My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on June 6, 2022

I was tuned into a television morning news show a few weeks ago and was shocked that two of the three hosts didn’t know “the band” Lynyrd Skynyrd … in fact one commented, “but I’ve heard of ‘him.’”  Shocked, but maybe it’s an age thing?

The conversation quickly shifted into the band’s eponym … Forby Leonard Skinner (photo right), America’s “arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture,” according to the NYTimes. The band members derived their band’s name “as a way of getting back” at Mr. Skinner for getting them suspended due to their long hair in school. Yes, it was a different time … the time I grew up in too (my high school “Fearsome Foursome” buddies in photo on left) … and watching the band, crowd and guitar riff from this outdoor live concert video from 1976, I can understand why my dad was not fond of long hair either! 😉 (see more on Leonard Skinner below break at the bottom of this post)

So for Music Monday today, it is back to the 1970s era of rock and roll and the music I grew up … that being the rise of the 1964 band “My Backyard” (original name) followed by several others and and combination of band members to finally adopting the name Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. They released their first album in 1973 followed by 4 more. Southern Rock had finally rose to accepted prominence in the mid-1970s with popular songs such as “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” (oddly, my wife’s favorite).  Depressingly in 1977, the band’s chartered airplane crashed, killing band co-founder Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, and seriously injuring the rest of the band.

Ronnie Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny Van Zant helped reform the band ten years later in 1987 (Second Generation Skynyrd) with original guitarist Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke, Michael Cartellone, Mark Matejka, Peter Keys and Keith Christopher. They’ve continued to perform and have recorded nine additional studio album from 1991-2012. They announced a semi-farewell tour in 2018, but hinted that their pandemic delayed Farewell Tour, which became the Big Wheels Keep On Turnin’ Tour in 2021, might not be their last. It wasn’t … since they have their tour dates scheduled through September 2022.

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Category: Entertainment, History, Memories, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: band, eponym, freebird, leonard skinner, lynyrd skynyrd, music monday, musicmonday, southern rock, sweet home alabama, youtube

Posted By RichC on June 5, 2022

A poor quality scan of our 1982 wedding with DadH, MomH, MomC and DadC

Often a 40th Wedding Anniversary triggers a husband or wife to make the comment “thanks for putting up with me” or something to that effect. Although there is truth to it, spending the rest of your life with another person is the challenge of two people face in compromising, and sometimes struggling, to learn out how to work together to be a “happily married couple.”

Thankfully for Brenda and me, the road has been pretty smooth in retrospect and has had far more positive and happy times than negative and rocky ones. Our focus has always been on “teamwork” and picking up slack for each other. We have helped each other overcome our weaknesses and have tried to enhance each others strengths. I am so bless to have Brenda in my life: God gave me a person (who birthed a couple more!) to live for and prioritize … instead of selfishly living only for myself. As my mother-in-law would proclaim: “Praise the Lord” … although as I recall, she did that when Brenda finally settled down. 😊

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” – Genesis 2:18

Thank you Brenda for 40 years! How about we share forty together?

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Category: Archive, Idioms, Memories, Personal, Photos, Raspberry Pi | No Comments »
Tags: 40th anniversary, anniversary, brenda, dadc, dadh, idiom, idioms, milestone, momc, momh, richc, wedding

Posted By RichC on 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, I occasionally tune into a Dennis Prager episode. Last weekend it was his Fireside Chat #231 on “Inflation is a Thief.” One of his riddles (above) had me smiling; there is so much truth to it – see Human-Induced Climate Change – Take it with a grain of salt.

I can recall from my short 60+ year history that someone is always worked up about something … one crisis after another. From smog and pollution in the 1960s, to global cooling in the 1970s, peak oil and global warming in the 1980s-2000s … changed to climate change by 2010 and a climate crisis by 2020. Each time, the most radical of the environmentalists would claim that unless we did something to drastically address it … “the world will end in ___ number of years” and that damage will be irreversible. Like the “boy who cried wolf,” it gets old and even when there is merit, starts us shrugging our shoulders like in Seinfeld.

As a conservative and environment lover, I’m all about taking care of our planet and managing our resources … the key word is “managing” our resources. Take a moment to do your part, but perhaps avoid the hysteria that is likely to harm our economy, our personal financial wellbeing and physical health. If we end up struggling just to survive or cause famine and war, we’ll likely forego any concern for the environment.

Loved this photo below and remembered my early mornings working on a commercial fishing boat on Lake Erie near where I grew up (see PDF) … obviously we were not fishing quite like this, but we did use seines (like the 1966 B&W photo from Sandusky Bay).

📷© benzchaivadee

Category: Environment, Human Interest, Humor, Memories, Personal, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: commercial fishing, dennis prager, environmentalist, fanatic, fireside chat, global cooling, global warming, lake erie, podcast, pollution

Posted By RichC on June 3, 2022

Over the years, I have backed a few smaller companies needing capital and pre-sales to expand their businesses. Before the days of online crowdfunding platforms such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter, I participated as an investor in two smaller Ohio local companies … one that landed a contract to fulfill candy for Disney World which need capital (sold shares) and the other as a printed packaging supplier for fishing tackle (oh … and just remembered a smaller one for fishing lures). None of them really worked out all that well.

The biggest loss came from my deposit with what seems to be a “defuncted” Elio Motors in getting zero back … whereas the others were primarily lessor refunds, poor investments or products that were delayed in launching in a timely fashion. That leads me to my MAGFAST wait. Pandemic delays aside (excuse) … they have been excruciatingly slow to bring their line of product to market. Having received the latest update this week, I’m crossing my fingers something will arrive this month?

Category: Advice, Financial, Innovation, Shopping, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: capital, elio, elio motors, funding, indiegogo, kickstarter, lures, magfast, mayfly, ordering, shipping, startup, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on June 2, 2022

The “bowling” comment I made a couple weeks ago triggered me thinking about what “junk” to put back in my office storage closet and what to toss. There are “functional” but OLD computers (with hard drives and too much CPP customer data), boxes of magazines … and more to the point … my old bowling ball from college. Huh, why am I keeping it?

Back in the late 1970s and early 80s, I was an avid bowler, which was a college extra curricular activity while living in Founders Hall at Ohio Northern University (it costs 50 cents a game to bowl back then). For the most part this was an ONU college league, but I did end up as one of the five members of the team to represent the university against other colleges (yes, blowing my own horn). By today’s standards, having a 170 – 190 average and a top score of only 265 is subpar, but “back in the day” it was enough to be anchor on our team.

So after discussing “what to do” with my old bowling ball with my college buddy Jeff (he was not a bowler or on the team) … we decided it should be buried just west of State Route 235 north of Ada, Ohio. For context, driving on the nasty winter weather day I was scheduled to pick up my newly drilled bowling ball was treacherous … but I really wanted it and didn’t want to delay picking it up. So, when I was returning southbound on State Route 235 and the roadway jogged at the county line … as they often do in rural Ohio … the west-to-east wind had polished the icy-snow roads and my 1974 Capri fishtailed one too many times spinning off the road and ending up a foot from a lone tree (satellite 2022 map view below but now is a much softer “jog” rather than “turns”).

Perhaps Jeff and I will make a pilgrimage to Ada, Ohio to both complain about all the changes to the town and campus like “grumpy old men” … and to bury my bowling ball at the base of this tree? I can feel a ROAD TRIP coming!

Fun side memory: Years ago when Drew was in college (who was Katelyn’s boyfriend at the time) … found out that I had an old pair of bowling shoes; he just had to have them … I assumed to wear? I never really understood the attraction (to the shoes, not my daughter!), but was glad to see my old bowling shoes put to use.

Category: Friends, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: ada, bowling, capri, college, drew, founders hall, jeff pitts, jeffp, katelyn, ohio, ohio northern, onu

Posted By RichC on June 1, 2022

Who doesn’t enjoy of teasing friends back and forth over foodie items? Here’s one that I’m going to debate with my friend Jeff … as he has always been a “Tea drinker” and I’ve been a “Coffee guy.”

I’ll start with my pro-military, flag-waving “patriotic Americans drink coffee” position, and I’m sure he’ll lay out the health benefits are much better from tea … or at least some teas … and it has a 3000 years of earlier history.

Anyway it is interesting to read a few of the facts and realized just how regional each preference can be. Personally I’ve hated tea ever since my mom made me sip it when I had an upset stomach … so even the smell now make me nauseous. #YMMV

Category: Food, Friends, Human Interest, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: coffee, debate, drink, food, jeff pitts, jeffp, map, preferences, tea

Posted By RichC on May 31, 2022

Russian Katya Nikiforova has amazing juggling skills. Wow!

Katya Nikiforova

Born into a family of non-circus artists in a small town in Ukraine, as a child Katya performed gymnastics and dancing. At the age of 10, she studied at her first circus studio. She instantly fell in love with the art and by the age of 16 followed her older sister and went to Kyiv Circus Academy to become a professional circus artist. With her sister as her inspiration, Katya loved performing to the point where a full day of practice was not difficult for her. Everything was new and so interesting. Katya and her sister are the first generation of circus performers in the family.

Some 11 years later, Katya is still enjoying performing as a professional on stage. Her goal has always been to grow as an artist. She has performed in Italias Got Talent as well as Germany’s Got Talent and her videos have been shown all around the world. Katya left juggling for four years, because she fell in love with an acrobat with whom she worked together at the Cirque Du Soleil. Today, however, she is happy to be back in the world of juggling.

LINK

Category: Human Interest, Tidbits, Video | No Comments »
Tags: amazing, juggler, juggling, katya nikiforova, mp4, skills

Posted By RichC on May 31, 2022

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, chores, drew, ellerie, family, hello fresh, katelyn, megan, Memorial Day, orings, Photos, roses, taylor, varnish, weekend, zoo

Posted By RichC on May 30, 2022

This Memorial Day reflection is a bit different than previous posts. Instead of an overall encompassing remembrance on all those who died in armed service to our country, it is a combined Music Monday twist that is a little more narrowly focused on those who fought and died in the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

At the peak of US involvement and fighting, those serving (most conscripted) thought of one thing: “We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place” … a sentiment … but also a song recorded by The Animals in 1965. No doubt those who made it home and lost friends will remember them and hopefully at the time remember down time singing along when this song was played.

No one saw this coming. Not the writers of the song — the dynamic Brill Building duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil; not the group who recorded it — The Animals and their iconic lead singer, Eric Burdon; not the 3 million soldiers who fought in Vietnam who placed extra importance on the lyrics. But the fact is that We Gotta Get Out of This Place is regarded by most Vietnam vets as our We Shall Overcome, says Bobbie Keith, an Armed Forces Radio DJ in Vietnam from 1967-69. Or as Leroy Tecube, an Apache infantryman stationed south of Chu Lai in 1968, recalls: “When the chorus began, singing ability didn’t matter; drunk or sober, everyone joined in as loud as he could.” – LINK

Category: Holiday, Millitary, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: Memorial Day, music monday, musicmonday, the animals, vietnam war, youtube

Posted By RichC on May 28, 2022

We are enjoying my late mother-in-law’s transplanted Buttercups (Ranunculus) that we brought home from the Jamestown, NY farmhouse (winter pics). Initially, Brenda’s sister Chris asked me to bring her some home for her since I was the one driving back and forth to western New York to clean out, take care of the property and sell the farmhouse, but after seeing the flowers take off at her house, I asked her for a “digging” too – they seem to be thriving, at least in the spring.

Perhaps the news that has overwhelmed everyone in America with emotion, anger and political debate is dealing with the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24th. It’s the same old argument between those who want more firearm

regulation and focus on the weapon used (AR-15 variant) and those who see a society that has drifted from enforcing laws, prosecuting crime, a loss of morals, faith and parenting … let alone addressing those who have a mental illness or are profiled has someone needing intervention … or better securing soft targets (in this case schools).

Jack Brewer, a longtime online friend and retired NFL player who works with at-risk young men, had a few minutes on FoxNews last week that highlights what he sees: Fatherless homes and America’s shift away from faith, prayer and the teaching of Biblical instruction. I added 2nd Chronicles 7:14 which triggered an “Amen” and retweet (below).

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Category: Faith, Nature, News, Personal, Photos, Politics, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: buttercups, farmhouse, flowers, jack brewer, jamestown, momh, new york, Robb Elementary, texas, twitter, uvalde