Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Enjoy the peace wherever one can get it

I like the early morning. Quiet, the gals of the house are still asleep, they won't be up for quite a while.

I like the early morning in a small town. Quiet, the folks that are already up are going about their business with a minimum of noise or fuss.

I like the early morning living next to a creek. Today I saw a doe not in the creekbed, but in my back yard. Munching on a few crabapples that fell from their tree of origin. She was there for some time, eating to her heart's content. Then she headed for Geogal's garden, particularly the herbs.

Time for me to stand up, let her see me through the window. She did, and didn't seem to care. Yet I think she got the hint and headed further toward the creek.

A few minutes later, she's gone. Vanished back into the thick vegetation that she no doubt adores. Sustenance and cover.

And all of this before I even make my morning coffee.

I like this.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Lazy (Father's) Day

Yesterday was cool, gray, rainy, gloomy.

Today? Hot, sunny, bright.

Lazy both days. Maybe the week was more taxing than I thought. Anyway, if I have an excuse to be docile, today is the day. Leisurely morning followed by a BBQ meal later than lunch but too early for supper (lupper, perhaps?). The grass is still growing but who wants to mow on Father's Day? The closest I'll come to doing any chores today will be taking the garbage to the curb for tomorrow's pickup.

I can always resume an active lifestyle tomorrow.

More to come...

Saturday, June 13, 2009

What happens if they shut off analog and there's no outcry? No uprising? No reaction at all??

Checking the different media outlets online, there just isn't much coverage of yesterday's role in broadcasting history. Somehow the sun came up just the same this morning and everyone is going about his or her business.

In my area there was virtually no news coverage, given just about all full-power stations in western Kansas and southern Nebraska switched over months ago.

BTW, I did look at my recording of KABC's analog shutoff which can best be described as anticlimactic. Simply the anchor indicating the countdown had started ("In about ten seconds from now.."). Then a normal join to "All My Children." Evidently DirecTV made the proper arrangements sometime yesterday morning.

In one market, though, Dish Network was caught unprepared. See this. And feel free to laugh as he clicks through the other local channels toward the end of the video.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Analog shut-off, for real this time

You know I had to chime in regarding today's place in the history of television broadcasting. For now, though, I have just one thing to share. After my normal routine of getting up and showering, I went down to the basement and turned on the DirecTV. (Because we live in the middle of nowhere we are able to get the New York and Los Angeles network affiliates on the dish as DirecTV doesn't provide this area with the Wichita channels.) Since the NY stations were already into the national morning news shows I just went straight to the LA channels, who were starting their local news for the day. Couldn't find any news items regarding the switchover but I acknowledge I didn't have a lot of time to sit, watch, and wait. However on KABC there was the crawl saying "If you are seeing this, your TV is not ready for the transition..."

Does DirecTV take its national network feeds directly from the stations' over-the-air transmission? I guess so, although I hope they give the Los Angeles market viewers the digital signal of KABC and the other locals otherwise some viewers in the Southland will be mighty confused.

Yes, I set the DVR to record KABC's analog shutoff at noon Pacific time. If I am indeed getting the analog feed it should be an interesting view.