Spring is a great time to give your PC a fresh start.

Clean Your Computer

See how to get crumbs out of the keyboard, deal with spills, and help get your PC looking - and performing - like new.

News from Rock Shadows

We drove past Clem and Lonia Brisson’s place, #328, and found the roof of their patio blown off. We have been having high winds all day, Thursday, April 29, and I guess their roof couldn’t take the wind gust. We did not see any other roofs blown off here in Rock Shadows. Went back home and grabbed the camera and took some pictures. (Enclosed) We are still here but looks like we will pull out for Oregon Sunday May 2.

Jim and Eileen             Click on picture for a larger view and use your browser back button to return

We talked to Lonia and she said the insurance is taking care of the damage and it is now being repaired. She is currently on a trip to California.

News From Other Places

News from Montana

May 2, 2010

Elsie & I got home April 24th in the evening. We had wind & rain early on and rain & snow in the higher elevations of Utah. Several days after we got home, 10" of wet snow hit over a period of 2 days. Power was off in some sections of Great Falls and in some of the rural areas as well. Some highways east & north were closed.
Elsie & I are plugging along kind of slowly because of our health conditions. We go to see our Doctor on May 3, am hoping that it isn't too bad, especially for Elsie.
The weather at Rock Shadows has been quite windy. We have somebody working in our Park Model and he said the wind ripped off somebody's awning. Not quite sure where-- sounded like it was down the street from our Unit and in the same block.
Hope everybody got home safely by now. Have a nice productive summer as well!!
Dale & Elsie Clark, #343

News from Alberta

Vulcan is our county seat and these were the happenings there yesterday.
Penny 04-24-2010

VULCAN- Despite a spell of unwelcoming hail, rain and snow, Mr. Spock finally arrived in the small Alberta town of Vulcan on Friday, ending what some say has been a 10-year quest to bring the half-human, half-Vulcan home.
Dressed casually in a grey sweater and black pants, a beaming Leonard Nimoy arrived without his trademark Vulcan ears to hundreds of cheering fans Friday afternoon outside the Vulcan Tourism Centre before joining a parade down the town’s main drag to help celebrate the Vulcan's new status as the Star Trek capital of Canada.
By the time the 79-year-old actor offered his "live-long-and-prosper" handprint and unveiled a bronze bust of his most famous character, the sun was shining and the crowd had surged to an estimated 2,500 people.
"Wait until Bill Shatner hears about this," said Nimoy. "I have been a Vulcan for 44 years. It’s about time I came home."
For town officials, it was the end to a long, weird and exhilarating quest to bring "Spock home."
In town for only a couple of hours, the actor is scheduled to be a guest at The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend. Vulcan is about 100 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Nimoy’s appearance caps off a decade-plus campaign to use Gene Roddenberry’s popular Star Trek phenomenon to boost tourism for the town, which was actually named after the Roman god of fire. Each year, the town holds "Spock Days" -- a festival that celebrates the Star Trek connection every June.
"I think this is going to go down as one of the biggest days in Vulcan history," says Dayna Dickens, the town’s tourism co-ordinator. "You know, certainly there’s be some controversy with the town having its traditional Prairie roots. But I think the town has come together to welcome Mr. Nimoy here."
Certainly there was no sign of dissent along Vulcan’s quaint main drag. A pharmacy, insurance company, the local tavern and even one abandoned building had been turned into makeshift shrines to Spock. His face peered from countless windows alongside posters and cut-outs of other cast members.New t-shirts had been designed, and a limited edition poster that pictured a Andy Warhol-like portrait of the pointy-eared, first-officer with the words "Welcome Home."
Star Trek movie marathons and the original series’ score blasted from the windows of local businesses and the liquor store was enjoying brisk sales of Romulan ale. Vulcan jerky was being sold at the grocery shop and two high school students were dressed up as something called ee-chiyas, furry panther-like creatures that Klingon warriors apparently like to keep as pets. Town officials, including mayor Tom Grant, were decked out in full Star Trek garb. Nimoy lent a pair of his Vulcan ears and poster signed by the original cast to the town to display for a year.
Nimoy, who recently announced his retirement from acting, was clearly touched by the attention.
"I’ve never had an experience quite as touching as I’m having here today and I appreciate it," he said. "I’m just sorry it took me so long to get here."
For some of the town’s older residents, the visit was indeed a long time coming.
"People thought they were crazy when (officials) started talking about Star Trek and they thought they were really crazy when they built the Trek centre but it’s really been wonderful," says Betty McFadden, 75, referring to the town’s Starship Enterprise-styled tourism building.
McFadden, who has been in Vulcan since 1952, wandered the main drag with her 80-year-old friend Betty Smith, both wearing the old-school red Star Trek shirts. Both said they hope the town embraces its new Star Trek-heavy theme.
For Jesse Zelisko, the 15-year-old who donned the elaborate ee-chiyas costume, Star Trek has always been a part of living in Vulcan.
"If you say southern Alberta, people know Vulcan," says Zelisko. "It’s always been that Star Trek town."
But while the connection is hardly new, Vulcan got a major push in that direction last year. That was when Nimoy famously got behind the town’s failed bid to hold the premiere of J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot. Nimoy, who was the only original cast member to star in the film, read a Calgary Herald news report online that the town had been denied the premiere and decided to lend his support.
"We made some phone calls and one thing led to another ," said Nimoy, in an interview with the Herald prior to the event. "When Paramount got to thinking about it they thought they would show it in Calgary and bus 300 people in Vulcan, which I thought was great. But it just touched me as a very interesting problem that Vulcan couldn’t get a screening of the movie."
Vulcan has already felt the benefits of Nimoy’s plug. In 2009, it had 23,400 visitors come through town looking for Trekkie adventures. That’s up from 16,800 in 2008. Now endorsed by CBS Television, which owns the licensing rights to Star Trek memorabilia, the town has been able to offer a new line of items at its tourism centre.
It was working. Eric Anderson, a 28-year-old Trekkie from Regina, said he spent "way too much" money there Friday morning.
"I bought this shirt, and it was cool because they had these limited-edition posters." he said excitedly, showing off a new t-shirt design with the words "Spock Beamed Down to Vulcan."
"I think there’s only 500 available. I bought a Spock bobble-head doll and some knick-knacks. . . I sound like such a dweeb right now."  Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Recipe of the Week
by Jery Rickard
Lemon Crumb Bars

1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz) lemon cake mix
½ C. cold butter
1 egg
2 C. crushed saltines (about 60 crackers)
3 egg yolks
1can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
½ C. lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, butter and egg until crumbly. Stir in cracker crumbs; set aside 2 cups of the mixture for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, milk and lemon juice. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Yield: 2 dozen.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 bar equals 153 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat),
46mg cholesterol, 244mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 2g protein.
DIABETIC EXCHANGES: 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.

News from Prescott Valley

Thursday, April 22nd, I called Bingo at the Prescott Adult Center and when we left, about 9:45p.m., we found the car covered with about 3" of snow. We had to clear the snow to get the doors open. Then, when we arrived home I had to clear the snow off of the car to prevent the garage floor from getting all wet. Then, Thursday, April 29th, while driving to Laughlin for the Bridge tournament, when in the Ash Fork area, we encountered a huge snow storm. And, this is Arizona. Now the temps are in the high 70s which is very pleasant. We have the top down on our little red car.
I would think that everyone has heard about the Arizona Senate Bill 1070, the state's new immigration-enforcement law, by now. It is causing quite a stir though out the country. Even our President is speaking out against it but our government is not doing anything about the problem. A solid majority of Arizonians support the bill. Tell us how it is effecting your part of the country. I don't think that our Canadian friends have the problem so probably does not effect them.
We watched "Secrets of the Dead" yesterday on PBS. It was very interesting and we got to see Harry.
I didn't do very well in the Bridge tournament but did manage to come in forth overall Saturday afternoon.

The Diamondbacks are in next to last place in the National League, Western Division, 4 games behind first place San Francisco. So far they have won 13 games and lost 15 for a .464 average. The team is playing well and may still have a chance as the season is still very young.
You can watch the Diamondbacks or any other Major League baseball game on your computer. Just got to http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp, select your team and then click on Gameday. Of course your selected team must be playing at the time.

Send me news from your home area. Send all news to Chuck, just click on Chuck or send to chuck@rockcomp.org. When you include pictures send them as an attachment rather than inserting them in the body of the message. It makes life much easier for me.

Chuck