It’s been so nice to have some straight up fall weather. Seems like it went directly from summer to winter for a bit. I mean, beginning of September, I’m walking my little buddy Scamp in the morning and it’s 34 degrees. What the heck, Mother Nature? We’re just making friends with one season, now you’re throwing in another one? It’s unnatural, disconcerting. So about par for the course for 2020, right? And what about that orangey-red sun last week? I saw it one morning when I was walking Scamp. Kind of spooky. Charlie thought so, too. Orange Today I saw this orange sun As I drove into town The sky, it wasn’t blue at all …

In last week’s blog, I talked about my approach to yard sales at the moment. Now, Charlie’s never been as big on going to yard sales as me. But call it a “Barn Sale” or a “Moving Sale” and he’s there. See, my hubby is a sucker for tools and old rusty junk. Can’t help himself. He’s drawn like a moth to a flame. Like last week when he dropped by Bruce Fecteau’s “Everything Must Go Moving Sale.” Cutting Loose My friend Bruce is cutting loose   “Cuttin’ loose, ‘cause what’s the use   Of stayin’ put, hangin’ ‘round?   Got no one to tie me down!” Before he set out on the trail I stopped …

I sure have missed yard sales this summer. You know, I miss going to them and I miss having them. ‘Cause as I’ve said before, if you go to a lot of yard sales, you gotta have a yard sale every now and then to get rid of the stuff you bought at the other yard sales. I miss catching up with folks, discovering treasures and dickering over prices. I miss turning clutter into cash. It’s never that much, of course, but it feels like found money. I’ve seen a few people braving it and doing a yard sale anyways, despite the global pandemic. Now, that’s hard core! But I haven’t been motivated to attend. …

How many times have you been running errands, gotten out of your car, been halfway to the door of the store and realized you forgot your mask? I know! Happens to me all then time, and I see it happen to others, too. There’s this quick step routine we do. Sigh and mutter to yourself as you pivot. Walk briskly back to the car while taking your frustration out on the key fob and the car door. Reach in and grab your mask, slam the door and aggressively lock it. Put the darn thing on as you fast march back towards the store. You probably only lost a couple minutes of time, but it seems …

Well, we made it through our heat wave here in Mahoosuc Mills. Gosh, what a scorcher! There’s always at least one of those per summer. The temps are back to normal, now, which is a relief! Like I said last week, I don’t mind a hot day now and then, but four in a row? That can really wear you down. I mean, when the top of my favorite lipstick breaks off because it’s melted, that’s where I draw the line! I admit, I got kind of cranky, which isn’t like me. But if I heard one more sweaty person down to the A&P say, “Hot enough for ya?,” the top of my head was …

We’re in the dog days of summer here in Mahoosuc Mills. Sure, we’ve had our share of hot, sticky days and some wicked thunder boomers, but I don’t mind all that much. Because you know what? For every one of those scorchers, we have two or three perfect summer days. Charlie calls those “a bluebird of a day.” And when we get one, I’m savoring every minute of it. Charlie and me have been eating dinner on the deck most every night, looking out into the back yard, watching the birds and our chubby groundhog who lives under the shed. Between bites, one of us always seems to say, “We’re pretty lucky, you know that?” …

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 …

Saturday, the calendar alert on my phone goes off. Weird! What’s up with that? My niece Caitlin helped me learn how to do the phone calendar last year, and it’s been great for scheduling things when you’re out and about. “Ida, can you come and give a talk down to the Moose Lodge on June 21?” “Let me check my phone and see!” But truth be told, once we started sheltering in place, I went right back to using my paper calendar. It’s always at hand and when I’m not on the front lines down to the A&P, I’m home, so it works out good. Right now, the only reminder alert I have on my …

Things I miss: Girls night out with the Women Who Run With the Moose. Zoom’s good, but not the same. On the plus side, no need for a DD (designated driver). Going to Hair Affair every Saturday morning. Getting my hair spiffed up and visiting with Patsy the gals down there. We call ourselves the “Sturdy Pinecones.” (You saw that movie “Steel Magnolias,” right? It’s kind of like that, only with snow or black flies.) Baked bean suppers down to the Congo Church. It’s still the best one around. Peanut butter pie to die for. Get there early, ‘cause it’s always the first thing to go. Seeing people’s whole face. Hard to get a read …

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!