Slap a couple steaks on the grill

I hear the boasts here and there from the toughies who claim they’re always ready to burn up a couple of sirloins for dinner out there in their backyard no matter the season. Yeah, buddy, you master of your own universe, captain of the propane flame, king and queen of coal, grillmeister extraordinary. Not me.…

So about this Syracuse snow

I know the snow that’s fallen in the last three or four days cannot compare to the way in which my blogging friends Ann Koplow and Austin Hodgens in Boston and Bangor have been blasted this winter. And besides, our winter-of-2014-15 fate had been relatively tame except for some early December storms until now. But…

Ellie B and I are the only ones who give a hoot

Walking with Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle through a winter snow in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood’s nearby Norwood Park, we noticed something sitting on a backyard post just past a fence separating us and it. I pulled Ellie B through the snow to the fence to better see the bird. Ellie B pulled…

If winter is what you’ve got, why not throw a big party

There’s a new baby on the Syracuse festival scene. On Feb. 20 at the Palace Theatre on James Street comes the Snow Plow Blues Festival. If you want to read about the who-is-coming and why-is-this-happening, the event is the subject of my column today for my weekly community blog on Syracuse Public Media site waer.org.…

Snow way that’s right

My dear wife Karen took the day off from work today, so she scheduled a nail appointment for Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle for 10 a.m. Yeah, our beloved rescue mutt does not like getting the paw nails clipped, so we take her to the vet every couple of months for the chore. It’s better…

For 50 bucks, maybe your winter Destiny does await

Always on the lookout for new stuff, my iPhone 6 came out of my pocket as I approached the parking-lot-side entrance to the pedestrian bridge at Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA. The windows to their world were pitching the winter entertainment this time around. Quite the idea, thought I. Throw down…

Great to see you, Kitt Crescendo, write again

When I read in one of her December posts that Kitt Crescendo was in Syracuse, N.Y. because of her new day job, I started a back-and-forth in her comment section. We already knew each other in the WordPress world, so I felt comfortable enough to give her a bit of grief for not letting me…

The saga of snow and Syracuse city living Part II

So you know what happens when you get to the bottom of your driveway in the Syracuse city neighorhood of Eastwood all cleared from the night’s worth of snow, including the big pile deposited by the snow plow at the bottom, right? Inevitably? I still had my shovel in hand and was attacking the middle…

Take it to the (snow) bank

The plow came through our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood last night. I call that good news and bad news. Yes, we live at the foot of a rather sharp grade for an urban setting — remember my Syracuse half-marathon photos of runners careening down past our house the past two winters? — so that…

Forecaster says one more snow, but I look for spring anyway

The Syracuse TV station weather guy said Wednesday morning shall bring one last snow. He called it the last gasp of winter, as a matter of fact. I hope so. As I walked with Ellie B, aka Dogamous Pyle, this afternoon prior to the last snowy hurrah, I kept my eyes open for any signs…