I hope you had a nice weekend, because mine was a friggin’ marathon of errand running and house cleaning with an evening of canasta, a bean supper and an ice cream social thrown in for good measure. You know what? I’m kinda looking forward to getting back to work today, to rest up! Friday night, we went over to Nicole and Bobby Francoeur’s place to play canasta. They’re a nice couple, but as I’ve told you before, I’m not much for game playing. It just…I don’t know, I find it kind of boring. So I end up medicating myself with the nachos and peanut M&M’s, which, to be honest, leave me a little cranky. Still, …

Me and the Dairy Queen have a love/hate relationship. All summer long I love it, and the rest of the year I take its name. Let’s just say my skinny jeans and the Peanut Buster Parfait are like Patty Duke and her cousin. They’re never seen in the same room at the same time. In the spring when the DQ opens, I start off with the Peanut Buster Parfait right out of the gate because, you know, I missed that delightful mix of vanilla soft serve, hot fudge sauce, and peanuts. It’s a sweet and salty taste sensation, and I enjoy every bite.  Then I scale it back. When Charlie and me ride over to …

Charlie and me went for a massage last Saturday. Yes, you read that right. Charlie got a massage, and not by me. By a guy named Michael. Let me start at the beginning. For Christmas, our niece Caitlin gave us each a gift certificate for a one hour massage. She knows how much I love being pampered, no question about that, but it was a kind of outside the box choice for Charlie. He would have been happy with one of them Hickory Farms sausage and cheese gift box type deals. God love her, Caitlin’s heart is in the right place. She knew work had been tense for Charlie what with all the layoffs down …

I was looking through my book, The Sweet Life, the other day. This is not something I do on a regular basis. I don’t sit around the double-wide thinking, Wow! I got a few minutes to spare. I think I’ll check out some of the brilliant things I said in my book. No siree, Bob. I’m writing a new show that’s based on the book (it’ll debut in September) and so part of the job is going through the book and deciding what stories would be fun to share on stage, up close and personal. Can’t wait!  Anyhoo, with all that’s going on in the country, on TV, heck our town meeting right here in …

Charlie’s been enjoying this spring as much as I have. We’re both filled with energy. I’ve always wondered why folks don’t do spring cleaning in the winter when there’s nothing going on. But, you know, winter is a time for hibernating, and spring is all about getting things done. Charlie’s been working in the yard, clearing away blow down, and raking up the leaves that we got too sick of dealing with last fall. And last week, it was time to mow the lawn, a sure sign that summer is around the corner. Not surprisingly, he wrote a poem about it. First Mow of the Season First pull, mower started! That, to me, is poetry …

It’s my birthday week, and spring is in full swing! The older I get, the more I enjoy spring. It wasn’t even that bad a winter. Still, I’m just loving every minute of it, even the rain. The world here in Mahoosuc Mills is greening up and just bursting with color. Of course, it’s not officially spring until my toe nails are painted. I’d be hard pressed to wear open-toed shoes without painting my nails, though I respect people who do. It’s a personal choice. For me, the minute the weather is warm enough to wear sandals (and that has to be pretty warm because my feet tend to run cold like the rest of …

We’ve had some beautiful days here in Mahoosuc Mills. In fact, I got so inspired by the warm weather, I switched my closet over to my summer clothes. Then, it got cold and dreary. Yes, it’s my fault. It’s the same in the fall. I switch it over, then we seem to get a hot snap. It’s bounced back now, of course, but when will I learn? I have gotten smarter. I keep medium weight clothes that work for spring in my closet until summer is firmly established. Then, I take those clothes and put ‘em in one of them big Tupperware type boxes marked “transition.” Awhile back, I’m in the bedroom with my niece, …

There’s something about spring that makes you feel hopeful, you know? It stays light later, the weather’s warmer and our clothes aren’t so cumbersome. The birds are chattering away, and every day on our walk with Scamp, Charlie and me see nature waking up. There are buds on the trees, the forsythia is in bloom, and the lawn (dare I say it) is tinged with green. After winter, the sights, sounds and smells of spring are like a balm to my soul. Exploding color: fresh, bright and unapologetic. Charlie’s feeling it, too. In fact, he wrote a poem about it. Daffodils Did you finish rakin’ leaves Last fall? Me, not at all But soon the …

It’s finally spring here in Mahoosuc Mills, and you know what that means? Spring cleaning, of course. I’m not saying I go hog wild like my mother and grandmother, taking apart each room of the house, but it’s good to do a deep cleaning every now and then. In preparation for this ritual, I bought a new vacuum cleaner head. The old one had seen better days. Finally, the lever that switches back and forth from “carpet” to “floor” broke, and it was permanently stuck on “carpet.” Hard to get good suction going on a wood floor, I’ll tell ya. It’s sad how excited I was about getting my new vacuum cleaner head, but hey, …

Having a dog is the best! They’re all about unconditional love. And just about everything they do is they’re favorite thing. “We’re going into the other room. That’s my favorite thing!” “Time to take a nap. That’s my favorite thing!” “A treat, oh, boy! That’s my favorite thing.” “Time for a walk? Get out of town. That’s my favorite thing.” Baths are not one of Scamp’s favorite things, but running around the house like a crazy dog after is. Scamp is more attached to me than he is to Charlie. If Charlie goes out, Scamp hardly looks up. But when I leave the house, Scamp always gives me this look, like “I can’t believe you’re …