RichC | July 25, 2021
So what do you know about bats? Personally, I didn’t know very much at all. I see them regularly in the evening sky darting around and have always repeated the mantra that they are good for the environment because they eat mosquitos and pesky insects (article). Beyond that … and the vampire stories … I […]
RichC | July 24, 2021
If it were not for the questionable messaging being pushed by every politician, biased partisan media personality (both left and right), so called medical experts and even our own wishy-washy Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it would be easier to decipher if this Delta Covid-19 variant is something to worry about or just […]
RichC | July 19, 2021
If you are an investor or long term education and retirement saver, you’re feeling the pain today as the coronavirus Delta variant spread could impact the economic recovery. U.S. stocks, oil prices and government bond yields slid Monday as anxiety mounted over the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant and its potential impact on the […]
RichC | April 1, 2021
While cleaning up one of my old Flickr accounts where my Palm Treo 700p photos were backed up, I stumbled across one of the first photos with it I took and posted to this blog – June 2006. Even though the camera was lacking by today’s cellphone standards, I still think the Palm PDA turned […]
RichC | March 30, 2021
The news that has captured much of the of the world’s interest this week was the very large Ever Given container ship lodged sideways in the Suez Canal by 40+ mph winds (and perhaps some mechanical issues?). The “Empire State Building” size ship snarled traffic for 6 days surprising most people as to just how […]
RichC | March 25, 2021
For the most part, I’m a conservative investor, although a regular channel trader, and I rarely speculates on risky upstarts, IPOs, zero-profit tech stocks, pharmaceutical long-shots or the latest crazy … cryptocurrency trend. Since most “risk” involves speculation, I see it more akin to gambling than eyes-open informed value or growth investing … both which […]
RichC | March 18, 2021
Real estate has been on a tear in many markets as the coronavirus has people moving from cities to the suburbs and their own piece of land. In my opinion it is not just COVID19 related, but that fact that cities aren’t as secure or as tax friendly to live in, especially on the east […]
RichC | March 6, 2021
Immunization is picking up speed, but we are still struggling to get enough of the produced vaccinations in arms … especially in some states. This past week an article in Fortune posted a “tracker map” illustrating where it is going well and where we’re are struggling to get shots in the arms of every American […]
RichC | March 3, 2021
If all we do is listen to those who spew negativity and show distain for America, we might miss the fact that the US through Operation Warp Speed in coordination with private companies, have given us a COVID19 vaccine to its citizens and to the world in record time. In keeping with countries which have […]
RichC | February 14, 2021
Brenda packaged up a nice box of fun gifts for our granddaughters and they connected by FaceTime with high energy and happy faces – it was fun. Both Annalyn and Ellerie are camera “hams” and seem to enjoy what to them is a normal communication medium. I’m certainly enjoying the technology connection as it is […]
RichC | February 4, 2021
I always stop in to visit with lifetime friends of Mom and Dad Howard, Ann and Hugh Woodcock when I’m close, but hesitate to even tell them I’m nearby “in the days of COVID19.” I really hate putting it off though, since one never knows how many days friends in their 90s have? The photo […]
RichC | January 26, 2021
All I can think about are the stock market “bubbles” from the past. I’d love to believe the upward trend we’ve seen this past years is genuine and built on an appropriate foundation, but suspect as most know, it is being built on “hope” and “stimulus dollars.” Now that is not to say that certain […]
RichC | January 20, 2021
While talking with a customer on the phone today and talking about when I’ll be traveling to NE Ohio again, they asked me when they could get the Covid-19 vaccine? See Covid-19 Vaccination Program – LINK. So I figured it would be appropriate to include a screenshot from an Ohio-based health care provider in our […]
RichC | December 31, 2020
I had lunch “out” this week with my good friend Jeff, although this routine has become very infrequent compared to previous years. Still, we had a chance to catch up, talk about politics (Ugh), the old-days backpacking in North Carolina (an old scanned photo for Throwback Thursday #TBT) … and I opened his cool gift […]
RichC | December 29, 2020
It was great that the sun was shining in the new windows the day after Christmas, but the hot-spots did make for a challenging family photo in front of the tree (we ended up too busy and forgot to take on on Christmas day with all the presents). Nevertheless, we still wanted to take one […]
RichC | December 27, 2020
There was an interesting article in Prevention Magazine that explains what the COVID19 or generically the Coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna do … AND what their ingredients are. It also details the differences between the two from the standpoint of how cold storage temperatures need to be. Check out the article for the ingredients […]
RichC | December 23, 2020
Marking time and happenings is sort of what My Desultory Blog has evolved into … or at least it seems that way lately (reminds me of the “Pacing the Cage” song). I have found that in hindsight I’ve been using the blog as a reference point for events and updates. It had become a good […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | December 15, 2020
It has been a challenging year to say the least with the Coronavirus still raging in the US and around the world. So many lives, businesses and plans have been forever changed. Brenda and I just feel blessed to be surviving the pandemic and able to function in a day to day matter. We hear […]
RichC | December 12, 2020
What grandparent doesn’t like getting voice messages (and photos) from their children and grandchildren? I sure love my granddaughters and enjoy using technology to stay in touch with them during this COVID 2020 year. Brenda, Katelyn, Drew and I use Facetime to talk each weekend, but I particularly enjoy asking questions and getting answers from […]
RichC | November 23, 2020
One of the more disturbing trends during the COVID19COVID19 pandemic has been the infringement on personal liberty by politicians in the country.Thankfully we are closing in on a vaccine, but the heavy-handed restrictions that may have been tolerated during the initial outbreak, aren’t being received well by those who are trying to keep food on the […]
RichC | November 18, 2020
Every once in awhile, an interesting and creative, but questionable, idea crossing my eyeballs. Here’s a pretty good one when it comes to the age-old tape, thread or strand of hair method of securing a door (below). Obviously the broken, and likely telltale orange Cheetos powder, would be a sure sign of an unauthorized entry. […]
RichC | November 1, 2020
While pre-starting a Happy Halloween archive post for 2020 amidst a limited trick or treating year due to COVID19, I will at least start with a few photos Katelyn and Drew sent of their preparation. I’m sure Annalyn is excited to at least “beg” for a little candy (probably just close neighbors) but it is […]
RichC | October 28, 2020
As one newspaper reported, it has been “the weirdest year in baseball history.” The World Series ended Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the 2020 MLB season’s in game 6 of the World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays were out played with strong pitching by the Dodgers, and although I had totally checked […]
RichC | September 14, 2020
In keeping up with archiving the Jimmy Buffett COVID19 “stay-at-home” series of recording during the summer of 2020, here’s another old one … although to me, I remember it like yesterday. “The Wino and I Know“ was the first song on side B of his 1974 Living and Dying in 3/4 Time album.
RichC | September 13, 2020
I downloaded and installed the new Apple iOS 13.7 update, but hesitated since I regularly prefer blocking location services information. Both Apple and Google announced the “tracking” in April 2020, but as expected, it was met with reservation. Most users are naïve to the amount of personal data requested by apps and operation systems on […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | August 12, 2020
It is hard to believe, but it is that time of the summer already! Nope, not quite “back to school” time, but time to wish Brenda a Happy Birthday. In the year of COVID19 as the card front to the left says, “we can’t go anywhere, but Happy Birthday.” We’ll celebrate low-key at home since […]
RichC | July 24, 2020
It’s an uncomfortable time to be a freedom-loving and patriotic American who misses old days of going about day to day business without wearing a facemask or triggering someone by “wearing” something with the wrong message. Heaven forbid a social media unaware person thinks (well, says out loud) “All Lives Matter” rather than only certain […]
RichC | July 18, 2020
As politicians and most of us in the United States (and probably world) debate how to live under the shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic, researchers, doctors and academics are flooding the Internet with studies and opinions both for and against opening up the country. Some have our best interest at heart … and likely some […]
RichC | July 7, 2020
See a few more details leading up to this from Gov Mike Dewine on this post.
RichC | July 2, 2020
It sure would be nice to report all is well in Ohio, but unfortunately our returning to semi-normal routines and statewide reopening has hit a snag … at least according to those elected and paid to monitor our health. See coronavirus.ohio.gov. ALERT LEVELS: (all include “Follow all current health orders”) Active exposure and spread. Increased […]
RichC | June 28, 2020
Flew on the airlines for the first time since COVID19 to Florida via Baltimore (photo BWI terminal above) last week and thankfully the flights and negotiating the airport was uneventful. Besides a computer glitch which backed up lines on check in, everything else went smoothly. It is yet to be seen if the rise in […]
RichC | June 16, 2020
Like a lot of people during COVID19, we have gravitated even more to Amazon and online ordering for our “stuff.” We have not ordered groceries online yet, but are definitely doing more online shopping than ever before. I mentioned having issues with Amazon a few times before (1, 2, 3) during stay-at-home orders and find […]
RichC | June 11, 2020
After listening to the loudest protestors from around the U.S. seemingly unite around the “defund and dismantle the police” manta, it is natural for people to ponder the questions regarding how this movement of angry people intend to “keep the peace.” As some point laws aren’t going to be followed, gangs and thugs will intimidate […]
RichC | May 30, 2020
It has been a couple weeks of more states and localities re-opening. Brenda and I stopped at Fazoli’s to pick up something last weekend, but instead decided to try something new .. at least since restaurants shut down. We donned our face masks and ordered our meal sitting every other table. All was good. Then […]
RichC | May 24, 2020
It has been a slow start to getting our yard in shape. By now we usually have the pool open and flowers planned, but for some reason (probably rain) we are not ready for summer. Thankfully though, Saturday was nice most of the day. I waited as long as possible to add a few brown […]
RichC | May 18, 2020
If you’ve followed MyDesultoryBlog for any time now, you’ve noticed Music Monday often includes songs from Jackson Browne. If there is one “go-to” Pandora channel I call-up and listen to, it is Jackson Browne Radio. I say “call-up” because even before this “no-touch” Coronavirus time, I’ve been using Alexa to play music. Recently I updated […]
RichC | May 15, 2020
We are all likely on information overload when it comes to the Coronavirus and how it has impacted our country and the world. Still, it seemed appropriated to include a reminder as we start to re-open the country that the threat is far from over – we have just “flattened the curve” as it were. […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | April 25, 2020
If you’ve watched, read or remembered any of the Public Service Announcements (PSA) since the Coronavirus pandemic started, you will probably smile when watching this.
RichC | April 22, 2020
The Coronavirus is doing what environmentalists and anti-fossil fuel advocates have only dreamed of doing … killing the petroleum industry. There is so little demand for crude oil that “Producers must pay buyers $37.63 a barrel” to refine their product. There is no place to store it as companies who explore and drill are dead […]
RichC | April 21, 2020
As the United States and the world prepare to open society in phases after well over a month of stay-at-home orders due to the Coronavirus, the debate between those who see the health risk as too high and those who fear a full on economic collapse (world wide depression) continues. Several states are seeing protests […]
RichC | April 19, 2020
Although it has only been a couple months since Ellerie was born (8 weeks now), the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders has definitely made it challenging for grandparents … especially when they would really like to be with their grandchildren. Brenda and I only ‘now’ realize just how fortunate we were to have been able to travel several […]
RichC | April 10, 2020
Last week my son Taylor and friend Jeff both sent me their “homemade” stand-up or propped up (with books) notebook computers while working from home. I suspect they aren’t the only COVID19 “stay-at-home” workers trying to come up with comfortable ways to do their jobs? I know Jeff once had a stand-up desk at work […]
RichC | April 2, 2020
With “stay at home” orders issued for 3/4 of the U.S. population, my good friend Jeff Pitts has been obeying the directive and working from home. It is also giving him time to do those “I’ll get to it someday” chores like cleaning out a spare room and finally throwing stuff away. One of the […]
RichC | April 1, 2020
April 1st is usually a day reserved for lighthearted jokes (April Fools’ Day), but the mood is just not there this year … at least for me. Thankfully we are still operating Coronavirus-free as a family, but no doubt as this pandemic makes its way across the country and envelopes the world, someone in the […]
RichC | March 31, 2020
Although few of us really want to be tracking the exponential explosion of the COVID19 spread, a friend asked me if there was a preferred site to go to for updated information. I responded with CDC.gov or Department of Health here in Ohio as trusted sources, but then suggested that if he was like me, […]
RichC | March 30, 2020
Neil Diamond sings “Sweet Caroline” with updated lyric for safety during Covid-19 pandemic. Stay safe out there!
RichC | March 28, 2020
Here’s an easy Question and Answer put together by Apple: Take this simple test as a starting place to know what you should be doing. L I N K
RichC | March 24, 2020
It has been good to be distracted with a painting and bookshelf project while "staying at home" these last few days. Unfortunately the COVID19 Coronavirus doesn’t look to be disappearing or dissipating as quickly as we were all hoping … so it looks as if we’ll be struggling to figure out how to not only […]
RichC | March 23, 2020
Our current Ohio “stay-at-home” order due to the Coronavirus has me thinking that a few lines from the Band On The Run lyrics are fitting for our current #socialdistancing situation. I for one have found myself wanting to “go someplace” or to get in the car just to get out of the house. Brenda suggested […]
RichC | March 22, 2020
We are definitely not the only ones praying a little bit more that usual nowadays while listening to those who are trying to help the country and world manage and get through the Coronavirus threat. I reluctantly worry about the elderly and less capable of fending for themselves especially if they have underlying health issue […]
RichC | March 18, 2020
For those of us who in December thought this Coronavirus ‘thing’ was a Chinese story and not going to be a big deal here in America; we were wrong. COVID19 and the economic impact is being felt far and wide by everyone in the world. I still want to believe it will be short-lived and […]
RichC | March 17, 2020
Since all Americans are in this fight together, it is appropriate we take the precautions necessary to slow the spread and "flatten the curve" of the Coronavirus so that our hospitals and medical professional can help those who are in need of their care. Appropriately each state has stepped up with their own actions – […]
RichC | March 17, 2020
With the Coronavirus news sending the entire world into chaos, about the only thing sane to do is to hunker down and ignore the mayhem. “Woulda, coulda, shoulda” doesn’t do much now … I’m just thankful to have mostly invested in sensible companies that hopefully will weather the storm. Only time will tell. So in […]
RichC | March 14, 2020
It was a tiring week with the drip, drip, drip Coronavirus news and highly-reactive financial markets. Although frightening, investors rightly or wrongly responded with a selloff of historic proportions. The entire meltdown seemed more like hysteria and panic and had me wondering how our country and nation ever faced plagues, a weak economy due to […]
