This just in: hurricane season is not over. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean basin lasts from June 1 to November 30. But just when I begin to believe we’ve almost made it through, Southern Living, of all places, robbed me this week of the opportunity … Continue reading Worrycanes
Halloween lights
Halloween decorations have been sneaking up on me like a masked, knife-wielding psychopath in the woods on a dark and stormy night. It’s no secret people decorate their homes for Halloween, but the trend seems to have reached a tipping point. I believe it is now at a comparable level to Christmas decorations. Halloween is … Continue reading Halloween lights
The trip that almost wasn’t
I am not spontaneous. That’s why it’s so remarkable that we were headed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, October 11, bound for a Fall Break weekend trip to the Big Apple for a full slate of Broadway shows. Our youngest son, Carlton, turned 16 on October 10, and as we brainstormed the weekend … Continue reading The trip that almost wasn’t
Better sleep
I have officially reached “I-can’t-sleep-through-the-night-anymore” years-old. There were no parties with black balloons to mark the occasion. It snuck up on me. I knew it was coming based on the tales of my elders, but I mistakenly thought I had many more years of sound sleep before these restless nights set in. My chief problem … Continue reading Better sleep
Working remotely or remotely working?
I do not like to work remotely. You may be following the news out of Amazon these days, even if you mistakenly click on a headline thinking it was an update on one of your package deliveries. On Sept. 16, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent a memo to employees that sent reverberations throughout the world: … Continue reading Working remotely or remotely working?
Full driveway, full house, full heart
Carla and I are in the stage before the empty nest, whatever that’s called. We’re not quite empty nesters because we still have one at home in high school. We’re more like intermittently semi-occupied nesters. Is that a thing? If not, I’m calling it. We’re ISONs. In this stage, our house can go from empty … Continue reading Full driveway, full house, full heart
Letting them figure it out
Parenting today involves a lot of heavy equipment, evidently. From “helicopter parenting” to “lawnmower parenting” and even “bulldozer parenting,” much has been made on social media, in the press and scholarly journals on the impact on a person’s psychology when parents are too involved in their children’s lives and deny them the opportunity to overcome … Continue reading Letting them figure it out
Projects and piddlin’
I spent Labor Day weekend with my folks in Lake Wales, Fla., and tried my best to complete as many projects as I could in three days. I don’t get down there as often as I should, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, they are at an age where they need assistance … Continue reading Projects and piddlin’
Pep rallies
Who doesn’t love a pep rally? They’re loud, boisterous, emotionally overwrought and typically focused on sports and athletes. If that isn’t your scene, you may not be into it. But even if you aren’t naturally a pep rally person, you have to admit, you could use a cheering crowd from time to time to get … Continue reading Pep rallies
Football season
Exactly what constitutes “football season” has become a moving target for me. This old dog is learning some new tricks. I am on a journey from being a fan of football to becoming a fan of football. Or, to be more precise, moving from American football to association football, which I have always known as … Continue reading Football season
