RichC | December 3, 2025
The “over-forecasted” first winter snowstorm for 2025-26 was spot on. By morning we had at least 6 inches of heavy snow. About the only thing that would have made it look a little prettier would have been some sunshine … but it was still beautiful (took the photos too early in the morning though). I’m […]
Category: Personal, Photos, Retirement, Weather |
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Tags: 2025, backyard, front yard, jimmy buffett, kiplinger, lyrics, retiree, snow, weather, winter
RichC | November 30, 2025
Thanksgiving “return home” weekend travel look dicey in some parts of the midwest and could snarl air travel for those who might be flying. Thankfully for us, KDAE are traveling home on Saturday and not Sunday, but will likely face a little weather (since I’m writing this after they left our house on Saturday). It […]
Category: Holiday, Personal, Photos, Travel, Weather |
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Tags: driving, family, flying, liberty center, movie, ohio, snow, thanksgiving, Travel, weather, zootopia
RichC | November 28, 2025
Since I’m still “admiring Brenda’s 2019 Tesla Model 3,” but I’ve also been intrigued by some of the impressive navigation and realtime data. The other day on a trip to our local Costco, the Sentry Mode security recorded all the carts and people who were around the car while parked. I now know why so […]
Category: Automotive, Personal, Photos, Technology, Tesla, Video |
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Tags: app, doge, iphone, model 3, mp4, Navigation, realtime, sentry mode, supercharger, tech friday, techfriday, tesla, tracking, vandalism
RichC | November 26, 2025
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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photography, Photos, Technology |
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Tags: annalyn, camera, christmas, ellerie, gx8, house, lighting, lumix, office, photo, test, zootopia
RichC | November 25, 2025
This could have been the last nice weekend to finish up yard work such as raking and hauling leaves – and my rake is about to be retired, as am I! Who knows as a few trees are still fulling loaded with leaves; perhaps the wind will blow them elsewhere??? Anyway if felt good to […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Tesla |
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Tags: autumn, battery, brake pedal, family, granddaughters, john deere, leaves, megan, oostras, pdf, recipe, soup, taylor, tesla, yardwork
RichC | November 21, 2025
I’ve been using an Apple iPad the same way for nearly the past decade or so (yikes, 2011); using it has been pretty much a habitual rut for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy using every iPad for reading, browsing, note taking (typing as I don’t have an Apple Pencil) and answering emails … […]
Category: Apple, Gadget, How-To, Personal, Productivity, Tablet, Technology |
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Tags: 26.1, apple, ipad, ipados, Productivity, slideover, tech friday, techfriday, windows
RichC | November 19, 2025
In keeping with last week’s smart home fixes, the Wyze Palm Lock was one of those spontaneous purchases (a discount offered) that I really should have added to my Christmas list, but with a recent theft event in our neighborhood, it seemed “wyze”to add it sooner rather than later (it’s ok if you rolled your […]
Category: Gadget, Innovation, Personal, Photos, Technology, Tesla, Video |
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Tags: batteries, charging, garage, lock, model 3, palm lock, poolhouse, security, smart home, tesla, wyze
RichC | November 18, 2025
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Category: Archive, Music, Personal, Photos, Video |
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Tags: annalyn, family, granddaughter, ohio, performing, piano, recital, robert bell studio, toledo
RichC | November 13, 2025
After meeting my buddy Jeff for lunch last week, we decided to start a new book to discuss. This has been something we’ve done over the years, although I admit, he is much better in staying on task when it comes to reading than me. The book, “God, the Science, the Evidence, the Dawn of […]
Category: Books, Personal, Photos, Weather |
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Tags: book, god the science the evidence, jeffp, reading, weather, winter
RichC | November 9, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Video |
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Tags: annalyn, batavia township, ellerie, family, News, snow, snowman, taylor, television, wcpo
RichC | November 7, 2025
I know, it is Friday and that generally means an interesting (at least to me) Tech Friday story. Does a photo of Brenda’s “tech-y” Tesla Model 3 with the trees changing count? I didn’t think so … In reality, I’m slightly behind in my week and totally missed posting a #TBT photo my buddy Jeff […]
Category: Automotive, Friends, Memories, Personal, Photos, Social Media, TBT, Tesla |
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Tags: autumn, brenda, camping, dimes, hiking, jeffp, Memory, model 3, TBT, tech friday, techfriday, tesla, x.com
RichC | November 5, 2025
Let’s start with the leftover “fun” photo since I archived a little about the granddaughters this week, but not Megan and Taylor. So this week I’ll include an “off to a Halloween party around a bonfire with some friends” for the archive. I did look like they had fun. For us, no trick or treaters […]
Category: Archive, Idioms, Personal, Photos, Repairs |
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Tags: complaint, family, fence, halloween, megan, phrase, repair, taylor
RichC | November 4, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Technology, Tesla, Tools, Video, Watch |
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Tags: annalyn, apple watch, ellerie, family, granddaughers, laundry room, memorize, meter, sink, utility, valve stem
RichC | October 31, 2025
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Category: Art, Blogs, Human Interest, Personal, Photos, Technology |
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Tags: artwork, dan glassman, ellerie, granddaughter, great pumpkin, halloween, logs, lynda, report, tech friday, techfriday
RichC | October 30, 2025
Every once in a while, a link pops up in my blog from years ago (20 years in this case) and it amazes me just how fast the years go by (another link)? The photos here are back when I was regularly commuting back and forth from Cincinnati to Cuyahoga Falls and to Warren, Ohio. […]
Category: Automotive, BMW, Friends, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT, Volkswagen |
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Tags: commuting, driving, mini cooper, scoozs, TBT, tdi, throwback, vw
RichC | October 29, 2025
It was a busy autumn weekend for the next generation in our family. Taylor and Megan were taking advantage of the nice fall weather to go to the Renaissance Festival while the Oostras planted tulip bulbs (how fitting) and tackled the huge “Back to the Future” corn maze in NW Ohio. It looks like the […]
Category: Automotive, BMW, Diesel, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Tesla, Weather |
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Tags: amazon, autumn, BMW, corn maze, maintenance, megan, model 3, oostras, renaissance Festival, taylor, tesla, tulips, x5 35d
RichC | October 24, 2025
After a few days of owning/driving a “previously loved” 2019 Tesla Model 3, I’m learning a little more about it each day … and as the 2003 McDonald’s jingle goes, “I’m lovin’ it.” 😊 So far the Tesla has surpassed my expectation as for driving pleasure. It is solid on the road, very fast when acceleration […]
Category: Automotive, Personal, Photos, Technology, Tesla |
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Tags: charging, lima ohio, model 3, supercharger, tech friday, techfriday, telsa app, tesla
RichC | October 22, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Tesla, Video |
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Tags: annalyn, babysitting, brenda, drew, driving, ellerie, family, katelyn, ohio, richc, tesla, whitehouse
RichC | October 18, 2025
Brenda and I are beach walkers and when in Delray Beach … or any beach for that matter … we walk in all kinds of weather. A week or so ago we were surprised at the heavy erosion along Florida’s Atlantic beaches, which can be somewhat normal with storm surf, higher winds and tides. This […]
Category: Audio, Blogs, Environment, Nature, Personal, Photos, Travel, Video |
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Tags: conservation, delray beach, eggs, florida, green turtles, ocean, turtles
RichC | October 16, 2025
Eventually I’ll get around to updating a back and forth trip to Florida to check on the Delray Beach condo’s lanai repairs (and the missing beach – erosion video above) … maybe more over the weekend (???) … but for now a little updating on our lack of excitement with MLB post-season baseball. Brenda and […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Space, Sports, Travel, Video |
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Tags: baseball, erosion, family, letchworth state park, mlb, new york, niagara falls, oostras, stars
RichC | October 15, 2025
What, another “middle age” birthday for Megan? The “middle age” joke has taken on a life of its own when it comes to our adult children. It is kind of fun when “we” are young and in our early 30s (Megan’s 30th Birthday), but I’m starting to think that it could be both an insult […]
Category: Archive, Audio, Human Interest, Humor, Memories, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: birthday, family, megan, message, singing, taylor, voicemail
RichC | October 14, 2025
More on our quick trip to drop the van off at the Florida condo and check on the lanai update later.
Category: Misc, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: condo1718, florida, lanai, reptile
RichC | October 11, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel |
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Tags: annalyn, brenda, ellerie, family, granddaughters, megan, picture day, richc, school, taylor, utah, wedding
RichC | October 10, 2025
After posting our “trip to Utah” photos yesterday, Brenda commented that I left out her favorite from the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Obviously navigating the chains was truly an accomplishment for “senior citizens” … so a few more photos and video seems justified. 😉
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel, Video |
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Tags: anng, brenda, family, garyg, richc, solitude, sundance, utah, vacation, zion national park
RichC | October 9, 2025
It is probably going to take me a couple of weeks to get my blogging bearings back, but let it be known, we enjoyed our week in Solitude, Utah with my sister-in-law Ann and her husband Gary. Thank you so much for inviting us to your condo and treating us to the great hikes, trip […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel, Video |
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Tags: anng, brenda, garyg, richc, solitude, utah, zion national park
RichC | October 8, 2025
Our Utah trip is still fresh and the photos TOO many to sift through at the moment … so I’ll start by archiving a single photo of Zion National Park; the three peaks known as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (photo above). This might at least start the ball rolling in getting the photos and my […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Travel |
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Tags: alex, family, gerbers, jake, jessicag, sarahg, utah
RichC | September 30, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: annalyn, carrots, drew, ellerie, family, katelyn, pet rock, wedding
RichC | September 25, 2025
The year escapes me at the moment … although with a little searching on the blog I found it: October 2008 at Letchworth State Park, NY. This photo has been in my miscellaneous folder since August and while clearing it out wanted to archive a photo that made me smile for a ThrowBack Thursday #TBT. […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, TBT |
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Tags: brenda, family, katelyn, Photos, TBT, waterfall
RichC | September 17, 2025
This is a test post for an image uploading issue, but figured that I would include some leaves already coming down – it has been a dry few weeks!
Category: Personal, Photos, Weather |
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Tags: autumn, driveway, front yard, gazebo, leaves, testing
RichC | September 16, 2025
I really thought that I posted a photo last month on the Lanai construction happening at our Delray Beach condo? Nope, can’t find it (photo right). But thanks to our super nice neighbor, she took a couple updated photos below for us in between the heavy rains they have been getting in south Florida (we […]
Category: Personal, Photos, Repairs, Travel |
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Tags: 2025, condo1718, delray beach, florida, lanai, repairs, updates
RichC | September 3, 2025
It has become an enjoyable habit – posting family photos from the previous weekend. This past Labor Day, Megan, Taylor and their dog Gigi were over for the afternoon … and perhaps the last of the pool days (it has been cool for August and early September). We did the quintessential American hot dogs and […]
Category: Archive, Food, Personal, Photos, Video |
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Tags: backporch, backyard, family, frisbee, gigi, grilling, labor day, megan, pescetarian, pool, taylor, wikipedia
RichC | August 31, 2025
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Category: Personal, Photos |
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Tags: annalyn, autumn, clouds, ellerie, family, seasons, sky, teeth, toothfairy
RichC | August 24, 2025
The older I get, the more clutter I collect … yet I still can’t stop the habits that have stayed with me my entire life. After clearing out our parents homes a decade ago, it was obvious that genetically the depression era “can’t throw away” trait was passed down to me. I still find myself […]
Category: AI, Art, Human Interest, Memories, Misc, Personal, Photos, Repairs |
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Tags: artwork, axle, bearings, chatgpt, dadc, dadh, emulate, family, junk, legacy, paintings, parts and pieces, ruth bluhm, sora, traits, wheels
RichC | August 20, 2025
Well … I likely waited too long to address a nagging problem with my right foot after too much barefoot beach walking. I thought it would improve over time if I continued to work through the healing process, but month after month since April or so it did not improve. My PCP diagnosed it in […]
Category: AI, Health, Medical, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: arthrosis, boot, chatgpt, doctor, foot, football, medical, pain, plantar faciitis, richc, tendon, walking
RichC | August 17, 2025
The Little Critter book title reads … “Just Me and My Dad” (the photo above just a few years ago) … but as I mentioned a decade ago after DadC’s memorial service … he planted the wisdom of Proverb 22:6 in the way he lived his life. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and […]
Category: Archive, Books, Human Interest, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: ancestry, brenda, dadc, dadh, drew, family, family tree, genealogy, granddaughters, katelyn, memorial, remembering
RichC | August 17, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Video |
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Tags: annalyn, babysitting, baseball, brenda, drew, ellerie, katelyn, mud hens, richc, toledo, whitehouse
RichC | August 12, 2025
As the saying goes, “better to have a birthday then not to have one.” Yet most of us watching the years tick by wonder, why do the years seem to tick by so much faster the older we get? So, Happy Birthday, Brenda – here’s a George Meredith quote to ponder. It has been a wonderful […]
Category: Archive, Health, Personal, Quotes |
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Tags: birthday, bones, brenda, family, george meredith, Health, mayo clinic, osteoporosis, quote
RichC | August 10, 2025
Today’s post is part photo archive, a project idea and a little on “what I’m reading this summer” — but I do miss the World War II history books of previous years. KDAE were off to Colorado on a family vacation this past week and were enjoying there time hiking and outdoors. They were with […]
Category: Archive, Books, Ideas, Personal, Photos, Tidbits, Tools |
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Tags: amazon.com, china, colorado, family, gordon chang, library, mark levin, plan red, power, reading, vacation, welding, wikipedia
RichC | August 3, 2025
Look at the feelers on this moth (link). God’s creation in nature is amazing! It has been so much more pleasant this weekend compared to last — weather wise – and besides mowing, decided to remove a couple overgrown low-spreading bushes in our half-moon. We didn’t plant flowers as usual this year knowing it was […]
Category: Archive, Faith, Nature, Personal, Photos, Weather, Woodworking |
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Tags: BMW, bushes, derust, feelers, fireplace, flowers, half-moon, john deere, landscaping, lawn bench, moth, paint, poker, project, taylor, x5 35d, yardwork
RichC | August 2, 2025
It is interesting how certain things trigger long ago memories so clearly. I could see this can of Awake Orange Juice (with the orange lid) from the 1960s clearly in my mind. Likely I remember these cans from a container to store spare bolts and nuts or parts, but I also recall something else my […]
Category: AI, Financial, Memories, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: awake, brave leo ai, gpa bluhm, grandfather, grandpa bluhm, investing, ipo, money, orange juice, paint can
RichC | July 29, 2025
This past weekend was the last weekend of July 2025 (yikes!) and I tried to stay cool by jumping in and out of the pool during the 90+ degree summer heatwave that has been for the most part enjoyed for a few weeks now. I do prefer the heat of summer to the cold of […]
Category: Archive, BMW, Personal, Photos, Tools, Weather, Woodworking |
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Tags: bame, BMW, chainsaw, dead tree, john deere, lawn bench, oostra oak, poison ivy, ridgid, summer heat, trailer, woods, workshop, x5 35d
RichC | July 26, 2025
Brenda and I enjoyed a little babysitting visit to Whitehouse, Ohio this past week and decided the ridiculously HOT weather would be great to visit my brother Ron and his wife Claire’s retirement property on Lake Erie … “where there would be a breeze” … NOT! The breeze if any was from the south and […]
Category: Archive, Art, Memories, Personal, Photos, Video, Weather |
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Tags: artwork, beach, brenda, granddaughters, lagoon, lake erie, paintings, richc, ronc
RichC | July 22, 2025
If you are like me, procrastination of home maintenance items is my modus operandi. There are summer things on my list that I need to do (fence repairs), some large undertaking I want to do (remove, paint and reinstall shutters) … and then semi-maintenance things that I interested in doing. Obvious those first two get […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Weather, Woodworking |
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Tags: lawn bench, maintenance, oostra oak, procrastination, project, refurbishing, repair, workshop
RichC | July 15, 2025
Let’s start the archive of weekend photos with our immediate family selfies. Taylor, Megan and Gigi were over to cool off in the pool (before the strong storms hit on Saturday afternoon) while KDAE were up in Michigan for a extended weekend having summer vacation-ish fun. It would be difficult to find a much more […]
Category: Archive, Audio, Computer, Personal, Photos, Video, Weather |
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Tags: drew, family, granddaughters, imac, katelyn, megan, michigan, microphone, oostras, rain, storms, taylor, testing, weather, wind
RichC | July 12, 2025
It might be a little concerning if I didn’t actually know my neighbors and neighborhood as well as I do … but another couple has decided the time is right to sell their home. The Groseth family has lived here for 30 years and we’ve watch our families grow up together. Both Marvin and Arlene […]
Category: Archive, Financial, For Sale, Local, Personal, Photos, Retirement |
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Tags: for sale, home, house, neighbor, real estate, zillow
RichC | July 10, 2025
It has been a “wonderfully” warm summer so far … at least in Cincinnati. I good with it since I like the heat, even if I could do without the humidity. So far though, even with the regular thunderstorms, the humidity has been okay. Our granddaughters are up north with the Barb and Randy … […]
Category: Archive, Personal, Photos, Weather |
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Tags: family, granddaughters, homebuilding, hot, house, michigan, oostra, pool, rain, summer, vacation
RichC | July 6, 2025
If you want to know what Brenda and I did to celebrate the 249th birthday of our country, my answer would be … not all that much. I ended up spraying our lawn for those sod webworms that has become a recent problem (the last 5 years) and then relaxed in the pool with my […]
Category: Archive, Blogs, Holiday, Personal, Photos, Video |
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Tags: 4th of july, backporch, birdfeeder, drew, family, fazolis, fireworks, granddaughters, independence day, katelyn, megan, mp4, oostras, pool, relaxing, taylor
RichC | July 2, 2025
A Kindle book on hold at the library arrived just as I finished the last book (checked out twice), so the timing for a summer read was perfect. Likely I’ll be slow in reading “Kent State: An American Tragedy” published in 2024 and written by Brian VanDeMark, but I will do my best. First off […]
Category: Audio, Books, Education, Memories, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: book, brian vandemark, drew, family, granddaughters, katelyn, kent state, kindle, leader and legends, ohio, reading, social unrest, vietnam war, wikipedia
RichC | July 1, 2025
When you’ve been in a house for 30 years (how is it possible that we built in 1995?), eventually you end up remodeling, replacing and repairing nearly everything. Although I “thought” our house was well-built compared to most, eventually things wear out (replacing plumbing fixtures and valves last month with my granddaughter’s’ help – below) […]
Category: Nature, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Video |
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Tags: attic, chores, deer, fawn, fence, homeownership, house, leak
RichC | June 26, 2025
If we are to be honest … every once in a while we notice quirks in our own personalities and habits. I caught myself this past weekend while my son-in-law Drew and I were putting away the dishes from the dishwasher. He has been around long enough to know where we keep plates, bowls, glasses […]
Category: Human Interest, Misc, Personal, Productivity |
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Tags: cups, dishes, drew, ecentricities, habits, kitchen, mayo clinic, obsessive-compulisve, ocd, shelf, trait
RichC | June 22, 2025
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Category: Archive, Memories, Personal, Photos, Video, Woodworking |
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Tags: annalyn, aquarium, bompa, drew, ellerie, family, granddaughters, john deere, katelyn, kings island, newport, no school, oma, oostra, summer, swimming, tractor, vacation
RichC | June 15, 2025
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Category: Archive, Human Interest, News, Personal, Photos, Video-TV |
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Tags: annalyn, carson, drew, ellerie, granddaughters, oostra, strawberries, television, wtol
RichC | June 12, 2025
This past week, MDB and server uptime as a been a issue. Likely all stemmed from an attempt to keeps things upgraded … then having problems with a old modified theme and plugins in WordPress that were not compatible … and finding myself backpedaling only to reinstall the version that “was” working. Sadly … there […]
Category: Blogs, Gadget, Personal, Photos, Social Media, TBT |
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Tags: garmin, google maps, GPS, palmpre, Photos, TBT
RichC | June 11, 2025
TheHustings editor sent me a request last week and wanted my thoughts on the recent feud between President Trump and Elon Musk (my submission posted Monday on TheHustings.news). Of course it was disappointing … and in my opinion … unnecessary (at least the personal stuff), but I definitely understood Musk’s frustration after all he as […]
Category: Financial, Misc, Personal, Politics |
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Tags: $TSLA, commentary, congress, doge, donald trump, editorial, elon musk, potus, spending, tesla, thehustings
RichC | June 11, 2025
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Category: Archive, Misc, Nature, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: american, annalyn, birdbuddy, camp, doll, drew, ellerie, family, girl, katelyn
RichC | June 10, 2025
Although this is a photo from “my” birthday with Taylor and Megan last month, I’m using it for his birthday greeting today — we’ll see him soon (and may add the photo later below?) Nevertheless, Happy Birthday, Taylor, another year has passed. The thought that you are nearly middle age is frightening. I am very […]
Category: Human Interest, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: birthday, brenda, greeting, megan, taylor
RichC | June 8, 2025
It does seem like a while ago now, but I’ve been slow and steady in bringing back some of the “Oostra Oak” that plan on using for future woodworking projects. So, while up in Whitehouse, Ohio last weekend for our granddaughter’s dance recital, I hauled back a bit more lumber. Well, during the evening I […]
Category: Diesel, Personal, Photos, Repairs, Tools, Woodworking |
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Tags: grease, kubota, lumber, oak, oostra, ridgid, storage
RichC | June 5, 2025
Brenda and I have successfully made another “trip around the sun” together, as the Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride song goes — 43 years now if my math is correct. We are now unofficially middle-aged in “married” years! Jimmy Buffett & Martina McBride – “Trip Around The Sun” | 2004 In the past […]
Category: Misc, Music, Personal, Tidbits |
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Tags: anniversary, finland, jimmy buffett, maps, martina mcbride, Mediterranean Sea, norway, sweden, trip around the sun, wsj
RichC | June 3, 2025
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Category: Archive, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: annalyn, dance, drew, ellerie, family, granddaughters, katelyn, museum, peristyle, taylor, toledo
RichC | May 31, 2025
Some of what I attempt to archive on MDB are the goings-on in our family for posterity. Taylor has definitely found his career niche and excels at socially interacting with coworkers and the citizens he serves in Batavia Township, Ohio. In April it was putting on the Easter Bunny suit to the smile of children […]
Category: Archive, Local, Memories, Misc, Personal, Photos |
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Tags: batavia township, bowling, bowling ball, career, family, jeff pitts, jeffp, michael agler, planner, splashpad, taylor, zillow