Saturday, the calendar alert on my phone goes off. Weird! What’s up with that? My niece Caitlin helped me learn how to do the phone calendar last year, and it’s been great for scheduling things when you’re out and about. “Ida, can you come and give a talk down to the Moose Lodge on June 21?” “Let me check my phone and see!” But truth be told, once we started sheltering in place, I went right back to using my paper calendar. It’s always at hand and when I’m not on the front lines down to the A&P, I’m home, so it works out good. Right now, the only reminder alert I have on my …

Welcome to a special edition of Ida’s Kraft Korner. Enjoy! That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!

Do you ever remember your face itching so much? I don’t. But put on a face mask, and that’s all I think about. Or don’t think and catch myself in the act. Charlie, too.  I Do Wash my hands? Sure, OK Ten times a day? OK, OK No need to ask, I wear a mask And gloves, depending on the task But if there’s a place Upon my face That I gotta itch, I do Sure, I’ll cough into my arm Won’t do my flannel any harm And if we stand six feet apart That’s not about to break my heart I take precaution, Same as you, But if I gotta itch, I do I …

Things I miss: Girls night out with the Women Who Run With the Moose. Zoom’s good, but not the same. On the plus side, no need for a DD (designated driver). Going to Hair Affair every Saturday morning. Getting my hair spiffed up and visiting with Patsy the gals down there. We call ourselves the “Sturdy Pinecones.” (You saw that movie “Steel Magnolias,” right? It’s kind of like that, only with snow or black flies.) Baked bean suppers down to the Congo Church. It’s still the best one around. Peanut butter pie to die for. Get there early, ‘cause it’s always the first thing to go. Seeing people’s whole face. Hard to get a read …

Couple weeks ago, Charlie nicely volunteered to go down to the A&P on Tuesday morning and pick up some basics, meaning toilet paper. They let the employees (and their families) shop before the store opens on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I just happen to know that on Monday nights a certain much in demand paper product just might be delivered. It’s been stressful for us cashiers on the front lines of this thing, day in and day out, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around going to the A&P when I’m not working. So Charlie stepped up to the plate, like he does. Marriage is all about team work, right? It was the day …

“Geez Louise,” my dad says to me over the phone. “When is this gonna be over? I feel like I’m under house arrest!” “I know, Dad. But it’s going to be awhile. How are you doing?” “I’m hanging in there. I miss you girls.” This is the same conversation I have with my dad, every day. See, he’s sheltering in place over there to Mahoosuc Green, our senior living facility. They’ve been in lockdown for over three weeks now: no visitors, period. Two weeks ago, they stopped allowing residents into dining room, bringing meals to their apartments. And last week, we got this notice saying no care packages are allowed. Even from Amazon! Then you’ve …

Have you tried Zoom yet? Everyone’s doing it. Why not you? Zoom makes sheltering in place a little more fun. (And no, I haven’t been paid by Zoom to promote the thing. It’s just that when I find something I like, I want to share it with my friends.) My niece Caitlin introduced me to Zoom and talked me through it the first time. Over the phone, of course, because we are under “stay at home” orders, here in Maine. Of course, I’m still seeing plenty of folks and their stress-related eating habits up close and personal, what with my job cashiering down to the A&P. Heck, I don’t blame ‘em. Some customers are telling …

We’re living in wacky times, right? So this week, I thought I’d do something a little different. I’ve put together a public service announcement designed to remind us of the stuff we know we should be doing, to get us moving, and to (maybe) make us laugh. I call it the Coronavirus Shuffle. Don’t just watch it, get up off your duff and do it! That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!

You may be “sheltering in place,” as they say, but as a cashier down to the A&P, I’m on the front lines of this thing. Global pandemic! Go figure! Folks have totally lost their minds, buying three, four, five hundred dollars worth of unrelated stuff! It’s like that old game show Supermarket Sweep; they’re just throwing things into their carts. The biggies, of course, are toilet paper, milk, and chicken. Why? If you’re going to be stuck inside, wouldn’t you want a nice cut of meat to look forward to? And think of it: you have all this time to slow roast. It’s perfect! The toilet paper baffles me, though. It just don’t make no …

The other day, I was chatting with Charlie at supper, like you do. We’re catching up on our day, what happened at work, all that. I was telling him about running into Claudia Peavey down to the A&P. I’ve told you about Claudia and her husband Kurt before. Charlie and me refer to them as the “Yeah, but’s.” Meaning, don’t matter what you say to them, they’ll “yeah, but” you. For example, I say, “Hi, Claudia. Beautiful day out there, isn’t it?” And Claudia replies, “Yeah, but, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.” You know the drill. So Charlie says to me, “What’s up with Claudia’s eyebrows?” Charlie asks me questions like this all the time. …