RichC | April 16, 2019
Besides finishing the painful tax filing this weekend, I replaced the rear shocks in my 2002 Honda Odyssey “work-wagon” and Florida vehicle. It is still the lowest mile vehicle we have, but unfortunately it is showing its age … especially the rusting under carriage. Still it runs well and is reliable … knock on wood. […]
RichC | April 13, 2019
Even in today’s gender-neutral world, there are duties, either said or unsaid, that married couples still assign to each other. One of them in our house assigned to me is taking care of our automotive issues … especially the ones nobody really wants to do. One of this past weeks’ tasks was to take our […]
RichC | April 11, 2019
A Smartthings- like plug that I used with the Amazon Echo virtual assistant failed this past week, so I took it to the workbench in order to diagnose. I suspected that I was not really going to be able to fix it, but was curious as to what what inside anyway (sort of hoping, but […]
RichC | March 30, 2019
While working on the “bird away boxes” last weekend, the spring weather warmed improved enough at least for a day in order to start a fiberglass column repair (needed for curing). The wind blew enough a few weeks ago to toss items around enough that a crack and a chunk of plastic was broken out […]
RichC | March 23, 2019
Although I’m fond of shopping online for convenience, selection and to compare prices … I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with accuracy in fulfillment of merchandise being shipped by “prime” but from an third party vendor. In a recent order, I not only received the wrong product, but also an obvious opened and returned product (the correct […]
RichC | March 19, 2019
Nothing like getting bogged down in wasting a weekend trying to repair a quartz clock that should just be replaced! I had the best of intentions on Saturday morning as I was up early and had my weekend project list ready to start. Initially I started to organize my workbench after ordering new bearings and […]
RichC | March 2, 2019
There are still exciting adventures ahead … but as someone who always has a plan, and dreams ambitiously, I’m detecting my life plans are changing … again. Dreams are good for the soul IMHO, so as long as ones asperations can be modified when life changes. A reality check needs to trigger flexibility in the […]
RichC | February 27, 2019
Since printing presses (and bindery equipment) is in my DNA, I can’t help but have a soft spot for this guy tweaking his equipment to spit out paper airplanes. Personally I would rather … and remember many-a-late nights … calculating $$$ as our sheet-fed offset presses mesmerizingly crank out piles of paper. 🙂
RichC | February 26, 2019
Wintertime offers longer days for reading and thinking and some of my better thoughts happen during my morning shower … although other thoughts aren’t quite so inspirational or deep …like, “Why can’t the sliver of soap be as invigorating as that larger new bar? Do soap manufacturers purposely make the inside of a bar of […]
RichC | February 21, 2019
With nearly all states offering concealed carry permit reciprocity with Ohio, I’m no longer going to renew my Florida CCW license. It seems like just a waste of money and bureaucratic duplication. Florida always did work well with an Ohio CCW, but there were a combination of states that I drove through between Ohio and […]
RichC | February 19, 2019
After working on both the condo guest bathroom and kitchen last year in Delray Beach, Florida, I’m hoping to work on the master bathroom when we vacation this year. Our renters have emailed just how pleased they are with the new updates and suspect they will rent again in 2020? At one time I planned […]
RichC | February 13, 2019
For those of us who grew up working on cars pre-Internet, the Haynes Manuals were one of the “go-to” sources on how to fix automobiles … or at least a particular brand and model of car. Last week John Haynes, the founder of the publishing company, passed away at 80 years old. Although I also […]
RichC | February 12, 2019
Having worked on my family tree with Ancestry.com back in 2010 and then ignored returning 9 years later, it has been interesting to look into it again now that DNA testing has grown in popularity. My results came back a few days ago and they were “as expected” (although the map a bit deceiving). From […]
RichC | February 10, 2019
I enjoyed the warm sunshine and working on a few project on Encore this past week. It was a delayed trip due to a flight cancelation, but thankful my schedule is pretty flexible. It would have been nice to stay longer and to have had Brenda with me, but "ya got to do what you […]
RichC | February 6, 2019
We often act as if we are so enlightened in the 21st century when it comes to political philosophy and an understanding as to what motivates human beings. Politicians, and in turn their dreamy-eyed followers, are once again attempting to solve income equality with big government and expensive social programs that propose to "tax the […]
RichC | February 4, 2019
While chatting with my son Taylor over the weekend about the terrible news regarding the killing of a law enforcement officer in the county where he works (depressing), we discussed his career options again. His job is currently to his liking, but the challenge and opportunity for advancement and salary improvement is dependent on seniority […]
RichC | February 3, 2019
Not much doubt about it … the New England Patriots are the the best team in the NFL and their team leader and QB Tom Brady is the best to have ever played the game (oh, how I hate admitting that). Nevertheless, they win when they have to and did it in defensive style for […]
RichC | February 3, 2019
After watching a short YouTube video of the Coquina Clam emerging from the “swash zone” on a beach after a wave retreated, I thought a short animated gif would make a great winter filler post for the blog. The coquina clam (Donax variabilis) is a common inhabitant of Florida’s sandy beaches. Known for their highly variable […]
RichC | February 1, 2019
Ugh … still waiting for my results! One of my gifts for Christmas 2018 was an Ancestry.com DNA kit, so I quickly sent my sample in for genotyping … and from noting the delay, so did about a million others! I’m anxious to compare my results with Katelyn and Taylor (and my brother), but at […]
RichC | January 30, 2019
An ani-gif of our Canary driveway cam early Wednesday Morning – 1/30/2019 The … dare I say a hated and banished phrase … “polar vortex” has swooped down from the north and frozen everything. It is brutally cold, but then it is winter. Schools, of course, are closed and even mail delivery in Cincinnati has been suspended. […]
RichC | January 30, 2019
In an old spinnaker (sail) from our Thistle, I finally hauled out our larger than usual Christmas tree this past week. It was then that I realized I had neglected to archive the “Great Christmas Tree Disaster of 2018” story from December. Hm, how could I have forgotten … likely for the same embarrassing reason […]
RichC | January 27, 2019
After finally removing my built-in radial arm saw from my workbench, I was able to rework the area attached to my workbench in order to fit my “somewhat new” 12” Hitachi Miter Saw. With this new sliding miter saw, I no longer have a need for bulky power tool duplication, and as a workshop accumulates […]
RichC | January 23, 2019
A filler post, but not a good photo for those nervous about swimming in the ocean. The photos last week from a couple of freedivers in Hawaii swimming with a massive Great White Shark known as #DeepBlue really has me wondering just how wise it is to be that adventurous. There is a fine line […]
RichC | January 22, 2019
Am I the only one who contemplates the minutest things … or am I normal? This COLD morning I thought, “Hm, this is the last of my deodorant and it’s really cold … perhaps I can get away with a single swipe and make it last another day?” The Raspberry Pi Cam view of […]
RichC | January 13, 2019
With incentives, South Dakota and Minnesota compete for tiny trū Shrimp and its promise of indoor shrimp farms. A company named trū Shrimp Co. had planned to break ground this spring in Luverne, Minn., on a $330 million to $360 million indoor shrimp farm. It aims to produce 8 million pounds of shrimp a year […]
RichC | January 12, 2019
The Raspberry Pi Cam photo automatically captured the backyard snow during a break in the falling snowflakes. The storm was well forecasted, so decided it was time to put the snowblower on the old John Deere 330 diesel tractor. I hope the wet snow will “blow” as my preliminary shoveling has me thinking it might […]
RichC | January 5, 2019
This “finding the sweet spot” post was started as I was closing my books on 2018 and winding down the year. The New Year’s Day mark was still a couple days away and while contemplating what 2019 would surprise me with, I wrote down a few goals (and resolution ideas). A few of the thoughts […]
RichC | January 2, 2019
Each year since 1976 Lake Superior State University posts its list of “banished words.” Usually, we’ve all heard (or used!) the overused words and phrases — this year is no exception. I thankfully have only repeated a few, but have certainly heard most of them overused. The 2019 list, along with reasons for banishment by […]
RichC | December 29, 2018
A little central vacuum cleaner modification with a short snipped segment of polyethylene tubing did the trick for cleaning out some lint build-up in the laundry room. Brenda was having a difficult time with the normal sweeper tip, so just like the home-made snoot for under the refrigerator, I duct taped a plastic tube to […]
RichC | December 25, 2018
Every tech-loving guy needs a subject for a new gizmo … my son-in-law Drew is no exception. He set up his new GoPro-like camera (gift from Katelyn) to time-lapse our Christmas morning. His effort was a little bit too fast for me to watch … so I stretched out the MP4 clip to last almost […]
RichC | December 22, 2018
They are not the cheapest, but the cast iron US made Zoeller pumps are now my go-to for pumps when replacing our “way too many” pumps. They are definitely superior to the big box store brands. Although each time I need a new one, I inch up the line as to quality … this time […]
RichC | December 13, 2018
While this article (PDF version) may not necessarily garner front page news, it is something I wanted to read and archive because it was researched and published by my nephew Aaron Howard. Well done. The consequences of altered flowering dates due to climate change can be severe, especially for plants that rely on coordinated flower […]
RichC | December 11, 2018
Who doesn’t fall for the “treasures” found in the hardware store discount bins? I’m always looking for a “good buy” when I’m walking through the hardware store … and such was the case in seeing this outdoor LED floodlight. The twin incandescent floodlights that were on the back of the pool house garage for security […]
RichC | December 1, 2018
During the last trip to the condo, we enjoyed the fruits of our 2018 labor – our recent kitchen and bath updates. As is the norm for us, we discussed future projects, like updating the master bathroom too, since it looks stodgy compared to the guest bathroom. So IF we don’t find a buyer for […]
RichC | November 30, 2018
Just when I thought my granddaughter Annalyn could not get any cuter, she decides to put stickers on Katelyn‘s nose and then her own. The giggling and grins were just too much not to take screenshots of and archive. We are sure anxious to see Annalyn for Christmas … and it doesn’t look like we […]
RichC | November 18, 2018
I had the best of intentions when heading down to the workshop in order to work on another small project for Annalyn, but once again I wandered off course — such is my nature. This time my productivity was halted by seeing the replaced "drawer box" from our kitchen update in 2017 under my workshop […]
RichC | November 6, 2018
“IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN” Don’t give up too easily; persistence pays off in the end. The proverb has been traced back to ‘Teacher’s Manual’ by American educator Thomas H. Palmer and ‘The Children of the New Forest’ by English novelist Frederick Maryat (1792-1848). Originally a maxim used to encourage American […]
RichC | October 28, 2018
After Katelyn, Drew and Annalyn headed for home after our vacation together, there were a couple improvements that still needed to be done on the condo. Katelyn helped with deciding on the under cabinet kitchen LED switch location and after using the remodeled guest bathroom in the condo suggested we could use a couple more […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
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