Archive: Gigi, Taylor and Megan in the Mt Adams Reindog Parade

| December 15, 2025

The 34th Annual Reindog Parade was held in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Mt.Adams (Cincinnati) and guess who was there? Gigi, Taylor and Megan (well done)! Canines and fellow owners participated in a unique procession that puts spectators of all ages in the holiday spirit. They walked through the historical streets of Mt. Adams with this […]

Archive: A last November weekend to finish yard chores

| November 25, 2025

This could have been the last nice weekend to finish up yard work such as raking and hauling leaves – and my rake is about to be retired, as am I!  Who knows as a few trees are still fulling loaded with leaves; perhaps the wind will blow them elsewhere??? Anyway if felt good to […]

It looks as if this is a “between a rock and a hard place” situation?

| November 18, 2025

It is looking as if Taylor is caught in a challenging spot professionally — WCPO story. The voters who elected the trustees for his Batavia Township obviously do not want more developments with small lots and more tightly packed homes and the traffic that comes with it. Yet those who want to build developments are […]

Archive: Wanted to save a few more family “goings-on”

| November 9, 2025

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Leftover Halloween photo and the Rear Fence Fiasco

| November 5, 2025

Let’s start with the leftover “fun” photo since I archived a little about the granddaughters this week, but not Megan and Taylor. So this week I’ll include an “off to a Halloween party around a bonfire with some friends” for the archive. I did look like they had fun. For us, no trick or treaters […]

A busy autumn for our family and leftover automotive items

| October 29, 2025

It was a busy autumn weekend for the next generation in our family. Taylor and Megan were taking advantage of the nice fall weather to go to the Renaissance Festival while the Oostras planted tulip bulbs (how fitting) and tackled the huge “Back to the Future” corn maze in NW Ohio. It looks like the […]

Happy Birthday wishes to “middle aged” Megan (family joke)

| October 15, 2025

What, another “middle age” birthday for Megan? The “middle age” joke has taken on a life of its own when it comes to our adult children. It is kind of fun when “we” are young and in our early 30s (Megan’s 30th Birthday), but I’m starting to think that it could be both an insult […]

Archive: A few leftover family photos from early October 2025

| October 11, 2025

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Archive: Labor Day photos with Megan, Taylor and Gigi

| September 3, 2025

It has become an enjoyable habit – posting family photos from the previous weekend. This past Labor Day, Megan, Taylor and their dog Gigi were over for the afternoon … and perhaps the last of the pool days (it has been cool for August and early September). We did the quintessential American hot dogs and […]

Archive: A few photos and chores from around home weekend

| August 3, 2025

Look at the feelers on this moth (link). God’s creation in nature is amazing! It has been so much more pleasant this weekend compared to last — weather wise – and besides mowing, decided to remove a couple overgrown low-spreading bushes in our half-moon. We didn’t plant flowers as usual this year knowing it was […]

Archive: Summer activities are great so long as the sun shines

| July 15, 2025

Let’s start the archive of weekend photos with our immediate family selfies. Taylor, Megan and Gigi were over to cool off in the pool (before the strong storms hit on Saturday afternoon) while KDAE were up in Michigan for a extended weekend having summer vacation-ish fun. It would be difficult to find a much more […]

Archive: What did we do over the 4th of July weekend in 2025?

| July 6, 2025

If you want to know what Brenda and I did to celebrate the 249th birthday of our country, my answer would be … not all that much. I ended up spraying our lawn for those sod webworms that has become a recent problem (the last 5 years) and then relaxed in the pool with my […]

A Very Happy Birthday to our son Taylor

| June 10, 2025

Although this is a photo from “my” birthday with Taylor and Megan last month, I’m using it for his birthday greeting today — we’ll see him soon (and may add the photo later below?) Nevertheless, Happy Birthday, Taylor, another year has passed. The thought that you are nearly middle age is frightening.  I am very […]

Archive: A family visit and dance recital for our granddaughters

| June 3, 2025

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Highlighting some of what Taylor is doing in Batavia Twp. Ohio

| May 31, 2025

Some of what I attempt to archive on MDB are the goings-on in our family for posterity. Taylor has definitely found his career niche and excels at socially interacting with coworkers and the citizens he serves in Batavia Township, Ohio. In April it was putting on the Easter Bunny suit to the smile of children […]

Archive: Birthday wishes and fun family singing audio

| May 8, 2025

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Archive: Enjoyed beach time with the Oostra family last week

| April 22, 2025

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Archive: What’s going on with our family?

| April 3, 2025

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Taylor will be the Easter Bunny this year in his township

| March 5, 2025

We received a fun message last week as Taylor announced that he was invited to be the Easter bunny for the families in Batavia Township. We saw a photo of him trying on the head from the costume and our family had a good laugh.  He will be a great bunny and has the perfect […]

Archive: Our family had a busy extended MLKJr Day weekend

| January 22, 2025

We saw way too many family photos being exchanged over the long MLK Jr. weekend, but I’m including a couple for the blog archive. First I’ll start with an interesting and as Katelyn called it, “blogworthy” techie kind of space selfie project photo. Both Katelyn and Drew are on top of today’s technology oriented projects. […]

Goodbye 2024. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year 2025!

| January 1, 2025

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Archiving Chrstmas photos: Gigi, Santa, the Oostra family and Mickey Mouse from Disney on Ice in Toledo, Ohio

| December 17, 2024

It is that time of year … time for Christmas photos … with children and pets? Well a “dog” in the case of Megan and Taylor, but our granddaughters in the case of Katelyn and Drew. In both cases these 2024 photos belong on in the My Desultory Blog archive. Here’s one of Gigi with […]

With Katelyn and Megan the figure skaters in our family, who knew Taylor would learn through osmosis?

| December 10, 2024

With early November and December winter weather showing up somewhat early, there’s no better time for Megan’s employer to have a holiday gathering at Kings Island. For their business, it is time to promote WinterFest with 7-million lights and some ice skating.  Both Megan and Katelyn learned, and then taught, figure skating for the Queen […]

Archive: Megan, Taylor and Gigi out for a walk and Venus rising

| 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 […]

Remembering Taylor and Michael’s connection to KFC #TBT

| November 21, 2024

While Taylor was at his conference and staying with us the other week in Florida, we started talking about good friends … and “old friends” who are still good friends. My thoughts automatically go to my college friend Jeff and Taylor’s to his grade school friend Mike.  One thing led to another and he pulled […]

Archive: Taylor talking with WKRC regarding Batavia Township

| November 14, 2024

After a great visit with Taylor in Florida last week for his planning conference, he’s right back into the hornet’s nest in trying to find the best way to navigate economic growth and housing development in his township. The battle lines are being drawn between fairly large housing developers and builders who are growth focused […]

Archive: More Autumn 2024 family photos and video

| November 12, 2024

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Tech Friday: Tinkering with Apple Intelligence summary feature

| November 8, 2024

Apple is finally rolling out the much ballyhooed Apple Intelligence on Apple devices … including my new iPhone 16 Pro Max. Their have been a few laughs from me when it comes to the AI “summary” feature generating a questionable summary (an automotive enthusiast John Rowe’s X.com comments – he does NOT recommend Sunbeam).  On […]

Archive: Our family is enjoying the 2024 autumn weather

| October 29, 2024

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Taylor with a friend in Chicago and a cover for our utility trailer

| September 24, 2024

Taylor and his newlywed longtime friend, Mike, were in Chicago for the weekend and they sent me a few photos of their time together … sort of a post-wedding bachelor get together. I’d did check the Chicago Cubs – Nationals score (they lost), but it did look beautiful at Wrigley Field. I spent the weekend […]

Maine for the weekend. Congratulations Mike and Addie Agler.

| 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 […]

Music Monday: Replaying the song “Kodachrome” by Paul Simon and the drowning of my Apple iPhone 7 Plus

| July 8, 2024

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Archiving photos: Our family busy doing “family stuff”

| 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, […]

Happy Birthday Taylor … a day early

| June 9, 2024

Taylor and Megan for Birthday golfing at Beckett Ridge (he worked there when he was in college) The weather was cooler than normal for a June birthday get-together for a few of our 35 year old sons’ friends, their spouses and now young families. It wasn’t a formal party per se, but it was a […]

Archive: Taylor and his MU fraternity brothers in Vegas

| April 5, 2024

After posting the “Bald Eagle and 100K post,” I was feeling guilty in not including Taylor on the “goings-on” archive of my blog. So … to keep up, here’s photo from a bachelor trip to Las Vegas with his Miami University fraternity brothers last weekend. It sure looked and sounds as if they had a […]

Archive: Gigi, Creative Rainbow artwork and Ilia Malinin skating

| 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: Updating the “goings-on” of Taylor and Megan

| 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

| February 15, 2024

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An away from home work-table and a long overdue desk chair

| January 21, 2024

Really this is to archive a few project ideas (below the break) for Taylor. He is a Mid-Century Modern lover and has consistently focused his decorating with this kind of taste. If dollars didn’t limit his shopping, I think he would be living in a Frank Lloyd Wright home and have it decorated with a […]

Family is busy enjoying the winter weather and MLKJr.

| 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 […]

Taylor impressed me with his handyman skills earlier this week

| 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 […]

Finding a Chrstmas Tree while Brenda shops with Taylor

| December 9, 2023

This would be a great photo of Brenda and Taylor, but for being a blurry selfie (click to see larger). Oh well, I enjoyed seeing the two of them out for their annual mother and son Christmas shopping and evening dinner. I hope they were successful?  While they were out, I did my annual the […]

Taylor’s first VW and a CinciTDI Throwback Thursday #TBT

| December 7, 2023

About a month ago, I stumbled across a photo that I think was used as a header for the CinciTDI website at some point after Katelyn and I sold our VW Jetta TDIs, but I had to smile noticing the Volkswagen in the header photo was once Taylor’s GTI. Very good memories for sure (and […]

A wedding and reception with Katie and Jason Kirklin

| November 13, 2023

We attended and enjoyed the wedding for Taylor’s long time “birthday buddy” and grade school, high school and college friend Katie Gormas to Jason Kirklin in downtown Cincinnati this weekend. Beside a high traffic parking fiasco that almost made us late, the evening was very nice. Taylor and Megan arrived even a few minutes after us […]

Archiving a weekend wedding photo of Taylor and his college buds and an impressively engineered antique candle snuffer

| October 24, 2023

The title of this post is a little disjointed, but since I don’t have all that much to say about either topic, I’m putting them in one post. First, Taylor stretched out a long weekend with Megan in Key Largo Florida with his fraternity buddies at a wedding … and second, I’m just impress with […]

A new battery, Taylor’s office and homemade socket organizer

| 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 […]

Archive: Our family together for Labor Day while Taylor was backpacking in Glacier National Park with a friend

| September 6, 2023

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Archive: Family photos and visiting NW Ohio as move nears

| August 6, 2023

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Archive: We had a great time celebrating Taylor’s Birthday

| June 13, 2023

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Happy Birthday Taylor. Embrace the change this year.

| June 10, 2023

It is hard to believe Taylor, our youngest, is celebrating another birthday (although better than not having them) and that he was born AFTER the long running television show (1952-1989) American Bandstand ended. It just so happens that Taylor was born a month after Dick Clark finished the final episode … it does not seem […]

Taylor settled into his new office in Batavia Township, Ohio

| June 3, 2023

What a super nice office and comfortable place for Taylor to work. I find myself envious of his new position as “Director of Planning and Zoning” in Batavia Township, Ohio. As a parent, it is rewarding to see your children excelling in their careers and appreciated by those they work for and with. I’m confident […]

Woodworking: Practicing mortise and tenons on a project

| June 1, 2023

The previous “refined” Cornhole game project for my granddaughters worked out so well that I decided to make a modified set for Taylor’s birthday in June this year. Thankfully I started it early since I’m modifying the project just a little bit to work on mortise and tenon jointery … and have been busy outside […]

Megan, Taylor and Gigi … and Tootsie to make it #TBT

| May 25, 2023

It looks as if the dog Megan found a month or so ago … and tried to find its owner (it was probably abandoned) … has now found a new home with Taylor and Megan. They have named her Gigi. Since both Megan and Taylor have grown up with dogs, perhaps it is no surprise […]

Our six-year old granddaughter’s dance recital weekend

| May 24, 2023

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A ‘distance planning’ tip for hiking or backpacking to pass along

| May 23, 2023

My son Taylor has another semi-repeat backpacking trip planned with a friend from North Dakota (he is now in Montana) for the end of the summer in Glacier National Park (different area). The permits were obtained for the “loop” that they wanted … so now the packing and getting in shape begins (it was fun […]

Angel Food Cake, Strawberries and Whipped Cream Leftovers

| May 9, 2023

Although few of us getting older really want to spend too much time highlighting “yet another” birthday, last weekend was mine … so I celebrated by hauling 68 pounds of aluminum cans to the recycler (above). Since we were with KDAE the previous weekend … and Taylor stops in regularly (twice this past week) and […]

After 8 years as a Clermont County Planner, Taylor has accepted a new position in Batavia Township, Ohio

| May 2, 2023

It is a bitter sweet departure from Clermont County for my son Taylor. He has grown professionally and enjoyed his job as Planner for the last 8 years after moving back to Ohio from Williston, ND (being a Planner for Williams County was his first job out of college). He has been patient and taken on […]

Archive: A few Easter weekend family photos and video

| April 11, 2023

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Archive: Family photos from weekend text messages

| April 4, 2023

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Presentation by Taylor and time with our granddaughters

| March 26, 2023

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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