This week, visit Web sites that assist you in doing something about lightning before it strikes home.

One Christmas morning back in the mid-1960s, found me shoveling snow from the sidewalk of my parent's house with a light snow falling, when out of the blue or should I say, "out of the gray," there was a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder. "What the...?"

National Lightning Safety Institute Web site is an excellent lightning safety resource for both people and structures.

That was my first encounter with lightning and thunder in a snowstorm. I thought it was so unusual that I was going to get on the phone and dial up Robert Ripley, but upon further investigation, I learned that snow lightning was not as rare as I thought.

As spring tries to spring while winter winds down, I recall a snowstorm a few weeks ago when lightning struck again and then I think about the late spring and summer thunderstorms that will be rolling through here later this year. Next, I remember the ground cable of my antenna tower that I bumped with the snow thrower earlier this winter and remind myself to check the integrity of the cable real soon now.

Lightning and ham radio do not mix. Over the years, I have lost thousands of dollars in electronic equipment to lightning and none of those were direct hits. So, I am very wary of lightning and maintaining lightning protection at my house is always at the top of my to-do list. And it should be near the top of your to-do list, too.

To assist you in fighting back the wrath of Thor, I suggest that you visit pertinent Web sites that deal with lightning. Three Web sites provide excellent resources in this regard.

• National Lightning Safety Institute is a non-profit, non-product advocate of lightning safety for both people and structures with a Web site containing a huge amount of relevant information.

• National Weather Service Lightning Safety Web page has handouts, indoor and outdoor safety tips, medical facts, history, survivor stories, photos, teacher tools, and much more on the topic.

• ARRLWeb: Lightning Protection Web page, as you would expect, concentrates on the Amateur Radio aspect of lightning with some excellent germane resources.

Until next time, keep on surfin'.

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, is so cautious of lightning that when a thunderstorm approaches, he spooks his dogs before the lightning does. To discuss lightning, thunder, Thor, and more, e-mail Stan or add comments to his blog.

Previous: The K7RA Solar Update

Next: The Amateur Amateur: Our Net Controller is Missing