This is my home away from home--but not too far away. Lately I've done a few two-a-day woodshed workouts. I've added bear crawls to the routine, often tromping through the frost-encrusted grass on all fours. I used to do pull ups from a branch on the tree in front of our house in Blue Point. Aunt Rose, who lived across the street, often asked Cara: "Is Michael still hanging from trees?" Obviously, if she could see me now, she'd realize I've upped the ante in the weirdo department. Well, she's 90 years old, so I'm sure she's seen stranger...

Since we've entered the desperate-for-daylight days it's imperative that I spend as much time outdoors as possible (otherwise I get gloomy), so now when I get home from work I change clothes as fast as I can and I'm out the door. I'm lucky, though, since I get off at 3:00 P.M. Poor souls such as my sister work until the ungodly hour of six. That's why she's stuck doing hot yoga with a bunch of strivers.

I jest, of course.

But what about this: I live in the so-called Sunrise County, as the sun rises first in the country on our shores. And it's a nice thing, if you want to wake up at 4:30 in the morning in the summer. You'll notice, however, that nowhere is it mentioned that the sun also sets first here, meaning that it's getting dark when Keith Richards is just getting out of bed.

I mention Keef because I lost my self-control and ordered his autobiography (Life) from Amazon. It's supposed to be a good read, if a bit on the trashy side. Anyway, I'm a bit guilt-ridden about the purchase, so if anyone would like to borrow it (to ease my conscience), let me know.