FROM THE ARCHIVES: Big Dog Rodney ran a 5k and other trashy news from the stoop

Editor’s Note: Thought it might be fun to revisit posts from my old Wordpress blog. I’m bad at blogging regularly so I won’t make any promises, but my plan is to recycle those old posts on Wednesdays. The following was published on this day three years ago.

Bright sunshine returned to my neighborhood this week. And, while temperatures rebounded a bit, you’d never have known it because of the blustery mid-November winds. They cut through my flannel shirt, giving me a chill while I was out walking Big Dog Rodney. They even almost claimed my favorite baseball cap. After venturing downtown to visit my barber, a strong gust blew it off my head and threatened to send it tumbling end-over-end down the street as if it were one of the leaves that have been shaken from the trees around town.

With the leaves coming down, there are seasonal chores to take care of. For instance, my ladder will be making its fall debut soon. The detritus of the season is clogging the gutters at my house. Once they’re cleaned out, I’ll likely trade the ladder for my rake and get to bagging the leaves the wind didn’t blow away.

A few of the trees at my house could use a trim, but I’m probably going to hire a working man to take care of that — the kind of guy whose sturdy leather boots make much better sense than mine, which are more for show, truth be told.