My Desultory Blog

The Silent Theft: Dollar Devaluation and Persistent Inflation

RichC — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:33:50 +0000

For generations, Americans have been told that saving, investing wisely and planning for retirement embody the virtues of self-reliance and prudence. Yet today, many on fixed or semi-fixed incomes — pensions, annuities and even Social Security — are watching those plans quietly unravel. The culprit? The steady devaluation of the U.S. dollar driven by chronic […]

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Where does the nozzle/plug go? What’s old is new again! #cars

RichC — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:45:12 +0000

A few days ago, the social networked car guys that I follow, commented back and forth about the “hidden gas cap” locations that were part of cars and trucks years ago. I remember the occasional stumper when I was 16 years old working at a Sidney, Ohio Shell station. Full service gas stations were still […]

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Update: Replaced the Kubota wheel/tire and used correct spacers

RichC — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:29:40 +0000

The additional parts for the Kubota Zero-Turn mower (correct sized SS spacers) and replacement solid wheel (broken zerk) arrived last week, so decided to spend part of my weekend taking things apart and putting them together again. The new spacers fit much better but I did add a couple copper washer shims, which was probably […]

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Music Monday: Jimmy Buffett and “Take Another Road” – 1989

RichC — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:33:03 +0000

Stumbled on a Tonight Show interview in 1989 with Jimmy Buffett. It was by the King of Late-Night Television, Johnny Carson where Buffett and the Coral Reefers also performed a new release, “Take Another Road” from the album Off To See The Lizard. Jimmy Buffett – “Take Another Road” | 1989 After making […]

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Obit: Sen. Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly at age 71

RichC — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Senator Lindsey Graham, a steadfast friend to the US military, cherished his family and his beloved state, South Carolina. He dedicated his entire life to serving his country. His career spanned as a JAG officer in the U.S. Air Force, a US Congressman, and a US Senator. Graham’s life exemplifies the exceptional opportunities and values […]

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A woodworking project idea for my granddaughters this summer

RichC — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:18:31 +0000

Each year when our granddaughters come to visit for a week, I try to do something in the woodworking workshop that keeps them interested in working with tools (and with their Bompa, although now that they are older, suspect that name will disappear). 😉 Katelyn gave me the idea of a “squirrel picnic table” […]

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TheHustings: Young Conservative Leadership is Promising

RichC — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:33:51 +0000

Who hasn’t noticed that a number of Democratic Socialist candidates elected or on the ballots in several American blue cities and states? It seemed like a good topic for the three column points-of-view on the TheHustings political discussion site, so I sent in an editorial (commentary) last month and sort of forgot about it. The […]

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Tech Friday: Closing out the week with an update to WordPress

RichC — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:18:04 +0000

Front lawn cut before the rain starts. MyDesultoryBlog backed up. Linux server updated and installed WordPress 7.0.1 … and all is still working! 😉

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A couple Tesla updates: Charging EVs and Future Model Ys

RichC — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:30:41 +0000

Besides admiring the new 2027 Tesla Model Y L with truly functional 3-row … and space behind it … this past week, I began contemplating what might be an eventual replacement for our 2019 Tesla Model 3. Currently it’s a bit pricey in my opinion, but might trigger better selling prices on lightly used 2023-25 […]

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For Sale and glow plugs in the MB 300D Turbodiesel #TBT

RichC — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:08:27 +0000

It is not a “for sure” For Sale, but I did clean up the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel last weekend and added a sign to the window. Now I’m not going out of my way to sell it, but we do need to thin down the automotive stable. We’ll see … I’m not truly […]

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Powertrain Projections Show EVs Stalling Through 2031

RichC — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:23:14 +0000

While EV sales have cooled considerably, hybrid powertrains are seeing strong growth and are projected to capture a significantly larger share of the market in the coming years. “Hybrids are the breakout star of the U.S. car market as EV demand fades” Marketwatch – July 2, 2026 A chart from Murphy Automotive Partners (shared via […]

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Archive: Leftover family US 250th Anniversary 4th of July photos

RichC — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:33:15 +0000

I wish I could say that Brenda and I did more than hang out around home and watch fireworks for the 4th of July (the lawn is cut), but at least our family was doing the right thing in marking memories for our nation’s Semiquincentenial. Besides the Oostra family checking out the fireworks and in-town […]

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Music Monday: Pink Floyd and “Obscured by Clouds” from 1972

RichC — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:08:14 +0000

Besides being a Music Monday (Pink Floyd and “Obscured by Clouds” from 1972 below), it was time to get an early handle on my cloud storage and backup accounts. I was planning on holding off in making the “cloud storage” switch until my Microsoft OneDrive was up for a yearly renewal in August, but the […]

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Pilot maps the 48 contiguous US and USA 250th in an Ohio flight

RichC — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 10:24:35 +0000

With our nation’s 250th birthday plus one, here’s an Ohio oriented aviation story that was pretty cool. I’m not sure what kind of planning it took for the pilot to take his Cessna Skyline 182 RG to fly this kind of six hour “map drawing flight,” but it did take a few gallons of fuel […]

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