The first snow of the winter always shuts down schools, etc.

| December 3, 2025

The “over-forecasted” first winter snowstorm for 2025-26 was spot on. By morning we had at least 6 inches of heavy snow. About the only thing that would have made it look a little prettier would have been some sunshine … but it was still beautiful (took the photos too early in the morning though).  I’m […]

The weekend after Thanksgiving 2025 is wintery in the Midwest

| November 30, 2025

Thanksgiving “return home” weekend travel look dicey in some parts of the midwest and could snarl air travel for those who might be flying. Thankfully for us, KDAE are traveling home on Saturday and not Sunday, but will likely face a little weather (since I’m writing this after they left our house on Saturday).  It […]

Some were seeing the Northern Lights last week, but I did not

| November 16, 2025

While several people sent in Northern Lights photos to the Cincinnati Local 12 meteorologist John Gumm, I didn’t spot anything either with the naked eye or the somewhat enhanced photos taken by today’s smartphones. Here’s my quick look up at the northwest sky last week … is there a hint of pink and green?  Most […]

Book: Started a new to me book – “God, the Science, the Evidence”

| November 13, 2025

After meeting my buddy Jeff for lunch last week, we decided to start a new book to discuss. This has been something we’ve done over the years, although I admit, he is much better in staying on task when it comes to reading than me. The book, “God, the Science, the Evidence, the Dawn of […]

Hm, I’m starting to really admire Brenda’s 2019 Tesla Model 3

| November 12, 2025

Today’s earlier post had to do with Tesla (“Musk’s $1 Trillion Is Not Guaranteed” – so I wanted to archive it since it was also posted on TheHustings). Also, the weather has vastly improved and it seemed like a good time to add another Wyze Cam driveway video highlighting the disappearing autumn colors. Besides, I’m […]

A busy autumn for our family and leftover automotive items

| October 29, 2025

It was a busy autumn weekend for the next generation in our family. Taylor and Megan were taking advantage of the nice fall weather to go to the Renaissance Festival while the Oostras planted tulip bulbs (how fitting) and tackled the huge “Back to the Future” corn maze in NW Ohio. It looks like the […]

Pray for Jamaica tonight as Cat 5 Hurricane Melissa nears

| October 28, 2025

The Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of […]

It is starting to look a little like autumn #testing

| September 17, 2025

This is a test post for an image uploading issue, but figured that I would include some leaves already coming down – it has been a dry few weeks! 

Old Farmer’s Almanac Winter 2025-2026 Forecast

| September 17, 2025

Trying something new in posting something directly from the Hugo.Brenich.com Raspberry Pi’s Markdown post. Curious as to how WordPress does or doesn’t handle the image and text. If the Raspberry Pi goes down, the “map” image likely will be missing below. It is interesting to at least check out the map published by The Old […]

The Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts for the Autumn of 2025

| August 23, 2025

As I have in previous years (as far back as 2015), I’m one to check The Old Farmer’s Almanac for the autumn … and occasionally winter weather. This year in our SW Ohio area it looks “cool and dry.” Perhaps that means and early fall and colorful leaves?  If we decide to take a trip […]

Could a lightning strike damage my surge protection power strip?

| August 19, 2025

It is the time of years that summer storm whip through the area and occasionally the lightning gets pretty close. It happened last week and then I notice that my fairly new surge protector power strip wasn’t working (below). I reset the little breaker switch and the 110v ac plugs came back on, but the […]

Sort of getting an itch to work on cars again. Long overdue!

| August 6, 2025

My favorite vehicle: 1994 Toyota 4Runner and first solo-drive: VW Karmann Ghia A couple of automotive triggering discussions regarding “working on cars” came about over the weekend that triggered my thinking, “I should be working on cars in the garage again.” Maybe was the pleasant low-humidity weather or just seeing the Wyze cam videos of […]

Archive: A few photos and chores from around home weekend

| 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 […]

Staying cool, finishing up the lawn bench and weekend chores

| 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 […]

Archive: Enjoy a little time with our granddaughters this week

| 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 […]

Project: Refurbishing our Lawn Bench using Oostra Oak

| 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 […]

Weather: How accurate is long range Almanac forecasting?

| July 20, 2025

The different Almanac forecasts have always interested me. They always seem to be part mystical science and crafty word selection?  Who knows, but I still enjoy reading whatever version of almanacs that are available … but I do miss the paper versions. 😊  Generally, Claude.AI has not been my AI choice … but this question […]

Archive: Summer activities are great so long as the sun shines

| 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 […]

Archive: Summer has been warm, but wet, so far in July 2025

| 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 … […]

Are there benefits to shading an AC Compressor?

| June 27, 2025

It has been HOT … very HOT this week, soooo … I’ve been thinking about how much sun two of our air conditioning units receive on the west side of our red brick house (it gets hot). Are they as efficient as they could be? Should I shade them more? Here’s was ChatGPT thinks: Shading […]

As a big fan of “maps,” this on weather in Canada is a good one

| March 28, 2025

An interesting map on BrilliantMaps.com (from a Reddit post), highlights Canada’s January temperature patterns, showing where average highs and lows rise above freezing. The West Coast, particularly around Vancouver and Victoria, and parts of Nova Scotia, like Halifax, are marked in purple, indicating January average highs above 0°C (32°F). These areas, influenced by the Pacific […]

There’s no place better for Valentine’s Day than on the beach

| 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 […]

Enjoying the Florida Sunshine and started a new book: “Area 51”

| 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 […]

Enjoying “The Life of Riley” … as the old phrase goes

| February 5, 2025

While sitting down after our long beach walk with a warm breeze on a sunny day while in Delray Beach, Florida, I commented to Brenda that we were living “The Life of Riley.” I assumed she would be familiar with the reference and meaning that we were living a comfortable and carefree life. She surprised […]

Walking Delray Beach each day, even in questionable weather

| January 25, 2025

The shoreline of the “Gulf of America” isn’t the only area impacted by cold weather this past week, as Brenda and I are feeling the cold a bit further south in Florida too. We’ve been walking daily in the cool north winds on Delray Beach and still enjoying it, despite the numb fingers and cold […]

It is cold nearly everywhere and even snowing in Florida

| January 23, 2025

Spotted in the Florida Panhandle above and airboat video in Louisiana below 😊 Saw the photo below on social media as a Polar Vortex powered Arctic Blast pushes across the country … and I thought, “climate change” (so long as it is warmer weather) … isn’t coming fast enough!  

Websites and social media feeds highlighting maps intrigue me

| January 9, 2025

A map by region illustrating the larger variations of temperatures than below Since I love looking at maps of all kinds, I’m always attracted to the ones that trigger intrigue me and helps me learn a little more about our world. I especially enjoy weather related maps (perhaps they often relate to aviation and sailing), […]

Our recent snowstorm reminds me of the old days in Ohio

| January 6, 2025

Winter has arrived in much of the heartland to the east coast for January 2025 … and here in Cincinnati too. It is a storm that is impacting travel on roads, by air and even the power lines since there was ice and freezing rain included with a significant snow. Taylor was out with Megan […]

Wishing your family a “possibly snowy” Merry Christmas 2024

| December 25, 2024

Wishing all who stumble on these pages (or choose to click on MyDesultoryBlog) a Very Merry Christmas, safe travels and a warm and wonderful celebration of Christ’s birth. May you and yours enjoy time together with family and friends.  Weather? Check to see if the Old Farmer’s Almanac is correct this year (below).

Weather: What is Winter 2024-25 going to be like?

| December 18, 2024

I do enjoy checking the Farmer’s Almanac (above) and the Old Farmer’s Almanac for seasonal forecasts (below), but rarely go back to see how accurate they are (although have shared here before). That’s probably their assumption, although they claim to be 80% accurate?  As has been true in every year since 1792, the newest edition features […]

Late night post just to fill a missing December 1, 2024

| December 1, 2024

Who doesn’t enjoy watching a Sunday Night Football game from Buffalo, NY during a “lake effect” snow. It brings back memories of our years both living in NE Ohio and in driving to and from Western NY (Jamestown) to be with Brenda’s family and playing football — we called it “the Howard Bowl.” A quick […]

The Browns win over the Steelers in the snow. It was a great game.

| November 23, 2024

The Cleveland Browns have endured a challenging season with a dismal 2-8 record, but they finally managed to bring joy to their fans on Thursday night. Brenda and I are long time Browns fans from our years in NE Ohio and cheered seeing them win in “Cardiac Kids” fashion on Thursday Night Football against the […]

First snow for autumn of 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

| November 21, 2024

The first autumn snow of the year marks the beginning of winter in my book, but since I still would like to rake up the rest of the leaves and get a final grass cutting, it would be nice to have one more warm-up and dry sunny day. For now though, here’s the dusting of […]

Watching Hurricane Rafael this week as it moves north

| November 6, 2024

Keeping an eye on late season tropical storm, now upgraded to Hurricane Rafael this week, although it doesn’t look overly threatening … besides some wind and lot of rain. Let’s hope it remains in the Gulf of Mexico and doesn’t get any stronger?

Cat 5 Hurricane Milton sets sight on Florida’s west coast

| October 8, 2024

Once again, the second half of the hurricane season is brewing up what looks to be another monster storm in the Gulf of Mexico (post after Hurricane Helene). This one is named Hurricane Milton and has quickly spun up to a category 5 storm as it starts moving from west to east across the gulf. […]

Hurricane Helene storms north from the Florida Panhandle

| September 27, 2024

Hurricane Helene hit the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas with a furry as a category 4 storm. The early damage looks heavy, not to mention the death count (22  from the WSJ article as I post this). Currently in SW Ohio we are getting heavy wind and rain (not sure when I’ve seen this […]

Watching as Hurricane Helene aims for Florida’s Big Bend

| September 26, 2024

Hurricane Helene (2024) looks to be big enough to pack a massive punch. Hopefully all in the  low-lying area of Florida’s big bend and gulf coast area are evacuating.  From my perspective, my daughter and her family are on a Disney Cruise and will stay at sea at least 12 hours longer as they wait […]

Winter 2024-25 forecast for the country – Old Farmer’s Almanac

| September 18, 2024

When thinking about seasonal weather forecasts, it is enjoyable to check in with The Old Farmer’s Almanac. It has become a regular habit … although I can’t say how accurate year to year how close they are to what really happens?   I’d venture a guess that they are probably more accurate than hurricane forecasting. […]

Leftover August 2024 images to clear out MyCubby folder

| August 31, 2024

The folder labelled “MyCubby” on my Microsoft OneDrive is a place I collect images, links, photos, etc that might be worth looking at again … or perhaps used on the blog. Each month I try to start fresh with a relatively empty space … so to prepare for September 2024, I’ll archive a couple items […]

It has been HOT all this week in SW Ohio … but especially today

| August 30, 2024

Record heat all this week, but today was especially HOT! What’s wrong with this Ohio vs Florida summer temperature comparison???

The tropical weather in the Pacific is being watched by Hawaii

| August 28, 2024

Normally this is the time of the year to watch the tropical weather in the Atlantic Ocean “because” in impacts the Caribbean islands and most of the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico states. BUT … this year so far the storms impacting Hawaii are in the news. Category 1 Hurricane Hone passed mostly south […]

Enjoyed the evening and early morning August Sturgeon Moon

| August 22, 2024

This past week the weather was cooler and clear … just right for evening and early morning skywatching. I didn’t bother to set up the Lumix GX8 camera on a tripod or use a different lens, but I did have the lightweight 14-140mm lens mounted and took a couple morning photos (above) and a photo […]

Predicting 2024 Fall Temperatures – The Farmer’s Almanac

| August 7, 2024

It is nice to interupt the depressing “beat of war drums” in the MiddleEast, the economic and investing news … and ugly election campaign season with a little Farmers Almanac extended long range forecasting. 😊  Looking at September as a whole, we foresee near- to above-average temperatures across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Below-average temperatures are […]

Disappointed with Wyze as a company lately. Could be a fluke?

| August 3, 2024

As a provider of fair priced gadgets for the last decade, the company Wyze  has impressed me … that is until recently. As their product mix expanded, their quality control and hodgepodge marketing has started to slip a bit. After the “socket cam” on a garage lamp failed in June, I called to check on […]

Hot days, rain, storm clean up and returned my iPhone 15 Pro

| July 19, 2024

I don’t think I’ve ever recalled a hot summer in July or August that I’ve needed to “remove” water from the pool? I did so with a spare pump leftover from my biodiesel days and a sprinkler. 😊 This year, we’ve had the somewhat normal hot and dry weather … followed by thunderstorms, tornado warning […]

Weather thoughts after leftovers from Hurricane Beryl hit us

| July 13, 2024

The stormy weather we had earlier this week due to the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, started me thinking about meteorology and just how scientists can predict weather. There is far more to it than the graphic below, but do remember enough from my sailing books and studying weather my entire life, that it all starts […]

A couple interesting maps: Liberty Township development and severe weather map in Iowa looks like SW Ohio

| July 10, 2024

For those of us living in the Liberty Township, Ohio area for nearly 30 years now, the development map above  probably doesn’t come as a surprise. This once rural township is far more densely populated that it once was. With that growth comes challenges of keeping the heavy traffic and commercial growth from changing what […]

Hurricane season 2024 hits those in the Caribbean #Beryl

| July 3, 2024

Yes it is hurricane season … and yes, the water temperatures are above historic norms … but climate change alarmists pretending to be CNN journalists are blaming fossil fuels directly.  This isn’t factual or sound science. There are those who study climate change and global warming who hypothesize that the use of carbon-based fuels and […]

Archiving photos: Our family busy doing “family stuff”

| June 27, 2024

Storm Clouds mid-June over Mankato MN  After our enjoyable and busy week with our granddaughters, I wanted to archive a few photos that have been piling up in the “maybe” for the blog folder. Above are some of the storm clouds in Minnesota that caused flooding in the midwest in mid-June — ominous! For us, […]

All states with weather and big cities have stressful commutes

| June 11, 2024

The map below might not be up-to-date map (2021), but it looks like most states have there share of stressful traffic. Personally speaking … after driving to and from SW Ohio  to NW Ohio for the better part of 20 years, I can attest that winter driving (snow and ice) and constant road construction on […]

Saved May 2024 Thunderstorm over the house video for a filler

| May 21, 2024

See below … 😉 While we were under a Tornado warning earlier this month, I was outside in the backyard watching the storms to the north of our house (over the roof). There was A LOT of lightning, but surprisingly not all that much thunder?   AND since today is my brother’s birthday, Happy Birthday […]

The day after our April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse #photos #video

| April 9, 2024

Click images for larger images Our backyard may not have been the absolute best location to view a perfectly covered sun for the solar eclipse, but it was very impressive.   Taylor took an afternoon off of work and  came up with Gigi in the afternoon (we are north of Cincinnati), and I suspect he […]

Happy Easter 2024 – “He is risen. He is risen indeed.”

| March 31, 2024

Spring weather (video below the break out our back window below) and the celebration of Easter seemed to have appeared out of nowhere just as March 2024 ends. Thought: Today will likely be the last time many of us see Easter appear on March 31st (the next time Easter will be on March 31, it […]

Another property line White Pine tree has come down

| March 19, 2024

Brenda commented with a photo that another White Pine Tree near our property line with one of our neighbors came down in the last windstorm. I missed it, but then generally am not all that observant to what is behind the trees (can’t really see it from our house). Since the trees are on the […]

Better weather, eating less and more walking last month

| February 3, 2024

While Brenda and I apprecated the warmer weather while in Florida last month, we really focused on walking more each day after working half days from the condo. Our steady daily beach walks and healthier eating will hopefully pay-off with the shedding of a few pounds and improving our long term health (Brenda’s hip replacement […]

Closing out the month of January 2024 with Oreo LoveBugs

| January 31, 2024

This content is restricted.

Books: The Anti-Capitalism Mentality by Ludwig von Mises

| January 30, 2024

As usual, I’m currently reading several different books — different genres for different moods. The one highlighted today is because I don’t really like taking my eReader to the beach. We’ve generally just been going just to walk so haven’t been sitting long enough to read anyway … I don’t want it to be 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 […]

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 […]

The Woolly Bear Indicator – what kind of winter is coming?

| October 4, 2023

As the leaves begin to fall, it is a reminder that winter is around the corner. Will it be a harsh one or mild? Check with the Woolly Bear.  Canadian and U.S. folklore holds that the relative amounts of brown and black hair on a larva indicate the severity of the coming winter. It is […]

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