diane | My Desultory Blog

Working with an old Shaw wrench from my grandfather

RichC | July 3, 2018

While working with my "travel tool bag" today, I pick up a open end wrench with SHAW on the handle. It brought back memories of my Grandpa Bluhm and where he once worked back in the 1950s or 60s. I sent a photo to my cousin Diane, but because it was a tool, don’t really […]

Category: History, Tools | No Comments »
Tags: antique, bluhm, diane, family, grandfather, joseph, popular science, shaw, tools

Pre-posted before our family weekend in Cincinnati

RichC | August 5, 2017

It is hard to believe, but this will be the first time our granddaughter Annalyn comes to visit in Cincinnati. Shocking … 5 months and a first visit??? It will have to change. Since I’ll likely be preoccupied, here’s a Thursday night post for a Sunday filler after using the extra material from my Wicker […]

Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, brother, chair, cousin, diane, family, lagoon, lake erie, momc, project, recover, wicker

What does one do with an old cigarette box or cigarettes?

RichC | February 21, 2017

I was fortunate to have one of the greatest childhoods. My immediate family was very close with my mom’s parents (my grandparents) and her sister and family. We spent many times together and every holiday. My cousin Diane and husband Bert remain “relatively” close to this day and occasionally text message back and forth. Hm, […]

Category: Archive, Health, History, Memories, Misc | No Comments »
Tags: box, brands, cigarettes, dadc, diane, family, memories, smoking

Family, grandparents, art, handiwork and a special cousin

RichC | June 11, 2016

My cousin (a loyal blog reader … a little embarrassing) exchanged a couple of text messages the other day after she commented on "our" grandfather’s photo and grandmother’s painting. It is nice to know that I’m not the only one who is sentimental about our grandparents, considering the very few years they were in our […]

Category: Archive, Art, Memories, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: artwork, baithouse, bluhm, diane, family, grandparents, mears, nailbox, paintings

Visiting Mom and Dad with family again

RichC | January 29, 2012

Mom and Diane on Saturday afternoon January 28, 2012 It was great to see my mom happy to have visitors and feeling pretty good after getting a better combination of pain medication. Although her vertebrae is deteriorating and their has been little hope for a surgical repair, she has been in much better spirits now […]

Category: Personal, Photos, Video | No Comments »
Tags: diane, family, momc

Most Recent Posts

07/04/20: Winning freedom is one thing, maintaining it is yet another
As we celebrate our country’s freedom from oppression and an independence won from Great Britain this July 4th, it is hard to imagine any US citizen wanting to give up their liberty? Yet once again, it is looking more… »
07/03/20: Tech Friday: Amazon’s AI notifications needs improvement
As often as I gripe about ordering from Amazon or more to the point, complain about their delivery and updating, one would think I would opt for another online ecommerce portal? Unfortunately there aren’t better… »
07/02/20: With June 2020 behind us, how is Ohio handling COVID19?
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… »
07/02/20: Idea: Using eggshells as planters to grow seedlings
Every once in a while an idea triggers me into thinking … “I’m going to try this!” Last week I stumbled across a Lifehacker post that was worth archiving. Using biodegradable eggshells to start seedlings … and… »
07/01/20: It was on my mind, so made a better Featherboard Hold-Down
As mentioned a couple days ago, I saw a fellow woodworker using a better featherboard hold-down clamp … and after over 30 years of using my “temporary” pine featherboard … with a makeshift wedge style clamp, I… »
06/30/20: Winding down June 2020 with a couple granddaughter photos
Time to add a couple photos to close out June 2020 and mark the 4 month pediatrician appointment for Ellerie. She is doing great and weighed in at 13 lbs 6 oz and 25 inches. Not to be left out, Annalyn is growing too,… »
06/29/20: Music Monday: Bread – Baby I’m-a Want You plus concert video
After mentioning and listening to my friend’s “vinyl” version of Bread’s album Baby I’m-a Want You last week when visiting, I thought why not a sampling for Music Monday? So here’s the cover song from the… »
06/28/20: Archive: Flying down and driving back from hurricane prep
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… »
06/27/20: Woodworking idea to better clamp a table saw featherboard
I’ve used the same combination of featherboards on my table saw for years (photo left). I also have a Shopsmith commercial featherboard which fits the smaller table perfectly, but it only works to hold larger sized… »
06/26/20: TechFriday: Dropbox paid cloud storage is tough to justify
Besides Google’s less intuitive cloud storage, Dropbox was the first cloud service that I gravitated to “back in the day.” I’ve posted about them before on TechFriday (2015 comparison) and they are still… »
06/25/20: Forgot to archive my 2020 Father’s Day conversation #TBT
Our family went in different directions for Father’s Day this year, but I enjoyed the text messages, ‘last year memory photo’ and FaceTime singing by Annalyn. She sang a great Happy Father’s Day… »
06/24/20: US Debt clock, Unfunded Liabilities and Debt to GDP ratio
By now we all have heard and know about the TRILLIONS we have borrowed and continue to borrow as a nation in deep debt, but few are willing to make any changes to the status quo before this house of cards comes tumbling… »
06/23/20: A new Weber grill, some assembly and Father’s Day grill brush
We replaced our rusting “hand-me-down” rebuilt grill from 2016 (thanks Jeff) this year with a new natural gas Weber Spirit S-315 stainless steel grill set up. So far it is a great grill and perfectly sized for our… »
06/22/20: Music Monday: An hour with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
While backing up and updating one of my servers last week, I noticed an hour long recording saved on another data server, but I never used it or mentioned in a Music Monday post. Live Studio Mic ..… »
06/21/20: Happy Father’s Day 2020 to a great dad and son-in-law, Drew
Only my granddaughter Annalyn and I (and those who watch us playing) really understand the “bubble” photo that I sent her earlier this week. The two of us have a few toys that will likely remain in our… »
06/20/20: A long winded reader answer with a bit of my Internet history
A couple weeks ago I shared an old automotive link from MyDesultoryBlog.com on Twitter and one of my automotive buddies sent me a private message asking about the name of my blog (now nearly 7000 posts). The… »
06/19/20: TechFriday: Blog housekeeping and a WordPress 5.4.2 update
Way too often those who maintain their own web servers and computers grit their teeth and cringe when it is time to update and upgrade. A month or so ago I replaced one of my servers (the one this blog is on) and… »
06/18/20: Archive: Last weekend chores, yardwork photos and memories
Last weekend was great weather for working in the yard … something both Brenda and I do enjoy when it doesn’t become a rush to finish chore. I’ve been steadily working on the area under the “now” larger pines… »
06/17/20: Currently my favorite podcast: Streetwise by Jack Hough
Podcasts have been around for a while now and I suspect I”m like most people, it is an on again, off again listening affair; finding or making time to them can be challenging. The iPhones and Android phones do make it… »
06/16/20: Amazon delivery issues, but their chat-bot seems efficient
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… »
06/15/20: Music Monday: Grooving with two more Van Morrison songs
There’s no stopping now … I’m stuck in a rut and listening to Van Morrison about as much as I’ve listened to Jackson Browne. Here are two classics from the mp3 archive without the normal bloviating from me.… »
06/14/20: What are we hearing as the 2020 presidential election nears?
Ok … I’ve decided that most of the outrage (see 1, 2 & 3) in our country happening is politically motivated and it is being fanned and fueled by political operatives and left-wing ideologues as we approach the… »
06/13/20: If you dislike the police or civil society, ignore the next two posts
It is officially time for me to start wearing the “grumpy old man” cap (or “GOM” as my “poke the bear” friend Jeff refers to it). I can’t believe the things our country is now divided over. Tomorrow I’ll… »
06/12/20: Tech Friday: Google making its clout felt even on my blog
Regular readers have likely noticed a few “hopefully” discrete ads running on My Desultory Blog. It is a way for me to experiment with ways to help my customers choose or forgo the use advertising services like… »
06/11/20: Is this defunding/dismantling police for real or just politics?
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… »
06/10/20: Happy Birthday to my "aging" son Taylor
Wishing my son a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today. I know he is getting older, but I don’t think he is THIS old yet. Yikes! A couple weeks ago Taylor sent a FaceApp photo with his college friends (a post from when they were… »
06/09/20: We had a great time with the family last weekend
Today’s blog update is really just to archive a couple grandkid photos from this past weekend. We see our family enough not to have to post something every time we get together, but those with grandchildren know how… »
06/08/20: Music Monday: Van Morrison – Ballerina/Move On Up #video
If you are like me, or a friend who commented on my including a bit more from Van Morrison for Music Monday a couple weeks ago, hearing even a little more music from him is not a problem. Below is a great 10 minute set… »
06/07/20: The Fiat 500X and selling hot dogs from a VW bus in NYC
Just an automotive kind of filler today after sharing Erwin Wurm’s “chubby” Volkswagen Hot Dog “microbus” from NYC last week on Tom Appel’s Twitter feed. The discussion started when I commented that the Fiat… »
06/06/20: Have Americans completely lost their minds – Defunding Police?
It is hard to imagine the lawlessness and chaos we would see without a fair bit of law enforcement of some kind? Perhaps Americans aren’t really hearing each other and are unwilling to have a logical debate … but… »
06/05/20: Tech Friday: Apple Mac, Preview PDFs and Quartz Filter tweaks
Size matters when emailing or just saving PDFs. It is easy to create them for paper-free archiving, but sooner or later most of them are larger than they need to be. Years ago in the printing world, almost every project… »
06/04/20: Patio cleaning, finishing opening the pool, tree cutting and a fond Al Szuch’s Bait Shop memory … triggered by smell #TBT
The “to-do” list is slowly being chipped away at as last weekend Brenda and I enjoyed the nice weather at home to work on yard chores. She is still struggling with a back issue, but felt good enough to use the… »
06/03/20: A moon rising iPhone 7-plus photo worthy of archiving
Every once in a while when seeing what cellphone cameras can do, I wonder why I even bother to ever grab my camera bag and relatively expensive DSLR camera anymore? Last night the weather in Cincinnati was clear and… »
06/03/20: Are rechargeable wearable tech devices like the Fitbit Versa and the Apple Watch doomed to prematurely fail?
It is starting to look like early gadget failure going to become the ‘norm’ now that we’re wearing tech gadgets everyday. My Fitbit Versa watch is not even a year old and has failed. For a while it started to… »
06/02/20: A nation of unrest … filled with a bunch of immoral idiots
Well so much for the pre-posting yesterday’s Music Monday “So Quiet In Here” … before the Minneapolis George Floyd killing subsequent protests … and ensuing riots and crime spree. I suppose we all knew, that… »
06/01/20: Music Monday: Van Morrison–So Quiet In Here
The older I get, the more I gravitate to the music of Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison. I’ve posted his songs a few times before on Music Monday before and often think about the comment that surgeons listen to… »
05/31/20: Payment processing: Testing Square’s link tool with a Monocle
Having used Paypal‘s simple sales link solution to sell a product or raise money for an organization in the past (EAA284 and CinciTDI) .. I’m always looking for a better way (cheaper way) to handle… »
05/30/20: Face masks, eating out again and PPE in the age of COVID19
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… »
05/29/20: Tech Friday: i-Device Wallpapers .. the Bompa edition
Although my computer monitor(s) still have relatively generic “paper airplane” wallpapers, I regularly update both my iPhone and iPad. Long gone are the days of sailboat pictures and Palm Pre wallpapers … and here… »
05/28/20: If the end of bread is not called the heel, then what do you call it?
What do you call the two pieces of bread that bookend all of the slices? Every once in a while, a quirky story gets me thinking and talking to those around me. I once though everyone called the ends of a loaf of bread… »
05/27/20: Do not fall for text messaging scams targeting senior citizens
Acknowledge scammers and you become a “live mark.” There’s no way around it, living with smarphones and computers makes life easier and more difficult at the same time. Scammers are busy targeting all of us and… »
05/26/20: Later and more work than usual in opening the pool this year
It is never as easy as expected? I’m accustom to opening the pool each season now that I’ve been doing it for 20+ years in Cincinnati and another 5 or so in Hudson before that. Each season it should get… »
05/25/20: Thinking about the ultimate sacrifice on Memorial Day
We should probably come up with a better way to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country than a day off work, grilling out and giving momentary lip service? As I sat on the front porch on Sunday… »
05/24/20: Out and about, yardwork, flowers and more rain
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… »
05/23/20: Woodworking: Table Saw Clutter – a place for push sticks
The workshop runs smother when there is “a place for everything and everything is in its place” … to quote the printer and publisher Benjamin Franklin. On the other hand, perhaps the British are not fond… »
05/22/20: Where’s the strangest place to find wild mallard duck eggs?
I know it seems like a strange question, but our annual pair of ducks spend a lot of time in and around our pool. It doesn’t matter if it is covered or not, these mallard ducks do enjoy the relative safety of… »
05/21/20: Happy Birthday Ron! Did you know you had a doppelgänger?
Happy Birthday to my brother today. Although it is not every year I mentioned birthdays, particularly for those of us who prefer the year count be ignored, but this year with social distancing and lack of a physically… »
05/20/20: Woodworking: Finished my Scrapwood Challenge project
Several posts ago I mentioned that I was participating in the Makers Mob woodworking 6-week Scrapwood Challenge as part of the stay-at-home COVID19 orders. I can’t say that this project is anything great, but it did… »
05/19/20: Amazon delivery woes puts me in a Grumpy Old Man mood
Sometimes ordering repair “parts” from Amazon is more critical than than others, like last week. On May 14th I ordered a electric fuel pump for our Kubota ZD326s zero-turn mower thinking it would arrive “as… »
05/19/20: Nothing like a heavy and steady rain to add to our water woes
The heavy rain overnight continued to add to our COVID19 spring misery, as SW Ohio is under flood warning. The warning started last night and after double checking our Zoeller pumps (shouldn’t really expecting them to… »
05/19/20: John Deere 330 maintenance and a few photos from a friend
As mentioned on Sunday, the delayed Amazon shipment of the Kubota fuel pump set my maintenance and repair plans back a bit, but I did get around to replacing the previously substituted fuel filter in the John Deere 330.… »
05/18/20: Music Monday: Yet another great Jackson Browne song
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… »
05/17/20: Archive: The birth announcement for Ellerie Frances Oostra
As a Sunday filler post, I decided to archive a scan/photo version of Ellerie’s birth announcement. It arrived last week from Katelyn and Drew and so will keep it on the blog as a saved family items. I’m sure Brenda… »
05/17/20: Ordering from Amazon is getting most frustrating
The Kubota ZD326s zero-turn mower has had stalling and starting problems this spring. I’ve finally diagnosed the problem as the electric fuel pump. This small pump is used to deliver fuel from the twin tanks to 26HP… »
05/16/20: Book: “Fortitude” by Dan Crenshaw (thanks, Taylor)
I commented to Brenda, “We must have done something right?” It was both a statement .. and a half question .. when reflecting on the book our son Taylor read, liked and then bought to give me for my birthday. It was… »
05/15/20: Replacing the blower motor and fan in the 2010 BMW X5 35d
If all goes well, my weekend project on the 2010 BMW X5 35d will be a new blower motor, just as with the old Toyota RAV 4. This past winter has been irritatingly challenging since the squeaky motor bearings have acting… »
05/15/20: Where COVID19 cases are on the rise and a Center for Disease Control and Prevention PSA on the Symptoms of Coronavirus
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… »
05/14/20: Happy Birthday to a great mom and best daughter in the world
Happy Birthday to my daughter Katelyn … and greatest mom to our granddaughters Annalyn and Ellerie. Have a special day my #1 daughter … you’ve most surely earned it this year! The “I’m 12 Weeks Old” photo we… »
05/13/20: Diesel fuel fill-up and another Scrap Wood Challenge idea
After shipping back the defective mini amplifier that I purchase a few weeks ago (grr!), I decided it was a nice evening for a drive in the old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. Since I was out and needed a few gallons… »
05/12/20: A new webserver is up and running, but still needs tweaking
After mentioning problems last week, the new webserver is up and running with a fresh install of Linux Ubuntu 18.04 “Bionic Beaver,” MySQL database and PHP 7.2 … well I actually decided to upgrade that to PHP 7.4… »

July 2020
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

July 2020

Most Recent Posts

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

Search

Year(s) ago on this day

Archives

Categories

Most Used Tags

Contact

Meta