My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on July 12, 2026

Senator Lindsey Graham, a steadfast friend to the US military, cherished his family and his beloved state, South Carolina. He dedicated his entire life to serving his country. His career spanned as a JAG officer in the U.S. Air Force, a US Congressman, and a US Senator.

Graham’s life exemplifies the exceptional opportunities and values that America offers. After the untimely deaths of his parents while he was in college, he adopted his 13-year-old sister, Darlene. Throughout his service in the US Air Force, he supported her through college and remained close to her family. His life was a testament to his resilience and dedication. Born from humble beginnings in a small town in Pickens County, South Carolina, as a Southern Baptist with a fiery passion, Graham’s journey from humble origins to becoming a renowned figure is truly inspiring.

Renowned figures from around the world, including presidents, prime ministers, kings, and queens, have extolled Lindsey Graham’s virtues. This recognition is a testament to the exceptional opportunities and values that America provides. Graham’s life embodies the very essence of the American dream.

*** Personal tidbit: Brenda and I don’t often financial support political parties or candidates, but after receiving a national personal appeal a decade ago, did contribute a token amount to Lindsey Graham’s reelection campaign.

Category: News, Obituary, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: congress, legacy, Obituary, politcs, senator lindsey graham, us senate, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on July 12, 2026

Each year when our granddaughters come to visit for a week, I try to do something in the woodworking workshop that keeps them interested in working with tools (and with their Bompa, although now that they are older, suspect that name will disappear). 😉  

Katelyn gave me the idea of a “squirrel picnic table” a few months ago — excellent. So I’ve been collection a few photos and contemplating a way to use some Oostra Oak and the girl’s level of patience and skill order to accomplish this. They seem to enjoy their outdoor birdhouses, feeders, birdwatching, etc – although I’m sure their mom and dad have a lot to do with that – and so this might be a great small project come rain or shine this August? 

Category: Archive, Ideas, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: birdfeeder, bompa, granddaughers, picnic table, project, squirrels, summer, woodworking, workshop

Posted By RichC on July 11, 2026

Who hasn’t noticed that a number of Democratic Socialist candidates elected or on the ballots in several American blue cities and states? It seemed like a good topic for the three column points-of-view on the TheHustings political discussion site, so I sent in an editorial (commentary) last month and sort of forgot about it.

The editor reached out to a couple of the left-leaning contributors for their opinion and made it a topic for this weekend. I’ll include my commentary below the break, but check out the center and left as well.

The conversation is probably as you would expect if you have been following politics at all. As someone who is a life-long Republican and leans conservative … with friends on both the political left and right … I expected most liberal Democrats (or perhaps the majority are progressive Democrats nowadays) to push back a bit more as the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) candidates make inroads and seek to control the Democratic Party.

Now the same could be said of the Republicans by those pushing the MAGA agenda, I suppose? Nevertheless, a worthwhile and friendly exchange between “mostly older” contributors. 😉 

Young Conservative Leadership is Promising
Commentary by Rich Corbett

(more…)

Category: Archive, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: commentary, democracy, democrats, MAGA, Politics, Republicans, richc, socialism, socialists, thehustings

Posted By RichC on July 10, 2026

Front lawn cut before the rain starts. MyDesultoryBlog backed up. Linux server updated and installed WordPress 7.0.1 … and all is still working! 😉 

Category: Blogs, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: blog, tech friday, techfriday, update, wordpress

Posted By RichC on July 10, 2026

Besides admiring the new 2027 Tesla Model Y L with truly functional 3-row … and space behind it … this past week, I began contemplating what might be an eventual replacement for our 2019 Tesla Model 3. Currently it’s a bit pricey in my opinion, but might trigger better selling prices on lightly used 2023-25 Model Y LR (Long Range) models as they flow onto the market … but who really knows? 

Besides reading the news release and hearing about Tesla fanatics placing orders that will likely be delivered in the fall 2026, I gave the new-to-me CCS adapter, new circuit board and updated software a try this past week.

It was a simple trial to test something other than  the NACS Supercharger network standard and available at more and more locations, like the IONNA station in Lima, Ohio that we use regularly. This was the first time I tried the adapter to see if it would automatically link and pay from the EVGO app “just by plugging in.” It did just fine  with my unnecessary tinkering to make sure the $10 credit would be applied — all good. Now at least we have another charging option, which is handy being on the lighter side of range for longer trips.

Category: Automotive, Energy, News, Social Media, Technology, Tesla | No Comments »
Tags: charging, credit, ev, evgo, model 3, model y, model yl, preorder, tesla

Posted By RichC on July 9, 2026

It is not a “for sure” For Sale, but I did clean up the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel last weekend and added a sign to the window. Now I’m not going out of my way to sell it, but we do need to thin down the automotive stable. We’ll see … I’m not truly committed to selling it just yet. 😉 

That said, I had a conversation with Tom Appel, of the “Car Stuff” podcast hosts, about it as he has a weekly “quiz.” One of the question was “Is it an actual car part?” A missed question was “glow plug” to which as a diesel guy, I was disappointed. It started me thinking about replacing them back in 2013 and Tom asked what a glow plug goes for these days? I didn’t know since it has been a while and was shock to see a set of 5 for my car costing $115. Wow. 

So for Throwback Thursday, here’s an old photo from when I replaced the set of them.

Category: Automotive, For Sale, Mercedes, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: #TBT, 300d, diesel, glowplugs, mercedes benz, turbodiesel

Posted By RichC on July 8, 2026

While EV sales have cooled considerably, hybrid powertrains are seeing strong growth and are projected to capture a significantly larger share of the market in the coming years.

“Hybrids are the breakout star of the U.S. car market as EV demand fades”
Marketwatch – July 2, 2026

A chart from Murphy Automotive Partners (shared via WSJ/MarketWatch reporting) illustrates the decisive shift: Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles continue to decline in share, hybrids are rising steadily, and pure EVs remain a relatively small slice even by 2031e.

• • 2025: ICE ~78%, Hybrid ~14%, EV ~8%
  • 2027e: ICE ~74%, Hybrid ~21%, EV ~5%
  • 2031e: ICE ~66%, Hybrid ~27%, EV ~7%

Hybrids offer the best of both worlds for many drivers — better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs without the range anxiety, higher upfront costs, or charging infrastructure challenges of full EVs.

The article notes that hybrid volume is up 82% over the past three years (per Cox Automotive), making it the fastest-growing powertrain option. Many consumers are prioritizing practical fuel savings amid elevated gas prices rather than jumping fully into EVs. Toyota’s shift to hybrid-only models like the Camry is a strong market signal.

Owning a 2019 Tesla Model 3 SR+ (now with CCS retrofit and ~83k miles), I appreciate the efficiency and performance of electrification. However, the data reinforces what many practical buyers are realizing: hybrids provide meaningful real-world benefits today without some of the trade-offs of battery-only vehicles — especially for longer trips, cold weather, or areas with limited charging access.

This trend aligns with broader consumer preferences for reliability and total cost of ownership over mandates or hype. It will be interesting to watch how automakers respond — ramping up hybrid offerings while EV infrastructure and battery tech continue to mature.

Are you considering a hybrid for your next vehicle, sticking with traditional ICE … or going full EV?

Category: Automotive, Financial, Hybrid, Tesla | No Comments »
Tags: cars, ev, graph, hybrid, ice, marketwatch, projections, story, tesla, trends