This morning is a little more quiet than mornings have been recently. See, the crowds are gone. The stash of food prepared for family and visitors has been split and donated. The checklist doesn't have any more boxes to check. There's no nursing home to visit. The hospital room is empty. The seat at the end of the couch is carefully prepped, but shadows only find refuge there this morning. The Continue Reading...
Dad
This morning I woke up for the very first time in 48 plus years, without a Dad. Well, without my Dad living here on this earth. My Dad, John R. Beal, passed away yesterday morning, April 14, 2016. I can honestly say that my initial thoughts and feelings of pain and finality, were followed quickly by the sense of relief that my Dad suffered here no more. Although the former thoughts and Continue Reading...
Goffstown Hockey: All-State Teams & Summary
As the NHL Playoffs are about to get under way, I thought I would pass along some recent news regarding the Goffstown Grizzlies Hockey team. If you haven't picked up your copy of the current (April 7, 2016) edition of The Goffstown News, please do so. On pages 7 and 8 there is a GHS Hockey season summary article written by Ryan O'Connor. Pick it up. Check it out. Also, Continue Reading...
Flames 16U Take Bronze at Nationals
Recently the Manchester Flames sent a 16U Tier II hockey team to the 2016 Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Nationals in Wayne, NJ. The tournament ran from March 31 - April 4 in multiple arenas. The Flames went 4-0 in the Tier II State Playoffs back in November to earn their bid to Nationals. The team representing New Hampshire, and the Manchester Flames organization, is listed here in hopes of bringing Continue Reading...
Ice in the air
A couple of days ago, I went in search of nearby winter weather. I found ice. Everywhere. Continue Reading...
The Standard is Falling, but He Answered His Calling
I know I'm not the first, nor the last, to have a parent in a nursing home. Still, it's a first for me. Dad is in a nursing home. Since the surgical procedure to insert a shunt back in December, Dad has been home for just a fraction of time. There are a litany of health reasons why he is where he is. I share this because it has been tearing me up. Seeing him as he is has been tough. I want to Continue Reading...
There Is Love In Those Eyes
In short, my Dad is in a nursing home. There's a litany of health reasons why he is where he is. I share this because it has been tearing me up. Tears stream down my face night after night. Why? Because it's my Dad. It's him sitting there. It's the guy I couldn't stand to be away from as a boy. Maybe I could walk, but still he'd carry me, because I was his boy, and there was love that parents Continue Reading...
Hammock Hike
Last week I picked a day when it was rainy, windy, and only 45°F outside to take a little hike. I wanted to see how I would do with making myself a little tarp shelter over my hammock. So, I did a nice short hike along the western shores of Kimball Pond, and on the way back, I looked a for a spot to set up. I found a little feeder stream running into the pond off of the hills to the west of the Continue Reading...
Grizzlies Hockey ~ A Season and the Impact
Grizzlies Hockey ~ A Season and the Impact It's that time again; a time I have yet to learn how I should better handle. It's the end of the season. Ugh. I do not like the end of the season. Let me put it in my own words, and see if anyone else can relate. I know that I don't always make sense, but I'll give it a try. This might take awhile, but hey, it's been 105 days and counting, until the Continue Reading...
GHS Hockey: Goffstown 5 @ Merrimack 8 (Quarter-Final)
Saturday, March 12, 2016. 400pm @ West Side Arena, Manchester, NH - #7 Goffstown vs. #2 Merrimack. (Go ahead and click on the pictures, they open in their own page) Well, where do I begin without letting the end get in the way. The Goffstown Grizzlies showed up with a whole bunch of their fans at West Side Arena this afternoon. I know that I, for one, hoped for the upset, the chance for the #7 Continue Reading...