Okay, it’s Labor Day, and even though the summer flew by and I’m not ready, I’ve decided to focus on the positive. September is one of the nicest months of the year here in Maine. It’s full of clear, sunny days free of humidity, followed by those crisp nights, just perfect for snoozing. All of a sudden, the tourists have transformed from exasperated parents with their cranky, sunburned kids, to retired couples, kicking back and living the dream. And you can actually get a parking spot on Main Street! Me, I always get that back-to-business shot of energy ingrained no doubt from years of school. Years of September representing new outfits, new notebooks, and a …

I thought I’d try something different this week, and do a video blog. I’ve been studying up on the fall fashion trends. Here they are in action. Enjoy! That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side! Coming Up This Fall  November 9-11: Makin’ Whoopie!, The Public Theatre, Friday at 7:00pm, Saturday at 3:00 & 7:00pm, Sunday at 2:00pm, Lewiston, ME December 10: A Holly Jolly Holiday with Ida, The Footlights Theatre, 2:00pm & 7:00pm, Falmouth, ME December 11: All New!, A Holly Jolly Holiday with Ida Kittery Lion’s Club (sponsored the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum), 7:00pm, Kittery, ME Check out my full schedule here. Join my mailing list. I’ll let you know when a new blog post goes up, where …

Last Saturday morning, our household was up earlier than usual. Charlie was going canoeing with the boys for a few days, and Scamp and me were gearing up for our little spouse-cation. I made eggs and toast for Charlie, sending him off in style, then Scamp and me went for a walk. It was going on 5:30 AM by then, and still dark outside. I don my reflective vest and grab the poop light and off we go. One of the things I love about my fourteen pound personal trainer is that he gets me outside and moving every day. This particular morning, it was in the mid-forties: crisp, clear, and blissfully quiet. It feels …

Is it too early to switch over your clothes? I don’t know! Once minute, you’re eyeing that cable knit sweater. The next, it seventy degrees out. Same goes for that batch of soup you made on Friday when it was so chilly out. Then, you had to freeze it because it got hot and muggy. Early fall is funny like that. But, I don’t really mind it all that much. Heck, I’ll take every scrap of warm weather I can get! Charlie and me walk Scamp every morning around 6:00. But since the days are shorter now, it’s dark then. That means we have to don our reflective vests and Charlie brings what we call …

I’ve never seen as many dead squirrels in the road as I have this year. How about you? Charlie hasn’t written a poem in awhile, but this squirrel situation made him come out of retirement. Dead Rodents Everywhere! Walking Scamp along the road ‘Twas like a battlefield we strode We couldn’t help but stop and stare: Dead rodents everywhere! Squirrels a-plenty, chipmunks, too And there were more than just a few Critters free of all enslavement Plastered there upon the pavement Acorn hunting in the street Doesn’t always end up sweet They just don’t get alot of warning From commuters in the morning Caffeinated, running late Who has got the time to wait For some …

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 …

Haven’t the leaves been beautiful? There are some years when the foliage isn’t as spectacular, just a lot of yellows with maybe a little orange. But this autumn is vibrant, with intense reds, perky oranges, and light-up-my-life yellows. Must have something to do with the weather. I don’t know, but I’m going with it.  One of my favorite things I get to do all year round is to visit libraries across the great state of Maine. Spring and fall are the best times to do this. Winter is touch-and-go with the weather, and summer is pesky because of the tourist traffic. Spring is nice because you get to check out the buds, leaves, flowers and …

I know it’s the end of August, and I was there two weeks ago when the mums arrived at the A&P. But, it’s too soon! I am not ready for fall. It feels like summer only just arrived.  Right now, I’m groovin’ on the sunflowers, pink phlox and Black-eyed Susan, bobbin’ in the breeze. Our butterfly bush and hummingbird feeder are still packing ‘em in. Even the potted petunias are still perky. I mean, I’m not sick of zucchini yet, so I’m definitely not ready for “hearty mums.” Don’t be me wrong, I like the idea of a plant that has “hearty” as part of it’s name. It says, I’m going to be here for …

I finally switched over my clothes. We usually get a hot snap after I pack away my summer stuff, but that don’t look like it’s going to happen this year. It always feels so good to get the closet and drawers in order. Toward the end of the season, they get a little messy, you know, with all that digging around in my fall/winter clothes for sweaters and such. I even put the flannel sheets on the bed, and have started making soup for our lunches. These are my yearly rituals that mark the changing of the season. Here’s one of Charlie’s: How’d it Get to be October? How’d it get to be October? Mowin’ …

When I see folks splitting and stacking wood this time of year, it always makes me think of my dad. Back when he was a kid, they did all their cooking and heating with wood, and he spent most of his childhood splitting, stacking and hauling wood, to hear him tell it. He swore he’d never do it again, so we didn’t have wood stove growing up. And Charlie and me don’t either, though we have a generator, in case the power goes out. Dad is almost eighty, and still has recurring dreams of stacking wood with his dad, my grandfather, George. Now, there was a true, old school woodsman. George meticulously split wood into …