My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on July 24, 2026

Interestingly, I haven’t really given all that much thought until pondering the wave of new socialist politicians making inroads in today’s Democratic Party. There is a clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 5) that states
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President…”

Well that brings to mind our early U.S. Presidents and who was the first to actually be born after the founding of our republic? That would be our country’s 8th president, President Martin Van Buren of Kinderhook, New York.

Tidbit: “He is the only president to have spoken English as a second language and was the co-founder of the Democratic Party.”  – LINK

The clause ALSO created a grandfather exception for those who were already U.S. citizens when the Constitution was adopted (which included the first seven presidents, all born as British subjects before independence).

Martin Van Buren was born in 1782 after the Declaration of Independence and therefore was the first president born as a U.S. citizen and thus the first to qualify under the “natural born” requirement without relying on the grandfather clause.

All presidents since Van Buren have been born as U.S. citizens.

Category: History, Human Interest, Politics, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: constitution, grandfather exception, martin van buren, natural born, Politics, presidents, united states, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on July 23, 2026

After putting things off for awhile now, it was good to finally get a robotic inguinal hernia repair on Monday . I have been laying low since the procedure and can’t say I’m feeling like doing much. Which is a good things since I’m not suppose to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.

 I think all went well and hopefully it will give me some relief and ability to do a few more things. Let’s heal fast. 

So for now, I’ll leave you with this “POSITIVE POST.” 😊 

Category: Archive, Health, Humor, Medical | No Comments »
Tags: hernia, positive, richc, surgery

Posted By RichC on July 22, 2026

Likely I’ve added way too much on knots and knot tying in previous posts, but because “who knows how I’ll be feeling,” I’m pre-posting another knot tying video. “NOT” (groan) bad, if I can only remember them when they are needed. 😉 

Category: How-To, Video | No Comments »
Tags: .mp4, filler, knot, knots, pre-posting, video

Posted By RichC on July 21, 2026

Thankfully we are south far enough to escape most of the smoke and hazardous air that extends from Dayton, Ohio north from the 2026 Canadian wildfires. The farther north, the worse it is … and it was pretty bad in the Toledo area where the Oostras live (neighborhood photo below). So on our weekly Thursday “drive home from work” phone, Katelyn decided to check with Drew to see if they should escape the Canadian wildfire smoke and head down our way for a pool day. Very déjà vu … as it is exactly what I used to do with my mom and dad … call on my drive home from NE Ohio.

Drew seems to always be agreeable when it comes to “doing something” … and it gave him a chance to test out the BioWeapon Defense Mode on his Tesla Model S. Pretty impressive! 

Once Megan and Taylor heard about the plan, they too decide to come over after work and join us in the pool and grill out. All in all, it worked out perfectly and the smoke stayed to our north (sunset photo on their way home — the smoke did make for a beautiful sunset)! 

(more…)

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Video, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: drew, family, granddaughters, katelyn, megan, oostras, smoke, taylor, wildfires

Posted By RichC on July 20, 2026

An oddity for this week’s Music Monday, but not quite what next week’s post will be (a teaser). 😉 

David Cassidy and his music or The Partridge Family acting was never my “cup of tea” back in the 1970s, but he was a teenage idol/heartthrob (primarily girls) … just as was his younger half-brother actor/singer Shaun Cassidy. (Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries).

Idiom: The phrase “cup of tea” comes from the 1800’s and then over 100 years later in the 1920’s the word not was added onto the start of the phrase to create a negative version of it. – LINK

Anyway, David Cassidy’s 1971 song “Cherish” (a familiar 1960’s hit by The Association) was playing on SiriusXM  during the 4th of July weekend, and since I had not heard it for a long time, thought it would be something different… yet still fitting in since it was from the 1970s.
 

Cherish is the debut solo album by American singer David Cassidy, released by Bell Records in early 1972. Produced by Wes Farrell, the album was recorded in late 1971 to establish Cassidy as a solo star separate from his fame on The Partridge Family, featuring a more mature sound than his previous group work.

The title track, “Cherish” (a cover of The Association’s 1966 hit), was released as his debut solo single in October 1971. It peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 2 in the UK, where it was issued as a double A-side with “Could It Be Forever.” The album itself climbed to No. 15 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 2 in the UK, helping to cement Cassidy’s status as a major teen idol in the UK and Australia during the early 1970s.

The album includes 11 tracks, such as “I Am a Clown” and “My First Night Alone Without You” (written by Kin Vassy), with songwriting contributions from Tony Romeo, Adam Miller, and Wes Farrell. Cassidy also penned the closing track, “Ricky’s Tune,” a homage to his deceased pet dog. The album was remastered and reissued on CD by Arista in 2000, where it has remained in print since.

Brave LEO AI

Category: Entertainment, Idioms, Music | No Comments »
Tags: david cassidy, jack cassidy, music monday, musicmonday, partridge family, shaun cassidy, shirley jones, television, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on July 19, 2026

Having to wear glasses or readers is just another curse of growing older … although a minor inconvenience compared to an other medical problems. For me, wearing glasses is nothing new, but as the years go by, they are now a necessity rather than an aid when reading or working on something close up.

I’ve had likely two dozen over the last couple of decades and finally found very comfortable glasses that I use while working at my desk and computers (Amazon: BLUEMOKY for $16.99). I’m not sure the “blue light blocking” does anything, but they are the most comfortable readers that I own … and eventually bought a second pair.

Unfortunately, I found a flaw – the lenses are easily scratched, which might be the same for other low-cost readers? Since I use them everyday, I’ll likely purchase a third pair even though I am complaining about them.

So far the Clear View glasses cleaner claiming “Safe on AR Coatings” but with isopropyl alcohol … and either a lens cloth or larger microfiber cloth do not seem to prevent scratching. If I purchase a third pair, I’ll try only dish soap and a new microfiber cloth to see if that helps.

Any other suggestions???

Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, Shopping | No Comments »
Tags: amazon, bluemoky, complaint, glasses, readers, scratches, Shopping

Posted By RichC on July 18, 2026

While currently contemplating the idea of tackling replacing the front struts and suspension components on my 2010 BMW X5 35d, the idea crossed my mind that maybe I should replace my beloved diesel SUV instead? Hm, almost always a bad idea. 

If it were to happen, I would probably still want the long range ability without “range anxiety” that comes with owning a 500+ miles per tank of fuel vehicle … AND the AWD “utility” feature that gives me plenty of hauling space, plus trailering ability. A few vehicle ideas have crossed my mind … but then again … the smart move would be to repair my “showing signs of age do everything” hauler.

It is still fun to think about something new and to dangle it on a string just out of my reach (“donkey and a carrot” idiom) … like the Rivian R2 or Scout Traveler with the Range Extender option claiming  “production targeted for 2027.”  Yes, I still have a little bit of that “new car dreaming” left in me, but wisely Brenda vetoed the thought of putting $100 down on a pre-order. 😉 

Category: Automotive, Idioms, Personal, Repairs | No Comments »
Tags: BMW, ev, range extender, rivian r2, scout, strutmonkey, struts, SUV, traveler, x5 35d