Archiving a few WWII B-26 Marauder videos

| February 9, 2023

Here are a couple of B-26 Martin Marauder YouTube videos to archive (saved to personal cloud too) due to my interest in aviation and military history … but also because my late father-in-law serving as navigator on “this beautiful ship” in World War II (I can still hear him saying that). 

We hit a big milestone: Our 40th Wedding Anniversary

| June 5, 2022

A poor quality scan of our 1982 wedding with DadH, MomH, MomC and DadC Often a 40th Wedding Anniversary triggers a husband or wife to make the comment “thanks for putting up with me” or something to that effect. Although there is truth to it, spending the rest of your life with another person is […]

Ugly sweaters? Jerry, Gary, Mark, DadH and RichC for #TBT

| November 18, 2021

Every once in a while a memory gets triggered … and it happened while looking in my closet for a fleece or sweater with the weather turning colder. The photo below is from Christmas in 1990 and it seemed apropos for today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT. For the record, it was taken in Jamestown, NY at […]

Archive: The Howards and the Woodcocks in Florida #TBT

| February 18, 2021

A couple of weeks ago I shared a 1990s photo of Brenda’s dad with a close friend Hugh Woodcock and saw another one from 1997 to archive for a Throwback Thursday #TBT. Both MomH (2017) and DadH (2013) have passed away, but since Mrs. Woodcock (Ann) commented on my “snowy February stay-at-home” post, I figured […]

Archive: DadH, Hugh Woodcock, Lynda and Mark photos #TBT

| 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 […]

A Toyota 4Runner window sticker and missing a photo #TBT

| January 14, 2021

While shuffling through a bunch of old scans and photos and uploading stuff to my Miami University .EDU Google Drive account for free cloud storage after downgrading my subscription to OneDrive (they refused to renew the 1TB of space at my previous 4-years of discounted service), I ran across the window sticker from my black […]

Old handsaws, rusting jack posts and a deck of cards #TBT

| December 24, 2020

Since I expect to be busy with our family on Christmas Eve Day, I’ll prepare a post for Throwback Thursday #TBT with a few old handsaws from my families past and asked the rhetorical question to myself: “Why do you keep old handsaws that you never use?” Actually I don’t recall really needing to use […]

Remembering Pearl Harbor and a few personal family thoughts

| December 7, 2020

Recognition and remembrance for those of the Greatest Generation who were killed on December 7, 1941 are compelling reasons why Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day rings loud with me … but my remembering is also partially due out of respect for my parents. For them (and my late mother and father-in-law), the attack by Japan and […]

Sanding – my favorite part of woodworking #sarcasm

| April 15, 2020

Instead of spending time this past Easter weekend dressing,going to church and getting together with family, I spent a few more hours sanding … and sanding … and sanding. My goal is to get this old exterior black walnut door (super thick veneer over oak – see above photo) ready to take a traditional oil […]

A personal family photo (and video) from 30 years ago #TBT

| February 13, 2020

Last week, a Jasper, Alberta family photo near a glacier for a ThrowBack Thursday #TBT post, had me sharing a few of my thoughts on climate change. I should have included another photo that had a few more from our family (especially since my sister-in-law, Lynda,  just returned home from the Cleveland Clinic). The trip […]

There are safer ways to use a ladder

| January 12, 2020

Being young, and someone who looked to be vying to be listed in this year’s Darwin Award, had me telling this worker, on a questionable set ladder, that he may not be as invincible to injury as he thinks? (he said to me, “oh, I’ve done this before”)  We noticed a bit of water seeping […]

Can stamps get you in the Christmas spirit? #random

| December 8, 2019

While trying my best to get in the Christmas spirit … how about something from the philately world? Although I’m not a stamp collector, back in the day my company Consolidated Printing and Publishing did some plate work for special cancels and printing for a stamp collecting organization. Besides, my father-in-law had an impressive stamp […]

Remembering Easter break with a couple #TBT photos from 1997

| April 18, 2019

It is Thursday before Easter  and besides thinking about a Throwback Thursday post, it is also Maundy Thursday – the day in which Christian’s commemorate the Last Supper. It also reminds me of the times we would get together with our families on or around Easter. Sometimes it was with my parents and other times […]

Ancestry: Allen George Howard’s horse was named Gus #TBT

| March 14, 2019

Throwback Thursday posts can be interesting, especially when archiving a couple of my old photos from the early 1990s and tidbit of information that is likely not saved any place else (the horse was named Gus). Here’s a little Howard family history (my wife’s side of the family): Brenda’s grandfather, Allen George Howard died young; […]

A bit of my family legacy and our history found through tools

| January 31, 2019

In my workshop there is a spot on the wall behind dad’s small drill press and my router table for old tools. As mentioned before, I use Brenda’s dads’ dental tools regularly and have put a few of DadH’s woodworking tools on the wall – it is too bad I passed on the dental chair. […]

Do you appreciate modern dentistry?

| August 8, 2018

With a niece a new dentist and both a late father-in-law and brother-in-law who were dentists, the #70 Mike Rowe "The Way I Heard It Podcast" was interesting – You Might Feel A Little Pinch. I’m thankful for modern dentistry … although may look at my dentist with a little more scrutiny. Check out mikeroweWorks […]

How to best give investing advice to family and friends – DON’T!

| July 19, 2018

One of the topics of conversation for me throughout the years has been investing and trading. I enjoy the research and challenge, but having made many bad picks and mistakes, also realized just how dicey this is. This has made me sensitive when talking too specific with family and friends … even though I enjoy […]

Happy Birthday Taylor – What a difference 4 years can make

| June 10, 2018

It is hard to believe that my son Taylor is 29 years old today!?!?!? It doesn’t seem possible that he has been pretty much living on his own now for third of his life? He has certainly made us proud at the way he has grown up and handled a difficult decade that faced him […]

Found a great #TBT photo when deleting emails for space

| March 29, 2018

After noticing once again my business email box pushing the limit on storage, I did the normal "sort by size" in order to delete old and unneeded larger emails with hefty attachments. This is a common practice for me as several times each month my servers automatically back-up databases and email a .ZIP archive and […]

Getting life in perspective by focusing on the positives

| September 27, 2017

Brenda‘s dad lectured her sister Ann a decade or so ago about constantly having a “woe is me” moment. To be fair, she has a needier personality than Brenda that has a tendency to share one negative thing after another. I remember listening to him on the phone in frustration asking, “Do you have your […]

Extra work that makes little sense – salt and pepper shakers

| June 28, 2017

Did you ever find yourself spending way too much time on something where it makes no logical sense? Well this is the case for a set of my wife Brenda‘s salt and pepper shakers … of which she has many. Her grandmother had a collection that was split between her grandchildren and daughter-in-law (Brenda’s mom), […]

A final goodbye to a grandmother and mom – Frances Howard

| January 25, 2017

Memorials, funerals and burials can be emotionally draining and it is hard to know just how they impact each of us … but “to the person,” those that knew mom – grandma – Frances Ann Louise Howard (Holmstrom), were without question happy and celebrating. Fran and Christians who have placed their faith in Jesus, and […]

Music: Who was Kent LaVoie? Look at that hair!

| July 9, 2016

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Scanned a couple favorite old photos from a frame for #TBT

| September 10, 2015

When my daughter Katelyn was home a few weeks ago, she wanted Brenda to try painting a few things with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It happens to be a fairly popular crafty decorating “thing” and a creative way to reuse old furniture. This started the process of looking for items around our house to paint. […]

Follow up: Finished painting and reassembly of the lawn trailer

| July 26, 2015

How old is this utility lawn and garden trailer? If you haven't been reading along, it's 40 years old. Of course close inspection would indicated that their was rust, but all in all, my father-in-law's old trailer came back to life nicely … and the green is much more in keeping with our old John […]

Dad Howard would be pleased – reviving his old lawn trailer

| July 26, 2015

One of the projects coming together this past weekend was the disassembly, wire-brushing the rust (a lot), and painting of my late father-in-law’s old red Jackson lawn trailer. As mentioned previously, it was about 40 years old, well used, and had quite a bit of rust. Nevertheless, it was well made with quality steel – […]

Black Miracle Paint does not clean up like printing ink

| July 25, 2015

After spending a lifetime working on cars and 30 years dealing with printing press wash-up chemicals and hand scrubs, one would think I would know a little bit about cleaning my hands? Well I do know a “little bit” but still haven’t figured out how to clean dried paint off my hands (in particular Miracle […]

Clearing everything out of the Farmhouse prior to selling

| July 24, 2015

Brenda and her sister Chris spent last weekend together at the family Farmhouse in western New York. They sorted through what was left from their mom and dad’s lifetime of “stuff” separating into garage sale, trash pick-up, donations and items they might still want. The later “group” grew far too large, in my opinion.  Some […]

Archive: A few almost final Farmhouse photos

| July 6, 2015

I’m archiving a couple final (or nearly final) photos from my mother and father-in-law’s Farmhouse in Western New York. I spent the last few days as “busy as a beaver” finalizing a few things so that a home inspection would be as painless as possible … that is for a home built in the 1800s! […]

Dad Howard, his tiller and the dozer-house a few years ago #TBT

| April 30, 2015

Since I’ve been negotiating these past couple of weeks in selling my mother-in-law’s farmhouse and property, it seemed appropriate to post a Throw Back Thursday (#TBT) photo of Dad Howard in his gardening attire.   We are close to having a signed contract and are entering the inspections phase along with financing approval and wondering […]

Archive: The much-loved western NY Farmhouse – SOLD

| June 23, 2014

Chris (my “hard working” sister-in-law) and I spent a few more days in Jamestown, New York and stretched out a weekend to work on my in-law’s beloved “Farmhouse.” It looks like we are finally making headway in getting it ready to show … ready or not it will be on the market. I hope whoever […]

Clamps on a wall

| October 27, 2013

After teasing my sister-in-law about her wanting “just one” of the clamps her dad willed to me so she could hang it on her wall … I ended up hanging the rest on the wall too (although in my workshop).😉

Cleaning out the family farmhouse and barn in New York

| 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 […]

Closing up life on two fronts and Grandpa’s workshop

| September 16, 2013

We are in countdown mode on a couple of fronts: 1) Taylor is wrapping things up for his move to North Dakota in a few days and 2) our family is working to close out Brenda’s mom’s “life in Jamestown, New York.” I am sad on both counts, but know that both changes are for […]

Well done, good and faithful servant – Matthew 25:23

| June 7, 2013

Life returning to “normal” doesn’t feel right after being with family and friends for the funeral and burial of Dr. Frederick Howard, Brenda’s father – I’m not sure when I will realize that he is gone. We remembered dad’s life through stories and humor this past week and as Christians, knowing he is now truly […]

Quite the legacy my father-in-law left behind

| 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 […]

Brenda is a firebug … just like her dad

| 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 […]

Bringing Mom and Dad Howard back from New York

| 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 […]

My father-in-law and his old John Deere bulldozer

| July 17, 2012

I enjoyed a little back and forth reminiscing this morning on Twitter with a friend of mine who shared a photo of his dad on his old 1951 Ford 8N. It brought back a few memories of my Ford 800 (searching for an old pre-digital photo) when we lived in Hudson, Ohio … and before […]

Nobody wants to grow old and become dependent on others

| September 17, 2010

We are all getting older and inevitably our human bodies give way to age. Some are blessed with good health for 70 or 80 years, but eventually become dependent on others. Learning to adjust is not something most are quick to accept. The days of our years are three score years and ten; and if […]

Family football was tough on the lawn this year

| December 28, 2008

Once again my Treo smart phone ’email to blog’ didn’t post correctly while visiting family in New York state. A couple posts were missed, but I’ll quickly upload at least this one family photo for posterity sake. It is from the Howard Bowl 2008 and shows the well trampled field (my father-in-laws lawn) after our […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog