Norm Tip #15

Norm says, "For every rat you see, there are 50 you don't."

Norm's World #14

Ahhhh, yes. Norm has been absent from his blog duties. But outside of the occasional dip in his pool, and the even more occasional dip in his girlfriend, it has been a rather pensive late summer. Of course the weather continues to shock the hardened souls of New England. August left Norm spending more time cleaning his pool than actually swimming in it! And his great plan involving water, bikini, and booze, with the plan peaking with the removal of said bikini in the pool, never really actually happened. It's tough to get a woman into a swimming outfit when it's 58º, cloudy, windy and rainy.

Like every day. In August.

There were also the normal series of family feuds, none of which ever lasts that long, due to that fact we all swear, drink, and yell for about a minute, and then move on to the next topic. Norm, being the outsider, made the wise decision to locate three towns away from the Hatfields and McCoys. A distance that would easily be transgressed by modern transportation and the determined soul. But in the case of Norm's family, and the fact his is a town in a different county, away from the malls, congestion and fantasy football leagues, intergalactic travel is considered easier.

But there is always the phone. And it is the phone that keeps Norm on track with news of his family, the reunions, and all that other stuff that involves Norm driving down outta the hills into his old hometown. Okay, fine. Norm loves it. And hates it. There are worst places. But there are always better places, too. Put the car into low-gear, put on the shades, and navigate to the family shack. Well, at least there is always cold beer, good food, and several funny stories.

And so now the leaves are changing on the trees, providing bursts of oranges, reds and yellows that highlight the landscape, and fall has begun, Norm signs-off.