A foggy January morning

Visibility, less. This, that and the other thing, the weather guy told me before the clock had hit 6 Thursday morning. No snow, a bit of rain, temps still in the 40s. Not bad for late January, thought I. Then he mentioned fog. Hmm, I thought a little bit. The clock would arrive soon enough…

Backyard beauty

Enter this way. Here’s why I like letting our cherished rescue mutt out the back door shortly after 7 a.m. at this time of year. The first glow of the day belongs to us.

Lighter window

Rise above. When I pull into our driveway after taking my dear wife Karen to her 7 a.m. shift at the eye center down the next block, I notice January marching on toward longer days. The early morning snippet I’m rewarded through our side alcove before I retreat into the front door is quite invigorating.

Ready and waiting

Could be empty already. Garbage pickup comes early on my block. When I return from driving my dear wife Karen to her 7 a.m. Monday shift at the eye center less than a half-mile from our house, one of the two big pails is usually empty. Usually it’s the black garbage bucket. Another truck comes…

While it was warm

In January, really. Before the cold snap moved in, I noticed on my walk to and from my car in the driveway an interesting emergence in our front garden. Green sprouts decided to say hello in Liverpool, N.Y.

Revving up for Hunt Brothers Pizza

Signs of arrival. My dear wife Karen spotted the news first as I drove past the gas station. <em>Hunt Brothers Pizza</em> she enthused as we passed onward to our weekend other weekend errand. For years we’d noted the sponsor’s name on the hood of NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick’s car, and yes, I’ve yearned a taste.…

Cool addition

When it gets warm … Charles Heating and Plumbing sent two workers for the installation project. One concentrated on the furnace in the basement while the other went up and down to take care of the central air conditioning. We already know how much we like the new furnace. This week’s cold snap has allowed…

And when summer comes …

Ancient air. Our local heating and plumbing company definitely grabbed our attention with its January sales pitch. Buy a new furnace and central air conditioning unit at the same time and get the furnace for about $1,110. You read that right. Folks that lived at our house two-plus decades ago most likely put in the…

Then came January

Shorter but more powerful. Our fixed furnace was chugging along with its new part, the new igniter firing the 27-year-old baby up every time the thermostat on the living room wall made that clicking sound. Then came the new year and the Charles Heating and Plumbing company’s TV commercials. They had a really good deal.…