With all that’s going on in the country, on TV, heck our town meeting right here in Mahoosuc Mills was louder and more mean spirited than ever before, it seems like we’ve forgotten some basic things we were taught as a kid. What happened to common courtesy? Good manners were drilled into me by my parents. There’s no getting around it. Not that I’d want to. Being polite is a good thing, and has served me well over the years. It was hard getting the hang of it at first, though. In our house, you had to say “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome.” End of story. There was none of this, “Now what do …

Did you give up something for Lent? That used to be a big deal, didn’t it? I don’t think people do it so much, now. Seems the older I get, the harder it is to come up with something to abstain from during Lent. It’s not that I’m so pure. It’s that I’m so boring. When we were little, my sister Irene and me would give up candy, of course. But in our family there was a loop hole. Sundays during Lent didn’t count. So we’d save up our stash all week, then pig out on the Lord’s day. I remember this one Lenten Sunday in particular. (This is back in the days where you …

Who was it who said, “At fifty, you get the face that you deserve?” I don’t mind the lines around my eyes all that much, or the laugh lines around my mouth. I figure I’ve earned those. But honey, what did I do to deserve this turkey gobbler neck? I believe in the concept of aging gracefully. To me, that means accepting where you’re at, then doing the best you can with what you’ve got. Let’s face it. After a certain age, it’s all about hiding and highlighting. Throw on a colorful scarf, why don’t you, to camouflage that turkey neck. Not everyone is into makeup, but there’s something about putting on a little lipstick …

March 18th was my Dad’s birthday. He’s been gone three years now. I still miss him. What a character he was! Here’s one of my favorite stories. Dad tried that computer dating thing. This was a couple years after my mom passed. He joined this Catholic dating site. A friend who’s good with computers helped him put up his profile, but he didn’t include a picture. When my niece Caitlin caught wind of that, she got Dad’s password and everything and added a nice photo of him taken at Easter dinner that year. I’ll be darned. He got so many emails, it crashed his computer! Well, he was a good looking guy. Nice head of …

March 11 was Charlie’s birthday. Me, I always try to take my birthday off from work, but Charlie doesn’t. “Ida,” he says, “after a certain age, it’s just another day. I don’t want to think about it.” My feeling is a birthday is cause for celebration, especially after a certain age. I’m on the back nine, as my golfer friend Betty says. Meaning, I’ve lived more of my life than I have left. So I say make the most of it. Heck, why confine yourself to just one day? Celebrate the whole month! Anyhoo, Charlie doesn’t make a big deal of his birthday. Still, I like to make it special. We get up earlier than …

I love asking folks what they think is the key to a happy marriage. And I gotta tell you, some of the answers are surprising. For instance, when I asked my friend Betty, she replied, “Golf.” “Come again?” “You heard me. Golf.” “I’m gonna need a little more information.” “Well, golf is a hobby that we do together. We’re outside, having fun. We joined the couples league and have little shindigs with them every once and awhile. Sometimes we go away for a golfing weekend. It’s like a mini vacation, because we’re not thinking about anything else while we’re playing, and so we’re kinda just being ourselves.” “I feel like that when we go away …

Last week, me and the Women Who Run With the Moose, Celeste, Rita, Betty, Dot and Shirley, got together for our girls night. Betty was hosting. She was serving those little miniature cherry cheesecakes. You make ‘em in a muffin tin with a vanilla wafer on bottom. You ever had them? They’re wicked good! Dottie had just been in for a physical. “The whole “lube, oil, and filter,” as Shirley calls it. “God, don’t they ask you a lot of questions.” Dot says. “How much caffeine am I drinking? What am I doing to de-stress? How am I sleeping? How much do I poop and when?” “Did they ask how often you and Tommy do …

Gotta say, I love my job. Not only is working as a cashier down to the A&P not stop entertainment, it keeps me in touch with all the goings on in Mahoosuc Mills, day in, and day out. I know who’s doing Weight Watchers, who’s drinking too much Bud Light, who’s reading National Enquirer. In my opinion, how people act in a grocery store, is a good indication of how they live their life. For example, let’s say we got a pyramid of navel oranges over in produce and somebody takes one from the  middle, and that whole pile of oranges starts to spill on the floor. Does that person walk away, pretending they had …

You know how we tend to confide in our hairdresser or bartender? As a cashier down to the A&P, folks tend to confide in me, too, even if they don’t always know they’re doing it. Because checking out a person’s groceries is more intimate than you image. You know who’s drinking a little too much, who has a Doritos habit and who’s addicted to the National Inquirer. You see the same folks once a week, minimum, and you can kind of sense whether they’re feeling their oats or not. So I’m working register 3 per usual, cashing out Roberta “Bobbie” Robbins, making conversation, like you do. “How’s that cute little dog of yours? Blah, blah. …

As you know, I hang out with the greatest group of gals, Celeste, Rita, Betty, Dot and Shirley or the Women Who Run With the Moose as we call ourselves. Heck, we’ve been close since even before Charlie and me started dating, so that goes back a ways. We’ve gone through good times and bad together, and I’ve still got the bridesmaids dresses to prove it. If you were in any doubt, bridesmaids dresses attest to the fact that one style is not flattering on all body types, and there are some colors you should never wear, ever. Trust me. I got around that by dressing my bridesmaids in different color pastels. Let’s see, Celeste …