2-band day fits for Jazz Fest on a holiday weekend

The M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest took a different role in my life this holiday weekend. Through more than two decades I’ve stuck a pad and pen in my pocket, hung a VIP-seating pass around my neck and made my way to wherever founder and executive director Frank Malfitano staged the fantastic event. For the bulk…

A welcoming new place

Eyeglasses place. One of our Chinese joints. Popular sub shop. It looks much like your run-of-the-mill tiny strip mall, this stretch of stores where I buy egg rolls and wonton soup. China Chen is quite near Northern Pines, the course where I played with the little golf league that could for many years. And so…

My happy new work space

My name plate came in at work, so I took that as the cue to bring in some other stuff from home to personalize my desk space. So into the Chevy Cruze went a little pile. There was new: The picture frame given to me for Father’s Day by my terrific daughter Elisabeth, holding the…

Margaritaville is good for my sole

I got a great present from my dear wife Karen last week, ordered online from Da Shoe Wearhouse. What, it’s Designer Shoe Wearhouse, you say? That’s right. In any case, she had a coupon and allowed me to pick out a pair of Margaritaville shoes. My faves. I looked at their dozen or so offerings…

Now we need butterfly bushes and butterflies

The wonder of the triangle butterfly garden of our cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood takes my breath away in stages. In the 7 a.m. pre-workday light, the rush of white from the daisies coming in from the right and purple of the climbing Polish plant taking over on the let…

Getting good at gathering the backyard gopher

Another year, another gopher munching on my dear wife Karen’s hard work in the backyard garden of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Not to mention making beloved rescue dog Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle’s life miserable again. Hey, wait. In finding the link above to share the last time I…

A big smile is the best present

My terrific daughter Elisabeth let me pick out the place for our Father’s Day meeting, so I chose Mac’s Local Yolk, the joint that the Syracuse owner transformed when IHOP pulled up its stakes down the road from Shoppingtown. It worked for my dear wife Karen and I when we tried it our first time.…

Can’t see with the moon in my eyes

All this daylight at this time of the year, just two days past the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere. In fact, we’re still at the point where the sun won’t rise later or set earlier for a day or two. Beautiful. So a few days ago I awoke with a jolt. No, it…

The other side of the fence

When my dear wife Karen was pulling weeds and sprucing the spot we call our backyard butterfly garden behind the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, Good Neighbor Tim saw her from his side of the fence. She was struggling with the stuff coming over from the dead spot behind. He offered…