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23' mini-trawler
by Schucker

Janice aboard Seaweed,
living the good life afloat...

Trawler life on a nickel budget is possible.
I'm doing it and you can too.

Janice Marois, nautical journalist.
Accredited member of Boat Writers International.

Many suffered terrible losses during Ian. I was indeed fortunate in that the only damage to Seaweed was cosmetic. More on Hurricane Ian in the next upload.

My mailing address is: Post Office Box 8284, Madeira Beach, FL 33738
or
15019 Madeira Way, Box 8284, Madeira Beach, FL  33708

Date: 24 September 2022. Operator Error re New Computer.

© janice142
 

Many suffered terrible losses during Ian. I was indeed fortunate in that the only damage to Seaweed was cosmetic. More on Hurricane Ian in the next upload.
 

First though...
As written about in the last article, I received a second new Dynabook computer. All was well in my world, until it wasn't. As I was writing the next couple of articles suddenly I had a problem. FrontPage2002 (yes, I am *that* old, and this is the professional paid-for version) wasn't cooperating. So I fought Front Page.


The battle with Front Page brought me error messages. Specifically, Error 1919 was the culprit according to the notice displayed onscreen. My Visual FoxPro Database along with the Visual FoxPro Tables were not working properly. Of course when times are tough caffeine helps.
 


 

I attempted to repair Front Page from the Control Panel of my new computer. That alas failed. Finally I pulled out my old hard-drives where I have copies of the FrontPage2002 installation files and my owner's code. This was not an easy task.
 

There is storage under the dinette bench seats. The one aft contains sewing items, plus five hard-drives from old computers. A couple of the hard-drives don't work. I should dispose of them, plus the three that have old/odd pin sets.


That dinette bench seat is no longer as empty as it was ↑ a dozen years ago.


On a boat items not used regularly are stowed in hard-to-access places that are a pain in the transom to reach. Specifically for the hard-drives I had to empty out the dinette bench seat across from me. Unlike the photo above, I have stuff on that seat. Argh!


After retrieving the hard-drives in that locker I realized that I had left out one... the whole fiasco of unloading the bench locker was unnecessary. But that wasn't all...
 

When things are not going well, I clean. Specifically I was in my forward cabin wiping the bulkheads, dusting my books, and doing general cleanup. I had a stack of cleaning rags and cleansers. As each rag got dirty, I tossed it behind me. So where did one land?!?


The filthy rag ended up in my fresh new cup of
tea. Some days afloat are not all sunshine and roses...
 

So by now I have started to think more about my computer issues with Front Page. It occurred to me that the problem might have been my mouse. It is old, having been used for at least a few years. Thus I opened the drawer above the bookcase where I retrieved a spare mouse. Of course the wheel on that mouse was ajar.
 

In the meantime Hurricane Ian continued to head for me. Argh!!!

 

It had been a week filled with preparations for
Hurricane Ian disturbing my peaceful existence.
 

I rather suspected that something might go wrong with the new mouse and was not surprised to find a problem. The wheel on my stored mouse was askew. Upon prying open the mouse I managed to lose the spring that holds the scroll wheel in place. Where the dang spring went is beyond me. Argh!!!
 

All I knew for certain is that the spring was gone and I wanted this rodent (aka computer mouse) problem solved, yesterday.
 

Thus, yet another delay while I fiddle with this Dynabook netbook. I did order a new pair of mice (mouses?) from https://walmart.com for my computer. Fortunately they arrived quickly and I am once again able to write. Anyway, that is why the whole Ian article was delayed. I needed a functional mouse.
 

A box of happiness arrived too on 24 September.


I do want to say thanks to Cap'n Coen for his lovely note, and to Pam for the treat box. I am so appreciative. Folks from near and far phoned and sent texts too. It is lovely to know I have friends out here. Thank you all.
 

The Lesson Learned: I stowed the mouse unprotected in a drawer. My new spare remains safely in the plastic packaging from the manufacturer. Theoretically it should be undamaged until I need it at some point in the future.


More news and the Ian article will be uploaded shortly. Thanks for reading.
 

Comments welcome and encouraged on the Operator Error re New Computer page.

Categories: Characters, Gear, Vignettes,

 

Announcement: Folks who want to be notified when I post are welcome to become subscribers. I email readers every time a new article goes up. That's usually once or twice per week. If you'd like to be included via BCC* simply drop me a line to janice@janice142.com and I'll add you. It's free.

*BCC - Blind Carbon Copy. Basically no one but me will have your email address and the list of subscribers is not available.

Now this is not fancy. Basically I copy off the top three items in my Archive file. That way you can catch up if life gets in the way of your reading fun.

Secret: If you want to know what's what, start in the Archive. It offers you the title, first paragraph and topics (Categories) covered in each article published on my website.

Something a new reader might not realize: Almost every picture on this website can be clicked. The photo will get larger when clicked. Do that a second time and the picture should be full size. Enjoy...

My Cruising Kitty earns money each time you buy on Amazon through my links found in the upper left corner of every page. This is a tangible way to support me and is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your support, and heck, just for being here. I appreciate that more than you can imagine.

Paypal Tablet link:  *CRUISING KITTY
*for those who wish to donate direct to me via paypal.

Pets of the Week: Erin and Lessa
 on S/V Sparrow

Submit your pet's photo.
Please email pictures of your crew!

More canine, feline and feathered crew members can be found on the The First Mate Gallery page.

Archive

The Archive holds a chronological list of every item published on my website. It includes a brief synopsis (not just the title) along with the topics covered in each article.

Click on the title and voila: you're there. Enjoy!



Skipper, First Mate extraordinaire


Of course every boat needs a Deck Swabbie. Mine, born in 2008, is a papillon mix. She weighs in at five pounds.

Coming soon ...


 

Topics of Interest:
You can achieve a simple satisfying life



Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican.
(Poem by Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1879-1972.)

Aphorisms

For years I've been collecting short pithy statements otherwise known as aphorisms. If you're like me and enjoy the weird, go ahead and CLICK!

These are previously posted at the bottom of each article -- for new, you'll have to come visit again.



Seaweed is in St. Pete right now.
 

The above chart (#411) can be a wish book of sorts as you look over your domain and wonder where to go next. And yes, I do have the originals (sans red arrow) as jpeg's for download should you desire your own for closer perusal. Enjoy!

The Writer's Block

It's my belief that other folks who boat are some of the most interesting in the world. Inside every boater is a story. Let yours out! I'd love to post short stories, vignettes, or even longer articles that focus on some aspect of our life on or near the water. Suggested topics include:

1. I Remember When...
2. My First Boat
3. Who inspired you to be a boater?
4. Fishing Trips or Tricks
5. Or another subject of your choosing

For the novice, here's how to write: Simply pretend you're sending a letter to a friend. Tell about an event or a memory from years ago that you still recall.

Life has changed so much on the water since I was born aboard. Personally I'd love to hear your memories of life when you were younger. Boats were smaller, narrower, and much slower. Kids were kids and our families often shaped the adult we have become. Here are my two aboard the tow boat my dad ran for a time:
 


Your pictures would be wonderful too. I posted one of Boot Key Harbor taken in 2001 that has gotten quite a few downloads and really, that's not so terribly long ago... Do you have any photos to share? Email me.
 

Do you want to help out?
 

Often an article for the website will be completely written yet lack photographs. I like pictures and am looking for some for up-coming pieces:

  • Pets afloat (include pet and boat name please)

  • Any picture of boats underway or at anchor

  • Photos of people enjoying life in or on the water

Size: a minimum of 1000 pixels across please. If that doesn't make sense think bigger versus resized for emailing. I prefer the full-size version. Also, the name you'd like me to use when I add the copyright stuff to your picture. And thanks bunches!

My email address is janice@janice142.com

Thanks for visiting. If you happen to see my boat along the
waterways, give a call on Channel 16. I'm always listening.

click picture to enlarge

My home is not fancy by any means, however you cannot imagine how wonderful it is to come back to her after an expedition on shore.

If I can live this life, why not you too?


Skipper, First Mate
extraordinaire

Aphorism Alert: Begin doing what you want to now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. Marie Beyon Ray.

Contributions to my Cruising Kitty
via
are always appreciated.

Every gift helps.

The Cruising Kitty is what boaters refer to as spending money. There's never enough aboard Seaweed!
 

I am also an Amazon Affiliate.

  

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