My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 1, 2025

In keeping with the current summer of 1970’s music, I’ll add another one for this week’s Music Monday … as the summer semi-officially ends (Labor Day, right)???

This one definitely returns me to the ONU dorms and listening to music while studying in college (cough). I suspect most from my generation experience the same flashback when they hear Kansas and “Dust In The Wind.” It was one of those iconic songs coming out of what was debatably one of the best decades of music. 

The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 1978, making it Kansas’s only single to reach the top ten in the US. The 45-rpm single was certified Gold for sales of one million units by the RIAA shortly after the height of its popularity as a hit single. The song was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on November 26, 2019, which makes it the second song by the band to reach platinum after “Carry on Wayward Son” — a song that will soon make it’s way to Music Monday!

Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: dust in the wind, kansas, labor day, live, music monday, musicmonday, wikipedia, youtube

Posted By RichC on August 31, 2025

This content is restricted.

Category: Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, autumn, clouds, ellerie, family, seasons, sky, teeth, toothfairy

Posted By RichC on August 30, 2025

This may not be all that interesting at the moment, but back in the day I was all about these unique money (and water) saving hacks. From prepping, to Boy Scouting or college, early married and family years camping … or to sailing frugally for that matter … I always enjoyed and appreciated these kinds of tips.

Category: Ideas, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: camping, filler, frugal, hack, hiking, social media, tip, video, water saving

Posted By RichC on August 29, 2025

Finally with a little help from Grok one of my Raspberry Pi computers I use as servers, is up and running again. In 2024 after upgrading our home Internet to fiber and a new router, I realized all ports were blocked that I once used for three Raspberry Pi servers: Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. Charlie is now up and serving static files again with Hugo and beside a quick post of a Markdown document using Nano on the terminal, this is the first with Typora again.

I’m feeling a little rusty but will attempt to revitalized this zippy static server now that I was able to use Cloudflare to handle the DNS and tunnel to my RPi3. So far, so good.

Category: Blogs, Computer, How-To, Raspberry Pi, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: altafiber, cloudflare, hugo, isp, raspberry pi, server, static site, ubuntu

Posted By RichC on August 28, 2025

As often happens these days, the “friends/acquaintances” on the social media site X.com that I regularly chat with, brought up the subject of  old-school film photography. Since it was my main hobby from my first darkroom in junior high through high school, and then college (and even graduate school), I felt obliged to chime in on the discussion.

Eventually we talked about the different Kodak branded films, from Kodachrome “grainless” slide film, to black and while Plus-X (ASA 125)  and Tri-X (ASA 400) … along with “push processing” for low light and Bulk Loading. I wish I still had my bulk loaders and 35mm camera … but the best I could do was to include a photo. Good memories for this ThrowBack Thursday #TBT. 😊 

I enjoyed remembering what it was like to work in tonal photography – it has been nearly 45 years since I was “souping film” in a darkroom.

Category: Hobby, Memories, Photography, Social Media, TBT, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: 35mm, camera, darkroom, film, hobby, photography, TBT

Posted By RichC on August 27, 2025

For those of us of a particular age (or even younger) who are crunching their retirement income numbers should consider converting some of their Traditional IRA savings into Roth IRA savings. As a Barron’s Advisor practitioner, I’ve stressed planning in creating multiple income buckets in which to draw income from after retiring; in part this is a good way to keep taxable income as low as possible in your golden years. Roth IRAs are a great way to do this IF you plan early, but is also an option with Roth conversion. 

The idea for buckets can be familiar to some who handle family finances. Most of us can visualize retirement buckets as Social Security, taxable 401K/IRA withdrawals (RMDs required after 73), already taxed savings/investment accounts and a pre-taxed Roth IRA. Setting these up well in advance is key so you can follow through by developing a strategy of withdrawals to keeping Uncle Sam’s portion to a minimum (a spreadsheet of future years helps to visualize).

But back to the Roth conversion … where I’ve enlisted ChatGPT’s help in looking for pitfalls: 

There are a few important rules, tax implications, and age-related considerations to keep in mind before rolling over (technically called a Roth conversion) money from a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA:

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Category: Advice, AI, Education, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: golden years, income, investing, investopedia, ira, retirement, roth, saving, traditional

Posted By RichC on August 26, 2025

As a TheHustings regular contributor, I sometimes find myself being a little more provocative that I really am — likely because there is a lack of pro-MAGA content in the right-hand column. Part of this particular submission (posted below) is for the “shock value” … but Jerry Lanson’s left-hand column, Keep Your Eye On What Matters started me  thinking about just how ambitious President Trump and his administration has been in tackling our country’s (and the world’s) problems. 

Why Donald Trump May Be the Best U.S. President in the Past Half-Century

When historians weigh the legacies of presidents, the conversation often centers on policy impact, economic stewardship, foreign affairs and cultural influence. Over the past 50 years, several presidents have left their marks, but there is a strong case to be made that Donald J. Trump, despite the controversies and criticisms that follow him, may have been the most consequential – and arguably the best – president in modern times.

First, one cannot ignore the economic record prior to the global pandemic. Trump presided over a booming economy, with unemployment reaching historic lows across demographics. Minority employment saw gains that were long overdue and wages, particularly for blue-collar workers, began to rise after years of stagnation. His emphasis on deregulation, tax reform and reshoring jobs resonated with many who felt left behind by globalization.

(more…)

Category: Archive, Blogs, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: commentary, donald trump, editorial, jerry lanson, MAGA, nobel, peace, potus, thehustings, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on August 25, 2025

A bit earlier in the summer the Moody Blues song from 1978 called “Driftwood” caught my attention. Perhaps I was in a “mellow” mood while listening to The Bridge on SiriusXM, but it was noted as a appropriate song from my past for Music Monday. 
 

While listen again, it occurred to me that I didn’t really know much about the English progressive rock band and thought it might be worth reading a bit more about them.

The Moody Blues hold a unique place in rock history as one of the pioneers of progressive and symphonic rock. Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1964, they first found success with their rhythm-and-blues-flavored hit “Go Now”, fronted by original singer Denny Laine. But it wasn’t until a few years later, after guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist John Lodge joined, that the band transformed into something far more distinctive.

Their breakthrough came in 1967 with the release of Days of Future Passed. Blending rock instrumentation with the London Festival Orchestra, the album introduced a bold new sound and produced the timeless single “Nights in White Satin.” This fusion of orchestral arrangements, poetic lyrics, and the Mellotron—played by keyboardist Mike Pinder—helped lay the foundation for what would become known as progressive rock.

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Category: AI, Music | No Comments »
Tags: 1978, artificial intelligence, chatgpt, driftwood, moody blues, music monday, musicmonday, siriusxm, song, thebridge

Posted By RichC on August 24, 2025

The older I get, the more clutter I collect … yet I still can’t stop the habits that have stayed with me my entire life. After clearing out our parents homes a decade ago, it was obvious that genetically the depression era “can’t throw away” trait was passed down to me.

I still find myself unable to throw “parts and pieces” away … even when I recognize that there is little likelihood I’ll ever use them. On the other hand, I told myself after salvaging a couple axles and bearing last weekend that maybe I’ll create something else that I don’t need using these parts?

Unfortunately, my kids will likely need to do what I did when clearing out DadH’s barn (and making runs to the dump in Jamestown, NY) … and Dad C’s outbuilding. Another estate sale or two? ☹️

This image below has nothing to do with the above (except we have too much art), but for a lack of a better place to post this, I’m including it below

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Category: AI, Art, Human Interest, Memories, Misc, Personal, Photos, Repairs | No Comments »
Tags: artwork, axle, bearings, chatgpt, dadc, dadh, emulate, family, junk, legacy, paintings, parts and pieces, ruth bluhm, sora, traits, wheels

Posted By RichC on 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 to Florida, it looks like a pleasant, but generic autumn down south too. 😉 

Florida

The fall will be warmer and drier than normal. September: Avg. temp 82° (1° above normal); 4.5” rain (3” below normal). Expect warm weather with scattered thunderstorms early and mid-month, then cooler with regional showers late. October: Avg. temp 76° (near normal); 2.5” rain (2” below normal). Mostly sunny and mild, with a few scattered showers and a cooler finish.

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: almanac, forecast, old farmers, weather