2 Good 2 Be 4 Gotten

Thought for the day:  Can't think; too dumb. Inspiration won't come. Bad ink, worse pen. Good luck. Amen.

Just dropping in ...

Today's thought for the day comes straight out of my old autograph book. Remember them? In the late '50s, my friends and I all had them, but we didn't follow famous people around in hopes of snagging a signature; we passed them around our classrooms, or handed them to our favorite relatives. Everyone would scribble a poem or draw a silly picture in the book, sign it, and then either return it or pass it on to the next person.

I have no idea whatever became of my dog-eared autograph book with the red cover and gold lettering, but I still remember some of the words and pictures that were in there. The Can't think; too dumb poem popped into my head this morning when I tried to come up with a topic for today's blog. I considered just dropping in for a quick howdy and then taking off again, but then I remembered something else that was written in my autograph book: 2 Good 2 Be 4 Gotten. 


Ah, HA! Those words epitomize the presentation at last night's amateur radio club meeting!

Have you ever heard of a spark gap generator? In the early 1900s, spark gap was THE technology for amateur radio communications. It was also loud, dangerous, and highly inefficient. In the 1920s, better, safer modes of communications evolved, and spark gap became outlawed in 1927.

But STILL, spark gap is an early building block of radio history. A fascinating part, and something few people today know anything about or have ever experienced. But glory be, we experienced it up close and personal last night.

Blue Lightning in action

Over a period of several years, amateur radio operator Hal Kennedy painstakingly built an honest-to-God spark gap generator, which he brought to our meeting last night. Constructed of vintage 1910 parts and technology, not only is his Blue Lightning historically accurate, but it's also a one-of-a-kind work of art. In the early 1900s, amateurs put these things together as quickly and inexpensively as they could, without giving any thought to their appearance. Hal, on the other hand, not only built it to work like the rigs of 1910, but he also paid close attention to the aesthetics as well, using linseed oil and wax to give the mahogany a deep warm glow, and cleaning and polishing the copper into a fiery beauty. Since the completion of his ambitious project, Hal's been providing countless enthusiasts with the rare opportunity to see history in action.

No one would argue that a spark gap generator should have a place in today's modern world, but its place in history is too good to forget. No doubt, it's still loud, still inefficient, and still dangerous, but despite all the labor-intensive work involved, it was also a labor of love, and I'm extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to see it dim the lights with my own eyes.

Spun any good yarns lately?

There was an article in last night's paper about a young lady who uses yesterday's technologies to make blankets. She does it all, from the initial planting of cotton seeds to the finishing work at the spinning wheel. My sister-in-law has a spinning wheel, too, and recently won several blue ribbons for some of the items she's created with it. 

Me, I have a cow horn. Yep, a genuine cow horn, that I use to make kielbasa by hand. And when I was studying for one of my amateur radio exams, I was rather enjoying working out the square roots longhand, until my hubby laughed and handed me a calculator. And even though I know it would've been much easier to mass produce post cards and labels, for the eight years I served as our state's section manager, I still chose to handwrite as many as 75 post cards every month to congratulate our state's newly-licensed amateur radio operators and welcome them to the hobby. 

Sure, the modern ways make life easier, more efficient, and less labor intensive, but sometimes, there's nothing more satisfying than doing something by hand. Sewing, crocheting and knitting, building, painting, writing, cooking from scratch. Nothing like it.

How about you? Is there anything you still enjoy doing the "old-fashioned" way? After all, the old ways may be gone, but they are also much 2 Good 2 Be 4 Gotten. 

If you aren't into any of that, did you have an autograph book? Remember any of the entries? (As I remember, my dear husband's poem compared my shape to a B-52 ...)

Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.