To retire or not to retire? That is the question, right? Whether it’s better to keep toughing it out or toss in the towel, and see what’s next. Seems like that topic always comes up at get togethers with friends. Or when Charlie and me are having breakfast, or on a road trip. Or in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping, I’m pondering to pros and cons. At parties, we used to talk about work, vacations, what our friend’s kids were up to. Now we kick off with an organ recital. How’d that hip replacement go? Your back still bugging you? How about the colonoscopy prep? We segue from that into …

I love that feeling of being genuinely surprised by something, someone or even by myself. But, I do not like having surprises pulled on me. There’s a difference. For instance, I made Charlie swear on the sanctity of our marriage that he’d never throw me a surprise birthday party. I honestly don’t think I could recover from being the worst dressed person at my own celebration. See, I’m a gal who likes to plan, to have all my ducks in a row. And that’s a good thing. I mean, it’s served me well for over sixty-five years. But lately, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes I can get so focused on doing something my …

I love it when Easter’s in April. Yes, it’s nice to have a holiday in March, but too m y new Easter dress with white ankle socks or tights, white patent leather shoes, my pink Easter coat (my sister Irene’s was identical, but blue), white straw hat with fake flowers and white gloves. All brand, spanking new. Oh, and new underwear, too. Almost forgot about that. any times that means cold and snow, which is disappointing. Easter is about  daffodils, bunnies and sunshine. It’s about eating too much ham and scallop potatoes and way too much chocolate. Back when I was a kid, I prayed for a beautiful spring Easter day. Not so the Easter …

As many of you know, I’m big into decluttering. It just feels so good to get rid of stuff you don’t really use, things that are weighing you down. Plus, it’s mud season. Sure some days are bright and sunny, but we’re also having our fair share of rainy, raw weather. If you’re like me, you need to do something to get the energy moving. Decluttering makes me feel like I’m being productive, without working up too much of a dew, you know? Now, that’s a win/win. I learned about decluttering from my niece Caitlin who, along with her job down to Mahoosuc Health Food, just happens to be a certified Feng Shui consultant. She …

The other day, I was visiting my niece Caitlin down to the Mahoosuc Health Food, and I overheard a couple of the regulars talking. This gal’s got these Rastaman dreadlocks down to her waist, and the fella’s sporting this tattoo of a snake coiled around his neck. Whatever floats your boat, right? “Hey, Connor!” she says. “Hey!” “How’s it going?” “Can’t complain. I came in to pick up some of this magic herbal juju for my bonsai. The stuff’s epic.” “Cool! That little tree of yours is perfection. You’re an artist, my man.”  “Thanks! Follow your bliss, right?” Wow, I thought, “Follow your bliss.” Sounds good, but what is my bliss? And if I’m busy …

So, I’m at the A&P, picking up a few things after work, when I run into Bucky Dumont. What a character! “Hey there, Bucky. How you doing?” “Not too shabby. Just picking up a few things for the missus.” Sure enough, there in his shopping cart are eggs, bread milk. “How about that case of Pabst, Bucky. She ask you to pick that up?” “Nope. Them’s what I call my office supplies.” Now, I’ve heard about Bucky’s office. It’s a shed off the barn that he has all tricked out with an old potbellied stove, TV, mini fridge, a beat up Barcalounger and a couple of rocking chairs for when his buddies drop over for …

It’s spring and folks are coming out of hibernation. We’ve all been hunkered down in our houses for way too long. Time to reach out to friends. The world is a mess, and anything we can do to make us feel connected to others helps take the edge off. It’s easy, especially during winter, to get so caught up in our own life that we lose touch with the very people that matter most. Who was the first person that popped into your head when you read that? Write down their name. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Anyone else? Make a list. When you finish reading to this, give them a call or shoot them an …

People have been kind of spacey and tired this week, what with the time change. Me, too. We’re all just kind of…off. Whether we’re springing forward or falling back, it’s a royal pain in the patootie! It’s amazing what screwing around with our sleep schedules can do, right? I mean, it’s just one hour. It shouldn’t make that much difference. But it does. I saw a report on the news that there’s more car accidents and problems at work, even more heart issues. Down to the A&P, me and my fellow cashiers made more voids on the register this week than normal, that’s for sure. No one got hurt, but I gotta say perhaps our …

Last Thursday, I’m standing at my register down to the A&P, when who do I see in the produce section but James Brown. Not James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. No, I’m talking about James Brown, CPA, Mahoosuc Mills’ best accoutant. Well, since his father retired, he’s our only accountant. James may be sharp with numbers, but grocery shopping, not so much. “There are too many variables,” he told me once. James married a gal he met at Dartmouth, Courtney Van Buren. The two of them worked in Boston until they were ready to start a family, then they decided to settle here in Mahoosuc Mills. Courtney works for a company in Bangor (something to …

Well, we made it through February. For such a short month, it can sometimes pack a punch. Like this year, wasn’t it ever cold and snowy? We’ve gotten off easy the last few years, but this February was kinda like the winters of old. Then, poof! The cold and snow ended and the temperatures got up into the 30’s. Felt almost balmy. We hit 40 one day last week. I saw a gal wearing sandals! Jumping the gun, in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat, right? On my morning walk, the birds are getting frisky, you can tell, singing away. As Charlie shared last week, the woodpeckers are making a racket. Turns out, some …