On The Fly

If you are convinced this Christmas Santa didn’t get your letter, be sure to address your 2023 letter to the following: Santa Claus 123 Elf Road North Pole, 88888

With Christmas 2022 quickly approaching, I’m reminded that 2014 was about re-inventing myself; I’d asked Santa for a new electric guitar and began dreaming.

Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television (TV) special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It’s the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. Enjoy our 2022 holiday performance.

In this episode - Keeping Christmas, a poem for the holidays by Henry Van Dyke, read by Lori Ball.

On Sunday, November 11, 2022, while watching Elton John's return to Dodger Stadium, 47 years later, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road, North American tour, streaming on Disney+, feelings of immense gratitude stirred my soul.

A Thanksgiving poem by Edgar Albert Guest.

If the portions Grandma serves are a little skimpier this Thanksgiving, blame inflation.

Have you ever Googled Yosemite Stories ? I want to share a "not so famous" story after our recent visit—an experience from the ever-changing landscape of people who visit there and their grand expectations.

Tomorrow, the first Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2 a.m., is when Daylight Saving Time ends in most areas of the United States, returning to Standard Time. Be sure to set your clocks one hour back before bedtime on Saturday night!

Nothing but my thoughts as if a bolt of lightning struck me; most people in the twenty-first century are allergic to silence and lack something to do. They are always doing. I'm as guilty as you. What to do?

Johnny Owens and the Bakersfield sound? It was Saturday, October 22, 2022, and we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary; now we’ve been married for 34 years - but we’ve heard the 50th is always special, so we celebrated in a very unusual way - in Bakersfield!

Are you planning to host a pumpkin carving party for the neighborhood kids this holiday season or maybe liven up your porch for Halloween? Here are a few tips you might try.

Welcome to On the Fly, a weekly podcast about whatever comes to mind. I'm your host Patrick Ball. Today we introduce video podcasts.

Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, we participated in a special luncheon for one of our engineering team members Doan Vo from Vietnam. As a special gift, we prepared and performed a song that you all know - Country Roads by John Denver (lyrics rewritten) on guitar accompanied by mandolin at the luncheon.

For you sky watchers, the Hunters Moon is your gateway to fall; it will be visible on  Sunday, October 9, 2022, at 16:55 EST , based on the data provided by  NASA . Goodbye summer.

It happened on Thursday; Fall officially arrived, and soon darkness will be upon us by 5:00 p.m. To prepare, let's look at our energy usage and the most cost-effective way to light our home this winter. LED lighting.

In last week's episode, we explored the reality of Wilderness camping. This week allow me to share a story that spread like wildfire during our 2022 Sierra adventure.

Today's podcast allows me to illustrate how folks take for granted the conveniences of modern everyday life and miss the satisfaction of wilderness camping in the Sierras.

While California is one of the leading U.S. states in solar deployment, CA. has lagged in providing community solar access. As of September 1, 2022, the California State Legislature passed AB 2316, the Community Renewable Energy Act, a bill that creates a community renewable energy program, including community solar-plus-storage, to overcome access barriers for nearly half of Californians who rent...

Can your electric vehicle (E.V.) power your home? It's a question that people are asking, especially with the rise in E.V. popularity. Let's explore what's required, bi-directional charging.

Welcome to part two of A Bear Sighting; if you recall, it was day two of our 2014 Sierra adventure. We left our heroes at the  East Fork Campground  along Rock Creek in the Eastern Sierra, an elevation of 9,000 feet.

It's the middle of August already. School is just around the corner, and summer is coming to an end; this year, 2022 Sierra adventure is in September. And - this week, I'm looking at 66.

Pull up a chair let me tell you the story of a bear. I awoke to the steady patter of rain on my tent in the black velvet darkness of our cozy mountain camp. Wrapped in my sleeping bag, I sat up, craned my head to one side, and listened; there was that strange sound again. Our 2014 Sierra adventure.

Maybe you have heard of the Smart Grid on the news or from your energy provider. In this episode, we will introduce you to the future of electricity distribution. This summary comes from https://www.smartgrid.gov  

Have you ever noticed when your cat wakes up from a nap how they arch their back and enjoy an entire body stretch, yawning with legs extended, paws, claws, and toes spread wide? Now fully awake, they're ready to take on the day. That's Pandiculation!