Back to the "Deep South" in Duluth GA

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I get a kick out of hearing the term "Deep South" in 2026. It is a crazy incredibly outdated label. I think maybe I should start saying the "Deep Northeast". I am a Yankee. My family came over on the Mayflower and moved to Upstate NY via Connecticut. Terms used in the revolutionary and Civil war days are generally inappropriate. My family is all but totally out of NY State now. I find the term "deep south" to be of the same thinking that the movie "Heidi" is what contemporary Europe is like. Watching the fireworks in Rochester, NY from the back yard of a house in the city made it look like a real war zone. It is a long drive between Berkshire, NY and Duluth, GA. Most of the 35K miles on the truck were spent in between. I drove the truck about 3k miles in 2-1/2 weeks. It was great to spend time on the farm. It was good to make some progress on needed repairs and improvements. I also felt good about making some new friends up there. I will be...
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Franklin and Denise are in from Texas this weekend. There isn't much snow on the ground so we can get around back in the woods with the jeep and the tractor pretty well. I am getting firewood still, although it gets processed in the barn since I don't want to have to dig it out of the snow if we get a storm. I am getting noticeably more capable with my exercises. I am getting stronger in leg and arm as well as cardio. Once I run for half an hour I don't want to stop. Watching TV while I run on the treadmill I enjoy "Monarch of the Glen"(BBC). It is somewhat confusing why that show or why I like the show, but I do. It is basically a soap opera. Maybe that the show does not have the commercial intervals as American TV makes the difference. American TV is getting even more commericals. I think the longest stretch is 8 minutes of program these days.

I am taking my Ham radio test to upgrade to "Amateur Extra" on January 30th. You get more frequency bands on which to operate with an extra but the real reason to get an extra, since the test is pretty tough, is to "have an extra." Current ham projects in the que consist of installing a filtre on the generator bike power lines, and making a more permanent switching apperatus for the wattmeter.


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