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04-02-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, and our lakes should be in better shape after the rains of last night. I was monitoring our Amateur (ham) Radio Skywarn® storm spotters on 146.940 MHz when one near Mankins reported a wind gust of 100 MPH! Another nearby spotter said he thought he saw a downburst associated with that wind report. That reminds me of the bomb cyclone that took out the shopping center on the northeast corner of Seymour Highway and Loop 11 (the loop that doesn’t loop), a few years ago. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:35 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 87. South southwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. South wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
--- 5:40 AM - ERCOT (Texas) snapshot of grid conditions - ERCOT reports that conditions are normal and there is enough power for current demand with an operating reserve of 13,313 Megawatts.
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:50 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:55 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 80.9% Kemp: 92.4% Kickapoo: 83.7%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 86.3% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (82.3%) to determine drought stage.
--- 6:10 AM - Are you old enough to remember when smoking was allowed in Wichita Falls high schools? In nice weather, smoking was required to be done outside in a designated area. During inclement weather, students were allowed to smoke in a designated stairwell. During my first semester at MSU, at least one professor allowed smoking in the classroom.
--- 6:15 AM - It was the middle of the Summer of 1972 at Fort Hood, Texas. I had the all-night CQ (Charge of Quarters) duty. It was nearing the time for the "Big Wheels" to show up for work, so I took it upon myself to have coffee ready for them. I took the coffee pot - one of those 20+ cup jobs - outside and filled it up using the water hose. The same water hose that had been sitting in the sun every day. I made the coffee. The "Big Wheels" arrived. I was properly relieved of duty by the First Sergeant. As I headed back to my barracks, I heard, "Who made this #@$!&*! coffee? I picked up the pace.
--- 6:45 AM – Several other friends and I used to frequent a certain restaurant in my city for lunch. In Texas, the old “chips and salsa” was the standard appetizer. One day, after our meal, we noticed the waitress dump our uneaten chips back into the chip bin. The bin, by the way, was in plain view of the dining room. This restaurant has been closed for many years now. Before it closed, we asked a waitress at another chip-and-salsa-serving eatery whether they recycled the chips, too. Their chip bin was out of view, by the way. She looked around and told us they did recycle them if there were a bunch left in the bowl. That restaurant is still in operation, although under new ownership. Look out for similar clown foolery in your area! Can you say covid-swine-flu-itis?
--- 6:55 AM - About a half-mile south of Sheppard Air Force Base, on southbound Sheppard Access Road, just past the storage facility, you can still see what remains of the tracks of McCain's Funny Farm (Go-Karts). On the other side of Sheppard Access Road, at 2611, was Vaughan's Go-Karts & Trampolines. You're no "spring chicken" if you drove a kart at either track.
--- 8:15 AM - There is some flying going on at Kickapoo Airport this morning. I’m guessing pilots are taking advantage of the cool, smooth air. This afternoon, when we reach our forecasted high of 87 degrees, the air will have a few bumps. Tune in to Kickapoo with your scanner radio at 122.7 MHz and Wichita Valley at 122.800 MHz.
---8:25 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 9:25 AM - I heard, or read, that upgrades to the Wichita Falls State Hospital include, or will include, guard towers similar to those at the Vernon, Texas, location. I have not had a close look at the facility in several years. You can monitor security operations at 154.800 MHz on your scanner radio.
--- 10:45 AM - I heard NASA International Space Station Astronaut Chris Williams (KJ5GEW) operating as NA1ISS, answering questions from students at Walnut Grove Elementary School in Suwanee, GA, via Amateur (ham) Radio. Keep 145.800 MHz programmed into your scanner radio, and you could hear the next ISS-School contact.
--- 1:15 PM - Walmart, please set up a table in a corner of the store for those broadband and other salespeople. It’s getting a little tiring dodging them on the main pathways. If I want broadband, I’ll know where to find it, just as I know where to find a six-pack of Blue Steam Fizz with Flakes!
--- 3:50 PM - One of my favorite YouTube personalities was Dino Davila. He went by "Challenger" on the CB Radio. Dino made a lot of videos of him operating and tinkering with CB Radios. He wasn't the most knowledgeable of operators, but he might have had more fun than most. That made his videos fun to watch. Dino died in 2013, but I still watch his videos now and then.
--- 7:45 - Once again, I missed tuning in to CB Radio Channel 23 to see if the "Local Group" was active. I'm sure they were. I'll try to remember to check tomorrow.