So, I’m standing at the check-out of one of them new, “old fashioned” general stores, clutching a bag of penny candy, when I suddenly spy the fudge counter. What a dilemma! The Women Who Run With the Moose (me and my friends Celeste, Rita, Betty, Dot and Shirley) take field trips from time to time, and we were on our way home from a whirlwind shopping excursion to the outlet malls in North Conway. Plum tuckered out from all that bargain hunting, we needed a little nourishment to fuel our trip back to Mahoosuc Mills. That’s when the store appeared right on cue. We piled out of Shirley’s Bonneville and went in search of sustenance. …

Early Saturday morning, dog walked, I’m in the yard dead heading my leggy petunias. All of a sudden, I hear a commotion coming from behind our shed. Going to investigate, I turn the corner and see a flash of orangey brown fur and wings flapping. Took a sec to figure out it was a fox killing one of our new neighbor’s chickens. So, I start yelling and waving my arms and the fox runs off. Poor chicken’s done for. I go get a kitchen garbage bag to put it in. It was gross, let me tell you, but it had to be done. Frankly, I was glad I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Just as I’m …

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 …

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!

September’s one of my favorite months here in Maine. For one, the tourists have thinned out, so it’s not so crowded downtown. We still get ‘em, of course, but instead of families exhausted and cranky from spending too much time together, you mostly see mature couples. You know, people who get to bed early and aren’t in such a rush. Folks who know how much a cup of coffee costs at McDonalds with the senior discount.

It sure has been busy down to the A&P, let me tell you, with folks stockin’ up on pumpkin pie filling, stuffin’ mix, jello, miniature marshmallows and what not. The smart ones are, anyways. Women who plan ahead, picking up the non-perishable items and dry goods, paper products and drinks, a week or two before the holiday. ‘Cause tryin’ to do it all in one big grocery shoppin’ is overwhelming. Just putting together the list is intiminatin’ enough. And you could get a hernia just pushin’ that shoppin’ cart to your car! Charlie and me go to my sister Irene’s for Thanksgiving. They got more room for all of us over there. I bring the …

Did your mom ever scare the you-know what out of you by saying if you mess with this or that, you’d “poke your eye out”? Well, she wasn’t just sayin’ that to scare you. Stuff happens! On Saturday, I’m bein’ a good doobee, doin’ some strength trainin’, which is just one of the many things you’re supposed to add into your schedule after, “a certain age.” Honestly, between the weight bearing exercise, stretching, running to the bathroom ‘cause of all the water I’m drinkin’ and don’t forget my nightime teeth routine with it’s brushing, flossing and now gum massagin’, I barely have time for anything else! Mind you, all of this huffin’ and puffin’ is …

I was at my doctor’s office, talkin’ to her about some digestive problems I’ve been havin’ lately, and she says to me, “You know, Ida, the older you get, the more your body becomes like a nun’s.” That caught me off guard at first, but I pondered it and she kind of has a point. After a certain age, there’s just a lot less margin for error. Gotta somehow keep yourself pure. But tell me, where’s the fun in that? It seems like this happens overnight, but if you stop and think about it, you realize that’s not really true. Our bodies have been tryin’ to get our attention, but we haven’t been takin’ the …

Well, folks, this is my first blog of the month, and you know what that means. If you don’t, I’ll recap (or “cap up,” as my Grampy Gilbert used to say). I’ve decided to take my own advice and make this my year of “livin’ the good life.” Since my book, Finding Your Inner Moose, has twelve chapters, I’ve decided to dedicate the first blog of every month this year to a chapter. Clever, huh? My intention is to choose a little change or two from that chapter I can incorporate into my life, hoping it becomes a habit. January, I was focusin’ on bein’ kind to myself (much needed after that hectic holiday season), …