A fun family weekend in the pool before school starts this week
RichC | August 22, 2024
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Archive: Once again, a few late summer weekend update photos
RichC | August 13, 2024
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A 1973 Cadillac Coupe Deville photo from the summer of 1980
RichC | August 8, 2024
After noticing a ThrowBack Thursday #TBT post in the “Year(s) Ago On This Date” blog column and recently stumbling across a old automotive photo that I didn’t remember of me with the 1973 Cadillac Coupe Deville … the one that was hit by a train, well pushed off the tracks by a slow moving train. […]
Archive: KDAE vacationing in Minnesota with the Howards
RichC | July 31, 2024
The Oostras are vacationing back in Minnesota and enjoying time “stomping” around the areas near Minneapolis (and in Wayzata) where they spent a few years early of marriage. They initially spent some time with friends “in the city” then up with cousin Justin and Katie Howard and their family of five now at at their […]
Archive: Today is for highlighting my granddaughter Ellerie
RichC | July 27, 2024
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My brother and neighbor enjoying their retirement perch fishing
RichC | July 24, 2024
Since the earlier post this morning was “private” … for friends and family … it seemed like a good idea to archive another “texted to me” photo from last week. My brother Ron has been enjoyed trips up to “his” new property (our old property) and reconnecting with neighbors. He sent a photo out perch […]
Archive: A couple summer family photos from last weekend
RichC | July 24, 2024
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Found two photos of my “rebuildable” 1977 Honda Civic #TBT
RichC | July 18, 2024
There have been several times that I wish I had photos of the cars I’ve owned and now realize that very few actually exist or have been lost. I commented to my car friends about rebuilding the 289 cubic inch V-8 engine, derusting and repainting the 4-door family car that I learned to drive on […]
A couple interesting maps: Liberty Township development and severe weather map in Iowa looks like SW Ohio
RichC | July 10, 2024
For those of us living in the Liberty Township, Ohio area for nearly 30 years now, the development map above probably doesn’t come as a surprise. This once rural township is far more densely populated that it once was. With that growth comes challenges of keeping the heavy traffic and commercial growth from changing what […]
Archiving photos: Our family busy doing “family stuff”
RichC | June 27, 2024
Storm Clouds mid-June over Mankato MN After our enjoyable and busy week with our granddaughters, I wanted to archive a few photos that have been piling up in the “maybe” for the blog folder. Above are some of the storm clouds in Minnesota that caused flooding in the midwest in mid-June — ominous! For us, […]
Archive: Summertime with Oma and Bompa – 2024 edition
RichC | June 25, 2024
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Archiving helpful photos for a sewing leather/heavy material
RichC | June 16, 2024
Really I’m just saving a couple of helpful photos to use when it comes to sewing heavy material or perhaps leather with the Sailrite WorkerB upgrade. It might help when remembering how to adjust the Ultrafeed sewing machine … although I do know this, but sew so infrequently that it is easy to forget. Knot […]
This weeks leftovers: Laundry Room Update, Lift Pump Switch, Congressional Baseball Game and WyzeCam Pet detected
RichC | June 15, 2024
While clearing a few photos off my iPhone 7 Plus due to limited storage space this week, I decided it might be nice to archive a few photos … so “leftovers” from the week sounded like a good idea for this post. First, Brenda wanted a few new hooks for mops and things in the […]
Archive: Replaced Brenda’s older Apple Watch earlier this month
RichC | June 13, 2024
It is shocking to count the years since I gave Brenda her first Apple Watch for Christmas in 2015 — NINE … shocker! I would like to be able to say that it actually lasted that long, but not all that long after she started wearing it, the battery “bloated” in the charger and failed. […]
Happy Birthday Taylor … a day early
RichC | June 9, 2024
Taylor and Megan for Birthday golfing at Beckett Ridge (he worked there when he was in college) The weather was cooler than normal for a June birthday get-together for a few of our 35 year old sons’ friends, their spouses and now young families. It wasn’t a formal party per se, but it was a […]
Treasures found prepping old workbench for my granddaughters
RichC | June 6, 2024
My Grandpa Bluhm made this workbench and gave it to me for Christmas back in 1966. His influence early-on likely influenced my interest in tinkering and woodworking (car restoration and rebuilding was probably mostly influenced by DadC). This past weekend I cleaned it up a bit and added a homemade light strip with a roll of […]
Archive: The landscaping begins at KDAE’s beautiful new house
RichC | June 5, 2024
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Another Ridgid battery tool: A small chainsaw for trimming
RichC | June 2, 2024
This chainsaw has been on my tool wishlist for a while and when I mentioned to Brenda that it was $50 off over Memorial Day, she told me, you should get it. This small 12 inch Ridgid Chainsaw is not the “do everything” tool or even as robust as the bigger twin battery Makita, BUT […]
More “remnants of rural” are disappearing in Liberty Twp, OH
RichC | May 30, 2024
Another reminder that Liberty Township, Ohio is becoming less rural and a bit more suburban as the years go by. Commercial development is creeping closer to our neighborhood as the barn has been torn down after the passing of our farmer (turned doghouse builder) during COVID. ☹️ I thought for a moment that a new […]
Enjoyed the weekend with KDAE and a wonderful dance recital
RichC | May 22, 2024
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Saved May 2024 Thunderstorm over the house video for a filler
RichC | May 21, 2024
See below … 😉 While we were under a Tornado warning earlier this month, I was outside in the backyard watching the storms to the north of our house (over the roof). There was A LOT of lightning, but surprisingly not all that much thunder? AND since today is my brother’s birthday, Happy Birthday […]
Groundhogs and archiving a 1983 Mustang photos for #TBT
RichC | May 16, 2024
I don’t recall how the subject came up, but Brenda and I were talking about our first and then second house in NE Ohio … the one I have some of my fondest memories in — the kids were about our grandchildren’s age. It was located on “Ground Hog Hill” in Hudson Township when we […]
Archive: Swing/Slide repair part and meet Mackenzie Lee Howard
RichC | May 15, 2024
This archiving of leftover weekend photos is becoming a trend on My Desultory Blog and since it is a space for me to mark events and save photos, I suppose it will continue? Last weekend while celebrating Mother’s Day (along with my birthday) … I started pool opening process. I’m not sure how many more […]
Happy Birthday to my daughter Katelyn … how the risk tolerances and priorities have changed!
RichC | May 14, 2024
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Happy Mother’s Day 2024 to Brenda, Katelyn and ALL Moms
RichC | May 12, 2024
While picking out a card for “the mother of my grown children” this year, I couldn’t help notice how inflation has impacted the price of greeting cards. Perhaps when I was in the business of putting ink on paper, the price per sheet as it were, I wasn’t really given too much thought to each […]
Archive: The Northern Lights were to beautiful not to include
RichC | May 11, 2024
On Friday May 10, 2024, I started noticing the beautiful northern lights (aurora borealis) photos showing up on my X.com social media feed. They were so impressive that I told Brenda that we would need to go outside in the evening. While glancing at my skywatching info, I also notice that the International Space Station […]
Thanks all for reminding me that I’m another year older 🙃
RichC | May 8, 2024
Late spring yard work and continued Kubota diagnosis and repairs continued over the weekend, but on the 7th, another year for me is in the books; can’t say I’m feeling all that different? But THANK YOU to my family and friends for wishing me a Happy Birthday … and some doing the traditional Howard family […]
A leftover Spring 2024 Vacation photo from Delray Beach, FL
RichC | May 7, 2024
The sunsets across rural Ohio never really get old. I’ve driven home to Cincinnati this time of evening more times than I care to remember while coming home from NE Ohio … but those days are now behind me. This time it was returning from a spring vacation in April and I realized that there […]
No surprises after Brenda finally took her Ancestry DNA test
RichC | April 28, 2024
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Zillow lists “Pending Sale” on the property where I grew up
RichC | April 27, 2024
Towards the end of last year, I added a post titled “Semi-Depressing reminiscing about my childhood home” for Throwback Thursday #TBT in December 2023. A Zillow For Sale listing had me remembering good times AND a not so good photo that did not make me smile (see link). My childhood home on Lake Erie in […]
I have finally gone “Full Howard” (an inside family joke) #TBT
RichC | April 18, 2024
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Removed a couple trees from the front of our house #TBT
RichC | April 11, 2024
Brenda has been bugging me to remove a couple of pine trees (one 30 yo Blue Spruce that was nearly dead) from in front of the house (photo – house without the drooping pine). They were on the “to-do” list last year, but I’ve procrastinated until this year … and in my mind, I was […]
The day after our April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse #photos #video
RichC | April 9, 2024
Click images for larger images Our backyard may not have been the absolute best location to view a perfectly covered sun for the solar eclipse, but it was very impressive. Taylor took an afternoon off of work and came up with Gigi in the afternoon (we are north of Cincinnati), and I suspect he […]
Archive: Taylor and his MU fraternity brothers in Vegas
RichC | April 5, 2024
After posting the “Bald Eagle and 100K post,” I was feeling guilty in not including Taylor on the “goings-on” archive of my blog. So … to keep up, here’s photo from a bachelor trip to Las Vegas with his Miami University fraternity brothers last weekend. It sure looked and sounds as if they had a […]
A Bald Eagle photo in Whitehouse, Ohio … and another 100,000 miles odometer photo from my daughter #TBT
RichC | April 4, 2024
Katelyn’s 100K text message (above left) from her 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan reminded me of the one she sent 17 years ago (above right) … back when she was driving her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Where have all the years and miles gone (hence #TBT)? I’m so glad we have the technology to sporadically send messages […]
Archive: Gigi, Creative Rainbow artwork and Ilia Malinin skating
RichC | March 26, 2024
As has become a routine, I’m archiving a couple family weekend photos. First, last week was Gigi’s rescue day (Taylor and Megan’s dog). It was in 2023 that they found her and after attempting to find the owner by posting signs etc … although they suspected she was abandoned after having puppies … adopted her […]
Cleaned and shuffled workshop lumber storage last weekend #TBT
RichC | March 21, 2024
I started reorganizing the south wall of my basement workshop on Sunday afternoon, first, so that I could store a bit more lumber on my storage rack (the extra Oosta lumber!) … and second, so that I could clean up my old children’s workbench for my granddaughters to use when they come this summer. After […]
Archive: Combo family birthday party for Annalyn and Ellerie
RichC | March 19, 2024
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Archive: Since recent family posts were private for most readers, here’s a very cool night “star” photo of KDAE’s new house
RichC | March 7, 2024
Thanks for the great night photo after the completion of your homebuilding project, Drew and Katelyn!
Archive: KDAE February 2024 vacation to Florida Wrap-Up Part 2
RichC | March 6, 2024
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Archive: KDAE February 2024 vacation to Florida Wrap-Up Part 1
RichC | March 3, 2024
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Archive: Updating the “goings-on” of Taylor and Megan
RichC | March 1, 2024
While I really wanted to take the time and archive the great time we had in February with Katelyn, Drew and our granddaughters in Florida, I’ll start with a less time intensive post. Last week Taylor and Megan made me jealous by going to a Mac McAnally concert in Cincinnati. It definitely looks like they […]
Archive: A few leftover Valentine’s Day photos to make me smile
RichC | February 15, 2024
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An away from home work-table and a long overdue desk chair
RichC | January 21, 2024
Really this is to archive a few project ideas (below the break) for Taylor. He is a Mid-Century Modern lover and has consistently focused his decorating with this kind of taste. If dollars didn’t limit his shopping, I think he would be living in a Frank Lloyd Wright home and have it decorated with a […]
Weekend trip to Whitehouse Ohio and Christmas de-decorating
RichC | January 9, 2024
This may have been the third year in a row that I’ve “pruned” the dry Christmas tree apart in the house rather than yanking it through the back door or having another disaster. Why didn’t I do this in previous years? Brenda and I also made a trip to visit Katelyn, Drew and family in […]
Home Repairs: Toilets, Refrigerator shelf, Roof and Soffits
RichC | January 2, 2024
With the slower than usual week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I opted to work on a few home repair projects … really notice the toilet problems when the family was here over Christmas. I ordered a valve repair kit for the media/game room toilet in the basement and a new flapper set-up for […]
Taylor impressed me with his handyman skills earlier this week
RichC | December 30, 2023
All fathers who semi-attempt to pass down a few “handyman” skills are proud of their sons (and daughters – mine is amazing!) when they tackle projects by themselves. Taylor continues to amaze me at his fortitude when taking on homeownership projects, although he’s never been hesitant to jump into things with both feet. 😊 It […]
Archiving our Corbett family Christmas get togethers for 2023
RichC | December 27, 2023
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This year’s Christmas woodworking project: A Puppet Stage
RichC | December 24, 2023
It is becoming more and more difficult to remember what I’ve added to the blog and what I have not when it comes to woodworking projects? I had thought I might have mentioned a few of the steps back in November regarding doweling a couple of unique joints when building a Puppet Stage for my […]
Semi-depressingly reminiscing about my childhood home #TBT
RichC | December 21, 2023
My childhood home on Lake Erie in 1967 It is the time of year when we reflect on the past year … or in my case … the WAY past years. Last month, my brother Ron mentioned that the property (just the land) that our childhood home was being listed for sale. We were both […]
A 70th Birthday for Chris and our first REAL snow in December
RichC | December 19, 2023
This past weekend was enjoyable for our family as we celebrated Brenda’s sister Chris Skinner‘s 70th Birthday. It was a surprise party planned by her grown children and it was pulled off wonderfully. Ann and Gary drove up to our house from Atlanta and we drove 30 minutes to meet up with the family and […]
Archive: Some Christmas photos and KDAE finally moving in
RichC | December 13, 2023
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Archive: A family Throwback Thursday #TBT filler post
RichC | November 30, 2023
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Archive: A shark on the beach and a toothless granddaughter
RichC | November 29, 2023
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Archive: Rain showers and our growing granddaughters
RichC | November 26, 2023
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Archive: “The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends …”
RichC | November 18, 2023
Just saving a couple photos after walking the debris covered walkway at Atlantic Dunes in Delray Beach, Florida after the “monsoon” of a November 2023 storm. The heavy surf wash away A LOT of sand beach and left a mess of branches and leaves on the trails we normally walk on. Thankfully the heavy wind, […]
Archive: Leftover granddaughter photos from last weekend
RichC | November 14, 2023
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A wedding and reception with Katie and Jason Kirklin
RichC | November 13, 2023
We attended and enjoyed the wedding for Taylor’s long time “birthday buddy” and grade school, high school and college friend Katie Gormas to Jason Kirklin in downtown Cincinnati this weekend. Beside a high traffic parking fiasco that almost made us late, the evening was very nice. Taylor and Megan arrived even a few minutes after us […]
Books: Pacific Thunder (audiobook) and standing in line to vote
RichC | November 8, 2023
On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, I actually stood in line for 20- 30 minutes at the polls in order to vote in an off-year election! It wasn’t a big deal, but I wasn’t expecting a line considering I met my son for brunch after his doctor’s appointment and timed it purposely to not be at […]
Archive: Window washing and dining room aircraft carrier
RichC | November 7, 2023
The weather was just right this past weekend to work on the second batch of leaves for 2023. Even Brenda enjoyed coming outside to help as the sun was shining and was warm (HOT when working) for a breezy 60 degrees. We had a productive Saturday. On Sunday the weather was even better and about […]
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.