Couple weeks ago, Charlie nicely volunteered to go down to the A&P on Tuesday morning and pick up some basics, meaning toilet paper. They let the employees (and their families) shop before the store opens on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I just happen to know that on Monday nights a certain much in demand paper product just might be delivered. It’s been stressful for us cashiers on the front lines of this thing, day in and day out, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around going to the A&P when I’m not working. So Charlie stepped up to the plate, like he does. Marriage is all about team work, right? It was the day …

This week, winter arrived in Mahoosuc Mills, and not in a good way. The bad news is we got a major dumping of snow. The good news? You don’t have to finish raking your yard. Poor Charlie, one day he was rushing to put the garden to bed and two days later he was snow blowing. But that’s life, right? It’s darn near impossible to get it all done, and that’s okay. Blow It Off ‘Til Spring Got the deck chairs in And the table put away Never brushed the grill But that’s OK I’m afraid I couldn’t Get to everything Gonna have to just Blow it off ‘til spring I never quite finished Rakin’ …

About this time every year, we get ants in our house. Can’t figure out how they get in. Not big carpenter ants, which gross me out, and would have me calling the exterminator for lickity split. Our ants come in phases: first little ants, then tiny ants, then medium sized ants. Just when one size disappears, another kind takes it’s place. We buy them little ant traps, and those eventually do the trick. But when they’re here, ants sure are a nuisance. Here’s Charlie’s ode to ants. Our Uninvited Critters Well, I feel compelled to write About our sorry, little plight When spring is lovely as can be And suddenly we start to see Ants! …

People were kind of spacey and tired last week, what with the time change. Me, too. We’re just all kind of…off. Why do we still do daylight savings time, anyway? Whether we’re springing forward or falling back, it’s a royal pain in the patootie! It’s amazing what screwing around with our sleep schedules can do. I mean, it’s just one hour. It shouldn’t make that much difference. But get this: on the Monday after we switch to DST, heart attacks go up by 24%. Strokes increase, too. Car accidents climb 17%. I’m reading that folks are more likely to get injured at work due to “attention lapses and micro-sleeps.” Charlie’s sitting at the kitchen table one …

Happy March! After a snowy beginning to the week, we segued into absolutely frigid temps driven down by the wind, then topped all this loveliness off yesterday with a wintery mix. “Wintery mix” sounds more like potpourri, doesn’t it? You know, an overwhelming combination of cinnamon, balsam, and cloves? Whether it’s smelling up the house or messing up the roads, a wintery mix stinks. But this coming week’s looking pretty good. We’re supposed to eek into the 40’s. That’s downright balmy for this neck of the woods. I’ve got visions of crocuses dancing in my head. Now that the weather will hopefully be getting warmer, we’re going to start seeing a certain spring fashion trend …

I’m sorry. Having to chip the ice off your windshield in April? Give me a break! I had to go in the shed and fetch the scraper, again. (This was Monday.) Then I lost patience with the scraping, and just turned on the car, put the defrost on high and went back inside. I come back out ten minutes later, it’d barely made a dent! But, it was enough make me hopeful the windshield wipers would do the trick. I mean, I needed to get to work! I turned them on, and the wipers got most of the stuff off the windshield, so I proceed to drive to the A&P. Halfway there, I notice that …

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’s been enjoying this spring as much as I have. We’re both filled with energy. I’ve always wondered why folks don’t do spring cleaning in the winter when there’s nothing going on. But, you know, winter is a time for hibernating, and spring is all about getting things done. Charlie’s been working in the yard, clearing away blow down, and raking up the leaves that we got too sick of dealing with last fall. And last week, it was time to mow the lawn, a sure sign that summer is around the corner. Not surprisingly, he wrote a poem about it. First Mow of the Season First pull, mower started! That, to me, is poetry …

It’s my birthday week, and spring is in full swing! The older I get, the more I enjoy spring. It wasn’t even that bad a winter. Still, I’m just loving every minute of it, even the rain. The world here in Mahoosuc Mills is greening up and just bursting with color. Of course, it’s not officially spring until my toe nails are painted. I’d be hard pressed to wear open-toed shoes without painting my nails, though I respect people who do. It’s a personal choice. For me, the minute the weather is warm enough to wear sandals (and that has to be pretty warm because my feet tend to run cold like the rest of …

We’ve had some beautiful days here in Mahoosuc Mills. In fact, I got so inspired by the warm weather, I switched my closet over to my summer clothes. Then, it got cold and dreary. Yes, it’s my fault. It’s the same in the fall. I switch it over, then we seem to get a hot snap. It’s bounced back now, of course, but when will I learn? I have gotten smarter. I keep medium weight clothes that work for spring in my closet until summer is firmly established. Then, I take those clothes and put ‘em in one of them big Tupperware type boxes marked “transition.” Awhile back, I’m in the bedroom with my niece, …