to print 'belated' Christmas cards
to send when time permits!


In case you missed it ... feel free
to snag a copy of this button if you wish

Click for others participating in
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday
, and
Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus

Remembering & Reflecting
45 years ago today Martin Luther King gave the 'Arc of the Moral Universe' or 'How Long, Not Long' speech on the steps of the Capitol Building at the end of the 3rd (and finally successful) 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama


Regarding the passage & signing
of the Health Reform Act
If you missed it, I offer this link to last night's Rachel Maddow Show and a nifty timeline of health care legislation in U.S. history (found at the Maddow Blog) ... just because.

Hope you're having a delightful day!

Thought for Today
"The basis of leadership is the capacity of the leader to change the mindset, the framework of the other person." Warren Bennis

19 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

I love your pretty flower pictures. but even more, I read your monitor fix story with great interest and will print it out, because I have this problem. I always use my Dell plugged in, so it hasn't really bothered me, nevertheless...I think you made a good decision to keep the Vaio, because at some point you will need a new one, anyway. Love, Love, the blue fountain!! Had to click to get the full benefit!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oops! Forgot to tell you something, so I have to comment again. I print tons of stuff, and we go through printers like crazy. Used to get a new one every year or two. But we always got ones that came free with a computer or cheap ones on sale. But for our latest, I did research and got a Canon. We adore it, and it's the best we've ever had, and it's lasted the longest. I think you will have many,many years of trouble free printing.

Julie Jordan Scott said...

I love the Iris in your outdoor photos... gorgeous... and your energy is a breath of fresh air.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I am grateful I found you today!

Martha Z said...

Lovely shots of spring. I like the bird bath/fountain. I read that birds prefer to bath in flowing water and now I see that it is true in my own garden.

Ms. Bake-it said...

Love all the flowers!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful Springtime in Beautiful Coastal California! thanks for sharing as always.

Also for the link to Rachel -- I will go there -- we gave up DISH and the Tivo that accompanied it and so I've missed a lot of favorites. I've been listening to NPR -- it's always there.

Shey said...

Beautiful garden photos. Love the blue fountain too. Have a good one. :)

Suburban Girl said...

I guess it wouldn't surprise you to know I am drooling over that blue birdbath! Good luck with the printer!

deb said...

Spring is here!! Gorgeous flowers :)
I have some of those white allium too, they are so pretty & delicate looking.

*hugs*Deb

Maude Lynn said...

I think that you're right about the unknown white blooms!

Anonymous said...

I just dropped by to say thank you for the Earth Hour reminder - I had forgotten all about it! I'll be participating

YOUR FLOWERS ARE GORGEOUS!!!

Rambling Woods said...

Glad you got the Dell fixed and thank you for the Earth Hour reminder...March has just flown by.. Michelle

George said...

I'm glad to hear that your problems with technology have been solved. I hope you don't have any other 'tech' problems. I would be interested in learning how you like your new Canon printer. I hope you'll do a review at some future date.

Carver said...

I tried to leave a comment but not sure it went through. I love your beautiful flower shots and am so glad you got a new printer. Wooohooo on finally getting a health reform act. I am so happy about it.

Diane AZ said...

I'm surprised to see buds on your red rose bush already. I like your dainty little white blooms. Not much is blooming in my area yet.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

What lovely flowers! You always have such lovely things to show us that are blooming. I like the bird bath, too. It's such a nice feeling that things are starting to bloom here, too. I've missed my flowers in all the cold we've had.

Thanks for your prayers. Much appreciated...

XO,

Sheila :-)

penny said...

Your outdoor and watery scenes are delightful.
Happy to hear that your printer is finally fixed.
Very informative posts, thanks for sharing.

Karen said...

Yaay on the new printer!! I so love your garden--though I'm trying to become more appreciative the beauty that is here in this part of the country--not the same, but still lovely. Your posts often remind me to do that--be thankful for what I have, and not so wistful about what I want.

Unknown said...

I like your neighbor's fountain too. :) I bet you're having fun with your new toys! :)