I read 43 books this past year. It was a great mixture, too. Some I loved, some I disliked. I am a member of two book clubs, which provides me with ample variety: UMass-Boston and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Then, there … [Read More...] about Favorite Books of 2022
Favorite Books of 2022
I read 43 books this past year. It was a great mixture, too. Some I loved, some I disliked. I am a member of two book clubs, which provides me with ample variety: UMass-Boston and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Then, there are the recommendations from friends and family. Keep them coming! Here are my favorite books of 2022. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane THE BACKDROP is two NYPD cops working together briefly as partners. They have very little in common, and aren't … [Read more...] about Favorite Books of 2022
How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block
After I became comfortable with Gutenberg (WordPress editor), I started looking for ways to take my skills to the next level. The Gutenberg Group block is a powerful tool for placing several blocks together in a single container. In this article, I discuss how and when to use the Group block. How to Use the Gutenberg Group Block 1. Individual Blocks Into Group Block The simplest way to begin is by using individual blocks as needed. Let's say you have a Heading block followed … [Read more...] about How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block
WordPress Maintenance – The Essentials
Immunization In this post, I describe the series of essential tasks that I include in maintaining my clients' sites. I perform these tasks routinely at the end of each month. It's really important to keep your WordPress site updated so that it runs smoothly and is protected from hackers. WordPress software, themes, and plugins are in a constant state of change: new features are added; bugs are fixed; security holes are plugged. Without regular updating, your site becomes vulnerable to hackers … [Read more...] about WordPress Maintenance – The Essentials
Loosening Up My Painting Style
One of my painting goals for a few years has been to loosen things up and be more expressive. I want people to understand what they're looking at, but I don't want a photo-realistic style. For me, it's about painting from the heart. Regardless, I do tend to get caught up in the details and render my subjects too tightly. When finished, I am highly critical of how accurate my painting is! I think I'm finally beginning to break this crazy cycle. A friend once told me a way to reduce the … [Read more...] about Loosening Up My Painting Style
Connecting Domains to Separate Web Hosting
Two requirements for any website are domain name registration and web hosting. Most web host providers offer both services. You can keep them together at the same company or separate them. There are benefits and disadvantages to both approaches and you'll find all kinds of arguments favoring one over the other. This post addresses how to connect the domain to the website when the domain name is registered at a different provider than the web hosting. There's a mix of what my clients do. So, … [Read more...] about Connecting Domains to Separate Web Hosting
How to Use the Modula Custom Grid Gallery
Modula is a fantastic WordPress plugin for creating galleries. It has loads of options in the Settings section, which makes it very flexible. I especially like the Custom Grid gallery type because of its modular nature: the images can be all the same sizes or a mix of sizes. This guide will show you how to (1) create a new gallery, (2) configure it for a custom grid, (3) add images to it and (4) display the gallery on a page or post. (1) Getting Started: Create a New Gallery (2) … [Read more...] about How to Use the Modula Custom Grid Gallery
Revisiting a Painting
I usually know if a painting is finished. Something in my gut tells me there's nothing more to do and we've reached completion. If I'm unclear, I ask myself this question: "Am I futzing or finessing?" The answer will lead me to my next step. Futzing equals done! Finessing means I have to make a few tweaks. I can see some thing(s) that just doesn't look right. Yet, I might not know how to "fix" it. What tweaks should I make? That's when I put it away and revisit the painting at a later … [Read more...] about Revisiting a Painting
Cropping Thumbnails in WordPress
WordPress Image Defaults When you upload an image to WordPress, it goes into your Media Library. Then, WordPress generates 3 copies of it at default sizes: thumbnail (150x150 pixels square), medium (300x300 pixels maximum), and large (1024x1024 pixels maximum). Your theme settings may vary or include other sizes in addition to these defaults. The thumbnails, used in in the blog archive list and image galleries (among other things), automatically cut off parts of the original image. Sometimes … [Read more...] about Cropping Thumbnails in WordPress