Wednesday 7 October 2009

An unforseen flaw in the internet...woodpeckers

rainy, mild, temps 13

Busy day...doing laundry, changing sheets, Gary came to sand and varnish the screen porch screen (well, the wood surrounds) but it was so rainy he had to actually take them off. then Pat and Tony arrived.

the place is abuzz with news of neighbors being arrested in the US on major drug busts. Grass is a huge crop around here. We'll see, though, how much of the rumor is true.

Recorded the pronunciation guide...might need to re-do it someday. REalized halfway through I should have organized it into catagories...food, greetings, character names. Lise, God bless her (HUGE amount of work) did it alphabetically...and that works, but I should have spent time organzing myself. Did start off each guide (one for each book) simply giving the main character names.

then home to make the baked beans, and boil up some potatoes...and discover that Michael has a bad tooth! I tell you, his whole head needs a tune up. I'm getting out the dish gloves and the spatula.

the only appointment we could get with the dentist in Montreal is 9:30 tomorrow morning...so we're going to hop in the car and head out to the city tonight. Called Pat and Tony and they'll come over.

Oh, the big drama today was that at 9am the phones went dead. We called Bell Canada. And they sent a tech who explained woodpeckers had eaten the lines! Apparently this is happening more and more. The internet cables give off a slight buzz which - to a woodpecker - sounds like bugs. So off they go...pecking away.

Not sure if the Bell guy - or the peckers - have been sampling that special crop. But by 4pm the phones were back on.

Must rush off...brother and sister in law arriving in Mtl tomorrow...will drive them out tomorrow night. Not sure when I can blog again. Will try though.

Have decided, did I mention, to go with a MacBook - but will wait and see if a new version comes out.

Be well...

9 comments:

Brenda Buchanan said...

Hello there,

Whew! A day to take deep breath, eh?

Happy Thanksgiving to you. Hope your time with family is splendid, that the neighbors (if they were indeed arrested) are able to make bail, that the beans are tender and flavorful and that the phone lines stay operable.


Best to you,

Brenda

Jen Forbus said...

I'm sure you don't find it funny, but woodpeckers cutting you off is chuckle-worthy! See, even they love the sound of your words, Louise! :) Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Margaret J. McMaster said...

Concerning the MacBook, can you write a manuscript and e-mail it to your publisher without having to convert it to another file format? Just wondering how it works from their end as I write in Wordperfect but must convert to Word or RTF format for the publisher since Word seems to be the benchmark in the industry.

Anonymous said...

Have just discovered you and started reading A Still Life. Makes me want to jump in the car or on a plane and head to Quebec. Loved hearing you are doing a pronunciation guide as I know I'm murdering the French. Hopefully, will be able to come hear you in Phoenix in Nov. as we head south at the end of this month.

Wilma Doane

slherbruck said...

I've had Macs for 20 years. Love them! Get the most powerful you want to afford. Mac protocol is easy. Ask your tech about saving documents so both platforms can open.

Cant wait to read the new book. So lovely to have it to look forward to.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ian Schofield said...

Microsoft Word for Mac runs beautifully, no problems. As a Mac user you should also explore Scrivener software (www.literatureandlatte.co.uk) specially designed for writers and fully transferable into Word etc etc.

Good luck.

Margaret J. McMaster said...

Thank you, fellow blog readers, for that information on the Macs. I've heard they're a great product.

Anonymous said...

Just finished The Brutal Telling and as I expected, was left slightly breathless. Thank you.

Am just now listening to the download of the celtic music from TBT. My grandpa used to play the violin/fiddle behind his back, can you imagine? I can't.

Looking forward to the pronunciation guide, am waiting to hear Reine-Marie.

Hope Michael's tooth is all better by now.

Barb

Martha said...

So glad to hear I'm not the only one who needs the French word guide! Looking forward to it. I just gobbled up Brutal Telling. Hurry up and get the next one to us. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family. Blessings from GA, Martha