The Weatherman Can
In Memory of Chris Bradley
It was spring when we bought the house across the street from The Weatherman. His lawn was bursting with dahlias and neatly-trimmed boxwoods. The view out our bedroom window was nothing less than perfection. Pulling the curtains open each morning was like revealing a French impressionist painting. I wondered briefly if looking at a lawn like this every day was a blessing or a curse. I made a mental note to buy a rake, a garden hose, and Googled, “How do you edge a sidewalk?”
Unlike the rest of the neighborhood — and the city of Columbus and all of Central Ohio, really — I didn’t know who Chris Bradley was. It took me several days to learn that he was a local celebrity but it only took several seconds to fall in love.
“Hello!” Chris waved enthusiastically from across the street, smiling his big TV-personality smile. He was standing in his botanical garden, wearing tennis shoes and running gear.
“Hello!” I yelled back.
“Welcome to the neighborhood!” he continued, waving and smiling.
Chris Bradley was Chief Meteorologist at WBNS 10-TV. He was often described as the boy next door which worked fine for us because that’s what he was. We borrowed stuff from each other (lawn tools, overlooked recipe ingredients) and we watched each other’s kids. We…
