Let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him. (Oswalt Chambers)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Chat Back for September 17

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

It's been a long time since I've done this, so today I got to go back and read all the encouraging comments and notes of comfort. They are one of my many blessings. Thank you.

There were several comments from readers who have recently lost their husbands. If you'd like to connect, here's my e-mail.

Grieving is an intense process that takes a long time. Sharing helps.

Kristieinbc asked . . .
I have lived in a rural area with dial-up so know how truly awful it is. Have you ever thought about getting a satellite server?
Many times. I would be more tempted if I knew someone in this area who was happy with their satellite server.

For right now, I'm not changing anything because I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to live here. And Frontier keeps hinting that better things are coming, they're just not here yet.


Judy in SW Michigan asked . . .
Are you hoping what I'm hoping? A MILD winter? Wouldn't that be nice!
Yes.

Our weather has been totally weird this year. First, a cold, late spring. Then a very hot, unpleasant brief summer with an abundance of storms and mosquitoes. Now an early fall with some frost already in mid-September - but not enough to stop the allergies.

A mild winter would be nice.


Sister Carrie wrote . . .
I am VERY impressed with all you are doing.
Thank you for reminding me that I am getting things done and making progress what seem to be endless lists of things that need to be done. Still on the A list: Buy firewood that will fit the woodburner and find someone who will deal with that willow tree.

Michigan willow wood is totally worthless. It's soft and brittle. No good to burn or build with. Noone wants it and it appears that tree services consider it beneath their dignity. In their defense, there have been several serious wind storms in the past few months and the tree people are probably still super busy with more serious tree problems.


Dorothy wrote . . .
I remember a friend of mine who lost her husband suddenly. They were in the middle of a remodel of their house and I think finishing that up is what kept her sane.
Yes, the list of things that HAVE to be done is what is keeping me functional - a little grieving, a little busy work each day.

Then there's the dogs. They keep me up, out, and about. Being old, they have three meals a day plus multiple walks, and we haven't got through a week yet without at least one trip to the vet.


Update on vet appointments. . .
After a week with no antibiotic, Glory's urinary tract infection was back on Wednesday.

Vet says the infection is likely being created by the underlying kidney failure and, at this point, it’s clear she needs to be on antibiotics full time for the rest of her life.

We tried a cheaper, human antibiotic similar to the expensive Baytril, but not as good in animals. It made her sick, so she's back on Baytril and feeling great for a fifteen year old dog. Another urinalysis in a week. I'm hoping we can go down to one Baytril a day once the infection is gone again.

The good news is her bloodwork shows her kidney failure is stable, not getting worse, and is at a level she can live with normally if she doesn’t have too much protein in her diet.


How do you destroy a harddrive?
Bob asked me to take out and destroy his hard drives before donating his old PCs to Goodwill.

The taking out part was easy and the CPUs are donated, leaving me with a sack full of old harddrives. (Bob didn't like to throw things away and he had multiple hard drives in each.)

I figured taking a hammer to them outside on the cement would do the deed. A harddrive is much stronger than I imagined. I could barely make a dent in one.

Any suggestions? Actual things you have done that worked?

10 comments:

Marcia said...

I'm also interested in destroying a hard drive. Not much interested in lugging it around with me for the rest of my life!

If you get any useful info, please post.

momsue84 said...

My hubby suggests heating the hard drive with a blow torch or running over it with a big truck. Good Luck!

Dorothy said...

I'm sorry, but just the picture of you out in the driveway having a go at a bunch of hard drives with hammer makes me giggle! I know in our area there are companies that erase them with super magnets. But a hammer would probably do the trick too. Can't believe you've had frost already! Today is the first day here that it's really felt like fall - very cool, grey and windy. It actually feels good. May have to turn on the old electric blanket tonight.

AnnP said...

My husband used his power drill to make several holes through each hard drive. It might be easier if you opened up the hd case to destroy the platters inside. I think your problem is that you have many to do? YouTube has videos with some ideas.

Also, many consumer electronics stores (Best Buy?)offer services to safely dispose of your hard drives and make sure that the data on it is unreadable. Try giving them a call.

I love the wild bird pictures you post and hope there well be more!

Kathy said...

It's so good to hear from you. I'm sending all good vibes from the UP. I think I read about smashing hard drives with a sledgehammer and/or drilling a hole like someone else mentioned.

I was in the same boat with the dialup and didn't want satellite. Last Christmas we went with the Verizon 5-spot. We don't get very good cellphone coverage inside our house, but for some reason the internet works very well. We got the 3g, for $35 per month and so far haven't ever needed more data. Our total bill is $35.08 and the bill for dialup was $27.43. I'm a satisfied customer. Although it is a 2yr commitment, the device is portable.

I wish we lived closer, we'd gladly cut up your tree for you. It must be annoying to see it out there.

thistledown musings said...

Will this help with destroying your hard drives. http://lifehacker.com/5797029/how-to-dismantle-and-destroy-a-hard-drive

Sounds like you need a power saw.

Good luck

love, Carrie said...

Marg, IF you are a member of AAA, they have a very cool prescription discount card for companion animals! I save a huge amount on drugs I buy from the pharmacy. You can get Baytril (or it's equivalent) from a human pharmacy and potentially save big. Just go to the AAA page, register for the discount card and take the print out to your pharmacy. Usually they have to check to see if they honor it, but the big chains do, and my little, local Carrboro, NC pharmacy honors mine, too. Also, I've found 1 800 Petmeds to be a Godsend...free shipping and big disounts. You just have to fax them your vet's prescription. :)

Carrie said...

Incidentally, I completely understand that this may fall into the "more trouble than it's worth" category! Just trying to offer a possible small way to help, but as always, feel free to ignore!
And, YES, you're doing an amazing job of getting things done/taken care of!

kathy b said...

I'd love to know the harddrive destroyeth technique. You are doing so well M. YOu are an inspiration to us all who will have to go down your path someday....
Prayers continue for you ...

Ruth said...

Haven't tried it, but what if you soaked the hard drive in water? It completely destroys cell phones that way. :)

We switched to satellite receiver and hate it. 3G would be much better but we're down in the woods and can't get good signals.

Glad to see an occasional post from you and hope you can get back to knitting soon.