2024-4-April Calendar
Your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 

Hurray! Your April 2024 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

Wow! So the latter part of January through the middle of March (of 2024) didn’t exactly turn out as I’d planned, lol. That nasty leg wound from my fall 6-1/2 months ago decided to do an about-face in the healing department and it kinda knocked me for a loop. So not only did it make sure I was in pain all day every day during that time, but it messed with my brain so that I couldn’t focus or accomplish much of anything.

So I spent weeks just wandering around my apartment in a circle, knowing there were many things I needed to do, but thanks to the inflammation that had spread throughout my body, I just couldn’t even remember how to do them. (Can we say “brain fog to the extreme”?) Therefore, among many other things I wasn’t able to accomplish during that timeframe, there was no wallpaper/calendar published for March. 

But thankfully, I was finally referred to the Wound Care Clinic the middle of last month, and they’ve worked near miracles on my leg! So the wound is now healing again, I can now sleep at night again, and can even engage the ol’ brain from time to time! I’ve had a ton of stuff to catch up on, of course, but it’s such a blessing to begin to feel like myself again! 

So! Let’s “do spring”! Daffodils & tulips. I know that half of my friends have already finished with daffodil season and are well into tulips filling their colorful fields. But here in North Idaho we’re still doing daffs. So I’m choosing to celebrate both. 

#can’thavetoomanyflowers

My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system is pretty quick; only takes about a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

  1. First, left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save* it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate. *NOTE: If you have trouble downloading the image, it may be due to the newer “webp” image format, which sometimes occurs. The fastest way I know of to convert a “.webp” file to a format you’re familiar with (most likely “png” or “jpg”), is with the browser extension “WebP / Avif image converter”. I have installed that on all my browsers, so now when I do the right click for my dropdown list, instead of choosing the “save image” option, I now choose the “convert and save image as” option, which the extension provides. But there are other methods of converting “webp” files, and you can find those by searching the web. Lots of YouTube videos explain various methods. And be sure to note where you saved your file, so you can find it again!
  2. Well, wouldn’t you know… it seems that Windows has recently changed the process for installation, so here’s AI’s step-by-step guide to get your wallpaper installed if your former method no longer works. It actually takes longer to read the steps to both processes than to do them!

Applying Custom Photo to Lock Screen:

  1. Open Settings:
    • Click on the Start menu icon (Windows logo) located at the bottom left corner of your screen.
    • Click on the “Settings” icon (shaped like a gear) to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Personalization:
    • In the Settings app, select “Personalization” from the options.
  3. Choose Lock Screen:
    • In the Personalization menu, select “Lock screen” from the sidebar on the left.
  4. Select Picture:
    • Under the “Background” section, click on the drop-down menu and select “Picture.”
  5. Choose Custom Photo:
    • Click on the “Browse” button to navigate to the location where your custom photo is saved.
    • Select your desired photo and click on “Choose picture.”
  6. Adjust Settings (Optional):
    • You can adjust additional settings such as choosing how the picture fits the screen.
  7. Check Your Lock Screen:
    • Lock your computer (by pressing Win + L or selecting “Lock” from the Start menu) to see the changes applied to your lock screen.

Setting Custom Photo as Desktop Background:

  1. Open Settings:
    • Follow steps 1 and 2 from the previous section to open the Settings app and navigate to Personalization.
  2. Choose Background:
    • In the Personalization menu, select “Background” from the sidebar on the left.
  3. Select Picture:
    • Under the “Background” section, click on the drop-down menu and select “Picture.”
  4. Choose Custom Photo:
    • Click on the “Browse” button to navigate to the location where your custom photo is saved.
    • Select your desired photo and click on “Choose picture.”
  5. Adjust Settings (Optional):
    • You can adjust additional settings such as choosing how the picture fits the screen. (The “fill” option works fine for my monitor.)
  6. Check Your Desktop Background:
    • Go to your desktop to see the changes applied to your background.

 And that’s it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar
2024-4-April Calendar
Your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 

Hurray! Your April 2024 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

Wow! So the latter part of January through the middle of March (of 2024) didn’t exactly turn out as I’d planned, lol. That nasty leg wound from my fall 6-1/2 months ago decided to do an about-face in the healing department and it kinda knocked me for a loop. So not only did it make sure I was in pain all day every day during that time, but it messed with my brain so that I couldn’t focus or accomplish much of anything.

So I spent weeks just wandering around my apartment in a circle, knowing there were many things I needed to do, but thanks to the inflammation that had spread throughout my body, I just couldn’t even remember how to do them. (Can we say “brain fog to the extreme”?) Therefore, among many other things I wasn’t able to accomplish during that timeframe, there was no wallpaper/calendar published for March. 

But thankfully, I was finally referred to the Wound Care Clinic the middle of last month, and they’ve worked near miracles on my leg! So the wound is now healing again, I can now sleep at night again, and can even engage the ol’ brain from time to time! I’ve had a ton of stuff to catch up on, of course, but it’s such a blessing to begin to feel like myself again! 

So! Let’s “do spring”! Daffodils & tulips. I know that half of my friends have already finished with daffodil season and are well into tulips filling their colorful fields. But here in North Idaho we’re still doing daffs. So I’m choosing to celebrate both. 

#can’thavetoomanyflowers

My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your April 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system is pretty quick; only takes about a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

  1. First, left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save* it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate. *NOTE: If you have trouble downloading the image, it may be due to the newer “webp” image format, which sometimes occurs. The fastest way I know of to convert a “.webp” file to a format you’re familiar with (most likely “png” or “jpg”), is with the browser extension “WebP / Avif image converter”. I have installed that on all my browsers, so now when I do the right click for my dropdown list, instead of choosing the “save image” option, I now choose the “convert and save image as” option, which the extension provides. But there are other methods of converting “webp” files, and you can find those by searching the web. Lots of YouTube videos explain various methods. And be sure to note where you saved your file, so you can find it again!
  2. Well, wouldn’t you know… it seems that Windows has recently changed the process for installation, so here’s AI’s step-by-step guide to get your wallpaper installed if your former method no longer works. It actually takes longer to read the steps to both processes than to do them!

Applying Custom Photo to Lock Screen:

  1. Open Settings:
    • Click on the Start menu icon (Windows logo) located at the bottom left corner of your screen.
    • Click on the “Settings” icon (shaped like a gear) to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Personalization:
    • In the Settings app, select “Personalization” from the options.
  3. Choose Lock Screen:
    • In the Personalization menu, select “Lock screen” from the sidebar on the left.
  4. Select Picture:
    • Under the “Background” section, click on the drop-down menu and select “Picture.”
  5. Choose Custom Photo:
    • Click on the “Browse” button to navigate to the location where your custom photo is saved.
    • Select your desired photo and click on “Choose picture.”
  6. Adjust Settings (Optional):
    • You can adjust additional settings such as choosing how the picture fits the screen.
  7. Check Your Lock Screen:
    • Lock your computer (by pressing Win + L or selecting “Lock” from the Start menu) to see the changes applied to your lock screen.

Setting Custom Photo as Desktop Background:

  1. Open Settings:
    • Follow steps 1 and 2 from the previous section to open the Settings app and navigate to Personalization.
  2. Choose Background:
    • In the Personalization menu, select “Background” from the sidebar on the left.
  3. Select Picture:
    • Under the “Background” section, click on the drop-down menu and select “Picture.”
  4. Choose Custom Photo:
    • Click on the “Browse” button to navigate to the location where your custom photo is saved.
    • Select your desired photo and click on “Choose picture.”
  5. Adjust Settings (Optional):
    • You can adjust additional settings such as choosing how the picture fits the screen. (The “fill” option works fine for my monitor.)
  6. Check Your Desktop Background:
    • Go to your desktop to see the changes applied to your background.

 And that’s it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your February 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your February 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar
2024-2-February Calendar
Your February 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 

Hurray! Your February 2024 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

It’s PINK MONTH! Something I look forward to all winter, as you probably already know if you’ve been following me for very long. In my opinion, January is for resetting and refreshing after the Christmas festivities and (for some of us), surviving the gray skies, precious few hours of daylight, frigid temperatures, and snow & ice.

But by contrast, February starts to let us know there’s hope for an eventual spring (emphasis on the word “eventual”)… and it’s all about celebrating the color PINK.

And if we can do it in conjunction with flowers, so much the better!

And so here’s this month’s wallpaper/calendar… in celebration of two of my favorite things, peonies and pink!

#canthavetoomanyflowers

My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your February 2024 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save* it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate. *NOTE: If you have trouble downloading the image, it may be due to its newer “webp” image format. The fastest way I know of to convert a “.webp” file to a format you’re familiar with (most likely “png” or “jpg”), is with the browser extension “WebP / Avif image converter”. I have installed that on all my browsers, so now when I do the right click for my dropdown list, instead of choosing the “save image” option, I now choose the “convert and save image as” option, which the extension provides. But there are other methods of converting “webp” files, and you can find those by searching the web. Lots of YouTube videos explain various methods.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Hooray for Surprises

Hooray for Surprises

One of my favorite items in Stampin’ Up!®’s 2024 spring mini catalog is the “Hooray for Surprises” bundle. And while the photopolymer stamp set is based around fun, generic, and simple-to-stamp images, it’s actually the set of dies that captured my imagination the most! Super-original in design, I think several of the dies can be used in a variety of ways, and will easily work with other stamp sets, as well. And I especially hope this unique concept may show up in future dies sets going forward!

What makes these dies so unique?

If you look at these die images really closely you’ll see that several of them actually have perforated edges. So when run through the die-cutting machine, the shape will not be cut out completely. And when combined with one of the instructional stamp images (such as “Pull”, or “Open here”), you can inform the recipient to do just that. And if you’ve structured your card similar to my example, pulling that tab will reveal a fun surprise inside!

Some tips for assembling a card with the Hooray for Surprises dies

This was the first card I made using these dies, and I found that its assembly was a little trickier than I’d expected at first. But a little brain-scratching helped me figure it out. (I’ve always admitted that working with spatial things has NEVER been my forte, lol, and this was a perfect example.) The card base itself is your plain-ol’, everyday thick Basic White CS, scored and folded as usual. Then I brushed Lemon Lime Twist ink around the outer edges. 

If I’d thought quickly enough, I could have then decided where to stamp the sentiment (onto the center area of the white card base) and just gone with that. But instead, I’d already stamped the decorated layer (with Melon Mambo, Azure Afternoon, Lemon Lime Twist, and Daffodil Delight inks) – AND had already die-cut the shape – before I’d considered the assembly logistics. 

So ultimately, I ended up stamping the sentiment, along with a little more brushed Lemon Lime Twist background color, onto a scrap of Basic White cardstock and lining that up BEHIND the already- stamped & die-cut upper layer, in front of a very bright lightbulb which allowed me to see through the top decorated layer down to the words of the sentiment. Then once aligned to my satisfaction, I taped the 2 pieces of white CS together from behind… and then glued that whole element to my cardbase. 

In this case, had I actually given this card to someone, they would have been able to pull off the die-cut section to reveal the sentiment behind. But since I knew I wanted pictures of this card I did the pull-tab reveal myself.

So my next challenge...

… was to figure out how to replace the pull-tab element for display purposes. Hmmm… More brain scratching…

But it didn’t take too long to remember that our “Green Glue” (aka “Multipurpose Liquid Glue”) can do several tricks. And one of its lesser-known tricks is to become a lightweight temporary adhesive if left to dry before attaching two paper elements together. So I used my finger to smear a few thin areas of glue onto the back side of the die-cut circle and once thoroughly dry, I replaced that piece into its original position. And I’ve successfully pulled it off and replaced it several times since then, so I’m pretty sure that will become my solution going forward with this type of card! 

Need something other than just these items? Remember that the purchase of this bundle together with another small item will qualify you for a free Sale-a-Bration item through Feb. 29! (Free exclusive item for everyone with a $50 product order.)

Download your latest Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your latest Wallpaper/Calendar

 


Hurray! Your latest wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

As I’ve been sitting here for the past half-dozen hours struggling to figure out why the updating process/system that I’ve used for YEARS regarding these monthly wallpaper updates suddenly REFUSES to work this month, I’m listening to the roaring wind that seems determined to take the roof off my apartment! But I know that this is only the introductory period of the incoming weather pattern; in just another couple of days we’re set to plummet to highs of about zero (Fahrenheit)… and lows several degrees below that. (Except that those overnight “feels like” temps will be 20-below.) I’m pretty sure these predicted temps will be colder than anything I’ve experienced as an adult, and admittedly am a bit nervous about it all.

But at least I think I chose a good image for this month! That is, IF I can get past the technicalities and resulting frustration of getting it posted and available to you in the first place! (I’m not thinking too kindly at the moment about the “improvements” my hosting company has forced upon us these past couple of months. SO many wasted hours spent trying to figure out how to do the same relatively-simple routines I’ve done every month for the past half-dozen or so years!) 

But if I’m ultimately successful in getting your wallpaper/calendar set up for download, then I hope you will enjoy it, too. 


My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your latest Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your November 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your November 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-11-November Calendar
Your November 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 


Hurray! Your November 2023 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

November already. Yet I can hardly believe we’ve already blasted past Halloween! Time’s going so fast… but maybe it just seems that way because I’ve been so busy. Busy with getting the garden ready for the winter, handling various summertime projects that somehow slopped over into autumn, and coordinating lots of fun stampin’ events. Not complaining at all… just marveling at how time passes so quickly! 

This picture suggests yet another garden setting, but dressed in the seasonal shades of autumn, and offering up the final flush of color before the world turns white. Wishing you a warm & cozy November!


My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your November 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your October 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your October 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-10-October Calendar
Your October 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 


Hurray! Your October 2023 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

So fall is falling around here. Just this morning, the trees outside my window shimmered in lovely shades of gold as the gentle breeze tickled their leaves. But given the wind and pouring rain the late afternoon and evening has brought us, I expect by tomorrow morning, those golden leaves will all lie soggy on the ground.

I rather suspect the photographer/artist who edited this photo took a little license with the colors of the foreground trees. But it struck me as stunning anyway and speaks of the transition from one season to the next. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.


My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your October 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your September 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your September 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-9-September Calendar
Your September 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 


Hurray! Your September 2023 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

September. And because I have always connected September to sunflowers in bloom, I feature them every year at this time. But in addition to meaning sunflowers, September is a transition month around here. Last month we sweltered through several days in a row of 100+ temperatures. Yet just a couple of days ago the high was only in the 60’s and it was raining. Today is expected to top out at close to 80, but it’s entirely possible we’ll see snow flurries before the month’s end! 

So while Mother Nature is fiddling around trying to figure out her path into true winter weather, I’ll take all the moderately warm and sunny days she’s got left for us!


My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your September 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your August 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your August 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-8-August Calendar
Your August 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 


Hurray! Your August 2023 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

We’ve reached the last full month of summer, and I often feel like it’s the longest and hottest month of the season. (A bit ironic, perhaps, because we can occasionally have snow flurries the very next month.) But other than staying inside with the A/C going, nothing’s better than heading down to the water’s edge (which would be the Spokane River in my case), and hanging out in the shade of the trees for a while. This picture doesn’t depict either the Spokane River nor the types of trees we’d normally see nearby around here, but I think the overall idea is close enough to work. 😉


My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your August 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your July 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your July 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-7-July Calendar
Your July 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

 


Hurray! Your July 2023 wallpaper/calendar is ready to download!

Although red, white, and blue, which seemed particularly appropriate for this time of year, this image also reminds me about the beauty of solitude. 

Solitude

How often do you take time to just “be” by yourself?

I’ve grown so used to it over the years that it’s now my default state. So when I find myself in the middle of a busy family’s chaos from time to time, or a large group where there’s a lot of activity happening, it can often seem a little jarring. Especially to an introvert.

But over the years, I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate solitude. It offers me space for self-reflection, and after the hectic pace of these past couple of decades, I now appreciate the quiet time to “just think” and understand why certain things have occurred as they have. Things that at the time I was just too busy to comprehend at deeper levels, yet knew I just needed act or react.

And alongside self-reflection, solitude allows me to recharge as I need to. Whether emotionally or physically, recharging is a vital ingredient to “keeping going”, particularly as the years start to take their toll. I wish I’d understood this more completely much earlier in life.

Solitude can also enhance both creativity and productivity. I’ve discovered that being alone can give me space to tap into my own inventiveness and make connections that sometimes even surprise me. At a time in life when I don’t particularly want to acquire too many new things, it seems that I’ve often had insight to repurpose things I already have. And of course, having fewer interruptions, also allows me to spend more time in the “flow state”, and at least feel like I can get more done than I used to be able to. 

And just yesterday I was speaking with a neighbor about how living alone sparks inventiveness and resourcefulness. Often, with no one else to ask for help, we can still somehow just figure out how to accomplish a challenging task ourselves! 


Being alone can give me space to tap into my own inventiveness and make connections that sometimes even surprise me.

My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your July 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 11 system takes just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy!

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Just left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, noting where you’ve saved it, and renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been saved to your computer, click on that saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such devices these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!

Download your June 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Download your June 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar
2023-6-July Calendar
Your June 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar is ready!

Hurray! Your June 2023 wallpaper/calendar is (finally!) ready to download!

It’s June… the month of strawberries. So of course I need to feature them. I’ve been growing strawberries for the past several years… beginning first with a single pot of them on my apartment balcony, and then roughly 8 years ago advancing to a crate about 1 foot square, and nowadays I have 2 raised wooden beds that provide about 8 square feet of growing space. (I love that these beds are about waist high, so I don’t have to get down to ground level to tend to the plants or pick ’em.) I used to know what varieties I had, but they’ve… shall we say “intermingled” over the years, and now they’re “just strawberries”. Some are June-bearing, but most of them bloom intermittently throughout the growing season (except for during the hottest months, when it’s mostly all about just trying to keep them alive in the blazing afternoon heat).

Did you know that what we refer to as “a strawberry” is actually what is known as an “aggregate fruit”? That basically means that each little, tiny section is a single fruit. According to the dictionary definition, an aggregate fruit is “a fruit formed from several carpels derived from the same flower”. Some other, more obvious examples of aggregate fruits include raspberries and blackberries. The sections of those aggregate fruits are easier to observe, although in all these cases, the multiple parts fuse together around a common “receptacle”. 

Each of the average 200 “seeds” visible on the outside of a strawberry are actually the plant’s ovaries, which are called “achenes”. And each “achene” holds a seed within it. But in spite of all those “seeds” contained on a single berry, we don’t usually plant strawberries from seed anyway, but rather from “daughter plants” that grow on runners the “mother plant” produces. (This is how I’ve grown my collection of strawberries over the years; I anchor the daughter plants into the soil right before winter hits and let them develop roots over the winter and into the early spring. So they’re ready to get growing when the weather finally warms up.)

And here’s something else that may be surprising to many: a “serving” of strawberries has more Vitamin C than an orange!  

My monthly desktop wallpaper & calendar offers you a pretty seasonal picture to customize and brighten your computer monitor. But that’s not all. It also includes a handy monthly calendar, and you’ll find my web address listed at the bottom. (Note that the address isn’t clickable; you’ll have to type it into your browser).  This monthly wallpaper design is FREE to download and install, so please don’t hesitate to share this page with your friends and family.

How to download & install your June 2023 Wallpaper/Calendar

Note: You’ll probably want to consult your own computer operating system’s installation instructions, but installing the background image on my Windows 10 system took just 3 quick steps – and less than a minute. It’s super-duper easy-peasy! (Windows 11 seems to work pretty much the same way, as well.)

Here’s how you can (probably) do it, too.

    1. Decide which version you’d like to download. (For newer, larger monitors, you’ll probably prefer the higher-res version.) If you’d like to download the higher-res version of this wallpaper/calendar, left-click here and this month’s image should open. (It might take a few moments to fully appear.) Locate and select the download option (probably somewhere near the upper-left of your screen) and save the image to your computer, renaming it as you wish. OR… if you’d prefer the standard-resolution version, left-click here to open the image. Then right-click on the image and save it to your computer, renaming it as appropriate.
    2. Once the file has been downloaded, named, and saved, click on your saved image to open it.
    3. Once open, right-click on the image and select “Set as” > “Set as Background”….. then right-click on the image again and select “Set as” > “Set as Lock screen”. And poof! That’s all there is to it! (For convenience, I recommend you install this on both your desktop system and your laptop. Assuming you still have such things these days, of course!)

Tips for other operating systems:

And in case you may have an operating system OTHER than Windows 10 (or 11), you may find these installation tips helpful:

  1. Windows 10, 8.1 or 7: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-customize-desktop-background-windows 
  2. Apple Mac: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Desktop-Background-on-an-Apple-Macintosh-Computer  

Finally, please keep in mind that the format of my monthly image is designed for most modern-day 16:9 monitors (a common format for monitors and HD TV’s since about 2009), oriented in landscape format. (If your monitor displays 1920 x 1080 pixels, or 2560 x 1440 pixels, it should work fine.) If you’re working with an older monitor (and/or one that’s more square-ish in format), or your monitor is set up in portrait format or some other variation, the picture will likely not work for you. And unfortunately, I am unable to trouble-shoot individual systems’ incompatibility challenges. Sorry!