Fighting back my desire to participate in the Apple upgrade cycle

| October 31, 2018

It is a favorite time of year for those who enjoy seeing the new product coming online from Apple. iPhones in September,new iPads and Apple Air notebooks this week and even a new Apple Mac Mini (used an older Mini for my desktop next to a Windows machine for years). This year it seems even […]

Markets for the most part bounced back on Tuesday

| October 30, 2018

October is indeed a "scary" month for investors who are still hoping the bull market is not over … and perhaps just slowing? Earning for the most part are still good, interest rates aren’t "scary" high and the economy seems to be chugging along. Most who want work are finding jobs and employers are complaining […]

On this day in 1974, Foreman and Ali fought in Kinshasa, Zaire

| October 30, 2018

The fight was known as "The Rumble in the Jungle" and was perhaps the most iconic boxing event ever. The underdog and mouthy, rope-a-dope dancing Muhammad Ali put  the undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman down in eight rounds. What an event and one not forgotten by the 60,000 in attendance or by the 50 […]

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

| October 29, 2018

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A couple last minute condo update improvements

| October 28, 2018

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Enjoyed a great week in Florida with Katelyn, Drew and Annalyn

| October 27, 2018

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Today was a reminder of Octobers past if you are an investor

| October 26, 2018

For those who watch the stock market, today was another one of those October trading days that can give one the willies. It was a reminder of the dreaded Octobers of the past and added to the steepest indices October decline since the 2007-2008 crisis. Still, the economy is sound, company earnings are good (tech […]

Book: The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WW2 Story …

| October 24, 2018

I can’t vouch for the complete book (I’ve just starting reading it), but for those of us who appreciate first hand accounts of heroism, survival and World War II history … spending $2 on Alistair Urquhart’s "The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific," is well worth it. An amazing story […]

The World Series 2018 starts tonight

| October 23, 2018

Although Cincinnati Reds baseball has been enjoyable all year long for me despite their weak season, my heart just hasn’t been in postseason MLB this year. Tonight (Tuesday, October 23, 2018) begins game one of the World Series between the Dodgers and Red Sox … a great east vs west coast series.

Two years seems too fast to be replacing burners in the grill?

| October 22, 2018

In 2016 my friend Jeff gave me his old grill as I finally gave up on our well loved and well used old aluminum shell grill. His was a 4 burner Charbroil propane model that I was able to cleaned up, converted to natural gas and add some new internal parts. It has worked great […]

This beautiful filler photo brings back mountain hiking memories

| October 21, 2018

Since I’m pre-occupied, a beautiful “daily post” filler photo that brings back memories of hiking in the Canadian Rockies or Glacier National Park in Montana works. Enjoy!

A catch-up International Space Station viewing post

| October 20, 2018

Earlier in October, as well as mid summer, I’ve been trying to get a better nighttime view of the International Space Station (ISS) passing over our house. It has been tracking overhead for the last few weeks an hour or so after the the sun set. The angle was such that our sky was completely […]

Learning about the odd hood ornament on my Packard Hawk

| October 18, 2018

For years I’ve known the odd hood ornament on my dad’s Packard Hawk (above) was not accurate or something that was original to the car, but had no idea where it came from?  Last week after an online chat and a little digging with a car-loving friend of mine, we did a little digging and […]

When it comes to dentistry, be glad you live in the 21st century

| October 17, 2018

There was a time we winced at dentistry pre-20th century (some still do today), but imagine going to an Egyptian dentist back in 2000BC or there about? Yikes! "Egyptians were very comfortable with and knowledgeable about the human body. Mummifying bodies required them to drain the blood and extract the organs leading to a basic […]

A little tool/chisel history that should remain in our family

| October 16, 2018

While sharpening my chisels and practicing my hand-cut joinery last weekend, I remembered that I added a "new to me" wood chisel to my tool roll when sorting tools from my late father-in-law’s barn. It was too large for the current project, but looks as if the steel might hold an edge better than my […]

Mm, Mm, Mm, Music Monday: Broken by Jack Johnson

| October 15, 2018

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Fox Business shuffles their TV talent and expands their live shows

| October 14, 2018

As a business news junkie, I’ve been watching Fox Business since I "demanded it" (as Neil Cavuto would tell viewers in the early days of the expansion Fox network). They have steadily grown and have become serious competition for CNBC (watched/listen since it’s debuted) and BloombergTV. Fox Business has mixed in far more general news […]

The 4-cycle Troy-Bilt String trimmer is great, but …

| October 14, 2018

Eleven years ago I replaced my noisy 1980’s 2-cycle John Deere brand "heavy" string trimmer with a much quieter 4-cycle Troy Bilt trimmer (Pony TB465SS). Both were, and are, used heavily as I’ve always had acres of yard to tend. At first glance it was obvious that the John Deere "back in the day" was […]

What a good looking car – 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel

| October 13, 2018

A friend from a Facebook group posted a 1982 Mercedes Benz advertisement with a W123 beauty – I thought it looked pretty close to my ‘82 MB 300D Turbodiesel. Nice! When the W123 went out of production in 1986 it had surpassed the Stroke Eight as the bestselling Mercedes-Benz with more than 2.5 million cars […]

Hurricanes and the stock market – duh, it’s October

| October 12, 2018

Q: Why am I not surprised to see U.S. stocks extend Wednesday’s ugly losses with more selling on Thursday? A: Because it is October! Well because the talking heads that “I listen to” point out just how strong our economy is and that corporate earnings are strong, consumer confidence high and the regulation and tax […]

ISS & FaceTime with Annalyn brightens an otherwise sour day

| October 11, 2018

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Fuel prices higher this year and Hurricane Michael nears

| October 10, 2018

EDIT: Updated 14:00-14:30 ET – Landfall Mexico Beach, FL with maximum sustained winds clocked at 145 mph Previous 11:28 a.m. ET update Hurricane Michael has been upgraded to a “potentially catastrophic” Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, the National Hurricane Center says. Data collected by NOAA and U.S. Air Force Hurricane […]

Practiced my first hand-cut dovetail #woodworking

| October 9, 2018

One would think that will all the years that I’ve been tinkering with tools and woodworking that surely I would have made a few "hand-cut" dovetails? Nope, I’ve always used a simpler joint for hand made projects or for bigger "repeat" projects opted for a router and dovetail jig — which was handmade by me […]

Set up the Wyze Cam Pan temporarily but have motion issues

| October 8, 2018

The new low cost Wyze Cam Pan that I bought to put in the Delray Beach Condo arrived this past weekend and so opted to set it up temporarily at home. So far so good with the image and impressive panning control with even motion tracking (less impressive though). The reason I chose the Wyze […]

What kind of rodent and varmint traps do you prefer?

| October 7, 2018

Each year about this time, rodents and varmints are looking at our garage and house as a place to call home when the weather cools. So I’m usually trying to stay ahead of them by sealing up and keeping the garage doors closed more often (challenging when the weather is so nice). The bigger varmints […]

“A Complete National Disgrace” – Where is our nation headed?

| October 6, 2018

As we watch the Brett Kavanaugh hearing play out in the political circus that has become Washington DC politics, some Americans have lost sight that there are actual people and lives at the center of these hearings. Senate confirmation hearings were once straight forward, and usually concluded with a vote to confirm, if the appointed […]

Tech Friday: The Amazon Echo will soon have Whisper Mode

| October 5, 2018

The Amazon Echo has been a fun gadget to use and have in our home since Katelyn and Drew gave it to us for Christmas. After having our granddaughter Annalyn with us for a few days last week, I realized we don’t always have the volume set appropriately especially when she is sleeping. Hm … […]

IF Elio Motors builds my car, what about trim levels?

| October 4, 2018

Yes … I’m still waiting on my Elio. I can’t say that I’m confident they will ever roll off the factory assembly line, but since my deposit is likely already gone one way or the other, I’ll try to remain positive. This week’s Momentum, the Elio Motors newsletter for customers, discussed their philosophy on “trim […]

More compliments for Ridgid Gen5X lithium powered tools

| October 3, 2018

If you use your battery powered drills as much as I do and are suffering with something a bit older than a couple of years, it is time to check out the new lithium powered tools. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with both my slightly older Craftsman Drill and Impact driver and […]

Beautiful artwork by someone with TIG talent

| October 2, 2018

FYI … not my work, as I’m nowhere close to having skills like this (although it may inspire me to practice!)

Air Force One “like” replicate being moved by barge

| October 1, 2018

Air Force One is parked at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County. Want to board? Run for the highest office in the land or join the White House press corps. Or, for a slightly easier route, visit National Harbor as of Oct. 19, when what’s billed as an “identical model of the president’s aircraft” […]

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