Hey TSP'ers,
I apologize for having to take a seriously long hiatus! Lotsa stuff has been going on since I moved back to SWOK with the XYL! But, was it all that important? HECK YEAH!!!!
1. Skywarn - Southwest Oklahoma has more than its fair share of severe WX! I wasn't this busy with Skywarn in Louisiana, (and I did a lot there), so I've felt a little unprepared! But alas, I've got my system streamlined and things are a lot easier!
2. AFMARS - With the multiple Hurricanes this season, you can imagine how involved this has been! But that's more than OK! Readiness is extremely important!
3. Local Club - Volunteering with the Local club isn't just paying dues and showing up to a meeting or two! This club is so involved with the community! This is a good thing! (5K's, the Air Base, Emergency Management, City wide events, etc).
4. Got Bronchitis with a "touch of pneumonia" - Self-explanatory! But it sucked!
5. Got me a new pup/guard dog in training - In missing Carl's Lab, my "girlfriend", Brandi, I decided it was high time for me to get me a new friend! So, I found me a German Shepherd/Lab mix puppy! His name is Maximus. He's currently 9weeks old and already deep in training! (I train my own dogs! I have the experience). He is fully housebroken and has 3 hand commands and 4 voice commands down and a few more to go! Did I mention he's a good puppy? Well, he is........ for now! I plan on training him as a guard dog! I will give him the signal if a person is OK or not.
6. Setting up my shack - I've been working hard in my shack getting things in order! I've put this off a lot during the hot summer! Now that it's cooling off, I plan on working on one of three towers next! Gotta lot of work ahead! But I'm looking forward to it!
7. Trying my hand at "Elmer-ing" - This is probably the most important part of our hobby and it's fading fast with the "Elder Elmers!" We have a new HAM in our Club and I've taken it upon myself to share everything I've learned so far from my Elmer and am working hard to introduce him to the various aspects of Amateur Radio! He's eager to learn and while we have several "Older" Hams, they're not as inclined to Elmer as they should, (in my opinion). I don't want this particular Ham to fall to the wayside! So, I've started him off with a Data DVD full of info! Then, I invited him over to view some HF, digital modes, and antenna setups. (Hopefully I can get him interested in building a few antennas). Finally, he made the mistake of giving me his email address! So, as Carl does with me, (and I really, truly appreciate it), I'm sharing all the important emails I've saved from Carl, with him! (That's more than 2 years worth of emails. I have hundreds of excellent emails filled with so much info)!
8. Personally impacted by Hurricane Irma and Maria - My in-laws were severely impacted by these two beasts! (All are physically safe). Not so much Irma as Maria. My Rents-in-laws live in St. Croix, USVI! They sustained major damage to their home! We've been able to make contact since. Repairs are underway! Thank the LORD!
So, as you can see, I've been a bit busy! I will do my best to get back to contributing when/where I can! Although I haven't been chiming in, I've been reading several of the posts from time to time. So, thanks to all for keeping this forum alive with ideas, questions, comments, and concerns! It makes for great reading!
Take care and God bless!
DonC
