November is National Family Caregivers Month, but for a lot of us, caregiving is a year round sort of thing. Caregivers are everywhere. There are paid caregivers, of course: nurses, social workers, childcare workers, the folks that work down to the senior center, to name a few. Family caregivers, however, are for the most part, unpaid: friends or family members who selflessly give of their time and energy to take care of people who need it. It’s your friend with small children, a sick husband or aging parents. Maybe you know someone who’s helping out a friend or even an acquaintance with a cancer diagnosis or Parkinson’s who doesn’t have any family to help. Heck, …

Charlie and me are all set for Halloween Friday night. I bought a bunch of candy, ate it, bought some more, and you guess it. Now I’m candied out, so I took the left over candy and donated to the Community Center for their Halloween party. Who am I kidding? There was no left over 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 …

Over the weekend, Charlie and me were out walking around the neighborhood. We passed Frank Ward’s place. He has a bigger than usual garage and works on vintage cars in his spare time. He’d just gotten a delivery of a new, old car, and there’s a couple of guys from away hanging out, coffee mugs in hand. Never seen ‘em before. The owners maybe? Being neighborly, I say, “Hi, there.” And Charlie goes, “Boy, that sure is beauty. Looks like it just needs a little TLC.” Then outta the blue, one of the guys (who frankly seemed like he had a little buzz on) looks at us and goes, “Did you know there are three …

During the summer, when I’d find myself talking to someone with the sniffles, and I’d ask, “Are you sick?” “No, it’s just allergies. They’re wicked bad this year.” And I’d breathe a sigh of relief, because you know what? I don’t have time to get sick. I mean, who does? But now we’re heading into the fall, my friends, and that means cold and flu season will be here before you know it. Throw in Covid, RSV and whatever new creeping crud is on the horizon, we need to be considerate of others. I’m begging you, if you’re sick, stay home! You’ll get better quicker if you take care of yourself, and you won’t be …

Alas, the end of summer is upon us. But to be honest, we’ve been feeling it up here in Mahoosuc Mills for a couple of weeks now. Though it heats up during the day, there’s a definate nip in the air, once the sun goes down. “Good sleeping weather,” Charlie calls it. In the evening, I make sure to close all the windows (except in the bedroom), so it’s not too chilly in the house, come morning. And our first shipment of mums has arrived at the A&P. I haven’t surrendered to buying any yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The Moose Megantic High football team is running drills down to the field. …

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 …

So I go into Cumby’s 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 …

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 …

We have a new red light district in Mahoosuc Mills. It’s called self-checkout, down to the A&P. If you’ve ever tried it, you know, it’s harder than it looks. We only have a couple of ’em, but some of the bigger stores down to Bangor have like ten self-checkouts and one of two cashiers on. Sure, if you’re a wiz-bang with tech or if you only have a few things to ring out, go for it. But for most people, it takes ’em two or three times longer than normal, and somebody’s usually gotta be there to help them. Like yesterday, I’m coming back from a break, and I spot ol’ Henry Doucette standing beside …

Went to a plant sale in front of town hall on Saturday. It was sponsored by the Mahoosuc Mills Garden Club. They’re the ones that keep our town looking spiffy all summer long, with flowers in big containers along Main Street. They always have some nice plants, and the money goes to a good cause, so it’s a win/win. The Garden Club members are big into gardening, as you can imagine. Some more than others. I’ll let Charlie tell you about it. Goin’ to the Plant Sale So, I’m at the local plant sale Holding something Ida’s found “Charlie, would you wait here While I have a look around?” What’s that buzzing I keep hearing …