Whoa! When did your hair get that long?

Daughter Elisabeth and boyfriend George got to the Appleby’s before us for lunch yesterday, seated side-by-side and reading the menus when my dear wife Karen and I spotted them and sat down. Good talk, much smiling, a raised eyebrow or two, more laughs and satisfying catch-up, as usual. Health insurance changes. Physical therapy practices. Family…

Thank you for not just blowing smoke, Carl

When I nominated Carl D’Agostino for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award this morning, I dared him to draw one of his blog-funny cartoons about it. He said he already had something appropriate. And the Florida cartoonist sent me the above, signed. It is three-flame worthy. Thank you, sir.

Renegade bulbs shoot us some green

My dear wife Karen remembers digging up the tulip bulbs at this particular corner of a front garden last fall. They didn’t get along well with the juniper-come-lately as it grew. And they’d been there coming up on 10 years. Karen says they’ve been looking more and more scraggly each year. A couple little buggers…

I have been Dragon my feet on Loyalty, Liebster awards

Time to empty the WordPress guilt closet. I’ve been putting off my official acceptance post for a couple of awards that came down the pike in the last week or so. First, my music-loving friend peacelovegreatcountrymusic nominated me for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. This blog is full of good tips about what you should listen…

My plan to save college sports

The subject of college sports and payment of athletes again rages around America because a labor board ruled in favor of certain players being able to start a union. It’s a heavy topic, with complicated layers and possible ramifications. I come with a simple plan. I think it’s fair to all college athletes. Take the…

I find a pile of old family photos, and here come the memories

I found a bounty of photographs I didn’t even know I had yesterday. I’ve been thinking that my sisters, Fran and Dory, were the keepers of the really good stuff. Apparently there were plenty of Kodak moments to go around. There’s been a volume somebody at sometime put together for me, hiding in a never-used…

This guy Beels has heard lots of nicknames

I called my buddy KP. That’s short for Kingpin, a nickname he was given three decades ago. And as we golfed virtually, ate burgers and drank drafts, KP called me Beels. That’s a nickname that’s stood through decades, too. But it certainly wasn’t my first nickname. When I was of soft-cereal age, there used to…