I’ve upgraded to WordPress 2.3.2. One of the first things I realized after going over the detailed upgrading instructions was that I had a sidebar widget login that disappeared after I upgraded WordPress. To get back to the old familiar WP login page, I had to type wp-login.php after my domain name in the browser url field to access the admin panel.
In cleaning up the plugins page, several plugins prompted me to upgrade them, which was a pleasant surprise for this version of WordPress. I will be test driving the site for a bit to clean up some problems (most notably Oceia bar) and figure out if anything broke due to the upgrade.
Of especial concern: my antivirus at work picked up a Downloader trojan in one of my browser caches. I don’t recall downloading any content today, (I’ve been browsing plant sites, WordPress, eBay, Wells Fargo, Texas Almanac and the Weather site) but it has me concerned enough to run an online virus scan of my server. Sadly Kaspersky no longer makes online scanning available: therefore, I’m using TrendMicro’s online scanner to check for bugs.
Once again the seed and plant catalogs are piling high in the mailbox. I’m inevitably reminded by the mild weather and the bare flower beds that it will soon be time for spring sowing and gardening. I plan to take off a week from work either in February or March to devote to the yards. I’m trying to look up weather reports to help me with planning this week off. I did check out the Texas Almanac website to learn about the last freeze dates. Average last freeze dates for Dallas/Collin counties is March 16. I’ve also scanned the Weather.com site to retrieve average monthly temperatures for my area.
Today at work, we were scratching our heads over why our 2K3 server wasn’t updating its IP to the DNS server. It led me to interesting reading at the Microsoft KB.
I’m thinking about installing aluminum edging in the back yard. Shopping online, I found reasonably priced aluminum lawn edging at YardProduct.com. I’d like to start with the side yard, and hopefully move on to the rear flower beds. Plans are to use asian jasmine ground cover for most of the area currently covered with a weed mat, while the side yard will feature variegated liriope as border/edging plants.
With the mild weather this past Sunday, DH and I did some pruning and clearing of the front yards. DH took some shears and proceeded to prune the dead branches off our two myrtles. He also removed the unsightly canna leaves that frost had killed. I pulled and uprooted grass that had infiltrated and overwhelmed both front yard beds, and I’m happy to see that I will be transplanting some nandina and salvia volunteers to the rear yard this year. The fringeflower bushes next to the front door have doubled in height since they first arrived and are in desperate need of shearing, which will happen hopefully in early spring. I wonder if my mango calla lilies survived the winter and will put a showing this year? The muscari sprouts promise to bring some color the front yard when spring arrives. And while the Crimson Pirate daylily leaves have finally succumbed to the cold, I have no doubt they will return with warm weather. Now if only I can get hubby to apply some serious weed killer to the lawn.
I also hopped over to Home Depot to purchase 10 bags of topsoil to fill some holes dug up in the yard. I suspect Dash has attempted to burrow underneath the crepe myrtle in the side yard, exposing the root ball. It was a surprisingly huge hole, and I’m saddened to think of the irises that were lost. I’m also upset to find the remains of my zebra iris, Doe Z Doe, scattered in the side yard. The nandinas I planted and replanted in the middle back bed showed signs of damage (one was completely chewed/ripped apart). And if it weren’t for the planter loops I erected, I suppose the new salvia I planted may have perished. Did any of the zebras survive? I’m almost heartbroken thinking about it. Such is the plight of the gardener who shares their yards with dogs.
But the daffodils are pushing up through the ground and it looks like it will be a lovely show early in the year.