I heard a Robin today while getting the mail. I might have heard a bird imitating a Robin. I’m told by a few different Bird Watchers that some birds imitate Robins. Sometimes when they are expected or wished to return in the late winter, early spring months especially when there is lots of snow and ice.
Perhaps it was just an imitator commiserating with his buddies about the recent snow. I wonder how soon until I actually see a Robin? Since we just had a few winter storms bring some moisture up from the Mexico Gulf area, it’s possible that some of the early Northern Robins decided to ride ahead of the winds like a surfer. They usually pass through here first.
Phil did see his shadow and we are getting a fair amount of ice and snow, true to his prediction. It actually feels like winter and an old fashioned one at that.
Tightened security and CSS in place. We’ll see how long the security holds. I’d brag on my security methods, but security through obscurity! It seems to be working as Tor traffic keeps falling and dropping off. No more unverified users signing up and staying logged in.
Once I looked at the CSS and saw how many different browsers and formats I’d have to dynamically re-code then test, I decided on a Yellow Pencil CSS editor that made it quick, simple and WYSIWYG. What You See, Is What You Get!
I tried many other CSS editing plugins, but Yellow Pencil simply worked and had the most suitable free options for my needs. It’s well documented, intuitive and easy enough to use that you can learn most of it by just poking at it.
Author: davidrebar
Fall Migration
For the last week or so, the Northern Robins have been passing through on their way south. Our local Robins dipped out, in early August before the big hurricanes. There were no birds for awhile, not even a Finch, Blue Jay or Cardinal until a few weeks ago.
A Dove couple moved into an old Robins’ nest in the front plum tree. I heard their mating calls for awhile and noticed the couple sitting like rocks in the deserted nest. They wouldn’t even move for a noisy mower or weed wacker. I’m guessing that they’re tending eggs. My research says that Doves build flimsy nests. Nothing about them taking over seasonal nests, but it makes sense. I see them taking turns, but no shells on the ground or screeching noises yet. It seems a little late in the season to raise young, but it’s a new young couple.
While trimming back the crawling thyme in my strawberry pot, about a dozen yearling, native Praying Mantises flushed out. I saved their Mom from a hard frost one night last year by putting her on my mature catnip plants next to a warm brick wall, Oasis 1. I watched her pray on pollinators late last fall. She liked my oasis so much that she left an egg brood on one of the stems.
They hatched out in mid July and we observed them on our patio window screens, TINY little things about 2 to 3mm or so. I expected them to hatch out sooner in spring, but there isn’t much e-info on mantises. It’s hard to get pictures because they are so small. Definitely natives as they and Mom are a few shades darker and smaller than the imported larger, lighter green Chinese mantises that I’ve seen.
I hope I didn’t ruin their sanctuary and that they continue to inhabit my Oasis. I don’t know if it was the Thyme or the shelter of the undergrowth that it provided that attracted them. Maybe the wealth of prey? I wish they would eat the tomato caterpillars.
ReHL yeah!
CentOs, where have you been all of my LINUX life, and why am I just finding you now !? All work, all the time, just work and; it just works. You talk Open, Cloud, Servers, Distributed Computing with your Cross Platform Business Class core. Your dark, crisp polished GUI contrasting a warm clean experience, smooth install and; can serve, cloud or virtualize like no other out of the box! The quickest split screen app gesture ever, drag a window to any side it splits in half vertically or horizontally, then sticks to that side. Ready to share the screen with another app , work area or display while giving you other hovering options, until you drop to choose. Yum looks like an apt clone, or apt-get for you depreciated types. The Gnome Chrome integration is sweet where it’s maintained and when it all plays nice. Overall, simply stunning in every respect!
More Robins
Another batch of Robins came through last week, ahead of the northerly storms, but they were just passing through. They must have been Canadian Robins.
Spring is here!
Yesterday I saw 6 Robins and heard several singing their Happy Return Song! Phil did not see his shadow, meaning an early Spring! The Robins are not our local ones yet, but are more than likely Canadian Robins on their way north. Considering seeing Robins and Phil’s prediction, I’d have to proclaim that “Spring Is HERE!” We might expect a rogue snow storm or two.
Tightening the CSS
I turned off all of the legacy, unsupported, fancy graphic heavy skin in favor of slim, fast, dynamic, cross device, more secure skin. Now I have to tighten up the spacing in CSS, it’s too loose and too much scrolling for my taste. I’m still working on the color scheme so bear with me please. I wonder how long I’ve shaken my Script Kiddies? Time will tell.
Security Matters !
Now that SSL and basic site security is in place, I’m hardening it. Security through obscurity! Good luck to all of my new found “Script Kiddies” out there, thank you for poking at the existing holes in WP and leaving me bread crumb trails so I can prioritize my efforts. Keep up the good work!
Basic Security Setup
Basic SSL security is now setup to comply with the 2020 Google Standard, who continues to raise the bar in setting new internet and device standards, globally. In your browser address bar, you should now see 
Thanks to Host Gator, what used to take an hour for each site generating public/private keys, signing requests and certificates; now takes less than 5 minutes to setup and test. It would have been setup sooner with less head scratching if their documentation rolled out with their progressive implementation. They secretly automated and added it to my hosting package as a bonus, gradually from May through September, although the documentation didn’t fully roll out until December-ish.
I still haven’t been notified of the value added. But, if you are considering hosting, I highly recommend Host Gator! Their highly competent Support Techs are immediately available, regardless of the question level.
Soul Fire !
For those looking for the Soul Fire group forum, hang tight while I make it private and do a little testing, it proved to be not as easy as expected.
Stay tuned!
Coming Soon!
Reviews, Local Info, Event Calendars, Tutorials, Trials & Tribulations, Links, Services, Products, Swap Shop…..
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