Croneswood Art

hackers have ruined my day

May 29, 2015

annoying things, assholes, interwebs
So, my huzban lost his inbox on our server. Yes, we have our own server and it is very, very old. So old that last year he was unable to update it with newer versions of mysterious software that makes our email go. And then two days ago he lost his inbox with about 18,000 emails in it. While he was trying to figure out what happened, he found vague evidence in the logs that this may have been a hack.

our poor, old, unix server had been violated!

So now the huzban has to configure a new server, necessitating a trip down to Virginia where the server lives. But in the meantime, we have no email, websites web host are down, and all sorts of other stuff might be compromised. Which means I have to change all my passwords. On everything.

I hate changing passwords. I have difficulty coming up with secure passwords that I can type easily and remember. And of course, with multiple email addresses, websites, blogs, forums, social media, services, and godknowsallwhat, the number of passwords has gone from the old days of one to 50extrazillion.

hmmm…that could be a cool password. yes, passwords need to be secure, easy to type, memorable AND cool.

So I’ve decided to categorize all my various online stuff and assign a secure, easy to type, memorable and fabulously cool password to each category, bringing the number of passwords down from 50extrazillion to 4 or 5.

so far, coming up with that many cool passwords has taken two days — this is not one of my talents.

Now to get personal: To the asshole who hacked our decrepit server, you are a sad excuse for a hacker. You should be ashamed of yourself. Go hack a nasty bank executive that should be in jail, or a bad government that treats poor people like shit, or Walmart or something. Leave ancient machines that have managed to keep running on spit and sentiment alone.
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buds and bolts

May 27, 2015

myYard, photography, photos, plants, weather
Spring has been unusually hot this year. This week we’re looking forward to our first heat wave with temps up into the 90s and lots of humidity. Thunderstorms are in the forecast too. I know I shouldn’t complain about the weird weather because, well, after all, our congresscritters just held a vote declaring that climate change is real but it’s not our fault. Humans had nothing to do with it. So there.

In the meantime, random climate change has caused some of my plants to flower and bolt early. Here are a few in my yard that are well into summer even though it’s only May. Even though it’s not our fault.

First to bolt was my lovely sorrel, which I planted in a deck pot last spring. She rose up with gorgeous, lemony leaves, of which I managed to eat two or three before she bolted practically overnight. She puts forth such delicate little buds on long, gangly stems that it’s a pleasure to look at her instead of eating her.

sorrel buds

The arugula saw the sorrel bolt and decided it was done and sent up these pretty little flowers.

arugula flower

Of course, the tomatoes should be sending out flowers — I just hope fruits follow quickly.

tomato flower

I swear there were no flowers on the nettles yesterday but today there are plenty. I guess this year’s crop will be harvested for seed instead of leaves.

nettle flowers

I’ve never had so much yellow dock spring up and immediately bolt than this year. There’s gonna be a lot of root digging later on.

yellow dock

And this little pennycress is included because she’s just the cutest little thing. I love that she has pods and buds all at the same time.

pennycress
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new lens and old, shaky hands

May 7, 2015

myYard, nature, photos, plants
I bought a new lens a few weeks ago. It’s a largish (for me) zoom lens (Sigma 70-300mm). As soon as I opened the box, I ran out to play with it.

and was very disappointed.

Not in the lens so much as the fact that I couldn’t seem to hold it steady enough to get a decent shot. It’s been a few years since I had a largish zoom and apparently, my ability to hold a steady grip has diminished as my years have advanced.

*sigh*

After much discussion and reading and research, I’ve been trying to play with the ISO, shutter speed and other settings in hopes to compensate for my pitiful hands.

two things that i used to be proud of was my exceptionally sharp eyesight and my steady hands. both are in decline and it makes me sad.
but anyway…

So today I spent the whole day working on this and I think I’m making some progress. I don’t like using a high ISO because I hate noisy photos, but I may have to learn to live with that in order to get reasonably good shots without hauling a tripod all over.

Here’s the best of the bunch from today and a few using smaller lenses from last week.

These three are of a cardinal who was very busy with his mouth full of seeds or bugs or something. I think he was trying to impress the little female who was flitting all over the yard.

This last one is my favorite.

This hanging basket is over on my neighbors deck. I shot it through a little gap in the bushes and trees that are between our yards.

This is from the other day/same lens. This is also the iron hook that fell off the deck and smacked me good. Luckily, I turned away and just got a nasty bruise on the side of my body and not a cracked skull.

And the rest of these are of flowers in the front yard, shot the other week using a smaller zoom, which apparently I’m also having trouble holding steady. <insert frowny face here>
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stuff in my yard and a new lens

April 25, 2015

gargoyles, myYard, photography, plants
I have this lens that a dear (but sadly departed) friend sold me many years ago. It’s a Sigma zoom 28-300mm and it was my favorite lens. And then it broke. No more zoom. So, this many years later, frustrated by not being able to zoom and wanting to get close to the things in my yard, I impulsively bought another lens. This one is a Sigma 70-300mm. It’s a relatively cheap lens as lenses go, not as versatile as my poor broken one, but I think it will serve my purpose. I’m not a “photographer” by any means and I barely know what I’m doing (never quite getting the whole f-stop thing). I just like to take pictures.

So, without further ado, here’s some test pictures with the new lens of stuff growing in my yard.

Cherry blossoms in the gully.

Variegated Solomon’s Seal among the Pachysandra.

A tangle of violets taking over the side bed in the back yard.

Some chickweed in pots on the deck.

And of course, the lovely potted Elder sending out her leaves.

And, the stately but thorny Devil’s Walking Stick (there are several varying in height from about 3 ft. to possibly over 10 ft. I can’t tell. I’m too short.

And here, for no other reason than to show the world that even though these guys owe their very existence to me (I did sculpt them, afterall), it doesn’t stop them from judging me. *sigh*
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spring is sprunging…er…spranging…er…it was nice out today

April 6, 2015

animals, birds, myYard, nature
It was a very nice day out today. I managed to assess the winter damage, put the grotto to rights, turn compost, ready the container garden on the deck and even uncover the back walk. And even even take some pictures of the feats.

Deck containers are ready for planting.

Daffodils!! The story goes that my maternal grandpop won prizes for his daffodils.

Elder budding

more elder buds. This is the artsy stuff. See the artsy shadow?

Purple crocus!

Witch Hazel needs some help. It was a hard winter.

Feverfew will grow anywhere. Even in macadam.

And, of course, my favorite spring friends: dandelion and dock.

Not everything was all that wonderful. Winter was strangely harsh this year. Not a ton of snow (except in March) but a lot of frigid temps that killed off or distressed some of my plants and unfortunately, more than a few animals.

Upstream doesn’t look so bad, but…

Downsteram was a mess.

And then I found a dead fox that made me very sad.

And the catbird skull which now lives in my office.

Winter’s leftovers will be dealt with next weekend.
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march roars

March 5, 2015

nature, weather
March snow storms are usually the worst ones in this neck of the woods. Something about rising temps, wetness, the tilt of the earth, or maybe just Winter’s last violent gasp? I dunno what exactly, but they are heavy, treacherous to drive or walk through, but often the most beautiful of the season. Isn’t it the way of it, that the more dangerous a thing, the more beautiful it is?

Here are some photos from a few hours ago. There’s much more snow now, and if accuweather is to be believed, still more to come.
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