Merry Christmas to all who check in on My Desultory Blog
Posted By RichC on December 25, 2020
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Old handsaws, rusting jack posts and a deck of cards #TBT
Posted By RichC on December 24, 2020
Since I expect to be busy with our family on Christmas Eve Day, I’ll prepare a post for Throwback Thursday #TBT with a few old handsaws from my families past and asked the rhetorical question to myself: “Why do you keep old handsaws that you never use?”
Actually I don’t recall really needing to use a handsaw for quite a few years … besides the bow saw (not pictured) that I’ve used to 
trim a tree or two. Are these relics worth saving for history sake? A couple were mine and a couple were DadC’s and DadH’s (probably their fathers?). Speaking of saws, one of the best purchases I’ve made in hand tools has been the Japanese dovetail saw. It is razor sharp and cuts a thin kerf – so much better than my miter or backsaws.
On an entirely different topic, I was distracted from reorganizing our basement storage room when restacking the empty Christmas decoration boxes in seeing the excessive amount of rust appearing on the bottom plate of the basement Jack Post where it is against the cement floor. I doubt it will ever be a structure weakness in my lifetime, but couldn’t help but add a coat of Rustoleum paint before burying it behind boxes.
Thinking about junk we have kept from family and don’t use or need, I tossed an old deck of playing cards belonging to my Grandma and Grandpa Bluhm, but not before checking on their history … or at least the company Brown and Bigelow who made them. An interesting history … and use of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge “Dogs Playing Poker” artwork, which made me want to keep them (but I didn’t!)
The company was founded in 1896 by Herbert Huse Bigelow and Hiram Brown.
On June 24, 1924, Bigelow was convicted for tax evasion, fined ten thousand dollars, and sentenced to three years in Leavenworth Penitentiary. He was released after eight months. While incarcerated, he befriended infamous safe-cracker Morris Rudensky.
On April 13, 1928, President Calvin Coolidge pardoned Bigelow. Following Bigelow’s release, the company became notable for developing prototype convict rehabilitation programs through the hiring of hundreds of ex-convicts.
Our granddaughters are coming and new Great Room windows
Posted By RichC on December 23, 2020
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Eating out with a friend during COVID19 and an MMT discussion
Posted By RichC on December 22, 2020
With only a handful of meals out during this COVID19 year with my buddy Jeff this past year, I’ve learned to appreciate them even more than usual. We’ve been having lunch together each month or so as a way to stay connected for decades and for 
me adjusting to just emails and text messages is not the same.
I’ve probably taken his friendship for granted in the past, but we have always assisted each other and have been available to lend each other a hand. I’ve appreciated having a non-judgmental person to bounce ideas off of. Sometimes its just a way to clarity thoughts, other times it’s applying the two-heads are better than one brainstorming principle. This past week it was contemplating life after working and what our country holds from the perspective of our exponentially increasing debt and deficits. What I appreciate about Jeff is that once he gets thinking about something, he dives into it intellectually. I enjoy reading a bit, but nothing like him.
Our recent topic was on MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) and if that was the direction the United States was going. I suspected this for a while now, but recently it seems to be gaining a following from politicians and economists who disagree with being overly concern with our deficit, let alone our growing debt. Neither of us are MMTers, or believe government can continue to print and spent money without the traditional economic schoolo of thought that inflation will skyrocket (perhaps that is because we’ve experienced inflation or have seen what can happen with hyperinflation for other countries)?
Point being, is what should we be doing about it or how should we be investing for our retirement years IF this becomes a possibility? Both of us had our own untested ideas and I admitted that each time I thought we in the U.S. faced ballooning deficits and debt … it passed without catastrophe result – we slumped, picked up the pieces and continued to repeat digging the same behavior. It continues to be justified by pointing to the debt-to-GDP ratio and that we in the US are better at managing our economy than some other countries.
Still … I’m very uncomfortable living with trillion dollar deficits and an exponentially growing debt. Diversifying was about the only conclusion we could come up with that made any sense when it comes to saving and investing.
2/2/2022: I’m not sure about the clock above, but just noticed that in Feb 2022 our U.S. National Debt surpassed $30 TRILLION. One has to wonder if Congress and President Biden declares “spending fully paid for” why we continue to advance our debt at this rapid rate?
But the real reason to add something to this post was to include a humorous photo that I sent to my buddy Jeff (a hot sauce and salsa lover) a photo that I thought he might appreciate. 😊
Music Monday: Holiday memories from the Carpenters
Posted By RichC on December 21, 2020
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The Great Conjunction: Saturn and Jupiter align on Dec 21st
Posted By RichC on December 20, 2020
For those who enjoy astronomy, space exploration or just looking at the night sky, an event know as Saturn and Jupiter’s Great Conjunction is happening on December 21st (although look in the southern sky shortly after sunset any night this month).
A “conjunction” is an event that happens every 20 years for these two planets as they align when orbiting around the sun at different speeds. Their orbits are different due to their mass and their distance from the sun … as Jupiter takes about 12 years and Saturn takes about 30 years. That means every 20 years they come into “conjunction.” What makes this year unique or “great,” is that normally the orbits pass a little further apart as they pass each other (still a long distance apart), but this year they align much closer … which happens ever 400 years. That last time was when the famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was studying the sky with his early telescope. So get out your cameras, telescopes or binoculars and check it out … although it is easy to see with your naked eye.
Click to enlarge then look for tiny Saturn & larger Jupiter to lower right
(right-click and save-as for the full size NASA photo with the Washington Monument)
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Slick roads and an accident.
Posted By RichC on 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 headed back to see if everyone was ok. No injuries, but the Volkswagen didn’t look as good as the SUV (below).
Thankfully … no fence damage, just tire ruts yet again.
Tech Friday: Twitter lock my account this week, but I don’t know who complained or what content infringed on copyright laws?
Posted By RichC on December 18, 2020
A daily routine for over a decade has been using the social network Twitter as an interactive newsfeed – replaced RSS feed reader. It has also been a place to post MyDesultoryBlog.com updates and interact on my RichC account with friends in a variety of groups: car club, aviation interests, sailing, finance, investing, and of course politics.
I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the left-leaning bias coming from almost all Silicon Valley companies, but Twitter is one of the most blatant. I grew so frustrated with their shutting down the Hunter Bidden corruption story as they campaigned for Joe Biden, that I ended up selling all my $TWTR stock (too soon). As they continue to aggressively police their conservative users and lock accounts, voices are silenced and people are heading to another platform called Parler (with its own problems). I’ve been there for a while, but it doesn’t serve my purpose.
Now my account was “locked” and I’ve yet to figure out why. I reviewed the “Copyright Policy” and was told they were going to email me some information, but I’ve yet to receive anything? My account is unlocked for now, but I have no idea what was shared, posted or said that even lock my account to begin with? It may be time to give up on social networks all together?
Promotional Products from an exciting Dot-Com start-up #TBT
Posted By RichC on December 17, 2020
For Throwback Thursday #TBT this week I’ll include a couple photos from 1998 or 1999. These Soma.com photos are items from my friend Jeff sent to me when cleaning out his apartment. He (and my wife Brenda) were hired to build out the first Dot-Com era online Pharmacy … or at least the fulfillment facility. The work was … as we would say back then … 24/7/365 … but I doubt anyone working on this startup regretted a moment of the exhilarating time … although all were disappointed when the start-up was sold to CVS and became their online store (they shutdown the West Chester, Ohio-based fulfillment facility.
Funny, but not funny … perhaps it is the frustration we all feel?
Posted By RichC on December 16, 2020
Are you tired of this COVID19 lockdown yet?
It is hard to believe the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic AND those politicians dictating shutdowns in their mini-kingdoms have not had more pushback than they have? Way too many small businesses, and especially people working in the travel and food service industry, will not be having much of a Merry Christmas this year … that’s not to say those still working as essential workers have had it easy either (“essential” = those caring for people … or IMHO, working to put food on the table and paying their bills).
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.