A beautiful photo of my granddaughters and their neighborhood
RichC | November 30, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Megan, Taylor and Gigi out for a walk and Venus rising
RichC | November 26, 2024
Nothing earth shattering, but looked up to see Venus rising on Sunday evening as I was taking out the garbage. It was beautiful in the SSW sky and far more than the iPhone photo … but it was worth posting anyway. Megan, Taylor and Gigi were out for walks on Sunday and shared a couple […]
Archive: More Autumn 2024 family photos and video
RichC | November 12, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Bananas and our granddaughter broke her little toe
RichC | November 5, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Our family is enjoying the 2024 autumn weather
RichC | October 29, 2024
This content is restricted.
Cat 5 Hurricane Milton sets sight on Florida’s west coast
RichC | October 8, 2024
Once again, the second half of the hurricane season is brewing up what looks to be another monster storm in the Gulf of Mexico (post after Hurricane Helene). This one is named Hurricane Milton and has quickly spun up to a category 5 storm as it starts moving from west to east across the gulf. […]
Thanks Mom for everything. It’s your birthday and I miss you.
RichC | September 29, 2024
It isn’t as if I think about missing my mom everyday, but when her birthday approaches, I definitely do. In that way we are a lot alike — remembering her missing her mom. Brenda and I often comment, “oh how my mother would love this or that” … usually when talking about preparing the table […]
Family health issues: We’ll take our Utah trip next year!
RichC | September 25, 2024
A change of plans is something that can cause stress … but nothing like the stress of having a child with a medical condition, no matter their age. Brenda’s younger sister Ann and her husband Gary have a grown daughter who has overcome hurdle after hurdle in living with a chiasmal optic glioma. It has […]
Keeping track of my adult children and grandkids is a challenge
RichC | September 25, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Weekend photos, including a Barbie Birthday Party
RichC | September 9, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Labor Day Weekend photos in Toledo with KDAE
RichC | September 4, 2024
This content is restricted.
A fun family weekend in the pool before school starts this week
RichC | August 22, 2024
This content is restricted.
Maine for the weekend. Congratulations Mike and Addie Agler.
RichC | August 20, 2024
It is becoming the norm for me, but Tuesdays are often the day that I end up saving leftover weekend family photos to the MyDesultoryBlog.com. Last weekend was a wedding in Maine for Taylor’s lifetime best friend Mike Agler. So Taylor (Mike’s best man) and Megan flew up to a beautiful and historic Inn to […]
Archive: Once again, a few late summer weekend update photos
RichC | August 13, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: KDAE vacationing in Minnesota with the Howards
RichC | July 31, 2024
The Oostras are vacationing back in Minnesota and enjoying time “stomping” around the areas near Minneapolis (and in Wayzata) where they spent a few years early of marriage. They initially spent some time with friends “in the city” then up with cousin Justin and Katie Howard and their family of five now at at their […]
Archive: Today is for highlighting my granddaughter Ellerie
RichC | July 27, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: A couple summer family photos from last weekend
RichC | July 24, 2024
This content is restricted.
Connecting with family led to talking about “end of life” planning
RichC | June 30, 2024
Every once in a while my cousin Diane calls or text messages me to catch-up on our lives. She is a few of years older than me, but once you hit a certain age, those “few years” aren’t the same as when she was in high school or college and I was still in junior […]
Archiving photos: Our family busy doing “family stuff”
RichC | June 27, 2024
Storm Clouds mid-June over Mankato MN After our enjoyable and busy week with our granddaughters, I wanted to archive a few photos that have been piling up in the “maybe” for the blog folder. Above are some of the storm clouds in Minnesota that caused flooding in the midwest in mid-June — ominous! For us, […]
Archive: Summertime with Oma and Bompa – 2024 edition
RichC | June 25, 2024
This content is restricted.
For all the wonderful dads out there … Happy Father’s Day
RichC | June 16, 2024
Today has me thinking of the two dads in my life (DadC and DadH) as well as the father of my two granddaughters, Drew. I thank them for being great mentors … by using the stern hand of guidance when it was required … with an abundance of self-discipline … and always being the provider […]
Treasures found prepping old workbench for my granddaughters
RichC | June 6, 2024
My Grandpa Bluhm made this workbench and gave it to me for Christmas back in 1966. His influence early-on likely influenced my interest in tinkering and woodworking (car restoration and rebuilding was probably mostly influenced by DadC). This past weekend I cleaned it up a bit and added a homemade light strip with a roll of […]
Look who’s “ogling” a cyber truck in Toledo, Ohio …
RichC | May 28, 2024
My son-in-law Drew sent a photo (below) of the Oostra family after spotting a Tesla Cyber Truck in Toledo, Ohio over the weekend … and knowing his consistant interest, I won’t be surprise to see one in their garage someday! He has been “ogling” them since Elon Musk first announced the new truck in 2019 […]
Transplanted buttercups and DadH’s workshop in 2013 #TBT
RichC | May 23, 2024
Upstairs in the Western NY Farmhouse Barn’s workshop in 2013 In keeping with the occasional ThrowBack Thursday #TBT, the above was a pano photo of DadH’s workshop after he passed away. I mentioned to Brenda that I wondered how he was able to climb the stairs of the barn and work on such a large […]
Enjoyed the weekend with KDAE and a wonderful dance recital
RichC | May 22, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Swing/Slide repair part and meet Mackenzie Lee Howard
RichC | May 15, 2024
This archiving of leftover weekend photos is becoming a trend on My Desultory Blog and since it is a space for me to mark events and save photos, I suppose it will continue? Last weekend while celebrating Mother’s Day (along with my birthday) … I started pool opening process. I’m not sure how many more […]
Happy Birthday to my daughter Katelyn … how the risk tolerances and priorities have changed!
RichC | May 14, 2024
This content is restricted.
Happy Mother’s Day 2024 to Brenda, Katelyn and ALL Moms
RichC | May 12, 2024
While picking out a card for “the mother of my grown children” this year, I couldn’t help notice how inflation has impacted the price of greeting cards. Perhaps when I was in the business of putting ink on paper, the price per sheet as it were, I wasn’t really given too much thought to each […]
Thanks all for reminding me that I’m another year older 🙃
RichC | May 8, 2024
Late spring yard work and continued Kubota diagnosis and repairs continued over the weekend, but on the 7th, another year for me is in the books; can’t say I’m feeling all that different? But THANK YOU to my family and friends for wishing me a Happy Birthday … and some doing the traditional Howard family […]
The Doppelgänger look-a-likes always impress me #TBT
RichC | May 2, 2024
Every once in a while there is a doppelgänger photo, person, sculpture or something that reminds me of someone else (software isn’t always accurate). 😉 Also a few years back, there was a person who reminded me of my brother Ron, so I posted about it. Back October 2011 at my nephew’s wedding, there was […]
I have finally gone “Full Howard” (an inside family joke) #TBT
RichC | April 18, 2024
This content is restricted.
The day after our April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse #photos #video
RichC | April 9, 2024
Click images for larger images Our backyard may not have been the absolute best location to view a perfectly covered sun for the solar eclipse, but it was very impressive. Taylor took an afternoon off of work and came up with Gigi in the afternoon (we are north of Cincinnati), and I suspect he […]
A Bald Eagle photo in Whitehouse, Ohio … and another 100,000 miles odometer photo from my daughter #TBT
RichC | April 4, 2024
Katelyn’s 100K text message (above left) from her 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan reminded me of the one she sent 17 years ago (above right) … back when she was driving her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Where have all the years and miles gone (hence #TBT)? I’m so glad we have the technology to sporadically send messages […]
Archive: Gigi, Creative Rainbow artwork and Ilia Malinin skating
RichC | March 26, 2024
As has become a routine, I’m archiving a couple family weekend photos. First, last week was Gigi’s rescue day (Taylor and Megan’s dog). It was in 2023 that they found her and after attempting to find the owner by posting signs etc … although they suspected she was abandoned after having puppies … adopted her […]
Archive: Combo family birthday party for Annalyn and Ellerie
RichC | March 19, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Since recent family posts were private for most readers, here’s a very cool night “star” photo of KDAE’s new house
RichC | March 7, 2024
Thanks for the great night photo after the completion of your homebuilding project, Drew and Katelyn!
Archive: KDAE February 2024 vacation to Florida Wrap-Up Part 1
RichC | March 3, 2024
This content is restricted.
Archive: Updating the “goings-on” of Taylor and Megan
RichC | March 1, 2024
While I really wanted to take the time and archive the great time we had in February with Katelyn, Drew and our granddaughters in Florida, I’ll start with a less time intensive post. Last week Taylor and Megan made me jealous by going to a Mac McAnally concert in Cincinnati. It definitely looks like they […]
Archive: A few leftover Valentine’s Day photos to make me smile
RichC | February 15, 2024
This content is restricted.
Closing out the month of January 2024 with Oreo LoveBugs
RichC | January 31, 2024
This content is restricted.
Family is busy enjoying the winter weather and MLKJr.
RichC | January 16, 2024
Although the temperatures around the US have taken a deep dive and have brought a cold and snowy winter to much of the country, our family is making the most of it. Taylor and Megan spent the long weekend skiing with some in her extended family in Utah and KDAE made the most of the […]
Weekend trip to Whitehouse Ohio and Christmas de-decorating
RichC | January 9, 2024
This may have been the third year in a row that I’ve “pruned” the dry Christmas tree apart in the house rather than yanking it through the back door or having another disaster. Why didn’t I do this in previous years? Brenda and I also made a trip to visit Katelyn, Drew and family in […]
Tech Friday: A new iPad Wallpaper and fix the Harmony remote
RichC | January 5, 2024
While watching a couple of college football bowl games on New Year’s Day, I updated my “everyday carry” iPad with a new family wallpaper photo — slightly enhanced above. It was an opportunity to tinker with the new iPadOS 17 gadget feature (see stock and weather at lower left) anyway but the wallpaper photo needed […]
Taylor impressed me with his handyman skills earlier this week
RichC | December 30, 2023
All fathers who semi-attempt to pass down a few “handyman” skills are proud of their sons (and daughters – mine is amazing!) when they tackle projects by themselves. Taylor continues to amaze me at his fortitude when taking on homeownership projects, although he’s never been hesitant to jump into things with both feet. 😊 It […]
Archiving our Corbett family Christmas get togethers for 2023
RichC | December 27, 2023
This content is restricted.
A 70th Birthday for Chris and our first REAL snow in December
RichC | December 19, 2023
This past weekend was enjoyable for our family as we celebrated Brenda’s sister Chris Skinner‘s 70th Birthday. It was a surprise party planned by her grown children and it was pulled off wonderfully. Ann and Gary drove up to our house from Atlanta and we drove 30 minutes to meet up with the family and […]
Archive: Some Christmas photos and KDAE finally moving in
RichC | December 13, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: A family Throwback Thursday #TBT filler post
RichC | November 30, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: A shark on the beach and a toothless granddaughter
RichC | November 29, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: Rain showers and our growing granddaughters
RichC | November 26, 2023
This content is restricted.
A day for Gratitude: A Journey Through History
RichC | November 23, 2023
Thanksgiving traces its origins to the 1621 harvest celebration held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This historic gathering marked a season of abundance and marked the beginning of a tradition that would become a cornerstone of American culture. Thanksgiving serves as a universal reminder to thank our Creator for our […]
Archive: Leftover granddaughter photos from last weekend
RichC | November 14, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archiving leftover family photos to close out October 2023
RichC | October 31, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: A couple of Corn-Mazing granddaughters
RichC | October 25, 2023
This content is restricted.
The ablity to memorize passes to the next generation #TBT
RichC | September 28, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: Leftover photos from closing pool and cleaning filters
RichC | September 27, 2023
It is that time of year … Autumn is here and the leaves are starting to fall. I cut the lawn and closed the pool last weekend, hopefully before the bulk of the leaves started to fill up the pool. The weather has been nice and just the right temperature for yardwork. BUT … I […]
A new battery, Taylor’s office and homemade socket organizer
RichC | September 19, 2023
My son Taylor’s sealed car battery bloated and split open last week and left him stranded at work. He didn’t have any tools with him (is he really my son?) 😉 so I headed his way after work to replace his old-ish battery with a new one (2019 VW AllTrack). The first two auto part […]
Woodworking Ideas: Family heirloom Nesting Table example
RichC | September 17, 2023
Oostra House getting paint early in September 2023 While babysitting at my daughter’s house last week, a conversation with Brenda shifted to an heirloom “nesting table” woodworking project idea. Katelyn inherited the small tables made by her Jamestown, NY furniture making great grandfather Holmstrom and treasures them as much as Brenda and MomH did (photo […]
Archive: A quick trip to NW Ohio to watch the girls this week
RichC | September 9, 2023
This content is restricted.
Archive: Our family together for Labor Day while Taylor was backpacking in Glacier National Park with a friend
RichC | September 6, 2023
This content is restricted.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.