Ellie B puts her best paw forward for the Chiefs

The Syracuse Chiefs were thankful that the last Saturday in April went to the dogs. Our Triple-A baseball team has been having one heck of a time with the spring weather so far this season, general manager Jason Smorol pointed out several times with the microphone in his hand during the pregame pooch parade at…

Now you see Tom Hanks, now you don’t in A Hologram for the King

A Hologram for the King begins with the nightmare of businessman Alan Clay singing Talking Heads’ classic Once in a Lifetime to a chilling effect as he jets to Saudi Arabia to escape and — possibly, hopefully — eradicate the noted pain of said subject matter. Wife, lost in divorce. Life, in turmoil. After he…

Where’s Waldo?

A recent walk around our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood led us past one fat cat who’d found a fine place to hang out. My dear wife Karen saw the kitty first. Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle never seemed to notice. Have fun finding the industrious cat. If only its owner dressed it in a…

Holes, Odds and Ends

I posted a photo of our beloved rescue mutt Ellie B attempting to investigate a hole in our neighborhood this week. Paul Curran commented that it jogged his memory. Indeed. Take it away, esteemed weekly Sunday guest columnist from Canada. Welcome to the weekly coffee and tea garden. My name is Paul, I’ll be your…

Is your yard looking tired?

A good idea spotted on a walk in the blocks surrounding the Little Bitty in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood perked up Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I. I wanted to take a photo with my iPhone 6. My cherished rescue mutt wanted to breathe in its deep scent. This neighbor had found…

The sun almost also rises before 6 a.m.

Two weeks ago, I offered what I thought was a pretty picture of the sun getting ready to wake up at 5:51 a.m., outside the store before my opening shift started exactly nine minutes later. Yesterday I thought the view to the east was even more breath-taking. Yes, it was again 5:51 a.m. A lot…

Beware the deep hole

Some stop signs are just there. And some stop signs scream out for you to obey them. On a recent walk around the blocks surrounding the Little Bitty in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I came up short at one particular marked street corner. Past the shouting red…

Thank you, burst of color

This is the time of year when on a day off from the store, I walk out the side door of the Little Bitty, take a left, and soak it all in. Spring is settling into the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. I appreciate every little burst of color. My dear wife Karen predicts that…

Oh, those creative paint people

Over at the Blog of Funny Names, I tackle paint this month. As in … OK, readers of the Blog of Funny Names, today we dip our sticks into the world of paint. Yes, I may have been around too many open cans while working in the paint department at the store. But I can’t…

I love some more Richard Linklater coming-of-age brilliance!!

The buzzed kids in Dazed in Confused did end up going to college. Metaphorically, in the mind of terrific writer and director Richard Linklater, it turns out. And so a quick 23 years after that breakthrough coming-of-age film that drew up the extremely realistic final May 1976 high school days of a group of Texas…