RichC | December 3, 2019
The more time I spend in the basement workshop, the more I enjoy having my coffee with me and “warm.” Usually I just use an insulated stainless steel coffee container, but lately I’ve gone back to a ceramic cup so it can easily go into the microwave for warming. When sidetracked by projects or working […]
RichC | November 29, 2019
With the advent of decent quality inexpensive home security products and cameras, it has never be easier to keep an eye on “motion” that happens around a business or home. The key for most of us is to find the least expensive quality “small” product … in our case the Wyze cams have beat out […]
RichC | November 5, 2019
This past summer we replaced the gutters on our house with a premium GutterShutter version. I particularly liked the heavier gauge aluminum, larger size, strong hangers and sensible “shutter” to keep out debris. So far we are happy with the upgrade. Current Nov2019 condition vs the Previous Aug2019 complaint Unfortunately after three service calls to […]
RichC | September 3, 2019
The approaching hurricane kept my attention this Labor Day weekend (writing this for Tuesday on Sunday) as there was really nothing I could do to prepare the condo in Delray Beach or our boat Encore (in the water) in preparation for the approaching storm. Likely when this posts, we will either have dodged a bullet […]
RichC | August 14, 2019
Our current NetGear Nighthawk R7000 router has been exceptionally stable considering the issues I’ve had with cheaper routers and networked devices in the past. I’m pretty happy with it, but in order to get solid coverage, had to add a WiFi Range Extender to cover the detached garage and poolhouse (and yet still have weak […]
RichC | July 30, 2019
The summer of 2019 around our house has meant more repairs and maintenance updates than usual. This means weekends have been busy with house projects and in also finding and hiring help to complete the updates that are too overwhelming for this one “aging” guy to handle on his own (although my 60th birthday celebrations […]
RichC | June 17, 2019
This past weekend was rainy and stormy, but I was still able to squeeze in a few yard chores – even got the front lawn mowed before the BIG storms hit. We even had tornado sirens wailing on Saturday night as tornados hit in Indiana before making an appearance (so says radar) just south of […]
RichC | June 10, 2019
From 3 years old (photo) to 30 years old this year in 2019 … the years of watching Taylor grow up have zipped way too fast. I suspect every parent and grandparent has said that at one time or another? Birthday “year” celebrations, become “decade” celebrations, and we no long even contemplate the candles on […]
RichC | June 5, 2019
Nasty bugger … thankfully I think I caught this guy (or any of his buddies) before sucking my blood. Nowadays with Lyme Disease you can’t be to careful with letting ticks bite or burrow. I’m not sure our area is considered risky, but I don’t want to chance getting infected either (I thnk this guy […]
RichC | May 25, 2019
It feels a late start to opening the “mudhole” … I mean “muddy” pool … this year as our trips to Florida have set me back on the usual spring chores. I think the earliest we have opened the pool as been March, but this year is about the latest that I can recall, although […]
RichC | April 11, 2019
If you are looking for a grand home with too many features to mention and a lot of room both inside and out, look no further; 8000 Green Lake Drive in Liberty Township, Ohio is featured in the Pulse Journal this week and listed by Keller Williams Advisor’s Realty. (archiving photos in OneDrive – see […]
RichC | April 11, 2019
A Smartthings- like plug that I used with the Amazon Echo virtual assistant failed this past week, so I took it to the workbench in order to diagnose. I suspected that I was not really going to be able to fix it, but was curious as to what what inside anyway (sort of hoping, but […]
RichC | November 5, 2018
It seems later in the season that usual to be just starting to rake leaves and get in a final mow before winter, but the weather was dry after a long stretch of rain, so chores for me it was. My back is now sore and contemplating taking an Advil as the muscle tighten. There […]
RichC | October 8, 2018
The new low cost Wyze Cam Pan that I bought to put in the Delray Beach Condo arrived this past weekend and so opted to set it up temporarily at home. So far so good with the image and impressive panning control with even motion tracking (less impressive though). The reason I chose the Wyze […]
RichC | October 5, 2018
The Amazon Echo has been a fun gadget to use and have in our home since Katelyn and Drew gave it to us for Christmas. After having our granddaughter Annalyn with us for a few days last week, I realized we don’t always have the volume set appropriately especially when she is sleeping. Hm … […]
RichC | July 20, 2018
I’ve been using the Wyze Cam to keep an eye on our Florida condo for a couple of months now … and besides an issue with a low-cost router overheating, it has been excellent. I’ve been thinking about adding a second one with the adjustable viewing angle, but it is not on the high priority […]
RichC | June 21, 2018
Last weekend I notice one of the ceiling fans was no longer working … we could have used it with temperatures in the 90s – hey, it’s summer weather and to be expected in Cincinnati. Anyway, after taking apart the old Hunter fan, I could tell the inside was “growly” which indicated some corrosion. I […]
RichC | June 16, 2018
Frustration in tech land! Power out – now the cable modem or router won’t reboot properly! If you haven’t following along with my updating the progress on the Florida condo, I’ve been adding bits and pieces to “home automation” besides the normal “construction updates” to the kitchen (and eventually bathroom). Most of it has been […]
RichC | June 4, 2018
It continues to surprise me how coyotes can continue to live in and around relatively populated areas like Liberty Township, Ohio … but as mentioned several times in the past, we continues to see them boldly hunting rabbits and other small animals (keep an eye on your small dogs and cats!). While mowing the lawn, […]
RichC | May 12, 2018
Spending a few days with the family and our granddaughter Annalyn has got to be one of the best things about our stage of life. We had a good time spoiling her by doing a few "local to Liberty Twp/West Chester, Ohio" thngs like getting ice cream at The Cone and trying out a "new […]
RichC | March 21, 2018
Wouldn’t you know it … as soon as I take the snow blower and chains off our multi-use John Deere tractor that I use to clear our driveway … we get a forecast of more snow. Murphy’s Law I suppose? Earlier in March as the weather warmed, so Brenda asked when I would have the […]
RichC | March 2, 2018
Our daughter and son-in-law gave us an Amazon Echo Dot for Christmas this past year. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with it and have connected it to enough lights, plugs, thermostats and kitchen television to make me want to add the full sized Echo. I’m not sure Brenda has even noticed that it grew? The […]
RichC | February 18, 2018
Sunday was the perfect day to finish up “covering” the lifts for the rear row of our new home theater seats. Now all 8 seats have a great view … even in recline mode. After building the “boxes” a week or so ago, I picked up some closeout brown polyester outdoor furniture upholstery material at […]
RichC | February 11, 2018
iPhone panoramic of home theater from the rear Finally the correct seat came in and I was able to assemble the last of our eight home theater seats for the home archive. The sizing and spacing is near perfect and even without the riser that I am planning to add to the rear row, the […]
RichC | February 4, 2018
This is what I get for procrastinating until this weekend — TWO right hand seats! The boxes containing the long delayed leather home theater seats (ie. basement flood of 2013) arrived a couple weeks ago but I waited until this weekend to unpack since I was out of town last weekend. I unboxed them and […]
RichC | October 29, 2017
Saturday chores consisted of climbing ladders and cleaning out the muck and pine needles from the gutters. Unfortunately I haven’t yet added a screen to the downspouts so they of course get block up as well … usually my indicator that is it time to clean them. Since I boogerred up the elbows this time […]
RichC | October 25, 2017
My daughter Katelyn and I exchanged a few messages over the past couple of days that had me reminiscing and trying to remember names of a few kids when I was in grade school. It started visiting in Perrysburg last week watching Annalyn when Katelyn mentioned that a co-worker of hers and father went to […]
RichC | October 24, 2017
A couple days late in posting, but the weather was ideal for jumping on a few chores before the weather turns sour. Since the lawn was still in pretty good shape, I was able to use those weekend hours to repair some of the nearly 2000 feet of 4-board fence that borders our backyard — […]
RichC | October 8, 2017
While trying to keep the raccoons from “moving in” as the weather cools, I’ve been a little too successful recently. The past weeks score has been 2 raccoons, 2 opossums and a cat (second time for feral cat). This guy sure can jump! I was going to comment that we’ve seen an increase in number […]
RichC | August 29, 2017
Finally … I’m getting around to posting a few photos from our 4 day weekend here in Cincinnati with Annalyn (Katelyn and Drew too)! We had a near perfect weekend weather-wise, unlike those in east Texas getting drenched and flooded by Hurricane Harvey. Part of our “swimming weekend” was getting Annalyn use to the pool […]
RichC | August 5, 2017
Ok, so the limes I’m squeezing are not truly “Key Limes,” but the the finished product is just as good. One of the “get ready” items before having the kids home for the weekend was to squeeze the limes so Brenda could make 3 Key Lime pies. It is a big favorite in our family […]
RichC | August 2, 2017
Once again we’re dealing with BlueMax pipe (polybutylene plumbing), this time thankfully it is not on our nickel or is due to a flooded basement. I notice water bubbling from the water meter pit in our yard yesterday and after Butler County came out to look at the meter, he knew right away it […]
RichC | June 30, 2017
Switching from an iPhone 5s to an iPhone 7 Plus has a few surprising pluses and minuses that need to be address by new users. One such negative adjustment has a fix that on the surface may not be found by everyone. The annoyance: The larger iPhones (currently 6 Plus & 7 Plus) go into […]
RichC | April 21, 2017
Here’s a quick slideshow of photos updating the granite countertops to our kitchen remodel after they were installed this past week. Thankfully every measurement was “spot on” and the install went without a hitch (the photos make them look a lot darker than they really are). A couple photos show a sample of the new […]
RichC | March 19, 2017
Although using a leaf blower may be more fun in cleaning the gutters, it can make a mess of everything below. I generally use rubber gloves, but in the end always slice them up and end up with a bare hand anyway. Here’s a great idea: Cut an anti-freeze or similar shaped plastic gallon jug […]
RichC | March 8, 2017
While waiting for the new kitchen cabinets to be built and delivered, the final decisions need to be made on the under counter lighting, faucets and backsplash tiles. The latter has become quite the struggle. The kitchen designer who is helping has picked a glass tile with a tint of green, but the opinions from […]
RichC | January 28, 2017
Designer rendition Last summer we started to plan for a kitchen remodel as our "builder grade" cabinets and mishmash of appliances were in serious need of replacement. We updated our dishwasher and refrigerator already, but need to finish off the final stages once and for all. I’m currently working with a designer and close to […]
RichC | January 11, 2017
The long drawn out "laundry room upgrade" is finally finished as mentioned yesterday, but at least it improves and modernizes what we had. The old GE top-load washing machine was regularly being fixed and the dryer was long past it’s prime … but still working after the "bearing kit repair." The newer graphite color […]
RichC | November 23, 2016
A little “behind the scenes” history and commentary from my family’s favorite TV show of the 1990s — Home Improvement. Of course anything that Tim Allen does is a favorite of mine. I love his current Last Man Standing show too.
RichC | September 2, 2016
My brother and I closed our final chapter of "Our Life in Sidney, Ohio" this week after finalizing the sale of my parents home. The "young" new owners have some great plans for their first house and I’m sure will be very happy; it is a great place. They will return life back into the […]
RichC | August 26, 2016
Using the equity in a home isn’t anything new, but I’m old enough to remember when "we" first started to tap into home equity with Home Improvement Loans. "Back in the day" IRS deductions for interest on consumer credit (car loans, revolving credit, signature loans) were being phased out for all but home mortgages. Creative […]
RichC | May 31, 2016
RichC | April 26, 2016
Our lawn has never looked greener than this year (above, although cloudy in the photo) even if the landscaping and general cleanup leaves a lot to be desired. Which reminds me, we have a lot to do before calling it summer, but for now just getting the limbs and fallen trees cleaned up is […]
RichC | April 17, 2016
What a difference a week can make come April here in Cincinnati. Last Saturday we woke up to snow (backyard photo below) and this weekend after cutting grass Friday night has the grass green and tulips blooming yesterday morning. Instead of shoveling snow that means yardwork and time to think about spring cleanup. Also wanted […]
RichC | February 25, 2016
With the early springtime weather we have been having this February, and a new roof towards the end of last year, we lost a few shingles. It isn’t really a surprise since asphalt shingle need some hot sunny days in order to flex into position and tack themselves to each other. The recent winds came […]
RichC | January 9, 2016
Thankfully the weather held and the construction was able to continue on the chimney repairs. They completed the final soldering of seams on the stainless steel custom top this morning and were quick to show up and collect the check too. Although this was an expensive surprise after replacing the roof, I’m glad to have […]
RichC | January 4, 2016
This post is more to test a “borrowed” wireless keypad that is set up on the Raspberry Pi — I’m not fond of the Logitech K400r. The photo to the left is part of the ongoing roof project and continuing chimney repair. In order test the Raspberry Pi’s image serving ability, I uploaded it from […]
RichC | December 26, 2015
We had a wonderful family time on Christmas day. Taylor came after work on Christmas Eve day and Katelyn and Drew drove from Minneapolis after a half day of work (long day for them), so we were all home for Christmas morning. After our morning gift exchange, which was wonderful, although too much … we went outside and enjoyed […]
RichC | December 15, 2015
One of the issues we found when replacing our roof last month was a wobbly chimney chase for the fireplace in the house. The original fireplace has a stainless steel chimney that extends from the first floor through the second floor, the trusses and then the “chimney chase” on the roof. The builder must not […]
RichC | November 16, 2015
Several of the homes in our neighborhood had some hail damage this summer … ours included. We had damage to the sky light area of our mud room and water has been seeping in when the wind is just right. Unfortunately our insurance would not pay the entire roof OR the entire repairs that we […]
RichC | October 17, 2015
We waited long enough in deciding what to do with our 20+ year old KitchenAid refrigerator as the cheap paint fix can only do so much in extending the life of our old refrigerator. We opted for the Samsung that I’ve been sitting on the fence about for over a year and realized that we […]
RichC | September 21, 2015
It was a beautiful late summer (barely) weekend to hang out around home. Brenda continued her rehab exercises while planning a mid-October return to work, while I enjoyed working around the yard. We both took one more swim in the pool for 2015, watched the Bengals win and enjoyed a gorgeous Sunday evening with a […]
RichC | September 14, 2015
As mentioned previously, we made our annual tree purchase this weekend (Swamp White Oaks), as well as added a couple clearance Hydrangeas. Who knows, we may live long enough to see a few mature hardwood trees in our backyard? Also, I can report positively on Brenda‘s recovery … she is now walking (with cane or […]
RichC | September 13, 2015
Back in 2009, I purchase eleven small year-end-clearance trees from my brother’s home nursery – NativeOhioPlants.com. We had mixed success in that our deer population enjoys both eating the new growth and “deer rubbing” the branches and bark. Unfortunately it killed or mangled more than half the trees that we planted. Since it is autumn […]
RichC | May 17, 2015
Here are instructions for a simple, but effective carpenter bee trapLINK
RichC | May 2, 2015
] It is pretty easy to tell that we had a little tree trimming done … but what is not as as easy to tell is how many dollars a few dead and dying trees cost to have cut down … $4000 plus tax! OUCH! I’m usually the ambitious sort when it comes to tree […]
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 20, 2015
One of our resident and noisy Mallard ducks woke me up early this morning. He thinks it is time for us to uncover the pool so he can take his partner for a swim as in years past (Link one and two). It’s still early since snow is still being seen across our latitude.
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