My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 18, 2015

On Monday (August 17, 2015), we held the memorial service for my dad at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sidney, Ohio. Dad died on August 12th after his “thankfully” short hospice care after suffering a stroke and brain bleed. The burial urn (above) was surrounded by flowers and a lifetime of memory photos (our families brought photos spanning his 86 years of life) … along with family and friends. Pastor John Schriber performed the service and he included a very personal memorial since he has known my dad and mom (and both Ron and me) for years. It was heartwarming to hear such kind and compassionate words about our father.

My brother Ron also said a few words and shared a little past and present history which really rounded out my dad’s life for those who knew him in different roles throughout his life. Having spent the last 4 decades in a small town like Sidney, people connect with him in many different circumstances; some from work, some from church and a lot from the many groups both he and mom were involved with. I was wonderful to see the many faces of friends.

My dad also has his “guy” friends … a bunch of WWII, Korea and Vietnam veterans that gathered for cards and jovial friendship every month. They have looked out for each other over the past few decades and bonded even closer during a honor trip to Washington DC (both Ron and I were privileged to be volunteers on that trip). Jim Hall offered kind words at my dad’s memorial from the perspective of a fellow war veteran. Over the years, this group formed a unique bond and “most likely without words” were able to help fill a void after the loss of a spouse, the challenge of declining health that come with age or just to offer the comradely of a buddy. Thank you Jim and those from this group (past and present)who checked in on my dad … just as he did in years past for others.

For those of us who by fate were spared from conscripted military service or by choice did not volunteer, my admiration and appreciation to those who DID served our country grows everyday. Thankfully my dad’s Korean War service did not go unappreciated or unrecognized while he was alive or in passing. The American Legion was at the cemetery with 13 men; 4 Color Guard, 7 Firing twenty-one rounds, 1 bugling Taps and 1 presenting me a flag. Very humbling.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
— Ephesians 6:4

My dad lived a wonderful life. He left this earth for eternity a very wealthy man when looking at the good friends and loving family he had. Every person I knew held him in high regard and treated him with respect  – my brother and I included. His opinion was always trusted and valued. I’ve always looked up to him and can’t think of anyone I would have rather have had as a mentor, a teacher, an example … or as a father.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 

My dad with me … just a few years ago.

Category: Obituary, Personal, Photos | 2 Comments »
Tags: cemetery, dadc, family, funeral, honor, memorial, obit, respect

Posted By RichC on August 14, 2015

As if the past couple of weeks were not challenging enough, my dad’s body finally had enough. He didn’t want any further medical miracles … or poking and tweaking to keep systems going AND had previously put in place a detailed “Living Will” in regards to what measured he did not want. After last weeks stroke and brain bleed, it was time.

My brother Ron, his wife Claire and I rotated shifts allow with Wilson Hospice in Sidney Ohio to make the transition from living to dying as gentle as possible. I spent as much time as I could both in the last few years and last few dad’s (in between “nursing” Brenda) to be with him. My brother’s wife was their along with a nurse for his last few breaths … it was a peaceful passing  and that is what I prayed for … thank you God.

For him the struggle is over … for us, there are a few things left to do. To the right is the last photo of dad on August 3rd … it was nice to have had those hours with him. We will have a memorial service and burial on Monday morning August 17th and it will be slightly different from my mom’s showing and service and that was dad’s choice; he chose to be cremated and buried on top of my mom’s grave (she would not have approved … so we were not allowed to tell her back in 2012.)  When over (weeks and months ahead), then begins the arduous task of sorting through things, finalizing his affairs and selling his home. This time, unlike with mom, it won’t be ending a chapter, but closing a book.

My Dad’s obituary below.

RONALD D. "BUD" CORBETT, 86, of 1150 W. Russell Road, passed away at 9:07 PM Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at LanePark of Sidney.  He was born on January 24, 1929 in Toledo, Ohio, the son of the late Earl and Helen (Hirth) Corbett.  On September 7, 1957 he was married to Jeanine A. Bluhm, who preceded him in death on December 17, 2012.

Bud is survived by his two sons, Richard D. (Brenda) Corbett of Liberty Township, OH, and Ronald D. (Claire) Corbett of Tipp City, OH; four grandchildren, Katelyn (Drew) Oostra of Wayzata, MN, Taylor Corbett of Cincinnati, OH, Keira (Ben) Ankrom of Columbus, OH, and Jaben Corbett of Huber Heights, OH; and one brother, Earl Corbett.  He was preceded in death by two sisters, Gloria Schwartz and Patricia Mayo.

Mr. Corbett was a veteran of the United States Army and served during the Korean War.  He worked for Schindler Elevator Company in Toledo and Sidney for 43 years.  He was a past member of the Sidney American Legion Post 217, the Senior Center of Shelby County, Sidney Gateway Squares (Square Dancing), Vintage Car Club and the Management Club of Sidney.  Bud was a dedicated husband and father, who enjoyed time with family and friends, traveling, old cars, shorelines and lakes. 

Bud was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sidney where a Memorial Service will be held on Monday, August 17, 2015 at 10:30 AM, with Rev. Jonathan W. Schriber officiating.  Burial with military honors by the Sidney American Legion Post 217 will be at Graceland Cemetery.  The family will receive friends on Monday from 9:30 AM until the time of service at the church.  Memorial contributions may be made to Wilson Hospice or St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bud’s memory.  Guestbook condolences and expressions of sympathy may be made to the Corbett family at our website, www.cromesfh.com

Category: Obituary, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: dadc, family, funeral, obit, ohio, sidney

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2015

This year’s September 5th and 6th Red Stewart Airshow and our  EAA284 TalilDragger FlyIn not until Labor Day weekend in September, but with my full plate I want to get my part done early. I’ve been up most every morning this week with Brenda (pain issues), and so while the PT/OT persona was at the house went to fill out and pick up the Health Permit from Warren County (county to my east). Thankfully I’ve got the procedure down to a science and have saved the drawings and paperwork from previous years in order to expedite the process. The fee for our one-day Pancake breakfast has inched back up again … now $18.00 to hold the breakfast. While they were typing up the new permit, I decide to see the ups and downs …

Previous years:

2014 – $15.00
2013 – $13.00
2012 – $10.00
2011 – $15.00
2010 – $15.00
2009 – $12.50
2008 – $ 7.50
2007 – $ 9.50

Category: Aviation, Local | No Comments »
Tags: airshow, breakfast, eaa, eaa284, flyin, pancakes, red stewart

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2015

Those having endured recovering and rehab know the challenges ahead for Brenda and those following my limited blog posts probably know what I’ve been pre-occupied with after my wife’s fall and my dad’s stroke … but we’re moving forward.

Today (August 12th) is my wife’s birthday … hardly a “yippee” event this year … but yesterday we met with the surgeon for some “post-op” good news.  All was looking good on the new X-Rays (above/below) and  Brenda’s surgical staple could come out. It also meant that she could keep the incision uncovered and get it wet! Showers, bathing, the hot tub and maybe the pool for a little light movement (no weight for 6 weeks on the left hip or shoulder). Still we are thankful for the progress and medical science … and the many friends and family offering prayers and support. She still has a long … and unfortunately painful … rehabilitation ahead.

 

My Dad:
He is a comfortable as possible and between Ron, Claire, me and many caretakers is being kept as comfortable as possible while the human body goes through the shutdown process. His breathing is slowing (and shallower now) and he is medicated for pain and to keep his temperature from spiking too high – a challenge. It probably won’t be long, but one never knows. He will soon be home.

Category: Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: bionic, brenda, dadc, family, hospice, medical, rehab, surgery, xray

Posted By RichC on August 9, 2015

Even for life-long Christians it is challenging facing the reality of our earthly life ending and accepting “by faith” the promise of eternal life. Part could be facing the pain of death or leaving those we love behind … but we humans also question.

This weekend my dad experience a major stroke, although we knew something medically and mentally had changed in the past few weeks. The hemorrhaging in the brain left few options for recovery, so we will honor his Living Will wishes (reminder: all should have one). After a brief hospital stay this time (less than a day), we were able to get dad enrolled for hospice care and back to his own room at Lane Park. All involved in this “flow” have been wonderful — thank you.

My brother Ron and his family have been great in spending time with dad … and Ron has been very good at making decisions with me concerning dad. We seem to work well as a team and I do appreciate my family more and more as the years go by. It all has me wondering what life is like for those without family? This week, we are all shuffling schedules in order to be at my dad’s bedside as much as possible … just as we did for my mother. My only regret is that this week has also been taxing in that Brenda has just returned home from the hospital and is incapacitated. Hmm … the apathetic reply Brenda’s sister and I have been sending to each other for the last month comes to mind … “it is, what it is.”

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

— Psalms 23 NIV

Category: Faith, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: dadc, family, hospice, hospital, lane park, sidney, stroke

Posted By RichC on August 7, 2015

If you are a Firefox browser user, be sure to select the “About” menu and apply the latest update.

Yesterday morning, August 5, a Firefox user informed us that an advertisement on a news site in Russia was serving a Firefox exploit that searched for sensitive files and uploaded them to a server that appears to be in Ukraine. This morning Mozilla released security updates that fix the vulnerability. All Firefox users are urged to update to Firefox 39.0.3. The fix has also been shipped in Firefox ESR 38.1.1.

The vulnerability comes from the interaction of the mechanism that enforces JavaScript context separation (the “same origin policy”) and Firefox’s PDF Viewer. Mozilla products that don’t contain the PDF Viewer, such as Firefox for Android, are not vulnerable. The vulnerability does not enable the execution of arbitrary code but the exploit was able to inject a JavaScript payload into the local file context. This allowed it to search for and upload potentially sensitive local files.

The files it was looking for were surprisingly developer focused for an exploit launched on a general audience news site, though of course we don’t know where else the malicious ad might have been deployed. On Windows the exploit looked for subversion, s3browser, and Filezilla configurations files, .purple and Psi+ account information, and site configuration files from eight different popular FTP clients. On Linux the exploit goes after the usual global configuration files like /etc/passwd, and then in all the user directories it can access it looks for .bash_history, .mysql_history, .pgsql_history, .ssh configuration files and keys, configuration files for remina, Filezilla, and Psi+, text files with “pass” and “access” in the names, and any shell scripts. Mac users are not targeted by this particular exploit but would not be immune should someone create a different payload.

The exploit leaves no trace it has been run on the local machine. If you use Firefox on Windows or Linux it would be prudent to change any passwords and keys found in the above-mentioned files if you use the associated programs. People who use ad-blocking software may have been protected from this exploit depending on the software and specific filters being used.
LINK

Category: Computer, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: browser, firefox, internet, security, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on August 7, 2015

We may not make it through the debate on Thursday night or if I do, may not feel like posting anything tomorrow. We still have “over a year” to think about politics for 2016 … so no sense getting too focused on which candidate the GOP will run just yet. Good to have a talented field. I hope they all stay focused on core principles  that are need to govern all people in America. 1) National security, 2) a strong economy with innovative business doing what they can do best and 3) smaller less intrusive government – keep individual freedom and liberty alive.

Category: Politics | 1 Comment »
Tags: Politics, Republicans

Posted By RichC on August 6, 2015

I’ve been watching some tech stocks climb as their valuations seem exorbitant while others languish; it makes little sense to me. Stocks like Apple ($AAPL) look oversold considering their  while IPOs in other startups continue to attract money. Then there is the companies heavily used and relied on by media and celebrities alight, Twitter ($TWTR) which is beaten to death.

Twitter Inc. fell to a fresh all-time low on Wednesday, as enthusiasm on the Street for the social-media company continues to fade.

Twitter shares traded as low $28.59. That is well below its all-time high of $73.31, set on Dec. 26, 2013, shortly after the IPO. With the latest leg down, the stock is approaching its IPO price of $26, and is well below the first-day closing price of $44.90.

Even back during the heady days following its IPO, it was impossible not to notice that Twitter was being richly valued, especially for a company that wasn’t turning a profit. But the story that was being sold was "untapped potential" — the hundreds of millions, even billions, of possible customers out there.

The concerns didn’t disappear –the stock’s performance shows that–but the company was consistently able to rebuff the doubters with the promise of that potential. Think of it this way, Twitter sits in the the middle of two Venn diagram circles that makes it especially attractive to investors: it’s a hot, new-tech company, but it’s got a product that most people can understand. Taking a flyer on it allowed investors to be both alpha traders and Warren Buffett .

The only problem is, the company isn’t making money, isn’t projected to make money for several more years, and has had trouble articulating a path toward profitability. Actually, that’s only the most obvious problem, and not even the one that rankles investors the most. There’s been a perceived lack of vision and inability to capitalize on the platform. There’s been a significant amount of executive turnover, most visibly earlier this year when CEO Dick Costolo stepped down, and was replaced by on of the company’s founders, Jack Dorsey (who showed up with a fairly shocking Grizzly Adams-style beard).

The biggest issue, though, and the one that’s triggered the latest selloff, is the stagnation in the service’s user base. In its latest quarterly report, the company said it had 304 million core users, virtually unchanged from the 302 million it reported in the first quarter. Even Mr. Dorsey called the numbers "unacceptable," and his displeasure sparked a selloff.

"On the IPO Twitter looked like a world beater," Albert Fried analyst Richard Tullo wrote on Monday, "today people are reconciling the their 20-year models because guess what no one, not even a grumpy man like me, modeled Twitter users as flat."

Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: $TWTR, aapl, investing, stocks, trading

Posted By RichC on August 5, 2015

If you are in Ohio and are looking for an interesting weekend drive now that gasoline prices are down (diesel too), take a drive to the Village Bakery and Café in Athens, Ohio. (of course that seems as counterproductive as Al Gore flying in a private plane if you are really thinking “green”?) They are making a effort to run their business “off the grid” and utilize geothermal and solar to reduce their energy needs. It is interesting to see what “can” be done if a person puts and effort (and a few dollars) into it. Politically I’m not and advocate for government forcing the “green agenda” … but I’m all for the move when it is individually by choice.

See an article posted in the Inquistr.com … snippet below:

This quaint bakery is known as the Village Bakery and Cafe. Located in Athens, Ohio, they are leading the charge for resilient food and energy economy for the state. In order to do this, they commit to bringing the freshest and most delicious sustainably-grown ingredients for their foods, and their menu reflects what is in season. Along with their bakery, they have a grocery, a wood-fired bake house called Della Zona that bakes pizzas, and a coffee house known as Catalyst Cafe.

However, what is accumulating a lot of chatter among the green communities is the fact the Village Bakery and Cafe is doing all they can to completely run on renewable energy. They want to be 100 percent off the grid. This includes a geothermal unit to help keep energy costs down, solar panels, and using Energy Star utilities, as reported by The Athens Messenger.

Christine Hughes and Bob O’Neil, owners of the Village Bakery and Cafe, made a statement supporting such an endeavor.

“Bit by bit, we’re cutting back our fossil fuel dependence and our goal is to be 100 percent run on renewable energy.”

The Solar Cookie is the featured product for the month of August in the Village Bakery and Cafe.

Presently, the Village Bakery and Cafe is halfway to their goal. They expect to reach it by 2017. But for now, they are just doing their best, taking one step at a time. And to help celebrate, they are featuring a product for the month of August called the Solar Cookie. It should also be noted the cookie is actually sponsored by local partnerships with The Messenger and Appalachian Center for Economics Network. But the sponsor that truly sums up the Village Bakery and Cafe’s mission is Third Sun Solar.

The Village Bakery and Cafe is located at 268 E. State St. Athens, Ohio. It is just tucked away under a broad overhang to help keep it cool when the days become hot.

Category: Business, Environment, Local | No Comments »
Tags: athens, bakery, geothermal, green, ohio, solar

Posted By RichC on August 4, 2015

It has been a whirlwind week as we hope all medical checks on Tuesday morning are a “go” for returning home. Brenda and I weighed the options and since she can’t do any weight bearing physical therapy on her left leg or left arm, there isn’t much sense to going to an in-patient rehab facility. The six week mark will be the earliest she can start weight oriented rehabilitation so she might as well be comfortable in a wheel chair at home.

Thanks to all who have offered prayers and sent well wishes for a speedy recovery.

Category: Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, family, hospital, ramp, rehab, surgery, wheel chair