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 …

I don’t really have anything to add to this little ditty Charlie wrote for me. Thanks, honey, you made my day! Stick With Stuff You Do the Best For every nest up in the trees Each bird’s got their specialties Same as us, down below Some of these you prob’ly know: I’m the one who mows the lawn And rakes ’til every leaf is gone But without her, doing laundry, Boy, would I be in a quan’dry! While she lets me hunt for mice She keeps the whole place looking nice Bathroom is all spic ‘n span (Count on me to plunge the can) Trash is not an irritation Haul it to the transfer station …

Saturday afternoon, I was out walking Scamp around the neighborhood when I heard this little girl shriek with delight. I turned my head, like you do, and that’s when I saw it: a young Dad, holding his daughter over his head, helping her fly. And just like that, I was her, that little girl, looking down at my strong Dad, laughing eyes filled with love. Then, in a blink of an eye, I remembered back to that morning, me sitting with my dad, now a confused old man with sad eyes. I’m holding his hand, and he’s saying, “I don’t know. I just don’t know what’s going on.” And I’m thinking, Neither do I Dad. …

The other night, Charlie and me were in the den. He was  watching the tube and I was reading the AARP Magazine when I think, when did this happen? When did I go from joking about this magazine to actually reading it? Not flipping through it, not scanning it, but actually reading it? I mean, finding the articles interesting and helpful. The celebrities on the cover used to be old looking, you know? Now I find myself saying things like, “Gee, that Michael Douglas still is a good looking guy.” In fact, this issue I got more excited about the article called “Your Big Health Questions Answered” than the one about budget vacations. That worries …

Have you ever been driving around, pass a house and think, I wonder if they’re having a yard sale, or if that’s just how they live? Or someone walks by you at the mall and you’re like, Geez, Louise, are they wearing perfume or is that bug dope? There are entire days where I just wondering around in my head. I wonder what I’ll make for supper? I wonder if I have time to clean to bathroom before I leave for work? I look at Scamp, and he’s staring off into space and I wonder what he’s thinking. I wonder if that’s a look of concentration on his furry, little face, or is it just …

Folks, I’m feeling a little out of sorts this morning. Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Hurricane Ida, right? Like I haven’t heard jokes like that all week. You just wait until you have a hurricane named after you! The last time this happened to me was in 2009, and it seems too soon for it to happen again. Speaking of too soon, and the reason I’m a little down right now, one of the saddest days of summer happened last Monday. You know what I’m talking about: the arrival of our hardy mums down to the A&P. (Sigh.) Sure, they have tight little buds at the moment, but that means we’re only a …

I visit my Dad over to Mahoosuc Green a couple times a week or so. He lives on Chickadee Lane. (That’s assisted living for us civilians.) From his swanky, new Barcalounger, he has a nice view of the back yard. The Black-Eyed Susan’s are real pretty right now. There’s also a nice trellis with some sort of plant climbing up, getting ready to completely take it over. Dad says to me, “The truck is buried.” “Yeah, I can see that. How long has it been like that?” “Awhile.” See, that’s the thing. Dad’s memory is spotty at best, and his mind plays tricks on him. This “truck” is really a trellis. We never had a …

Charlie’s latest brings to mind so many thoughts. Take a gander, then I’ll share ‘em with you. Look Up and Be Proud Grandpa once told me “Look up and be proud! Distinguishable From the rest of the crowd” But each time I did, Wouldn’t you know, I’d stumble or trip Over something below A rake or a pail Or the root of a tree A crusty old dog That I didn’t see There’s always some obstacle Down on the ground That is the reason I’ve always looked down My posture, I know, Has taken a hit Best thing for me? Find somewhere to sit Where I’m out of range Of things I could trip on …

So, I’m at Mikey’s Meat Market on Thursday after work. I buy the basic stuff down to the A&P, of course, but when it comes to meat, I go to Mikey’s. It’s a good old fashioned meat market with red-faced butchers out back cutting meat, and guys (yup, only guys) behind the counter. These fellas really know their stuff, including how long to cook just about anything you’re buying. So anyways, I’m waiting in line. There was a pause in the action and no customers are in there except for me and Mildred Campbell. We’re standing side by side, both staring into the meat case. I’m considering how many pork chops I should buy, and …

You know how up to camp, especially one that’s been in the family a long time, there are these tacky knickknacks that no one has the heart to get rid of? Sure the stuff’s ugly, but they’re part of the overall ambiance of the place, and camp just wouldn’t be the same without ‘em. Camp is like your catch-all closet, only bigger. Don’t know what to do with the thing? Bring it up to camp. There are the mismatched mugs with logos from businesses that don’t exist anymore. Your kids pottery projects or, let’s be honest here, your pottery projects from when you were a kid. Ceramics gone horribly wrong. You know what I’m talking …