City Arborist gives my neighbor’s pines the OK

I have been worrying about my backyard neighbor’s two enormous pines long enough and hard enough to post two stories about my state of fret. The last time we visited my world of fears, many of you kind friends suggested that I get up off the recliner and do something about it. I called the…

Now and then

Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I passed this pretty little corner of a neighbor’s front yard this April 19 in our morning walk through the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Nice looking pine backed by a lawn yearning to turn green. Rather unassuming, though, right? But does it look vaguely familiar? The last time…

Now you are the beholder

The symmetry of spring cleanup caught me eye quickly this morning as Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I started our loop around the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Across the street from the home I share with my dear wife Karen, four neighbors had placed bags from outdoor spring cleaning at the curb for…

First color in our yard beats the return of snow

It’s been awhile coming this spring. With the winter we’ve had here in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, it’s seemed like forever. Flower power arrived yesterday. We received the first burst of color. It came from the plant above, the one that we thought was from a tulip bulb that Karen missed when she…

Where should I put a ring on it?

So Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I were circling past a Syracuse Housing Authority complex a half-dozen blocks from our home in the city neighborhood of Eastwood. Ellie B’s nose was down as we strolled past the halfway point in our walk. My eyes were down, too. And I spotted a couple of coins…

Why I fret, Vol. II

A couple weeks back I caught a photo of these two pine trees behind my backyard neighbors’ fence and shared my anxiety about an eventual fall. They were covered with snow. I could see a possible topple in the future. Here’s that Knock Down, Stay Up post. On the way back from my glorious walk…

So close

Almost. We’re one day from April, and the snow here in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood is waving its last bye-bye, what with a high of 57 forecast for tomorrow. At least I hope its one final wave. You never know around here. A common comment: Remember the year we woke up to inches…

Renegade bulbs shoot us some green

My dear wife Karen remembers digging up the tulip bulbs at this particular corner of a front garden last fall. They didn’t get along well with the juniper-come-lately as it grew. And they’d been there coming up on 10 years. Karen says they’ve been looking more and more scraggly each year. A couple little buggers…

Knock down, stay up

If I don’t get out there with the shovel right quick, my dear wife Karen will have to bob and weave when she walks out to her car a few minutes from now. Yes, this time I’m talking using the shovel reaching up. On the roof of our side porch right this 7:53 a.m. second…

I’m tired of the red truck and the unleashed black dog

This is our beloved rescue mutt Ellie B, aka Dogamous Pyle. Isn’t she a beauty? It is my responsibility to keep her safe and sound, and I take that job seriously. In the winter, she tends to love sprawling in the living room. I know, though, that a daily walk is good for both of…