A second post today to say Thank You
Posted By RichC on May 8, 2020
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Tech Friday: A webserver update and a budget retirement RV
Posted By RichC on May 8, 2020
Actually this is just a filler post while working on server upgrades. Hopefully when finished, the new server will be fully up-to-date with Linux (Ubuntu Bionic Beaver 18.04), PHP 7.2 and a current LAMP stack set-up. WordPress will finally be able to be updated to 5.4.1 and maybe eventually bring back a cache to speed things up.
As for the filler post items as mentioned above, the ones below made me smile. I’ve always enjoyed traveling lean, but this might be just a little too lean – a snail for a couple of reasons!
FedEx shines when delivering packages in the rain #sarcasm
Posted By RichC on May 7, 2020
Nine years ago, it would have been polite for our FedEx driver to have at LEAST left a note or to have mentioned he ran off the driveway … 
although it was understandable with the snow cover (see link). On the other hand, it makes me smile now, especially since I can use it as a Throwback Thursday #TBT tie-in for today’s post.
This time it was a rainy Sunday delivery … or “semi” delivery … since it was left at the end of our driveway, on top of the mailbox. I know we have a long driveway, but most companies (including FedEx) deliver to the garage door and smartly to the sheltered front porch when it is raining. Perhaps all delivery drivers are overworked and overstressed with COVID19, but still, to strategically balance a large box on our mailbox while it’s raining defies commonsense. Thankfully our neighbor called so we could at least run out in the rain and retrieve the box. Come on Fred W. Smith, your company and employees should be a little bit better than this.
Experiencing website issues – an update is planned
Posted By RichC on May 6, 2020
Today’s post serves as a test … since I’m having a few webserver and database problems. If you are a regular reader, this will also be a notice that this blog will likely be sporadic until it is fixed.
Once my business sites are updated, then I’ll address my long-in-the-tooth (see below) Quickdex project site and personal blog – MyDesultoryBlog. There may be a few up and down moments until it is fixed or moved to new hardware.
What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Long in the tooth’?
Old, especially of horses or people.
What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Long in the tooth’?
Horse teeth, unlike humans’, continue to grow with age. They also wear down with use, but the changes in the characteristics of the teeth over time make it possible to make a rough estimate of a horse’s age by examining them.
Ordered a new wire cored flag halyard this week
Posted By RichC on May 5, 2020
After our flag halyard failed again this year, I did a little more digging as to why the “cheap” rope deteriorated so fast. My first assumption was that the sun damaged the fibers since it has a worn, powder feel to it? Then after looking for better grade polyester (weather resistant) halyards, decided that this time I would go with a wire core.
Who knows if it will actually prevent weathering and wear, but at least when it frays, the flag will still be flying. On the other hand, in reading a few comments from the “flag guy” website, it was mentioned that lowering the halyard just a inch from the top can prevent unnecessary chafing at the top of the flagpole (also note loops – photo).
Now to get someone to shimmy up the pole to rethread the new halyard … or perhaps wait until my kids are down again to take the pole down and rethread!
UPDATE May 11, 2020: Disappointed yet again on an order from Amazon. The wire-rope halyard was opened and looked used .. likely pulled through a block considering the dirt on the sheathing. I’ve not measured to be sure there is 100 feet on the spool, but Amazon needs to sharpen their re-stocking and selling of product as “new.”
Who wants ice cream? The inside scoop on the Zeroll scooper.
Posted By RichC on May 3, 2020
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Do you really want the media, big tech and government elites controlling free speech, thought and societal norms?
Posted By RichC on May 2, 2020
Once in a while, the talking heads and opinion writers who editorialize present enough information in a single article or few minutes of television that hits home and makes one take notice. That definitely happened for me the other night and trigger me to think a little more seriously about has been happening in our country. Tucker Carlson on his Fox News evening program compressed a few points in about 10 minutes on April 28th that it is worth your time to watch, even if you disagree with his politics.
Personally I believe the bulk of next generation have caring and compassionate hearts – they for the most part are not seeking power or control over others (unlike many of the politicians seeking their votes). Unfortunately this younger generation is slowly giving up their individual freedom, believing it is “for the greater good.” They are slowly opening the door to a more authoritarian and oppressive future, one that give more power and control to the state. At first they don’t mind, because their views, norms and values aren’t the ones being silenced or elimated, but eventually …
First They Came For The Jews – by Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Is Ohio open for business today? #humor
Posted By RichC on May 1, 2020
I can see it now, after being under the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders for the past 6 weeks or so, people are going to be excited to exit the safety of their cocoons … finally a taste of freedom again. Let’s just hope we don’t make foolish stumbles and ignore commonsense precautions. Be smart people!
Phase 1
Friday, May 1: Hospital, medical, dental and veterinary services that don’t require an overnight hospital stay.
Monday, May 4: Construction, distribution, manufacturing, officesTuesday, May 12: Consumer, retail and service businessesRules and guidelines
The Library, Music Room, Bookshelves project in nearly finished
Posted By RichC on April 30, 2020
Rather than close out the month of April 2020 with some depressing topic related to COVID19, I’ll post a photo for book lovers (right) and collectors along with a saved newspaper article clipped with a photo to highlight a future project (steps/ladder for the bookshelves) and the latest in the seemingly SLOW progress of putting the Library/Music Room back together again.
It was surprising how difficult it was to delicately move our baby grand piano in to position by myself. Of course I used a few tricks like levers, dollies and an 
automotive floor jack, just as when moving it the first time … but it still wasn’t as simple to do as planned. The biggest challenge was getting the oriental rug under the piano all by myself … think about it, how do you lift?
The next step for me is a new mini-stereo amplifier … and the waiting for it to arrive. It will replace my old ginormous 
stereo receiver, cassette deck and CD player stack. Once-upon-a-time I pre-wired my electronics into our house during construction along with CAT 5 cabling for a computer network (1995 was pre-wireless and almost before World Wide Web!) The audio quality of the old components have always been excellent and I’m hoping to keep decent sound, even though my hearing is declining. The ceiling mounted IR remotes won’t be used anymore (kind of old school), but I’m planning to continue to use the wall mounted Cambridge Audio speakers and floor subs in our great room. The feed will mostly be from an Amazon Echo Input Alexa device (at least for now), as well as using Bluetooth 5.0 to stream from computers, phones and tablets.
As my part of the remodeling comes to an end, it will be Brenda’s job to decorate, move furniture around and decide what artwork she wants where.
Maybe our little bookworm Annalyn will help us put some of our books on the shelves?
Come on people, we are better than this! #COVID19
Posted By RichC on April 29, 2020
As one commenter on the Bluewater Sailing and Cruising FB social group stated, “People are disgusting.”
Its also what we are all seeing in the parking lots of our communities during the coronavirus pandemic. All kinds of PPE is being lazily discarded. Without thinking, people toss their used rubber gloves, wipes and masks after they finish shopping or shifts. The storm sewers must be filled with them and we all know where many of them eventually end up.
This reminds me of pollution in the 1960s and 70s! 
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.