As I suggested last week, I have made the decision to move my blog to a hosted WordPress version to replace this blog. In the meantime, here's the new Flotsam & Jetsam. I'm not moving over the content, just the operations. In the meantime, here's the new Flotsam & Jetsam. I'll be reorganizing all the blog pointers and feed tweeters and all that so, fear not, if you don't come to this page directly to read Flotsam, you'll still get a reminder... read more

Dear Google,

Your Kool-Aid is tasting bitter these days. Poof! I can also block or moderate specific IP addresses, email addresses, names, words -- so much more flexible.Seriously, Google, you are GODS in the arena of info tracking, how come you make this so difficult? Sure, there is a "report abuse" button but that is only to be used for reporting an abusive blog -- which mine is NOT If you don't want to be seen as EVIL, please bring your Blogger service up to standard.

After trying WordPress, I now understand why people questioned my staying on Blogger. Poof! I can also block or moderate specific IP addresses, email addresses, names, words -- so much more flexible.Seriously, Google, you are GODS in the arena of info tracking, how come you make this so difficult? Sure, there is a "report abuse" button but that is only to be used for reporting an abusive blog -- which mine is NOT One very big difference is in the ability to moderate comments and users... read more

OK, everyone. ... I apologize but "Anonymous" is back and filling my comments area with obscenities. ... Please don't feed the troll.... read more

While I listened to the presenters at WordCamp on Saturday, part of my brain was whirring away, plotting out my new blog. While the inspiration was one book the goal I settled on was,"This blog aims to glean some history — not only about gardening but also about gardens themselves — from books and other writings from the past 400 years, give or take."With that in writing, I could then start thinking about where the blog might go in the future which may be why my brain would not shut down on Saturday night, long after I walked away from my laptop.Sunday, I asked Hubby how to do the WordPress install on one of my domains (I chose my personal one, for the hell of it) Yes, it was to be a "niche blog" -- it combines three of my interests:

gardening+books+history

Originally my thought was to basically transcribe and annotate the text of the "Profitable Instructions..." book but I knew that was too focused. While the inspiration was one book the goal I settled on was,"This blog aims to glean some history — not only about gardening but also about gardens themselves — from books and other writings from the past 400 years, give or take."With that in writing, I could then start thinking about where the blog might go in the future which may be why my brain would not shut down on Saturday night, long after I walked away from my laptop.Sunday, I asked Hubby how to do the WordPress install on one of my domains (I chose my personal one, for the hell of it) As soon as the words "garden history" escaped my lips, I knew this was the spark I'd been seeking.

I wrote the About page first -- I started drafting it in a Google Doc on Saturday evening -- so that I could really get an idea of how the site might evolve... read more

I had no idea what to expect going in but I have to say that WordCamp Victoria was well-organized, well-run, and informative. Kind of a Field of Dreams approach It was broader than I was expecting; the content of the sessions went beyond Wordpress itself to cover topics such as picking what to write, keeping the user in mind when you write for the web, and dealing with comments -- good, bad, and ugly.
The session I most enjoyed was the first session I attended: "Knowing & Knurturing Your Kniche Blog: Starting & Running A Successful Niche Blog in WordPress," presented by Mike Vardy. Kind of a Field of Dreams approach Refreshingly, his presentation did not rely on tech -- he used the blackboard... read more

Yeah, I know. well.. Drupal, Blogger, and now... well.. Wordpress? Hubby and I signed up before we left for Drupalcon because..... read more

The Cramped Chef seemed like an appropriate name for a cooking show when we started it in the cramped little kitchen at the townhouse. How odd Impossibly, it seems, the kitchen in our current house while more open, actually seems to have less room to cook* so The Cramped Chef continues to be an appropriate name for the series.

We filmed the most recent episode back in March but Hubby's computer was tasked by the challenge of editing the HD footage created by my FlipHD so the process was completed in small chunks over many weeks with a lot of breaks in between! The best part of this creation was finding that Moby has a bunch of music available just for the purpose of non-profit independent video productions so Hubby signed up and found an appropriate piece for the background. How odd The worst part of this is seeing how clearly we need to get proper studio lighting -- or even something close.

The Spring Rolls (aka Egg Rolls) episode is now available for your edutainment (embedded below) and you can find the recipe on Hubby's blog along with other recipes and Cramped Chef videos.

Egg Rolls from Mike DeWolfe on Vimeo.

*Our current kitchen is so cramped that I don't seem to have a photo of it... read more

My Monday morning started before my alarm rang; I was dreaming about being late for work. Packed that up, poured my coffee and finished getting everything together to head out Not wanting to actually be late, I got up instead of hitting snooze. Packed that up, poured my coffee and finished getting everything together to head out I did my morning thing, getting the coffee going, feeding the cats, throwing on something suitable to wear to work, turning on the morning news and getting breakfast started... read more

I love ABC books and at one time wanted to build a collection. so far I haven't found them.the Rock Alphabet by Rose Stallard is an inspired collection of musicians (Z is, of course, for Zappa) available as a limited edition silk-screened print.Of course my favourite alphabet of all time is Edward Gorey's Gashlycrumb Tinies (N is for Neville who died of ennui...) -- if you don't own it you really should buy the book!Follow the link from Craft to the tutorial for an alphabet art project that you can do with your kids -- it involves a digital photography outing and transferring a photo print on to canvas I stopped because I realized I would need a very big library in which to hold them. so far I haven't found them.the Rock Alphabet by Rose Stallard is an inspired collection of musicians (Z is, of course, for Zappa) available as a limited edition silk-screened print.Of course my favourite alphabet of all time is Edward Gorey's Gashlycrumb Tinies (N is for Neville who died of ennui...) -- if you don't own it you really should buy the book!Follow the link from Craft to the tutorial for an alphabet art project that you can do with your kids -- it involves a digital photography outing and transferring a photo print on to canvas However, I still love finding interesting alphabets... read more

Two quick notes:
1. My Coffee Haiku Minibook was featured at The Fifth Street Palace in an ongoing blog series $5 and Under. With my Frugal Victoria hat on, I was interviewed for the Globe and Mail last week -- the story, Extreme Frugality: Can you outcheap 'em all? ran in today's Life section. My Coffee Haiku Minibook was featured at The Fifth Street Palace in an ongoing blog series $5 and Under. Despite a couple of minor misquotes, I'm pretty happy with it (as in, for the most part, I don't seem to sound like a crazy person).
2... read more

Freedom of the Press is a favourite theme in television drama and feature films -- most often, citing the American Bill of Rights rather than the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms but we frequently take it for granted in North America. He was not amused and charged us with actually cutting the section out of every copy that had been run off on the Gestetner by our teacher the evening before The only time most of us think about Freedom of the Press is when it is being squashed (think of how often China, Iran, or North Korea shows up in the headlines for crushing free speech or imprisoning journalists). He was not amused and charged us with actually cutting the section out of every copy that had been run off on the Gestetner by our teacher the evening before
I don't know whether it was my upbringing or 25 years of working in libraries or just wanting to be assured of some protection for what I might write but for whatever reason, it's usually not far from my mind... read more

Skip back a bit first, to Earth Day (April 22). Normally I would decline but as I knew we were likely to be in the van for most of the next 8 hours, I accepted it We were on the road. Normally I would decline but as I knew we were likely to be in the van for most of the next 8 hours, I accepted it We left Grant's Pass Oregon in the morning and when we checked out, the desk offered us some bottled water for the road... read more