Gotta love the ads you get online: wildforkfoods.com/products/fully-cooked-octopus-tentacles
Odds and Ends
Back to seasonable weather
The weather took a change for the cooler side. I was enjoying the warmth, don’t get me wrong, but there is something to be said for weather that follows the seasons. Iis currently 45F outside (7C for those who are metric) and light rain is falling. Typical for late March. The daffodils are in bloom and I have the pellet stove keeping the chill off of the house. I just lit a stick of balsam fir incense and have a good cup of coffee at hand. A very comfortable evening is shaping up. I am on my radio looking for random contacts and am getting called by a few stations. Why am I writing this? Well consider the fact I could be spouting off about politics or world events, this seems a better choice. We are in a world that prioritizes rushing around and doing things. I think it is better to relax and watch life around me. In a way, I share this philosophy with my cats. Well that is it for now. TTFN
Not a clue
Here I am again, bitchin about things. 🙂 I receive e-mail updates on the shipping status of any packages that I order, as I am sure most of you do. I had ordered some food for my hermit crabs back on 26 Feb. They finally got around to shipping it. (Yes, I am going to leave a dismal review on their webpage) In any event, the company is located in Wichita, Kansas. I am located somewhere in south central Pencilvania. I have been tracking this package since Monday. It left Wichita on Monday. Yesterday it reached Nashua, NH. I am pausing to let that sink in …. the USPS sent it from Kansas to New Hampshire. This morning it was in Chicopee, MA. Now it is in transit to its final destination. The way this is going, I fully expect to receive an update informing me that it has reached a regional distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona. I really have to question the USPS and their grasp of geography.
Not quite the Ides
Well, it seems that we are living in interesting times. Folks are sitting on the edges of their seats, drinking in all that they are being told about current events. No matter. The important thing is that band conditions are getting better every day. We are on the upswing of the solar cycle. You can find openings day and night and can always find someone to talk to. I am currently on 17M looking for SKCC and FISTS contacts but will work anyone. There is a sorta zen thing about morse code. The rhythm is relaxing and soothes the spirit. Hearing a reply from a distant station is still thrilling, even with the passage of strange eons. I sit here enjoying my coffee as the remnants of the weather event moves away. It is warm and comfortable and I am thankful for that. My cats are crashed out on the sofa which faces the pellet stove. They are sucking up the heat. My hermit crabs are in the tank behind me and they are moving about, doing hermit crab things. I don’t have to work tonight so I can relax. I think I will leave the radio on for a while to see how many contacts I can make tonight. As I said, the rhythm is soothing. My antennas have lasted the winter in good shape and though Spring is near, don’t need a lot of maintenance. I do need a couple of tree branches cut but that is not critical. I see that I am being spotted on the reflectors and soon someone may be calling me. Again, life is good. TTFN
The end of February
Well here we are, another month of this year gone. Spring is almost here. I wonder sometimes when the Gov’t is going to make Easter, Christmas and New Years Day Monday holidays. I wouldn’t put it past them. We got a new stationary bike the other day. This one is a recumbent bike and is very comfortable. Our former bike was a bike/stair climber/eliptical but my wyfe did not find it comfortable to use. Sh ehas short legs. She scoured the interwebs and found one that is adjustable an seems to work for her well. The only problems is that it required assembly. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with projects ike that if the instructions are comprehensible and the assorted parts are easy to access. That was not the case. If it weren’t for the pictures, I would have not been able to follow the assembly manual. I believe the original language of the person who wrote it was an obscure dialect of a long-forgotten language. It was then translated into a succession of 6 other languages before settling on English. The screws and washers were packed neatly on a plastic bubble pack mounted on cardboard. They were very organized and attractive before trying to get to them. I sliced open the compartment where one set of washers was and the whole thing separated from the card backing and it became a jumbled mess of screws and washers. We were able to sort things out and my wonderful and long suffering wyfe kept me sane even though she could not curb my lengthy obscene diatribes about the designer’s parentage. 🙂 Other than that, we had to take one of our cats, Marley, to the vet where he had 7 teeth removed. He is recovering well and seems more comfortable and quite happy. I am off for the next few days and plan on doing a few projects around the place and playing on the radio. For now, peace out!
Extrospective Poem
Since the election
Everybody is in a tizzy
No one seems to focus
Depending on rumors
Needing no verification
Using social media
Defaming others opinions
Ending all true conversation
Seems like the end of civility
Unexpected Vote of Confidence
Hi all. I was approached the other day by someone who admits to reading my blog and said that they like it and look forward to reading it. Feedback is always nice.
As usual, on my commute to work, I put out my call on 146.520 MHz. I got no response at first and changed over to the 146.460 repeater. No one answered me there and I went back to 146.520. After a few more miles of silence I called on 145.110 and got a reply. We had a good chat for a few miles before I get to my exit. We discussed the G4FON Morse Trainer software and that steered our conversation to classic literature. I even made the observation that I recently read The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and I found all the characters in the book to be despicable. Now I am working through To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. At least the characters are likable.
If anyone actually readss this blog and wants to leave a comment, feel free.
Some Thoughts
Here are some thoughts: It pays to be prepared. You might laugh at people who prep but what if they are right and you are wrong? Would it hurt for you to have some basic skills and supplies? Skills to include knowing how to sharpen a knife, how to fire a gun, how to forage for food, how to identify which local plants are edible, how to preserve and can food, how to live without electricity. This is by far an incomplete list. There are a lot of good books and resources online to help. Never be afraid to learn. Another useful skill is map reading to include land navigation. Some good things to have: a high-quality knife or 2, canning supplies, battery and solar powered radios, “survival” food, gardening supplies, a rifle and a hand gun, bow and arrows, fishing supplies, water filters, a good quality backpack, good quality walking/hiking shoes. Again, not a comprehensive list, just some things to get your brain engaged. It would also be useful to have some ham radio gear and a license so that you would know how to operate this gear. You could even go as far as to learn basic radio repair. I am sure you could come up with some method of producing electricity to supply modest needs such as solar panels, wind turbines and or water turbines. An additional skill that could be valuable is producing alcohol. Learn to make beer and wine as these would make great trading commodities.
Bitchin !!
Here is something to bitch about: I get updates from shipping companies via e-mail. Using today as an example, I was expecting delivery today as I had received an e-mail informing me that it had been loaded up in a van for delivery as of 03:47 this morning and the expected delivery time was prior to 20:00 this evening. At 15:30 I received an email informing me that it was checked back into the depot at 15:00 and will be delivered tomorrow by 20:00. Did they load my package into a van and take it for a 11 hour drive???? Did they treat it nice? Did the driver at least buy my package lunch or did they let it sit in the pile in the back with no acknowledgment? When I order something I would like it delivered when you say you will deliver it. This driving around for days with my package shows a deep and profound lack of respect.
Ok done bitchin now.
Bistline Bridge
For no reason, here is a picture I took of Bistline Bridge.
