Good morning Kitty.  Still 39 out this morning.  I barely got started on that amp yesterday when

I decided to take my bike out for a ride.  It had a stuck carburetor float so was leaking gas all over

when I got it started.  Usually they free up pretty fast but took a while this time.  Put a whole bottle of

carb cleaner in the tank and took it for a ride for almost an hour.  Then I had to let it cool down trying

to keep it from catching fire.  Then took it out for a second ride and it stopped leaking pretty fast.  It

was nice being out in the sunny 65 degrees.  Almost felt like Summer.  I rode Brandy and I old walking

routes for the most part.  Felt like crying sometimes.  Like always when someone leaves, we think we

had a long time left with them.

I have many colder and rainy days to work on the amp.  We even have more snowy days in the forecast.

We had a snow covered ground in the morning yesterday but it's about gone now. 

My daughter and her family came over for pizza last eve, so her dogs and ours met for the first time.  Had

some tense moments between them but they got friendly.

Was very glad to have some good weather to get outdoors and ride bike, also we got the puppies oudoors

a lot.  They didn't want to come back in the house, naturally. 

Saw the neighbors motion light on a few minutes ago.  He goes outdoors all hours of the day and night to

smoke.  Glad that isn't us.  I come up on 15 years next month, and you later this year.  I still can remember

when another 15 minutes seemed impossible.  I would be such a mess with smoking and diabetes, if still

here at all.  I remember it bugged me that I could hear my breathing when I laid down to go to sleep at night.

Have a good day Kitty and Susan.  We have lots of rain forecast for today.

Ernie

Brandy at the top of the mountain on one of our walks.

almost 15 years for us....sometimes can't believe it ....we are partly sunny /cloudy....snow has melted just a few piles left....and it is 58   hope to go out for a ride later....  we have lots of scenic roads around lakes and hilltops...really pretty country.. your neighbor has to go outside to smoke...if I still smoked I would probably do that too....glad I am no longer hurting my husbands lungs....and not going outside all the time....and maybe not being here anymore is always something to think about...

Good morning Kitty.  Our snow gone too!  We had complete snow cover until Sunday.  But it's snowing

again right now.  Our neighbors are from Ukraine, moved to Russia, then here.  Their daughter is still

living with them also.  She just got a car after 8 years here.  I think she has a job now, at least she takes

off a lot.  Actually, they had a place down in the valley first but was in some of our floods, so they moved

up here on the mountain.

Yeah, I would have worse lungs while dealing with diabetes and an aortic aneurysm.  I know people that

had them burst and died, only takes minutes.  I still remember the week I stopped smoking and my

granddaughter convincing me to try that last time.  So many other times I tried for many years.  I still

think I might fail if someone close to me died but I made it through Brandy dying.  Yesterday we took our

new puppies to the doctor and was in the exact spot where Brandy took her last steps.  Very painful but

I have a lot of good memories with her.

The heated seats in my wife's 2019 car keep coming on.  They are working on it but haven't solved the problem

yet.  We need to have them disconnected today, they get very hot and can't put anything on top of them because

then the seat would be insulated and get even hotter, then might cause a fire.  The indicator lights don't come on,

just start heating.

Speaking of cars, can't wait to get my Monte Carlo SS back.  It's so much fur to drive for an old hot rodder like me.

Loud and fast.  And now it looks better than it ever did before.  Brother in law painted it black with purple mixed

in so when you look down the side of it the purple shows up.  The puppies are the most beautiful new chapter

starting up in our lives but like the car too! 

I worked on the amplifier some yesterday and think I might complete it today.  Hope it works because the leaves

will be out soon and will block signals on the 2 meter band.  W can talk on 80 meters right now but that doesn't

work in the Summer because of atmospheric conditions.  We are lucky the internet works year around and vegetation

doesn't block it.  And cell phone, sometimes I still can't believe almost everyone carries a phone with them.  Almost

as unbelievable as most all of the stores leaving our mall.  Montgomery Wards and Sears just about out of business.

When our kids were little and I got upset my kids would tell me to go to Sears.   

Glad you we all enjoyed the great weather, Spring almost sprung.

Enjoy the day.

Ernie

Mounted a new LED light strip on the rear bag on my bike so people don't run over me while waiting to make a turn.

the bike looks fancy.....it is sunny here and 37  no snow..there is a great deal of March wind however......Brian went to cardiologist for a check up and the Dr was so impressed she said she had never seen a man his age do 13 minutes in a stress test and did so well they just told him he could stop....such wonderful news....I wish I was in such good shape....and he lived with second hand smoke  for 30 yrs....

Good morning Ernie

I just read this morning that the forum is going to close at the end of this month. I have been following along with interest the happy lives of you and Kitty and Susan. I haven’t really contributed it all because I’m a quitter from way back but I fell by the way side and then had to come back here and quit again.

when I came back to quit I was embarrassed and didn’t want to admit that I had thrown away a very good quit so I made up a new name and didn’t admit who I was before. But now with the prospect of this forum closing down I thought I better jump in here and say a quick hello before everyone’s gone.

My old forum name was Platypus 22 and you and I used to chat quite often.  The forum is extremely quiet and I certainly understand why they’re shutting it down. There isn’t even any moderators is any more. But it is sad that it’s the end of an era.

Anyway I just wanted to say hello before it all ended. All the best

Good morning Kitty.  Cazza is right, see the post by Terry closing the forum on March 27th.

I couldn't believe it but I guess the forum has gone quiet, I really didn't know.  So just brfore

our 15th anniversary of gaining our lives back from the smoke.  At least we're still alive, I remember

many that didn't make it, especially John and Barb.

I'm friends with Susan on facebook, maybe I can find you on there.

I did get my tube amplifier working on transmit.  It never occurred to me that used commercially it

was like a PA and didn't receive, so I need to install a relay or maybe just a cable.  It's wired for regular

110 volt house current and it's output is about 500 watts.  I will rewire it for 220 volts which I already

have at my ham radio station, will go up to 700 watts or more.  Just wanted to let you know I will be

able to communicate with my brother even after the leaves grow on the trees soon. 

We have a last blast of Winter.  2 inches of snow today and 5 to 8 inches of snow Saturday.

You helped many by developing this Seniors blog Kitty.  Very proud to be a friend.  My Chantix blog died out

long ago with only a few posts a month.  I did see other Chantix blogs flare up and then die out.  I have so

many good memories of this forum and it's predecessor.  I will go over to facebook and send Susan a message

about the closing.  I remember the picture of you and John but not sure I saved it to this PC.

Glad Brian's tests went so well.

Ernie

Florida days

Good morning Cazza.  I remember the Platypus name.  Back in the day of Pancake and the others.

Glad you made it back and stopped smoking again.  Was probably time consuming for Terry to

keep this forum going.  I thought it was as busy as ever, lost in my own little world, I guess.

At least we're all not smoking.  I already missed many that only came back once a year or not

at all.  Wish you luck in your continued quit.

Ernie

it is a shame that this is closing....I am not sure I would have made it without it....in the beginning I was here most of the day...,being a mentor helped me so much and learned so much in the process......I am grateful that it has been here for our 15 years....would have posted a big post in July stay well and I am on FB.....if anyone else needs me that is where you can find me....so sad....

Good morning Kitty.  I sent Susan a message on FB so she should get that soon.  We got about 5

inches of snow yesterday.  I was just going to leave it to melt in the next two partly sunny 45 degree

days.  My granddaughter wants to come over to see the puppies again so better do some snow

removal before their car packs it down.  We're supposed to get another storm Saturday and forecast

says might be over 12 inches snow.

Going to miss you, Brian, Susan, and the forum.  I remember all the good you did for people on this

Senior blog here.  You did a great job of paying it forward Kitty.  And I still remember the shells, bear,

and such down south on the island.  I'm proud to have been a small part of it.

I mostly studied the schematic of the Henry amp, searched forums, and emailed some technicians

about the receive relay circuit from upstairs yesterday.  It's gotten cold in the basement and I'm getting

tired of the cold.  I did talk to my brother on the radio at the end of the eve when his signal was strong

enough to hear easily but I was very tired by then and afraid I wasn't very good company.

Hope Brian enjoys finishing your stone wall, I've never built one.

Enjoy the day Kitty.

Ernie

Our wedding day June 15, 1974, posting early.

love the picture....our world is so beautiful....every tree branch is covered with snow....hope the wind doesn't blow it off for awhile....the pine tree is so beautiful .....agenda...... Virtual Dr. appointment...just annual check up....weird I took my own blood pressure so I could tell him...also he is retiring....so will be my last visit with him...sad for me but happy for him...