And I missed my chance to see this station

It's not often that a full-power, network-affiliated TV station signs off the air for good. So when I learned (via Web chatter) that KSNB-TV in Superior, Nebraska went dark the first of this month I figured I needed to do some digging.

Sure enough, it's off the air and not just for some temporary, equipment-related deal. No sir. Off the air for good.

What happened?

In short, the transition to digital killed this beast. For decades this station operated over-the-air on VHF channel 4. In the olden analog television world this channel assignment was coveted, offering a signal that could travel quite a distance. Transmitting out over the rolling prairie of southern Nebraska and northern Kansas this meant great coverage. KSNB was originally an ABC affiliate then switched to Fox in the 1990's. Fast-forward to the near-present and KSNB was part of a two-station setup providing Fox programming to the area (the other was KTVG in Grand Island).

Evidently business deals expiring and the lack of any perceived need to keep a digital TV station on low-band VHF in a sparsely populated area contributed to the decision to permanently cease operations on channel 4. Both the Wikipedia article and this piece from the Superior newspaper give sufficient explanation. (Beware--the Superior "newspaper" site smacks of 1995.)

And for the title of today's entry? I had a chance to see this signal back in May when I went on a roundabout road trip with my trusty MacBook. On US 36 near Montrose I parked, powered up, set up the antenna, but did not get KSNB's signal. Why not?

Bad information.

Using TV Fool I checked to see which location would give me the best shot at a viewable picture. However the TV Fool site already had KSNB as broadcasting their digital signal on channel 4, presumably having already done the analog shut-off. Try as I might, I just couldn't get the channel 4 digital signal.

A few days later I learned that in fact, KSNB hadn't yet switched off analog. But due to my impatience and the info I had at the time, I didn't bother letting the Eye TV scan the whole channel spectrum for a signal. I just kept trying with the lower channels and eventually gave up.

Had I switched over and done an analog channel scan, I certainly would have seen them.

But, to use the cliche, that's all water under the bridge. The station is gone.

I doubt anyone will pony up funding and buy the license in an effort to get this signal back on the air. However should that happen it won't be a Fox affiliate. It may end up as an infomercial-heavy channel or a bad-preacher station. Either way it won't be anywhere near its former glory.

Just another chapter in Nebraska TV history. Actually, once you get out of the Omaha market, Nebraska television is about as odd as it gets. I'll soon post an entry with the reasons why.

Snow-filled Sunday

It’s becoming a holiday tradition, I believe.

Drove to Kearney yesterday (yes, a Sunday). Don’t any of you start the backsliding talk--I went to early service and enjoyed the traditional Christmas carols accompanied by nothing more than a piano. After church I topped off the tank then hit the road.

My purpose was twofold: Buy a Christmas tree and finish out some holiday shopping. Yes, you read that right. Finish out. Between my cybershopping and Geogal’s talent for picking out the child’s big gift some time ago I was down to just a few items, mainly for the stockings. Today is December 7 and I cannot recall when I’ve ever been this ahead of the Christmas shopping game this early. I’m enjoying it.

I learned my lesson last year--don’t wait too long to buy the Christmas tree. First I visited a few retailers, stopped at Qdoba for lunch, then picked out a nice-looking spruce. The nice folks at Earl May loaded it into the back of my trusty Toyota and I struck out for home.

Normally the drive from Kearney back home is about as routine as they get. Yesterday though, the weather pundits predicted one to two inches of the white stuff for the area.

Right.

Flakes falling, I headed down the highway, thankful I was with the wind (my payback for being against it all the way to). No real accumulation on the road for which I was thankful. Driving through the occasional town I noticed more conglomeration on the road itself (no wind to blow it away). As I got closer to my own burg the snowpack got more pronounced. FInally the last 30 miles I was using the four-wheel drive for the most part.

One to two inches? Try five.

And we’ve got more expected for tonight. Little Geoana is already banking on tomorrow being a snow day.

What is the tradition I referred to in the opening sentence? Driving to Kearney in less-than-ideal conditions. Remember this?

More thoughts before more football

Last night's game (Texas versus Texas A&M) was quite the nail-biter. I (along with a lot of others) wasn't expecting anything close. All game I kept thinking: "Are these even the same Aggies who got humiliated earlier this season by the University of Arkansas?"

Of course, that's why everyone likes these rivalry games this time of year. And yes, I plan to catch Alabama against Auburn, Nebraska going up against Colorado, and the Backyard Brawl today and tonight even if it means doing a little channel-hopping.

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Bathroom project update: Painting is done and the cork flooring was installed just today. It looks beauty-licious. The shower install is slated for tomorrow and the toilet and sink will likely go in during a couple of evenings next week.

So close to being done I can taste it!

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No waiting-in-line-wake-up-way-early Black Friday shopping for Geogal this year. Probably a good thing, too. She had physical therapy in Nebraska today and her therapist related a Black Friday story. In summation: therapist's husband has wanted a particular TV for some time now. Went to the McCook Wal-Mart very early, thinking "how many people could possibly be there this early--after all this is rural southwest Nebraska." Turns out a whole lot of folks were there, so many that he had trouble finding a parking space and added there was scarcely any room for this crowd of folks to get through the doors.

Yep, I'll pass. I think I mentioned before I'm doing just about all my shopping online this year.

Only 34 years later...

Back in '75 I was invited to a birthday party (I think it was one of the guys in my Cub Scout Den). Slated for a Saturday, the invitation gave the plans as miniature golf. But if it rained (always likely in soggy Houston, Texas) we would all go see "Escape To Witch Mountain." I was hoping to see the flick but despite an overcast day we all did the miniature golf deal. I had fun anyway and did quite well considering I had never before played this game. I even hit my ball into the "win a free game" target at the end (beginner's luck) and got to enjoy another round.

So anyway I never did see "ETWM" until last night. Rented it from Netflix, all three of us enjoyed it. My eight-year-old Geoana liked it and despite the dated special effects the story still holds up well. Yet in a Geoguy-will-always-think-this-way perspective, every time I saw Donald Pleasence my mind's voice would recall a line from "You Only Live Twice," usually: "This is the price of failure, Meeester Bond."

Hey Houston football fans, life's not all bad!

Remember when this guy, and this guy, ruled the NFL roost in southeast Texas?

At least the Texans are respectable.

A break in the action

Tonight I'm stoked. Just had my project advisor (the guy who makes sure I don't royally screw up the bathroom renovation project) and his colleague spray the drywall with texture so the primer and painting will start in earnest soon. Possibly tomorrow soon.

Soon the Geohouse will have a fully functioning and very good-looking basement bathroom. And I will have gained home-improvement knowledge to boot.

But just because I'm occupied with the bathroom redo project doesn't mean my mind can't wander off to other subjects. (And can you find a better sentence with a double negative represented by contractions?)

How about the resurgence of the old Southwest Conference? While Texas remains a powerhouse thanks to Mack Brown one cannot help but notice a red-brick schoolhouse in Fort Worth continues to demolish its competition. And the University of Houston? Texas Tech, while not attracting the attention they did last year, still will wind up with a sweet bowl game invite. Even SMU (the best football team money could buy back in the '80's) is now bowl-eligible.

Other stuff? How about hunting? Last Saturday was historic for the Geofamily. The opening day of pheasant season in Kansas saw me loading up the shotgun, putting on camo and blaze orange, and hitting some fields with a friend. Oh and did I mention I took little Geoana with me? Gave her a chance to tote around her pink BB gun. Might as well make this a family affair.

Results? I got off a few shots, but didn't take down a rooster. Oh well, the season lasts until January 31. God willing I'll get to clean and cook a pheasant.

Lesee, anything else? I'll be doing all of my Christmas shopping online this year (learned my lesson from last December). I'm actually ahead of the game this time, have most of the gifts in mind and know where they can be found in cyberspace.

That's all for now. Just wanted to let all the readers know how things are turning here in the land of Dorothy.

Real life intervenes

The dearth of entries during October for this blog? One reason: bathroom project.

For many weeks now I've been engaged in redoing the basement bathroom. I have even gone as far as to get out the camcorder and shoot a "before" video as well as a little "during." Since the bathroom is just a little more than six foot square and the camcorder lacks a wide-angle lens, don't expect any HGTV-type panning shots in the final edit.

I began demo in the waning days of August and am now at the stage where the last couple of pieces of new drywall (greenboard, no less) are ready to go on. Then comes the mudding, sanding, more mudding (i.e. covering over one's mistakes), more sanding, spraying texture (prep work for that will take way longer than the actual task), applying the primer (Kilz--moisture resistant!!), painting (Geogal will shoulder much of this task), and assembling the new shower stall.

Then wait for the local flooring outfit to install cork flooring, followed by the new toilet and pedestal sink.

After that? As I said to Geogal some time back: "It's my job to get the bathroom functional. It's your job to make it look pretty."

But all of this to say that given the magnitude of the job and the desire to make continual progress, some things have to suffer. Such as blogging, as well as exercise and creative cooking.

Yes, I'm keeping my eye on the prize and thinking about how great the new bathroom will be (the nicest room in the house, in fact). And being done with demo is nice (no more throwing stuff outside regardless of how therapeutic I think it is). Not to mention I'm learning a great deal about construction in the process. This stuff will no doubt serve me well when I engage in future home-improvement projects.

In the meantime I'll try not to ignore my corner of the Internet completely. Before long I'll be again posting about my hobbies and life and such.

Just for now, though, the Geofamily is learning to make do with only one functional bathroom.

The Crud (or is it The Flu?)

Yep, reading today's title pretty much sums up my condition. Came on Monday afternoon, thought (as I always do) that I could shake it off quick. You know, down more fluids, pump a little more of the Vitamin C, get a little rest. Nope. Gets worse before it gets better.

So anyway this morning I struggled through the shower and spent a good half-hour trying to decide whether to stay home and rest or just tough it up and go to work. I decided on the former. One of the downsides of being home ill is that the house is so very quiet during the day. And for me the challenge is to keep my mind occupied lest I get restless. (The fact that today was a nice warm one after several cool ones just made it worse.) Fortunately for me the ever-thoughtful Geogal procured some books from the local library so I spent some of this evening reading short stories by John Updike.

Lessee, chicken soup, orange juice, over-the-counter medication, reading material. Got em all. At least I feel prepared for however long this ailment lasts. Have to admit, though, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning and the same decision awaiting me...

Blog-worthy

Every now and then I hear of something I deem "blog-worthy." Since coming to Kansas it's usually something quirky about this part of the country or something that's so heinous I feel a need to share it with the world. Today's entry comes from the latter category.

Geogal got back from a church women's retreat held at a campground near Solomon, Kansas. I'll spare my dear readers the bulk of what she shared from the weekend but one item was just too laughter-inducing.

Everyone here who knows me (us, actually) is aware I will not eat Mexican food here unless I make it in my own home. Having lived in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona qualifies me as a connoisseur of the varieties of south-of-the-border cuisine available in the U.S. Southwest. Food around here labeled as "Mexican," isn't. No debate. No discussion.

First she told me of a dish they served called "charo," although I wonder if that was simply a corruption of the Spanish word "caldo." A soup with pinto beans, corn, other veggies, and whole lot of cumin. Apparently it was garden-variety with an excess of cumin to give it flavor.

It gets better. At this time of year tomatoes are plentiful given just about everyone grows them in their garden. One of the ladies brought a load of fresh ripe tomatoes for the cook to make salsa. What was the cooking ladies' concept of salsa? Tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.

No active ingredient.

I felt so sorry for Geogal that this evening I grilled her a nice lamb chop seasoned up just right.

Hit the spot. Mexican food will be served here later this week.

If you're an old TV junkie in need of a good laugh...

Wish this was on YouTube so I could embed the video here.

Oh well. Just click and have a good hearty laugh.

Bring On The 'Boys

I don't spend too much time perusing newspapers but this article from the Dallas Morning News is certainly worth the read.

But lest we engage in too much euphoric recall, let's remember that professional football was changing back in the late 1980's and you can't argue that Landry's way of doing things wasn't working. During his final season the Pokes went 3-13 and they really had not been a dominant team since about 1985. Remember that hideous loss to the Bears? Yeah, I don't want to go back down that road now.

Still Landry had a high level of character and integrity, something that is increasingly rare in today's NFL.

I'm ready for the season to start.

A Near-Perfect Friday Evening

This week was a killer.

At work, that is. Despite having four workdays instead of the usual five it seems this week was equivalent to four Mondays in a row. Today felt like that last push just before the long-distance runner breaks the tape. Exhausting, but worth the effort.

So I come home a little after 5, and I'm tired. Real tired. "French fried" was the term I used with Geogal. She understands.

Not home even 10 minutes and it starts raining. Not the depressant type of rain but a gentle cool cleansing of all things including my fatigued soul. Almost Mother Nature's way of reminding me to slow down and enjoy what she has to offer.

I couldn't order it better than that. I'm home to enjoy it and I have no reason to be out of doors this evening unless I so choose. Relaxing, refreshing, rejuvenating. Even the air smells clean now.

Time to breathe deeply.

So Long Summertime

August is gone. And so is summer. Therefore here are some musings I accumulated over the last many weeks. Nothing to really justify a blog entry of their own:

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Vacation time has come and gone. Overall the trips out of state were good, no problems with travel and Geogal and I had no nasty exchanges or snapping at each other, even toward the end of the trip (which is where it usually happens).

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Add this to the “Only In Texas” category: Where else can you drive for hours, traverse two states, stop at Denton for the night, and have the hotel parking lot full of...Texas license plates? Just like the old saying goes, if you drive “a far piece” in Texas, you most likely will still be in Texas.

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Overheard from a woman during a group cookout in June, hosted by yours truly: “Uh-oh, the men are getting out the guns.”


(But seriously, I was just showing a friend the two rifles my dad gave me. No alcohol or violence involved here.)

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Apparently in some parts of the country what happens outdoors can affect the taste of one’s beverage.

Case in point: Cleburne, Texas. Late July. Go to an Applebee’s (one of the rare national chains I will honor with my presence). Geogal orders iced tea but upon tasting it asks the server if she can bring her something different. “Just not something right about that taste.” The server responded that all of the iced tea varieties might taste odd. Reason? “The lake turned over.”

Seems that a good hard rainstorm will cause the sediment from the lake bottom to rise to the top, resulting in skanky-taking iced tea.

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And to top off this goodbye-summer entry, what do I hear on Sirius 60, The Highway? Yesterday it was Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.” Today it’s Kenny Chesney singing “Summertime.” And not the Gershwin-penned version, either.

Maybe someone should alert the programmers that September 1 ought to be the cut-off mark for warm-weather odes. I’m surprised they didn’t go for the trifecta and play Alan Jackson’s “Summertime Blues.”

Answering the question

Why?

The question is inevitable. I’m a fortysomething guy with numerous interests and hobbies. So why pursue hunting?

The naysayers might say it’s because I have some latent desire to “be a man.” Others could say I’m giving in to peer pressure. Or is a longing to recapture some youth? Do I need to gather my own meat, a throwback to frontier times?

None of these are correct and many aren’t even close to the real truth. First of all hunting animals does not make me a man, nor does any other singular activity. For me, manhood is defined by taking responsibility for oneself, being a leader of a household, making a commitment to one woman (a vow that is to last for a lifetime), putting in an honest days work, and keeping your word. No, shooting animals doesn’t promote any of these traits.

For me, the reasons to take up hunting are simple. For starters I like to be outdoors. I’ve hiked, backpacked, four-wheeled, and mountain climbed (not a fourteener in Colorado, but a “twelver” in New Mexico). Since the onset of adulthood I haven’t had the leisure time to enjoy a lot of these activities but I also admit I haven’t made them a high priority for much of the time. Earning a living, going to graduate school, and raising a child all take a toll on one’s time. But the good old outdoors is still there, unchanged, ready for me to participate once again.

Second, moving to this area did stir up a desire deep inside of me to hunt. Something about being away from a city or suburbia environment and finding myself smack dab in the middle of pheasant and deer habitat here in NW Kansas ignites a deep-seated yearning to head out on foot and challenge my skills against those of Mother Nature.

Third, while there is no peer pressure on me to join up with friends and acquaintances I do see hunting as an opportunity to connect with others around here in a different way. From what I hear hunting seems to further friendships and gives everyone a way to share a common outdoor experience. Add to that that 97% of the land in Kansas is privately owned meaning no National Forest or BLM land on which to enjoy the great outdoors, and hunting just seems like a natural activity.

To round out my list of reasons I’ll also cite an affinity for shooting. I first did target shooting with a .22 over 30 years ago at summer camp. I liked it then and my thrill of hitting the bullseye hasn’t diminished with time. In fact Geogal and I gave little Geoana a Daisy BB gun for her birthday this year and she seems just as inclined to use it as I am to practice my marksmanship now.

So while I won’t go overboard on this hobby (I just plan to procure the right equipment over the course of time) I do look forward greatly to the fall and the coming of deer and pheasant season. Just this morning there was a crisp feeling to the post-dawn air with an outside temp of 49 degrees. Won’t be long now.

Reward Trip

Yesterday I took the truck and headed for Nebraska. Destination Kearney. Cabela's to be specific.

Not that it takes much to get me through the doors of that establishment, but this journey was special. You see, I spent all of last Saturday completing the Kansas Hunter's Education Course. As I was successful Geogal granted me permission to make a trip to Cabela's to load up on a little gear.

Before I proceed further with purchase details I need to dispel your myths about the hunter education. It isn't a "pay your fee and get a certificate" classroom. (There was no fee, this is taxpayer-funded.) In order to get my certificate I had to complete an extensive online curriculum covering everything from firearm types to hunter ethics to "after the shot." By extensive I mean it took me an entire two evenings (staying up late) to complete before the Saturday classroom portion rolled around. 14 different sections. I had to be familiar with each one or no certificate for me. No Hunter's Education Certificate, no hunting license. No hunting license, and I'm staying home come November.

I had to pass two written tests and an oral one, plus some time at the shooting range. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday but this wasn't all fun and games. (I did, though, get to skeet shoot for the first time in my life. I liked it!!) Was all of this education worth the effort? Yes, I can say without reservation. I know so much more now that I did three weeks ago.

Example: Three weeks ago someone might ask "What kind of shotgun do you have?" My answer back then, "A single-barrel, single-shot."

Now, same question. My response: "A Stevens 16-gauge 2 and three quarter inch, break action, vintage late 1940's or early 1950's."

Why an old firearm? I might have written elsewhere in this blog that my Dad gave me his old shotgun and a 30-30 rifle when he visited last fall. He hasn't hunted since before I was born and these bang-sticks haven't been fired in decades. But that's about to change. I have them with a gunsmith right now, they're in good shape overall, just in need of some cleaning.

So, officially hunter-educated and getting everything ready for autumn, I went to Cabela's yesterday, something of a reward for completing the course. Not to mention I needed gun cases for transportation as well as some way to securely store the firearms (Geogal isn't worried about our little one but her friends might be a concern.) Found both items, plus a blaze orange cap to ensure I won't be shot by another hunter. Hunting is just like any other hobby or interest. You can spend as little or as much as you desire. For now I'm keeping it simple and will stick with the firearms I have. I did look at 12-gauge shotguns yesterday as those are more widely used in hunting, but Cabela's does carry some 16-gauge shot (both lead and non-toxic).

I'll be ready.

Page is up!

Go here to see some more pictures from South Dakota.

The fix turned out to be easier than I expected. Maybe a good night's sleep was the difference.

The Best of Intentions

I'm working on my companion site, one where I have greater freedom to intersperse pictures and text. But with freedom comes responsibility and creating pages over there takes more time and effort.

Last night though, I decided to finish up the South Dakota trip project and have a nice colorful web page ready for publishing. Only the publish function didn't work. A jaunt over to Apple's tech support site provided a possible answer but I was tired and ready to hit the hay by then. Tonight is out too, as I have a previous commitment that will take most of the evening.

My goal is to have the page up for viewing sometime Friday. Wait a minute...going out of town on Saturday. Hmmmm, how do I get the midnight oil burning?

Just a sampling

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I figure I will save myself a lot of typing and let the images speak for themselves.

Back from Black

Just got back from a short getaway to the Black Hills of South Dakota, plus a side trip to Devils Tower, Wyoming. Got to visit some friends of ours from Arizona and let Geogal try some tent-trailer camping. (She's a hotel snob and generally doesn't stay in anything less than a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn.)

I'll be posting some photos later today.

Wrap-up

The Fourth here was great. Block party, meeting folks I've seen but don't really know. Fireworks fireworks fireworks. Both Geogal and I lived in places where they were verboten save for the legally-sanctioned public fireworks display. Not here. Fireworks stands are ubiquitous in this locale and they seem to do great business. Case in point: Our next-door neighbor had an ample supply of the noisy and bright stuff yesterday, but still felt the need to go get more. There was popping and flashing and ooohhhing and aaahhhing until nearly midnight last night.

My guess for the dollar amount of fireworks ignited on our street last night? In the thousands of dollars range.

Did I mention the block party featured grilled burgers, hot dogs, and brats? Guess who spent a lot of time tending the vittles? Yep. I was manning three grills at once. I was "The Man!!"

And the fun ain't over yet. Tonight is the last night the town allows folks to shoot off the loud, made-in-China, don't burn yourself products. And I've still got a few of my own to fire up. There will be some sulfur smell in our neck of the woods tonight!