Vacation Part 2: Beach time with family after Legoland
RichC | October 26, 2019
This content is restricted.
Vacation Part 1: Finished upholstery, master bath and cleaning
RichC | October 23, 2019
This content is restricted.
Phase of life: Enjoying life and watching family doing the same
RichC | October 14, 2019
This content is restricted.
Simple mount in BMW X5 35d for Amazon Echo Auto
RichC | October 12, 2019
It isn’t easy to see this little magnetic bracket I made to hold my new Amazon Echo Auto low on the dash of the BMW X5 35d. I opted to make a little aluminum bracket that straddles the pushbutton switch blanks to the right of a few other buttons. It is fastened with automotive trim […]
Evaluating the Fitbit Versa – three month in and a little #TBT
RichC | October 10, 2019
Previously I mentioned that Katelyn and Drew brought me kicking and screaming (not really) into the Fitbit “wrist device” wearing age and world. I had given up wearing a watch decades ago when I started carrying a pager. Eventually I adopted the Nextel belt holstered cellphone, then pocket folding Samsung i500 PDA phone. The new […]
Archive: Photos of Annalyn sure brings a smile to this grandpa
RichC | October 8, 2019
This content is restricted.
Tech Friday: Loving the new Amazon Echo Auto in my car
RichC | October 4, 2019
Last week, Amazon authorized my invitation and gave me a promo code for the Echo Auto Alexa device for the car (it was a long wait, but they did discount to $24.99 for invitation holders). For the passed several months I’ve been using an Echo Input (no speaker) in my BMW X5 35d in an […]
Problems with refrigerator water filters from Crystala
RichC | October 3, 2019
Late in the spring of 2019, I ordered three new refrigerator filters from an Amazon seller for Crystala replacement filters. I’ve opted for third party filters before and really didn’t think much about it … but as more vendors use Amazon Marketplace, consumers need to be more careful since their support isn’t what we might […]
Who really wants Northern Water Snakes in their pool?
RichC | October 2, 2019
Although they are not venomous, the people I know don’t like to go swimming with snakes … Northern Water Snakes in this case (I think – see screen grab below). After being away for a week, once again the local wildlife has decided to make our pool their home – it has been dry. I […]
Surprise ‘Friends’ Big Screen 30th Birthday Party for Megan
RichC | October 1, 2019
My son Taylor was in hot water most of Saturday afternoon trying to delay Megan from arriving early to the TV sitcom ‘Friends’ 25th anniversary birthday surprise hosted by her parents. He used the “watching college football” excuse and did everything he could to keep Megan from arriving early. Denni and Dave did a fantastic […]
So much fun babysitting Annalyn in NW Ohio this past week
RichC | September 28, 2019
This content is restricted.
Personal week full of project posts – Condo upholstery photos
RichC | September 26, 2019
For those who follow or check on MyDesultoryBlog.com regularly, you know my daily musings are split between posts on a variety of newsy and topical interest items … and personal goings-on and project updates. This week has been pretty much all personal with a recent trip to check on Encore and work on Condo1718 updates. […]
Notes on a few more master bathroom and upholstery updates
RichC | September 25, 2019
Following up on my weekend post and a few of the projects that I’m trying to complete (or get started) during my few days in Florida is the “somewhat new to me” upholstery project. It has bogged down my to-do list schedule, but I was able to get the master bathroom corner mirrors and glass […]
Quiet no more – Katelyn and Drew are having a second baby
RichC | September 24, 2019
This content is restricted.
Finally … a first baby shower for Lauren and Aaron Howard
RichC | September 23, 2019
Carolyn (Aaron’s forever babysitter and family friend), Brenda, Delores (DadH‘s office manager) and my sister-in-law Chris. Hm … the word "finally" is a sensitive one for those wanting a baby verses those delaying having a family? Thankfully for my nephew Aaron (loyal Music Monday blog commenter) and his wife Lauren, the wait is over, […]
Enjoying a nice drive, good weather and undeserved friendship
RichC | September 22, 2019
Made my favorite “good weather” drive this past week on I-40 through Tennessee and North Carolina (photo above) and visited my undeserved friends Mark and Dar Jones who recently moved to a new townhouse outside of Savannah, Georgia. What a comfortable place for both of them … offering “walk-ability” for Dar with her limited eyesight […]
How-To: A workshop tidbit for accurately drilling shelf pins
RichC | September 21, 2019
While talking with my good friend Mark Jones about accurately drilling pin holes to mount a few glass shelves in a tight space, he gave me a great idea to use a piece of peg board to align all the holes accurately. Thanks Mark, a great tip! But in my case, I didn’t have a […]
A 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia: The 2nd car I ever drove.
RichC | September 17, 2019
After receiving for my learner’s permit (at age 16 in Ohio the 1970s), my family took a long summer vacation out west. One of the stops was to visit a long-time work friend of my dad’s who lived just outside of San Francisco in Los Altos. One of the cars he had was a bright […]
Archive: Thankful to have my family within driving distance
RichC | September 16, 2019
This content is restricted.
Tech Friday: Insect repellents and my AfterShokz headset
RichC | September 13, 2019
Just a heads-up for others using AfterShokz bone conduction headphones while doing outdoorsy kinds of things where bug spray is used – DON’T. I love my Aftershokz Bluetooth headphones, most likely because it enables me to hear things around me while still enabling me to clearly hear talk and music. For me, being deaf in […]
An inexpensive JonCutter arborist chainsaw and Amazon woes
RichC | September 7, 2019
After giving away my “newer” Poulan chainsaw to the hard worker we hired to stain our fence this summer … so he could clear our neighbors fence line and stain his fence too … I replaced it with a low cost Arborist climbing and limb cutting saw without paying attention to the month-plus delivery timeframe […]
A final 3-day Labor Day 2019 weekend photos update
RichC | September 4, 2019
This content is restricted.
Music Monday: A WSJ article and Gordon Lightfoot memories
RichC | September 2, 2019
All too often lately I’m reminded that the memories I have as a boy growing up are seen as being from “the olden days.” An article in this past month’s WSJ highlighted the beloved Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian folk singer and songwriter who’s work spans many decades. His music was enjoyed and listened to by […]
Working on the mirror bases for the condo master bathroom
RichC | September 1, 2019
Well they don’t look like much yet, but I’ve been working on the corner mirrors for the Condo1718 master bathroom update. The mirror will be 15” by 38” and will have a 1/2” beveled edge – Brenda’s request ($$). The planned framing will be 3/4” Mosaic tiles that my wife will be trying for the […]
Hurricane Dorian upgraded to Category 3, but Cat 4 is likely
RichC | August 30, 2019
As Floridians and those in the northern Bahamas prepare for Dorian, the first major hurricane to directly hit Florida’s Atlantic coast since Andrew (a Cat 5) in 1992, those of us with a vested interest out-of-state will not be sleeping well this weekend. There isn’t much we can do besides check our insurance policies and […]
Tech Friday: Screen Time and Classical Conditioning
RichC | August 30, 2019
This content is restricted.
Plugging up holes and dealing with irritated yellow jackets
RichC | August 27, 2019
We have more bees and wasps appearing around our house this summer, on the other hand, we have always had nests in the woods but this year a few more have moved closer to the house. When preparing to stain the fence this year, I had to glue 3/8” dowels in the carpenter bees holes […]
Bringing my older Poulan chainsaw back to life
RichC | August 25, 2019
Five years ago (2014), I was in the middle of cutting wood and my older lighter weight Poulan chainsaw wasn’t running right. I used some small fuel lines in a attempt to hurriedly fix it suspecting it was the ethanol in the fuel … but my quick fix was to no avail. Instead, I ordered […]
So love driving the “Old Girl”- my 1982 MB 300d Turbodiesel
RichC | August 24, 2019
On Friday, with August temperatures abating a bit, I decided drive the “old girl,” as my best friend Jeff refers to my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300d Turbodiesel. It is not rare that I drive our “EMP car” since it was my daily driving for a couple years, but now I do it far less frequently […]
The 2006 Honda Pilot served us well for 14 years #TBT
RichC | August 22, 2019
This is not the Throwback Thursday #TBT photo I would recommend using when listing a car for sale, but the 2006 Honda Pilot we said goodbye to this week did have a few minor battle scars (1, 2, 3) and occasionally a little something that needed to be cleaned off (salt above and sometimes LoveBugs). […]
Our 2006 Honda Pilot replacement – A 2010 Acura RDX
RichC | August 21, 2019
We have always shuffled our “fleet” (as my son-in-law calls it) and strive to keep the loss through depreciation on vehicles to a tolerable level … while still driving reliable vehicles. Thankfully our current and recent vehicles have served us well and regularly hit the quarter million mile mark before we retire them. In my […]
Archive: Photo wrap-up of our 2019 summer week with Annalyn
RichC | August 20, 2019
This content is restricted.
Was it that long ago? My BIODZL Volkswagen Jetta TDI #TBT
RichC | August 15, 2019
Has it really been over 15 years since I was commuting back and forth from NE Ohio in my 2003 Volkswagen TDI (and filling up with biodiesel or seeing my car image on other peoples’ blogs?) Yes it has been awhile. After posting about a friend’s new Volkswagen Atlas (Tim Hunter sent me a new […]
Our new home Internet Mesh network is up and running
RichC | August 14, 2019
Our current NetGear Nighthawk R7000 router has been exceptionally stable considering the issues I’ve had with cheaper routers and networked devices in the past. I’m pretty happy with it, but in order to get solid coverage, had to add a WiFi Range Extender to cover the detached garage and poolhouse (and yet still have weak […]
Happy Birthday Brenda, with a couple photos from the archives
RichC | August 12, 2019
As hinted at last week, today is the day I want to wish my wonderful wife Brenda a Happy Birthday. We are looking forward to our slowly closing the chapter of “career” (no hurry yet) … and are starting to plan the new chapter called “retirement. Anxious? Who me? Although we may have changed a […]
Where have the years gone? 11 years ago and now in 2019. #TBT
RichC | August 8, 2019
This content is restricted.
Falling back on fiberglass and autobody skills for house repairs
RichC | July 30, 2019
The summer of 2019 around our house has meant more repairs and maintenance updates than usual. This means weekends have been busy with house projects and in also finding and hiring help to complete the updates that are too overwhelming for this one “aging” guy to handle on his own (although my 60th birthday celebrations […]
A story with 2 of my favorite subjects – photography and space
RichC | July 27, 2019
A lot of things needed to go right when NASA sent three astronauts rocketing towards the moon in July of 1969 … but one real close call happened after their safe return to earth. It seems, some of the iconic photographs were “almost lost to posterity,” explains Zeiss, the company that provided the lenses for […]
An old newspaper clipping and a great summer job #TBT
RichC | July 25, 2019
When talking about the wide spread damage in the Dayton area by a tornado earlier this year with the guys putting on our new gutters (Raspberry Pi cam picked up one of the guys’ legs and tweeted it to me) … I mentioned that I once did some tornado repairs in my hometown. I couldn’t […]
It has been HOT and an update on the New Gutters for the house
RichC | July 23, 2019
The weather has been super hot and humid so far this July over most of the eastern half of the country. It is pool and grilling weather to be sure … although when the pool water temperature is 90 degrees, it really doesn’t feel all that refreshing anymore. Since I was clearing off the porches […]
Music Monday: Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffett
RichC | July 22, 2019
What would summer be without Jimmy Buffett music and cheeseburgers? How about remembering summer fun with Jimmy Buffett‘s Cheeseburger in Paradise song from back in 1978 with a relatively new personal connection twist? Besides me being a nearly life long listener, this past year or so I have another connection to Buffett as mentioned before. […]
What do you do when you lock yourself out? Use a hammer?
RichC | July 21, 2019
I am calling today “embarrass your wife day,” as she admitted to the questionable decision to open a door with a hammer when I was out of town last week (although she hid the damage for a day). Now that a few days have passed, it is a bit easier to chuckle and admire the […]
Tech Friday: Photo manipulation is disturbing and creepy #faceapp
RichC | July 19, 2019
Disturbing and “creepy” (as Katelyn messaged) … although I don’t mind looking a bit younger. 😉 Photoshop in the old days was fun to play around with, but nowadays, video and photo manipulation is beginning to frighten me. Taylor sent me this age-changing photo from our weekend at Put-In-Bay using FaceApp. Although there is […]
Archive: Condo1718 electrical updates and mirror thoughts
RichC | July 18, 2019
I’m archiving the last few photos from my iPhone from this past weekend updates to Condo master bathroom. I finished what I was able to do without an extra set of hands and will do the rest the next time Brenda is in Florida with me (it is hard to set a toilet with a […]
The condo master bathroom is slowly coming together
RichC | July 17, 2019
Finished up the vanities in the master bathroom at the condo this past weekend and all went well in putting in 5 new valves and 2 drains. I shocked even myself in that all “went as planned.” Unfortunately the struggle began when mounting the polymer rather than wood molding across the back to top off […]
Why not just stick with American Standard, Delta or Moen?
RichC | July 15, 2019
My wife does not appreciate the common everyday American branded sinks, vanities or faucets … and wanted something a little more unique for the Condo master bathroom (sort of like the other bathroom update last year – see photo at bottom of post). I really didn’t think that much about it until realizing that not […]
Beautiful early morning summer driving in Ohio
RichC | July 11, 2019
For decades I drove the Cincinnati to Cleveland/Akron/Warren Ohio drive at 4AM each week, but in recent years business has changed and the drive is no longer a regular thing. Part of me misses that early morning trip, but the other part that remembers snowstorms, construction and traffic delays does not. This past week I […]
Catch up post after our 2019 Fourth of July Family weekend
RichC | July 9, 2019
This content is restricted.
Technology, communication, parenting and The Lord’s Prayer
RichC | July 7, 2019
This content is restricted.
A big thanks to Taylor for planning a Reds-Indians family day
RichC | July 6, 2019
This content is restricted.
Amazon delivery may be taking a page from Santa Claus?
RichC | July 3, 2019
Our front door security camera picks up the strangest visitors #deer.
One week late, but finally archiving our Put In Bay family weekend
RichC | June 29, 2019
This content is restricted.
Archive: Found a couple CPP photos when cleaning my desk #TBT
RichC | June 27, 2019
While cleaning out a few old files folders, I came across a couple Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co. building photos in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio that my insurance agent took and included glued onto a policy folder. They are likely from the late 1980s and are worth archiving and using for a Throwback Thursday #TBT post. […]
Finally joining the smartwatch and Fitbit wearer club
RichC | June 26, 2019
This content is restricted.
Remembering the Lake Erie Islands with our family #TBT
RichC | June 20, 2019
Although the Throwback Thursday #TBT memory of celebrating my late parent’s 50th wedding anniversary in 2007 leaves me bittersweet, I’m so thankful we had our time together (photo above and below the break is with them on Kelley’s Island in 2007). I’m not sure where the time disappeared … but I honestly thought that both […]
The yardwork theme continues with a sump pump to pool bypass
RichC | June 18, 2019
With steady rains (and downpour storms) over the past week, the ground was soft enough for even this 60 year old guy to trench. I’ve been wanting to work on the “sump pump to pool” bypass ever since testing it with a temporary pipe to 2” roll up hose a few years ago. The water […]
Lost track of the weekend – Happy Father’s Day
RichC | June 16, 2019
This content is restricted.
Bonfire leftovers and starting a new pile for another fire
RichC | June 14, 2019
After the weekend bonfire for Taylor’s birthday party … without burning down the woods or catching any trees on fire … I told myself, “I’m never going to let the pile get that big again.” From now on the fires need to be of a “reasonably” safe size. Now, what that size is … I’m […]
This is why we own shares of Pepsi $PEP and Coke $KO #TBT
RichC | June 13, 2019
We have so many cans (mostly Brenda’s Diet Pepsi, but plenty of my Diet Mountain Dew as well) is almost embarrassing how I take aluminum cans to a local recycling center. It is even more eye-opening to “see” just how much pop (soda) we buy and consume! How is it possible to drink this many […]
It is a great week for night stargazing and sky watching – #Jupiter
RichC | June 12, 2019
Just north of Cincinnati the sky was perfect for viewing the rise of Jupiter as the sky darkened about 9:30PM. The bright dot (photo below from my iPhone) rose in the SE sky and arched slowly until reaching its highest point due south at about 12:30AM and then moved lower well after I was in […]
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.