MY ALMOST SPRING BLOG - APRIL 2026

OUR BIGGEST SNOWFALL OF THE WINTER

It’s that time of the month when I sit down and write my monthly blog. I have several things on my mind, foremost, winter. I just lived through my first East Coast winter in over 50 years. I have to say the weather here is awful. It was bad when I moved away all those years ago, and it hasn’t changed much. We think this 2026 winter is over. But who knows? It seemed like the cold and the snow would never end.

Anita and I lived in the Rocky Mountains—Crested Butte, Colorado—for close to two decades. Winters were long and harsh. Talk about snow. It could do that for days at a time. We’d have our long driveway plowed. Sometimes they’d come twice the same day. That’s when we would say, “ka-ching. ka-ching, ka-ching.” Snowplow bills added up fast during snowy winters.

But when you live in a ski town, they keep the roads snow-free because people travel long ways to ski on our mountain, and they want to get in and out easily. It made living there much easier than in big cities that get occasional snow. Freezing and below-freezing temperatures were common during our long winters. We got used to it. Being skiers, we welcomed any amount of snow that blessed our mountain.

This winter in New York has been a doozy. What I noticed most was how the temperatures and humidity go right through your winter clothes. Recently, we’ve had some warm days with temperatures reaching the high 80s, only to drop back into the 50s the next day. I’m not surprised by the weather. We didn't move here for the weather but to be near our family.

SPRING FLOWERS

Which reminds me that in my blog last month, I failed to mention that we got through my surgery and post-surgery with our daughter Deb’s help. She spent several nights here taking care of Anita while I was hospitalized. When I came home, she cooked for us, stocked our refrigerator, picked up prescriptions, and helped me recuperate. She had to go out of town for a wedding following the biggest snowfall of the season. Our grandson, Alex, pitched in, came over, dug out our car, and took our trash to the community dumpster. We are grateful to our loving family.

Recently, I’ve been feeling well enough to resume writing my new novel. It is a WWII love story set in Southern Italy. The writing is going as well as expected. I still come across things that require me to do more research. My goal is to complete the first draft by year’s end. We’re getting away to the coast of Maine in a few weeks. At home, there are many things, from doctor appointments, visits to the pharmacy, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and all the other things that drag me away from my writing. For one week, I intend to establish some consistency so I can focus on the novel. Wish me well.

“Why Maine?” We own a timeshare. We get two weeks every year at some resort of our choosing. Our ownership is in Avon, Colorado. That’s right near the Beaver Creek ski area and Vail. We have other options, too. We can exchange our weeks for stays at other resorts or for hotel points. We’ve used it for vacations to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands, the Palm Springs area, and places in Europe. Our week in Maine is a leftover from last year. The timeshare was a good deal when we purchased it in 1999, but now the yearly fees are getting too expensive, and we find it harder to travel at our age. We are looking to get out of our contract. This could be one of our last trips.

The other thing on my mind is to buy a new car, probably a used one. I’ve been driving a 2003 Toyota 4-Runner. Despite its age, it still has low mileage and is in good condition. But it lacks all the nice safety features of the newer models. I find parking lots are the most dangerous places to drive. I had a couple of parking lot accidents when I was in Santa Fe. 

I’ve been considering buying a hybrid, maybe a Toyota Rav4 or Hyundai Tucson. Both are available with Hybrid engines. The Rav4 prices are much higher than the Hyundai's. But Toyotas hold their value. I was recently reading in the AAA magazine that hybrids generally sell for about $4,230 more than the same non-hybrid models, and they say it pays off if you drive at least 12,200 miles a year. I don’t drive that much, so maybe a gas-powered one might be my best bet. But I do like hybrid technology, and it also helps the environment. More to come on that.

And while you are on my website, look through my books. This is a good time to stock up on your beach reads.