I’ve been putting off writing this blog post. It’s been almost two weeks now since we had to say good-bye to our little buddy. Scamp didn’t seem to be in any pain, but he was just a shadow of his former self. The spunk was gone, the spark, too. No more long walks, no jumping up on the Barcalounger love seat, that little tail of his no longer stood at attention. Why, even his bark had changed. He didn’t eat much, except for treats. I swear, the only thing keeping him going was love. I woke in the middle of the night hearing Scamp try to get comfortable, going from his bed to the floor …

I lot of my friends are starting to retire. Or talking about retirement, weighing their options. Charlie is, too. God knows, he’s put in his time in down to the mill. Worked his way up to foreman. Survived all them pink slips as operations got smaller and smaller. Man, it’s been stressful, the not knowing. Not just for Charlie, but for all of Mahoosuc Mills, too. Used to be, the paper mill was the best job in town. Hard work, sure, but good, steady pay and benefits, and secure. Not anymore. Anyhoo, Charlie will be 65 next month, so, yeah, we’ve been talking ‘bout it. It would be great to see Charlie have more time …

I read an article recently that said multi-tasking is an inefficient way of doing things. Hello? Try making supper without multi-tasking! “Here you go, Charlie. Once we’ve eaten our fill of this meatloaf, I’ll start peeling the potatoes.” I think us gals are good at multi-tasking because we don’t have a choice. But it comes at a cost, right? Like the other day, Celeste and me were chatting on the phone, catching up on things and, per usual, talking about our husbands. “Ida,” she says to me, “sometimes I just snap at Bud for no good reason. I feel so bad after. Heck, I feel bad while I’m doing it, but I just can’t help …

The other night, Charlie and me were in the den. He was  watching the tube and I was reading the AARP Magazine when I think, when did this happen? When did I go from joking about this magazine to actually reading it? Not flipping through it, not scanning it, but actually reading it? I mean, finding the articles interesting and helpful. The celebrities on the cover used to be old looking, you know? Now I find myself saying things like, “Gee, that Michael Douglas still is a good looking guy.” In fact, this issue I got more excited about the article called “Your Big Health Questions Answered” than the one about budget vacations. That worries …

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 …