A kitchen faucet is something that you use a lot, right? So when it’s running slow, it can be a real pain in the patootie. There you are, wanting a cup of tea, and it takes forever get enough water in the teapot. I mean, you have time to take a nap. It may be irritating to me, but poor Charlie sees that slow running faucet as his own personal failure as a husband. He’ll take this annoyance for so long, then it reaches a tipping point, and off he goes to Petey’s Plumbing with the problem piece. That’s the end of the faucet that you can screw off and it has a little screen …

Crockpots, or slow cooker as they’re calling ‘em nowadays, are real popular in our neck of the woods as you can imagine, especially during the winter months. So I wasn’t surprised this week when I picked up my sister Irene to go to our book group, and she came out carrying her own crockpot. I popped the trunk and she put hers beside mine. “What’d you make?” she asks. “Chili with ground turkey. Trying keep it light where I can, so I can have dessert. How ‘bout you?” “Baked beans with miniature hot dogs.” “Always a crowd pleaser.” So off we go to Donna Gerard’s, across town. The thing is, having a slow cooker in …

Facebook is good for a lot of things like funny pet videos and keeping up with your nieces and nephews. I like liking things and cheering folks on. On the down side, some people overshare. During this past election, there were quite a few folks who overshared, a lot. I found it kind of intimate, if you know what I’m saying. One of the hardest things for me on facebook are the lost pets. Oh, they just break my heart, and I scrolled past ‘em fast. Still, they stick with me. The thought of losing Scamp just makes my heart clench and my stomach turn over. I felt the same way when Charlie told me …

So a couple weeks before Christmas, I’m doing a book signing at the Kittery Trading Post (always nice to head south during the winter). Across from me was Santa and Mrs. Claus. She looked harmless enough, but frankly, I think Santa might have been in witness protection. Those kids waiting to get their photo taken were some cute, all dressed up and a few in their pajamas. My favorites were those children that were fine until you put them in Mrs. Claus’ lap, then they’d start to cry. Then the parents would try to calm them down, all the while getting more and more stressed out because they’re so invested in getting the perfect picture. …

What’s your favorite day of the year? Want to know mine? January second. That’s right: the holidays are behind us, days are getting longer, and it’s time to settle in for a long winter’s nap. Don’t get me wrong now, I love the holiday season. I really do. But you can have too much of a good thing. And doesn’t the month of December seem to be, well, kind of bloated? I mean, too much shopping, too much wrapping paper, too many parties, too much food and drink, and way too many fitful nights remembering that old Alka-Seltzer commercial. You know the one I mean. “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” Well, I …