I managed to get LID installed, and you can see it in operation here. I’m in the middle of another one of my multi-page essays on digital ID generally and LID specifically, and hopefully will be finished tonight, or tomorrow. I bet you’re sitting there just holding your breath, excited down to your privates at the thought of me releasing an essay on digital IDs, aren’t you? Well, when I do, don’t pee your pants.
I would have been finished sooner, but today was the first really nice day we’ve had all week. Instead of the cold, dry days we’re supposed to get in January, we’re getting warm, wet thunderstorms. Really lousy weather for hiking, which means next week, I’m going to have to find some alternative exercise or I’ll just end up staying at home, writing more code, and getting bitchier.
Not today, though. The sun broke through, the temperature was a balmy 50F with just a gentle, cool breeze; it felt more like spring than winter. I wasn’t up for a strenuous hike and also wanted to test my new pack fully loaded, so I went to Shaw and walked some of my usual paths. The ground was a bit squishy, but that makes no difference when I’m in my waterproof booties. Not many people out considering how nice it was, but that’s the great thing about hiking in the winter — you can go for miles and the only company you’ll have is a red-headed woodpecker tapping at the trees, looking for bugs. And finding them, too.
Shaw is an education center as much as it is a conservation area, and it’s not that unusual to see odd buildings and what not here and there for some class or another. But I wasn’t expecting to see a sod house built on top of the hill overlooking the prairie. A nice one, too — water tight and more than capable of holding out the elements. With a thatched roof, too, that was actually sprouting green.
When I reached that interesting little building on the hill, I stopped for a while; leaned up against the fence eating trail mix, drinking water, and just enjoying the view. This is all part of my new ‘no rush’ hiking and walking philosophy. I’ve noticed, lately, that when I’m on hikes, I’ve not taken the time to really appreciate the land as I pass through — always wanting to make the distance, go the miles, reach the end. However, what’s the good of being out in the country if you’re only going to bring the stress of the world, virtual as well as real, along with you?
No, plenty of time to stop and take in the view. And watch what looked like a group of blue jays doing the big naughty in the field.
Back home, after stopping off at Route 66 state park on the way to check out the water levels, I caught up on my weblog reading and found out that the head honchos at GM are blogging now. And everyone was just so excited, jumping up and down excited, at how one of the vice presidents of GM is blogging now. There’s also a small engine blog, of all things. I imagine Ford is just around the corner; if so, I wonder what the Ford Blogs will look like. I mean, will the backgrounds come in any color the weblogger wants, as long as it’s black?
But just when it was all looking so dark, I spotted a poem here that cheered me:
It was all about cats
and their habitats
But they only invited
the dogs and the rats.
I spent the day in prairie and wood, on mud-like trails under coffee cream skies, sure of path but lost in thought. Lauren, does that still count?
Ah well, back to the digital ID writing because I can hear you all panting for it. Back to the code, and quickly, too, before my site goes down under yet another DDoS attack.
