Author Archives: Sparky
Now Jett has it
Jett always gets whatever illness I bring home, so it is no surprise that she started coughing yesterday. Unfortunately, she always gets it worse and sometimes ends up in the hospital. I hope that doesn’t happen this time.
Must be the *other* flu
My “just a cough” illness turned into a full-fledged flu-like disease, complete with fever, chills and both chest and nasal congestion. It seems like the flu to me, but as I received a flu shot this year it has to be just a cold, right? But how can I tell the difference? If I could … Continue reading
My traditional January cough has arrived
One of the many reasons that I want to leave cold winters behind is my January cough. It appears, without fail, every January and usually lasts most of the month. Sometimes it is accompanied by the other symptoms of the common cold (runny nose, chest congestion) or flu (aches, fever). But sometimes, like this year’s … Continue reading
Happy New Year!
Jett and I had kind of a strange New Year’s Eve experience last night. In the company of our good friends Barb and Bob – and, as it turns out, on their dime (thanks again, guys!) – we had a very nice dinner at Princeton Station in Chelmsford, MA. Prime rib, baked potato, squash, strawberry … Continue reading
“But I really need another outlet in the bathroom”
It was a simple request and not the first time Jett had made it. This time it came at the start of the 3-day Christmas weekend, just after I announced my intention of making major progress on the conversion of the office into the new master bedroom. I acknowledged the value of the extra outlet … Continue reading
Merry Christmas to all!
Jett and I will be having a very quiet Christmas this year. We have no plans to see any of our kids or grandkids on Christmas but will see them soon. The only family event we have planned is a Christmas party Sunday night at her sister’s place. We have a 10lb ham that we … Continue reading
I’m kind of hoping it snows
I would like it to snow this winter. Not a lot, mind you. Enough to make it look like winter but not so much as to wreck my back. As this could be my last cold winter for a while, I want to have some memories – not necessarily fond ones – of what I … Continue reading
Life gets in the way
It took me almost a week to compose my most recent page (“Searching for a Used Fifth Wheel”). I wrote a draft, then got caught up in trying to find a photo of the nose cap of an Open Range 399BHS. Before I found one I had to deal with some tenant issues, a granddaughter’s … Continue reading
I guess we will be missed
As we slowly, incrementally, tell family and friends of our retirement plans, we get two responses: “That’s great! I am SO envious!” “We will miss you.” The first response is direct and always seems very genuine. The second response is conveyed more through body language and follow-up questions, such as “How often will you be … Continue reading
My life, as seen on eBay
Our plan includes renting our home for a year or more. We will leave it furnished, but will remove all personal items. Some of the most precious – pictures, quilts made by my grandmother and the like – will go into storage. But there is a lot of stuff – “belongings” I guess – that … Continue reading