Random 5 for June 7, 2026 – techie stuff, projects, people, recycling, toad

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My spiffy new mouse!

Great idea but not intuitive for old people! – My computer mouse died. I bought a new one. They are wrapped tighter than Fort Knox in impenetrable wrapping. After I cut the hard plastic (nearly severing a finger), I couldn’t find the USB thingy. It was clearly marked that a mouse and a USB thingy were in the package. The print was in fly spec, impossible to read so I took out my magnifier. Nope, not a word about the thingy. Then I had a thought. Maybe it’s stored somewhere on the mouse. It was. Next to the battery area. Great idea but I never saw it when I put the battery in. Tech stuff thumbs down. They could have put a note on that said it was there or drawn a picture which is what they prefer. That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back!

That empty rectangle on the right side above the battery is where the USB thingy was stored.

Another indoor project – Our powder room update started this week. We’ve had some bumps along the way. Our old exhaust fan didn’t exhaust anywhere. It was installed in a small, boxed area which is why it was extra loud and didn’t do much. In fixing that, he also noted that the attic insulation in the front of the house needs more and the duct tape on some HVAC ductwork had completely disconnected. That was a big problem as it was pulling return air from the hot (or cold in the winter) attic. He fixed the ductwork, but he doesn’t do insulation so that will be a project for another day. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow. In general, the job is going okay.

Déjà vu! – I remember how annoying it is to have someone, no matter how pleasant, in your home all day. My cat Sasha spent the day in the basement muttering and Gus supervised from one of the many cat beds. It’s not a big project so it will only take a few days. There will be a lull waiting for the new countertop, but it will be done next week.

Really good news – My old bathroom vanity was in good shape. It was not my style and wasn’t sized for the room, but I hate putting good things in landfills. My contractor recycles good stuff to Habitat for Humanity. He has a contact there so it will land in a home.

Hello Mr. Toad! – I was watering the plants in the front of my house, and I saw a slight movement. It was a toad in my flower bed. We had a nice chat while I was watering. I came out later and he was gone. I have areas where he can hide under foliage. A few years back, I bought bags of potting soil. One of them contained something live. I was terrified thinking it was a small snake, but it was a very small toad. I put him in my front yard. I saw him sporadically that summer but not since. They travel for food and water. I wondered if it was the same toad. I wished him a long and happy life.

So how was your week?

18 thoughts on “Random 5 for June 7, 2026 – techie stuff, projects, people, recycling, toad”

  2. Hint for us “older” techies. If you have several things that use that little “USB thingie”, paint a spot of matching nail polish on the thingie and on the device it operates. That way you will never have to suffer through trying to figure out which one goes with what.

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    • Great idea! I used nail polish on my sewing machine needles to easily tell what they were for. I’ve been either taping them to the device of in the case of a mouse, putting both in a sandwich bag. I looked at my old mouse and dang, it had that storage port too.

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  4. It’s actually great that your contractor fixed a couple of other things he’d run into that needed fixing while he’s doing your project! I’m sure you’ll be glad when it’s over though. No doubt the cats will be happy too. Many years ago when we had our cat Sammy, he made friends with a toad that lived under our sidewalk. They were “besties”. We would laugh watching the two of them. Sam behind the toad and when the toad would stop Sammy would very gently push him so he’d hop. It was hilarious – I still wish to this day I’d remembered I could take a little movie of that. But then again it would probably make me cry. Happy Sunday!

    Hugs, Pam

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