Outdoor Christmas Decorations: A Highlight of the Holiday Season

Outdoor Christmas Decorations: A Highlight of the Holiday Season

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Nothing makes me feel more like a little kid again than seeing all of the lights and decorations that light up the homes and businesses during the holiday season.  Admit it, there are some places you’ll purposely drive past beginning in December just to see their annual display of festive décor.  No doubt your family has their own annual favorites.  For instance, in my family, everyone wants to go past the “electrician’s house” on St. Paul Road, drive through Byron…

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Winter May Be Just Around The Corner, But It’s Not Like It Used To Be

Winter May Be Just Around The Corner, But It’s Not Like It Used To Be

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Now that the holiday season is upon us, Mother Nature is also stepping back in to make another annual seasonal change.  For those of you not in the know, the winter season “officially” starts on Thursday, December 21st. The National Weather Service says we should expect a snowier winter than normal, but with temps a little warmer than average.  This is all due to the El Nino weather pattern, which influences both temperature and precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere.  Both…

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Can YOU Make the Holidays a Little Brighter?  Sure You Can

Can YOU Make the Holidays a Little Brighter?  Sure You Can

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Thanksgiving has come and gone and now all over the country, people are rushing to get their shopping lists done, their homes decorated, packages wrapped, and yuletide travel plans finalized.  Everyone wants to have that Hallmark, Norman Rockwell-esque Christmas season, but more often than not, there are times that more closely resemble ‘Cousin Eddie’ trying to drain the RV’s sewer line out front than a Martha Stewart Christmas dinner.  The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of…

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Black Friday:  Why Is This Still A Thing?

Black Friday:  Why Is This Still A Thing?

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I know I’ve ranted on this topic before, but every year, I shake my head at the annual pilgrimage of consumerism that is affectionately known as “Black Friday”. I just don’t get it. The Thanksgiving weekend is supposed to be about getting together with friends and family to celebrate, acknowledge, and appreciate all that has happened over the past year.  The afternoon following that expansive feast should be spent playing cards, conversing and laughing over another glass of wine, watching…

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The Thanksgiving Feast:  Cooking that Bird

The Thanksgiving Feast:  Cooking that Bird

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More than any other holiday meal, you know what’s on the menu for the Thanksgiving feast. Turkey.  It’s what’s for dinner. For those of you with some experience with this kitchen event, you’ll know that cooking a Thanksgiving turkey is not for the faint of heart.  It’s a tough meal to nail, not only from the timing of all of those sides, but for cooking the bird itself, and there are as many ways to cook that holiday fowl as…

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Thanksgiving:  Let’s Give This Holiday Its Due

Thanksgiving:  Let’s Give This Holiday Its Due

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Well, Halloween has come and gone, and although the Christmas decorations have been up at your local box store since the beginning of October and Mariah Carey was just thawed out to ceaselessly scream her way through “All I Want for Christmas Is You” until New Year’s, let’s not forget that there is still another pretty big holiday to celebrate between now and “Ho-Ho-Ho” time. I’m of course talking about Thanksgiving.  I don’t know when this holiday became the “Jan…

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Florida Keys Trip:  Part 3 – Marathon

Florida Keys Trip:  Part 3 – Marathon

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AUTHOR’S NOTE:  For those of you just catching up, I’m documenting my recent trip to the Florida Keys from three weeks ago, so if you’ve missed the first two installments, make sure to read “Part 1 – Islamorada” and “Part 2 – Key West” from the last two weeks! Not being the young, party bucks we used to be, it was slow going as we arose in the morning to leave Key West.  I made one more run for Cuban…

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Florida Keys Trip:  Part 2 – Key West

Florida Keys Trip:  Part 2 – Key West

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AUTHOR’S NOTE:  For those of you just catching up, I’m documenting my recent trip to the Florida Keys from two weeks ago, so if you’ve missed the first installment, make sure to read “Part 1 – Islamorada” from last week! Picking up where we left off last week, we finished up our Tarpon-feeding antics at Robbie’s in Islamorada and continued our travels southward over the Seven Mile Bridge, passing by “Fred” the tree (a rogue tree growing up out of…

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Florida Keys Trip:  Part 1 – Islamorada

Florida Keys Trip:  Part 1 – Islamorada

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I was out last week on a long awaited trip down to our country’s southeastern tip to spend some time in America’s tropical oasis, the Florida Keys.  Going along with another couple, we left the turning autumn leaves and plummeting temps of Western Maryland for the sunny skies, warm temperatures (make that extremely hot and humid temperatures), and the warm waters of both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. We started last Saturday out of BWI on a Southwest plane…

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Getting Older:  Another Sign of the Times

Getting Older:  Another Sign of the Times

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I’m celebrating another birthday this week.  I’ve been blessed to live for quite a few revolutions around that big ‘ol yellow-orange ball that travels across the sky every day, but I am starting to see some reminders that I’m not as young as I used to be.  My minds still thinks it’s a strapping lad in the prime of his mid-twenties; however, the real boss – my actual body – has to throw up a few roadblocks every now and…

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