Thinking warm thoughts

Greeting all!  As I noted above, spring is here and even though we have more daylight the temps are still playing their game of tease-and-run-away.  Case in point:  Last Thursday was the mildest day of 2018 so far with the thermometer showing high 60’s.  I chose to get out the grill and cook up some pork steaks (superb!!) to celebrate.  

Then came Friday, with gray skies, harsh winds and temps dropping.  Friday night into Saturday morning featured some record low early April readings for parts of Kansas.  While my community might not have set a record it still was friggin’ cold!  

Fortunately we are in April and the forecast for coming days indicates the mercury surpassing the 80 degree mark.  Too bad it will be accompanied by high winds but hey, no wind chill!!

Mental note to self:  Re-read this entry, Geoguy, when it’s downright balmy and you’re aching for a breath of cool air.  

Love these change of seasons.  And where’s my allergy medication?

Springing Into Spring

Spring is finally here.  And spring fever is hitting big time.  

I’m sure it started a few Mondays ago.  I was driving to work and witnessed a beautiful sunrise over the Flint Hills.  The temperatures are warming and we’re actually getting some blue skies.  

It rained a few days ago which did a great job of washing the salt and sand (left over from Old Man Winter) off the streets and highways.  Plus I began noticing some green blades of grass on the lawn, mixed amongst the yellow-tan leftovers from last year.  At first I thought it was wishful thinking but when said grass was encroaching onto the walkways I had neatly trimmed back in late October I knew the change of seasons was in process.  

As if all the aforementioned wasn’t sufficient proof, we also had our first housefly of the year.  

I’ve even taken my neighborhood constitutional in t-short and shorts, something I couldn’t have done just a fortnight ago.  

Yes, I’m well aware that even though spring is here in the literal sense (as the vernal equinox occurred) we are still in for some chilly days.  However no one can argue that more light and additional warmth can elevate one’s mood and instill hope that the days of outdoor grilling, sunscreen, bug repellent and air conditioning are almost upon us.  

____________________________

Earlier this month I made another trek to Norton to attend to the house.  There wasn’t any significant occasion or occurrence, rather I just wanted to check it over myself.  And add salt to the water softener system.  And hit some floors and stairs with the Shop-Vac.  And have friendly visits with a former coworker and my across-the-street neighbor.  

I took the familiar and most direct route.  Highway 24 through Clay Center, Beloit, Cawker City and Downs before making a right turn onto U.S. 281, passing through the large urban areas of Portis and Harlan before turning west on Highway 9.  Pass by Gaylord, Cedar and Kirwin and keep a hopeful and watchful eye out for Glade.  Turn right onto U.S. 183 and in five miles you’re in Phillipsburg.  At U.S. 36 you head west for another 30 minutes or so and see landmarks that at one time gave you the positive “we’re almost home, finally” emotional rush but now seem oddly familiar yet now somewhat foreign.  

The preceding paragraph makes it sound likety-split and even looking at a map it doesn’t appear to be a long distance.  However the drive takes at least three and a half hours, not counting stops for coffee, snacks or urine release.  Unlike other journeys I did this one on my own.  To be sure the experience wasn’t as negative as it sounds.  My family knows I cherish my alone time and I do enjoy driving.  In addition I had a new (to me) set of wheels.  

In January we decided to trade in the Ram 2500 (we called it “Wondertruck”) and took ownership of a 2008 Suburban with plenty of bells and whistles.  Despite its age this appears to be a well cared-for vehicle and the Carfax report looked good.  So for my drive I had the luxury of not only a truck that loves to own the road but also came with a Bose sound system, leather seats (heated!!), moon roof, backup camera, DVD player and a way-smooth ride.  After I stopped at Dunkin Donuts in Manhattan and got myself coffee and a couple of fried breakfast treats I was rarin’ to go.  I could spend another blog entry on just why a Suburban is so appealing but this piece explains it well.  Even though it was written over 30 years ago the author’s reasons are much the same as mine except I never was raised in a small-car family.  Did I mention I learned to drive in a 1976 Suburban?  

Back to the main storyline.  I took care of the house items in no time flat.  Everything looked good and my conversations with both my colleague and my neighbor were delightful and insightful.  After a lunch at Sonic I went the reverse of my morning trek and was back at the new (to us) house well before sundown.  

Here’s hoping my next road trip involves more fun/leisure and less work.  

Cutting the cord--all the juicy details!!

Readers of this blog from a long time back (i.e. around 2009-10) know I’ve long been interested  in the old-fashioned method of rooftop antenna to pull in television signals.  I did document my attempts at the residence in Norton, with virtually no success.  Even with a Winegard HD 8200U (a ginormous aerial if there ever was one), a preamp and a rotor all I was able to see was KSNK, the NBC affiliate broadcasting to northwest Kansas.  Even that station was hardly worth the effort given it only transmits NBC programming with no sub-channels and with a paltry low-def 480i picture.  

(A visit to rabbitears.info further illustrates how KSNK must really be the red-headed illegitimate child in the KSN family of stations.  While flagship KSNW/Wichita airs NBC on 3.1 in 1080i it also offers Telemundo, Ion and Justice on its .2, .3 and .4 sub-channels, respectively.  The other full-power affiliates fare a bit better than KSNK:  KSNC/Great Bend has all four channels, however even the NBC signal is only broadcast in 480i and KSNG/Garden City only provides NBC and Telemundo, although its NBC signal on 11.1 is in high-def 1080i.  Given it’s been nearly 9 years since the digital transition one doubts the ownership will upgrade the picture or product on KSNK.)

So at that time I admitted defeat and disassembled/packed up the HD 8200U.  It sat in the garage in an out-of-the-way location on a shelf with my philosophy that one day I would live elsewhere and get a chance to use it for free TV.  

With our move to Manhattan that day finally arrived.  

Before starting any manual labor I did check TV Fool although I was confident I would pick up at least some of Topeka’s stations.  Not only that, I did connect my Macbook’s DTV stick to the camper’s antenna when I completed the task of transporting my rig across the state to its new parking/storage space east of the Little Apple.  That day I got all of Topeka’s full-power stations with no dropouts or other interference.  

Even though my TV Fool report indicated I might have challenges with KSNT, KTKA and KTWU I still wanted to make use of the antenna.  After all, “my mileage may vary.”  TV Fool’s metrics try to be as accurate as possible but a check of over-the-air TV forums shows one never truly knows about reception until the equipment is installed and connected.  

Since I am renting the house in which we live I needed to use some caution.  Obviously drilling holes into the roof shingles to accommodate a new antenna mount was out of the question as was running coaxial cable from the outdoors directly into the living room.  However the previous tenant had Dish Network so I ended up removing the dish and using the existing mount pipe to hold the mast for the 8200U.  I also tried using the Dish coaxial cable to connect the antenna to the interior inputs however this yielded no signal even though I tried several variations of connections.  

So, I needed to run my own coaxial from the antenna to the splitter just outside the living room.  While I didn’t have that length on hand I did have a DIY kit containing 100 feet of the highest-quality coax, plus the connectors and the tools for stripping/crimping.  (I bought it not long after we moved to Norton, when my outdoor antenna project was still in the active phase.)  But, as I have no experience whatsoever with crimping an F connector onto RG6 cable.  

I decided to go ahead and give it a shot anyway.  Given all of this was already paid for, what did I have to lose?  I looked through the instructions then checked YouTube for a few other pointers.  Then it was a matter of sitting down at the kitchen table and trying it for myself.  

Results?  Pretty good, actually.  Not as complex or intricate as I thought.  With the appropriate amount of cable cut and the F-connectors on each end, time to get it all together!  

Up and down the ladder.  Antenna fully assembled (I swear I could hear it saying, “nice to see you again, Geoguy”).  Even though the HD 8200U is large in size it is made from aluminum so it is much lighter than you’d think, didn’t even need much help with the transport to the roof.  Use the compass and point in in the best direction to get all of Topeka’s broadcast towers in the azimuth.  Connect the coaxial cable onto the antenna lead, then string it out carefully and use the splitter left outside from the Dish Network setup.  Next, cut another length of coax for the inside lead, again strip and crimp the endings.  Use existing cable input (again, a holdover from the Dish installer) and connect the external antenna to my Vizio flat-screen.  

Now, the moment of truth!  Time to do the channel scan and see just what I will get.  

I set the Vizio to do the automatic channel scan, then leave the room and proceed to clean up the detritus from my project.  

Roughly five to seven minutes later I return, ready to see the results of my efforts.  

And I was in for one of the biggest surprises of my hobby-leisure life.  

But first:  I expected I would receive all of the Topeka full-power stations.  Why?  Since my Macbook DTV stick already had scanned and stored channels 11, 13, 27 and 49 I took it up the ladder and made a fast connection once I had the antenna where I wanted it on the roof.  All those channels came through.  

Yet in checking my living-room Vizio I saw the message: “36 channels found.” 

36?  

Let’s see.  Topeka’s full-powered ones would give me 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 13.1 (twice), 13.2 (twice—this is due to WIBW having a full-power signal on RF 13 and a fill-in on RF 44, I got both and both show up with the same PSIP channels), 27.1, 27.2, 27.3, 49.1, 49.2, 49.3, 49.4.  Doing the math, that accounts for 14.  

I took the remote, clicked “OK,” now here’s the surprises:

The first channel to show up was 4.1, WDAF.  Kansas City.  A picture with no interference or pixellation associated with a weak or questionable signal.

My jaw dropped in near-shock.  

I continued to press “channel up.”  4.2, 4.3, then 5.1 which is KCTV, Kansas City.  

Holy moley!  

In addition to the Topeka stations, the good ol’ Winegard brought in Kansas City’s WDAF, KCTV, KMBC, KCPT, KCWE and KPXE.  Nearly all of KC’s full-power stations.  

I also got KAAS from Salina which is a full-power station, a satellite of Wichita’s KSAS, showing Fox on 17.1, TBD on 17.2 and Comet on 17.3.

I even called Geogal into the living room to show off my workmanship.  While usually indifferent to my broadcast pursuits that day even she was impressed with our over-the-air selections.  

To be sure, I suspected the Kansas City stations would not be constant given the distance and topography.  And I was right.  About two hours later the KC stations faded away.  As the day was a very warm August one it appears I did the channel scan during a particularly good tropo.  However after sundown the KC stations again again were visible and until the seasons transitioned from the warm into the cold we often could see the Kansas City channels during the night.  I’m writing this near the end of February and am looking forward to the return of warm weather as it should also increase our viewing possibilities.  

And all of that without even attaching or using the Channel Master 7777 preamp.  Hmm, maybe that’s a project when we are back into late spring.  

Regarding the Topeka stations, I’m happy to say our viewing is very satisfactory.  It’s been about six months since setting up the antenna and not once (knock wood) have we lost the signals or had any dropout or interference.  (I do think the Vizio has an excellent tuner.)  Even though Topeka isn’t a large DMA and has relatively few TV stations we still get everything we need via the .1, .2, .3 and .4 sub-channels:  ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS, CW, Me-TV, Ion, GetTV, Justice, Bounce, Mhz Worldview (granted, I don’t actually watch all these networks but still nice to have the options).  

I’m also very happy with the quality of the HD picture.  It is true, over-the-air gives you the best HDTV as the signal isn’t compressed as you would get with cable TV or Direct TV/Dish Network.

I remember just a few weeks after installing the antenna we visited the Kansas State Fair.  Naturally they have the different areas where vendors are set up in their booths.  As we were walking by the Dish Network stand, the salesperson asked me, “who’s your TV provider?”  

“Antenna!”, I responded with conviction.  Not breaking my stride I added, with less volume, “and it doesn’t cost me a cent.”  

Let's Get Caught Up

So much about which to write, where do I start? 

Why don't I begin with an explanation, if not a full-fledged mea culpa about me being so dilatory about writing and posting here.  First, as family is aware, we did make a significant life change in 2017 (relocating to Manhattan Kansas from Norton Kansas) and the subsequent and inevitable adjusting and settling involves time and energy.  These can take away from my creative mojo.  Second, we downsized in square footage and I now no longer have a dedicated computer/writing/wasting-time-on-the-Internet space.  I am writing this piece while seated at the kitchen table.  I believe, as is the case with many writers/authors, that I can only tap-tap away my prose while NOT in the presence of others.  Third, my stress level these last few months escalated into a "poor me" mindset which, along with the aforementioned, resulted in me spending my mental energy on things other than writing.  To be sure, my work-related stress decreased significantly since my job change and I view that as a strong positive.   

However none of these mean I am at a loss for material here, nor do any of these need to make a permanent impact with the result being this blog amongst the countless others that are abandoned, yet still are out there for all to see.  I have no intentions of letting my blog die and, in fact, I can set a goal for more entries this year with more variety.  I still have plenty to say.  

So--get on with it!!  (Me thinks of the crowd yell in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail.")   

Christmas?  Low-key.  I noticed, about a week before the big day, that we would not be able to continue a tradition in our home.  No, nothing that was passed down through the generations since our forebears came over from the "old country."  The tradition of which I speak is quite modern and secular:  watching TBS's "A Christmas Story" marathon.  While we never sat in front of the idiot box for the full 24 hours, it provided great entertainment and good background noise for Christmas eve night, especially after we returned home from the Christmas Eve church service.  I noted in an earlier entry that we cut the cord when moving to this locale, so no TBS.  

Solution? Simple.  Target had the Blu-Ray for only $13 so we ended up watching the flick and enjoying the lack of commercial breaks.  

This also was the first Christmas in years where I didn't prepare prime rib for the holiday meal.  We agreed to join forces with our friends J&J and I defrosted and baked a smoked ham, the last thing Geogal and I had left from our half-hog purchased back in Norton.  Great meat, great company and it was nice not to have to make (and clean up) the entire meal.  

Was it a white Christmas?  I can say yes.  The night before Christmas Eve day we had an offering of the white stuff.  I snapped a pic in the morning:  

Pretty, ain't it?

Cord-cutting?  I'll elaborate much more in a future entry.  However the Geohousehold overall isn't missing the TV offerings.  During the fall there were times I wished I had access to the ESPN networks but soon learned to adjust and simply enjoy the college football games available on ABC, CBS and Fox.  

Old Man Winter?  We're tolerating it.  Just as we do each winter.  While many will say eastern Kansas has less severe winters than the western half, some days I've begged to differ.  Freakin' cold is freakin' cold, regardless of where you live.  

Makes you wonder why we are looking at Minnesota as a place to permanently settle?  

Oh yes, that's a whole other entry, too.  

Stay tuned. 

Pride

By now everyone who's interested knows New Mexico State defeated Utah State in the Arizona Bowl yesterday.  

Unfortunately due to work commitments and a few other factors we couldn't make it to Tucson to be a part of the crowd.  However we did find a way to watch it on the 'tube.  More on that later.  

Given the (New Mexico State) Aggies even made it to a bowl was good enough.  And since the game was only about a four-hour drive from Las Cruces I hoped the Aggie faithful would turn out.  

And they did.  At the start of the broadcast the CBS Sports Network guys indicated a crowd of about 40,000.  Since one purpose of having a bowl game is to ensure the stadium seats are filled with rear ends no doubt many decision-makers in Tucson were satisfied with the turnout.  Plus it didn't hurt to see so many of those in the stands sporting NMSU crimson.  

Television coverage?  When I first knew the game would be on CBS Sports Network instead of one of the ESPN family of channels I was somewhat concerned, as this is an indicator of the bowl's status in the overall hierarchy of FBS postseason play.  As it turned out this arrangement allowed me to catch the game at my leisure.  

Once the Arizona Bowl invitation was official I did some homework on how I could view the CBS Sports Network channel.  First, since moving to Manhattan our house only uses over-the-air antenna and streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime and the like.  Yes, we are cord-cutters.  But even in my previous home in Norton, to view CBS Sports Network I would have had to pay an extra fee to the cable provider as CBS SN is under a separate sports tier.  I found a solution in the Fubo service, it is geared to sports fans although they include other channels such as Bravo, A&E and HGTV plus the ability to DVR the programming.  The DVR option came in handy yesterday as I didn't leave work until 4:30, same time as kickoff.  By the time I got home the score was tied at 10.  I ended up doing a quick turnaround as we had plans to attend a school-related party for one of Geoana's groups.  While eating and socializing I did check the score regularly so even before we made it back home I knew the game went into overtime and the (correct) Aggies won, 26-20.  

So it wasn't until this morning that I saw a few of the highlights while reading coverage from the Las Cruces Sun-News, Albuquerque Journal and Arizona Daily Star.  Overall the tree-killing print folks were fair and gracious to the Aggies and it appears all of the NMSU fans who made the trip had quite the positive experience.  

A little later this morning I logged onto Fubo and watched the game.  All the while thinking:

• It's great the see the Aggies playing in a bowl, located not all that far from home
• It's gratifying to see them play on national TV
• To have every shot of the press box-side of the stands displaying a whole lotta Aggie fans with nary an empty seat almost brought me to (happy) tears
• To see them not just play, but play well, almost feels foreign 
• Seeing the guys on offense and defense really looking like they wanted it, after so many years of seeing Aggie football squads that appeared to be just going through the motions, was worth the wait
• And of course, being able to see the trophy presentation put a nice bow on the whole thing (the DVR got it all, not cutting the game off after the allotted 3.5 hours as my old cable box used to do)
• Finally, hearing head coach Martin talk about this victory being "just the beginning." 

Yes, I realize we will have to wait and see what becomes of the Aggie football program.  And yes, they are now officially an independent but their schedule for next season already looks oodles better than when they played in the Sun Belt Conference.  Or the WAC.  Or the Big West.  Could pride in Aggie football be on the horizon?

Bonding With My Recliner and Remotes

11:00 Central Time—Turn on TV to ABC, this is the AAC championship game.  Memphis against UCF.  What makes this one interesting is UCF being 11-0 and going for an undefeated season.  And, their head coach is clearly being pursued by Nebraska.  Will this be his final game in Orlando?  

Turns out, yes.  (More on that below.)

I meant to just watch this game until the Big 12 Championship kicked off.  However I stay on ABC as this game’s pretty interesting even if it’s not a Power 5 conference.  Indeed a fun game to watch.  Touchdown after touchdown and neither team obtains a commanding lead.  Sure beats many of the NFL’s offerings, featuring punt after punt.  

Speaking of kicks, at 6:58 in the fourth quarter we have the first punt of the game, a boot by UCF.  

I do click over to Fox occasionally but Oklahoma seems to be well in control.  I’m not surprised.  This is a team that historically knows how to take care of business.  Yes, I want them to win as I really want to see a Big 12 rep in the playoffs despite them being the (gaggh) Sooners and Baker Mayfield’s boorish behavior during the KU game.  

Back to ABC.  Second overtime.  62-55.  Now it’s looking like a basketball score. 

Over on the other channel, Oklahoma defeats TCU.  Sooners should be in the playoffs.   

UCF intercepts Memphis—game over!  During overtime ESPN reports Frost indeed accepted the head coach’s position 

Time for Auburn-Georgia.  

Hey, the Aggies game is now in progress.  Mirror my MacBook to the Apple TV and connect just in time to see South Alabama score a touchdown.  Jaguars 7, Aggies 0.  Grrr.  

However we then see the Aggies score 13 unanswered points so all is not yet lost.  Nice to see fans in the stands with signs such as “Let’s Go Bowling.”  

Halftime in Las Cruces.  Click a few buttons on the remote and it’s back to regular TV and return to Atlanta.  This game is now in the third quarter and the score remains Georgia 10, Auburn 7.  Didn’t everyone expect this to be a high-scoring game?

Back to the NMSU/South Alabama game.  Both teams’ defenses are looking good, which is bad news as all of us Aggie faithful wouldn’t mind a few more points to assure a bowl trip.  

Then I have to get out of the Laz-E-Boy and go get Geoana as she returned from a debate tournament.  No problem listening to the Georgia/Auburn game on Sirius XM but I didn’t bother searching for the contest out of Las Cruces.  I doubt the Sun Belt Conference is worthy of carriage on the aural bird.  Upon arriving at the school I do check the score on my smartphone, uh-oh.  USA pulled ahead 17-16 and time is winding down.  I won’t print the words in my mind’s ear.  

But wait!  We’re back home and another check of the score shows the ‘Pokes back in the lead.  I quickly get the ESPN3 broadcast back onto the main TV and Geogal and I share the pleasure of seeing the Aggies earn a victory and very likely a bowl invite.  

And by the way, Georgia defeats Auburn.  The Bulldogs didn’t allow the Tigers to score again after their opening drive resulted in a touchdown.

But the evening’s not over!  I turn back to ABC and enjoy much of the first half of the Clemson/Miami game.  Unlike the earlier ABC-broadcast game, this one was obviously one-sided from the second quarter on.  Do I turn to the Ohio State/Wisconsin matchup?  I do, briefly.  Much like the other game in progress, this one seems to be going the way of the Buckeyes.  If they win, do they make it into the playoff?  Given I have no loyalty to the school in Columbus, I really don’t care.  

And then my football fire burns out.  Shortly after 9 I turn to “Batman” on MeTV.  I conk out before 10.  

In all fairness, I was up since before 5 a.m., had to get Geoana up and to the school by 6.  

And in a day of victories, her debate team took first!  Finally!  

This day will not be soon forgotten.  

Where Will I Be Today?

Parking my rear end in front of the TV, watching the Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and ACC championship games, that's where.  

I'm hoping these will be good contests.  I sure wasn't disappointed by last Saturday's Iron Bowl.  (Always good to see Alabama go down and this didn't even require a kick-six.)  

Today there is one other gridiron contest worthy of my attention:  New Mexico State versus Southern Alabama.  The Aggies are 5-6 this season and a victory today makes them bowl-eligible.  

To be sure, my alma mater competing in even the lowest-tier bowl matchup is far from certain.  First, they have to win today.  Granted, the game is in Las Cruces and South Alabama has had its own struggles this fall however.....

Remember these are the Aggies.  

Also, Geogal read an article on Yahoo a while back where NMSU's president intimated "if we do get an invitation, we may have to turn it down."  (That's a Geoguy paraphrase but I think you get the idea.) 

Yet for this morning I can allow myself to dream, if but a little.  What if they end today with a "W" and get invited to the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl?  (Don't say this is far-fetched, even one of the writers for ESPN sees this as a possibility.)  If they get the invite, who cares about the actual outcome?  As NMSU hasn't played in a bowl since Dwight Eisenhower was president any game in late December would be the talk of 'Cruces.  

Now, back to reality.  Even five victories indicates a pretty good season for the Aggies.  Beating both UTEP and UNM made for a pleasant autumn.  (Yes, I know EVERYONE beat the Miners this year but its still satisfying to be included in the "everyone" category.)  

Speaking of ESPN.com, the Aggies never did make the "Bottom Ten" weekly column this season.  Again, this is rare so I can't help but mention it here.  

And since the football Aggies will be FBS independent after this season, who knows when we will see another record like this?  

Now, time to make sure I have my ESPN3 setup working as it should...

Reasons

Time for the details.  

Non-family readers of this blog no doubt wondered why the Geofamily made the decision to leave the town in which we lived for nine years and relocate to Manhattan.  

The reasons, of course, are there and came from differing routes.  

First I need to make public the belief that while living in Norton, Kansas fit our needs well back in 2008, Geogal and I never intended to reside there for the remainder of our lives.  After Geoana completed high school we always intended to look elsewhere.  This isn’t far-fetched as both Geogal and I have careers in which we can locate employment nearly anywhere we land, provided there is a certain population base.  

So why did we move our plans ahead by two years?  (Geoana is now in 11th grade.)  

1) Stress level.  Geogal and I reached the point where we were both unhappy in our jobs.  I was a management-level person and as 2016 progressed and became 2017 I noticed ailments I had never before experienced.  Specifically, acid reflux and increasingly disrupted (and non-restful) sleep.  To go along with the physical I realized I also became more impatient and short-tempered.  These attributes are not a typical component of my personality and I definitely didn’t like the person I was becoming.  “What is next,” I thought, “an ulcer?”  Plus, when you live in an isolated rural area the job opportunities are not sufficient to allow an easy transition. 

2) Education opportunities.  In this section I need to take great care in what I write as I don’t want to either come across as “badmouthing” or exhibiting sour grapes for all the world to see.  I also will add that Geoana had some very good teachers while in the Norton schools.  These are true education professionals who went above and beyond the typical requirements and as such Geoana had a better-than-average experience, particularly in the lower grades.  However (and admit it, all of you reading this knew there was a “but” coming up), at the high school level all three of us realized Geoana wasn’t being truly challenged.  NCHS does not offer advanced placement classes and given Geoana’s desire and drive to enter the field of engineering we want her to be better prepared for college-level classes.  Geoana also flourishes in forensics and was open to being on a debate team, again something her erstwhile school didn’t offer.  

3) Social.  Geogal pointed out not long ago that while we lived in Norton the longest period of time (nine years), we had the least number of friends out of any of the places we lived.  Sad but true.  While northwest Kansas certainly has its share of friendly folks it is difficult to ingratiate oneself socially if you’re not originally from this area or otherwise have family connections.  It is true that in some sections of rural America you can live in a place for 20, 30 or even 40-plus years and still not feel as if you belong.  That described us well.  Compounding this problem is the numerous local large clans.  Geoana often had none of her peers to call or otherwise be social during holiday times as “So-and-so is spending time with her cousins today.”  While both of our families still remain well out of state (Texas and California) we hope being in a more populated area, particularly one with a large state university, might ameliorate this issue.  

4) Life more abundant.  I’m borrowing this term from Christianity but it indeed is relevant here.  Readers of this blog are well-aware some Saturdays (or even Sundays, gasp!) are likely to be consumed by road trips necessitated by grocery-and-supply shopping or transporting Geoana to a 4H event.  While we enjoyed this diversion during our first year in Norton, afterward it got downright monotonous.  I realize not all highway driving is comparable to California 1 from Morro Bay to the Monterey peninsula or even Interstate 70 through the heart of the Rocky Mountains but seeing nearly endless cornfields broken only by land not suitable for tilling gets old quickly.  No matter what the season.  Maybe we decided it was time to spend our leisure time with true recreational pursuits rather than necessary retail chores.  After all, if we live in “civilization” we can likely knock out shopping duties on a weeknight rather than sacrifice a whole Saturday.  

So, dear reader that should give you an idea of why we decided to reside in Manhattan and say farewell to Norton.  I agree, it is not the “safe” or “comfortable” thing to do, but maybe life should involve some significant new journeys!  

One more!

Why not do another entry about the Astros?  Besides these are thoughts and tidbits that really didn't fit into the previous entry.  

I admit I looked at the postseason with doubt (what Astros fan wouldn't after all these years?).  Taking care of the Red Sox was a good start.  Then I learned New York knocked out Cleveland.  Oh, great.  When it comes to MLB championships I fall into the ABY crowd.  Anybody But the Yankees. But that series came to a satisfactory end.  

Time for the Big One.  I remember prior to the Series starting asking the baseball gods to have the Astros win at least one.  Who wants to be known for being swept both times you make it to the WS?  

Game One.  Oh, rats.  Then Game Two settled my brain.  

Fast forward to the near-end.  True, the Astros lose a heartbreaker in the form of Game Six.  

And I confess, I didn't immediately check the 'net or any other media for the results of Game Seven.  Just other stressors on my mind causing baseball to go to the bottom of the list.  

Then Geogal had a the privilege of telling me the Astros did indeed win.  That was all I needed.  Fire up the MacBook and read all about it!  

How about this for trivia?  I believe the Astros are the only MLB club to represent both the American and National leagues in the World Series.  Plus they might hold that distinction for a long time.  

Congratulations to all members of the Astros organization.  

For the long-suffering Houston sports fans...

....Enjoy this!  All of you have earned it!!!

• My brother-in-law, who shared (via Facebook) that he was born the same year the franchise began and he's wanted this his whole life.  
• My cousin Kenneth H., who endured every televised moment of the Astros' 1980 postseason even when it didn't have a happy ending.  
• All the fans who saw the Astros make it to the World Series in 2005 only to be swept by the White Sox.
• People in southeast Texas who suffered loss due to Hurricane Harvey.  
• All of us who remember (and endured) the "rainbow-uniformed" Astros of the 1970's and early '80's. 
• Houstonians and others who sadly watched younger franchises such as the Royals, Marlins, Blue Jays and Diamondbacks hoist the trophy.  
• Folks who treated going to the Astrodome as special.  
• Everyone in the above categories who is sick and tired of Houston being treated as third-rate by the sports media.  
• Speaking of the Astrodome, those who remember the Astro Nuts and Chester Charge.  
• Lastly, not baseball-related but still pertinent:  All in Houston who ground their teeth because of the number one prime time drama from 1979 onward being named after and taking place in "that other city in Texas."  

Finally, return of the entries!

Greetings to all who still check this site periodically.  

My last entry noted our impending move.  In August we pulled the trigger and now live near Manhattan, Kansas ("The Little Apple")  I'll give more details in the coming days, hitting both the high and low points.  

What else about which to write?  The Houston Astros finally winning a World Series.  The New Mexico State University Aggies having a fairly good football season (yes, winning four games is considered "fairly good" in Aggiedom).  My latest TV and other broadcast-related thoughts.  Adjustment to life in a different area.  Spiritual journey.  And so forth.  

Now that the move is complete and my evenings are again my own (October was consumed with me putting in time devoted to home-study in order to complete continuing education for one of my professional licenses) I hope to re-establish the regular blogging habit.  

Stay tuned for some interesting (I hope) stories.  

Not your typical Saturday

What's a Saturday usually like at the Geohouse?

Grocery shopping.  Mow lawn (in season).  Maybe some house cleaning (if we feel like it).  At least once a month, sometimes twice we will go to McCook, Kearney or Hays for harder-core retail (Wally World and a higher-quality grocery store).  In the fall I'm inclined to watch college gridiron contests.  Then in the evening it's usually Me-TV (Wonder Woman followed by Star Trek--TOS, too bad they don't air Batman at 6:00 anymore).  

But yesterday?  Totally different story.  

First, some context.  One of the reasons this blog is quiet is due to our decision, as a family, to relocate to the Manhattan KS area.  We decided this back in May but kept it largely quiet until this week.  Now it's public knowledge.  The reasons behind this are many and that should be the focus of a separate blog entry.  So, since a large part of this process is getting the house on the market do you want to take a guess how we spent much of yesterday?

Of course.  While I took care of the front flowerbeds (rainfall=weeds) Geogal attended to the room in the basement we label "the study."  Then I switched to the backyard and labored to make it as presentable as can be.  

Meanwhile we had a third person engaged in labor.  No, not Geoana (she was helping Geogal) but one of my coworkers, name of Daniel.  Even before the Geofamily decided to make the move we were in the process of remodeling the main floor bathroom.  Among this process was ordering new Onyx tub surround panels.  They came in a few weeks back but I needed a professional to help me install them.  The plumber agreed to get with one of our local contractors however it was wait, wait, wait.  

At work one day I offhandedly asked Daniel if he could handle the Onyx install.  "No problem!"  Turns out Daniel is worth his weight in gold.  He can do nearly anything involving construction and he's like the Energizer bunny, just keeps going and going.  He describes himself as a workaholic and has nearly everything needed for a job (jokes he keeps his shop in his car).  

So, the Onyx install became him helping with the rest of the remodel.  Out went the ugly and dated bath board, the ancient sink and faucet and the who-knows-how old carpet (courtesy of the previous owner--who even puts carpet in a bathroom?)  In came not only the Onyx but also texture on the new drywall, updated wainscoting to replace the bath board, new countertop/sink combo and faucet and nice-looking hardwood floor with new crown molding.  I took "before" pictures, I will post them here together with the "after" pics once the job is done.  And all this for a very reasonable price.  

Between my outdoor tasks and assisting Daniel when necessary I was one tired person by early evening.  And Daniel wasn't even done yet, he started on the flooring when most anyone else would call it a day.  

To top it all off, I then met a couple of guys during the evening and sold one of them my old Suburban.  Not only were we not planning to take that thing with us to our new locale but about three weeks back it became really temperamental.  By that I mean it was sputtering then stalling.  Given its age and my inclination to let it go my plan was to take it to the local metal recycler and have them crush it into a cube.  I'll make a long story short and just say I made contact with a guy in town who was looking to replace the engine in his '88 Chevy pickup.  However my '99 Suburban, while being the same Chevy 350 engine that was ubiquitous in so many bowtie vehicles, wasn't compatible with this guy's truck due to more electronic/computer additions in the interim.  But, turns out he's also looking for a beater truck to take deer hunting.  My Suburban fit the bill.  

So that's another thing to cross off my to-do list.  

Did I sleep well last night?  

To quote Chevrolet's old slogan:  Like a rock.  

What? May's almost gone??

Means I should get at least one more post in before June debuts.

Several topics abound in my brain.  Where should I begin?  The passing of Roger Moore, the first of the James Bonds to leave us?

My enjoyment of one of the best TV series ever, WKRP in Cincinnati?  I got the entire series on DVD this past Christmas and had the pleasure of both introducing my child to it and seeing my wife laugh out loud at episodes we haven't seen in probably two decades.

My latest adventures in camping?  (I'm taking some creative license with this one, as my recent trip didn't exactly constitute adventure but I did a heckuva lot of relaxing.)

Or what is occupying our time and energy these days?  No, I'll leave that for later.

Back to television, I decided to treat my child to some of the best TV around, having her watch the "Chuckles Bites The Dust" episode when MeTV aired six "Mary Tyler Moore" shows to acknowledge her passing.  As if that wasn't good enough, I tapped into Netflix's streaming offerings and had her watch the "That's My Boy" episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show.  Great examples of how comedy doesn't have to be based in partisan politics, sexuality, or laughing at someone's expense to be entertaining.

Of course I had to give her some of the flip side, showing her "The Star Wars Holiday Special" on YouTube.  I think she fell asleep during part of it.


_________________________________

Since my fingers on the keyboard focused on television just now, why not choose WKRP?

When the show first aired I had full kitchen duty on Monday nights.  While seemingly not a problem it did prevent me from enjoying much of the first season of WKRP.

I probably should back up here and explain that in my 'tweens Mom returned to the workforce and that meant the responsibility of the evening meal fell to one person each night Monday through Thursday.  Monday was my night.  Therefore I had to plan the meal, ensure the ingredients were either on hand or on the previous weekend's grocery shopping list, prepare the meal and clean up afterward.  But then I was typically off KP for the rest of the week, when either my sister or one of the parents took their turn.  By the way, I'm not bitter.  This experience taught me how to cook (often from scratch) and as such I was well prepared when time came for me to leave home.

In the fall of 1978 I remember cleaning up the kitchen on Monday nights and hearing the rest of my family laugh (sometimes they were in hysterics) over some show called WKRP in Cincinnati.  But whenever I ventured out of the kitchen to check out just what was so danged funny Mom verbally and promptly made sure I got back to my kitchen chores.  By the time I finished the show was usually over.  And younger readers, back in those days VCR's were a pricey luxury item that didn't exist in our household until many years in the future.  But through summer reruns I got the chance to finally see what was behind all the laughter.

After its cancellation I continued to enjoy the show through the syndicated reruns.  However I noticed around 2000 or so, when The Nashville Network was airing the series, something was amiss.

The music.

For example, in the episode "A Family Affair," Venus Flytrap showed Andy Travis' sister around Cincinnati.  Venus did call in to let the station know he wouldn't be there for his air shift that evening but as Jennifer Marlowe had the day off Arthur Carlson handled all the incoming calls.  Anyone familiar with the show would know Carlson wasn't up to the task and as such Andy (at literally the last second) had to go on the air and keep things running smooth.  As Venus' program was established to be mainly soul and R&B, Andy did his best rendition of a hip, African-American announcer, failing miserably.  The two songs he cued up in a hurry turned out to be Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" and Joan Baez's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

During that airing I noticed the songs were changed to a couple of generic tunes, neither of which carried the humor of the originals.  I then learned that many of the rights to the songs expired after about ten years in the syndication market.

"No way!" I said and many others seemed to agree.  Therefore I was happy to learn that the full series  would be released on DVD by Shout Factory and almost all of the original songs were restored.  However I soon popped various disks in my player to ensure the "right" songs were indeed there.

Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" playing in the background when Les gets ready for his date with Jennifer; Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger" featured in the episode where they get the ratings book and Andy being the only one disappointed the station didn't fare better; and the two songs referenced above.

Yes, they are back!

The songs aren't the only thing that made the show enjoyable, or even contributed to its place in my collection.  You can't mistake the formula:  good writing, good casting; and the show lasting only four seasons, therefore it didn't have a chance to get stale or "jump the shark."  It's an ensemble show, with no one character dominating to the point the other performers feel slighted.  Even though radio is now more corporate-owned and many stations now sound the same regardless of their market the show still doesn't seem very dated.  And "WKRP" was prophetic in some ways.  One episode made reference to automation and the final show, "Up And Down The Dial," in which Mrs. Carlson intends to change the rock format to all-news (as music doesn't sound as good on AM) is precisely what happened to such heritage rock-and-roll stations such as WABC in New York, KHJ in Los Angeles and CKLW in Detroit.

And for those readers already familiar with the show, admit it.  Just reading my entry made some of you laugh out loud.

That's how good of a show "WKRP" is.

Seriously? On the last day of April?

The title refers to our "blizzard" of yesterday.  And no, I'm not talking about the frozen Dairy Queen treat.

Into the middle of last week our forecast indicated a fair amount of rain for Saturday and Sunday.  Then Sunday's prediction slowly became more snow-dominant.

Then even more.

By Saturday morning the prognosticators indicated up to a foot of the white stuff for Sunday.

I did wake up that day to a dusting, with more falling.  Still, I wondered just what we would receive.

End result?  Some inches but nothing to really cripple our town.

We were fortunate.  Just 35 miles west of here, in Oberlin, they had downed power lines and even more accumulation.

Had to admit I enjoyed the show yesterday.  Nothing quite like watching snow fall and seeing it turn into immediate slush due to the ground already warmer than it is in say, January or February.  Not to mention the trees and shrubs displaying plenty of green.  And more daylight then we see in the winter months.

And the fun of knowing I don't have to shovel, slog through, or otherwise deal with this slop for long as the temps for today were slated to reach into the 50's.  They did.

However our streets and gutters turned into babbling brooks.  Made trying to walk up to my workplace a bit interesting.  Good thing I had the foresight to wear my hiking boots with wool socks.

This coming weekend promises sunny skies and highs into the 70's.  I've already made my campground reservations.  😊😊

Still Around!

Yes, well aware I haven't made an entry since January.  So what's been happening in the last three months?

First, work's been super busy.  I can't count how many times in the past three months I've passed through my front door and my level of physical and mental fatigue prevented me from summoning sufficient energy to write something meaningful here.  Add to that the stress from other fronts and my creative juices seemed very dry.  Even now I acknowledge I'm not 100% rested or full of mental energy yet I didn't want my corner of the WWW to be lacking much longer.

Perhaps I'm gaining drive from the simple change of seasons.  It's greening up nicely here in NW Kansas and before we know it summer will be here.  I cut the grass for the first time this season just this past Saturday and this evening I watered the front lawn, hoping for some lush greenery as a result.  The perennials are returning and I've already enjoyed fresh peppermint from the back yard.

And on the subject of seasons, I admit this winter just ended wasn't as severe as some of the others I've endured over the last nine years.  No polar vortices, no blizzards, heck even the snowfall was pretty manageable and the remnants didn't stick around too long.  I've already dewinterized the camper and am hoping to make good use of it before freezing temps make a comeback come October or November.  (Not having to make a trip to Minnesota in January sure didn't hurt!!)

I've also been immersed in a home improvement project.  Redoing the tub/shower in the main floor bathroom.  When the house was built (over 50 years ago), this bathroom had a tub but no shower.  Subsequent owners (as far as I know although it may have been the original occupant) added a tub spout with an attachment for a hand-held shower head.  A few years ago I nailed in a bracket that held said shower head at a shower-friendly height.  There was no tiling or true shower walls in the stall, rather it was just bath board that was showing its age and also displaying rot in a few areas.  Improving this part of the house was in my brain for some time but I never could decide whether to re-do the shower with tiling or just take a sledge hammer to the cast-iron tub and replace the whole danged thing with a tub/shower combo purchased at a big-box home improvement retailer.  A dripping tub faucet finally convinced me to take action.  The final choice?  Keep the tub, with the idea to have it re-glazed, but tear out the bath board and the drywall behind it and make the thing a true shower stall with Onyx walls.  New faucet, one designed for a tub/shower and have the plumbers add a permanent shower head.  I'm nearly done with adding the new drywall, actually using cement board where the Onyx walls will be glued, with the remainder being greenboard. I've engaged Groan's help with this project and she's learning that home improvement is a fair amount of trial and error, and is much more difficult than the shows on DIY or HGTV portray.

Yet I'm certain the completed shower setup will be well worth the work.

Last month Geoana and I went south of the border for the second year in a row.  Yes, building another house with Casas Por Cristo.  However this year's venture wasn't as emotionally rewarding as 2016.  Why?  A few reasons.

Last year we left our burg on a Saturday morning and drove until we reached Hamlin, Texas.  There we unpacked for a night at a local church, but not before the young folks (and me) went to the high school's baseball field to let off a little steam and use the muscles that were in a seated position for the whole day.  I enjoyed it and the evening was leisurely as a result.

This year?  Leave extremely early Sunday morning.  And to add insult to injury the time also changed as Daylight Savings Time went into effect.  Yes, we departed about 5 a.m. but to us it was 4:00.  Even this morning person struggled.  Glad I wasn't the first one to drive the van that day.

Last year we left Hamlin on Sunday morning and arrived in San Angelo just in time to join their Church of Christ for Sunday School.  The young folks were quickly invited to the high school class.  The church service also was rewarding and our shopping spree at Wal-Mart in Del Rio was its own brand of fun.  (You can read plenty about this in my entries from last March.)

This year?  Arrive in Del Rio after dark after spending 14 hours on the road.  BBQ at Rudy's was satisfying, but there was no pot luck or karaoke at the church afterward (the same church we stayed last year).  Then it's another early morning on Monday as we need to cross the border and get to the work sites.

Less interaction with the families and other neighborhood folks this year.  And we didn't get fed except at the house dedication and despite the good intentions of our family the comida was a far cry from last years offerings.

Plus we didn't even get the chance to stop by last year's house and say hello.

I think Geogal noticed the disappointment from me and the child.  She commented:  "Last year you two were really jazzed and excited.  This year, not hardly at all."

She was right.

However I shouldn't overlook the fact that a family now has a house that didn't have one as recently as several weeks ago.  Or that our labors will never be in vain.  Or that our rewards aren't always easily discernible.  Was I blessed?  Did I receive a few emotional rewards?

Yes.

So even though this blog has been quiet, I've been active.

More to come...