RichC | May 10, 2015
A great weekend after traveling this week. We enjoyed the first “ribs” of the season and celebrated Mother’s Day with Brenda and her mom by working in the yard. Spring clean-up and “finally” opening the pool — the latest we have ever opened her in Cincinnati (might have been later in Hudson, OH 20 years […]
RichC | May 9, 2015
Those who know my wife’s family heritage, KNOW she has the firebug in her DNA. Spring clean up around the yard this year is no exception. Once again … the bonfire is blazing (click for larger image). While Brenda has her issues with fire, I have mine with coffee. I know I’m getting extreme when […]
RichC | May 7, 2015
Another year older and hopefully wiser (birthdays seems to happen too often) and am still trying to live and love life to the fullest. On this ThrowBack Thursday (TBT) I’ll include a couple photos and even an Elton John YouTube song from “just” a few years ago (cough, cough). The Brenich photos were from […]
RichC | April 25, 2015
We are so fortunate to have great kids, steady employment and the flexibility to escape once in a while to enjoy the fruits of our labor … AND to recharge our batteries for a few days. Taylor flew down to Florida from North Dakota and met up with Miami University friend Paul for the weekend […]
RichC | April 17, 2015
I don’t think many of us are properly prepared to make the decisions that are needed to care for elderly parents. Even though my brother and I have been through medical needs, nursing and then hospice care for my mom, we were still not knowledgeable when it came to handling dad. Thankfully, if you have […]
RichC | March 24, 2015
While doing a little garage work this past weekend (removed snowblower from the John Deere) I crawled under Brenda’s dented and bruised 270,000 mile 1998 Toyota Rav 4 (Links 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). Besides repairing an exhaust hanger and heat shield, I spotted a leak in the power steering and inspected a […]
RichC | February 15, 2015
After reading the subject line, I realized that “more that the two of us” would have been a little odd … but thank you Brenda for making dinner special. One of Saturday’s projects was taking apart a Whale Galley water pump and ordering a rebuild kit online. After pricing it on a few boating sites, […]
RichC | January 7, 2015
My daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew were in town to visit this week and we pretended it was still the week of Christmas and exchanged a couple gifts. Brenda had already shipped a box of presents to them, but saved back a frame and print for them. It was an artistic photo taken down […]
RichC | December 20, 2014
Merry Christmas to those who continue to check the blog for whatever desultory thoughts I try to type daily in my computer, iPad … or occasionally my smartphone each day. It has been an enjoyable year online for me and my addiction. Although social networks have made posting text, photos, audio and video easier, I’m […]
RichC | December 18, 2014
I’m late to the Throwback Thursday social networking trend, but a “just arrived” photo of Brenda and her brother Mark before his passing is good excuse to start – they look too young for this to be 1991? (thanks for the photo Chris) Besides the smiling sister and brother photo (he was a dentist), our niece Jackie, […]
RichC | December 16, 2014
When my wife sets her mind to something, she goes “full in.” I’m so glad she is not a gambler. It started as a simple project; she wanted an antique frame. So began the process of shopping estate sales, and bidding on online auction sites like our local EBTH and eBay. Eventually the looking turned […]
RichC | November 23, 2014
For those of us driving older cars already having their share of bumps and bruises … we face a dilemma when a new door dent appears AND we see the person who did the “dinging.” That’s what happened to my wife the other day and she confronted the lady who’s door blew into Brenda’s Toyota […]
RichC | November 10, 2014
One of the highlights for parents who have “some” technological prowess is that we can stay in touch with our children no matter where they are living and working. Between instant cellphone, emails and text messages with our kids, Taylor, Katelyn and Drew, we also enjoy sharing photos and Facetime calls even for small things. […]
RichC | October 27, 2014
What a wonderful life. I’ll let our video speak for itself. "God is good, God is good all the time. All the time God is good." from the movie God is NOT Dead. But it applies …
RichC | August 12, 2014
For those of you wondering, I AM talking about my wife Brenda. Happy Birthday. We don’t generally make a fuss over birthdays like some couples, but we do try to do something thoughtful or go out to a nice restaurant. Don’t tell her, but this year I found the first three seasons of one of […]
RichC | August 5, 2014
Learning from wise parents and grandparents is a generational gift that isn’t given enough credit, especially since we ask: “What’s happening to America?” A: Families are changing. I grew up watching teenagers a decade (or less) older than me heading to Vietnam or getting lost in angry 60’s. They (we) followed those dark years of […]
RichC | August 3, 2014
What a beautiful weekend to work out in the garage and yard. There are plenty of chores that “should” be done and a few that I “want” to do … so Saturday I focused on the “want.” Before mowing, I pulled the blades off the Kubota and put an edge back on them (try […]
RichC | July 20, 2014
After our visit with Katelyn and Drew in Minneapolis ( 7/18 & 7/19), we flew up to Williston, North Dakota to see Taylor. Flight and weather were great and after dinner our first night we stopped at Taylor’s Williams County Zoning and Planning office (below) and took an evening hike along the levy east of […]
RichC | July 19, 2014
Katelyn forwarded a few of her photos from our visit to Minneapolis. We really did have a great time visiting and KNOW that they will “enjoy” at least the next three years while in Minnesota for Drew’s hematology fellowship; at this point I can see them staying far longer … but then again, it’s […]
RichC | July 18, 2014
We’ve been having a wonderful time enjoying what Minneapolis, Minnesota has to offer “in the summertime” with Katelyn and Drew. Our couple of days has been filled with activities from picture hanging and yardwork to bike riding and fine dining (photos above from 6Smith in Wayzata). Another evening we we were off to […]
RichC | July 7, 2014
First … my son Taylor took a few days away from work in Williston, North Dakota to going backpacking with a few guys in Glacier National Park – Montana. His weather was picture perfect and besides being out of shape for the long an challenging hikes, he had a fantastic time. I’m so glad he […]
RichC | June 5, 2014
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RichC | April 1, 2014
We had almost perfect weather to enjoy a mini-vacation on Encore these past few days, unfortunately all good things come to an end. Beside doing to much needed cleaning (Brenda does a better job than me), we took our niece Sarah and her friends out for a day of sailing. Our goal was to head […]
RichC | February 15, 2014
OK … enough already! Winter continues to blast most of us in the east and has been particularly brutal for those in the SE generally immune to heavyt ice and snow. Here in Cincinnati we’ve had our share of cold weather and a lot more snow than usual … and it has even been […]
RichC | December 25, 2013
What a wonderful time we had over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year. We were happy to have Taylor, Katelyn and Drew home together with us for a couple days holidays (photo above) … and thankful some in the Corbett side of our family with us for dinner. It was a great to be […]
RichC | December 16, 2013
Merry Christmas to those who regularly read my “desultory” daily posts or may have just stumbled onto my blog. It has been a busy year and although my Google Analytics stats are no longer growing (they are actually down), the AdSense revenue is up? That aside, I am including more archival information “for me” than […]
RichC | October 16, 2013
EDIT: I’ve added a small recording “app” to the iMac called eXtra Voice Recorder. In the old Mac days we would call these small apps “DAs”(Desk Accessories). If you’re a pre-X Mac user, do you remember them? Below is the audio test. Reading Cleaning out the family farmhouse and barn in New York […]
RichC | September 14, 2013
Brenda and her mom are participating in a “sponsored walk” this Saturday morning to benefit the American Heart Association with a few of Brenda’s co-workers. It is a beautiful morning for it and from the temperatures the first day of fall … brr! I’m still refusing the thought of cooler weather and challenging the temps […]
RichC | September 2, 2013
It is not like my long distance swimming wife needs an additional incentive to keep swimming further and further, but hearing this is sure to keep Brenda’s motivation alive. Congratulations to long distance swimmer Diana Nyad in succeeding in her open water swim “without a shark cage” from Havana to Key West this Labor Day […]
RichC | August 19, 2013
I had one of those “knight in shining armor” moments this weekend after a call for help request came in from my wife Brenda. She planned a weekend trip with her mother with a stop to visit our daughter in Columbus then to the farmhouse in New York. The primary goal is to begin taking […]
RichC | August 14, 2013
Before I’m accused of forgetting my wife’s birthday, I didn’t (Whew) … but am posting here a couple days late. I think this is the first time we used a video call instead of a phone call as a way to connect with someone for a birthday, at least with a photo (we used FaceTime […]
RichC | August 4, 2013
Brenda and her mom enjoying a near perfect day in Cincinnati (West Chester) having a Nathan’s hotdog. EDIT: The original image was tinted so red from under the umbrella that I opted to go black and white for a change.
RichC | June 9, 2013
I can’t believe Brenda wanted to drive the new old Benz on a 1000 mile road trip before I even test drove it on the highway, but she did. When I checked in last week and asked how it handled, she said, “well, it wouldn’t go much over 85?” Huh!?!? You’re driving the 1982 MB […]
RichC | June 2, 2013
Some of us are fortunate to have wise men in our lives … someone that mentors and shapes us … someone who is an example for patterning our day to day lives. I was fortunate to have one of these wise men, that being my wife’s father, Dr. Frederick A. Howard – August 24, 1925 […]
RichC | April 1, 2013
With the weather improving and Katelyn and Drew’s wedding only two weeks away, expect fewer blog posts. Katelyn was home again for Easter weekend and we enjoyed our time together working on programs, etc. I’ve continued to plug away at my wagon project and am beginning to wonder what I was thinking waiting until the […]
RichC | March 18, 2013
Cupcakes | Madison and Katelyn with game board Well just because I didn’t include commentary or photos from Katelyn’s wedding shower this past Saturday, doesn’t mean it wasn’t important; I can take a hint and will include a few of Brenda’s snapshots over lunch today (sorry if I missed someone). As the subject line […]
RichC | January 24, 2013
It may be 15 degrees outside, but that doesn’t keep my firebug wife from heading out to burn landscape grasses and who knows what else. She asked if I had a larger fire blanket (I gave her a small one for Christmas this year), and since I didn’t, she settled for a 5 gallon bucket […]
RichC | December 26, 2012
We drove up to Columbus and enjoyed “catering” a Christmas dinner at Katelyn’s fiancé Drew’s house. The two of them (both in their residency) were working the night rotations … Katelyn just off a 24 hour stint at Nationwide and Drew his week of 13 hour nights at OSU. We have postponed our family gift […]
RichC | December 16, 2012
I’ve been spending most of my time by my mother’s bedside (previous post), but wanted to share a little cheer as well. My daughter Katelyn had a wonderful bridal shower hosted by the friends of her future mother-in-law (Barb Oostra) in Toledo on Saturday. They enjoyed brunch and presents at the Inverness Club and […]
RichC | December 13, 2012
Ah … we’re finished with this year’s Corbett Christmas Letter … they are in the mail! (click for a PDF copy) One of my favorite things about celebrating Christmas is the reminiscing — especially when putting up, or just looking at, the decorated tree in our house. We have a mish-mash Christmas tree with decorations […]
RichC | November 18, 2012
My wife is a dolphin lover … NOT the Mahi-mahi fish type, but the intelligent and always smiling marine mammals. Me on the other hand, I like both … and enjoy blackened or grilled Mahi-mahi almost as much as “viewing” a pod of dolphins swimming along side a wind-driven sailboat. Nevertheless, I knew Brenda would […]
RichC | November 14, 2012
I tuned out for a couple days since wifi is scarce at my in-laws farmhouse in western New York. Brenda and I made our annual pilgrimage to pack up her mom and dad and are bringing them to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving and then on their way to Florida for winter. They take the a slow […]
RichC | October 29, 2012
It sure has been nice to see my daughter on weekends the last couple of months as her residency schedule has been somewhat gentler. Unfortunately she knows it will not last and the rotations will eventually be more challenging and stressful in a couple more weeks. She went to a wedding show near Kings Island […]
RichC | September 30, 2012
My weekend was filled with more wedding stuff and with three of the most important women in my life. On Saturday I chauffeured Brenda and Katelyn to and from a few more wedding planning functions as well as participated in more cake tasting. This time the final cake arrangements were made. My wife and daughter […]
RichC | June 5, 2012
I’m “archiving” a few old photos and want to thank my wife Brenda for 30 wonderful years (our 30th anniversary is today June 5); I’m looking forward to another 30 years with her and watching our children build their lives and memories. As many family and friends will agree, 30 years goes by pretty fast […]
RichC | December 23, 2011
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides Can I handle the seasons of my life? Landslide – Stevie Nicks in 2007 (originally 1975) We didn’t put that much time or effort into including a thoughtful letter with our Christmas cards this year, instead we merely included a collage of photos (below). That said we […]
RichC | December 24, 2010
I’m a Christian and make an effort to keep “Christ in Christmas” … but I do my best to be sensitive to other religions going out of my way to send Hanukkah cards to my Jewish friends and ease off offending those that I know have strong objections to the Christian faith and our desire […]
RichC | November 27, 2010
With Brenda’s dad’s rehabilitation coming along fairly successfully, our family was thankful to be able to be with both Mom and Dad Howard for Thanksgiving this year. Although the time was short, we made the most of it and celebrate a challenging year giving thanks for all the blessings. Beside being able to take him […]
RichC | December 18, 2009
The house is now decorated, the kids home (or almost home) from college, snow is in the forecast and Christmas is a mere week away. As we reflect on the scrabble to get everything right for the celebration this season, let’s not get so overly wrapped up in the preparation that we lose sight of […]
RichC | August 26, 2008
I’ve used this photo for the last couple years but knew it was from a birthday celebration at my parents house in August of 2008 … so since I’ve updated the “ABOUT” page on 6/2011, I’m archiving the older photo in the year it was taken. I still like it …
RichC | July 26, 2008
After 23 years of mowing with our sturdy John Deere diesel tractor mower, we have finally succumb to the “keep up with the Jones” pressure of a new zero-turn style mower. The neighbor ladies referred to my wife as “the turtle” while mowing with the old slowpoke John Deere, even though it has continued to […]
RichC | June 18, 2008
My own family has ganged up on me in a ‘vacation’ game of Risk. Its been an enjoyable few days on vacation and we’re all getting plenty of sun — although it has been raining on and off here in Delray Beach, Florida. Today was particularly nice as we topped off the day with a […]
RichC | June 5, 2008
Although it wasn’t a close call in remembering our 26th wedding anniversary, I wasn’t exactly plotting weeks in advance either … but Brenda and I had an enjoyable time going to the movies — Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. For us the Indiana Jones movie brought back fond memories as the […]
RichC | May 11, 2008
This might seem odd, but a new Royal Star Magnolia (Stellata Magnolia) is a gift that made my wife happy on Mother’s Day — photo and post from Palm Treo. (EDIT: tweaked post Sunday afternoon) Happy Mother’s Day Brenda … and to all mothers reading this. (in fact I think I’ll give ‘my’ mother a […]
RichC | December 24, 2007
Last night my wife and I enjoyed reading the small Max Lucado coffee table book “One Incredible Moment” in front of our Christmas Tree. Although the book was published in 2006, the segment included below, Mary’s Prayer, was originally part of the Lucado book “God Came Near.” As you prepare for your Christmas celebration and […]
RichC | February 25, 2007
The beauty of having a ‘non-topical’ blog is that posting something off-topic is ‘okay’ … so here ya go: Brenda’s Butchered Buffalo Wings. 😉 While our family was enjoying a meal out at a local Chili’s restaurant, my wife proceeded to nibble her buffalo wings naked. Its just wrong! When I pointed it out that […]
RichC | December 23, 2006
To celebrate the Christmas season, Brenda (my wife) suggested (to my moaning) that we go as a family to see the Nutcracker performed by the Cincinnati Ballet. I’m probably the only ‘guy’ in America groaning about spending $50 a ticket to go to the ballet … right???
RichC | December 20, 2005
Originally MyArchive.us was a place to archive documents, photos, etc but eventually became a much more public (yet personal) blog (richc.myarchive.us and finally MyDesultoryBlog.com). As the daily public shares grew, it became difficult to decide what to share and what to exclude. As our family grew older, it became easier to include them in “family” oriented posts […]
RichC | December 19, 2005