There are times in a relationship where your spouse is on a need to know basis. Like when I get home from shopping on Black Friday, Charlie doesn’t need to know about every bargain I found (or all the money I spent). Charlie doesn’t need to know if my friend Dot is irritated with his friend Tommy or about that little dent in the bumper of my car. I don’t need to know every time Charlie and the boys drop by the Busy Bee for a Big Boy Bacon Burger. You know, the one they call “the other woman” because it’s so good you need to sneak around to have it. And I don’t need …

Charlie wrote this poem a couple of weeks ago, and I’m just getting around to sharing it with you. I’ve been wicked busy with my new show. Having a blast with it! But now I’m back down to business. I gotta say, I’m with Charlie on this one. I swear, I saw Halloween stuff out in some stores at the end of August. There ought to be a law! Home Depot: September 21 Look at the trees, they’re starting to turn And for cool sleepin’ weather, I no longer yearn September is here, but I find it queer To see pumpkins for sale at Home Depot Pallets of pumpkins in front of the store Are …

Charlie hasn’t written a poem in a bit. Guess we’ve both been busy enjoying summer. But now that it’s September, he’s back at it. Here’s one inspired by something that happened while Charlie was out walking Scamp. Enjoy! Somethin’ To Do For us volunteer firemen, often the drill  Is to take out the fire truck, just for a thrill No fires to fight, and emergencies, few It’s a whole lot o’ nothing, but somethin’ to do Off-duty was I, my head in a fog While Ida cooked dinner, I walked the dog The guy who drove by wasn’t someone I knowed All of a sudden, he went off the road! Into the culvert, he started …

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 …

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 …

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 …

All and all, we haven’t really had that bad a winter. The brunt of it happened during one week in February. You know, the one where we had a snow storm every other day. Then we had some spring-like weather, even up here in the north country. Temperatures soared (meaning it got up in the fifties on one day) and so did our moods. What a tease ‘cause, honey, snow and single digit temps in March are just nasty! Sure it’s not going to last. But that’s what folks said about the cold I’ve just gotten over (fingers crossed). You know, the one that’s lasted for over two weeks. It’s the third one I’ve gotten …

On our morning walk around our neighborhood, Charlie and me see lots of birds: sparrow, blue jays, crows, chickadees, of course, a few hawks and even a robin or two. Canada geese, in season. But every once in a while we’ll see a Pileated Woodpecker. Not one of them little guys, but the Woody Woodpecker ones? That’s always a treat because they are spectacular looking. I mean, that red! The Pileated is a big bird and, boy, it makes a racket hammering away. You think they’d be easy to see, but they’re not. Most of the time you hear them, but can’t find where they are. Charlie and me must look like idiots, stopped in the …

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, and so I thought shine the spotlight on my sweetheart in this week’s blog. Charlie and me have been together for over forty years, and he can still surprise me. Like when he started writing poetry. One day he saw a blue tarp stuck a tree, and the next thing you know, he’s the the default poet laureate of Mahoosuc Mills. Here’s that first poem, the one that started it all. Blue Tarp in a Tree Drivin’ along, what did I see? A big, blue tarp, up in a tree How did it get there? I thought to myself That’s not the work of some mischievous elf It was right around Whitey’s, …

Facebook is good for a lot of things like funny pet videos and keeping up with your nieces and nephews. I like liking things and cheering folks on. On the down side, some people overshare. During this past election, there were quite a few folks who overshared, a lot. I found it kind of intimate, if you know what I’m saying. One of the hardest things for me on facebook are the lost pets. Oh, they just break my heart, and I scrolled past ‘em fast. Still, they stick with me. The thought of losing Scamp just makes my heart clench and my stomach turn over. I felt the same way when Charlie told me …