The red and the white

When my dear wife Karen and I were shopping for the cherry tree to plant in front of our cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, we spied our share of pink blossoms and white blossoms. And we debated the merits of each. Having visited Washington, D.C., for our first Cherry Blossom…

My first time at Woodstock

My former colleague at the big daily Bill LaRue dug up a golden oldie from his files the other day and sent me into flurry of memories. That’s me, arms covered with muck, working hard on the old-fashioned laptop at Woodstock ’94 in Saugerties, N.Y. LaRue and I were the two reporters from the Syracuse…

Bearly hanging out

I’m really glad it wasn’t a real bear that Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I stumbled across during yesterday’s leisurely walk around the blocks surrounding the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Or perhaps this cute little front-yard decoration out for a May swing is situated in Lyncourt. The pretty house…

I’m excited to start a new chapter

I’m returning to an old friend in many ways. On Monday, May 16, I’ll jump into my Chevy Cruze in the driveway of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood at about 8 o’clock and head north just a handful of miles. Destination: The Liverpool Public Library. She’s a beautiful sight, the…

I’ve learned a lot at the store

For seven months, I’ve been proud to pull on that red vest and talk to customers. Working at the store has been interesting, every shift, every day. Yes, even when I spilled paint on my favorite pair of work shoes. Here’s the most important of what I’ve learned since October, when I started as a…

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…

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…