Sometimes it’s the little things that irritate … thankfully!

| June 28, 2022

Back in the late winter or early spring, the pool supply catalogs began arriving in the mail. Chlorine pucks and shock powder were my primary “look for” items as we were contemplating opening the pool for the season. Unfortunately this year, we were a little slower than usual due to pool repairs, but noticed there […]

Wishing all the purpose-filled dads a Happy Father’s Day

| June 19, 2022

I enjoyed a very nice Father’s Day on “Saturday” yesterday with Taylor, Megan and their long time friend Meredith, who was “dog-sitting” her sister’s dog “Chase” (below). They enjoyed the nice weather around and in the pool while I busied myself with a few projects … one of which was adding the additional pipes to […]

Weekend yard chores, painting and corner desk update photos

| June 7, 2022

Brenda and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend staying around home, working in both the yard and for me painting on Sunday afternoon (Brenda helped out at a store short a pharmacist in Dayton). Slowly I’m making progress in painting the guest bedroom (pano photo below). Ceiling are done, walls have their first and second coat […]

Reworking my old corner computer desk for the home office

| May 25, 2022

Now that the desk and hardwood floors are complete, and floor finish has cured enough in my home office, it is time to tackle the trim painting, putting the closet and bookshelves back. Another project I’ve been contemplating is to revitalize my older well-worn corner computer desk. Having used it for a couple of decades […]

Archive: What was once hard work, is now much harder work

| May 21, 2022

It is likely an age thing, but once upon a time, I didn’t think twice about trenching and digging. Now, I’m tired out by lunchtime (this was a Saturday (5/21/2022) morning project) and I didn’t even finished the trench for drainage pipe (it is relatively soft after the heavy rain, but has a lot of […]

The office desk chair mat and hardwood floor protection arrived

| May 21, 2022

The new Lorell brand glass desk floor mat for my home office arrived and so I temporarily set it up in the basement since the painting and last few modifications are yet to be finished before moving back upstairs. All in all I’m impressed with nice quality of the largest size (60” x 48”) tempered […]

Refinishing home office desk project and cutting the lawn

| May 15, 2022

My weekend chores and projects are in full swing as I cut the lawn longer than usual since it grew fast and thick while we were on vacation. Hopefully after a few cuttings, the thatch will disappear (I’m not fond of raking and hauling to the compose pile). Early Saturday morning I put the final […]

Enjoyed a Mother’s Day beach week of R & R in Florida

| May 10, 2022

Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip. Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle after having to jumpstart and fidget with the flakey AC. Yet it still didn’t convince […]

Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of wonderful moms

| May 8, 2022

It is difficult not to recognize what great moms both MomC and MomH were to me … but since they are no longer here, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of great moms — my wife Brenda and daughter Katelyn. They both have risen to the most important role of […]

Tech gadget guy mixed with someone who likes knot tying

| May 6, 2022

This is what you get when you continue to use leftover chargers from old phones (my Palm Pre) and continue to rely on sailing knot tying skills. Really just a filler post for a Tech Friday after noticing just how unique the old Palm USB plug was in design and how I ended up fidgeting […]

Archive: Guest bedroom and home office floors are finished

| May 4, 2022

Just archiving progress on the hardwood floors project before moving any furniture back in the guest bedroom (above left) and my home office (panorama photo below). I also wanted to save a photo of the can of Minwax branded wood finish, used and mixed to match our existing floor stain (great job by Schindler Hardwood […]

Office and guest bedroom hardwood flooring progress

| April 28, 2022

In keeping with personal home project updating, our hardwood flooring has been moving along this week. The guys are making a mess sanding … but doing their best to contain dust. We are hoping for a stain-match to our existing oak floors, but in any case, the guest bedroom and office are taking shape. Unfortunately […]

Temporarily working from my basement home office #TBT

| April 21, 2022

As the slow progress on finishing my home office continues, I’ve set up a temporary office in the basement (below). It is surprisingly comfortable, but I do miss the daylight and looking out the windows. I can’t help but reminisce to make this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post after finally removing the painters tape from […]

New 8-year Ohio Driver’s License and costly fuel fill #inflation

| April 19, 2022

After filling up the 2010 BMW X5 35d with diesel … ouch … I drove to the least painful Ohio DMV location in my area according to the online wait times. Thankfully I came prepared with my passport, address verification and requested ID information. After $56.40 … I came out in less than 30 minutes […]

Two more costly projects are underway at our house

| April 16, 2022

First, I mentioned pool repairs were underway earlier in the week. The tiles that I’ve been repairing are now long past due for a full replacement. So the water has been pumped out and a pool tile crew is beginning the demolition prior to making repairs and installing new waterline tile. Brenda’s comment made me […]

Expensive maintenance: Let the pool opening repairs begin

| April 10, 2022

We have put off replacing the pool tiles long enough as I’ve long ago burned through the spare tiles and have made repairs and replaced the damaged tiles so far myself, but there is only so much that can be done to salvage what still exists. It is time … or as most rational people […]

Our driveway disappointment is one step closer to resolution

| April 6, 2022

Our concrete driveway is not small … and if you add to our front drive to the rear paved driveway, it is fair to say that we have a lot of money invested in concrete and asphalt. So … when last year’s front driveway replacement didn’t go well, we ended up in a dispute (friendly) […]

Music Monday: “Early Morning Rain” – Gordon Lightfoot (image) … Can you see it?

| April 4, 2022

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Friday Filler: An interesting eye-brain negative afterimage

| April 1, 2022

These illustrations make the rounds by email and social networking every so often and do so because they are interesting to naturally inquisitive humans … and in my case make for a blogworthy Friday Filler and “fool your mind” on April Fools’ Day post. This is one that cognitive psychology refers to as the Negative […]

Tidbits: A workshop hook and a Canton, Ohio based idiom

| March 22, 2022

“A place for everything and everything in its place,” is probably not the most fitting idiom for my cluttered workshop, since the debatable originate has to do with “neatness” according to an Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio) article by Charles A. Goodrich in 1827. Although with a little sleuthing, it has also been credited to Benjamin […]

Bummer, we didn’t plan a winter or spring break this year

| March 20, 2022

Photo from February 2013 in Delray Beach while visiting Brenda’s parents For years … well decades really … we have been fortunate enough to escape winter in February or sometimes March or April and head to sunny or warmer climates for a week. Often it was to visit either Brenda’s or my parents who would […]

Men’s interests have changed and a spoiled American rant

| March 9, 2022

Something I’ve notice over the years is that today’s men have lost interest in what traditionally were seen as male hobbies and interests. My thought is that recent generation of men have abandoned working on cars in their garages and spending weekends with tools in their workshop (probably non-existent nowadays). They don’t fish and hunt […]

Archive: Toledo Area Parent magazine article – Mar/Apr 2022

| March 5, 2022

What parent doesn’t enjoy seeing their adult children respected enough in their profession to be asked to comment? Since I’m one that does keep an online scrapbook of sorts (this blog) … I’m archiving a recent article with Katelyn in Toledo Area Parent titled “Less Mealtime Stress with Responsive Feeding.” Seems like a week to […]

Taylor now gets to fly drones as part of his planning job

| March 3, 2022

Admit it, you’re a bit envious of those who get to fly drones as a part of their job? Taking Taylor out for his birthday in 2021 As someone who has enjoy everything aviation their entire life, I’m a bit jealous my son is now a licensed commercial drone pilot … just a I am […]

Archive: A leftover photo and priming Ellerie’s rocking chair

| March 1, 2022

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Defective, but quickly replaced Wyze Socket Cam3

| February 22, 2022

For years now we have been satisfied with the bulky (and older) Canary Cams for added security at home. The first Canary continues to work flawlessly “inside” our house and thankfully just perches quietly in our great room and is suppose to trigger when motion is detected “when we are not home.” The plan was […]

Archive: A Sunday afternoon Happy Birthday to Ellerie (photos)

| February 20, 2022

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Paper magazines/newspaper delivery woes and shrinkflation

| February 17, 2022

Well, two doses of disappointing news in one week. First, the Bengals lose in Super Bowl 56, and then my Barron’s magazine gets smaller with even smaller type (requires a second pair of readers!). They call it “shrinkflation” in an attempt to save a few dollars and probably force subscribers into a 100% digital subscription. […]

Another Mexican dinner with my friend Jeff and some humor

| February 9, 2022

Last week I had dinner with my buddy Jeff after taking him to pick up his car from a seat repair/re-upholstering job. He previously planned it so we could go to our “old” favorite Acapulco Mexican Restaurant (which is no longer tolerated as well in my digestive track as it was 20 years ago). He […]

Starting a woodworking project on a cold winter weekend

| February 8, 2022

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Tech Friday: Fitbit Versa smartwatch battery issue

| February 4, 2022

Let me start off with the positives. I really like my original Fitbit Versa watch. I wear it everyday and it offers me nearly everything I want in a fitness tracking smart watch. That said, I have always been hard on watches … to the point I stopped wearing watches for years – for decades […]

HelloFresh.com: the good (delicious) and the bad (expensive)

| February 2, 2022

We were late to trying the HelloFresh.com fresh meal kit plans and put off cooking the first two fresh meals a week. When we finally did get around to fixing them, they were still reasonable fresh and the excellent recipes and produce shocked us at just how tasty the first meal was. I had already […]

Who enjoys dealing with insurance companies and claims?

| January 27, 2022

Well I don’t enjoy dealing with insurance companies or claims … that is for sure! Brenda’s Acura RDX was backed into in a Kroger parking lot last week so the insurance adjuster phone tag begins (a previous time it was the Honda Pilot and a CVS parking lot). This time the young driver who backed […]

Archive: Enjoyable condo cleaning and NFL playoff football

| January 26, 2022

Brenda and I stretched out a cooler than expected weekend in Florida to get the condo ready for our Canadian renters. It worked out nicely since we had enough sun to start in order to go to the beach and plenty of time over the weekend to clean things up AND watch some excellent NFL […]

Half-Staff days in 2022 and office crown molding, paint, etc

| January 22, 2022

Archiving a couple office update photos after completing the crown molding, painting and “test” fitting of my new Samsung TV that Brenda bought me for Christmas. I also mounted the Yamaha soundbar on a couple special brackets so that the wires, etc remain behind the “skinny” television. As for the crown molding after making the […]

Once again, Christmas gifts we use everyday from the kids

| January 18, 2022

Well done again Katelyn,Drew, Megan and Taylor. Thank you. Of all the “too many” gifts this year, you guys have managed to “once again” come up with great gifts. The automated and “generous” (inside joke) liquid hand soap dispenser is perfect for our kitchen. Brenda and I use it multiple times each day and find […]

Playing the vision insurance game and probably losing

| January 13, 2022

“Eye” do it every year (a very Dumb Dad Joke #DDJ) … I make my eye appointment to get my updated prescription from my optometrist (OD) and contemplate ordering contact lenses from them or a less expensive retailer … just as I’ve been doing since the days of the “cooker” (only those of a certain age […]

Tackled office painting and a minor winter weekend project

| January 11, 2022

The past weekend projects consisted mostly of trim painting and then roller painting the long and drawn out office update project. Part of it is due to other things getting prioritized … like Christmas and family … and some of it out of my dislike for painting. BUT, I finally “cut” or trim painted all […]

LSSU’s 2022 list of Banished Words is an excellent one

| January 4, 2022

It is difficult to NOT post the Lake Superior State University Banished Words list for 2022 since it has been a regular January blog inclusion for years. This year includes a few political overused terms/phrases such as “circle back” and “supply chain” … and a few long running over used ones: “At the end of […]

Even at my age, curiosity makes me do unusual things

| December 18, 2021

Our Omaha Steak special New Year’s spiral cut ham arrived this week and after finding room in our freezer for 10 pounds of ham, I moved the foam cooler out to the garage. After giving some thought to how nice and cold the contents were, I decided to see if the dry ice was keeping […]

Small storage containers in my workshop hold memories

| December 12, 2021

After years of collecting a variety of tools and “tool” parts (bits, blades, etc), I’ve noticed that the mish-mash of storage containers have become even more interesting as the actual items being stored and saved (click photos for larger).  Here are a few photos with a variety of storage items in a Where’s Waldo (or […]

A couple days of photos leftover from the weekend: Part 1

| December 8, 2021

Since part one of a couple of blog photo posts will be pubic and not include family, I’ll archive it first. I finished (hopefully) the NINE trailer loads of leaves I mulched and raked in the front yard this year. Oh for the pre-Global Warming and now Climate Change days of burning leaves rather than […]

Advice: Consider replacing the wax ring seal on your toilet

| December 5, 2021

It might be a good idea to replace, or at least check, the wax ring seal on your toilet … as the line goes, “ask me how I know.” It seems ours was fine for 25 years, but at some point decided to drip when flushed. Slowly but surely the drip turned into a wet […]

Green cars and hopefully green grass seed edging our driveway

| December 1, 2021

Earlier this week on Twitter I shared this parking photo and thought that maybe my next vehicle should be “green?” But really just wanted to archive the kind of grass seed being used to reseed and along the edge of our new driveway.

Filler Tuesday? An annoying animated gif from Twitter

| November 23, 2021

Sort of planned to save this embedded Massimo tweet for a “Filler Friday” post or something … but needed something to plug a daily hole this week while getting ready for Thanksgiving. 😉 This has been called 'the most annoying gif on the Internet' [https://t.co/F0nU9wWnGf] but it has some interesting references, because it's a kind […]

Replaced MyQ module CR2450 battery on the garage door

| November 13, 2021

For Christmas in 1999, Katelyn and Drew gave me the MyQ hardware to “smarten up” one of the garage doors … well at least the opener. It permits a smartphone to control, adding authorize users and ability monitor garage door access. A couple of weeks I received a warning that the battery was “low” and […]

Keeping delivery trucks and van on our new driveway #TBT

| November 11, 2021

Our driveway project is semi-wrapped up, but the landscaping company has yet to deliver our topsoil and river rock. The Creech’s rep did update me with a tentative date later this month, so we shall see if the weather holds them back again? I finally moved the construction cones a couple weeks ago and we […]

Hopefully the new driveway drain will correct puddling?

| November 10, 2021

It may not be pretty, but hopefully the “fix” for the segment of driveway concrete that was poured when our driveway was replaced, without the proper pitch, will prevent puddling where the old and new concrete came together. We were not home to see the work, but after a cursory look (photos) on Wednesday morning, […]

The Ridgid cordless tool LSA left me a little disappointed

| November 6, 2021

The Ridgid brand of cordless tools have been my choice for the home workshop for a few years now and until this past week I have had a positive experience. Earlier this year Ridgid even replaced a couple failing batteries under the LSA (Lifetime Service Agreement) … BUT now this brand of choice is a […]

The WorkerB Power Pack for the Sailrite LSZ-1 sewing machine

| October 31, 2021

A new upgraded motor is now offered by Sailrite for their line of portable sewing machines (called the WorkerB Power Pack). The lack of slow speed control has been one of the only issues that we have had sewing with the LSZ1. A few years ago I upgraded the Balance Wheel when working on the […]

Archive: Weekend chores, family photos and a drip distraction

| October 10, 2021

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How do you prevent birds from hitting picture windows?

| October 7, 2021

… Boom …  Our new windows are really not that clean, but obviously the reflective quality is not helpful and looks painful for birds flying into them. I’m starting to wonder if we should rig up some kind of netting or thin sunshade? The latest bird to hit the window left a “dust” imprint clear […]

What happens when you make a Rhinoceros angry?

| October 6, 2021

Our Samsung side-by-side Refrigerator Icemaker has failed

| September 25, 2021

I’m going write this Samsung Refrigerator failed icemaker blog post up with the idiom that “they don’t make them like they used to.” I’m not exactly sure what electrical part has failed, but the electrical circuit or electronic board that controls the thaw/motor swipe to remove the frozen cubes from the small 8-cube ice tray […]

A map of showing the 4037 cities with populations over 100K

| September 23, 2021

This map was posted on Brilliant Maps back in 2015, but graphically seeing the 4037 cities around the world with over 100,000 people in them was interesting for those of us who enjoy studying maps. LINK to larger black and white and LINK to color overlay map It may not be the most up-to-date map, […]

A modern old favorite map (Pangaea – 175-300 million years ago)

| September 21, 2021

When I was a kid, I remember studying the illuminated glass globe in my bedroom and my grandparents pre-WW II atlas and then stumbling across the science theory showing the Alfred Wegener proposed supercontinent called Pangaea. The other day I saved the image overlay of today’s international borders on top of the globe image (click […]

Visual Imagery: Lightening, Lightning and Lighting

| September 18, 2021

A lot of people, including me, stumble repeatedly on seemingly the simplest things. Often this comes when trying to remember something or with the spelling of words we write and read all the time … yet we still seem to forget them again and again. I’m not sure if “Lightening, Lightning and Lighting” are issues […]

Office project patching update photos and banana bread #TBT

| September 16, 2021

Here are a few leftover project photos from the weekend for Throwback Thursday #TBT to add to the personal archive. Normally we make banana bread in the full-size Bosch oven when our bananas go soft and brown, but  I keep trying to get the convection baking setting correct on our toaster oven – not bad […]

As cracks appear we are prepared to dispute the concrete driveway

| September 14, 2021

Our end of summer driveway project has left us irritated and a bit depressed. This isn’t our first concrete project, so we do know what to expect and what is possible. Our builder supervised our first driveway at this house (the finish looked good and there were no initial cracks, but after a decade it […]

Archive: Labor Day 2021 Iron Fence and Gate Painting

| September 7, 2021

It was a home maintenance project that has been done before, but I’m still not fond of wire-brushing and repainting railings, our iron fence or rear gate … but since there was time at home this past Labor Day weekend, the project was started and finally finished. Besides digging out the rock at the base […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog