Tons of trouble threaten spirit of season

December 13, 2015

It started at the end of last week, really. Well, technically, it started the Sunday I complained about my dog eating my scarf.I should've known better than to tempt fate by uttering aloud the words, "Oh well, it could have been so much worse."Because the Friday before last, my friends, it certainly was.We walked into the house after a long but wonderful day in North Canton watching Kyle's swim meet when suddenly there it was: the carnage wrought by our boxer, Monica. We typically call her Monnie, though on that particular evening, her other moniker of "The Monster" seemed spot-on ...

Grinning through the sadness of surprise

July 26, 2015

I'm dating myself here but remember when the fictional Marine Gomer Pyle used to utter his famous catchphrase?If you're over 40-something, you just said aloud "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Didn'tcha?Surprise: underrated or to be coveted? Hmm. A little of both, perhaps though I try to receive it graciously, in general.I mean, I'm the one who doesn't want to look at the Christmas presents early or skip to the last page of the book to see how it ends. I don't want you to tell me in advance if Glenn survives on "The Walking Dead" or not next season. Shoot, when they asked me if I wanted to ...

Running, or how to fill your legs with pure hurting

April 13, 2014

Like most Ohioans, a large portion of winter is spent staring longingly out a window, dreaming of a world that doesn't try to kill us as soon as we walk outside - frost nipping at your heels like so many icy ankle dogs, roads that steer you to an early grave, or those icicles that are rumored to kill (much more deadly than BB guns).Alas, as soon as the first rays of warm sun glint from the rooftops, we run wild into the outdoors, spinning in Julie Andrews-esque circles, singing songs of sweet freedom from the elements. And then, we once again end up in a world of pain.Deceptively, behind ...

Remembering one who has gone too soon

January 5, 2014

The first column of 2014 but really an extension of the last column of 2013.It was last Sunday that I was waxing philosophical about putting fear, sadness and trepidation behind me and looking forward to the new year with great expectation.And I was cruising along with those happy Patty thoughts when it happened an unimaginable tragedy so horrendous that I can barely acknowledge the reality of it.The day after Christmas my niece / goddaughter (and truth be told, honorary daughter!) Kelly called me with the news that one of her dearest friends from grade and high school had been killed ...

Once again, the weather outside is frightful

November 17, 2013

Oh, the weather outside is - well, let's see. I don't know ... neurotic?I mean, if it was a person, it would be undergoing intensive therapy sessions right about now. Three inches of snow to nearly 60 degrees Fahrenheit in what, 48 hours? I'm no meteorologist but, it appears we've got some type of climate conundrum on our hands. Seriously, a winter blast like that and then, in a blink, back to spring-like conditions - dude, something is clearly amiss.And, speaking of that little icy little snapshot of what's to come for the next, um, well, I guess about 14 months straight here in the ...

Communications breakdown on the road

March 10, 2013

What we've got here, is a failure to communicate - with warmth and / or civility, anyway.And, at the risk of completely ripping off the warden's character (and later, the lead) in the 1967 classic "Cool Hand Luke," me thinks we really, really do.This became apparent as my family sat around my sister's family room not long ago and not a single one of us was interacting with any other because we were all either: working on our laptops, playing "Words With Friends" online, dealing into a virtual hand of poker, e-touring potential winter homes or texting our girlfriends (another column to ...