A very, scary Halloween to you! Yes, this is the day to celebrate ghouls, goblins, and all things dark and terrifying. Not my favorite holiday, I must say. If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I am not a big fan of “things that go bump in the night” – or for that matter – things that go bump in the day. Imagine ‘Barney Fife’ from ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ when he’s scared or nervous. Yeah, that’s basically…
At last! As of this past Thursday, we have officially entered my favorite season of the year – fall! Do I write a blog about autumn every year? Yes – and why? Because it is the perfect season. Living in the mid-Atlantic region allows me to enjoy each and every part of the annual cycle. It is cold and snowy in the winter, spring brings life-giving rain as new growth bursts across the landscape, while even summer has its pleasures,…
You know fall is approaching when college football season is back in business. The excitement starts this coming weekend – so who are you pulling for? Who’s your favorite team? Many folks root for the university they attended. That’s all well and good, except for when your college is without a football team. My alma mater, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) doesn’t have a football squad (although they did become the darlings of March Madness in 2018 when…
Unless you’ve been living in a cave or your internet connection has been down for the past month, you’ve no doubt seen or heard that one of the heralds of the fall season is the return of that obligatory flavor of autumn, pumpkin spice. Ohhhh, and it’s not just in flavored coffee at Starbucks. No, some overzealous salesman at the spice factory has managed to ensure that this seasonal spice blend has found its way into way too many products,…
I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to September 22, 2021 (precisely at 3:20 PM, to be exact). For those of you not in the know, that was the date and time of the annual Autumnal Equinox, better known as the first day of fall. Sure, others may have their favorites. I know folks who can’t get enough of summer. Some folks love the long cold, winter – while others love the rebirth of spring. For me,…
So we’re now finished with Week 2 of college football, and I have watched more games in the past two weeks than I have in the past twenty years. Why, you may ask? Well, my youngest is going to a premiere SEC school in the south (all I’ll say is that Forrest Gump also went there), and since she is going to or watching games every week now, I feel almost like I HAVE to watch them – just to…
Well, this week marks another appearance of Halloween – and this year, it has the extra bonuses of being on a Saturday night, it marks the arrival of a second full moon for October, and it’s also the night we set our clocks “back” to Standard time (an “extra” hour of sleep for Sunday morning). It’s a spook-tacular trifecta! Even though the pandemic has put a damper on most holiday celebrations, it seems clear that come hell or high water,…
Ahhhh, fall – my favorite time of the year, and October is my favorite month. We kicked it off right with a full “harvest” moon (and will be treated to a second full “blue” moon on Halloween this year). There’s even an extra hour of sleep built in to the last weekend of the month, as we’ll be “falling back” to Standard Time. Temperatures in my neck of the woods have settled into the low 70’s during the day and…
I do love fall. In addition to the dropping evening temperatures, which allow me to open my windows wide and take in the cool breezes as I slumber, the long and dark evenings allow me to partake in another favorite pastime that highlights the season. A bonfire. There’s plenty of ways to have one, from fancy store-bought fire rings, outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, or just a simple circle made out of rocks. Pile in the wood, light it up, pull up…
Wow, this week marks the beginning of September. I know summer doesn’t “officially” end until September 22nd, but when the kids are starting back to school – let’s face it, summer is over and fall is here. I don’t know about you, but the summer of 2020 will be memorable only in the fact that I’d like to forget it. Due to the “C” and “P” word (“COVID-19” and “pandemic”, respectively), the last three months have been quite the slog,…