Awful lived between good bread and great cheesecake

The Cheesecake Factory adventure played out at last as we celebrated my wonderful daughter Elisabeth’s birthday this past weekend at the Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA. We’d been waiting to experience this new franchise, the four of us, since our failed attempt to eat dinner there the Saturday of its opening…

For Suzie81’s happy challenge, I go to my dear wife Karen

I thought it was a most excellent idea when super British blogger Suzie81 Speaks declared she was starting her Weekly Word Challenge with this popular word of late. Happy. Easy one for me. My dear wife Karen makes me happy every day. She makes me happy when she points during the Knapp stop on our…

My wife loves that car

Walking to the exit at the Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA, my dear wife Karen was drawn to the car in the corridor. It was not one of the shiny new models local dealers park here and there in these halls, the ones that leave me chuckling at the sticker price.…

A Dog’s Degree

Originally posted on Kindness Blog:
“My university gave an honorary master’s degree to the service dog who sat through every one of his owner’s classes. He dressed appropriately for the ceremony. A dog with a better education than me.” (Source: oldblueeyes)

A diamond in the sun

Add two weeks, four days to opening day. Add 25 degrees to the temperature. Subtract 5,000 fans. What I enjoyed with my good friends Dave and Steven T. was a noontime baseball game at NBT Banks Stadium, the home field for the Syracuse Chiefs, in 75-degree and sunny weather. The grass was inarguably greener than…

‘Heaven Is for Real’ should make everybody think hard about belief

The film studio bigwigs who released ‘Heaven Is for Real’ this particular weekend knew what they were doing. My dear wife Karen and I watched with appropriate wonder on Easter proper. Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly and Connor Corum are fabulous as Nebraska Todd Burpo, his wife and their smart 4-year-old. It’s a true story, which…

May this big day in Boston make it to a safe and happy finish

All the plans and preparations will be tested in a couple of hours. It’s Boston Marathon day in Boston. Here’s what everybody wants to be able to say 12 hours from now: What a difference a year makes. Last year the traditional venture into the doggedness of the human spirit ended in that soul-shattering bomb…

You really socked it to me

Apparently I have a sock issue. Or so it seems after yesterday’s post titled “So Shoe Me.” I thought I was showing off my good taste in lace-less footwear. You thought I was showing off shocking white socks. So, one last footwear post. Honest. Said Jolene: ” … then I saw your white socks with…

Closed for Easter

After viewing “Heaven Is for Real” for my weekly film review for the Syracuse New Times site this afternoon, my dear wife Karen and I took a little walk around the Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA. The entertainment and dining portions seemed to be business as usual. Eat-in restaurants were all…

An eggcellent Easter breakfast

The bunny left brown eggs in our fridge this morning for Easter breakfast. Most eggcellent choice, Hoppy! Really, though, I hear they may have come from the country farm of my friend Steve and his wife Mary. My dear wife Karen may have picked up this dozen when Steve made a delivery at his other…