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 …

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 …

Charlie went Home Depot last week, and wrote a poem about it.  Cute Cashier Cute cashier in the check-out line Perky as heck at the start of her shift Perky’s contagious, you catch my drift? A good day, I’d say she’s begun it If she’d asked me to stand on my head, I’d have done it Or tried, anyway It wouldn’t be pretty I might have more luck If I sung her a ditty But people behind me Don’t need a song They need me to pay her And just move along Cute cashier in the check-out line Perky and cute, that’s a real gift Gives an ol’ bugger like this one a lift A …

Yes, you read that right. I’m referring to Patsy down to Hair Affair. Was I ever singing hosannas the day she finally opened back up, let me tell you! Getting my hair cut and styled made me feel like myself again. Let’s just say, for me anyways, Patsy had some damage control to do. See, I’d attempted cutting my own hair while watching a tutorial on YouTube, but it wasn’t near as easy as the gal made it out to be. Or maybe I was just distracted by her lips. It looked like she’d been stung by a bee, but I think it was the kind of thing she paid money for. Yikes! I’d touched …

Most of us are doing are best right now. Sure, there are those yahoos at Cumbies that don’t wear a mask even though there are signs everywhere saying you have to. These are the same folks who think “14 Items or Less” is there to make the express lane faster for them and their 24 items of more. But for the most part, people seem to be hanging in there, trying to go by the rules. But sometimes, you forget. Like yesterday on my walk ‘round the neighborhood with Scamp, I saw my elderly neighbor, Paul, sitting on his front porch. He’d been failing over the winter with pneumonia and a fall and I hadn’t …

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 …

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 …

When the world’s your toilet, it’s hard to decide where to go and for how long. You gotta think things through and that involves a lot of sniffing. Well, it does for our dog, Scamp. I image it’s like reading the morning paper for the little guy. I admit, I’m more patient for this kind of dawdling or “dog-ling” as I call it, than Charlie is. I figure it’s Scamp chance to catch up with what’s new in the neighborhood. But Charlie’s a man on a mission. “Get ‘er done,” is his motto. He and Scamp have long discussions about it.  Our Discussion OK, fella, hup, hup hup! Come here, so I can cinch you …

The Poet Laureate of Mahoosuc Mills is at it again! It Could Have Been Worse  Damn snow blower crapped out in the slush So I began to shovel what I could of the mush Now I’m in the recliner, my wife’s the nurse My back is out of whack, but it could’ve been worse      It could have been worse, what else can you say?      Tylenol’s working, I’m doin’ OK      I’ll get to that slush, but first things first:      The Bruins are playin’, it could have been worse The doctor thought I should take a memory test I suspected that I wouldn’t score among the best So it wasn’t …

Moving too fast is usually my MO. Just like my mom, I’m pretty quick on my feet and pride myself on multitasking to the max. Scamp, who tends to be right on my heels, has to have good reflexes. I’m forever almost trampling him as I quickly change direction because I remembered something else I needed to do or something I forgot in another room. Poor little fella always looks startled, and I admit every once and awhile a word not meant for Scamp’s sensitive ears escapes my mouth because I’m startled, too. Now Charlie’s not what I’d call a multitasker, and is usually good at concentrating on the chore at hand. He’s methodical and …