Glad to See the Others Are Stepping In

I’ve been unbelievably busy the last couple of days.

I’m getting back to events for Health Insurance – mostly Educational in nature. That’s when I go to different sites, and answer questions about Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace plans (MMM). I also have some giveaways from the various plan marketing reps available. But, mostly, I’m there to answer questions, get my face before the potential clients, and ensure that, come the Annual Enrollment periods, I’m the one that they think about if they want to take a look at what other plans are out there.

I’ve also been chipping away at cleaning house, and organizing my JUNK VERY important and valuable stuff. In the process, I keep saying, “So THAT’S where that ______ was!” As I am easily amused and delighted, this is quite entertaining.

I’ve been introduced to the basic Morse Code (we call it CW) characters, punctuation, and common abbreviations. I am by NO means an expert. I’m lucky to be able to identify a small portion when the sent message reaches me. But, slowly – VERY slowly – I am improving.

I finally had the time to put my new SDR Radio – the SBitX, from HF Signals – together, and begin learning to operate it. SDR Radios combine a regular HF radio (those are the ones that can reach other operators at a distance) with an integrated computer – in this case, a Raspberry Pi. As I have owned several, and find them RELATIVELY easy to operate, this radio looks like a winner.

Today, I learned how to turn the power down (I will likely be operating this at a lower power – what is called QRP). The Pi runs a little ‘hot’, so it’s generally better to use it without pushing the power levels too hard. To fully get it operational, I will need to get an antenna for it – I found a dandy loop antenna that is intended for portable operation, so is QRP by design. And, it is a lot cheaper than many other antennas, as well as being smaller. It can operate – radio, tuner, swr meter, and power source – on a tabletop or picnic table.

Today, when walking the dog, I saw what looked like giant mosquitoes. It was not, but a relatively common (and harmless) insect called a Crane Fly. They can emerge in spring or fall, and – other than possibly swallowing one, do no harm.

From Buckeye Yard and Garden Online:

“Our native crane flies cause no damage to the turfgrass or other landscape plants.  They serve a valuable function as the “clean-up crew” converting large pieces of organic matter into smaller particles on the way to enriching the soil.  Our native crane flies are considered beneficial insects; nuisance behavior aside.”

If you live in an OH area with these critters, and would like to do a solid for the ‘Bug People’, find a MALE and take it to the facility at this link. Apparently, the females are not as good for determining the species. The link shows pictures to help you tell the males from the females.

Apparently, the insects aren’t able to self-identify by sex.

Husband and I have been firming up plans for the next 6 months. We need that lead-in time, as some of our activities are relatively inflexible, mine particularly. It’s VERY hard for him; he’s been a spontaneous person most of his life, the kind of guy that thinks nothing of not planning for big events (Which is why we spent our 25th anniversary in a KFC. He’d not bothered to make reservations, nor plan anything with others in the family. It was Okay, though – the food was good, the restaurant – on a Tuesday – uncrowded, and the owner, hearing of our celebration, insisted on bringing us a strawberry pie, on the house.)

He hasn’t gotten any more inclined to plan ahead. So, for me, the default operating mode is FLEXIBLE. It’s really difficult for a planner like myself.