Sorry for my absence

But it's been a heckuva week.  Not any Ham radio activity or blogging for W2LJ this past week as my Mom was in the hospital and that was my main focus.

She was having a lot of pain in her right side and it finally got to be too much for her to take. My sister texted me very early Tuesday morning that she was with our Mom and had called 911.  I didn't go into work that day; and spent most of it in the Emergency Room.  First thoughts were either gall bladder or kidney stones.  All the sophisticated tests didn't reveal too much of anything.  A thorough "old fashioned" exam by an "old school" Chinese doctor led to a hunch and another X-ray revealed a slight fracture to a rib.

Today my Mom was sprung from the hospital and is currently staying at my sister's house and should be there for the next few weeks to a month.  She's looking rested and more relaxed now that she knows what was causing the pain.  I think that finding out the cause of something like this is more than half the battle.  Once you can get a little peace of mind, the rest can fall into place.

I did get a chance to get back on the radio for a bit this afternoon to find not much going on. 10, 12, 15 and 17 Meters were all dead when I listened this afternoon.  I finally worked EA3DD, Manuel on 20 Meters for a brief QSO. He was very loud - 599 into NJ and I was graced with a 549 report back.  I'll take that any day.

Oh, even though it seems that 2011/2012 will be known as the "Winter That Never Was" here in the NorthEast (I saw robins this morning and the crocusses are already popping up in the front yard), here's K6BBQ's homage to FYBO:



Hey, according to the KX3 reflector - the Operator's Manual will be released on Monday at the Elecraft Website!  Getting closer!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!