My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 18, 2020

We are really enjoying the time we have to stay around home this summer amidst Coronavirus concerns … although Brenda has never stopped going to work … she works in an “essential business” – pharmacy.

We certainly enjoyed having Katelyn, Drew, Annalyn and Ellerie to our house for a mini-vacation for several days earlier this month and to celebrate Brenda’s birthday … and have enjoyed the regular weekend visits from Taylor and Megan all summer (since they are apartment bound, they appreciate our pool and grill).

Last weekend the two of them were over on  Saturday to celebrate Brenda’s birthday (photo left and link is 2019 post) and then again on Sunday to drop off some wood that Taylor wants to make into a couple of personal wedding gifts (he has three wedding coming up in the next couple of months). Of course I’m looking forward into lending a hand.

Their timing on Sunday afternoon after a trip to IKEA couldn’t have been better since I was pretty much stuck after trying to take down an old basketball pole in our driveway by myself. Taylor’s extra hands and strong back (which is why I didn’t ask Brenda) was just want I needed to complete the task. I could not believe just how seized and rusted the pivot point were – bent one of the heavy arms just trying to loose it after Liquid Wrench and heat.

The TV image in the photo above also reminded me that I has archived a Jimmy Buffett video “stay at home” COVID19 song for Megan – she is a big fan – as is her dad (and who knew she was such a big fans of these too?) 😉 I might as well include the album “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” side B’s final song call “Death of an Unpopular Poet” (lyrics below) rather than save it for a Music Monday post. The song as JB comments was about the American poet and novelist Kenneth Patchen (12/13/1911-1/8/1972).

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Category: Archive, Entertainment, Human Interest, Music, Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: basketball, birthday, brenda, coronavirus, covid19, death of an unpopular poet, family, ikea, jimmy buffett, kenneth patchen, mp4, Music, music monday, musicmonday, summer, video

Posted By RichC on August 17, 2020

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Category: Friends, Memories, Music | No Comments »
Tags: album, brothers, mark jones, mp3, mp4, Music, music monday, musicmonday, one for the road, righteous, vinyl

Posted By RichC on 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 Guide” had something different to say – we’re too cold.

The idea was to gain a little more privacy during the spring and fall after the tree line loses its leaves .. and as a way to not bother my neighbors with what to them looks like car clutter (those who work on cars, etc know what I mean about pieces and parts while working on projects). Since the Evergreen Clematis likely won’t work in our climate, I’m still looking for something that I can grow or at least add to a trellis-style fence in order to screen the back door and driveway a bit. Thoughts?

EDIT: Look Annalyn … the grass seed you planted and watered last week is growing!

Category: Environment, Hobby, Ideas, Misc, Personal, Photos, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: clematis, evergreen, fence, garage, ideas, plants, poolhouse, projects, screen, shade, vine

Posted By RichC on August 15, 2020

Since I’ve highlighted a couple other “functional” versions of the Mercedes Benz W123, here’s another owner conversion. (see ONE, TWO … and THREE just for the humor).

I do find myself constantly needing (well “wanting” really) a pickup truck, but can usually put things in my Honda Odyssey “work vehicle” or hitch up the utility trailer to the BMW X5 35d … but still find myself entertaining a pickup truck someday or doing a conversion (love to have a full size Ford, Chevy, GMC, Toyota or Dodge “work truck” for hauling and towing).

Considering the work I’ve put in on my current MB 300D Turbodiesel, it would be difficult for me to do a conversion, but perhaps another one AFTER I get the Packard and MGB out of the garage? Since there is need for a photo or two, I’ll included one from 2014 with my dad in Sidney just for the memory (he loved the fact that it was my daily driver for a a year or so) … an one illustrating that I don’t baby it either.

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Category: Archive, Automotive, Diesel, Ideas, Mercedes, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: 300d, conversion, dadc, El Camino, hauling, lapickup, mercedes benz, Ranchero, trailer, turbodiesel

Posted By RichC on August 14, 2020

Friday afternoon was a day of server housekeeping, along with the week’s usual billing and accounting. It was also time to update this blog’s WordPress plugins and to the current version called “Eckstine” 5.5.

In WordPress 5.5, your site gets new power in three major areas: speed, search, and security.

Thankfully after the move to the new server hardware in May 2020, everything has been running so much better than before (knock on wood).
 

What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Knock on wood’?

This phrase is used by people who rap their knuckles on a piece of wood hoping to stave off bad luck. In the UK, the phrase ‘touch wood‘ is used – often jokingly by tapping one’s head. The phrases are sometimes spoken when a person is already experiencing some good fortune and hope that it will continue – for example "I’ve been winning on every race – touch wood".

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Knock on wood’?

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Category: Blogs, Idioms, Software, Technology, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: blog, eckstine, housekeeping, idiom, knock on wood, server, update, wordpress

Posted By RichC on August 14, 2020

Wouldn’t you know, just as I was contemplating how to get rid of our annoying pair of Mourning Doves (pretty much pigeons in my book), they go and have at least one baby. Now I can’t in good conscious shoo them away.

The little guy must have jumped or fallen out of the nest and wandered his way into the stones under a bush next to the door of the detached poolhouse garage (they also love to take selfies in the Canary cam)? He or she can’t fly yet but has nice feathers and bright eyes .. also camouflaged nicely for the surroundings. The mom and dad are hanging around as they always do (sit on the peak of our house every evening), but also stand with the little fledgling bird until I approach. I wonder just how long before flight? Let’s look it up!

Dove babies grow exceedingly fast. By 12 days old they’re big enough to leave their nest and venture into the big wide world.

If they’re over-cautious about leaving their nest then they’ll find themselves hungry, as their parents stop coming to the nest to feed them after this time.

They don’t abandon them completely though, instead, they keep an eye on them from a nearby branch and watch as they eventually leave the nest.

At first, they won’t be able to fly. Instead, they become fledgling birds and will spend the next four days stuck on the ground before they grasp the art of flying.

LINK

Category: Blogs, Environment, Nature, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: baby, bird, birds, doves, mourning, nest, pigeon

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2020

There is no doubt in my mind that I would have tried to do this if Photoshop would have  been as advanced when my kids were younger (or if I would have been has skilled – I’m basically a retoucher). As it was, I did include one of Katelyn’s computer art pieces (on my Mac SE or perhaps Mac II Ci) for Taylor’s birth announcement, but nothing like this dad. So here’s an image for ThrowBack Thursday #TBT.

Tom Curtis runs the ‘Things I Have Drawn’ Instagram page from London and shared his two kids drawings online. As the BoredPanda.com blog comments, “the result is both terrifying and hilarious.” Of course when it is a good thing, you really can’t get too much of it so there’s a page1,  page2 and page3 at this point. Good stuff.

Here are a few more examples in case they disappear (more below the break):

A dog and an elephant (I think?) …

… and since I’m working on birdhouses for Annalyn (previous post) … (more…)

Category: Art, Blogs, Computer, Humor, Memories, Social Media, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: artwork, drawings, Humor, parenting, photoshop, photoshopped, TBT, throwback, thursday

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2020

An image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is just too beautiful not to include on MyDesultoryBlog. I many not be the biggest astronomy or space geek, but I do spend time looking up at the stars in the evening. Although I didn’t get a good look at the NEOWISE comet last week (not for the lack of trying), I do plan on staying up late or getting up early to try to see the Perseid meteors 2020 this week.

The barred spiral galaxy known as NGC 4907 shows its starry face from 270 million light-years away to anyone who can see it from the Northern Hemisphere. This is a new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the face-on galaxy, displaying its beautiful spiral arms, wound loosely around its central bright bar of stars.

Shining brightly below the galaxy is a star that is actually within our own Milky Way galaxy. This star appears much brighter than the billions of stars in NGC 4907 as it is 100,000 times closer, residing only 2,500 light-years away.

NGC 4907 is also part of the Coma Cluster, a group of over 1,000 galaxies, some of which can be seen around NGC 4907 in this image. This massive cluster of galaxies lies within the constellation of Coma Berenices, which is named for the locks of Queen Berenice II of Egypt: the only constellation named after a historical person.

Text credit: ESA (European Space Agency)
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Gregg

Category: Nature, Space | No Comments »
Tags: astronomy, comet, galaxy, hubble, meteors, nasa, neowise, ngc4907, persied, skywatching, space, telescope

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2020

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Category: Archive, Humor, Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, birthday, brenda, coronavirus, covid19, family, goggles, Photos, swing

Posted By RichC on August 11, 2020

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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, Travel, Video | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, bees, birdhouse, bluebird, brenda, drew, ellerie, family, granddaughters, home, house, katelyn, mp4, Photos, pool, project, pyramid hill, richc, vacation