Permie Present Thread

Good Morning Permies!

I figure a little after Christmas fun would be to discuss what you have received or given for Christmas that has brought you joy!

I am spoiled. I have been teasing my fiancé about how much I want a bell out in my garden that I can ring for celebrations or just because. I have always been fascinated by the old brass or cast bells that were found on homesteads/churches and I don't know... I just like them! Well guess what I got for Christmas...



I feel like I am going to have a fun project to do. I have the bell and pull mechanism, I'm now going to have to figure out where I want to mount it and try to protect it. I'm excited!

How about ya'll? Any good gifts or gift giving stories?

I got a laptop.

I had not said anything to anyone though I had been thinking about one.  

I use an old desktop with a mouse, as time progresses I feel a computer mouse will soon be hard to find to purchase.

I have not used a laptop in many years so this will be a learning experience.

I was able to find the permies forum on the laptop.

Dear hubby cannot understand why I decided to keep this gift and I see no reason to explain.

I also got the usual fruit cake and chocolate-covered cherries that I get every year.

Just for reference, regarding desktop availability vs laptops:

(1) If writing a book or working any other large document, a real keyboard is far more efficient than a much smaller keyboard, like on a laptop. As such, most of us would have to connect one to the lap top.

(2) So too it goes with monitors. I like my 24" and would go bigger for some projects.

(3) All these things may require a docking station.

(4) A desktop is cheaper to buy compared to the equivalent in a lap top. So are the components, when repairing or upgrading.

(5) A desktop is far easier to upgrade. Generally, you can put any drive in it you want. It's easy to install. So too it goes with RAM. And you can add cards, such as video cards or audio cards to improve the efficiency of the system.

The above is why you see gamers using desk tops, rather than laptops.


A few years ago, I went looking for a keyboard. I burn up one in about six months. They still work, but I have to look away from the keys to find the Z, the A and so on.  The "expert" at the computer store claimed they were going to do away with keyboards anyway, because people could use touchscreens and voice.  I'm old and don't keep my mouth shut well when a supposed expert makes an erroneous claim I know is false. I kept it simple. I told him, write a book. Do it all by:

(1) reaching out to a touch screen for hours on end and see how it works out for him;

  or

(2) Go to voice. For example, "Okay computer, go to page 16, line (one, two, three. . . . ) 21, go in to character (one, two, three. . . .) 37, start cut, drop down to line 21, go in to character. . . .

Now go to page 85, line 27, character . . . . , paste

In short, a keyboard and a mouse will be worth their weight in gold to people who take advantage of their computers word processing capabilities for a long, long time.

ANYWAY,         NOW        THE    OTHER    IMPORTANT    STUFF:   It's still a killer gift. Congratulations and glad you had a merry Christmas. Hoping the same for the new year.

Anne Miller wrote:I got a laptop.

I had not said anything to anyone though I had been thinking about one.  

I use an old desktop with a mouse, as time progresses I feel a computer mouse will soon be hard to find to purchase.

I have not used a laptop in many years so this will be a learning experience.

I was able to find the permies forum on the laptop.

Dear hubby cannot understand why I decided to keep this gift and I see no reason to explain.

I also got the usual fruit cake and chocolate-covered cherries that I get every year.

Kelly Craig wrote:In short, a keyboard and a mouse will be worth their weight in gold to people

So where can I get a mouse online?

I have mostly foregone gifts with family and partners, though sometimes I will get tickets for some show or experience, or something that will improve their day-to-day activities. I prefer thoughtful gifts whenever they happen to be instead of when it's a social obligation.

That being said, this year I did see some nice limited edition scents that my partners enjoy at Rocky Mountain Soap Co. (a natural soap company, all poured and cut by hand). So I got them each their own little bundle - various tree scents for one, and cardamom and vanilla chai for the other.

I got some chocolates I've been craving and a spa day as is becoming tradition.

Rabbit Hutches! And here I thought I was on the naughty list.

I bought my husband and I a Gansay jumper knitting kit (tagged from our dogs ).

(source)
I had spotted them after an article in the Telegraph newspaper about a shortage of hand knitters (*). There is a fascinating history of the reasons behind the the different patterns. Since I'm not sure I'm up to doing it commercially (still working on my basic technique) I thought I'd get a kit and see how long it took me to knit one. I get the fun of knitting it and hubby gets to wear the results I've never knitted anything as big as a jumper. I'm OK with double pointed needles, and have now had a go at cabling, it's just the size of the project that is a bit daunting. Although the kit includes a set of the main needles required, it suggests using narrower needles for the lower ribbing to give a closer fit. I'll have a practise on the basic pattern whilst waiting for some extra needles to come (plus some more suitable cable needles I think).

(*) they still seem to have the "knitters wanted" up on their website if any (UK based) Permies want a work from home job.

Anne Miller wrote:
So where can I get a mouse online?

I usually order stuff like mice and keyboards from Newegg or maybe Amazon (no relationship with either other than as a customer). Newegg lists some items which they ship and also items from other sellers. Normally, I click the filter for only items they ship since it's easier to deal with them if there is an issue. Here's a link to some of the mice they sell:

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=101702349%208000&Order=3

You might also check the main menu at the top left for Mice & Keyboard Combos under Computer Peripherals if you want both.

I like mice with a cord since they tend to weigh less than the wireless ones with a battery. The latest batch I got were Logitech B100 and they seem to work well. That said, a wireless mouse like the Logitech 910 might be better for your use with a laptop since you don't have to worry about tripping on the cord and breaking something.

I do not recommend a Bluetooth mouse based on a horrible experience with  Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard. It always took a couple of keystrokes to wake up which made typing on it a nightmare.

Short tail (trap fodder) or long (USB/wireless) tail?

Seriously, Newegg is a good source, but there are many others too.  

I'd drop into a Office supply that has them available and pick one up, OR at least test them to see which felt good and seemed to fit my want and need.

Anne Miller wrote:

Kelly Craig wrote:In short, a keyboard and a mouse will be worth their weight in gold to people

So where can I get a mouse online?

Anyway, now that my highjacking of the thread is aside, maw got me a metal detector.  I figure I only have to use it for seventy or eighty years to get enough nails and penny's to make it pay back.

Got her some No. 5 and "these are ridiculously priced also" ear rings because it just seemed she needed something other than a new circular saw.

Laughing at all this. Sounds like everyone was on the good list! Timothy, that bell is beautiful.

I got an ebook copy of Coppice Agroforestry, which I've been coveting for ages but couldn't justify the spend. That took some arguing with hubby. I'm trying to have less physical "stuff" to carry with us when we move to Bulgaria, he only wants paper books because what happens to all the ebooks after the zombie apocalypse wipes out the power network? Also a set of crochet hooks as I want to take it up again (can't knit, haven't crocheted since my early teens), and some nice woolen socks. He got two paperback books he wanted (one on medieval herbalism, one on how to translate ancient Chinese medical texts), a rechargeable torch, and a couple of pocket-sized multitools because he loves those sorts of toys.

On laptops vs desktops, and keyboards - more thread hijacking. I agree that for anyone who does a lot of writing most laptop keyboards are a recipe for hand pain. But I've written a lot of novels using a 10" tablet with a 3/4 size bluetooth keyboard. I find big screens tend to be migraine triggers, and neither laptop keyboards (too flat, and the letters are too close together) or regular desktop keyboards (too big for my small hands, they're sized for men) work for me. I found a 3/4 sized Anker keyboard that works fine for me. The only time I had problems was when neighbours had their smart TV immediately the other side of the wall to where I wrote. It must have been set to the same Bluetooth frequency, because when they had their TV on the keyboard would be out of control! Either needed to be hit ten times to get any output, or a light tap would produce a string of letters.

Anne, you will easily find a computer mouse at any online store like Amazon, but the suggestion to go to an office supply store and actually feel them is a good one. if you're going to use it a lot you need one that fits your hand nicely. Mouse work is even harder on the hands than typing.

My hubby gave our family a subscription to Scientific American”- which we are looking forward to reading. For my extended family I made cooling eye pillows- from fabric scraps that I’ve kept too long- you fabric-lovers know exactly what I’m referring to- and filled them with whole flaxseed and lavender… and for an alternate option, a few filled with balsam from northern MI and flaxseed.  After heaping them in a lovely pile and admiring my work, and the unique look of each one, envisioning each of my nephews, in-laws, etc. chosing one, I realized that a few of them have allergies, and will most definitely not appreciate the outdoor odors so close to their face.   Oops! Well, I will need to create a non-allergy version for next year, I guess. But they are lovely to hold and place on your eyes to relax at night or counteract a headache.  All this in addition to my failed attempt at crabapple jelly —- which lost all its pectin in the process.  It’s my first time canning- and I clearly need some practice!  Ha! Still, homemade gifts are the best.

I posted about all the permaculture I got for my last birthday but this Christmas was sort of the opposite -- lots of plastic and food from other continents.

However, I gave my dad and his partner a bunch of produce from our property (and the surroundings) -- raspberry jam, weirdo potatoes I grew from TPS, home-canned salsa, coriander, pesto, beans (dry and frozen frijoles), etc. It was a whole big box of little packages and hopefully they'll have fun with it.

When asked what I wanted for Christmas, I was a little stumped at first.  But I have been wanting to try building an improved battery box, a hobby of mine.  So my Christmas list was basically a parts list for all of the components I will need for my next project.  Now I have something to build and the Christmas gifts keep on giving.

Eric

Got a second drying rack for the laundry room. It looks modern, though, so it got the wife's stamp of approval. It's cool that they fold out of the way.

I gave a cutting board and wooden sailboat I made myself.  I got a mug.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I got a quart canning jar full of freeze dried Skittles at a white elephant gift exchange. Who knew there was even such a thing? They puff up and explode leaving the outer candy shell on both sides of a white airy core. Initially, it appeared to be a jar full of marbles.

I gave a halogen shop light that is not very off-grid friendly since it draws 500W.

Hi Fletcher,

Welcome to Permies.

Oh! In my post up-thread, I forgot about this shirt my daughter got me. It’s at least a little permie.

Here are my gifts. With sample pages.







EDIT: Amazon links Eat the Weeds AND Thayers feild guide for the Empire.

My teenager really surprised me this year and gave me some very thoughtful gifts. Two fancy cheeses (which I have already scarfed) and a little tray with ocatgonal posts for bees to rest on while they get a sip of water. I think he made it with a 3-d printer. Can't wait for spring so I can find a good spot for it and watch the bees come take a drink.

This year no one in my family seemed to know what they wanted for Christmas. My siblings and I no longer give each other gifts. My elderly, slightly confused mother gave us money so Mr Ara bought himself a box of drill and screwdriver bits and I bought myself some new sewing machine feet. I have banned myself from buying any  more yarn or fabric (which was my first thought) until I've used up what's in the cupboard and under the bed and in the wardrobe and in the cupboard in the spare room. I'm sure others of you will recognise my problem. The one thing I asked for and got was a calendar, a physical paper calendar. Lovely!

Kelly Craig wrote:   The "expert" at the computer store claimed they were going to do away with keyboards anyway, because people could use touchscreens and voice.  

I believe keyboards are undergoing a resurgence. e-gamers can't do without it. They even seek the PS/2 cables ones because the PS/2 port interrupt is serviced faster than the USB. This gives them a speed advantage.



Long live the keyboard.

We hold a secret Santa. You draw the name out of a hat. There is a budget limit of the equivalent of USD 4. I usually stick to books/DVDs or food. This year I bought a cigarette lighter USB charger. This has an LED readout that displays the current drawn and the battery voltage so you can get an early warning of alternator/battery problems. I have one myself and it worked when my battery drained too quickly. The voltage was lower than usual and it turned out the fan belt was stretched to the point it was not driving the alternator.

The local brick and mortar store happened to carry this one:

car usb charger