Our furnace sounds sick, and I may take ill, too

The furnace check-up is due this afternoon. Now there’s a statement that will make this grown man shake in fear, with the potential for real sadness at the end of the visit. Our heat-thrower, a compact-looking York model, has been a solid cornerstone of our utility room since my dear wife Karen and I moved…

It’s Monday morning, get cracking Da!

I may be having a hard time getting myself in full roar this Monday morning. Truth be known, I’ve got a bit of a stuffy nose situation going on. Nothing serious, mind you, but enough for me to put that question in the back of my mind: Are you going to get sick? Can’t. Big…

Ugly sweater shots from a really beautiful party

The Ugly Sweater (and shirt) Party went off without a blush yesterday. Our friends Kelly and Steve welcomed many cheery people wearing bad-looking holiday clothing to their splendid house in Liverpool. The house was decorated beautifully, inside and out, a beacon of holiday cheer in this large suburb of Syracuse. This is a family that…

A green rose bush and a white snow pile, together for a little while

Mother Nature gives us little reminders that she might be a little busy at these borders between the seasons. In my front garden in my Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, there is a rose bush that just won’t give up. Everything else around it is as brown as the dirt in the garden. This bush,…

A cut, a trim, and regular friendly conversation at Hairy Notions

Some men get haircuts when they can’t stand the sight of Shaggy staring back from the mirror any longer. Some men get their beards trimmed when birds and other little animals start to hover too closely. I have my Vanity Appointment every four weeks, without hesitation. My tradition of haircut and beard-trim is so deeply…

The winter season car wash has many believers

There are certain winter season days in Central New York where cars line up with a resolute purpose. No, not those panicked rushes to the supermarket to buy milk and bread when the forecast calls for a big snow. People know enough to keep cans in the cupboard and bottles in the fridge, in case…

We did find ugly for the big holiday theme party

The invitation came by Facebook a couple of weeks ago, a call for my dear wife Karen and I to join friends for a festive holiday party. The theme for this particular soiree: ugly sweater. We talked, checked our social calendar — wide open — and RSVP’ed to the positive. Saturday we will savor a…

Now that’s a big hole in your house

The neighbors across the street appear to be having a little work done on their house. Yesterday morning, that resulted in one humungous hole. In fact, it looked like the whole front wall was gone. Nice living room furniture you’ve got there. Smart to drape drop cloths over the couch like that. What a window…

So what’s the story inside this Alaska car in Syracuse, N.Y.?

As I pulled up to the red light and eased to a stop one block over from my house Sunday morning, the car right smack in front of me afforded a sight that I can call a first in my 30 years living in Syracuse, N.Y. The weathered Mercedes 3000 Turbo Diesel was adorned with…

A month of daily writing goes by like a short paragraph

Well, NaPoBloMo is over. If it was the good, old days, I would say: Writers, put down your pens. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned during the past month of blogging every day, it’s this. I’ve come a long way from my good, old days. And I like it. When I first read the…