I’ve been missing my mom a lot lately. Some of it has to do with the fact that it’s October, her birthday month. It’s also the anniversary of her death, in a couple of weeks. But it’s more than that. Missing is strange, isn’t it? I can go days or even weeks without thinking of my mom, then I see her handwriting on a recipe, and bang! There she is. Or I watch a little girl, all dolled up for her first day of school, holding her mom’s hand, and I think, “I miss you, Mom.” I used to get a little pang of envy whenever I’d see my friend Rita scoring a piece of …

It’s been so nice to have some straight up fall weather. Seems like it went directly from summer to winter for a bit. I mean, beginning of September, I’m walking my little buddy Scamp in the morning and it’s 34 degrees. What the heck, Mother Nature? We’re just making friends with one season, now you’re throwing in another one? It’s unnatural, disconcerting. So about par for the course for 2020, right? And what about that orangey-red sun last week? I saw it one morning when I was walking Scamp. Kind of spooky. Charlie thought so, too. Orange Today I saw this orange sun As I drove into town The sky, it wasn’t blue at all …

In last week’s blog, I talked about my approach to yard sales at the moment. Now, Charlie’s never been as big on going to yard sales as me. But call it a “Barn Sale” or a “Moving Sale” and he’s there. See, my hubby is a sucker for tools and old rusty junk. Can’t help himself. He’s drawn like a moth to a flame. Like last week when he dropped by Bruce Fecteau’s “Everything Must Go Moving Sale.” Cutting Loose My friend Bruce is cutting loose   “Cuttin’ loose, ‘cause what’s the use   Of stayin’ put, hangin’ ‘round?   Got no one to tie me down!” Before he set out on the trail I stopped …

I sure have missed yard sales this summer. You know, I miss going to them and I miss having them. ‘Cause as I’ve said before, if you go to a lot of yard sales, you gotta have a yard sale every now and then to get rid of the stuff you bought at the other yard sales. I miss catching up with folks, discovering treasures and dickering over prices. I miss turning clutter into cash. It’s never that much, of course, but it feels like found money. I’ve seen a few people braving it and doing a yard sale anyways, despite the global pandemic. Now, that’s hard core! But I haven’t been motivated to attend. …

How many times have you been running errands, gotten out of your car, been halfway to the door of the store and realized you forgot your mask? I know! Happens to me all then time, and I see it happen to others, too. There’s this quick step routine we do. Sigh and mutter to yourself as you pivot. Walk briskly back to the car while taking your frustration out on the key fob and the car door. Reach in and grab your mask, slam the door and aggressively lock it. Put the darn thing on as you fast march back towards the store. You probably only lost a couple minutes of time, but it seems …

Despite everything, me and the Women Who Run With the Moose are still doing our girls night once a week. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? We used to call it “Girls Night Out.” Now we refer to it as our “Girls Night Outside.” We get together on assorted decks, patios, screened in porches and the like. Truth be told, our social distancing has become a little lax, but there’s still sanitizer on the potluck table, and we mask up when we’re serving ourselves. You can find ways to have fun and still be careful, right? Like last Thursday, we got together over to Shirley’s place. She has this nice, big deck, …

The poet laureate of Mahoosuc Mills strikes again, and who could blame him. If Shakespeare had had the pleasure of partaking in one of Babes homemade, fresh from the oven, maple glazed donuts, I’m sure he’d have written a sonnet about it. Thankfully, Charlie stepped in to fill the gap. Here’s his latest. Maple Glazed Doughnut Down to the mill, If you punch in early, ‘Round about ten Your stomach gets squirrel-ly Someone’s elected To go, make it hasty And bring us all back Some coffee and pastry Muffins, of course, Are a popular pick And danish are usually Polished off quick The guys all have favorites They never outgrow, For me, it’s the Maple …

Just because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, that don’t mean we have to let personal hygiene fly out the window. Come on, people! I have seen some sights down to the A&P, let me tell you! In March and April, maybe into May, it was kinda okay, because salons and barber shops weren’t open and we were making the best of the situation. Many of us got to experience the joy of finding out just how much gray hair we actually have. God knows, I hadn’t seen the true color of my hair in years. Ooh, wee! That was an eye-opener. Men let there hair grow too, of course. On a few, …

Where has summer gone? I mean, we’re a third of the way through August! I’m already dreading the arrival of hearty mums down to the A&P which should be in a week or so. Mums in September are a nice burst of color. In August, they make me feel the same way I do when I see Christmas decorations in October: it’s unnatural and unsettling. Anyhoo, be here now, right? Enjoy summer to the fullest. Drink in the smell of summer sweet and fresh mown grass. Feast on the color all ‘round: rose mallow, black-eyed Susans, rose of Sharon. Enjoy time outside with friends. Grill meat, eat corn on the cob and watermelon, figure out …

Well, we made it through our heat wave here in Mahoosuc Mills. Gosh, what a scorcher! There’s always at least one of those per summer. The temps are back to normal, now, which is a relief! Like I said last week, I don’t mind a hot day now and then, but four in a row? That can really wear you down. I mean, when the top of my favorite lipstick breaks off because it’s melted, that’s where I draw the line! I admit, I got kind of cranky, which isn’t like me. But if I heard one more sweaty person down to the A&P say, “Hot enough for ya?,” the top of my head was …