Ellerie’s Christmas project and decorating before Thanksgiving

| November 25, 2020

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Tech Friday: Scanning options – jpg, jpeg, jp2, gif, png, heic, tiff

| November 20, 2020

It has been a while since I’ve compared scanning format and compression option when it comes to down and dirty document scanning. For the most part I either scan straight to PDF and live with the document (or shrink it, but that’s another post) … or go straight to the old fashion universal jpeg or […]

Tropical storms and encroachment brings out Florida wildlife

| November 19, 2020

If the active record-breaking hurricane season wasn’t enough to have you questioning the idea of moving to Florida, how about a 2000 pound great white shark off Miami, alligators that are straight out of the Jurassic Period on a Naples, FL golf course or constrictor snakes slithering out of the Everglades large enough to compete […]

Kitchen stool screw-on felt slides – a must have and long overdue

| November 17, 2020

This should have been one of the first things I did when assembling our six metal stools back when we remodeled our kitchen in 2017. I bought slides for the condo stools after remodeling since there were only two and on tile, but cheaped out with stick felts at home. They were never worth the […]

What to do with a piece of cheap tarp and a Sailrite Ultrafeed?

| November 15, 2020

On one of my sailing groups, a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 user complained that the speed controller pedal was hard to regulate. I’ve found that to be true as well. Another person made the comment that they used a piece of flexible tubing/hose that gives the pedal a little more tactile feel … so I tried […]

Apple Mac announcement event this past week along with some fun babysitting Annalyn and Ellerie in Perrysburg, Ohio

| November 14, 2020

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Archive: 1958 Packard Hawk electrical issues, schematics and an Indian Summer bike ride for Annalyn and Ellerie

| November 12, 2020

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The new Packard Hawk modified battery hold-downs are great

| November 11, 2020

Tweak by tweak I’m staring to enjoy working on my dad’s Packard Hawk. For the past five years I’ve been unmotivated or shy about calling the car that was my dad’s and before that his uncle’s, mine, … but as the list of non-working repairs and fixes grows, I’m seeing a path to making it […]

Music Monday: Gerry Rafferty and working on cars memory

| November 9, 2020

The music of the late Gerry Rafferty hasn’t appeared on Music Monday and I’m disappointed not to have yet included him in my heavily 70’s mix of musicians. Having to pick one song out for today’s listening is a challenge, but “Days Gone Down” (Night Owl) is a good one since it triggers a memory […]

Family Filler: A couple of great leftover weekend photos

| November 4, 2020

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Waiting for a Halloween updates from my granddaughters

| November 1, 2020

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Ellerie was dedicated at Waterville Community Church

| October 27, 2020

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Dilemma: What to do with my aging, shredded faux leather, tired foam, squeaking and generally falling apart office chair

| October 25, 2020

The office chair I’ve used for the passed couple decades has seen better days, but it is still my favorite. The sturdy build is better than most I’ve seen, the arm pivots up out of the way for desk-work and easily sliding up to type, write, read or clean around. The size fits me well […]

Archive: A couple family photos from this past week

| October 17, 2020

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Most parents and grandparents have room for improvement

| October 11, 2020

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My son Taylor has been busy professionally and personally

| October 10, 2020

As a dad who has always kept up and archived the “goings-on” with Taylor and Katelyn on MyDesultoryBlog, I realized that grandchildren steal the limelight most of the time … that is just the way it is. But … that doesn’t mean life doesn’t keep moving along for adult children in the work-a-day world either. […]

The Old Wooden Ladder: Shag carpet and “The Pig” #TBT

| October 8, 2020

While doing some the pool house garage cleaning and reorganizing over the past couple of weeks, a piece of the old shag carpeting I duct taped onto the old wooden ladder I acquired in the 1980s fell off. As usual, it triggered memories. First, the good times Brenda and I had with our sailboat Brenich, […]

An inexpensive Sailrite LSZ-1 sewing machine cart is finished

| October 7, 2020

The Sailrite LSZ-1 sewing machine cart is complete and turned out great. Everything worked as planned (a rarity for me) and didn’t have to purchase anything new. The wider oak material was sitting in my stock shelf, the edge banding for the fold out table stripped from the glass top of my recently disassembled printing […]

Archive: Some books to bookshelves and granddaughter photos

| October 6, 2020

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Cleaning, reorganizing, some sanding and new ZipGuard finsih

| October 4, 2020

In my goal to gain space in the poolhouse garage (a failure) and clearing out and cleaning the east-side wall, I shifted my attention to the beat-up bench top. Part of this was just clearing the workbench of junk, then reorganizing and cleaning each shelf. The boxes have been sort-of shuffled (drawers ignored), but I […]

After cleaning, tossing junk and the re-organizing a couple walls, the pool house garage is still way too cluttered

| October 3, 2020

As much as I love working in an organized space, for the life of me I have trouble keeping it that way. Also,  I can’t get rid of things I use, might use or that are too good to sell or toss. The truth is that I have the packrat gene.  My parents were not […]

What to do with my antique letterpress type galley trays #TBT

| October 1, 2020

While clearing out a little more garage clutter this past weekend in order to gain some space as the weather changes (things are getting too crowded), I finally ripped apart an old type galley cabinets that I hauled from my building in Cuyahoga Falls years ago. Consolidated Printing and Publishing Co. wasn’t really an old […]

Remembering my mom’s birthday with an Oldsmobile photo

| September 29, 2020

My mother’s birthday isn’t one that I mark with a blog post every year, but since I ran across this old photo of my mom in East Tawas Michigan, I set it aside (along with one from me in my new suede coat back in high school). I spotted the Kodachrome slide of Mom next […]

Great night sky viewing of the moon, Saturn and Jupiter

| September 28, 2020

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A semi-portable thickness planer for my woodworking shop

| September 27, 2020

When bragging that my latest sewing cart project had zero cost in it, I held off until the end of the post to mention that I was spending money and would post about that on Sunday. Well here it is: I bought my first planer; it’s a semi-portable DeWalt DW735, with the “X” option (extra […]

Started the weekend with a Sailrite LSZ-1 sewing cart project

| September 26, 2020

If you have ever used a heavy portable sewing machine, you know what a pain it is to haul it out of storage and set it up to make a simple repair. I don’t know how many times I’ve grumbled when Brenda wants me to set it on my workbench … or worse, haul it […]

A sign of Autumn and our 1987 Mercedes Benz 560SEL #TBT

| September 24, 2020

We had our first taste of cooler fall weather for 2020 last week as the hot 80+ degree days of August and early September gave way to pleasant mid-to-high 70s and cooler evenings dipping into the 40s. Brr, my body has not adjusted yet. As autumn approaches and the temperatures are more tolerable in the […]

Time for another BMW X5 35d oil, filter and air filter change

| September 23, 2020

The weather has been just perfect for evenings in the garage or outside, so it is a good time to be checking off a couple of to-do list items – it was enjoyable. Although I’ve been slightly overdue for an oil change, the Ravenol oil I have been using is high quality synthetic oil so […]

A couple granddaughter photos from Brenda’s babysitting

| September 22, 2020

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I’m missing sailing, but here are a few new knot tying ideas

| September 20, 2020

Most people who enjoy sailing and undertake the sport/activity as a hobby, also enjoy learning how to handle the many sheets and lines (ropes) that are used aboard a sailboat. I’ve been sailing off and on my entire life and find myself relying on a few knots that I’m confident about. Oh, I also enjoy […]

Paintied the hinges and door hardware for the pool changing room

| September 19, 2020

It has taken me most of the second half of the summer, but I’m finally finishing the poolhouse changing room … more work than I thought. The damage done by Katelyn’s “late” pet rabbit Pumpy Umpy was significant enough to require lower drywall (greenboard) and all new casing and baseboard trim. Part of my slowdown […]

Tech Friday: A new feature update for my Fitbit Versa

| September 18, 2020

After a recent update from Fitbit, my Versa watch is now tracking my SpO2 level when I sleep. Unsure what to make of it, I asked my doctor-daughter Katelyn what it means: “looks good, no sleep apnea.” (Fitbit devices measure this while sleeping, since they are usually the lowest) After a little reading on SpO2 […]

Our granddaughter Ellerie has her first tooth … and big eyes!

| September 17, 2020

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Filler post: Shade Sail Stick Insects and a couple idea photos

| September 16, 2020

While brushing a few leaves off the new shade sails, this little guy caught my eye. It is amazing how different Stick Insects can change colors to fit their surroundings. Actually this blog post is just a mid-week filler post and a collection of a few photos that I thought were interesting or at least […]

Photos of a few new hardwood trees from my brother’s nursery

| September 15, 2020

It has been eleven years since we last purchased a few trees from my brother Ron’s retirement avocation – a nursery dedicated to NativeOhioPlants. He started planting trees years before so after he retired from the Air Force in 2018, it was a natural to make it a part time business. It’s not too big […]

Few photos of vintage racing match this Nigel Corner image #TBT

| September 10, 2020

Nine lives, fate, stroke of luck, divine intervention? Here’s a Throwback Thursday #TBT shocker. One never knows just how “forgetting to put on a safety belt” could be seen as the smartest thing someone would do when racing. On September 17, 2000 it would give racer Nigel Corner another day on this earth. After seeing […]

Archive: Brenda’s flowers, busy working bees and babysitting

| September 9, 2020

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Assembling a simple (cough, cough) swing set for grandkids

| September 6, 2020

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The 2020 Presidential Election through symbolism

| September 5, 2020

In trying to look at our divided America in a glass half-full way, the 2020 Presidential election at least gives voters a clear contrast in a candidates or political party’s desired direction for the country. Obviously symbolism plays a part in painting a picture of political philosophy and the kind of voter each candidate seeks, […]

My memories on an obsolete automotive oil spout gadget #TBT

| September 3, 2020

I shared a question to a few of my automotive friends on a Twitter a few weeks ago … prior to my WordPress post disappeared due to a mysql crash (grrr!) … A question for #Millennials: What is this automotive “thing” and how does it work? So much of what we remember from our youth […]

An updated shade sail photo and a granddaughter photo too

| August 28, 2020

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A memory from 2010! What happened to my children? #TBT

| August 27, 2020

Love this photo, although Katelyn and Taylor do look the same to me … well, add 10 years. I saw this photo from our Bermuda cruise in 2010 and thought, “I’m so glad we took as many trips as we did each year as a family!” The early years of traveling may have been on […]

My summer favorite Sperry Searacer boat shoes are wearing out

| August 22, 2020

This is probably something I should have expected after bringing my “boat-only” non-skid Sperry SeaRacer Sneakers home from the boat in June – excessive wear. I’ve been wearing these light-weight synthetic upper Sperry shoes for the better part of the last two months and they are quickly breaking down. Perhaps I’m so accustom to the […]

Sent the Packardbaker out for some transmission work

| August 21, 2020

My dad’s 1958 Packard Hawk, mine for the last 5 years, has hardly been touched since it was flatbed delivered from Sidney, Ohio. I moved it once … and then covered it up with a battery tender after I noticed a pool of transmission fluid all over the floor. So on the 5th anniversary of […]

Reminiscing and thinking about our Hudson Ohio house #TBT

| August 20, 2020

Let me get this out before someone tells me I’ve lost my mind: I love our current house and property in SW Ohio … as well as the community we live in just north of Cincinnati. Brenda and I could not be more blessed with our lives, our family and all that we have worked […]

Spiders, Kadydids, iPhone7+ photos and cooling in the pool

| August 19, 2020

Since I spent most of the weekend outside again doing chores and projects as the weather has been great … I spotted a couple of insects enjoying summer as well. The normal bugs don’t grab my attention, but the brightly colored and unusual ones are worthy of photos (still impressed with the camera on my […]

A weekend Brenda birthday photo and Jimmy Buffett video

| August 18, 2020

We are really enjoying the time we have to stay around home this summer amidst Coronavirus concerns … although Brenda has never stopped going to work … she works in an “essential business” – pharmacy. We certainly enjoyed having Katelyn, Drew, Annalyn and Ellerie to our house for a mini-vacation for several days earlier this […]

The climate hardiness guides says “no” to Evergreen Clematis

| August 16, 2020

After doing a little research on different kinds of Clematis, I thought I had the perfect pick for the rear corner of the pool house garage where I often work outside the back door. Something that stayed green a bit longer in the year like Evergreen Clematis sounded perfect … but the “Plant Hardiness Zone […]

Saving a custom Mercedes Benz W123 “LaPickup” photo

| August 15, 2020

Since I’ve highlighted a couple other “functional” versions of the Mercedes Benz W123, here’s another owner conversion. (see ONE, TWO … and THREE just for the humor). I do find myself constantly needing (well “wanting” really) a pickup truck, but can usually put things in my Honda Odyssey “work vehicle” or hitch up the utility […]

A baby mourning dove is trying to blend in outside the door

| August 14, 2020

Wouldn’t you know, just as I was contemplating how to get rid of our annoying pair of Mourning Doves (pretty much pigeons in my book), they go and have at least one baby. Now I can’t in good conscious shoo them away. The little guy must have jumped or fallen out of the nest and […]

Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife and a few leftover photos

| August 12, 2020

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Archive: Stay around home 2020 mini-vacation family photos

| August 11, 2020

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Someone’s Tesla is plugged into my 220VAC welding circuit?

| August 9, 2020

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Constantly re-stitching my floating beanbag chair

| August 8, 2020

Although I’m looking high and low for some material to replace the clearance foam bead filled pool floaties I bought a few years ago, I continue to re-stitch and reinforce the old product with “Brenda’s” Sailrite Ultrafeed LS-1. The new stitching holds as long as the old fabric holds up, but sooner or later I’m […]

Archive: Remembering good times with my friend Jeff #TBT

| August 6, 2020

My friend Jeff has been part of my life since college and knows WAY too much about me … both good (which he conveniently forgets) and bad (which he’s remembers all too well). We’ve always have great times together, be it in Founders Hall dorm at ONU back in college or the many years after […]

Not recommended: Triangular shade sail for driveway shade

| August 4, 2020

The summer sun makes it too hot to work with the 10 x 12 foot south-facing garage door on the back of the detached outbuilding which is something I’ve struggled with for years. I’ve rigged up tarps, drop clothes and the like in order to cut the harsh sun, but let some light and breeze […]

A cute beach crab GIF and an eye-opening #filler shark photo

| August 2, 2020

This is when you are glad that you at least out on the water with a long board.  #surfing And if that is not your cup of tea … maybe strolling down the beach and poking a crab is more your speed?

Moustaches and baseball caps – I’m thinking Oakland A’s #TBT

| July 30, 2020

We are a product of our youth … and I’ll never forget The Mustache Gang. After seeing my son Taylor’s photo in his Cleveland Indians baseball cap (after shaving off his beard, but keeping his moustache), I had a flashback to the 1970s and remembered the Oakland A’s of my youth. They were the World […]

The Fitbit Versa lasted 11 months – The watchband 13 months

| July 29, 2020

I can’t say that I’m surprised, but after my Fitbit Versa failed after 11 months (and was replaced under warranty “without” a new watchband), now after 13 months, the original watchband faiedl. Admittedly I’m not Mr. Gentle when wearing watches, but considering the Fitbit is designed as an athletic watch, I expected more. Besides the […]

Jumping dogs, Yoda-like pigs and Ostrich wood #filler

| July 29, 2020

If you spend much time on social networks, this is the kind of stuff you start to collect. So before tossing it … why not force it on someone else? 😊

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog