The top 10 things I’ll miss about Connecticut

The Wilton Congregational Church, built in 1790

I lived in Connecticut, the "Nutmeg State," half my life, almost to the day.

Friday, September 27th, was my final day as a Nutmegetarian. On that date my wife and I sold our Wilton house in which we raised two sons, seven dogs, two turtles and a fish tank shark that was supposed to live for one year and somehow survived for eight. From now on we'll be full-time Florida residents.

In addition to good friends (some of whom are already making plans to join us here in the Sunshine State), here are the top ten things I will miss about Connecticut.

1. Autumn: Fall in New England is a kaleidoscope of colors - reds, yellows, browns and oranges.

2. The graves of two loved ones: Sybil, a dachshund/corgi mix who moved with us from St. Louis to Chicago to New York to Connecticut, was laid to rest at Balmoral Pet Cemetery in Kent. Bella, a beagle adopted from the Westport pound, is buried on the hill overlooking the backyard of our former home. Five other dogs who went to that Big Boneyard in the Sky during our time in Connecticut were cremated. We brought their ashes with us in a box labeled "Misc. Tupperware & Dog Cremains" and they're in storage where they, along with 164 other boxes of things we don't need but moved anyway, will likely spend eternity.

3. The Wilton Public Library: It always seemed to have the latest non-fiction releases. The library here in Bonita Springs doesn't.

4. Staples cashier: There's a cashier -- I'd guess her to be 80 or even older -- at the Staples store in Norwalk who was friendly and always said "thank you."

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