The Crotchety Old Man

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  • The Y2K Phenomenon

    I remember predictions about disaster striking at midnight, January 1 2000. Computers weren’t setup for years later than 1999. The world as we knew it would end at the stroke of midnight. Oops! False alarm. Everything went on as usual. Lots of people got all worked up about a disaster that never happened. When I…

    November 14, 2024
  • Tootsie Time

    My little dog is more than a little spoiled. Daily playtime is mandatory. She came along after I retired and is used to having me at her beck and call. As far as she’s concerned, it’s always playtime. Like it or not, I play with her a lot. She makes it as easy as she…

    November 11, 2024
  • ‘Tis the Season

    I love college football. Well, not ALL college football. I’m partial to the SEC–especially Georgia and Kentucky. My interest in football started in grade school. A neighbor played in a recreation league. His parents showed up at every game with a carload of neighborhood kids to cheer him on. And cheer I did. My attention…

    November 1, 2024
  • Temporarily Perfect

    The new fence and mulch mentioned in my Fresh Start post a few weeks ago have finally been installed. Thanks to Hurricane Helene, the wait for the fence ended up being closer to six weeks than the two promised by the contractor. The old fence still worked, so no harm done. My decision to focus…

    October 24, 2024
  • Precious Junk

    I’m updating my will–finally. The current edition was generated from an online provider. No executor was named and Andy was the primary beneficiary. An attorney who specializes in elder law is working with me. My situation isn’t complicated. Things with beneficiaries, like life insurance policies and retirement accounts, bypass probate. A will covers the rest–in…

    October 18, 2024
  • Tea (Olive) Time!

    Every fall, a delightful fragrance fills the air here in Athens. Tracking the scent to its source is a challenge. I don’t recall how long I’d lived here before a garden buddy told me it came from tea olives (Osmanthus fragrans). Tea olives are broad-leaved evergreens that bloom intermittently from fall to early spring. The…

    October 11, 2024
  • Winning…So Far

    Blackbeard Algae (BBA) is a nasty aquarium pest with no redeeming qualities. Few scavengers eat it and none in sufficient quantity to make a difference. Unlike other algae, UV filters don’t kill the spores. Getting rid of it is next to impossible. There are several prevention strategies. Keeping the light on less would solve the…

    October 7, 2024
  • Fresh Start

    After moving from an overwhelmingly large yard to something more manageable twelve year ago, my return to gardening has been gradual. There is no landscape design or grand vision for a garden. My flower beds were already here or evolved to make mowing easier. Limited growing space and a pages-long list of must-haves keep me…

    September 27, 2024
  • Vision Update

    I was diagnosed with Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD) more than fifteen years ago. Since then, my vision has slowly deteriorated. I’m not complaining. Without regular eye injections, I’d probably be blind. The injections aren’t as bad as they sound. It’s over in seconds. Numbing drops keep me from feeling anything. The speculum to keep my…

    September 9, 2024
  • My Summer Vacation

    Public schools here in Athens opened the first week of August. Fall semester at UGA started last week. Where did the summer go? My “What I Did this Summer” essay would be brief and more than a little boring. I didn’t go anywhere or read any good books. I rarely left the house except to…

    August 19, 2024
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