A riddle by Dennis Prager got me thinking …

| June 4, 2022

Q: What do you call a religious person who claims that the end is near? Answer: A fanatic. Q: What do you call a secular person who claims that the end is near? Answer: An environmentalist. When my podcasts on my weekend playlist are finished and I’m still in the mood for some audio content, […]

The Pain at the Pump is even worse when it comes to diesel #TBT

| May 26, 2022

I have put off buying diesel fuel for the Kubota mower and John Deere 330 as long as possible … but inevitably the reserve of 25 gallons stored in fuel jugs gets used up. It looks as if it is time to pay $$$ the inflated prices on fossil fuels — elections have consequences (pre-Russia invasion […]

Spring, apple blossoms, an iPhone photo & an Ellerie #video

| April 25, 2022

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We can hope that April 2022 Flurries don’t kill May Flowers

| April 18, 2022

For a day after Easter, the weather sure doesn’t look like spring! https://myarchive.us/mp4/April2022FlurriesBringMayFlowers.mp4 Also testing WordPress automated mp4 plugin with added gray vs black border than my normal hardcode video from iPhone7plus in slow-motion with poster image below the break)

Great weather to be in Perrysburg babysitting our granddaughters

| April 14, 2022

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Expensive maintenance: Let the pool opening repairs begin

| April 10, 2022

We have put off replacing the pool tiles long enough as I’ve long ago burned through the spare tiles and have made repairs and replaced the damaged tiles so far myself, but there is only so much that can be done to salvage what still exists. It is time … or as most rational people […]

It is semi-officially spring when our lilacs bud

| March 18, 2022

Each year I think I take a photo of either our flowers or trees coming back to life in the spring. I know from a quick search that there are at least ten posts similar to this one over the years … here is one from February 2017.  Since this particular lilac plant can’t be […]

Talking Alaska and snowmobiling when I was a kid #TBT

| February 24, 2022

Last week I was talking to an online friend from Alaska about outdoor cold-weather activities who shared a winter camping photo. He was complaining about the freezing rain and less than ideal weather this year on his 20 mile snowmobile trip, so he cut it short and drove to Wasilla to watch the start of […]

A big snowman GIF triggered Ford 800 tractor memories #TBT

| February 10, 2022

In early February 2022, most of the U.S. received a heavy ice and snow storm. There were quite a few shared photos on the social networks and an animated GIF of a huge snowman triggered memories of our Hudson, Ohio winters in NE Ohio. Back then I had an old Ford 800 that I used […]

The battery isn’t the only thing failing on my Fitbit Versa watch?

| February 8, 2022

Trusting the weather on my Fitbit Versa watch isn’t much better than referring to the Farmer’s Almanac for daily weather forecasts. I’m starting to wonder who is feeding the information for our area. All I can see is sun … where’s the RAIN? Yes .. I really do know that it’s probably an iPhone to […]

Starting a woodworking project on a cold winter weekend

| February 8, 2022

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The Farmer’s Almanac mild Feb 2022 forecast for the Ohio Valley

| January 29, 2022

Although I don’t place all that much faith in forecasting weather, I don’t mind seeing the Farmer’s Almanac predict a relatively mild February 2022 prediction. Sunny and turning mild is something to look forward to next month … even these GIFFY rabbits are “looking up” with interest. HA! Ah, memories of Pumpy Umpy.  Front yard and […]

A first light snow of the season and a truck in the ditch

| December 9, 2021

Since the post scheduled for today is for those who have signed-in (you should register) … I’m adding this one as a public filler for the day. These week we had our first slick road for the season with a touch of snow … and as it does every year, triggered an accident on the […]

Stargazing on a cold and crisp evening out the back door

| December 6, 2021

I took a quick photo as the Moon and Venus are lit up by the sun well down in our evening sky in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Cold, clear and beautiful. Be watching for Saturn and Jupiter!

Ugly sweaters? Jerry, Gary, Mark, DadH and RichC for #TBT

| November 18, 2021

Every once in a while a memory gets triggered … and it happened while looking in my closet for a fleece or sweater with the weather turning colder. The photo below is from Christmas in 1990 and it seemed apropos for today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT. For the record, it was taken in Jamestown, NY at […]

Keeping delivery trucks and van on our new driveway #TBT

| November 11, 2021

Our driveway project is semi-wrapped up, but the landscaping company has yet to deliver our topsoil and river rock. The Creech’s rep did update me with a tentative date later this month, so we shall see if the weather holds them back again? I finally moved the construction cones a couple weeks ago and we […]

Making Monkey Fist ornaments and a fire on the back porch

| November 9, 2021

After learning to tie a Monkey Fist knot this past year, I decided to make a couple Christmas ornaments for my granddaughters. I was planning to attach them to their presents in December, but Brenda suggested they should have them before Christmas so that they could hang them on their tree. Yikes, now I need […]

Catch-up Tuesday personal blog posts are becoming a habit

| October 5, 2021

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Welcome to autumn 2021 and prepare for a long, cold winter

| September 22, 2021

As we shift from summer to autumn, those of us living north of the Mason-Dixon line have to prepare and wonder just what is in store when it comes to winter weather? Although I’m not a big follower of the Farmer’s Almanac, I recognized that they have an 80% record over 230 years in predicting […]

Driveway update and too late for Sod Webworm damage?

| September 1, 2021

Who knew we would be having so much rain in late August? It has been a pain for the crew trying to finish our concrete driveway project … but the “big pours” should be done for now and “I hope” they will be back to address a puddling issue in the rear (something I mentioned […]

Hurricane Ida hits Louisiana Gulf of Mexico Coast

| August 29, 2021

A delayed post updating the Category 4 Hurricane Ida that hit the coast of Louisiana just west of New Orleans packing winds nearing Cat 5 strength. The storm surge over 10 feet will test improvements made after Hurricane Katrina hit nearly the same area in 2005 .. in the first year of my daily blog […]

Central AC and final driveway prepping for the concrete pour

| August 27, 2021

Now that I’m spending more time working from my home office than ever before, I’m shock that I didn’t improve the comfort in my south west corner office before this year? The mini split AC unit has made a world of difference in controlling the temperature … and started me thinking about growing up without […]

Look for the beautiful Milky Way in the night sky this August

| August 21, 2021

The Milky Way Over Monument Valley, 2012. APOD/NASA This was a great Milky Way photo from 2012 and gives me inspiration if Brenda and I ever do a US road trip. I’d love to plan one once we are retired, but road trips and “the journey vs destination” (and inside joke) are really not Brenda’s […]

Clear skies, cool evenings and stargazing this month (Aug 2021)

| August 4, 2021

TIDBIT: Although Jupiter and Saturn can look “relatively close” from our perspective, they are actually 456 million miles apart. Saturn is nearly twice as far away as Jupiter. We have had  a few unusually cool evenings for early August (50-60F degrees) and the clear skies have me looking up. For stargazers and amateur sky watchers, […]

The Wyze cam sound detector picked up a strong thunderstorm

| July 13, 2021

The downside of having self-monitored smarthome security cams, sound sensors, door triggers and motion detection at the Florida condo in Delray Beach is that one never knows what will set it off. Usually it has been a flash of light or in a couple cases a slightly weakened battery on a sensor. Yesterday though, even […]

Music Monday: Summer music listening with Yacht Rock Radio

| July 12, 2021

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Replaced a failed sump pump check valve after heavy rains

| June 26, 2021

Last weekend we had thunderstorms and tornado warning that dumped buckets of rain in our area. Thankfully no damage or serious flooding, but I did check on the sump and backyard pumps … I even added my spare pump to the pit in order to keep the water that builds up in the retention area […]

A leftover weekend photo and video turned animated gif

| June 22, 2021

Spent a lot more time this past weekend picking up branches, pumping out the pool and even set up a pump in the backyard to prevent flooding the pool. Thankfully no tornadoes on the ground, but the lightning, wind and rain was wild. Below is a video snippet … turned animated gif out the back […]

Weekend chores update: Robins, office cleaning and AC prep

| June 1, 2021

The robin eggs in the back porch (earlier in May above) wreath Brenda made from her grandmother’s grapevines years ago, have hatched Below was day one (left) and day two (right) … as Brenda commented … “you should wait until they’re a bit cuter.” The weather was “so-so” this past Memorial Day weekend, but since […]

Flowers, some Kubota service and waking up the Packard Hawk

| May 11, 2021

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Come on, it is late April 2021! Is Spring really in the air?

| April 22, 2021

After just finishing cutting the lawn on Tuesday night and working on our landscaping this past weekend in anticipation of a cold front with some “expected rain,” it ended up coming down as SNOW! I mean, come on, it is the time of year to be thinking sunshine, warmer weather and flowers .. not snow.  […]

Handy IFitIt tools for gadgets and Spring 2021 family photos

| March 13, 2021

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Winter weather for mid-February 2021. More snow.

| February 15, 2021

Click here for ani-gif above for full 25 second iPhone slow-motion video The icy sleet on top of our existing snow and pre-cleared roads has made travel dangerous this Monday afternoon in southwest Ohio. Thankfully for President’s Day Brenda and I are home (although it was by chance and not planned) and are able to […]

The coyotes in southwestern Ohio are healthy and active

| February 13, 2021

We live in a fairly developed area and yet the variety of animals surviving amidst the traffic and people continues to amaze me. When we built in Liberty Township, Ohio in the mid-1990s you would have called our area “developing but rural.” Now, there is no question we are suburban and “in my opinion” … […]

A snowy 2021 February stay-at-home day and a few idea photos

| February 10, 2021

We received a surprise snowfall on Monday night this week and it caught most of us, including the weather people and snowplows off-guard. Brenda worked until close in Oxford, Ohio and it took her nearly an hour and a half to drive home .. no salt on the roads and very few snowplows were out. […]

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Slick roads and an accident.

| December 19, 2020

Although this is the second snow of the season, the weather has turned colder and we ended up with a touch more of the white stuff this week … and with it, yet another accident on Bethany Road to our rear. I saw the flashing sheriff’s car lights and since I’m working from home, I […]

First Snow December 1st 2020 … and another backyard accident

| December 2, 2020

December 2020 rolled in with a light white blanket of snow and colder weather to let us know that winter is probably here for a while. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to the temperature change, but I really don’t mind the hushed beauty of a “new-fallen snow” … as Clement Clarke Moore wrote […]

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 […]

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 […]

An updated shade sail photo and a granddaughter photo too

| August 28, 2020

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A summer thunderstorm may be a Hurricane Laura precursor

| August 27, 2020

As the Gulf of Mexico coast of Louisiana and Texas prepare for Hurricane Laura (as well as areas well inland), we got a taste of the kind of rain that might also be headed our way as this tropical weather works its way north. A strong thunderstorm swept through our area on Wednesday night this […]

Music Monday: Under Pressure – Queen, plus some humor

| August 24, 2020

Oh how the simplest humor can trigger a music flashback, at least for me! I’m not sure everyone’s brain operates like this, but the song Under Pressure from 1981/82 by Queen, and the late great David Bowie, is the first thing that came to mind when seeing the above image. Feeling Under Pressure? Perhaps you […]

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 […]

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 […]

Checking on the path of Tropical Storm Isaias – 8/2/2020

| August 2, 2020

While working on a few chores this Sunday, I checked on the path and strength of Hurricane now Tropical Storm Isais. It has moved just a bit more to the east than expected so for those who are on the east coast of Florida, take a deep breath. The storm could still pack strong winds, […]

We all have the same name for this #video: “Hand Of God”

| July 27, 2020

… or maybe the hand of the Michelin Man (photo) if you are not a person of faith. 😉

Music Monday: Time Passages -Al Stewart (1978)

| July 27, 2020

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Wouldn’t it be nice to cool off in the pool on hot summer days?

| July 10, 2020

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A moon rising iPhone 7-plus photo worthy of archiving

| June 3, 2020

Every once in a while when seeing what cellphone cameras can do, I wonder why I even bother to ever grab my camera bag and relatively expensive DSLR camera anymore? Last night the weather in Cincinnati was clear and humidity low. The moon was large and rising in the sky in the southeast and looks […]

Later and more work than usual in opening the pool this year

| May 26, 2020

It is never as easy as expected? I’m accustom to opening the pool each season now that I’ve been doing it for 20+ years in Cincinnati and another 5 or so in Hudson before that. Each season it should get easier, right? Nope. There always something … and the job is MUCH more challenging to […]

Out and about, yardwork, flowers and more rain

| May 24, 2020

It has been a slow start to getting our yard in shape. By now we usually have the pool open and flowers planned, but for some reason (probably rain) we are not ready for summer. Thankfully though, Saturday was nice most of the day. I waited as long as possible to add a few brown […]

Nothing like a heavy and steady rain to add to our water woes

| May 19, 2020

The heavy rain overnight continued to add to our COVID19 spring misery, as SW Ohio is under flood warning. The warning started last night and after double checking our Zoeller pumps (shouldn’t really expecting them to do much considering just how much rain comes down). Two of the pumps keep our basement from flooding and […]

FedEx shines when delivering packages in the rain #sarcasm

| May 7, 2020

Nine years ago, it would have been polite for our FedEx driver to have at LEAST left a note or to have mentioned he ran off the driveway … although it was understandable with the snow cover (see link). On the other hand, it makes me smile now, especially since I can use it as […]

Photos to keep us up-to-date with our growing granddaughters

| April 19, 2020

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My thoughts on the Coronavirus COVID-19 and investing

| March 7, 2020

I’ve purposely put off posting anything to MyDesultoryBlog as the worldwide spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (#COVID19) began. Partially since it is challenging to separate the unfounded fears and panic from the real threat since the reporting varies based on news sources (Information from China is particularly questionable but western media sources aren’t all […]

Not much snow in Cincinnati for 2019-2020, but it is pretty

| February 26, 2020

We haven’t had much snow in SW Ohio this year .. so before it is totally gone for 2019-2020, I’ll share a few flakes above … after the “BIG FLAKES”  bickered last night in South Carolina (a list of Democratic Presidential Candidates debating in 2020). Democrats jockey for support ahead of S.C. primary The Democratic […]

Winter weather, driving and fun babysitting Annalyn

| February 8, 2020

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A trip to Florida so that Encore could function on 12 volts again

| January 30, 2020

Encore has battery power again, Alleluia! After fiddling around with dying and dead batteries on the boat for the past year, I finally broke down and yanked out the 3 deep cycle AGM 105 Amp Hour batteries. I did a little rewiring and strapped down 2 new DEKA-made batteries this past weekend ($253 ea). The […]

“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” … but not like this! #video

| December 21, 2019

I love these motion-sensing Wyze Cams …   Now what if someone happened to be coming to the front door? Yikes … although more than likely it would just be funny.

A peaceful quiet surprise snowfall and quality steel in tools

| December 16, 2019

December is here … and the snow arrived last night (snow 9 years ago), although it isn’t anything drastic, just peaceful and quiet. Actually the heavy snow surprised me considering Sunday afternoon was relatively pleasant and I was in the home theater watching Sunday Night Football (Bill beat the Steelers). When the game was over, […]

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