RichC | January 13, 2013
Hmm, did the content I post to the blog get less interesting or are Internet users getting their fill of personal blogs? Maybe there is just too much content available? After years of increasing blog readership, at least in pageviews, 2012 was the first year My Desultory Blog saw a decline in the numbers across […]
RichC | January 8, 2013
I’ve held off until now before adding a couple thoughts to the discussion on the high profile killings last year which concluded with the December mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Commenting while emotions were raw was not something that was going to further logical debate … and probably still won’t since from what […]
RichC | January 7, 2013
My travel schedule this week was modified slightly to include a couple more cold calls in the Cleveland area that I’ve been putting off until the new year … not really my choice … but it works out so that my son Taylor will be able to go to a seminar and workshop while he […]
RichC | December 30, 2012
It has been a busy end of the year, but spending the last couple of days with just the family was a great way to wind down 2012. We enjoyed talking, eating (too much), opening presents and watching a movie together – Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer. (expand photo slideshow below). Taylor has been home from […]
RichC | December 26, 2012
We drove up to Columbus and enjoyed “catering” a Christmas dinner at Katelyn’s fiancé Drew’s house. The two of them (both in their residency) were working the night rotations … Katelyn just off a 24 hour stint at Nationwide and Drew his week of 13 hour nights at OSU. We have postponed our family gift […]
RichC | December 21, 2012
It has been a quick couple of days for my dad, brother and me in finalizing the desires of my mom for her funeral. She was organized and detailed right to the end and it was probably a good thing because she was leaving this planning behind to three “men.” We did our best mom […]
RichC | December 17, 2012
I’m sending a quick personal post from my phone to update those who have politely sent messages concerning my mom. I wanted to update that she passed away peacefully this morning — 12/17. My brother and I will be with my Dad to finalize the funeral plans at Cromes Funeral Home in Sidney Ohio. Thanks […]
RichC | December 16, 2012
I’ve been spending most of my time by my mother’s bedside (previous post), but wanted to share a little cheer as well. My daughter Katelyn had a wonderful bridal shower hosted by the friends of her future mother-in-law (Barb Oostra) in Toledo on Saturday. They enjoyed brunch and presents at the Inverness Club and […]
RichC | December 15, 2012
This Thursday thru Saturday has been challenging for my dad, brother and me. My mom, who has been in hospice care the last few months, is now in the "active dying" stage according to the nurse. Her vital signs have been up and down the last couple of days and we’ve been trading round the […]
RichC | December 13, 2012
Ah … we’re finished with this year’s Corbett Christmas Letter … they are in the mail! (click for a PDF copy) One of my favorite things about celebrating Christmas is the reminiscing — especially when putting up, or just looking at, the decorated tree in our house. We have a mish-mash Christmas tree with decorations […]
RichC | December 7, 2012
Tell me I’m not crazy, but this is the third time that I’ve purchased an all-in-one multifunction printer in the past several years. For one, inkjet printer heads and ink are challenging to keep flowing without problems, particularly when using refills and remanufactured inks – link. The customer support phone line suggested that using “their […]
RichC | December 4, 2012
I know the clickity-click (or is it clickity-clack?) is to be expected when wearing flip flops, but some pairs are noisier than others. A few months ago I purchased a new pair of Keen Waimea H2 sandals that I intend to keep on the boat because they have toe protection, but I can’t figure out […]
RichC | December 2, 2012
I finally finished planting all the new bulbs Brenda purchase a few weeks ago as the weather on Saturday was in the high 50s and dry. I also decided to mark the locations using a few photos then marking it up on my iPad using Notablity … an excellent PDF app, by the way. Marking […]
RichC | November 23, 2012
It is hard to believe that I didn’t take any family photos over Thanksgiving this year … except for one disturbing photo at the dinner table. No wonder I didn’t take any more? It does have me question the sanity of the family I belong too?
RichC | November 21, 2012
While surfing for family news and goings-on for Thanksgiving, I saw a photo on my son’s Facebook page with a couple of his high school friends. I recall that they recently visited with him at Miami University and remembered Taylor told me that they were still pursuing their music dream. Of course after seeing […]
RichC | November 18, 2012
My wife is a dolphin lover … NOT the Mahi-mahi fish type, but the intelligent and always smiling marine mammals. Me on the other hand, I like both … and enjoy blackened or grilled Mahi-mahi almost as much as “viewing” a pod of dolphins swimming along side a wind-driven sailboat. Nevertheless, I knew Brenda would […]
RichC | November 15, 2012
In keeping with the last couple days of family and personal posts, my daughter and future son-in-law shared their engagement photo proof pages (slide show) from their recent photo session with Shuey Mill Photography. The weather on Sunday afternoon was perfect for the shoot and it helps that the two of them are photogenic. Katelyn […]
RichC | November 14, 2012
I tuned out for a couple days since wifi is scarce at my in-laws farmhouse in western New York. Brenda and I made our annual pilgrimage to pack up her mom and dad and are bringing them to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving and then on their way to Florida for winter. They take the a slow […]
RichC | November 13, 2012
Adding at least one day worth of make-up postings with this past weekend photo of Taylor as we visited with his Grandma … very possible it could be his last? That said, my mom is handling the heavy antibiotics for her pneumonia pretty well and is much more comfortable than earlier in the week. She […]
RichC | November 10, 2012
I had an eye appointment this week and decided to mention that reading, particularly in the evening, was becoming more of a challenge. I’ve been trying to fool myself into thinking that it was the lousy CFLs next to my chair or the added eyestrain of using computers, tablets and cellphones during the day, but […]
RichC | November 5, 2012
Politics and the recovery from Superstorm Sandy in the northeast have moved down a notch on my radar this past weekend as my mom is having difficulty breathing (let alone eating or drinking). She is struggling to overcome heavy congestion and fluids which are building up in her lungs. Yes, the fear of pneumonia is […]
RichC | October 22, 2012
I planned visiting my mom and home projects (and football watching) perfectly around the weather this past weekend. Saturday was a bit gloomy with a few sprinkles for my nursing home visit with my mom. She is doing pretty well considering she is being turned every couple hours and bedridden. Her mind is sharp and […]
RichC | October 18, 2012
Projects are getting done one at a time before winter arrives, but seems as soon as I can check one off the list, two more need to be done. I’ve been repairing the tiles on the pool before closing for the season and on Wednesday evening sealed the new front porch pavers since I’m in […]
RichC | October 14, 2012
I spent the weekend working of autumn chores in in the company of my wife and daughter (Katelyn is home for wedding planning).Besides working on repairing pool tiles and digging downspout/sump pump drain pipes (grr), I swapped my 4-wheeled refrigerator of a Honda Pilot for Katelyn’s VW TDI; oh how I have forgotten how much […]
RichC | October 7, 2012
It has been a positive weekend for our extended family as my nephew Justin Howard and his wife Keity (Katie Vogel) had their second child … a boy, Evan Mark Howard. I’d offer up the normal details – size, weight, deliver issues – but figure linking to Keity’s blog would be more appropriate – LINK. […]
RichC | October 5, 2012
RichC | October 2, 2012
Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to play with the panorama feature on my new iPhone 5, but decided to take a photo before digging to find the lid of the septic tank. The photo above is current October 2012 and the photo below was as we built the house in 1995 and put […]
RichC | September 30, 2012
My weekend was filled with more wedding stuff and with three of the most important women in my life. On Saturday I chauffeured Brenda and Katelyn to and from a few more wedding planning functions as well as participated in more cake tasting. This time the final cake arrangements were made. My wife and daughter […]
RichC | September 17, 2012
I didn’t access the computer much this weekend since Katelyn and Drew were home to “cake taste” and to handle some wedding planning details … thankfully my involvement is minimal. We did have a nice time together … talking, playing cards, reading some of my mom’s “legacy box” and watching the movie “Hunger Games.” It […]
RichC | September 13, 2012
I’m finding a nutty pricing structure for for my morning newspaper and a questionable explanation (or lack of one) from Dow Jones in my attempt to renew my Wall Street Journal subscription. It sort of reminded my of a Twitter conversation last week on how Amazon sells some paperback and hardback books cheaper than they […]
RichC | September 10, 2012
Awww … even a Mr. Manatee baby can be cute. After being too busy to post something for today, I lazily pulled a couple photos from the weekend and figured at least one of the photos was cute enough to put on the blog (ok, both of them). The second photo (below) is of Katelyn […]
RichC | August 24, 2012
Brenda’s sister, Chris Skinner, escorted her father, Fred Howard, on an Honor Flight this week and visited “his” WWII memorial in Washington DC. Having had a chance to take my dad with a group of veterans in 2010 gives me insight as to what a special trip this was for them. We are getting together […]
RichC | August 15, 2012
It has been a tough week so far running back and forth to Columbus and OSU Medical Center to check on my mom and doesn’t look as if the next week will be much better. She is back in the hospital after never really recovering from her back surgery in May. Rehab in a nursing […]
RichC | August 10, 2012
I’m not sure every enviro-type defines having large snapping turtles as problem, but we’ve lost more ducklings to turtles than I can count. In fact, of the 10+ years of ducklings that have hatched and were spotted swimming around their mother, I don’t think one has made it into the air? Each day the ducks […]
RichC | August 5, 2012
With all of the hot summer days this year, the pool is getting plenty of use. I sort of thought that older “kids” wouldn’t really want to be caught dead at mom and dad’s anymore, but Taylor and his friends seem to be just fine swimming, playing basketball and baseball in the backyard; maybe they […]
RichC | August 2, 2012
Before I get any hate email, yes I know “we men” have our quirks too. I’ve been known to leave the seat up on the toilet on occasion, I’ve missed the laundry with dirty socks or sweaty shirts and know I’ve run through the house with my shoes on, but only when I’m in a […]
RichC | July 31, 2012
With the slow economy and the associated weak income/high expenses related issues … combined with my lack of aviation motivation in recent years, it only makes sense to show my Sonex project to interested builders. After cleaning up the shop a little bit, I picked up a potential buyer, Dennis, and his friend Tom […]
RichC | July 22, 2012
It was nice to spend Saturday at home after traveling this past week although I did enjoy Thursday evening with Brenda’s mom and dad and then Friday evening with my mom at the rehab/nursing facility. Mom is improving a little bit … emphasis on “little.” Hopefully we are turning the corner? Surprisingly I actually do […]
RichC | July 17, 2012
I enjoyed a little back and forth reminiscing this morning on Twitter with a friend of mine who shared a photo of his dad on his old 1951 Ford 8N. It brought back a few memories of my Ford 800 (searching for an old pre-digital photo) when we lived in Hudson, Ohio … and before […]
RichC | July 7, 2012
Oh it has been hot … way too hot to work out in the yard … but with the mid-week July 4th holiday and quirky work schedule, it seemed like a good time to spend some hours on home and yard chores. Taylor and his buddy Michael have been contracted (they need the money) to […]
RichC | June 17, 2012
I was glad be able to stop in to visit with both “dads” in my life this week — took a couple of detours in my weekly travel schedule. The stops doubled as a way to hand deliver Father’s Day cards and a couple printed photos which are becoming rare around our house. Brenda and […]
RichC | June 14, 2012
As a casual flag flier, I often wonder if I’m respectful enough of our stars and stripes? Disclosure: I’ve always had a flag, portable staff or flag pole and initially decided to raise our flag and illuminated it 24/7 after 9/11 out of respect for those serving our country. I committed to keep it flying until […]
RichC | June 10, 2012
Celebrating Taylor’s Birthday down in Newport KY on the Ohio River- Happy 23rd Birthday.
RichC | June 6, 2012
Many families face the inevitable fact that our parents will not be around forever. Unfortunately knowing the end is closer doesn’t make managing a parent’s declining health any easier. I now understand why my daughter’s medical training and rotations in “end of life care” were not attractive to her – pediatrics does sound as if […]
RichC | June 5, 2012
I’m “archiving” a few old photos and want to thank my wife Brenda for 30 wonderful years (our 30th anniversary is today June 5); I’m looking forward to another 30 years with her and watching our children build their lives and memories. As many family and friends will agree, 30 years goes by pretty fast […]
RichC | May 27, 2012
My mom would not like this personal post talking about her, but since I’m archiving partially for my own journaling I wanted to write down what was buzzing around in my head this past year. Between my dad, who is with mom almost all the time, my brother Ron (thankfully able get to Sidney regularly—he […]
RichC | May 22, 2012
Everyone wants to head home after a hospital stay … and that includes my mom, but if rehab is called for and skilled nursing care required, I can’t think of a better place than the Dorothy Love community. It is just a few miles from my mom and dad’s house in Sidney Ohio and an […]
RichC | May 15, 2012
Headed home after a quick few days with Taylor and his friends on the boat. Project were minimal but we had a great time and had some interesting stories – the one about “Rick” would have any parent giving a lecture (ah … memories). Surprisingly I found the time comfortable on the boat even […]
RichC | May 12, 2012
I’ll start off with the stressful update that my mom will be going in for spinal decompression surgery at OSU Wexler Medical Center on Saturday … and that I won’t be there. Her doctors are cautious, but confident that they will be able to relieve pain by eliminating pressure the nerve bundles and spinal cord […]
RichC | May 10, 2012
Posting a personal update today as we are dealing with doctoring issues for my mom. She has been suffering with a lot of pain and various testing for several … way too many … months. On Monday, the OSU neurosurgeons reviewed my mom’s case, consulted each other over last weeks CT scans of her spine […]
RichC | April 24, 2012
I finished wire brushing, sanding and painting the black iron railing last night and greeted the masons over lunch to see how the progress of the thin pavers is coming along. Sort of glad I hired them and am not tackling this project myself. (I was actually was up on the roof yesterday – birds […]
RichC | April 21, 2012
I was planning to tackle our decaying concrete front porch myself, but after purchasing the thin pavers and contemplating the preparation masonry work, I opted instead to hire a skilled mason to at least repair the brick trim. Of course after getting into it I’m finding badly rusting iron railings and more than just weakened […]
RichC | April 17, 2012
It is still quite remarkable to see NASA haul around a giant space shuttle piggybacked on a modified Boeing747, this time it is Discovery heading to its final Washington DC Smithsonian home. For those of us who grew up with the entire space program it is indeed a sad end to an adventurous and exciting […]
RichC | April 15, 2012
Well maybe the above math may not be as simple as it looks … but it computes in the case of Katelyn and Drew. Ready or not, it is time for this dad to let go of his daughter. Drew Oostra has asked my daughter Katelyn to marry him and she replied “yes” … although […]
RichC | April 9, 2012
We spent Easter Sunday with Mom and Dad this year. Brenda packed up a nice and simple dinner along with a table cloth and candles (a nice touch) to lighten the chores for dad. We still unfortunately spent too much time discussing health issues, but it is what it is this year. Mom’s week was […]
RichC | April 6, 2012
I spent the week traveling “primarily” using the new to me Apple iPad 2 as my personal computer and am working on a longer version of “my impressions” that I’ll either post tonight or Saturday. I CAN say that I now understand why the tablet niche is dominated by the iPad and have to admit […]
RichC | March 27, 2012
I was out at dusk trying to get a little more of the grass cut again. The grass is green and growing fast … I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep up with it if it rains. Thankfully it was dry enough (barely) to get some of the longest and thickest cut, […]
RichC | March 23, 2012
Taylor and I drove down to Cincinnati this afternoon to see a reconstructive facial surgeon about his fracture … and as we waited for his appointment I asked how the week after the assault went – “fine,” was his answer, “I have tiger blood.” Obviously Taylor spent too much time last year paying attention to […]
RichC | March 21, 2012
The unseasonably warm weekend prior and first day of spring brought a bit of clean up to the Corbett yard and with that our semi-annual bonfire (we have one spring and fall – or kid gatherings). While we are probably burning the dead wood and yard debris in violation of some kind of local township […]
RichC | March 18, 2012
Since each year I’ve either looked at, blogged about or taken a photo of the White Star Magnolia we planted for Brenda back on Mother’s Day in 2008, I’ll include a macro video test with the little waterproof Kodak Playsport Zx5 pocket camera. (hint: don’t use the macro setting for this) The flowers have been […]