I spent nine straight days in Middletown, the longest period of time since the start of my lease nearly a year ago. And, the most time that I have spent there in cold weather. The first thing that I noticed when I unlocked the door at around 3PM on Friday the 13th was that the temperature in the studio read 67 degrees. Not at all what I was ( Read more... )

This Sabbath Day was destined for disaster from the beginning. Rainy and cold, I was in no mood to go back into "The City" for the second time in 24 hours. Saturday involved brunch with Pale Male and being brought up to speed on the Saturday Kitchen situation. It's been in the work for months, but apparently there has been an intervention by M's ( Read more... )

Big Bro' and Sis are going out to visit Aunt Lois today. I have a conference call I have to be in on at Noon. Sis is trying to be helpful by coordinating the ride, but, she couldn't tell me what hospital they were all driving to. I'm afraid I have been very slow off the blocks since my arrival back ( Read more... )

I managed to spend nearly two weeks in May at the summer house, once straddling Mothers Day weekend and another straddling Memorial Day, the latter of which I just arrived from last night. I was pushing the season a little bit; the weather was not entirely cooperative. But, I'm glad I went. It was a total immersion in all things having to do with ( Read more... )

June has not augured well for Mom. A peaceful winter eased its way to an uplifting Mother's Day which was followed on May 20th (a Friday) by a rather successful afternoon spent in the nursing home garden, one of my favorite places on the planet. It was an astonishing 74 degrees of -0- humidity and windless sunshine.The caddy for Mom's oxygen tank ( Read more... )

I had every intention of visiting Mom today, after Altar Guild. But, by the time I arrived at Main Street I could tell that the temperature was dropping in the middle of the day, something that rarely happens in New York City, even in the winter. I stood on line for my alternate bus, having just missed my other one, for fifteen minutes before I ( Read more... )

An all hands on deck e-mail went out early on Saturday to all the members of the Vestry. The snowstorm had hit the very weekend St. Michael's was expecting to hold its Annual Meeting and the voting for a new batch of Vestry members and Warden. One Warden was already sending her apologies due to being stranded in California. The Bings, I would find ( Read more... )

Mom was back in the nursing home Friday evening. She'd been gone nearly three weeks, long enough to make the bus trip from Main Street seem almost nostalgic. I marveled once again at how no two homes along the route looked the same, how close and intimate the yards and shaded windows looked even as the bus driver expertly maneuvered around parked ( Read more... )

Last Friday, much of New York City was in full retreat in the face of a snowstorm threatening to bury much of the Northeast.  The forcast was for flurries throughout the day with the real snow in the evening hours. My boss left work shortly before lunch. Some people with real handicaps didn't come in at all. I left for the nursing home and arrived ( Read more... )

The weather has been very strange ever since the month started and it seemed to erupt one more time over the space of a langorous weekend of sun and fog. Sunday was sunny enough to elicit conversations with total strangers. The man at the front desk shouted, "You're going to love it!" as I made my way to McDonald's for breakfast ( Read more... )