NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance launched successfully today

| July 30, 2020

The NASA liftoff of Perseverance (7/30/2020) was a great sight this morning as was hearing that the new new rover “phoned home” an hour later. Those who grew up with the space program are fondly remembering the race to the moon days as well as the excitement in man probing space. This trip to Mars […]

Music Monday: Remembering my Glen Campbell listening days

| July 20, 2020

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To shut down or not to shut down, that is the question – Hamlet

| July 18, 2020

As politicians and most of us in the United States (and probably world) debate how to live under the shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic, researchers, doctors and academics are flooding the Internet with studies and opinions both for and against opening up the country. Some have our best interest at heart … and likely some […]

Music Monday: Bread – Baby I’m-a Want You plus concert video

| June 29, 2020

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Music Monday: Van Morrison – Ballerina/Move On Up #video

| June 8, 2020

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How do we safely open up America again? #COVID19

| April 21, 2020

As the United States and the world prepare to open society in phases after well over a month of stay-at-home orders due to the Coronavirus, the debate between those who see the health risk as too high and those who fear a full on economic collapse (world wide depression) continues. Several states are seeing protests […]

Plugging yet another tire and “smelling the roses” #video

| April 18, 2020

Another nail or something in the tire, this time in Brenda’s Acura RDX. Thankfully it was in the tread and small, so an easy plug … but plugging two tires within 30 days? (the animated gif above is just a little soap water sprayed on the tire for leak detection) As for a video that […]

Muzak Monday: The Pink Panther Theme – Henry Mancini

| April 6, 2020

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A simple framing woodworking jig idea and bookshelves update

| April 5, 2020

Snipped an idea for the woodworking workshop that I’m planning to add to my table saw crosscut sled .. nothing complicated, but a way to use geometry in order to make the perfect 45 degree jig for cutting frames. It is a way to use perfect squares to accurately cut the 45 degree jig. Check […]

Music Monday: Neil Diamond #COVID19 contribution

| March 30, 2020

Neil Diamond sings “Sweet Caroline” with updated lyric for safety during Covid-19 pandemic. Stay safe out there!

As depression kicks in, watched the film “Miracle” for inspiration

| March 18, 2020

For those of us who in December thought this Coronavirus ‘thing’ was a Chinese story and not going to be a big deal here in America; we were wrong. COVID19 and the economic impact is being felt far and wide by everyone in the world. I still want to believe it will be short-lived and […]

Woodworking: Best plywood edge banding advice and #video

| March 8, 2020

While planning a long overdue bookcase woodworking project, I needed to learn a little more about edge banding. Previous bookcases that I’ve made have all been solid wood and either painted (in our first and second homes) or stained and poly finished oak (several book, CD, video and DVD case). This planned project is a […]

Woodworking: Jon Peters on biscuit jointers and a great tip

| February 16, 2020

Although one could spend all day or night watching YouTube advice videos from expert woodworkers, I’ve limited my viewing to a few guys. I’m fond of Jon Peters for both the quality of his videos and for the short “focused” tips. In a recent YouTube video, he points out how often he finds himself using […]

Music Monday: The Mamas and The Papas – Monday Monday

| February 10, 2020

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Loved those Volkswagen conversions like the Brubaker Box #TBT

| January 9, 2020

It’s fun to remember all the cool looking Volkswagen conversion back in my youth. I loved the dune buggies and sports car models (that looked fast, but were VW Bug slow). Here’s one that I never saw in person, but back in the 1970s … when “vans were cool” … this would have been great. […]

The last post of the decade: Do you remember yard Jarts?

| December 31, 2019

While getting the Christmas decorations for Evergreen Farm Estates down from the poolhouse-garage loft earlier this month (Brenda and neighbor Pam have always decorated our neighborhood) …  I spotted the yard game of Jarts. (you probably need to be a baby boomer to remember them?) What were they thinking??? Just as with the “design of […]

Music Monday: Remembering Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion 1975

| October 7, 2019

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Music Monday: A WSJ article and Gordon Lightfoot memories

| September 2, 2019

All too often lately I’m reminded that the memories I have as a boy growing up are seen as being from “the olden days.” An article in this past month’s WSJ highlighted the beloved Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian folk singer and songwriter who’s work spans many decades. His music was enjoyed and listened to by […]

Music Monday: Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffett

| July 22, 2019

What would summer be without Jimmy Buffett music and cheeseburgers? How about remembering summer fun with Jimmy Buffett‘s Cheeseburger in Paradise song from back in 1978 with a relatively new personal connection twist? Besides me being a nearly life long listener, this past year or so I have another connection to Buffett as mentioned before. […]

Music Monday: A one hit wonder – Oh, Oh, Oh It’s Magic

| July 15, 2019

Heard this one-hit-wonder this past week and thought it would make a great addition for Music Monday. The once Bay City Roller members, David Paton and Billy Lyall, formed the group Pilot in 1973 and in 1975 “Magic” hit the charts.

Tech Friday: The challenges of policing speech on social media

| July 12, 2019

There are challenges from users and governments facing several of the companies who make money advertising to the millions of eyeballs and the marketing of users personal data. We all want “free services,” but most people dislike the collection and selling of their personal data or having to sift through advertising … especially when it […]

A wide swath of Western Ohio was hit by storms and tornadoes

| May 28, 2019

Thankfully the tornado(es) and severe storms that blasted through Indiana and Ohio last night were all to our north. I checked in with my brother Ron in Tipp City and he was fine, although his home and my nephew Jaben’s (Huber Heights) were in the path of this nighttime storm. The photo of a massive […]

Music Monday: Ventura Highway – the mellow sound of America

| May 27, 2019

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Music Monday: Doobie Brothers – China Grove

| May 20, 2019

Whenever I hear the Doobie Brothers, I can’t help but think about being back in high school and listening to my high school pep band at basketball games (while I was behind the basket shooting photos for the paper). Several songs were regularly played as I recall … China Grove, Listen to the Music and […]

Music Monday: Ramblin’ Man by Allman Brothers live in 1972

| May 13, 2019

Having posted songs from the Allman Brothers Band and Gregg Allman a few times before, it was surprising not to have included a Music Monday “Ramblin’ Man” post? So instead of a vinyl single to mp3 (recorded 1972 – release 1973), how about a live YouTube live video from November of 1972 at Hofstra University […]

Archiving a YouTube grilling recipe for summer

| April 29, 2019

Archive: Taylor Corbett – Meeting Clermont County’s Planner

| April 9, 2019

There aren’t many things that makes a mom and dad prouder than realizing their parenting efforts have paid off. We are now regularly seeing our children as productive professional adults and realizing that our being positive examples, and prioritizing school and providing a college education, has paid off. Besides Katelyn and husband Drew being accomplished […]

Music Monday: Once upon a time, I saw the 1967 musical Hair

| April 8, 2019

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Music Monday: Just a guy playing the piano in a hardware store

| April 1, 2019

This is a repost from Facebook and a blog post from 5 years ago … but after someone sent me a message last week about not being able to view the embedded FB video, I decided to repost and archive the impressive piano playing of Jacob Tolliver on an “unfinished piano in a Portsmouth Ohio […]

The new 2019 iPad Air or the 11 inch iPad Pro?

| March 22, 2019

This is project for work as I wanted to demonstrate to a customer what I was referring to when I encouraged them to add a simple “read a script” podcast channel or simple YouTube video component to their marketing. It is a way to capture audiences who have moved away from reading articles and blogs […]

Music Monday: Eric Carmen songs and a memory from Brenda

| March 18, 2019

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A little leftover Annalyn “dance party” video to archive

| March 13, 2019

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Music Monday: John Mellencamp songs and my parents

| March 11, 2019

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What will higher diesel fuel cost mean for the economy? #inflation

| February 5, 2019

The prediction that diesel fuels will rise (“double in price” – note the last minute of the interview) is bound to impact the price of goods. Everything is shipped using diesel fuel, be it on ships, trains or trucks, and with those prices rising significantly, consumers will be paying. On the personal side, those of […]

The colorful Coquina Clams emerging from a sandy beach

| February 3, 2019

After watching a short YouTube video of the Coquina Clam emerging from the “swash zone” on a beach after a wave retreated, I thought a short animated gif would make a great winter filler post for the blog. The coquina clam (Donax variabilis) is a common inhabitant of Florida’s sandy beaches. Known for their highly variable […]

BMW water injection and how it works to make +50 hp

| January 17, 2019

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Engineering Explained and in this video car guru and mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains just how BMW used water injection to increase power at full throttle and high manifold pressures. Great stuff. And if this kind of "automotive engineering stuff" interests you and you like aviation like me, […]

Music Monday: And for something totally different from Annalyn

| January 14, 2019

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Learning about the Packard Twelve leaves me curious #TBT

| January 10, 2019

While reading a few interesting older blog posts at Consumer Guide, my Twitter friend Tom Appel (@Car_Guy_Tom) post got me thinking about the strange company that seemed to be trying to revitalize the Packard car brand. The company built a prototype some years ago and by attending a few shows, generated some attention with the […]

You too can restore a cast iron skillet like Jon Peters

| December 27, 2018

When Brenda and I were first married, we started off cooking with a cast iron skillet. It was “old school” even 36 years ago to be using our old Wagner cast iron (were made in Sidney, Ohio), but there was something great about using those big heavy “somewhat” greasy skillets in our little two bedroom […]

Music Monday: Merry Christmas from the Family

| December 17, 2018

How about a classic … Merry Christmas from the Family … first recorded by the “alternative country music” artist Robert Earl Keene in 1994 (below is a live version from 2006 still on YouTube). It still makes me smile even if in today’s world it is probably not PC … nor was it appropriate to […]

Music Monday: Jam In The Van a few years ago with Nicki Bluhm

| November 19, 2018

Music Monday posts are usually a reflection of what I’m listening to at the moment; this week it is not. The older music video below was trigger after seeing Nicki Bluhm‘s name on a concert listing when Brenda and I were at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati. I’ve mention Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers several […]

Music Monday: A Rumours of Fleetwood Mac recap

| November 12, 2018

After posting on last weekend Rumours of Fleetwood Mac concert on Friday night for Saturday’s post, I realized the music related post would have made a great Music Monday post. Since part of being a VIP attendee was a bunch of swag including a promo video, so below a little bit of what the concert […]

Music Monday: Getting in the mood for a Fleetwood Mac concert

| October 29, 2018

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Occasionally an exchange on Twitter can surprise people

| September 9, 2018

Social networks like Twitter"can" be interesting places for people who have opposing views to debate and exchange views … or they can be just a bunch of haters. BUT … because I participate in the former, I do enjoy the back and forth with people who have good or better thoughts than me … or […]

Obit: Actor, director and “Bandit” Burt Reynolds dead at 82

| September 7, 2018

Of course my reference by including "The Bandit" in a tribute post to the passing of Burt Reynolds has a lot to do with how I remember him; he died after a heart attack on Thursday 9/6/2018 at age 82. The highpoint for me in remembering him was the making of the Smokey and the […]

Music Monday with The Band from 1969 – Happy Labor Day!

| September 3, 2018

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It would be nice if ElioMotors communicated like Magfast

| August 2, 2018

I have, and do, support a few crowd funded projects — I’ve placied preorders taking on risk and see it as taking a small scale venture capital risk (without much reward). A couple bigger investments have been Elio and MagFast. The latter posts weekly, and relatively personal updates via YouTube video, on how the process […]

Music Monday: “Angel Of The Morning” – Interesting Tidbits

| July 30, 2018

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Music Monday: Sunshine (go away today) by Jonathan Edwards

| July 23, 2018

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Music Monday: Dancing Queen by ABBA from 1976

| July 16, 2018

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Tech Friday: What is going to be new in Apple iOS12

| June 22, 2018

It has been a while since posting on “what’s new” with Apple. As we approach the convergence of mobile operation systems and desktop, the maturing lightweight phone OS on all platforms is growing in power, size and use. The writing is on the wall. Microsoft has announced Windows 10 will be the last Windows operating […]

Happy Birthday Taylor – What a difference 4 years can make

| June 10, 2018

It is hard to believe that my son Taylor is 29 years old today!?!?!? It doesn’t seem possible that he has been pretty much living on his own now for third of his life? He has certainly made us proud at the way he has grown up and handled a difficult decade that faced him […]

Memorial Day Music Monday – Star Wars theme song

| May 28, 2018

It is not my ordinary Memorial Day post honoring those who died in service to our country, but I enjoyed watching a couple older Star Wars movies this weekend and couldn’t get the theme song out of my head. It has been a while since I enjoy watching the original 1977 Star Wars (IV – […]

Music Monday: David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney

| May 14, 2018

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Law, court and a little bit about the role of the Grand Jury

| May 10, 2018

Brenda was subpoenaed to be a witness in a "drug diversion" case and appeared before a Grand Jury in our today. For someone not all that familiar with law and legal proceeding this just sounded ominous. Since I’ve been summoned to jury duty this summer, I figured it was a good time to tag along […]

Tech Friday: Chrome desktop browser welcomed change

| April 20, 2018

Google today launched Chrome 66 for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. The desktop release includes autoplaying content muted by default, security improvements, and new developer features. You can update to the latest version now using the browser’s built-in updater or download it directly from google.com/chrome.With over 1 billion users, Chrome is both a browser […]

Dreams are possible when you devote your life to them

| April 19, 2018

Throwback Thursday #TBT: A lot of my free time in high school and college was spent dreaming about sailing living on a sailboat.  I read and reread stories, the monthly magazines and bookshelves of accumulated nautical books about cruising, seamanship and maintaining a sailboat — I was focused on “would be possible for me to […]

Why are so many millennials anti-capitalists?

| April 11, 2018

With freedom desired by nearly everyone on earth and history clear as to choice and “the market” lifting our standard of living, why do so many young people embrace socialism and big government?

Music Monday: Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair

| April 9, 2018

(click for larger) I read an interesting article about music in Wired this past weekend and in particular a World Song Map image that instead of a "place name" there is a "song name." It may not be the best song selection for the place, but it did trigger an old song from 1967 by […]

Two things to look for when buying an old Mercedes Benz diesel

| April 4, 2018

Having owned Mercedes Benzes for years now (first was our 87 MB 560 SEL –  reminder that I need a photo) and using several resources for buying and maintaining, some of the best advice for for the, W123 which I’m particularly fond of, (my current 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel) comes from Kent Bergsma, of […]

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