RichC | September 10, 2025
In September 2025 we finally decided to update the gutter on the detached garage (we call it the poolhouse) to match our house from 2019. Unfortunately it was a semi-forced issue as there was some poor workmanship on one of the downspouts on the house that needed repaired. We thought our Gutter Shutters had a […]
RichC | September 4, 2025
For today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT post, I’m adding a couple saved photos for a filler since I used a couple of these on social media thread (credits unknown). ☹️ The two “beautiful” photos appeal to me and work well this shortened holiday week AND keeps the Volkswagen category alive. I do miss the original VW […]
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 […]
RichC | August 31, 2025
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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
RichC | August 17, 2025
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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
RichC | August 1, 2025
It has been too long between truly “desultory” posts, so I’ll add one on the topic of iOS photo editing and iOS apps. Ever since I updated my iPhone from the long-lasting iPhone 7 Plus almost a year ago, I’ve been missing the magnifier highlighting tool that was part of Apple’s previous iOS. Now that […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
RichC | July 17, 2025
I couldn’t help but remember a Memorex tape advertisement that ran in the 1970s for cassette tapes (above) … then in the 1980s for VHS tapes … when seeing the photo below: “Is it live … or is it Memorex?“ What do you think of when you see the shape of this island off the coast […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 … […]
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 […]
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 […]
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) […]
RichC | June 22, 2025
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RichC | June 15, 2025
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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 […]
RichC | June 11, 2025
Testing MarsEdit software: So far it sort of looks like it is supposed to look. 😉 Dawki suspension bridge over the Umngot River
RichC | June 11, 2025
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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 […]
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 […]
RichC | June 3, 2025
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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 […]
RichC | May 28, 2025
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RichC | May 22, 2025
A “Year(s) Ago On This Day” highlight (column right) had me looking at a May 2011 photo of our family. Katelyn’s NEOUCOM medical school graduation in 2011 made for a great memory for sure … but leaves me a little bit sad. Still, I’m so thankful all four parents were able to attend her graduation, […]
RichC | May 21, 2025
My daughter shared some photos from her new bird feeder birthday present, from Drew and the girls, and access last weekend through the BirdBuddy app. BTW, today is my brother’s birthday, Happy Birthday Ron! (poem below) The WiFi camera connected birdfeeder (see previous non-smar homemade birdfeeder) for the Oostra backyard which is full of “everything […]
RichC | May 15, 2025
Although I recall posting a “winter slumber” video of my 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel a decade ago, it has been a while — don’t look at the dust! So … after noticing the battery had lost some of its charge while “sleeping,” I decided to put the solar charger to work my W123 after […]
RichC | May 14, 2025
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RichC | May 11, 2025
Because my mom loved birds and Brenda loves the beauty in nature, for Mother’s Day this year it is not flowers or a card, but a technology assisted Happy Mother’s Day with a beautiful cardinal. Of course this isn’t the first time he or his friends appeared on our Wyze Cam (they come every year) […]
RichC | May 8, 2025
While Brenda and I were visiting her sister Ann in Alpharetta, Georgia, we started talking about dogs. There’s is getting older but is a meandering member of their family — and this post is an excuse to include one of our late Tootsie as a puppy (unfortunately I didn’t take any of the Gerbers or […]
RichC | May 8, 2025
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RichC | May 4, 2025
Rogue planets, also known as free-floating planets, are planetary bodies that drift through the Milky Way without orbiting a star. Unlike typical planets bound to a stellar system, these objects roam interstellar space, untethered by a parent star’s gravity. They’re intriguing because they challenge our understanding of planetary formation and survival in the harsh environment […]
RichC | April 30, 2025
While walking the Atlantic shoreline, Brenda and I often watched ships and tugs towing barges offshore pass by. We took note of the unique ones like the SS United States and more recently a specialized Express Marine hybrid barge with its companion tug. It was interesting enough to dig a little deeper. Express Marine, Inc., […]
RichC | April 22, 2025
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RichC | April 14, 2025
Let’s start with yesterday’s Palm Sunday word of the day … or at least one that I learned from today’s TFL devotional “God’s Plan All Along” and the Hebrew word: “Tetelestai!” The Hebrew word that Τετέλεσται (it is finished) best translates is שָׁלֵם, which is how the Syriac Peshitta* and modern Hebrew** translations translate […]
RichC | April 8, 2025
A new word for me: Marginalia — it is also a word that reminded me of Mom Howard’s books, especially her well marked up Bible! MarginaliaNotes written in the margin • The professor’s marginalia provided valuable insights into the text Also a shopping trip for the Oostra’s had them finding a couple of nice looking rocking […]
RichC | April 3, 2025
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RichC | April 2, 2025
During one of our many longish 9-1/2 mile winter beach walks this year, Brenda and I came across a couple orange objects. The orange ball that washed up during a heavy surf was pretty obvious … since they are used along the shore to mark life guard protected zones and swimming areas. There was a […]
RichC | March 22, 2025
Seeing this view each morning as we head to the beach never gets old. To be sure, I’ve posted similar photos a few times before, but even as the wallpaper on my iPhone, I can’t get enough of it. As our time in Florida for 2025 inches closer to a close, Brenda and I are […]
RichC | March 19, 2025
Going through my iPhone’s photos folder to see what I’ve missed posting about is becoming a habit. This past weekend I realized that the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket with the crewed Dragon capsule‘s launch contrails on Saturday evening were blogworthy as was a condo “parking lot” photo of the Blood Worm Moon on Saturday evening (click […]
RichC | March 14, 2025
The manic markets and crazy movement down and up (today) are enough to have investors pulling their hair out. Thankfully there was a reprieve from the steady down movement over the tariff dispute between President Trump and many of our trading partners (more on that this weekend). Consumer sentiment is not positive and will likely […]
RichC | March 13, 2025
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RichC | March 9, 2025
While on our walk on the beach the other day, we spotted an unusual looking crab (posted a couple crab photos last month and this month too). After a little digging on the Internet, I think this crab appears to be a Florida Rough Box Crab (Calappa gallus) or a closely related species of Box […]
RichC | March 7, 2025
Brenda and I were debating crabs and shells after seeing a couple crabs on our beach walks and finding a beautifully polished Cowry/Cowrie shell (left). I suspected that the hermit crab ate the snail forming the shell and used it for protection and “a home.” Of course I was wrong … but didn’t know it […]
RichC | March 5, 2025
We received a fun message last week as Taylor announced that he was invited to be the Easter bunny for the families in Batavia Township. We saw a photo of him trying on the head from the costume and our family had a good laugh. He will be a great bunny and has the perfect […]
RichC | March 4, 2025
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RichC | February 22, 2025
There was a north wind for our beach walk today, but we continue to add a few more steps to it each day. It is shocking to see Brenda able to comfortable walk ever day with her replacement hip — medical science is amazing. On our walks, we continue to enjoy briefly talking to others […]
RichC | February 20, 2025
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RichC | February 19, 2025
My reading from a week ago has stalled … and I have no idea why? “Area 51” by Annie Jacobsen is an interesting book, and beside walking, neither Brenda or I are doing much more than pretending we are on a long vacation. One of our pleasures is seeing the same people each morning […]
RichC | February 15, 2025
We have been enjoying our time together in Florida this month. The weather has been near perfect after a little “expected” cooler, damp, jacket weather that Florida received in January. Next week could be different … according to my weather and tides watcher — report courtesy of Brenda. 😉 Our daily walks are getting easier […]
RichC | February 13, 2025
Brenda and I have been thoroughly enjoying the surprisingly nice early February weather and escape from winter up north — and we are living The Life of Riley (a previous reference that I can’t get out of my mind). I’ve finished “Killing the Rising Sun” and have picked up a Annie Jacobsen book (previous […]
RichC | February 11, 2025
Brenda and I enjoyed watching Super Bowl LIX on Sunday February 9, 2025 in Florida this year (summary below) after a enjoyable sunny day and walk on the beach. It sure is a great way to escape the winter (see Oostras skating below the break)! One of the lowlights of our beach walk (my antonym for […]