River Reeds
River Reeds was a community built for clarinetists in and around Louisville, Kentucky to connect, share, and support one another. It was built for students, teachers, hobbyists, and pros.
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Litha ☀️🌺
Other Names Midsummer, St. John’s Day, Longest Day & Shortest Night, Summer Solstice Colors look to nature for the colors of Litha, as seen in the sky, woods, and flowers Foods honey, elderberry, strawberry, fennel, thyme, fresh greens, mead, light wines Stones peridot, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli Symbols Spear (God) and Cauldron (Goddess), bonfire, sunwheels Flower and Plants oak, birch, white lilies, St. John’s Wort, mistletoe, elderflower, lavender, pine, fern, rose Litha, or Midsummer, occurs on the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year and the midpoint of the cycle. This celebration ushers in summer, a season where… [read more]
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Beltane 🌹🔥
Celebration of the Growing Season Other Names Beltain, Beltaine, BealtaineMay Eve, May Day, Samradh Colors White, Red, dark green Foods dairy foods, honey, oats, mead, lamb Stones sapphire, blood stone, emerald, orange carnelian, rose quartz Symbols Spring flowers (especially the rose), goat, honeybee, fairies, pegasus, rabbits, flower crown, maypole, basket Flowers & Plants primrose, lilac, hawthorn, birch, ivy, violet, peppermint, lavender Beltane, the second Cross Quarter Day of the year, marks the beginning of summer and is celebrated as a time of fertility, growth, and new beginnings. Also known as May Day, this holiday is associated with the goddess Flora… [read more]
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Ostara 🐇🌷
Other Names Spring Equinox, Eostre, Eostar, Spring Equinox, Oestarra Related Holiday Easter Colors Light Green, pink blue Foods Eggs, honey, sprouted greens, baked goods, asparagus Symbols Spring flowers, rabbits, eggs, lambs, clover, baskets Flowers & Plants clover, daffodils, crocus, tulips Happy Spring Equinox! Today is a day of balance. On this day, light overtakes the dark, signaling a rebirth of life and the perfect time to embrace new beginnings and fresh ideas. Focus on planting not just in your garden but in your daily life, dreams, and goals. This solar festival of fire, light, and fertility invites serious meditation on… [read more]
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Imbolc 🌱🔥
Other Names Imbolg, Imbolq, Olmeic, Candlemas, Bride Day, Brigid, and Brigid’s Day Related Holiday Valentine’s Day Colors White, Red, Pink, Pale Green Foods baked goods, butter, cheese, dried fruit, lamb, milk, mutton, seeds, winter vegetables Stones amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, onyx, ruby, turquoise Symbols candles, cauldron, chalice, cow, sheep, swan Flowers/Plants angelica, basil, bay laurel, celandine, snowdrops Imbolc, the first Cross Quarter Day of the year, falls midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and between the Wolf Moon and the Snow Moon. As snowdrops, violets, and primrose begin to emerge, this holiday signals the start of spring. Associated… [read more]
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New Year’s Eve in Germany
In Germany, the New Year would be celebrated by neighborhoods shooting off fireworks at midnight. I have a vivid memory of walking down to the edge of the army apartments in Wiesbaden — champagne bottle in hand, ready to share with whoever would be at the lookout — and seeing the city from an amazing vantage point. We could see the entire valley, and it was covered in the most beautiful sparkling fireworks. There was such celebration. It was magical. I miss that and a million other things about living in Europe. [read more]
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The Princess Bride / Star Wars Crossover
Here is the transcription of the GENIUS crossover that is The Princess Bride / Star Wars (originally from Reddit): “Hello. My name is Luke Skywalker. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” “Never go up against a Mandalorian when death is on the line!” immediately falls into Sarlacc pit “Bye, boys! Have fun storming the Death Star!” “Wampas Of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.” “Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed, on Hoth?” “Give us the access code.”“What access code?”“Chewie, tear his arms off.”“Ohhh you mean this access code!” “I could give… [read more]
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Set a Dashboard Logo
This snippet of code will allow you to customize your WordPress dashboard logo. [read more]
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Random happy memory
Traveling to Murray after school every Monday for clarinet lessons. I loved having the freedom to drive myself and to hang out with friends and have a little dinner before coming back to town. Those were some of my favorite memories from high school. [read more]
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Blueberry Pie
Ingredients: 5 cups fresh blueberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts 1 cup sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon sugar Method: Sprinkle berries with lemon juice; set aside. Fit half of pastry in a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions. Combine 1 cup sugar and next 3 ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon); add to berries, stirring well. Pour into pastry shell, and dot with butter. Unfold remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface; roll gently with rolling… [read more]
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Install WordPress via SSH
The following are the commands needed to install WordPress from the command line. [read more]
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Web Hosting on OS X
Included in this post is information on those errors and some general suggestions on setting up your own web hosting on your OS X machine. [read more]
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Universal wp-content Directory
Add this code to your wp-config.php file when installing a self-contained WordPress install on this site. This will ensure that the themes and plugins directories pull from the main wp-content directory on this server. The additional code will ensure that the uploads are left within the individual site install. [read more]
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Keeping Servers Up-to-Date
Centos As new file patches come out, Centos will need to be updated. Run the following commands to bring the server and its extensions up-to-date: Occasionally you may get this message: There are unfinished transactions remaining. You might consider running yum-complete-transaction, or “yum-complete-transaction –cleanup-only” and “yum history redo last”, first to finish them. If those don’t work you’ll have to try removing/installing packages by hand (maybe package-cleanup can help). Start by running: Hopefully you get this message: Cleaning up completed transaction file If you have no errors, go ahead and run: Ubuntu Run the following commands to bring the server… [read more]
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Backup with CRON
Below is the code added to 192.168.254.246 to back up all the files in the /var/www/marketing/ directory,. It is set to run every day at 1am and saves a zip file with the current date into the /backup directory: This command has been added using crontab -e (vim commands needed here). After making changes, be sure to run this to restart cron: The command below can show you what jobs are currently running: The command below will delete all cron jobs: [read more]
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SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux)
After a bit of trouble-shooting, I discovered that, while Apache may have permission to read/write according to the file permissions above, an additional set of commands need to be run to have Linux verify that Apache really does have those permissions: if the above doesn’t work, you may need to specify certain files/dirs. Health Check plugin can come in handy for identifying those. Sample for a file: sudo chcon -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t /var/www/marketing/wp-config.php [read more]
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MySQL
Since SHA-256 password hashing is used by default since version 8 of MySQL, we run into a problem if users created with this encryption are attempted with a WordPress install. Below are the commands for creating a user with the native password setup (1 create user, 2 create database, 3 give user access to database, 4 flush privileges to make changes available): If you wish to change the password authentication type on the root user, you can do so with the following commands: [read more]
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SSL using LetsEncrypt
Letsencrypt is what we use to generate our SSL certificates (allows for HTTPS usage). Below are instructions using certbot to generate your certificates. Generating Certificates Each domain has a line as -d domain.com within the command. You can add more domains by simply adding a listing in that format and executing the command all at once. Running this command will get a certificate for you and have Certbot edit your Apache (specified with the option “–apache”) configuration automatically to serve it. The option “–redirect” will set the domain to redirect HTTP to HTTPS. To generate certificates, execute the commands below:… [read more]
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File Permissions
Occasionally, WP will have a conniption over file permissions and user/group assignments. The commands below will fix those permissions. For Centos: For Ubuntu: For Mac: or: [read more]
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My 2018
My 2018… wasn’t so great. I didn’t talk about it very much on social media, so apologies if this is surprising to some of you. I lost my sight, barely avoided a diagnosis of MS or brain tumor and instead was told I have atypical optic neuritis. On top of that, kiddo was in the hospital for nearly a month. It was a very rough year. They’ve recovered and are doing absolutely wonderful. They are the absolute light of our lives. As for me, I’m grateful for what happened. It sounds ridiculous to feel positive about something so scary, but… [read more]
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Alexa…
Kiddo and I spent some time looking up the locations of the AppleTV screen savers. The one we were looking at was from Dubai. When hubby got home he asked Alexa to play a song, to which Kiddo asked Alexa to play a different song. The Alexa war escalated to the point that random songs were requested. Here’s where it gets interesting. Kiddo asks Alexa to play Dubai. Alexa’s response: “here is a sample of Dubai Sh*t by Travis Scott and Quavo.” We laughed way too hard at Alexa censoring herself (though it was good to know she does that). [read more]
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Quick Update
Things I haven’t drank since July 1: Cow’s Milk Coffee beverages Alcohol Things I haven’t eaten since July 20: Fast food Carbonated beverages Refined sugars / sweeteners Artificial colors / flavors Processed foods Things I haven’t experienced since July 1: Headaches Upset stomach Trouble sleeping Self-loathing Things I have experienced since July 1: Meditation More energy Less stress and anxiety Easier time falling asleep Weight loss IMPROVED VISION [read more]
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Health update
Things I haven’t drank since July 1: Cow’s Milk Coffee beverages Alcohol Things I haven’t eaten since July 20: Fast food Carbonated beverages Refined sugars / sweeteners Artificial colors / flavors Processed foods Things I haven’t experienced since July 1: Headaches Upset stomach Trouble sleeping Self-loathing Things I have experienced since July 1: Meditation More energy Less stress and anxiety Easier time falling asleep Weight loss IMPROVED VISION [read more]
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Always in the Stars
Right this daytime minute, the stars above are below as well. Under your feet! On the other side of the Earth! Whatever you’re doing right now, you’re doing it in the midst of stars. Wherever you are on the pale blue dot — in Australia, in Alaska, in Guatemala — stars surround and cradle you. Peer through the blue squint at the clouds, nod your recognition to all that star-filled space behind them. Seeing no end, sense how precious small you are. Settle in, cherish the flesh that embodies your tiny piece of all that magnificence. Sometimes you’ll forget where… [read more]
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Another Eye Appointment Complete
Since my last visit, my right eye has gone from 20/100 to 20/70, while the left eye stayed at 20/30. My color vision (what I call “static”) is still not great, but doc says it’s one of the last things to return. He did remind me that the fact that I can see so well that I can pass a driver’s test without any need to list any impairment is a huge improvement. This has been a crazy thing to go through. And, I’m still going. It’s so hard to be optimistic when it’s something I can’t ignore. I “see” it… [read more]
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A little more
Each day I see a little further and a little more detail. Today I squinted involuntarily for the first time in weeks. Planes are no longer smudges in the sky. [read more]
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Steroids
Got some reassurances from the specialist yesterday. Today I start steroids to knock out my atypical optic neuritis. [read more]
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The Next-Level WordPress Developer
Gabriel Pleszowski Good, fast, cheap Focus on best practices in WordPress and PHP to get faster Six most requested skills: Front-End Modern JavaScript knowledge Advanced JavaScript Frameworks (React, Angular) Responsiveness Mobile First Bootstrap An Eye for Design Proper HTML & CSS (of course) WooCommerce 30%-40% all e-commerce sites API Integrations REST API specifically WP has HTTP API functions Stripe, SalesForce, MailChimp, Google, Social Networks Complex Features Be a full-stack developer Advanced plugin development PHP and MySQL mastery OOP in WordPress Speed Customization = Caching WP_CLI for imports and big updates WordPress REST API – custom endpoints Advanced Plugins Advanced Custom… [read more]
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Analyze, Plan and Execute: Creating an effective SEO & Content Marketing Plan
Ryan Erwin Google tag managerAnalyticsHttps/ssl and force itRobots fileTinypngWP cacheMarathon, not a sprintTRAIN search engines and plugins to behave as desiredSchedule regular updates (crawl rate)Mouse recordingHotjar mentioned againAnalyze, plan, rinse, repeat Consider monthly contracts with clients (security, maintenance, etc.) [read more]
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Converting new website visitors into paying customers
Joe Howard Build trust Capture a lead Show value Hotjar – heatmap; tool to get to know your visitors [read more]
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Making Systems Work in Your WordPress Business
Angelica Yarde Honeybook Planning center Industry specific CRMs Sales force AgileCRM Streak for Gmail (Some have GravityForms integration) Employee management – Gusto Financial Harvest Freshbooks Wave Gnu cash Bamboo Xero MileIQ – expenses mileage Freedcamp Asana Wrike Bonsai Thrive Teamwork Trello Harvest Cushion – learns work patterns and helps make suggestions Challenge: track time entire week [read more]
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Not cat scratch fever
Latest eye update: last test shows it is NOT cat scratch fever. I’ve now stumped 2 optometrists, 2 ophthalmologists, and an ER physician. [read more]
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No pain!
I’m pain free after a full month. I’m so happy I could cry. Buit, I still can’t see. [read more]
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Healing
This blurry vision and slow healing is really quite scary. I have no patience. [read more]
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Cat scratch fever
It’s just an infection and can be treated. I’ve never been so happy to be infected. [read more]
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Back again
This time, it’s my right eye. In case anyone’s wondering, this is the opposite of what I wanted for my birthday. I called ahead to get someone in the office to describe to me how to walk to their location inside the building, since I can’t see hardly anything. I took a Lyft there, and the driver had to direct me on where to go. I couldn’t see where I was going at all. [read more]
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Ch-Ch-Changes
I’ve made a few #vaguebook posts lately, and I do apologize for that, but suffice it to say I’ve been working through a lot of things over the past year. I’m reminded of something my parents said when I was little: “You are an average of the five people with which you spend the most time.” I remember being angry with them back then for what I thought was judging my friends, but what they were really doing is not wanting me to inherit bad habits. They wanted me to be around people who were “good” for me. However, if… [read more]
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Latest update
All my tests so far have come back negative. The only thing the doctors can find is the inflamed optic nerve, no blood borne diseases or autoimmune issues found. Since none of those “big scary words” from before could be applied to my condition, the doctors don’t feel comfortable giving me steroids. They help speed up recovery due to “big scary words” and, with someone who doesn’t show symptoms of any of it, it could cause some unnecessary and problematic side effects. While this is good news, it means the only thing that can be done is to let nature… [read more]
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Go to the doctor.
I wasn’t sure I was going to post this, but decided I should. The main reason being that I want to remind my friends to go to the doctor. This is another long post, so buckle up if you plan to read this. On Monday, I saw an eye doctor about severe pain in my left eye, vision loss, and sudden and very bad headaches for over a week. He diagnosed me with edema due to my job and sent me home with eye drops. After 3 days, I felt no change and called that office again, asking if there… [read more]
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What’s going on?
So, I have something very strange going on with my left eye. I thought I’d post it to FB in case anyone else has had anything similar. Last Monday, I woke up with a splitting headache which I thought was a migraine (light sensitivity, nauseous, motion sickness, etc.). I thought it odd since I haven’t had one since 1999. Over the course of 3 or 4 days, the headache seemed to lessen (downgraded from migraine to headache), while pain in my left eye seemed to remain. The best way to describe this pain is if you pulled a muscle eye-rolling… [read more]
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Finally getting relief
I call this The Replacements. Past Tense has been helping me more than anything else. Big thanks to Danielle and Beth for the oils. [read more]
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Worst Star Wars Movie
“The Last Jedi was the worst Star Wars movie to date.” You spelled “The Phantom Menace” wrong. [read more]
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First 5k complete
I am not a runner. I am learning to enjoy the peace, quiet, and solitude running gives me. Today was my first 5k, and I did it just for me. My only competition was myself. Having said all that, I just now found my race results. I share because, if and when you decide to run a race, I don’t want you to be ashamed. Here we go: 222 out of 398Clock time: 44:46.41Chip time: 44:31.59Avg pace: 14:22 (my phone said 13:22)11th in my group, F 40-44, top 34.2% Things I learned: Removing layers before starting was worth it. I… [read more]
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Treat People How They Want to Be Treated
We all think of the golden rule, but that places our perspective / viewpoint upon another person, which is never 100% the same. When we consider others first, we can be better coworkers and employees, because this viewpoint helps to bring home the idea of putting the customer first. This can also spill over into our personal lives and can make us better children, siblings, parents, friends, and significant others. [read more]
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Wonder Woman Easter Egg!
This took a while, but I found it!!! Wolf Kahler, German actor, made an appearance in Wonder Woman. However, he didn’t go down with his ship and die in World War I. Indiana Jones (or, the Ark, to be more precise), took him down in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Brent Crimm, I thought you in particular would appreciate this bit of sleuthing I was able to successfully perform just now. 🙂 So, Indiana Jones and the Justice League now have a crossover possibility! WOO! [read more]
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Guinness Crock Pot Stew
Ingredients 1/2 c flour 1 t salt 1/2 t black pepper 3# beef chuck 1/4 c vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped 1 (15 oz) beer 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (14.5 oz) beef broth 1 T chopped fresh parsley 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1# round red potatoes, halved 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into quarters (optional) Directions Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish; add beef pieces. Toss to coat each piece evenly. Reserve remaining flour mixture for later use. Heat… [read more]
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Honor Flight
This was an amazing experience, and I only saw a sliver of it. My grandfather, SSG William C. Perry, was in World War II and experienced it through parts of Germany and France. On Wednesday, September 6, nearly 73 years later, he and my father flew to Washington, D.C. together as part of Honor Flight Bluegrass. It was the first time Paw-Paw had seen the National World War II Memorial. My sister, my kiddo, and I met them there as a surprise. Watching Paw-Paw view the memorial was a moment I’ll never forget. None of this would have been possible… [read more]
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Cleartune
I’m constantly forgetting my tuner at rehearsals. This has become a pain, because I leave it at home on my music stand, then rush out the door without checking. So, I’ve started looking for a tuner app for my iPhone. Cleartune is my app of choice. It’s amazing! This is the best tuner I’ve come across for the iPhone. It’s about $3.99, but I must say that the free ones aren’t exactly what I was looking for. This one has adjustment settings just like an actual tuner. This was also the easiest to use. Read all about it here. [read more]
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Featured Image Replacement
Use this snippet of code to display an image when the featured image isn’t set. Works with images inserted in posts (and galleries!). [read more]
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To anyone dealing with hardship or loss or that feeling of failure, I just want to say you are strong! I don’t believe in the universe only giving us what we can handle, because the moment someone says that, I usually feel dismissed, followed by uncontrollable self-doubt. Sometimes in life we really are given more than we can handle, and it’s difficult to remember that’s really ok. It’s when we are put to the test, when we are overwhelmed, that we find out just how strong we can be. Our limits are pushed to the edge of bursting, only to… [read more]
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There will always be someone telling you you’re wrong. The choice is yours to listen to them or not. [read more]
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Ring pop?
Kiddo: mommy, can I have a ring pop? Me: no, not this late at night. Kiddo: fine, then you can’t buy me roller skates tomorrow. Me: works for me. Kiddo: (audible huff) Either they don’t understand how this works, or they’re training to be a master of reverse psychology. [read more]
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Just heard Kiddo giggling in their sleep. Adorable level = 1000. [read more]
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“Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.” Mal Reynolds, “Firefly” [read more]
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Hand Position
This post describes the best way to place your hands when playing clarinet. This is a great check-up for anyone who’s put the instrument down for a while, or if you’re just starting to play clarinet for the first time. Right Hand Placement This thumb is used to hold the instrument up in place. The correct spot to place the thumbrest is the line where the nail and finger meet. Work on keeping the thumbrest in this spot. Your fingers will bunch up and have trouble covering holes & other keys if your thumb isn’t in the right spot. Thumb… [read more]
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So Kiddo has found their baby toy piano. They’ll “sneak away” to go play it. I think I’ll start leaving my clarinet out. [read more]
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Kiddo’s first words of wisdom
“People shouldn’t be mean. Only monsters be mean.” [read more]
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Kiddo just told Mat, “it’s 50:18: time to go see Santa.” Can’t argue with that. [read more]
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How to Keep That Gig
“One bad apple spoils the bunch.” We’ve all been in an environment where one person seemed to always be a naysayer. They’re either a hot-head, a know-it-all, or the passive-aggressive type who mumbles under their breath about how things should be done. This is the exact opposite of what needs to happen in any group in order for it to be successful. We all work hard to get where we are. When you finally get that gig, there’s an etiquette you should follow in order to stay on your fellow musicians’ and conductor’s good side. Know Your Stuff It may… [read more]
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So kiddo and I are sitting in the floor of their room, flipping through radio channels on their little radio. They stop it on the NPR jazz and say this is their favorite. I’m suddenly reminded of how I fell asleep to that same station, the Murray version, almost every night my senior year in high school. [read more]
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My sister is the most amazing person ever. I was having a “dress shopping crisis” last night at Macy’s in Louisville, and she made a special trip to her Macy’s in Lexington to shop with me. We traded photos of dresses in an effort to get me to pick something elegant and not old ladylike. I my sister. [read more]
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“It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it if it were easy.” Tyrion Lannister, “Game of Thrones” [read more]
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“…as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise.” Marian Anderson [read more]
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“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” ~ Susan B. Anthony [read more]
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Second Reply from CDC Complaint Update Request
From: Kita Blackwell <xxx@xxx.xxx> Subject: RE: Complaint remaining open Date: December 21, 2012 10:05:44 AM EST To: Sharon Murphy <xxx@xxx.xxx> Dear Ms. Murphy, Thank you for contacting the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Education. According to the program’s record the complaint is still open. In reviewing the allegations outlined in the complaint, it was determined that additional verification was required. We are currently awaiting the results of that review. You will be notified of the results. Sincerely, Kita Blackwell System Integrity Specialist [read more]
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Kiddo now says, “pretty please with sugar on top”, which is absolutely adorable. Right now however, it sounds like “pretty please my sugar top!!!” and is said almost as a scream. [read more]
