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…

The long and the short of it

I’m not saying I waited too long for the first mow of spring 2016 in the yard of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood but … The back before I took out the red pusher mid-week was, shall I say, a bit tangled. The front wasn’t as bad, but it’s all…

A shining moment for our student

We gathered at Kelley’s 15 strong Wednesday night to break bread for Elisabeth, to show this amazing young woman how proud we all are of what she’s accomplished these past two years. The food was good. The smiles were better. We were thrilled to then head down the road apiece to Onondaga Community College. My…

A cool wind and a warm sun greet our golf season

A day off from the store and friends a stretch of warm spring Syracuse weather added up to the opening of golf season 2016 for KP, Tater and I. Tater chose Camillus Country Club, a public-private hybrid built high on a hill on the west side of Onondaga County. The sun shined brightly again for…

Trying to keep the neighborhood base solid

I noticed a couple of big rocks hanging out on the empty lot separating the Little Bitty and our neighbor’s brick house the other day, and got hit by one of my little ideas. Those are the perfect size, I thought, to place in the holes the Eastwood skunk digs under our Syracuse city fence…

A together drive is always a bargain

With our first shared day off in a couple of weeks, my dear wife Karen and I jumped into her pretty red Mazda Friday afternoon and headed west on the New York State Thruway. We rekindled a tradition that had sat idle for a year or so, thanks to … Oh, the combination of a…

Springing a return to Thornden Park

My four-season cycle at the lovely spot at the top of Syracuse is complete. I took my iPhone 6 to Thornden Park as warm weather returned to my city here in upstate New York late this week, as promised. I wanted to capture the stirring of nature’s soul in the spot where roses will soon…

At the store before sunrise

It was still pitch dark when I pulled my Chevy Cruze out of the driveway of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Although sunrise was still officially some 20 minutes hence when I stopped in the parking lot of the store 15 miles northwest, light already peaked over the horizon when…

Finishing the seven-stretch

When I finished my shift at the store Sunday night, I looked at the manager on duty and declared, “I just finished my seven-stretch!” I do believe I may have coined a phrase. For me, at least. I’ve heard my co-workers call it something else. I may have used that other doozie, which ends at…