Wishing the mom to my granddaughters a Happy Birthday :-)
Posted By RichC on May 14, 2022
This content is restricted.
Stocks, bonds, crypto all down. What to do, what to do?
Posted By RichC on May 13, 2022
FoxBusiness/WSJ graphic
For the good or bad, whenever I’m away from my daily routine, it seems like the financial markets lose stability and investors go into crisis mode?
The past couple of weeks, those invested in stocks, bonds and crypto 
know that it has been painful; there have been very few refuges from the sharp selloff. I suspect most people planning for their future or saving for big purchases (homes, cars, college) are investing in one way or another … so their accounts will likely show loses. I’d like to say that it was a surprise, but those who have watched both the run-up after the pandemic lows … and ideological lunacy and the incompetent leadership coming from the 
Biden administration on nearly every issue … then you should have expected this drop. Add to this, the free-for-all spending in Congress and the slow-as-molasses behind the curve reaction from the Federal Reserve to deal with inflation … then you know we were overdue. 
The only question now is that can we “softly” 
find a market bottom and control inflation … or will we suffer through a 2022 or 2023 recession Inflation is definitely not “transitory” and is impacting everyone … especially those who can least afford higher prices in food, energy and housing.
U.S. stocks closed lower Thursday following sharp swings between gains and losses earlier in the session. The sell-off builds on a recent losing streak spurred by continued inflationary pressures and renewed worries the Federal Reserve’s price-mitigating efforts via monetary tightening may be more aggressive than anticipated and potentially stunt economic growth. MORE
Some have asked if the markets have hit a bottom? They wonder if it is safe to begin buying stocks and crypto … now that the prices have dropped significantly from their recent highs? They will get my standard Chinese Proverb answer:
“He who picks bottom, gets smelly fingers.”
That said, I did buy a little Apple ($AAPL) after selling my previous holdings after a run up earlier this year. Gulp … hold on!
Cleaning stainless steel cookware, mostly Wirecutter advice
Posted By RichC on May 12, 2022
Who else hates cleaning up stainless steel cookware, especially stainless steel frying pans?
We opted to upgrade the mishmash pots and pans at the Delray Beach condo back in 2018 with a full set of IKEA stainless steel cookware. Unfortunately whenever it comes to using them, we opt for the cheap and ugly red “semi” non-stick pan because it is easier to clean. Maybe there is a better way to use them that doesn’t involve so much cleanup work?
Saving a NYTime’s Wirecutter article on the topic:
To clean most pans after cooking in them, you’ll likely need less than five minutes to wipe them out, scrub them down, and dry them off.
But removing tough stains can take longer. Whether you’re using elbow grease to scrub or boiling baking soda and water in your pans, it can take 15 to 30 minutes or more. In some cases, you may want to leave a baking soda slurry on stains overnight before washing it off the next day.
To clean a pan that you’ve just used, first scrape out excess oil with a spatula, or wipe it out with a paper towel. Then deglaze the pan by adding some hot water. Cleaning a hot pan is easier, and adding hot water won’t damage it. But always let your pan cool down before fully submerging it in cool water. Otherwise the sudden change in temperature (called thermal shock) can cause a still-hot pan to warp.
You can loosen any fond (the browned bits of food) with a long-handled dish brush—we like the OXO Good Grips Dish Brush, which we’ve used in our test kitchen for years.
Grab a green Scotch-Brite scouring pad or sponge, along with some dish soap, and scrub the inside and outside of the pan, using a continuous circular motion. A Scotch-Brite pad will lightly scratch the surface of the pan. But as long as you avoid harsh pads (such as steel wool), it won’t affect your cookware’s performance or lifespan. A softer sponge, like a Dobie pad, won’t leave scratches, but using one requires more elbow grease. And it won’t save your cookware from getting marked up by metal cooking utensils anyway.
Rinse and then dry with a clean, absorbent towel.
An ideal use for my MicroJig dovetail clamps #woodworking
Posted By RichC on May 11, 2022
Since I use these dovetail MicroJig clamps for woodworking in my workshop, it seemed only logical to archive a photo so I can build a "jointer jig" or perhaps more appropriately just a jig to use with the table saw for small tapers … or especially for cuts when the piece of wood isn’t flat or doesn’t have a true edge that will ride on the fence.
Next time I have the router and dovetail bit out, I think I’ll "grid-up" a piece of plywood and emulate this jig.
Enjoyed a Mother’s Day beach week of R & R in Florida
Posted By RichC on May 10, 2022
Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip.
Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle after having to jumpstart and fidget with the flakey AC. Yet it still didn’t convince me to sell our functional and comfortable van (so long as it isn’t too hot outside – AC issue).
Mother’s Day for Katelyn in Toledo and Brenda’s flowers from Katelyn, Drew, Taylor and Megan
On a walk our last day at the beach, we also spotted a small sand shark leisurely looking for something to eat along the shoreline. They do have a tendency to surprise you when swimming or even wading along the surf (Sand Tiger Shark).
Music Monday: Zac Brown – “Let It Go” from YGWYG album
Posted By RichC on May 9, 2022
This content is restricted.
Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of wonderful moms
Posted By RichC on May 8, 2022
It is difficult not to recognize what great moms both MomC and MomH were to me … but since they are no longer here, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of great moms — my wife Brenda and daughter Katelyn. They both have risen to the most important role of being "mom" to their children.
Yesterday Katelyn was busy taking Ellerie to her first swim lesson and Brenda with me enjoying a few days in Delray Beach vacationing and cleaning up the condo from our winter renters. All is good.
A simple highlight from this trip was to try out our BeachBub umbrella gift from Katelyn and Drew. 
So far, we give it FIVE stars as it is by far the best beach umbrella we’ve ever had. I’ve come a LONG way from rigging up a sleeping bag off the side of my college era 1977 Honda Civic in order to offer a little shade for my college roommate Jerry Moody (light skin and red hair). I give him a lot of credit for spending a week after we graduated camping in Florida and hanging out on the beach in the hot sun. Great memories … and Brenda and I continue to make them!
KDAE looking at their property prior to ground breaking
Posted By RichC on May 7, 2022
It is definitely spring and as with many growing families working hard and fortunate enough to be living in the United States, ours are pursuing the American dream of building or owning a home.
Katelyn and Drew sent perhaps a final undeveloped photo of their beautiful NW Ohio property on a wooded cul-de-sac. I say final 
"undeveloped" photo, because their have all their duck in a row to break ground and are slated next to start construction with their custom builder. We are anxious for them as it brings back our own "house building" memories from the 1990s.
Just to add another photo from last week to the blog archive, here’s one just after the inspired washing and polishing up of my 1982 Mercedes 330d Turbodiesel.
Tech gadget guy mixed with someone who likes knot tying
Posted By RichC on May 6, 2022
This is what you get when you continue to use leftover chargers from old phones (my Palm Pre) and continue to rely on sailing knot tying skills.
Really just a filler post for a Tech Friday after noticing just how unique the old Palm USB plug was in design and how I ended up fidgeting without thinking to keep the charging wire neatly out of the way.
I think I like this particular USB power supply because it fold and packs neatly in the bottom of my messenger bag … and reminds me of an old favorite smartphone?
Books: “The House of Yan” by Lan Yan and personal tidbits
Posted By RichC on May 5, 2022
Although I don’t know all that much more than what I read about China, the culture and history intrigues me. After moving to Sidney, Ohio in high school, 
I felt like a fish out of water since most kids grew up in town and had gone to school with each other their entire life. When it came to “fitting in,” I made a few close friends for the few 
of years that I lived there and the majority of them were transplants too.
One of them, Charles Matthews, had moved a few times and lived overseas with his family where his father was teaching – previously Japan. I enjoyed the Asian culture that Kamikaze (as we called him) was able to bring from his years out of the country and out of curiosity more than anything, it triggered my reading and discussing Asia culture and politics with him. He was also a devout Socialist or more appropriate .. 
a political Marxist. Charlie was a little late for the counterculture, but enjoyed wearing a Mao Zedong hat and not fitting in with small town rural American, I figured it all was just being a teenager. But for Charlie, this philosophy continued after high school, college and grad school. Eventually he moved to China for several years, taught English in a city of 9 million people, wrote me regularly, was sick all the time, lost 20-30 pounds and eventually was booted out of the country because he was an American … this after the Tiananmen Square uprising.
Over the years of correspondence with Charlie … as well as having a bit of personal curiosity … I continued to read and pay attentions to SE Asia … China, Japan and Korea … and study 20th century history that influenced this populated area of the world (mostly World War II, Korean War [my dad] and Vietnam War history). So when this book recommendation arrived via WSJ+, I decided to start reading it.
“The House of Yan” is by entrepreneur Lan Yan and she traces her family’s history through early 20th Century to present day.
The history of the Yan family is inseparable from the history of China over the last century. One of the most influential businesswomen of China today, Lan Yan grew up in the company of the country’s powerful elite, including Zhou Enlai,
Deng Xiaoping, and other top leaders.
Her grandfather, Yan Baohang, originally a nationalist and ally of Chiang Kai-shek, later joined the communists and worked as a spy during World War II, never falling out of favor with Soong May-ling, aka Mrs. Chiang Kai-shek. Lan’s parents were diplomats, and her father, Yan Mingfu, was Mao’s personal Russian translator.
In spite of their elevated status, the Yan’s family life was turned upside down by the Cultural Revolution. One night in 1967, in front of a terrified ten-year-old Lan, Red Guards burst into the family home and arrested her grandfather. Days later, her father was arrested, accused of spying for the Soviet Union. Her mother, Wu Keilang, was branded a counter-revolutionary and forced to go with her daughter to a re-education camp for five years, where Lan came of age as a high school student.
In recounting her family history, Lan Yan brings to life a century of Chinese history from the last emperor to present day, including the Cultural Revolution which tore her childhood apart. The reader obtains a rare glimpse into the mysteries of a system which went off the rails and would decimate a large swathe of the intellectual, economic and political elite country. The little girl who was crushed by the Cultural Revolution has become one of the most active businesswomen in her country.
In telling her and her family’s story, Lan Yan serves up an intimate account of the history of contemporary China.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.