Charlie and me were out for a Sunday drive, and happened to pass Agnes Brown’s place out on Duck Pond Road. “Slow down, Charlie. Look, Aggie’s got ladders up!” “Ida, them ladders been up over a year.” “No!” “Seen them there last winter, under a foot of snow.” “There should be a law! You are not allowed begin another home improvement project ‘til you’ve finished the last one.” “Or in Aggie’s case, the last ten or twenty projects.” “Wow! What a way to live!” “One year, Ida, I kid you not, I think she put up one shingle.” “Come on!” “Really. Billy Pritchard told me. He lives in the grey house over there. Keeps an …

Charlie and me had a great time on Saturday night. We went to a dance down to the VFW. It was a fundraiser for the artist collective that our niece Caitlin belongs to. I don’t know exactly what an artist collective is, but she seems to have a lot of fun with it so it can’t be half bad. The band wasn’t the usual deal we’d go in for, you know rock n’ roll oldies. It was this Latin-type band up form Portland. Oh, what a cute bunch of young fellas, wicked talented and very energetic! When it come right down to it, Charlie wanted to blow the whole thing off. “I’m tired from workin’ …

Recipes for Romance Each chapter of my new book, The Sweet Life, features a little section I call “Recipes for Romance, which is exactly what it says. It could be a real recipe or a recipe for a date. Here’s the first one featured in the book. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!      No matter who does most of the cooking––you, him or your personal chef, Mr. Ronald McDonald–it’s important to learn how to make a couple of things your husband’s mother used to make for him (providing he liked her cooking). In the newlywed days, your cooking may be an adjustment for him. If he starts getting that deer in the …

The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage is officially out into the world. We had a wicked fun book launch and tomorrow I’ll be at the Patten Free Library in Bath doing my first reading. Next week, I’ll be in Hallowell at the Hubbard Free Library. Let the fun begin! The Sweet Life covers all the basics in a relationship including losing your mate, grieving, and in time, maybe starting to date again. Here’s a little something from Chapter 11.      You lost your spouse. You’re still grieving, but some time has passed, and you’re feeling the need for a little companionship. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a good …

My new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage, comes out this this week! I’m wicked excited about it, and am looking forward to the party. I thought I’d pique your interest by sharing an excerpt from Chapter Four which is about…..you guessed it.      Sex? I’m in favor of it.      A while back, me and the girls went to give blood. We try to do this every now and then because it’s a good thing to do. Plus, they give you snacks after, so it’s a win/win. They also ask you a ton of personal questions, which can take a little getting used to.      So …

My new book, The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage, comes out in two and a half weeks, and I’m wicked excited about it! To celebrate, my next few blogs are going to feature excerpts from the book. Here’s a bit from Chapter 2, “Getting Back to Basics.” Relationships are not rocket science, though sometimes it feels like sending a rocket into space would be easier. People have been coupling up since the dawn of time. That’s before cell phones and computer dating, before couples counseling and prenuptial agreements, before manscaping and the Brazilian (which I learned about recently and, let me tell you, I’m still in shock).     As with anything else …

After a certain age, your body changes. You and I know this to be true. The fat in your butt inches it’s way ‘round your stomach. That extra plumpness that was keeping your breasts perky has headed south for the duration, taking up permanent residence on your inner thighs. Your hair migrates from where you want it to someplace else, where you don’t. Then there’s the feet. Women, like me, tend to get bunions caused by shoes that are too tight, too narrow or too high. In short, they’re cute, but impractical. Hey, you have to suffer to be beautiful, right? Men get what Charlie and his friends call “old man feet.” I don’t even …

Remember last week, I was talking about cleaning our oven? Well, the thing I didn’t tell you, the thing that really got me on that was the night when I put the oven on to preheat and a little fire started inside. Wow, I thought, my mother and grandmother would be so disappointed in me. What a bad house keeper I am! So I tried to redeem myself by cleaning the oven. But then I started noticing little mouse droppings in a cupboard, behind the pepper grinder on the counter, near the sink. They were subtle. At first, I mistook them for a partially ground peppercorn, but eventually the penny dropped. I thought back to …

Ida explores if golfing vacations are good for couples and finds some surprising results.

Last week, I’m drivin’ back from Bangor where I’d been (what else) shopping. It’s a new year, and I decided to freshen up our bathroom with new towels. You know it’s bad when your husband notices. “Charlie, what’s up with the beach towel in the bathroom?” “Geesh, the ones we’re usin’ are the worse for wear, kind of thin and scratchy, so I thought I’d give that one a go instead.” “You’re right, we do have an Econo Lodge kind of thing goin’ on. I’ve been too busy to deal with it. But things have quieted down. I’ll get right on it. You know how much I love a shoppin’ assignment.” “That I do, dear. …