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 …

So I go into Cumbies to pick up a Cow Tail. (For those of you who’ve led a sheltered life, that’s a caramel candy.) It was a reward for .…..well, I can’t remember what right now, but I know I deserved it at the time. I just love them things! Anyhoo, behind the counter is this guy from away whose name is Guy. That’s what it says on his name tag. I’ve seen him there before, but don’t know hardly nothing about him. See, his demeanor doesn’t exactly invite conversation. He must be about my age, I’m guessing: glasses, gray hair and mustache. Big chain around his neck that must have had a gold finish …

You’ve heard that question, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Maybe, maybe not. I wasn’t there, so I don’t really care. But, I was reminded of it last week when Charlie and me were out walking Scamp, and we were passed by a jogger coming the other way. He’s this guy from away who moved in down the street. We see him out jogging quite a bit. Meaning, it’s not like we’re strangers. So I do what I usually do when we see people on our morning jaunt. I smile and say, “Good morning!” I may even throw in, “Beautiful day, …

Last Tuesday, Archie Johnson come into the A&P, per usual. He’s what we affectionately refer to in Mahoosuc Mills as a “mangy, old fart.” Lives in a rundown trailer on the edge of town: tires piled in the yard, blue tarps, broken cars on cinder blocks, you name it. I know, sounds like a cliché. But cliché’s come from somewhere. Archie is living proof. Archie generally keeps himself to himself. “Lives off the land,” would be a nice way to put it. Comes into town once a week for “supplies.” Though his looks and odor can be a little off putting (Archie would never get a gold star for personal hygiene), he’s harmless enough. So …

Saw Franny Ward at the A&P the other day. Franny’s having the time of her life down to Mahoosuc Green, our senior living facility in town. She must have been squeezing in a little grocery shopping between all them classes in flower arranging and exotic pole dancing. Franny is in her early eighties and is always dressed to the nines. This particular day she was sporting a fushia t-shirt with “Born to Sparkle” written in big, sparkly letters across the front. Wow! As if this wasn’t enough, the rest of the shirt had sparkles all over it, too, front and back. Just then, one of our new summer cashiers, Destiny, sidles up to me and …

Charlie and me went to a dance down to the VFW this weekend, a benefit for the Moose Megantic High School Band Boosters. The theme was “Rockin’ to the Oldies.” I says to Charlie, “We’re oldies. Let’s go!” We had a fun time, too, once it got going. But that took awhile, because someone hired professional dancers to kick off the evening with dance lessons. Charlie and me didn’t have much interest in that. It’s not like we think we’re perfect dancers or something. Far from it. But like a lot of couples, we have our own style. We don’t give a hoot about doing it “the right way.” Anyways, after teaching us how to …

Here’s a story of misspent youth, courtesy of Charlie. Physics 101 We saw it all happen, my friend Bud and me From the booth where we sat at the ol’ Busy Bee Waiting we were, for the rest of the boys We heard, of a sudden, this terrible noise Almost as if we were hearing a fight This pickup pulled up to our one traffic light With rock music blarin’, speakers all blown And some jackass yellin’ he’s “bad to the bone” Bangin’ the beat on the side of his door Then hootin’ and hollerin’, yellin’ some more “Who is this clown?” says Bud with a frown The notorious Whitey Junior By that I mean …

Oh, my God! Charlie and me saw buds on our forsythia bush over the weekend! There’s something about that green with a little hint of yellow that’s just so darn hopeful, right? Puts a bounce in my step. The older I get, the more I appreciate spring. Well, all the season’s really, but especially spring. March was true to it’s word. After entering with two, count ‘em, two major snow storms, with power outages to boot, the last half of the month was blessedly lamb-like. I love watching the tide turn, and all of a sudden you realize that there are more patches of ground showing than snow. And wow, the birds are starting to …

Charlie hasn’t written a poem in a bit. Guess we’ve both been busy enjoying summer. But now that it’s September, he’s back at it. Here’s one inspired by something that happened while Charlie was out walking Scamp. Enjoy! Somethin’ To Do For us volunteer firemen, often the drill  Is to take out the fire truck, just for a thrill No fires to fight, and emergencies, few It’s a whole lot o’ nothing, but somethin’ to do Off-duty was I, my head in a fog While Ida cooked dinner, I walked the dog The guy who drove by wasn’t someone I knowed All of a sudden, he went off the road! Into the culvert, he started …