RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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?
RichC | 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. […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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. […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | August 30, 2024
Record heat all this week, but today was especially HOT! What’s wrong with this Ohio vs Florida summer temperature comparison???
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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, […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | January 31, 2024
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RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | August 30, 2023
The good news is that Hurricane Idalia waited until morning to come ashore and did it in a less populated area of Florida, know as the Florida’s Nature Coast. The bad news is that it is low and ill prepared compared when it comes to construction (more manufactured homes and less hardened hurricane capable buildings). […]
RichC | July 11, 2023
We’ve had several short-lived summer storms blasting through this year. Often I wrap up my sun sail in the back of the pool house garage (use it for a little shade), but didn’t last week. Unfortunately some VERY high winds hit and stretched out my homemade bungee (steel cable inside rope) and bent the hooks […]
RichC | June 25, 2023
Someone shared a National Geographic map on climate from a “years ago” issue and I found the discussion of the Hadley, Polar and Ferrel Cells interesting … I even had to look them up. The atmosphere transports heat throughout the globe extremely well, but present-day atmospheric characteristics prevent heat from being carried directly from the […]
RichC | April 26, 2023
It was impressive to watch weather moving across the ocean and while wrapping up our “new condo windows” trip, we saw a bit of impressive rain and “interesting” spring weather in Florida. The photo above captured nature’s impressive power and the 40 knots winds if caught out in this squall on a small boat would […]
RichC | April 22, 2023
We have had our share of rain in Florida this April while in Delray Beach, but have finally finished the upgrade of new windows in the condo. I should have done it back in 2018 as I would have save a few thousand dollars, but as the saying goes … “better late than never” (they […]
RichC | April 1, 2023
We have had several windstorms in recent days and weeks, but I didn’t notice the missing ridge cap shingles until last week (not noticeable in this photo). Shockingly it has been 8 years since we put on a new roof, but I was thankfully able to track down the company who installed it and they […]
RichC | March 30, 2023
It may not be pretty with the old mulch, leaves and dirty sidewalks … but spring has sprung in 2023. The old-ish bulbs are up and the buds are on the magnolias and lilacs. On another subject, I’ve contacted Wyze about one of my newer cams triggering a RED “Smoke Alarm” message which definitely caught […]
RichC | March 12, 2023
Now that I own a MacBook Air M2, it is time to get it set up for a few of the daily computer chores … like posting to My Desultory Blog. I’m still trying to get comfortable using MarsEdit5 blogging app, but do enjoy the ability to be able to write custom macros that helps […]
RichC | January 1, 2023
I would like to wish everyone visiting MyDesultoryBlog.com a Happy and Healthy New Year … and after seeing this “black ice” social media shared video from last months deadly winter storm … safe traveling in 2023. Whew … very frightening. https://mdbav.s3.amazonaws.com/DangerousBlackIce2022.mp4
RichC | December 19, 2022
On Saturday I mentioned a cold front arriving before next weekend and possibly having a white Christmas … and therefore couldn’t help but think of Bing Crosby singing Irving Berlin‘s “White Christmas.” It is not a song from my generation, but I definitely remember my parents playing it when I was a boy. It is […]
RichC | December 17, 2022
We have had a relatively mild, although gloomy, couple of weeks this December 2022 so far … unlike it was in 2010. BUT … this could change by the end of next week as the forecast is for a winter snowstorm to hit much of the eastern half of the U.S. According to forecasting yesterday, […]
RichC | December 13, 2022
My daughter is great at sending links to items she thinks would be great for the blog. The other day Katelyn sent an “Ohio Turnpike Name-A-Snowplow Contest” story that had some pretty creative names — well actually, like her mom, she had her husband send it 😀 (BTW, Happy Birthday Drew!). Here are the winners: Ctrl-Salt-Delete, Nicole […]
RichC | December 6, 2022
No … we don’t have snow in Cincinnati just yet, but the snowbelt areas of western New York sure got their share in November. I’ll include a leftover Twitter photo from the Buffalo NY area that is sure to make someone smile (very creative snowman or mailbox)? On the Amazon rant subject, I ordered an […]
RichC | November 9, 2022
It was a clear, still night to take a walk around the neighborhood, but not so much on the east coast of Florida. I can’t help but pay attention to the wind, rain and surge associated with Hurricane Nicole as it comes ashore tonight. Tomorrow will tell the tale.
RichC | November 8, 2022
The hurricane tracking cone is a little squirrelly, but SubTropical Storm Nicole does look at if it will hit the Bahamas as a hurricane and likely from our recent experience of enjoying the “WARM” water on South Florida’s Atlantic beaches (a couple of photos below the break from earlier this month). As of Tuesday afternoon […]
RichC | October 26, 2022
Last Saturday’s project was some overdue maintenance on what was a very nice day her in SW Ohio. The temps were warm at 77 degrees and the sky clear. I took the opportunity to start draining the oil in the BMW X5 35d with 195K miles in the morning, then drove the Mercedes 300d Turbodiesel […]
RichC | October 25, 2022
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RichC | October 22, 2022
The answer from NOAA is that it depends on where you live. The general prediction is for a bit dryer in the south and a bit wetter in the northwestern US and Great Lakes .. but perhaps we should check with the authority? 🙂
RichC | October 19, 2022
There was a leftover beach flyover video on my phone from our late September – early October Florida vacation so with a private family post creating registered only viewing and the first real cold weather of the season, this makes for an envious filler. I’m looking forward to warm weather and the beach again. Why […]
RichC | September 28, 2022
From way up high, Hurricane Ian is a much more attractive (ani-gif above) … but suspect those Ian left under water and in its storm ravaged path in western Cuba … AND has nearly everyone in Florida chewing their nails while they brace for impact. (residents need a “Miracle on the Hudson” moment) Governor DeSantis […]
RichC | September 26, 2022
If you live in the southeastern US, you are likely watching Hurricane Ian this week. The likely path of this strengthening storm will bring it ashore somewhere on the western coast or panhandle of Florida, but the heavy rain and wind will be felt well inland.
RichC | September 19, 2022
Power is out in Puerto Rico with two-feet of rainfall after Hurricane Fiona came ashore. The Dominican Republic was saturated as well with flash flooding and mudslides as the category 2 hurricane slowly moved off the norther shore. As it moves over open water, it is forecast to strengthen as it passes Turks and Caicos […]
RichC | September 6, 2022
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RichC | August 21, 2022
While I generally do not plug things on My Desultory Blog, I do enjoy reading the paper edition of a couple of publications. Barron’s Magazine is my go-to weekend reading, but their shrinking size and poor delivery has me giving up on renewing again. If they would promise Saturday delivery again, perhaps with the WSJ, […]
RichC | June 21, 2022
On Tuesday’s solstice, everywhere north of the equator will receive at least 12 hours of daylight and everywhere south of that point will get less than 12 hours. The continental U.S. will get 14 to 16 hours of daylight, compared with eight to 10 hours on the winter solstice. “All the planets orbit the sun […]
RichC | June 15, 2022
Big storms ripped through our area on Monday night and left a mess of things in much of SW Ohio. Lots of tree damage and even a loss of power for 24+ hours in our neighborhood. I spent the lunch hour working with a couple of neighbors to clear our lane and yet still have […]
RichC | June 7, 2022
Brenda and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend staying around home, working in both the yard and for me painting on Sunday afternoon (Brenda helped out at a store short a pharmacist in Dayton). Slowly I’m making progress in painting the guest bedroom (pano photo below). Ceiling are done, walls have their first and second coat […]