The feud continues.
My Brooklyn brother is still questioning why I abandoned New York for San Diego.
That unending query coming in the middle of a blizzard that blanketed the East Coast with mountains of snow.
And ice.
He had purchased 50 pounds of salt anticipating the storm, which he plans to use to spread on the steps that leave his home. That, as soon as he’s able to open the door.
Conversely, we tend to use our salt to season dinner.
Fried chicken is what we usually prepare for our picnic at the beach.
So while my brother wrestles with record snow and ice, we unfold beach chairs at the shore while pouring a couple of glasses of wine to enjoy with our chicken.
Add a salad, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies and coffee.
It’s not an easy life he and my sister-in-law face, but it’s not always bad news as sometimes they’re blessed with good fortune, like the time his car was stolen.
He used to spend a long time looking for parking, driving from street to street hoping to find an available space, since his attached multimillion-dollar, 18-foot-wide Brooklyn house has no garage.
Sometimes, he’d have to hail a cab to drive him home after he finally found parking.
Irv Erdos’ brother’s street in Brooklyn. (Edward Erdos)
Street in San Diego. (Irv Erdos / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
But a stroke of good fortune finally came my brother’s way when that day came that his car disappeared. It finally relieved him from that exhausting daily effort.
Now, he takes the crowded subway everywhere, which concerned me because of all the reports of crime and theft.
But he insists it’s not nearly as bad as I suggest as there was only that one time he emerged from the subway without his wallet.
I told him the temperature here was in the 80s and invited him and his wife to join us to take a break from the punishing weather.
But he told me all flights were canceled and he’s yet to be able to leave the house to salt his steps as snow drifts have blocked all the exits.
So while my brother still complains that I left New York for San Diego, I reported that I spent about one-quarter of the cost of his home to purchase mine, it’s detached, has a three-car garage, and local temperatures are hovering around 80.
An oriole at a feeder. (Irv Erdos / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
And while my brother sets traps to ensnare mice along with other pests that often invade his property, we prepare syrup for the hummingbirds and grape jelly for the orioles.
We’ve even had egrets and a few roadrunners showing up.
Once, a beautiful peacock appeared.
A hummingbird visits. (Irv Erdos / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
And while we enjoy a day at the beach, and visiting wildlife, he’s still wondering why I left New York while he struggles with snowstorms and freezing temperatures, entrapped inside the house.
Young orioles at a feeder. (Irv Erdos / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
We, on the other hand, continue to enjoy picnicking at the beach, sunshine, blue skies and our feathered friends.
Erdos is a freelance humor columnist. Contact him at irverdos@aol.com.