An away from home work-table and a long overdue desk chair

| January 21, 2024

Really this is to archive a few project ideas (below the break) for Taylor. He is a Mid-Century Modern lover and has consistently focused his decorating with this kind of taste. If dollars didn’t limit his shopping, I think he would be living in a Frank Lloyd Wright home and have it decorated with a […]

Escape: It is not perfect weather, but better than Ohio

| January 20, 2024

The weather up north is … well wintery and cold … so we are not complaining this year in our escape to Delray Beach, FL. We are disappointed as usual to see the substantial amount of plastic washing up on the beach during our walks. It reminds me of growing up in the 1960s and […]

Tech Friday: It is shocking how iPhone cameras have improved!

| January 19, 2024

When it comes to taking phones on a cellphones (especailly low light) … the cameras on all smartphones have definitely improved over the past decade. I’ll let you guess which photo above was my iPhone 7 Plus and which one was Brenda’s iPhone 14? 

Family is busy enjoying the winter weather and MLKJr.

| January 16, 2024

Although the temperatures around the US have taken a deep dive and have brought a cold and snowy winter to much of the country, our family is making the most of it. Taylor and Megan spent the long weekend skiing with some in her extended family in Utah and KDAE made the most of the […]

Weekend trip to Whitehouse Ohio and Christmas de-decorating

| January 9, 2024

This may have been the third year in a row that I’ve “pruned” the dry Christmas tree apart in the house rather than yanking it through the back door or having another disaster. Why didn’t I do this in previous years? Brenda and I also made a trip to visit Katelyn, Drew and family in […]

Tech Friday: A new iPad Wallpaper and fix the Harmony remote

| January 5, 2024

While watching a couple of college football bowl games on New Year’s Day, I updated my “everyday carry” iPad with a new family wallpaper photo — slightly enhanced above. It was an opportunity to tinker with the new iPadOS 17 gadget feature (see stock and weather at lower left) anyway but the wallpaper photo needed […]

Home Repairs: Toilets, Refrigerator shelf, Roof and Soffits

| January 2, 2024

With the slower than usual week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I opted to work on a few home repair projects … really notice the toilet problems when the family was here over Christmas. I ordered a valve repair kit for the media/game room toilet in the basement and a new flapper set-up for […]

Taylor impressed me with his handyman skills earlier this week

| December 30, 2023

All fathers who semi-attempt to pass down a few “handyman” skills are proud of their sons (and daughters – mine is amazing!) when they tackle projects by themselves. Taylor continues to amaze me at his fortitude when taking on homeownership projects, although he’s never been hesitant to jump into things with both feet. 😊  It […]

Archiving our Corbett family Christmas get togethers for 2023

| December 27, 2023

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Semi-depressingly reminiscing about my childhood home #TBT

| December 21, 2023

My childhood home on Lake Erie in 1967 It is the time of year when we reflect on the past year … or in my case … the WAY past years. Last month, my brother Ron mentioned that the property (just the land) that our childhood home was being listed for sale. We were both […]

A 70th Birthday for Chris and our first REAL snow in December

| December 19, 2023

This past weekend was enjoyable for our family as we celebrated Brenda‘s sister Chris Skinner‘s 70th Birthday. It was a surprise party planned by her grown children and it was pulled off wonderfully.  Ann and Gary drove up to our house from Atlanta and we drove 30 minutes to meet up with the family and […]

Archive: Some Christmas photos and KDAE finally moving in

| December 13, 2023

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Finding a Chrstmas Tree while Brenda shops with Taylor

| December 9, 2023

This would be a great photo of Brenda and Taylor, but for being a blurry selfie (click to see larger). Oh well, I enjoyed seeing the two of them out for their annual mother and son Christmas shopping and evening dinner. I hope they were successful?  While they were out, I did my annual the […]

Archive: A family Throwback Thursday #TBT filler post

| November 30, 2023

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Test photo after a server update and personal family posts

| November 29, 2023

Since this week’s weeks MyDesultoryBlog.com posts include a couple end of the month personal and private family posts, it seemed like a good time add test post filler … especially after backing up and updating the Linux server Wednesday evening. Here’s a photo from the condo kitchen update that I sent to Taylor in a […]

Archive: A shark on the beach and a toothless granddaughter

| November 29, 2023

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Archive: Rain showers and our growing granddaughters

| November 26, 2023

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A day for Gratitude: A Journey Through History

| November 23, 2023

Thanksgiving traces its origins to the 1621 harvest celebration held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This historic gathering marked a season of abundance and marked the beginning of a tradition that would become a cornerstone of American culture. Thanksgiving serves as a universal reminder to thank our Creator for our […]

Tuesday Filler: Interesting sizes of the Boeing aircraft family

| November 21, 2023

The Israel-Hamas war has intrigued Bibical map reading

| November 19, 2023

Panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee in 2006 (click for larger) After a brief discussion and look at current and previous maps of Israel and the area Christians study (the Holy Land)  … prior to … and during the life of Jesus, I noticed that the Sea of Galilee as well as most landmarks […]

Archive: “The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends …”

| November 18, 2023

Just saving a couple photos after walking the debris covered walkway at Atlantic Dunes in Delray Beach, Florida after the “monsoon” of a November 2023 storm. The heavy surf wash away A LOT of sand beach and left a mess of branches and leaves on the trails we normally walk on. Thankfully the heavy wind, […]

Archive: Leftover granddaughter photos from last weekend

| November 14, 2023

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A wedding and reception with Katie and Jason Kirklin

| November 13, 2023

We attended and enjoyed the wedding for Taylor’s long time “birthday buddy” and grade school, high school and college friend Katie Gormas to Jason Kirklin in downtown Cincinnati this weekend. Beside a high traffic parking fiasco that almost made us late, the evening was very nice. Taylor and Megan arrived even a few minutes after us […]

Books: Pacific Thunder (audiobook) and standing in line to vote

| November 8, 2023

On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, I actually stood in line for 20- 30 minutes at the polls in order to vote in an off-year election! It wasn’t a big deal, but I wasn’t expecting a line considering I met my son for brunch after his doctor’s appointment and timed it purposely to not be at […]

Archive: Window washing and dining room aircraft carrier

| November 7, 2023

The weather was just right this past weekend to work on the second batch of leaves for 2023. Even Brenda enjoyed coming outside to help as the sun was shining and was warm (HOT when working) for a breezy 60 degrees. We had a productive Saturday.  On Sunday the weather was even better and about […]

Archiving leftover family photos to close out October 2023

| October 31, 2023

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Archive: Memories from our October 2023 beachy vacation

| October 29, 2023

Before the photos from our October 2023 vacation to Florida are buried too deep on my phone, I’ll use this weekend post as is an excuse to archive them. Brenda and I had great weather for most of our vacation and enjoy many days walking on Delray Beach. She has recovered from hip surgery impressively […]

Archive: A couple of Corn-Mazing granddaughters

| October 25, 2023

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Archiving a weekend wedding photo of Taylor and his college buds and an impressively engineered antique candle snuffer

| October 24, 2023

The title of this post is a little disjointed, but since I don’t have all that much to say about either topic, I’m putting them in one post. First, Taylor stretched out a long weekend with Megan in Key Largo Florida with his fraternity buddies at a wedding … and second, I’m just impress with […]

Beach vacations are restful and a necessary recharge for me

| October 18, 2023

Although a new iPhone14 or 15 would make the quality of photos a little better, my old iPhone7plus is still chugging along. I haven’t taken a panoramic for a while, so rather than go the selfie route (Brenda veto-ed the photo we took) for today’s vacation blog post. So I’ll post a Delray Beach pano […]

Tech Friday: New Brydge Keyboard for my 10.2 inch iPad

| October 6, 2023

This is really nothing new … it is just an exact replacement of the Brydge 10.2 inch keyboard for my iPad (new above and 2020 photo below). After a few years of heavy use, my second Brydge Keyboard, now out of warranty, was starting ot show some age. This well made keyboard has a couple […]

Archive: Leftover photos from closing pool and cleaning filters

| September 27, 2023

It is that time of year … Autumn is here and the leaves are starting to fall. I cut the lawn and closed the pool last weekend, hopefully before the bulk of the leaves started to fill up the pool. The weather has been nice and just the right temperature for yardwork.  BUT … I […]

A new battery, Taylor’s office and homemade socket organizer

| September 19, 2023

My son Taylor‘s sealed car battery bloated and split open last week and left him stranded at work. He didn’t have any tools with him (is he really my son?) 😉 so I headed his way after work to replace his old-ish battery with a new one (2019 VW AllTrack). The first two auto part […]

Woodworking Ideas: Family heirloom Nesting Table example

| September 17, 2023

Oostra House getting paint early in September 2023 While babysitting at my daughter’s house last week, a conversation with Brenda shifted to an heirloom “nesting table” woodworking project idea. Katelyn inherited the small tables made by her Jamestown, NY furniture making great grandfather Holmstrom and treasures them as much as Brenda and MomH did (photo […]

Automotive, but with a beachy Throwback Thursday twist #TBT

| September 14, 2023

A week or so ago, a tweet (or is it X?) appeared on an automotive publication’s social media account … and it caught my eye (see below). It triggered a memory of a well loved plastic 1957 Ford Ranchero that my brother and I had in our large collection of toy cars and trucks; some […]

Archive: A quick trip to NW Ohio to watch the girls this week

| September 9, 2023

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Tech Friday: MacBook Air M2, Spaces and portable displays

| September 8, 2023

One of my social media contacts who knows that I’ve been using computers to monitor investments and trade for decades heard me mention that I switched to a tiny MacBook Air M2 from a 27” PC display (iMac with a second Thunderbolt Apple display running Windows 10 on Parallels). He asked how it was possible […]

The Super Blue Moon and HOT summer days in the yard #TBT

| September 7, 2023

To make this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post, here’s a photo from Summer 2022. I used Brenda’s iPhone14 to capture the brilliant Super Blue Moon at the end of August … not bad. It was so bright that it basically lit up the flowering bushes off the rear porch.  The late summer heat (90+ degrees […]

Archive: Our family together for Labor Day while Taylor was backpacking in Glacier National Park with a friend

| September 6, 2023

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Music Monday: Jimmy Buffett passed away peacefully at age 76

| September 4, 2023

Depressing for those of us who grew up in the Jimmy Buffett mindset and have enjoyed his music, concerts, ambitious lifestyle and attitude for our college and adult lives, but his passing on September 1, 2023 hit home. Unfortunately it is starting to feel like the norm (but 76 is way, WAY, too young)? I […]

Earl’s Sinclair Gas and Auto Service Station – Toledo Ohio #TBT

| August 24, 2023

While visiting with my extended family at my Uncle Sonny’s Celebration of Life earlier this month, a few of us exchanged phone numbers so we could better stay in touch. My cousin Dan forwarded a paper that highlighted my Grandfather Corbett’s Sinclair gas station and Earl’s Auto Service in South Toledo. It was interesting to […]

Just filling space with a Cicada and a Couple Smiles

| August 23, 2023

Just filling up some space and using these photos as excuses to post a cicada “live photo” (saved as anigif) AND a cute “smiling dogs” photo from the social network “X” … formerly known as Twitter. I’m enjoying the nice warm weather as long as it lasts — August is disappearing fast.

Our granddaughters are heading back to school and smiling!

| August 23, 2023

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An ebook and two photos from my friend Jeff for #TBT

| August 17, 2023

My friend Jeff and I regularly talk about the books we are reading over lunch or on the back porch (too infrequent though) and he sent me one to read last week.  I told him I would start as soon as I finished Pappy Boyington’s “Baa Baa Black Sheep” that I’m thoroughly enjoying. “Conservatism, A […]

A long time customer’s email always signals summer’s end

| August 15, 2023

Having a customer for over 30 years is something that I should be super happy about (and for the most part, I am), but in August like clockwork it is a trigger for me that it is the end of summer and the beginning of a new printing year, at least with the Greater Akron […]

Archive: Celebration of Life for Uncle Sonny and a stop on the way home in Perrysburg to sing Happy Birthday to Brenda

| August 14, 2023

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“Let’s Ride!” Although this probably not the “kind of ride” the phrase was intended for … but Happy Birthday Brenda

| August 12, 2023

Although by the time “we” get to these years, celebrating another birthday isn’t the same as it was when we were pinning tales on donkeys, wearing cone shaped hats and eating as much cake and ice cream as we wanted. I asked Brenda how she wanted to celebrate her birthday and it was more like […]

Archive: Summer vacation and hiking in Zion National Park

| August 8, 2023

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Archive: Family photos and visiting NW Ohio as move nears

| August 6, 2023

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Project planning: A box for my dad’s military service flag

| August 5, 2023

The making of a traditional black walnut box, for the military service flag I was presented at my father’s funeral, has long been on my mind. As I close in on almost a decade since his passing and the flag still lives in the plastic holder provided by the funeral home. It has been my […]

Time to replace my Mini Swiss Champ pocketknife #TBT

| August 3, 2023

My current knife when it was new in 2012. As a previous post mentioned, my Grandpa Bluhm (photo with my Uncle Bob) gave me my first pocketknife when I was 5 years old (yes, 5).  Believe it or not, I still have that “tiny” souvenir knife that my grandparents brought back from Florida. At one […]

Would you feel comfortable flying on this plane?

| August 2, 2023

Not my photo, but I’m not sure how comfortable the average passenger flying this “budget” airline (???) are when seeing the tape on the wing? Also while sitting on the back porch a little Praying Mantis came to visit (video below).

Hopefully Brenda will not see a bicycle covered in the garage

| July 30, 2023

Brenda’s birthday is in August and after remembering her riding the small kids bike (a joke) and seeing that our granddaughters are both growing into bicycles, it seemed like a good idea to find something reasonably priced for her to ride with them (and me) — and kill two birds with one stone considering it […]

Archive: The Oostras short summer 2023 vacation to Michigan

| July 19, 2023

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How long should we keep family heirlooms?

| July 13, 2023

My friend Jeff and I (same age) have been struggling with how to let things go that were either ours … and that we no longer need … or part of our family’s history? He has tons of books that he’s been donating to the local library, a storage unit with some of his mom’s […]

Rain forced me to inside to tinker on the side table project

| July 9, 2023

Yesterday morning was rushed, as I attempted to get a few things done in the backyard. I mowed the front yard on Friday night and was hoping to get the back done on Saturday — nope, the rain and thunderstorms arrived before lunch. BUT … I was able to at least use my new Worx […]

Archive: A great time in Perrysburg with our granddaughters

| July 8, 2023

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Annalyn and Ellerie with Oma and Bompa Summer 2023

| June 26, 2023

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My 40 year old bicycle is now rideable again

| June 20, 2023

Around the year Brenda and I were married (1982), we bought a couple of bicycles to ride around Aurora, Ohio where we bought our first house. Her 10-speed has long since disappeared (perhaps garage sale) but we kept mine through the years. It is a bit on the heavy side, but my Jamis bike was […]

Happy Father’s Day with a few leftover garage sale photos

| June 18, 2023

It was an end of the week “Safety Town graduation” and garage sale for Katelyn, Brenda and the girls (and Saturday sale for Drew) as they “unloaded” some stuff before having to move it. They did well and on top of it was a great time to be together (from what I’ve heard). All in […]

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