I have always wanted a situation where I resided with neighbors who were friends, but for one reason or another it has never happened. Maybe everyone is just too busy, wrapped up in their own worlds (I’ve been guilty of that as much as anyone). Maybe I just don’t have anything in common with the average citizen. Maybe most people are unfriendly ( Read more... )

I have this one friend who incessantly extolls the culinary virtues of cabbage in general, and sauerkraut in particular. He is tantamount to a cabbage evangelist. I have always abhorred sauerkraut, much to the disappointment of my German mother, and never been a big fan of cabbage either - although I can tolerate it in things like cabbage rolls ( Read more... )

So for the last several months I have been working my way through all the stored food in the regular freezer, the spare freezer in the basement, and the pantry.  Stuff - most of which I didn't buy - has a way of accumulating.  I've eaten some rather questionable things: frozen Atkins chipped beef dinners from 2015, for instance (where the ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

As I sit here quietly on a Friday evening, on the cusp of a long-awaited weekend, nursing an unusually persistent headache, I am nonetheless satisfied with my activities over the last several days.  The Christmas cards, which I almost decided not to do this year, are now done and all mailed out.  Christmas shopping is now all done (and I had my ( Read more... )

What’s tough for me at this time of year is not the onset of the cold, although with increasing age that is bad enough. What really gets to me in December and January is the lack of sunlight.

My mother claimed to have had SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I remember in the late 90’s she bought herself this special light therapy lamp, 2 foot by 2 ( Read more... )

Life can suck in various ways.  Sure, you can be fixated on how one aspect of your life is currently terrible, but just wait - there are OTHER ways your life can also be miserable.  As if I needed a refresher course in that knowledge, the AC crapped out on Monday, when it was 92 degrees and humid as all get out. Can't get guys out to look at it ( Read more... )

So the climbing rose I planted last spring that until 2 weeks ago still appeared completely lifeless has now sent up a couple vigorous shoots; I swear it has grown over 6 inches in a week. I had just about given up hope ( Read more... )

The Wife and I observed our ten year wedding anniversary yesterday.  Had a very nice dinner but we primarily just marked the occasion - I'm not one for big blowouts, and the Wife hates all the planning and inconveniences associated with arranging "events".   Still, I thought it might be proper to drop a little note here about it. Here's a photo of ( Read more... )

Last week I had lunch with a college friend I literally hadn't seen since, what, 1993?  He originally was a friend of a friend, and while we associated with each other our freshman and sophomore years, once he decided to do the fraternity thing and move into Greek housing we effectively occupied different worlds and contact ceased ( Read more... )