On Saturday, Celeste, Rita, Betty, Dot, Shirley and me (a.k.a. the Women Who Run With the Moose) went to see that new movie, “Les Misérables.” And you know what? They don’t call it that for nothin’! I confess, it was my bright idea. I says to the girls, “Hey, it’s a musical with a high hunk factor! I mean, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe! How bad could it be?” Well, turns out, pretty bad. Let’s start with the fact that it’s a poor personal hygiene movie. There should be a ratin’ for that. To heck with the G, PG13, R stuff. Give me at least some hint that everyone in the movie is gonna look …

OK, it’s January. Time for makin’ resolutions, turnin’ over a new leaf, startin’ fresh. I used to make (and break) lots of New Years resolutions: lose fifteen pounds, work out five times a week, not eat sweets until the weekend. (Right, that one lasted about a week!) Now I set an intention. I got that from my niece Caitlin, who seems to have the inside scoop on all things New Age-y. “An intention is gentler,” she says. “When you break a resolution, it’s done. With an intention, you can lose sight of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. All you have to do is refocus on it.” That works for me! Besides, it’s …

Mahoosuc Mills is gearin’ up for our Down Home Holiday Festival. Used to be called the Down Home Christmas Festival, but we are now “politically correct.” The St. Hyacinth’s Christmas Bazaar is part of the Festival. I suppose we should change it to Holiday Bazaar, but hey, we’re Catholics! Who are we kidding? The Festival is a lot of fun. All the stores are open and the town is decorated real cute. The Kiwanis sell trees in the vacant lot where Pomerleau’s store used to be. There’s a horse drawn sled for the kids out in Bucky DuMont’s field. And on Enchanted Mountain, the bunny slope with a rope tow at the edge of town, …

I had a little down time this week, so I was checkin’ out the latest fall fashions, thinkin’ I’d update my wardrobe with a few must-haves. Holy fashion faux pas, Batman! If you’re a middle-aged woman like me, who topped out at 5’2” and is currently losin’ ground in that department, it’s pretty slim pickins!  Let’s start off with the “you’ve got to be kiddin’” category. This is where I’m puttin’ anything that uses the word “skinny” as part of its name, as in “skinny, mid-rise denim,” or articles of clothin’ that imply skinny, like leather leggings. Where are we livin’? Sherwood Forest? Oh, and any items of clothing that are flat out impractical; you …

So a few weeks ago, my washer finally bit the dust. It wasn’t like it happened all of a sudden. I’d been pushin’ it for awhile. One morning it started makin’ a clunking sound when it kicked into that final spin. No problem. Just shut it off, and end the wash there, right? But slowly the noise got louder and louder, ‘til one day it scared the you-know-what outta Scamp. And me! I adapted. I just ran a little quicker to the machine when it started protestin’, shut it off, calmed down Scamp and put the wetter than usual clothes in the dryer or out on the line. The last time I did this, though, …

So the other day, I’m havin’ my weekly get together with my sister, Irene, and I swear, we’re not five minutes into it when she looks at me and goes, “Ida, what’s up?” I can always count on my sister to cut to the chase. “Oh, Reney,” I says, “I’m not gonna lie to ya. I’m feeling so overwhelmed. It’s all good stuff, but even good stuff can be overwhelming if it’s comin’ at you all at once. And then there’s the feeling guilty ‘cause I’m so lucky, really. How dare I feel overwhelmed when my life is just so darned good? And I confess, I’ve been talkin’ to myself lately.” “What else is new?” …

Welcome to the new home of “Just Ask Ida.” Pretty swanky, huh? I’m wicked excited about it. Check back every Monday for a new blog entry. Just like before, you can chose to read it or hear me read it on the podcast. Ida and Scamp In “Just Ask Ida,” you know the scoop. I’ll be talkin’ about life here in Mahoosuc Mills, fillin’ you in on the latest adventures of me and my friends, Celeste, Rita, Betty Dot and Shirley or the Women Who Run with the Moose, as we call ourselves, and, as usual, givin’ you my opinion on things (which my husband, Charlie, says I have no shortage of). Who knows, I may …