Updated my EMVolunteer Blog

Way past due as I haven't posted there since May. You might find it interesting.

Upgraded My Ham Radio License

Haven't been stitching lately, but I have been doing a lot of recent volunteer work and just passed the exam to upgrade my amateur ("ham") radio license from Technician to General. That required I learn a bit about circuits and electricity and electronics and antennas, etc. Absolutely NO background in any of those and wasn't sure my old brain would appreciate the tough work out!  I didn't really expect to pass the first time, but YEAH!!! I actually didn't need to upgrade my license because nothing I do requires it, but after 6 years I thought it was about time - and to hopefully give me a bit more credibility with the radio guys I'm frequently around. But here is the most amazing part: When the husband of my BFF heard I'd passed it, he personally emailed to offer me his father's shortwave receiver. I was stunned, humbled and honored. After checking out what it was he wanted to send me I said; YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! It's on it's way. I met my BFF on a prodigy BB in the late 80's and we've been friends and "sisters" ever since. She had her husband have been kind, caring and very generous over the past 25 years. (Wow, 25 years!!) Whoever alleges that you can not possibly meet and make lifelong friends via the internet just doesn't understand the real connections that bring people together in true friendship.  I'll probably need help getting an antenna set up properly, but I know a bunch of radio guys ... :D  One doesn't NEED a radio license just to listen, but it's a start on something I NEVER EVER thought about EVER doing.

As I've gotten older and my younger professional life is long behind me I've truly pondered to the point of worry about what I'm supposed to do with the rest of it. Guess volunteerism and radio stuff is going to be it - for now anyway. 

In the meantime, I put in 32 volunteer hours last weekend between handling radio traffic at the March for Babies and assisting at the Emergency Operations Center, which ramped up for a couple of public events because of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. Will be doing similar this weekend as well. I'd like to officially report that other than meeting and talking with a bunch of very nice other volunteers and with some great police and fire officers, it was pretty boring. Which is a really good thing!  Next time I'm taking some stitching with me!

Assisted with Alzheimer's Walk

... as a radio volunteer, yesterday morning in Fort Worth's Trinity Park. The weather was perfect!. To read about the event and what I did, see my Adventures of an Emergency Management Volunteer blog. Since I'd been awake all night, when I got home I ate and went to bed, sleeping through the first 6 innings of the Rangers vs Tigers game.Rangers won! Woo-hooooo!

Busy Week, Little Sleep, More Baby Possums

Very busy weather week in North Texas. Area-wide: Heavy rains. A bit of hail. Some high winds and resulting tree and roof damage. Flash flooding. River flooding. Half a million without power at one time or other. Some still in the dark. And at least one small tornado. I've been monitoring storms and doing event logging for the EOC, handling the Arlington frequency while logging the Tarrant County frequency used for National Weather Service storm spotter activation and in-the-field reports. See my EMVolunteer blog and my Twitter page.

Mama possum has been busy this spring. I had 2 more babies inside this week. I think they are coming in through the dryer vent, which I can't get to to block. Wednesday, when I realized I hadn't gotten garbage to street for pick up went to quickly do so. I was trying to figure out why the garbage sack had fallen inside bin yet again, reached in for edge of sack and exposed 2 sad little eyes looking up at me. No idea how long it'd been in there but it had chewed up a whole bunch of stuff. It was likely starving as not much goes in there it could actually eat. I removed what garbage I safely could, went out the back door, tipped over can, gently whopped the bottom until baby possum took off, then cleaned spilled garbage off patio. In the meantime, I missed the garbage truck. Thursday night, eating a very late supper between late storms, I heard a sack rattle. Not cat sitting at my feet so went to investigate. Heard scuffling in the empty dog food sack to be hauled out to the street Saturday am. I tilted it up and unfolded the top. After I took it's photo, I gently dumped him on the back patio as well. Then FRIDAY night, I was walking past closed garbage sack containing previously gnawed garbage to be hauled to street THIS morning and heard scrambling. Something had chewed a hole in the sack. I carefully moved ALL new and old garbage into THIRD sack. Whatever was inside had scrambled away. I set up cat carrier with food inside and door set so that if something moved inside it the door would fall shut. Hope whoever takes the bait. I can't put sacks out overnight on the street because other animals get into them, so I have to get up and take them out early = if I don't oversleep. I can't wait until baby possums they are too big to sneak in! The one in the dog food sack may be the same one I caught in the carrier last week. No idea who is back inside now. I'm apparently going to have to start taking these guys far far away to release. Baby possums are left to fend for themselves when they are about the size of a large rat. I give them credit for finding a way inside! I think they are cute, but I want them OUTSIDE. Sadly, even the most successful ones lead short little lives. Perhaps I need to post about my strangest and most miraculous encounter with the largest and oldest possum I've ever met. I still think it was heaven-sent.

Freebies: I'll be uploading a new patriotic freebie this weekend, but at moment I've GOT to get some sleep to boost my weekly sleep total up from only 12 or 15 hours since Monday morning. Since it's already 5:45 a.m. and I have to take out trash, get some sleep and still be up by 8:45 to make it to a high school alumni meeting by 9:30, and with more storms predicted for later today, looks like I'm going to remain a zombie through the weekend. I wonder why I can't get any stitching done???

[edited a few times since originally posted]

Best Intents

I had intended to spend today either 1) cleaning or 2) stitching. Ok, forget #1. I just threw that in there to sound domestic - the last thing I really am. However, I could NOT stay awake, then I woke to the sound of thunder when there was NOTHING anywhere close only 90 minutes earlier. I'd slept through the most severe of the series of storms. As I volunteer with the Office of Emergency Management, I woke up enough to to get down there about the time the next set of storms hit, and spent the rest of the day listening to and logging in real time the storm-spotter reports - well except for that hour when it certainly looked like everything was over -and I drove to daughter's house in another nearby city. I'd only been there 15 minutes when we were recalled as yet a third set of storms popped up just west of here. I didn't get home until after 10. My daughter's flight to Las Vegas was eventually cancelled, but not until after I'd told her it was unlikely they'd get away tonight, and she'd already rebooked flight for a later date and was waiting on a taxi to just come home. CROSS STITCH ALERT: I still haven't gotten my camera fixed, so here's the booklet that I've recently been stitching from. I've stitched the bottom left and top right 1 over 2 on 32ct light linen. Perfect, it's 3am and thundering again. UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm warning #4, 3rd trip to the OEM, home by 4:15.

Twice in 12 hours

My mother was back in the Emergency Room yesterday evening. Dad asked me to drive them. It's barely 1/2 mile. After 5 hours in the ER she was released. It was 10pm before I got home. This morning she couldn't remember why she went to the ER. I ask for any prayers you can spare for her. I'm accompanying them to the doctor's office tomorrow morning. It will likely be another visit with no answers.


This morning I was up before 6 for a City-Wide, Multi-Agency Full Scale Disaster Drill at the new Cowboy Stadium in Arlington. I've never seen more police, fire, emergency vehichles, personnel, EMT's and Paramedics in one place in my life. I was one of more than 40 "victims." We were instructed to play it for real, but not to over-dramatize. A paramedic finally asked if I were really OK. :] I can't say enough about their kindness and caring just as if we had been really injured. In my scenario a truck had plowed through the crowd outside, severely injuring many and killing others. I was dreading the make-up, but instead was assigned to walk away from the scene having difficulty breathing & very dizzy. All "victims" were removed from the scene to local hospitals via small school bus or ambulance. One "victim" even got a 60-second helicopter ride. I ended up in an ambulance back to the same hospital to be assigned the room next to the ER holding room where my mother had been 12 hours earlier. The nurse walked in. He looked at me. Me at him, and he said: weren't you ....? Yep. He kindly asked about mother. I took his picture. Very interesting experience. The biggest disappointment is that we all thought we'd be INSIDE the stadium. I'll be writing more about it and hopefully uploading some photos to my EMVolunteer blog (link at right) in the next few days.