I actually really like the green front door. I like the green shed even more. Check out Annie's Annuals website for more inspiration-- she is the Queen of Cottage, and incorporates a LOT of color in her schemes and scenes. Likely with purple and red. hahahahahaa (I love it) California tropi-cottage sums her up pretty well, as does Fantasia. Something that crosses my mind though-- could you affix a trellis/arbor/support of some sort in between your front windows? Since it appears that your lower 2 windows are at the same spot as the upper 2 windows, you have a large blue canvas, over which something lush and chartreuse/acid green or (and? LOL) red would pop *smashingly*. It's maybe more industrial in style than you are comfortable with, but a lot of people out here (most houses are craftsman style bungalows here) use long lengths of wire cable, planted into the ground (not sure how?) and anchored to the eaves of the house with large eye screws. So you have 8-10 foot (~ish) tall lengths of cable that morning glories, clematis, honeysuckle, whatever-- can climb up. Ooh! Sweet peas! The possibilities are endless. I don't mind the sight of the silver cables, but once the plants really get going, you don't see them anyway. Something to think about. I think I would like a little short fency looking border around your bed near the front walk, too. I love your house!!!!!

Murphy, if you are no longer in a contract with Wild Blue, you can do as I did and buy a special 3G router so that you can use both computers with your Virgin 3G service. My XP desktop does not have a wireless adapter, so I connect to the router via Ethernet. The router sends a wireless signal which goes pretty much throughout my house, and I connect my laptop, which is on a different floor, wirelessly. The 3G modem plugs into the router. Definitely worth looking into if you don't want two different services. I have the Cradlepoint CTR350 router. Here is a link that might be useful: EVDO forums - routers

An article of resolve Posted by TxKen (My Page) on Thu, Sep 13, 01 at 11:15 I hope you will forgive me...this is our Computer Help Forum..but, it is also our home. As such, the following is most appropriate, it seems... Published Wednesday, September 12, 2001 in the Miami Herald. We'll go forward from this moment It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering. ------------------------ You monster. You beast. You unspeakable ba***rd. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals. IN PAIN Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. THE STEEL IN US You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow-Up Postings: RE: An article of resolve Posted by: Cat (bilander@nctc.com) on Thu, Sep 13, 01 at 11:27 Thanks Tx Ken. That is extremely well written and speaks for the way we all feel. :-)Cat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: An article of resolve Posted by: DA (da_mccoy@hotmail.com) on Thu, Sep 13, 01 at 14:07 I also thank you for sharing the article with us. It made me think of a quote attributed to Japanese Admiral Yamamoto as celebrations took place on his flag ship following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I don't remember it word for word, but the idea is unmistakenable, "I fear that we have done nothing more than awaken the sleeping bear". If you have an opportunity, listen to the old version of Kate Smith's "God Bless America". At this time, if it doesn't invoke your patriotism nothing will. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: An article of resolve Posted by: Andy_B52a (My Page) on Thu, Sep 13, 01 at 14:24 Just saw a report from London 2 minutes ago that Afganistan has bin Laden under house arrest, under pressure from Pakistan. Rumor? Time will tell. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: An article of resolve Posted by: Grandms (My Page) on Thu, Sep 13, 01 at 16:16 Well, Afghanistan and Pakistan can posture all they want, but heretofore they've done nothing but give him cover and comfort. Trust either of them? Not for a second. The newspaper article tells it just like it is. I'm still sad, but my anger grows and grows....

Two steps backwards, one step forward. While dealing with the impending death of my own pc's hard drive, I had plenty of time to work on her computer. I opened the case. Cleaned out the dust bunnies much more thoroughly than I had in October. I found the fan - and actually took it out and cleaned it thoroughly (mostly compressed air, and a little damp cloth). I did remove the label and add a drop of WD 40. (While I was at it, I searched for replacement fans in case this didn't work - and bookmarked some - it would be so simple to replace if needed.) Put the pieces back together and started it up. Still noisy. I started organizing her files, deleting duplicates and ridiculous things she didn't even know she had on there. I put everything in logical folders - then copied her 16GB of video (Ipod videos and flip share) onto a 32mb flash drive. Deleted 8gb of that video bc. it's also on her ipod. Then I ran auslogics defrag. Defrag was 100% successful - and she now has about 15GB free on a 40GB drive. Now the noise is less. I hear the fan a little - but you have to stop to listen. Not sure if it just took running a little for the oil to do it's thing. From what folks said earlier, it's unlikely that freeing up space and defragging reduced the noise. So far, so good. (I even think I could have turned it on with the case open - but i didn't have to.) Thanks. Lynn.