Maine has been slowly opening back up, with some folks cautiously returning to work and doing the “physically distancing socializing” routine. That’s a mouthful, for sure, so we just say “Maine Rules” for short. For example, “Party on my deck, Maine Rules.” That means we’ll be staying six feet apart which is easy for a Mainer. “BYOS” meaning bring your own stuff. We’ll provide the PP and SW (paper products and sanitizer wipes). See? Much simpler. Then there are some idiots who insist on partying like it’s 2019. The “19’ers,” me and my friends call ‘em. “19” referring not to the year or the virus, but to their approximate IQ. I’d like to say what …

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 …

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 …

Okay, it’s Labor Day, and even though the summer flew by and I’m not ready, I’ve decided to focus on the positive. September is one of the nicest months of the year here in Maine. It’s full of clear, sunny days free of humidity, followed by those crisp nights, just perfect for snoozing. All of a sudden, the tourists have transformed from exasperated parents with their cranky, sunburned kids, to retired couples, kicking back and living the dream. And you can actually get a parking spot on Main Street! Me, I always get that back-to-business shot of energy ingrained no doubt from years of school. Years of September representing new outfits, new notebooks, and a …

Boy, we’ve had some wicked thunder boomers lately! The middle of the night kind, where that clap of thunder is so loud, you levitate out of bed. Thank goodness, our little dog Scamp is unfazed. He just sighs and rolls over. I wish Charlie and me could do the same. It’s like that thunder has breathed new life into us. Then there’s the storms that happen late in the afternoon. The kind where Mahoosuc Mills turns from Vacationland to Stephen King territory in a few ominous minutes. You look one way, and it’s fine: sunny and full of promise. Then you turn your head and see the Apocalypse bearing down on you. The wind starts …

We’re coming up on a very special anniversary, my friends. That’s right, the death of Elvis Presley. August 16, 1977, a date burned into my memory. That’s when the King relocated to heaven, taking all his talent and charisma with him. Forty-two years later, you know what? I still miss him. What a sexy man! Fat or thin, I don’t care, there was something about Elvis. When I think of him, though, I mostly think of the young Elvis. That first time on Ed Sullivan, oh mister man! We’d never seen anything like him. Even though they only showed him from the waist up, which made it even more tantalizing. Us girls were all a-flutter …

Babe Delahunt runs the Busy Bee Bakery with her husband Bud. It’s over on Main Street here in Mahoosuc Mills. They’re open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week during the summer. Babe’s a real peach, give you the shirt off her back. But she has a limited tolerance for snotty tourists and has her own unique way of handling them. I was in there the other day getting a coffee frappe (got to keep up my strength) when I witnessed Babe at her best. This fella from away barges in, talking on a cell phone like we all want to know his business. “Look,” he says, “I need to see some results in …

I had the pleasure of sitting beside Snowdell Holden’s sister, Trudy, at the bean supper Saturday night. Trudy lives in Portland, but spends the summer up to her camp on Scoodic Lake. She’d driven over for the weekend. Like Snowdell, Trudy’s a pistol. Just turned 89, and doesn’t look a day over 79, which is quite a compliment when you’re pushing 90. Over beans, biscuits, cole slaw, hot dogs, not to mention the mac and cheese that somehow wandered onto my plate, we got to talking about Trudy’s life, like you do. Trudy’s a retired nurse, mother of five with eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She’s been a widow for going on twenty years now. …

Seems like I’ve been wicked busy, but it’s that summer sort of busy. You know, the kind of busy where it feels like you’re on the go all the time, but don’t have much to show for it? Anyways, it’s been “hotter than Hades” here in Mahoosuc Mills. I’ve heard that more times than I can count while cashiering down to the A&P. This is from the same folks (no need to name names) who complain about the snow, the mud, the black flies, and the tourists, depending on the season. Complaining is what seems to keep these folks going, so this summer’s heat and humidity has been a whining bonanza. Now, these are the …