You know how up to camp, especially one that’s been in the family a long time, there are these tacky knickknacks that no one has the heart to get rid of? Sure the stuff’s ugly, but they’re part of the overall ambiance of the place, and camp just wouldn’t be the same without ‘em. Camp is like your catch-all closet, only bigger. Don’t know what to do with the thing? Bring it up to camp. There are the mismatched mugs with logos from businesses that don’t exist anymore. Your kids pottery projects or, let’s be honest here, your pottery projects from when you were a kid. Ceramics gone horribly wrong. You know what I’m talking …

Was the Fourth of July weird for you this year? It was for us up here in Mahoosuc Mills, with no parade or fireworks. But we celebrated anyways up to Dot and Tommy’s camp. It was a great solution to the physical distancing thing. It’s easy to spread out up there. It was the usual suspects: Celeste and Bud, Rita and Smitty, Betty and Pat, Dot and Tommy (of course), Shirley and Junior, and me and Charlie. We were smart about it, and followed the game plan us girls come up with. We all took our temperatures before we went. BYOB. There was hand sanitizer on the food table. When you got near the food …

I know, things are starting to open up again. But some of the pictures from Memorial Day weekend were just crazy. You saw them: groups of people at a lake, shoulder to shoulder, carrying on like everything was back to normal. Nope, ‘fraid not. We gotta be smart about this, people, or we’re going to end up in a big mess. Again! My niece Caitlin is my insider for all things New Age-y, and she’s always talking about “doing things with intention.” That sounds kind of woo-woo, sure, but it’s not. It just means doing things on purpose. You know, thinking about what’s important to you and following through sensibly. Yeah, we’re all going a …

Have you tried Zoom yet? Everyone’s doing it. Why not you? Zoom makes sheltering in place a little more fun. (And no, I haven’t been paid by Zoom to promote the thing. It’s just that when I find something I like, I want to share it with my friends.) My niece Caitlin introduced me to Zoom and talked me through it the first time. Over the phone, of course, because we are under “stay at home” orders, here in Maine. Of course, I’m still seeing plenty of folks and their stress-related eating habits up close and personal, what with my job cashiering down to the A&P. Heck, I don’t blame ‘em. Some customers are telling …

You may be “sheltering in place,” as they say, but as a cashier down to the A&P, I’m on the front lines of this thing. Global pandemic! Go figure! Folks have totally lost their minds, buying three, four, five hundred dollars worth of unrelated stuff! It’s like that old game show Supermarket Sweep; they’re just throwing things into their carts. The biggies, of course, are toilet paper, milk, and chicken. Why? If you’re going to be stuck inside, wouldn’t you want a nice cut of meat to look forward to? And think of it: you have all this time to slow roast. It’s perfect! The toilet paper baffles me, though. It just don’t make no …

Phew! New Years, the last of our three big holiday hurdles. Frankly, I’m partied out, and am feeling about as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey. So tomorrow night, Charlie and me are taking a time out, doing a quiet evening at home. I’m gonna broil a couple of steaks, whip up some twice-baked potatoes (with blue cheese and bacon, of course) and make maple-glazed carrots. For dessert, I’ve made one of Charlie’s favorites: cream puffs with chocolate icing. Don’t tell him. It’s a surprise! For post dinner recreation, we plan on kicking back in our Barcalounger love seat with Scamp between us, watching “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.” Kind of trips …

We celebrated Celeste’s birthday last weekend with a party over to Betty’s house. The whole gang was there and we had a wicked good time. So Monday evening, Betty gives me a ring. “Oh good, Ida, you’re there.” “Far as I can tell,” I says. “What’s up?” “You wouldn’t believe what just happened.” “Try me.” “Well, this morning I had to call the plumber because our half bath downstairs was, well, having issues.” “I noticed something was funky with that toilet on Saturday. It’s always like that when you have company, isn’t it? If it isn’t the toilet, it’s the garbage disposal backing up or the dishwasher starts acting wonky, or something.” “Don’t you just …

Thanksgiving was my mother’s favorite holiday, and I come this time of year, I sure do miss her. Holidays are hard when someone you love is no longer here. But every time I get to feeling sad, I know it’s a reminder of how lucky I am to have had such a wonderful woman in my life. I try to hold onto that lucky feeling. It takes the edge off my sad. Let’s talk turkey. Here’s a little section from my book, Finding Your Inner Moose that has to do with the upcoming holday. I have great memories of Thanksgiving, and most of them involve my mother in an apron, doing just about everything. My …

In the next few blogs, I’ll be featuring excerpts from my new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage which comes out May 19th. Here’s a little something from the third chapter called, “There is no ‘I’ in Team, but Maybe There Should Be.”      Good friendships are an important part of my personal happiness. Yes, Charlie and me are best friends, but I have other best friends, too. I just think it’s unfair to you and your mate to expect them to be your everything. That’s a lot of pressure. Besides, sometimes you just need to talk about your mate with someone to, you know, blow off some steam. …

Ida explores if golfing vacations are good for couples and finds some surprising results.