It’s the time of year where my neighbors with perfectly manicured lawns do their fall treatments. In addition to applying their monthly poison weedkiller, they aerate, seed and fertilize their laws. I am quite familiar with the process. My wife insisted we do this every year. She was obsessed with having a weed free, beautiful…
Author: Steve Ainslie
A Killer In Bed
Shortly after I nodded off last night Wiggles shot out of the dog door with a bark that woke me up. In my fugue state, I thought I heard a faint “peep” sound, but chalked it up to being awakened unexpectedly from a dream. I waited for a few minutes to hear Wiggles com back…
Mr. & Mrs. Peabody
When we lived in Florida, my wife and I would walk Snickers around the lake in a nearby park each evening before we’d have dinner. It was one of my favorite times of day. The sun would be setting, the temperatures would be slightly cooler and the sky was often magnificent. The lake was serene….
Name Game
I heard someone on a podcast mention that she changed her name when she turned 18. She described the process as fairly straightforward- fill out a form, complete a few clerical requirements, submit it to the state, pay the fees and in time, receive an official change of name document from the state. I never…
Fancy Schmancy
I just found a new dentist, after using the same dentist in Raleigh for a decade. (I wrote why I was leaving my old dentist here.). My old dentist has a state-of-the-art facility. Everything from the potpourri in the waiting room, to there wifi, to the TVs above the dental chairs, to the in-house crown…
School Daze
When I grew up, school attendance was mandatory. It was enforced with military-like codes and harsh penalties. Teachers took role every morning during “homeroom class”. If you were late, for any reason, it was noted. Three lates and you’d be sent to the principal’s office, your parents would be called and you’d get detention or…
I Always Wanted To Be A Newspaper Columnist
I started reading the newspaper when I was 5 years old. I read the Morning Call at breakfast with my Aunt Essie and I read the evening Times with Uncle Bob. Later, when we moved to Pittsburgh, we got the Pittsburgh Press every evening. I’d read it after dinner and with breakfast the next day….
Unmarked Graves
My wife does not have tombstone. She never wanted one. Having a funeral, being buried or being memorialized in any way was not important to her. In our 29 years together, she sat shiva, attended funerals and tombstone unveilings for deceased loved ones but I suspect she did this out of tradition and to comfort…
With A Smile
Yesterday, I fell in love with a girl who works at REI. I dropped into the store to try on some gloves (as part of my never-ending quest to prevent my fingers from freezing). The girl saw me wandering around and came over with a big smile asking if I needed any help. I usually…
I Don’t Care If You Don’t Like It
What I love most about being retired and single is that I can do what I want, when I want, and how I want. With rare exceptions, I am not subject to other’s whims, rules, schedules or preferences. This, for me, is true freedom. An even deeper degree of freedom comes from not caring what…