As many of you know, I just love yard sales. I love going to them and I love having them. Because the thing is, if you go to a lot of yard sales, you have to have a yard sale every once and a while to get rid of all the stuff you bought at the other yard sales. Yard sales bring back memories, some good and some not so good. Like last summer during our yard sale, I had a flashback to our worst Christmas ever. I am referring to Christmas 2000, the year of Big Mouth Billy Bass. You remember them, don’t you? That fish mounted on a plaque? It looks normal enough …

December is full swing, so I’m going to jump right in with a gift giving tip for you and your friends that is guaranteed to make Christmas shopping more fun. I’ve shared this before, but it bears repeating. You can read it here, or watch a video of it below.  The Women Who Run With the Moose (that’s me and my friends, Celeste, Rita, Betty, Dot and Shirley) have known each other since God was in diapers, so it may surprise you to learn that we do not exchange gifts at Christmas. Us girls take a more practical approach to gift giving. We call it the “Not-So-Secret Santa.” This is based on the Secret Santa …

We had a happy Thanksgiving here in Mahoosuc Mills. My sister, Irene, hosted and I helped her in the kitchen. That’s always my favorite part of the holiday, cooking with my sister. That and the leftovers. Way too many leftovers. Let’s just say that the turkey was not the only thing that was stuffed. We always, go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. This year, Charlie surprised us with a poem. What a sweetie! Thankful Thankful? What I’m thankful for: A year without a canker sore, Flu or some persistent hack My back did not go outta whack Mower started like a breeze I weren’t attacked by any bees Finally ditched our …

It’s unbelievable how fast time flies as I get older. It seems like it was just Labor Day. We had such a beautiful fall, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But already Halloween is behind us, and Turkey Day is just around the corner. So, I guess we are officially in the holiday season. I mean, Christmas stuff is already in some stores. I say it every year, but it bears repeating: there ought to be a law against that. It’s like mums in August, just too soon. Pumpkins and Santa should not share shelf space. And then you add Tom Turkey into the mix. It’s unnatural!  I’ve been pondering this, and I think …

Charlie and me are all set for Halloween tomorrow night. I bought a bunch of candy, ate it, bought some more, and you guessed it. Now I’m candied out, so I took the leftover candy and donated to the Community Center for their Halloween party. Who am I kidding? There was no leftover candy. I had to buy more candy and drive directly to the Community Center, do not pass go, do not, under any circumstances, rip open that plastic bag. There was a moment where I thought they were going to have to pry that candy out of my hands, but I manage to let it go and run from the building all the …

October, my season of terror. Days are getting shorter, leaves piling up in the yard, frost on the pumpkin. But that’s not the problem. What’s plaguing me is what plagues me every October: the advent of them miniature candy bars. Snickers, Milky Ways, Butterfingers, they’re like crack cocaine to me. ‘Cause candy is love, baby, and I want me some love!   Ida, I say to myself, don’t buy them until Halloween Day. And I start out strong, I really do. But then, oh-oh, there’s a bowl of candy corn at book group, or a bunch of small boxes on the counter at the dry cleaners. Or I’m at a birthday party where they’re serving chocolate …

Charlie wrote this poem a couple of weeks ago, and I’m just getting around to sharing it with you. I’ve been wicked busy with my new show. Having a blast with it! But now I’m back down to business. I gotta say, I’m with Charlie on this one. I swear, I saw Halloween stuff out in some stores at the end of August. There ought to be a law! Home Depot: September 21 Look at the trees, they’re starting to turn And for cool sleepin’ weather, I no longer yearn September is here, but I find it queer To see pumpkins for sale at Home Depot Pallets of pumpkins in front of the store Are …

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, and so I thought shine the spotlight on my sweetheart in this week’s blog. Charlie and me have been together for over forty years, and he can still surprise me. Like when he started writing poetry. One day he saw a blue tarp stuck a tree, and the next thing you know, he’s the the default poet laureate of Mahoosuc Mills. Here’s that first poem, the one that started it all. Blue Tarp in a Tree Drivin’ along, what did I see? A big, blue tarp, up in a tree How did it get there? I thought to myself That’s not the work of some mischievous elf It was right around Whitey’s, …

There’s a rumor going ‘round that in Maine, it’s illegal to have your Christmas decorations up after January 14th, and you could be fined for doing so. I checked it out on the internet, and I found it on more than one site (there are several) dedicated to “dumb laws.” But then I saw an article from the Portland Press Herald that came out a few years back and they said it’s not really true. Frankly, I was very disappointed. If you keep up with my blog, you know I can get a real bee in my bonnet about this issue. January’s one long, cold month here in the north country, and we need all …

So a couple weeks before Christmas, I’m doing a book signing at the Kittery Trading Post (always nice to head south during the winter). Across from me was Santa and Mrs. Claus. She looked harmless enough, but frankly, I think Santa might have been in witness protection. Those kids waiting to get their photo taken were some cute, all dressed up and a few in their pajamas. My favorites were those children that were fine until you put them in Mrs. Claus’ lap, then they’d start to cry. Then the parents would try to calm them down, all the while getting more and more stressed out because they’re so invested in getting the perfect picture. …