When snow is kind of sickening

Hey, wanna see a dirty picture? No, not that type of dirty picture. I try to run a family-friendly blog here. Those of you who think snow is the be-all and end-all might be wondering how those of us who live in what I shall call so accurately the snowbelt can get sick of that…

And it’s back to a green backyard — and holdout rose bush — in Syracuse

Syracuse was embraced by temperatures in the 50s Saturday. Unfortunately, the unseasonable warmth for Jan. 11 was accompanied most of the daylight hours by rain. No walking for me and Ellie B, aka Dogamous Pyle. Besides, we had to watch Syracuse dispatch North Carolina from the Carrier Dome on the flatscreen. The Orange remained undefeated…

Wishful thinking, meet reality in Syracuse, N.Y.

When I pulled into my driveway this morning after a Vanity Appointment visit with my friend Theresa at Hairy Notions, here is what I saw on my car dashboard. Notable to me was the real-life temperature here in Syracuse, N.Y., a whopping 14 degrees. (The forecast for tomorrow lists a high of 2 and a…

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,…

Syracuse and snow, together again

We walked up the Syracuse University hill to the Carrier Dome yesterday in the fall. The temperature was in the 40s, the grass was holding onto some green and there was a bit of blue in the sky. We walked down the hill from the Orange’s bitter 17-16 loss to Pittsburgh in the winter. The…

One last mow turns fallen leaves into something smaller

Welcome to Mulch Madness. Most of the leaves around our house in Syracuse, N.Y., are down. Oh, there are some stragglers still up on the most stubborn of trees, but to my eyes, they’re far enough from our lawn proper to remain off our little piece of the earth after they fall. Saturday was indeed…

Syracuse awakens to a blanket of snow on the morning Santa will arrive at the mall

‘Tis the season in Syracuse, N.Y. I opened my eyes this morning to our first snow, bright white on a gray day. It’s sticking stubbornly on the lawn, not melting away a bit, just two days after I played golf while wearing shorts. Somebody up there knows something. Santa Claus is coming to town today,…

On Nov. 6, it was golf weather in Syracuse

My last wish for golf season 2013 was granted Tuesday. I got to play one more round of golf in Syracuse, N.Y., before the cold and snow settle in for good. The day broke with the weather forecasters promising temperatures in the 60s, with sun until sometime in the afternoon. I sent the text messages…

More photos from Niagara Falls (Or, I’ve got you over a barrel)

Quick quiz: Where was this above photo taken? No, I didn’t sneak in another location while I’m on my Niagara Falls roll. This is the park at the bottom of the Ontario city, just below the blocks of tourist shops and just above the majesty of the falls. My dear wife Karen and I had…

Niagara Falls is a wonderful place to revisit on a fifth wedding anniversary

The idea was perfect. Our present to each other for our fifth wedding anniversary should be a return trip to the ground where we’d made it official, my dear wife Karen declared many months ago. I nodded with plenty of enthusiasm. She made reservations at the same hotel where we stayed on our wedding night.…