New Year’s Eve Friday Filler Photo: Make 2022 better than 2021

| December 31, 2021

As we wind down 2021 and close the book on a stressful COVID19 filled year … here’s hoping next year will bring an end to the pandemic. If that is not going to be the case, then let’s hope the Omicron Variant isn’t as deadly as the Delta Variant … and that we will keep […]

Guide to reducing Ethereum Gas Fees somewhat simplified

| December 30, 2021

There’s more to buying, trading and SENDING Ethereum cryptocurrency and blockchain dapps than just reading this short paragraph, but if you want make $ETH transactions (applies to other cryptocurrencies as well) … the best way to reduce fees (gas fees) is to make the transactions when the traffic is not at its highest. In other […]

Books: The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul

| December 29, 2021

This book is on my 2022 “want to read” list and I’m unsure if I’ll opt for the audio version, ebook or paper edition (Amazon options)? While listening to the Brian Kilmeade (the books author) talking about the “battle to save America’s soul” on a Fox News program, it has become apparent that those setting the […]

Simple TableSaw or Bandsaw miter jig idea for #Woodworking

| December 28, 2021

As usual, I was late in coming across a simple workshop miter guide for my table saw, although more recently something I needed for my small bandsaw. While working on a Christmas project for my granddaughter, I needed to cut a bunch of small pieces where I didn’t lose so much wood to the table […]

Something a bit more amateur for this week’s Music Monday

| December 27, 2021

Social media is filled with nastiness and ugly news … but it is also a place for upbeat positive news, scripture, prayer requests and a shared love of song and some heartwarming father-daughter bonding.  I’m not sure who these “smiling” amateur singers are that appeared on my Twitter feed, but it made my day and […]

Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2021 – Elon Musk

| December 26, 2021

Before the year 2021 disappears, it is worth highlighting Time magazine’s pick for Person of the Year  – although I generally just roll my eyes. This time in picking Elon Musk, it is hard to disagree. The pick of Musk, the richest man on Earth, is a good one as he is not only an […]

Boxing Day update and our Christmas yet-to-be family rotation

| December 26, 2021

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Merry Christmas to all … and may every reindeer eat a carrot

| December 25, 2021

Wishing all who read My Desultory Blog a very Merry Christmas, good health and a very Happy New Year.

Not the Christ you want, but the Christ you need

| December 24, 2021

It is not easy to follow Christ, but His teachings, AND gift of salvation, are what we sinners need. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  – Matthew 4:19 While mailing out our Christmas cards, decorating our Christmas tree and reflecting on this past year, I listened […]

Wow, the Backporch 14 years ago! Where do the years go? #TBT

| December 23, 2021

While posting to the blog yesterday, I noticed a “Year(s) Ago On This Day” post archiving the stamped concrete was being pour/stamped for our backporch – 14 years ago). And even more shocking is that we were building our house back in the winter and spring of 1996! (click on house photo below of Katelyn, […]

Finally added the notch to the table saw outfeed table

| December 22, 2021

It has taken me a long time to cut into the outfeed table that I added to my Delta table saw in 2019, but I’ve finally added “the notch.” The spacing between the often used Shopsmith band saw and my lumber rack has always been tight … so tight that I’ve found myself angling it […]

Happy Winter Solstice; it is the shortest day of the year.

| December 21, 2021

The planetary astronomer and science guru, Dr. James O’Donoghue, that I follow on Twitter posted a great video illustration that explains today, December 21st … or more appropriately a couple of days that occur as the seasons change. Today is the winter solstice and it marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. On December […]

Merry Christmas 2021 and Happy New Year from both of us

| December 20, 2021

Perhaps the days of our yearly-update annual Corbett Christmas Letter stuffed into a Christmas card are in the past? We have succumb to the popular printed photo card and figured that those who might want to know more about our year might just read my blog (a shameless plug). This year we decided not to […]

Messages on the Echo and crazy-faced granddaughter photos

| December 19, 2021

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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 […]

Following NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover as it explores

| December 17, 2021

It has been interesting following NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover “virtually” since the launch on July 30, 2020 and landing on Mars February 18, 2021. Since that time, Perseverancehas sent back hundreds of photos from the surface, collected (core samples) rocks and spent time “off-roading” on the surface. The terrain photo above (click it for larger) […]

A purposefully belated Happy Birthday to Drew! #TBT

| December 16, 2021

The years go by quickly and I’m not sure how to keep up with the time anymore, except maybe by watching our granddaughters grow up … or noticing gray hair and elbow wrinkles. UGH! The 8 years and 8 months our son-in-law Drew has been married to Katelyn and part of our family have been […]

We are thinking about retirement … in a few years!

| December 15, 2021

As Christmas cards arrive and the 15th of December hits, it is time to start winding down my business year and thinking about 2022 (BTW, we mailed our cards this week). One thing I have noticed this year is that more cards are from people who are now retired or are retiring. Hm … does […]

Brakes for both the Acura RDX and BMW X5 35d last weekend

| December 14, 2021

Looking at the rear brake wear on Brenda’s 2010 Acura RDX is not a sign that I’ve been taking good care of her car, but she did mention her brakes were squealing a bit last month. By the time I got around to ordering brakes and discs for both the dual-piston fronts and rears, it […]

Music Monday: One big 1970’s hit for Chairmen of the Board

| December 13, 2021

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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 […]

The “fuel surcharge model” for TV cable content delivery?

| December 11, 2021

It is a sneaky way to increase what I thought was a customer to Cincinnati Bell “contracted-each-year” cable TV and Internet monthly bill? Nope, according to @CincyBell … after being mislead by customer service that the below increases were “government related fees” and “out of their control” … the increases are negotiated contracts with content […]

Tech Friday: Surprised at the recent increase in blog traffic

| December 10, 2021

The surprise increase in blog traffic corresponded to my taking a few more security measures such as locking down more of the personal content to only logged in readers … but I’m not sure that had anything to do with increasing earnings? Still, I noticed upward change (more than doubling) of Google Adsense earnings and […]

A first light snow of the season and a truck in the ditch

| December 9, 2021

Since the post scheduled for today is for those who have signed-in (you should register) … I’m adding this one as a public filler for the day. These week we had our first slick road for the season with a touch of snow … and as it does every year, triggered an accident on the […]

A couple days of photos leftover from the weekend: Part 2

| December 9, 2021

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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 […]

Thinking of Pearl Harbor by finishing a Battle of Midway book

| December 7, 2021

As we remember the day that the Empire of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and try to “never forget” our ill-preparedness “date that will live in infamy” on December 7, 1941, I’ll finally finish the hefty book “Shattered Sword” by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. (it’s a 1139 pages!)  The “untold story of the Battle of Midway” […]

Stargazing on a cold and crisp evening out the back door

| December 6, 2021

I took a quick photo as the Moon and Venus are lit up by the sun well down in our evening sky in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Cold, clear and beautiful. Be watching for Saturn and Jupiter!

Rickie Lee Jones: Her book “Chronicles of an American Troubadour” plus “Chuck E’s in Love” music from 1979

| December 6, 2021

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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 […]

The Asteroid 4660 Nereus will come relatively close to earth

| December 4, 2021

The scientific community which tracks asteroids has known about the “potentially hazardous” asteroid 4660 Nereus, which is the size of the Eiffel Tower, since it was discovered in 1982. It will pass at its closest point in 20-years on December 11, 2021, although still a safe distance from earth. The “egg shaped” asteroid may contains […]

Tech Friday: Is there too much of YOU on the Internet?

| December 3, 2021

As years of your personal information accumulates on servers across the Internet, do you ever wonder just how much of your data has evolved from a generic interpreted sketch, to a colorful painting with specific details … to now a high resolution gigabyte sized photo of you and your life? Well it is past due […]

Time Life Books: The Epic of Flight #TBT

| December 2, 2021

The Time-Life series books have never been something I’ve collected, but I’ve enjoyed looking at them as I would an old set of encyclopedias. There is something fascinating about the photos and history that can distract for hours. An aviation friend included a “poster” from the 1982 series earlier this week which did the same […]

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.

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.
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