Regulars

I love the smell of an old house in the summertime--without air conditioning, of course. The scent of whatever is in those walls is more pungent, more alive without cold canned air. And it reminds me of my childhood, because we didn’t have any air-conditioning back …

My parents had six children to raise. God bless them for making it as far as they did! One lesson they instilled in us, over and over again, was “With choice comes responsibility.” They taught us with the choices we made. One was having a …

Like most men, fashion is not my husband’s strong suit.

About five years ago, my phone rang.  A woman had heard that we were rescuing animals and she needed help. She had two very big black and white cats that she claimed were tearing up her couch and she couldn’t keep them any longer. She said they were around seven years old and fixed. I …

The Boston Marathon.  A tradition that was started back in 1897. Always held on the third Monday in April, which is also a Massachusetts state holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775; the first battles of the American …

A few weeks ago, I noticed lots of little moths fluttering around in the bedroom. The cats weren’t doing anything about them, which is annoying. You’d think they’d at least make an effort, considering how much it costs us to maintain their …

I was a shy little boy growing up. I never said much in school unless I was asked a question. I cried when I had to start school. In kindergarten, I cried when I was chosen to be in a fashion show and I cried when it was time to go on stage. An adult had to walk with me and hold my hand. …

There are morning people and there are night people.

I was always a big dog kind of guy. So when I met my future wife and she told me she had a little dog, I wasn’t too happy. “Oh, no,” I thought. “This could be bad.” I never cared for yappy little dogs. She told me it was a black Scottish Terrier. I wasn’t excited to meet this dog, but I …

Phil and I live with a bunch of cats. They don’t live with us; we live with them, if you get my message.

The Weather Channel is getting on my last nerve. Yes, I’ve complained about them before. It’s time for me to complain about them again.

When I moved down to Lake Charles, I barely weighed 100 pounds. Within a couple of years, I had gained 25 more.Such is life in Louisiana.

Long, long ago, in a cold Northern clime, I was hired by the Jordan Marsh Company to sell perfume during the Christmas season.Jordan Marsh was a department store that, like just about everything in Boston, had been in existence over a hundred years before I came along to squirt perfume on …

It’s that time of year again, when the airwaves are filled with the joyous sounds of Christmas music. Please.I understand the need for seasonal music. It gets you in the mood as you trim your tree and wrap your presents, usually by an open fire, with chestnuts roasting on it, while the weather …

“Thanksgiving is all about getting your entire dysfunctional family under the same roof and hoping the police don’t get called.”Someone posted this on Facebook, and I had to laugh. Because it’s not really a joke. When I think of all the craziness that goes on in families, this quote is not all that …

It was a typical hot evening on June 30 of last year. I filled a plastic container full of cat food and went about feeding our gang around the house and office. A cat I hadn’t seen in awhile came toward me looking for food. “Well, hello Ghostie!” I said to my little friend. “I haven’t seen you in …

Halloween is almost here. And that means that cable television is airing all kinds of horror movies and specials about ghosts and the supernatural, and I’m thrilled. I love a good scare. I love the unexplained and the creepy and the weird. I’ve always been that way.I especially love old horror …

The other night, Phil and I attended Latin Night, a biweekly event hosted by our good friends Jay and Maria Cotto. They alternate every other Saturday between Pujo St. Café and Happy Hippy Pizza. Dance lessons begin at 8:30 p.m. and last for an hour,  with Jay instructing the basics of …

There are all kinds of vacations. There are the whirlwind, nine countries-in-eight days trips that leave you more exhausted than before you left. Or there are the big adventures, like rock climbing and white-water rafting that are definitely not for everyone. I would rather die than do either …

Last week, I got a chance to spend some time out in Arizona with my cousin Karen and her husband Charlie, their daughter Joy (my godchild), her husband Ryan, and their fabulous baby Emma Grace, 10 months old. At the tip-top of the family tree out there is my Aunt Gloria, who just turned 91, and …