A give-back for military service with real teeth to it

Joan Laura knew she wanted to do something to really show military members how much she appreciates their service for their country. So the Syracuse dentist — Dr. Laura, as her patients lovingly and pleasingly call her — decided to set aside one day of her practice at the Eastwood Dental Office in Syracuse where…

When they go to the tape on the news, do you believe what you see?

When I sit with my dear wife Karen in our home in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Syracuse and watch the local TV news, I believe what I see. The clips are true. The film is righteous. Accidents, on the spot, shot by crew or freelancers or … So I picked “Nightcrawler” as this week’s…

In our garden, still a bit of seasonal confusion

As I read the east coast blogs and, most significantly, looked at their pictures of the driving and piling snow, I felt a bit conflicted. Hell, no. I felt bad for my brethren who were already taking to the shovel. Sorry, Austin, who was moved in Maine to post this headline and all it entailed…

I kept everybody clear of the pitchfork

A good time was had by us. Everybody, actually, to my two eyes that looked out through the lens-less frames of my spectacles used to top the American Gothic portrait used as this year’s Halloween party costume for my dear wife Karen and I. Yes, we wore our classic painting get-ups in my car as…

I can hear music: An afternoon with the Heath Brothers

Jimmy Heath said he’d love to meet me. Albert “Tootie” Heath said I should check in to say hello. But when you talk to great musicians on the phone — legends of jazz, this time — it’s always a judgment call as to whether somebody’s merely being polite as an interview is winding down. This…

Remember to put your blog link on Nano Poblano spicy page Blog Roll

The first day of November has arrived. Time to post the first of your monthly blogs to share with Nano Poblano, Team Pepper, the Little Peppers. NaBloPoMo will allow bloggers to meet new bloggers, read new blogs, and make their world more interesting by joining together and sharing ideas, comments and the results and their…

For those of you less sarcastic potential poblanos

It strikes me that some of you on the fence about joining forces for NaBloPoMo have less of a caustic writing bone than I when it comes to choosing the flags to fly on your blog. That’s why Fish of Gold produced two logos for Nano Poblano, aka Team Pepper, and being called Little Peppers,…

A movie on HBO makes me think about my little slice of America

I started to watch my HBO-recorded version of “Lone Survivor” on my flat screen with my movie critic eyes. Mark Wahlberg was cool under fire as soldier Marcus Luttrell, caught with his team in the mountains, battling the Taliban on its terms. Peter Berg wrote and directed this true story from Luttrell’s book with a…

You can Marvel at their list that stretches to 2019

I have to give it up for Marvel Studios. The honchos have their stuff together. This week they put on a big to-do in LA to unveil Phase Three of their comics-to-silver-screen parade, and the list goes on to ………. 2019. Yowser. New characters getting movies of their own will be Doctor Strange, Black Panther,…

Three hats off to the San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner is bigger than life. The San Francisco Giants are the newest sports dynasty. Major League Baseball had a season to win back fans. Grand statements all, most certainly. As I watched the happy squad from the city by the Bay hop around the field in Kansas City after holding off the brash-to-the-last Royals…