RichC | May 4, 2023
Several years ago Drew and Katelyn gave me a premium everyday carry messenger bag for Christmas (2016). It has been a fantastic bag or briefcase like bag for my notebook computer, iPad, books, etc and a lot of tech gear (originally used for my Lumix camera). Unfortunately after years of travel and admitted overloading, it […]
RichC | May 2, 2023
It is a bitter sweet departure from Clermont County for my son Taylor. He has grown professionally and enjoyed his job as Planner for the last 8 years after moving back to Ohio from Williston, ND (being a Planner for Williams County was his first job out of college). He has been patient and taken on […]
RichC | April 7, 2023
Last year one of my earlier Wyze Cams failed to update and wasn’t connecting to our mesh wifi (continued to disconnect). Thankfully Wyze politely discounted a newer version to which I happily upgraded. The old one has been sitting on my workbench and before tossing it in the trash, decided to peek under the hood. I […]
RichC | March 30, 2023
It may not be pretty with the old mulch, leaves and dirty sidewalks … but spring has sprung in 2023. The old-ish bulbs are up and the buds are on the magnolias and lilacs. On another subject, I’ve contacted Wyze about one of my newer cams triggering a RED “Smoke Alarm” message which definitely caught […]
RichC | March 3, 2023
Snipped a couple of social media shared images this past week that may not be completely truthful … but they do trigger thinking about one’s “personal growth” and how easily we are manipulated by “fear.” So .. open your mind, be thoughtful and willing to entertain different views with polite debate and discussion. Most of […]
RichC | February 16, 2023
Nothing like a big game, a bag of frozen Costco chicken wings and a desire to make them crispier than in a normal oven to talk us into a splurge buy! At home in Cincinnati, we enjoy our Breville convection toaster oven at home so much that really wanted one down at the Delray Beach […]
RichC | January 21, 2023
There are two projects sitting semi-started in the workshop this winter (delayed with Brenda’s hip fracture), although I’m still struggling to accept the VERY HIGH lumber prices. To be fair, I’ve always complained about buying lumber as no matter where it is purchased, it always seems far to high. But nowadays with inflation raging, it […]
RichC | January 7, 2023
The saying that “if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is” came to mind as I re-subscribed to a WSJ.com and Barronsonline.com for a FIVE-year subscription? Part of me wants to believe magazine resellers are legitimately selling the digital versions for less than going directly to Dow Jones, but the other part […]
RichC | January 3, 2023
The Lake Superior State University list of banished words from 2022 for 2023 is out! It has been fun to regularly include their words and a link on MyDesultoryBlog … it has become a January tradition! Check out their full archive by year from when it started in 1976. This year, nominations came from […]
RichC | December 23, 2022
Brenda has struggled most of the year to find a replacement Oriental or Persian Rug for our Great Room after retiring our original rug to my office. In November, Katelyn connected her with “Donald,” the decorator she is using to help with their homebuilding, and after several Facetime calls finally decided on a VERY large […]
RichC | December 13, 2022
My daughter is great at sending links to items she thinks would be great for the blog. The other day Katelyn sent an “Ohio Turnpike Name-A-Snowplow Contest” story that had some pretty creative names — well actually, like her mom, she had her husband send it 
(BTW, Happy Birthday Drew!). Here are the winners: Ctrl-Salt-Delete, Nicole […]
RichC | December 8, 2022
The Throwback Thursday #TBT tag was just an excuse to ask the question: “How many flat tires does a person need to have repaired in their lifetime?” I don’t know the answer, but I do know that I’ve repaired A LOT. It seems I’m forever needing to add air (change in temperatures), have a slow […]
RichC | November 15, 2022
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RichC | October 19, 2022
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RichC | October 18, 2022
As a former GOP VP hopeful would say, “You betcha.” In catching up on my Tax Foundation reading, one of their recent emails highlighted what internationally we have seen in off and onshoring is that businesses go to where they are treated best. It most often has to do with a companies lowest cost of […]
RichC | October 15, 2022
Disposing of household batteries could use some clarity since not everyone knows which ones can be tossed with everyday trash and which ones should be recycled or taken to a collection site. Do you dispose of them correctly? Batteries are broken down into two broad categories: Single-use and rechargeable. How you dispose of them is […]
RichC | October 14, 2022
Besides enjoying some minor league Toledo Mud Hens baseball this year with family, I have not been focused on MLB or the postseason playoffs. Being a Cleveland Indians Guardians fan, I am sort of pulling for them after they won the Wild Card series against Tampa Bay … but as always, beating the New York […]
RichC | October 13, 2022
"Five ants rented an apartment with five other ants. Now they are tenants together."
RichC | October 12, 2022
The sawmill has returned Katelyn and Drew‘s lumber and it’s a BIG pile (very exciting!) What Is Air-Drying? Air-drying lumber simple means to stack lumber and expose it to the outdoors. Depending on the species of wood and desired moisture content the air-drying process could take several months to almost a year. Make sure to […]
RichC | September 18, 2022
Who hasn’t needed to repair, or re-repair, a broken piece of furniture? In today’s world, most furniture, as well as other items, are throw-away after they break, but there are still a few of us who enjoy getting the last few useable years out of a well worn piece of furniture. My like-minded son-in-law showed […]
RichC | September 16, 2022
Besides noticing that a new school bus driver has decided to use our driveway as a turn around spot (should not be “the norm”) … I took apart the old 2017 pool pump motor. Last week I replaced the old motor with a new one (again) suspecting the shortened life (in my opinion) is due […]
RichC | September 6, 2022
Having a few extra “rainy” hours over the Labor Day weekend, I decided to tackle an office closet project that I’ve been pondering. The plan was to either build in a few permanent shelves with holes for wiring to primarily hold the electronic equipment feeding the TV or add a small shelf to replace the […]
RichC | September 5, 2022
Labor Day weekend was relatively busy with chores and stay-at-home chores. We have also noticed a coyote regularly making his round again (photos above). On Friday night we stopped to see Taylor’s new condominium in Walnut Hills (Cincinnati) and then had dinner at O’Bryon’s Bar and Grill. We ate outside up on the roof as […]
RichC | August 30, 2022
Having recently ordered some Permethrin SFR 36.8% from DoMyOwn.com in order to hopefully prevent the sod webworm invasion that happened last year, I started a late August spraying this past weekend. Little did I know that the bearings in my aging 25 gallon sprayer were almost all failing (except for one – photo below). I […]
RichC | August 29, 2022
Neither photo is mine, but Brenda and I were both startled in hearing the sounds of owls coming from was seemed like inside the house. Great Horned Owl Hoots After we slowly crept around inside our house, wondering where they were, we deciphered that the “hoots” were coming from the fireplace. "Hm, were they […]
RichC | August 28, 2022
Neither Brenda or I have fully retired yet (although I loaf more than I should), but there is no reason THIS couldn’t be every day during retirement IF the weather was perfect all year around. I probably take more time off during the summer than I should and having the girls for a week in […]
RichC | August 26, 2022
Another “too lazy to blog” Filler Friday post. Instead I will fill this space with a photo that brings me peace and tranquility. Who wouldn’t mind hanging a hammock in the shade and pretending there wasn’t a care in the world (where is this?)?
RichC | August 24, 2022
While Brenda and I were in Atlanta celebrating her sister’s birthday, Taylor was once again at another wedding clear across the country. One of his elementary school friends (they stayed in touch) gave a bunch of friends a chance to get together in a nice location – Lake Tahoe. Of course this wasn’t the first […]
RichC | August 21, 2022
While I generally do not plug things on My Desultory Blog, I do enjoy reading the paper edition of a couple of publications. Barron’s Magazine is my go-to weekend reading, but their shrinking size and poor delivery has me giving up on renewing again. If they would promise Saturday delivery again, perhaps with the WSJ, […]
RichC | July 30, 2022
This past weekend I started what is going to be a slow, but deliberative process of moving out of the basement and back into the upstairs home office. No window blinds yet, but we did move the oriental rug from our first floor to the upstairs (Brenda would like to get something new for the […]
RichC | June 28, 2022
Back in the late winter or early spring, the pool supply catalogs began arriving in the mail. Chlorine pucks and shock powder were my primary “look for” items as we were contemplating opening the pool for the season. Unfortunately this year, we were a little slower than usual due to pool repairs, but noticed there […]
RichC | June 19, 2022
I enjoyed a very nice Father’s Day on “Saturday” yesterday with Taylor, Megan and their long time friend Meredith, who was “dog-sitting” her sister’s dog “Chase” (below). They enjoyed the nice weather around and in the pool while I busied myself with a few projects … one of which was adding the additional pipes to […]
RichC | June 7, 2022
Brenda and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend staying around home, working in both the yard and for me painting on Sunday afternoon (Brenda helped out at a store short a pharmacist in Dayton). Slowly I’m making progress in painting the guest bedroom (pano photo below). Ceiling are done, walls have their first and second coat […]
RichC | May 25, 2022
Now that the desk and hardwood floors are complete, and floor finish has cured enough in my home office, it is time to tackle the trim painting, putting the closet and bookshelves back. Another project I’ve been contemplating is to revitalize my older well-worn corner computer desk. Having used it for a couple of decades […]
RichC | May 21, 2022
It is likely an age thing, but once upon a time, I didn’t think twice about trenching and digging. Now, I’m tired out by lunchtime (this was a Saturday (5/21/2022) morning project) and I didn’t even finished the trench for drainage pipe (it is relatively soft after the heavy rain, but has a lot of […]
RichC | May 21, 2022
The new Lorell brand glass desk floor mat for my home office arrived and so I temporarily set it up in the basement since the painting and last few modifications are yet to be finished before moving back upstairs. All in all I’m impressed with nice quality of the largest size (60” x 48”) tempered […]
RichC | May 15, 2022
My weekend chores and projects are in full swing as I cut the lawn longer than usual since it grew fast and thick while we were on vacation. Hopefully after a few cuttings, the thatch will disappear (I’m not fond of raking and hauling to the compose pile). Early Saturday morning I put the final […]
RichC | May 10, 2022
Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip. Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle after having to jumpstart and fidget with the flakey AC. Yet it still didn’t convince […]
RichC | May 6, 2022
This is what you get when you continue to use leftover chargers from old phones (my Palm Pre) and continue to rely on sailing knot tying skills. Really just a filler post for a Tech Friday after noticing just how unique the old Palm USB plug was in design and how I ended up fidgeting […]
RichC | May 4, 2022
Just archiving progress on the hardwood floors project before moving any furniture back in the guest bedroom (above left) and my home office (panorama photo below). I also wanted to save a photo of the can of Minwax branded wood finish, used and mixed to match our existing floor stain (great job by Schindler Hardwood […]
RichC | April 28, 2022
In keeping with personal home project updating, our hardwood flooring has been moving along this week. The guys are making a mess sanding … but doing their best to contain dust. We are hoping for a stain-match to our existing oak floors, but in any case, the guest bedroom and office are taking shape. Unfortunately […]
RichC | April 21, 2022
As the slow progress on finishing my home office continues, I’ve set up a temporary office in the basement (below). It is surprisingly comfortable, but I do miss the daylight and looking out the windows. I can’t help but reminisce to make this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post after finally removing the painters tape from […]
RichC | April 19, 2022
After filling up the 2010 BMW X5 35d with diesel … ouch … I drove to the least painful Ohio DMV location in my area according to the online wait times. Thankfully I came prepared with my passport, address verification and requested ID information. After $56.40 … I came out in less than 30 minutes […]
RichC | April 16, 2022
First, I mentioned pool repairs were underway earlier in the week. The tiles that I’ve been repairing are now long past due for a full replacement. So the water has been pumped out and a pool tile crew is beginning the demolition prior to making repairs and installing new waterline tile. Brenda’s comment made me […]
RichC | April 10, 2022
We have put off replacing the pool tiles long enough as I’ve long ago burned through the spare tiles and have made repairs and replaced the damaged tiles so far myself, but there is only so much that can be done to salvage what still exists. It is time … or as most rational people […]
RichC | April 6, 2022
Our concrete driveway is not small … and if you add to our front drive to the rear paved driveway, it is fair to say that we have a lot of money invested in concrete and asphalt. So … when last year’s front driveway replacement didn’t go well, we ended up in a dispute (friendly) […]
RichC | April 4, 2022
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RichC | April 1, 2022
These illustrations make the rounds by email and social networking every so often and do so because they are interesting to naturally inquisitive humans … and in my case make for a blogworthy Friday Filler and “fool your mind” on April Fools’ Day post. This is one that cognitive psychology refers to as the Negative […]
RichC | March 22, 2022
“A place for everything and everything in its place,” is probably not the most fitting idiom for my cluttered workshop, since the debatable originate has to do with “neatness” according to an Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio) article by Charles A. Goodrich in 1827. Although with a little sleuthing, it has also been credited to Benjamin […]
RichC | March 20, 2022
Photo from February 2013 in Delray Beach while visiting Brenda’s parents For years … well decades really … we have been fortunate enough to escape winter in February or sometimes March or April and head to sunny or warmer climates for a week. Often it was to visit either Brenda’s or my parents who would […]
RichC | March 9, 2022
Something I’ve notice over the years is that today’s men have lost interest in what traditionally were seen as male hobbies and interests. My thought is that recent generation of men have abandoned working on cars in their garages and spending weekends with tools in their workshop (probably non-existent nowadays). They don’t fish and hunt […]
RichC | March 5, 2022
What parent doesn’t enjoy seeing their adult children respected enough in their profession to be asked to comment? Since I’m one that does keep an online scrapbook of sorts (this blog) … I’m archiving a recent article with Katelyn in Toledo Area Parent titled “Less Mealtime Stress with Responsive Feeding.” Seems like a week to […]
RichC | March 1, 2022
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RichC | February 22, 2022
For years now we have been satisfied with the bulky (and older) Canary Cams for added security at home. The first Canary continues to work flawlessly “inside” our house and thankfully just perches quietly in our great room and is suppose to trigger when motion is detected “when we are not home.” The plan was […]
RichC | February 20, 2022
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RichC | February 17, 2022
Well, two doses of disappointing news in one week. First, the Bengals lose in Super Bowl 56, and then my Barron’s magazine gets smaller with even smaller type (requires a second pair of readers!). They call it “shrinkflation” in an attempt to save a few dollars and probably force subscribers into a 100% digital subscription. […]
RichC | February 9, 2022
Last week I had dinner with my buddy Jeff after taking him to pick up his car from a seat repair/re-upholstering job. He previously planned it so we could go to our “old” favorite Acapulco Mexican Restaurant (which is no longer tolerated as well in my digestive track as it was 20 years ago). He […]