Andy was coming up with an excuse to show me his new toy/tool for work. Pretty cool setup! We could tell someone in his building was doing laundry haha.
2026-02-27
I like the way the pond looks when the sun comes back out
After a hard winter and gray skies, it is nice to see the sun again. It is starting to melt the ice flow.
A brisk but pretty day…
… for a quick run to the post office. I liked the flag waving in the breeze.
We decided to try our hand at chuck-a-puck
Where we sit, you have to get them over the net designed to stop pucks from leaving the arena. One of us was successful, the other was not. That person used the excuse that they were foam rubber pucks stating that if they would have been real pucks, they would've cleared by a mile. ;)
2026-02-26
If you’re crazy enough…
… you might just win an entire pizza and a hockey game and have it all to yourself! For some reason, Julie insisted I share my bounty with her. We actually shared with all the peeps that sit around us for most games. The even funnier part is one random kid saw me on camera and just ran up to ask if he could buy a slice from me? I gave him one. Then not long after that one of my Jeep club members came from the other side of the arena just to say hi and meet Julie. I gave him a slice too. Pretty fun.
This is a sentimental shot for a lot of reasons
Centerville with it early stone buildings was my stomping ground growing up. Also, you can just make out the Bell tower of the church I attended as a child. I can remember ringing the bell in 1976 as part of the bicentennial celebration. I'm parked near two of my favorite eating joints, City BBQ and Graeter's Ice Cream. And of course I'm taking this all in while Joy riding in my Jeep with the freedom flaps off. They are technically called freedom panels, but Julie dubbed them freedom flaps when we rented a Jeep in Hawaii and it has stuck.
Don’t you agree…?
…It's important to keep the flavor calendar for your favorite ice cream close at hand!
65º and sunny!
We had a couple beautiful days a week ago. I took full advantage! It's getting to be that time of year when you can occasionally take the top off of the Jeep. First time since early winter or late last fall.
More meaning that I am willing to type at the moment
Suffice it to say these new stickers that I picked up with our chocolate strawberries were appropriate while we were celebrating Valentine's Day.
So much fitness data on your wrist these days
The question is, Garmin or Apple Watch? The answer: it depends… I feel like the Apple Watch tells you what you've done for fitness, but the Garmin helps tell you what you should do to become more fit. however, the Apple Watch is much easier to setup and use.
Battery life, there is no question. Real world use with indoor and outdoor workouts using GPS, and with most sensors on. 2 WEEKS on the Garmin vs. two DAYS with the Apple Watch. Of course, there are lots of settings you can play with to change that, but it's always going to be weeks on the Garmin and days on Apple.
Integration with your iOS phone is decent on both. Surprisingly good on the Garmin compared to most other non-Apple options. The main difference here is the robustness of bi-directional interactions on Apple vs. the Garmin.
The last big difference is the wallet. Apple is all-encompassing. Credit cards, IDs, tickets, pretty much everything. Garmin, I managed to get two credit cards to work. That's about it.
Nice to be able to hose it down…
I like this approach to cleaning the footwells with my new mat/flooring combo. Open the drain plug and hose it down. 🤪
2026-02-25
Finally warm enough to wash some stuff!
I pulled my Jeep out after weeks of being covered with mud and salt from the last two rides… The dogs wanted to watch, but for some reason were content to keep their distance from the power sprayer 🤪
Cool threading shavings!
Andy scored this threader as an add-on to a marketplace deal. It was frozen up and useless when he got it. But he took it all apart, loosened it all up, cleaned and lubed it and put it back together. THEN he had to figure out how it was supposed to work. Pretty cool! He was excited to show us what he'd done and figured out!
Finally walking and biking again
The snow kept me inside more than I wanted over the last few weeks. It was deep enough we couldn't really bike, and Chloe would really only walk where I had cleared it. Thankfully, we had some nice days over the last week or so and got back at it. I was tired of the elliptical and treadmill.
I need some sunlight. :)
The pond is full and icy
With all the snow and rain, we are starting the year off with a nice full pond :)
2026-02-24
Creeping around in the middle of the night…
…My brain is pretty busy these days, sometimes in the middle of the night. So I was awake to see this eerie moonlight scene out back. Creepy and cool.
I just “had” to get one of these hoodies…
Given all our skyline proclivities if I need to take advantage of as much as this marketing as I can 🤪
2026-02-23
2026-02-22
Encouraging words from my wife
When you're sitting on the couch finding yourself unemployed, it's nice to have a partner in life that would send you this instagram post❣️ She's always my number one fan, encouraging, and appreciative of my care for our family. If it's the apocalypse, or just stepping into the next job, she's there trusting and believing in me! Thanks Jewels!!❤️
Looks what I got for Valentine’s Day!
I mini, battery powered chain saw for for my Jeep! Small but mighty. It can eat through a 15 inch diameter tree if you have a little patience. Andy swears by his! It's way more efficient that a sawn-all and live wood blade.
2026-02-21
The Valentine’s Day strawberry selections were crazy!
I passed on these, but enjoyed the variety and colors :)
Zoe and I had a great time.
We didn't know there was a water fall or suspension bridge on the Caesar's Creek trails. We also earned a healthy heart day badge we didn't know existed. Better yet, I managed the 3+ miles in spite of my past knee issues. I've worked out a combo of strengthening, exercise and supplements that seems to be working well and I've seen a lot of improvement over the last several months and still getting better every week.
All this let me score the max points in the day and spurred me on to a rare victory over Jewels for the week 😈
2026-02-20
Just more winter beauty at Caesar’s Creek
The lake froze over completely this year. That only happens about once a decade or so!
Julie quickly noted the frozen polar bear…!
I have to admit, I can't unsee it once she pointed it out! Hahaha. Now go back and look at my previous post and see it there too. 🤪
I went on a heart healthy hike last weekend
Waynesville and the ODNR coordinated a 3 mile hike starting at Pioneer Village on Valentine's Day. Zoe and I went along. We hiked out to the waterfalls and flat rock face fork and enjoyed nature and the scenery along the way!
Fun collecting the whole set!
The cyclones handed out packs of five trading cards a couple weeks ago. Then the trading began! Some folks just gave away their packs. Some of us randomly roamed the arena, and still others of us posted up and Facebook and connected at future games. In the end, I managed to get a complete 30 card set and didn't even have to front any cash. In fact I got a few helpings of nachos and other treats out of the deals. The bets part is I made a handful of new hockey fan friends in the process.
2026-02-19
David?!
This is about the most David kind of watch band and case I could possibly find for my Apple Watch, hahahaha. On brand!
What do you do when you don’t have a job?!
CELEBRATE!
Ironically, we were being treated to dinner out on Cognex the same day they laid me off! 🤪 They'd given out gift cards at Christmas so we had made reservations at Flemming's to celebrate Valentine's Day. The timing worked out perfectly. Under the circumstances, we decided a sugar treat was called for! YUM!!
2026-02-18
Interesting timing for this song
I jumped back into my Jeep, after my coffee, reflection and planning, to head home and tell Julie the news. I have been listening to random beat music for a week or so. Mostly just energetic music without words. But this song popped up. If you think of it from my current place, kind of feeling jilted by the surprise moves by my company but looking forward to what it meant for an improved lifestyle, it was timely and fun.
So I said a quick prayer of thanks, turned it up, and jammed the rest of the way home!
"I feel the world turned for a change
I'm ready, I'm ready for a better life
Amber waves running through the sky
I wanna raise my voice and cry
I'm ready, I'm ready, ready to figure out a way to get over you
I know I can be somebody…
…someone to love❣️"
That somebody is a guy that loves God, loves my wife, and takes care of my family and is loved so much by those around me! I am ready for the next sage! ❤️
So now what do I do…?!
First step. Stop at my favorite coffee shop, reflect on the past, gather my thoughts, make a plan, then let Julie know what it is when I get home.
It was perfectly appropriate since this was one of the banks I cleaned when I started life as a janitor so many years ago. My current working career spans 41 years. 37 of those in engineering and 33 of them as a full time degreed engineer. So I sat in the vault with a warm mug of Highlander Grog from Boston Stoker and just relaxed while I got my thoughts in order. It was nice to not be panicked or stressed, but rather excited. It was peace from God as he's been showing me the right path, giving me the wisdom and experience to be prepared with a plan and a backup plan, and also working for a good place for so many years (Cognex and Invotec especially). I have been fortunate and blessed.
I still smile at the feeling of relief and excited anticipation of what this change means for me, my plans, the future, and lower stress. Stay tuned while we sort it out and see which option falls into place…
Houston we have a problem…
Well, last week my manager came to town for our weekly 1:1 meeting face to face (I was pretty sure why…). He had bad news. After surviving many personnel cuts since 2020, I was finally caught up in the latest round. I made it 9.97 years and through about 1,000 folks that have been reduced. It's all part of cost cutting measures since revenue had been down for a combo of reasons.
The good news, they didn't leave me high and dry as they are treating me fairly. All of a sudden an lanudry list of worries are gone and it's a HUGE weight off my shoulders for several reasons I'd chat about if you're interested. And in even better news, I have enough liquid funds to take some time off, relax and recharge. Julie and I decided it was time to treat us to a sabbatical. Length TBD 🤪
The funny thing, when I left the meeting, I was smiling and resting in the comfort that God was in control and that this would actually work out well for me. It's a good thing, because THIS was the message on my phone as soon as I went to any of my work related apps. Surprising how freeing that is…
So, keep us in your prayers as we seek God's direction and timing. I think I have a pretty clear picture of the next two months, two years, and four years. I just need relax and let it unfold.
Harbor Freight Icon mini ratchet for the win
During my preventative maintenance I noticed oil blowing into my engine air intake filter box. This is usually from increased engine oil pressure due to a worn out PCV valve (PCV Positive Crankcase Ventilation, the PCV valve works to evacuate gas from the crankcase of the engine).
It's a cheap part and only held in by two screws. However, the problem is that it's mounted on the middle of the back of the engine up against the firewall of my Jeep…
So I went after it with my tiny little pocket ratchet wrench. It's so small it slips into the sheath of my Leatherman multitool. You can see the size relative to the T25 impact bit in the picture. I could lock the head at the right swivel angle and just barely get one click of the fine tooth ratchet at a time. You can see how little room I had. I was blind to the screw head so it was all by feel and THIS was the easy screw. The bottom screw was way worse. No chance to see any of it. Hence no picture 🤪
In the end, it was a couple hours total, and I am back in business. Oil pressures are back where they should be, the air box is nice and dry, and I have one less thing to worry about.
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