Good news everybody

I've decided to start all my meetings at work with the phrase, "Good news everybody." It's from the show "Futurama." The professor always says this when he enters a room or starts a meeting, even when there is no good news, which is normally the case.

But the good news is that the power has been restored to my family's home in Western New York. A freak snowstorm hit the area, dumping about 2 feet of heavy, wet snow around Buffalo Thursday night. The snow pulled down trees still heavy with leaves which, in turn, yanked down power lines. My folks didn't have electricity until late Sunday night.

The house was heated by the fireplace and people went out to the cars and warmed up there and charge their cell phones. My niece will now have stories to tell decades in the future, just like the ones I won't bore you with now about the Blizzard of '77 and the ice storm that followed.

More good news everybody

This was Goose Festival weekend here in Fennville. So, therefore, it rained and was cold. Jayne and I took the girls Sunday afternoon for a few rides and games. It was all expensive so we didn't do a whole lot.

The festival is fun, really, in small-town sort of way. I enjoy it because I get to socialize a bit and observe the people who show up. You see, unlike Holland's Tulip Time, which is really for the more well-to-do seniors, or Saugatuck's events, which are for the artsy and/or middle class white folks, the Goose Festival is for the rural poor, the working class and minorities. In Saugatuck, for example, I find it rare to see a Hispanic face or hear Spanish spoken at an event, but here in Fennville, it's the norm.

Thought: Did you get your goose in Fennville?