Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

Lots of Local!

Posted on February 8, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I thought I could do a kind of a regular post today, giving shout-outs to a couple of local businesses.  Then we went to a third local business, where I had a couple of glasses of Chardonnay, which is not at all a bad thing.  Hmmm… well, let’s begin at the beginning.

I had a prescription to pick up at the Medicine Shoppe.  It has been ready since Tuesday.  Tuesday afternoon, I called Steven from work and said, “I had a kind of a wild thought.  Instead of going and picking up my prescription after work, how about if I come home and shower, you come with me to pick it up, and we go out to dinner.”  Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Steven had already planned on fixing tuna-noodle casserole for dinner and was not inclined to go out.  I say “fortunately” because the casserole was quite tasty.

Fast forward through Wednesday (which I only vaguely remember anyways), and I made the same suggestion.  I had an additional reason for doing this:  I finished the salad I made for my lunch, and if we went to dinner I could get a salad and perhaps have some left over for tomorrow’s lunch.  Steven was non-committal, so I thought it would be a good idea to pick up my prescription before coming home.

So I knew I could give a shout-out to the Medicine Shoppe in Ilion.  They are really nice there.  If you do not have a regular pharmacist that you like, I highly recommend the Medicine Shoppe.

Whenever I stop at the Medicine Shoppe, I often go right across the parking lot to Ilion Wine and Spirits.  They are very nice there too.  I purchased a bottle of my favorite champagne,  Great Western Extra Dry.  It is a New York State wine, from the Finger Lakes.  It is yummy, if you like that sort of thing, which I do.

When I arrived home, I found that Steven was quite willing to go out to dinner, especially since he had turned me down earlier in the week.  I felt it was a good day for Steven to go out, because he was looking quite handsome.  Earlier today, he got his hair cut and beard trimmed at the Hot Shot Salon and Spa in Herkimer.   Ooh, another local businesses to give a shout-out to!

We went to Salvatore’s in Herkimer, one of our favorite places.  I could write a whole post just about our dinner.  Perhaps I will, but not tonight.  For one reason, I am over 400 words.  That’s pretty good for me.  I may drink some more Chardonnay.  Happy Thursday, everybody!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Definitely Not a Perfect Blog Post

Posted on February 7, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would have a Wordless Wednesday post and use a lot of pictures, but I don’t think that is going to work out for me.  For one reason, I have a hard time not using words.  I talk and talk, or in this case type and type.  Additionally, I don’t have any new pictures. I can’t use old pictures, can I? There is no such thing as a Throwback Wednesday.  That’s not even alliterative! I think I may be on the way to a Witless Wednesday post.

Look how cute we are! Or do I flatter myself?

How about a Way Back Wednesday?  This is my wedding day in October of 1990.  I prefer to drink champagne from a flute, not those wide mouthed glasses.  A flute helps the champagne keep its bubbles longer.  Then again, I do not usually nurse a glass of champagne long enough for bubble loss to be much of a problem.  Just saying.

He’s a good dog!

This is not nearly as far back, but here is our sweet, sadly missed Spunky.  I think it is time we had another dog to share our love and brighten our days.  It might be a good idea to clean the house first, but let us not dwell on such unpleasant subjects.

I could probably do my hair like that if I let it grow a little longer.

Speaking of me not having my act together — obviously I do not yet — here is one of my favorite photos and sayings.  Remember, we do not have to be perfect to be beautiful!  Perhaps I am not exactly beautiful, but, well, I hope I’m not bad.  Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Witless Wednesday and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Writing Through the Angst on Tired Tuesday

Posted on February 6, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So it’s Tired Tuesday again.  How did I get to be so old and useless anyways?  Oh, that sounded whiny and self-pitying, didn’t it?  I should erase it, but I am determined to make this post and have done with, so I made up my mind not to backspace out what I typed, no matter how pathetic.

Full disclosure:  I have been sitting here in front of a blank screen thinking that it may be time for me to stop being a daily blogger.  I have been doing this blog since May of 2011.  That’s a pretty good run, isn’t it?  I suppose it would have been a better run if there had been fewer posts about I Can’t Write a Blog Post Today.  Then again, if I had not been trying to make daily posts, there may have been fewer foolish posts. But what about the readers who enjoy my foolish posts?  Why should I deprive them? As regular readers know, I go through these angst-y things every so often, and I always end up hitting Publish and hoping for the best.  And trying again the next day.

If only I could get back into the habit of writing my blog posts during the day while on break at work!  One reason I did not do that today is that a co-worker brought me copy of Mohawk Valley Living magazine, and I was reading it.  I read all the articles and perused the ads, searching for future Mohawk Valley adventures.  You know, stuff I can write blog posts about.  So that is one plan for the improvement of this blog.

I have another plan to improve this blog:  I am going to work to improve my life, then blog about how I have brought these improvements about.  I am not certain how much I can improve myself at this late date (I am middle-aged, if I live to be over 100), but they say it never hurts to try.  If I fail miserably,  I can blog about that.  At least it should be good for a laugh.

In the meantime, this is my Tired Tuesday post.  At least I have found something different to say about not having anything decent to say.  And I gave a quick shout-out to Mohawk Valley Living.  I’ll try not to wuss out on Wednesday, but no promises.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Tired Tuesday and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

R.I.P., Julie Adams

Posted on February 5, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

In lieu of this week’s Monstrous Monday post, I bid a sad farewell to the star of one of Steven’s and my favorite monster movies, Creature of the Black Lagoon (1954). Julie Adams passed away Sunday, Feb. 3, at age 92.  I followed Official Julie Adams Facebook page, and I loved how gracious she was.  She appeared in many movies and television shows, but she was reportedly delighted that she was best known for Creature.

She was still lovely.

I don’t know how recently she was making personal appearances, but I did wish I could make it to one.

You could not blame the Creature for being enamored.

I did not really know Julie Adams for anything other than Creature and her Facebook page, so I cannot do a real biography.  I guess I can’t say much besides I was a fan, and I’m sad she’s gone.

It’s nice to see when antagonistic co-stars are friends off-screen.

I noticed on the Facebook page that she and her son, Mitchell Danton, published the book, Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon.  I’ll have to look for a copy.

I guess I’ll close with a picture of her co-star.  Steven and I will no doubt watch the movie again soon, in memory.

4 Comments

Posted in personal and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

What Would Barbara Stanwyck Do?

Posted on February 4, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is one of those stare at a blank computer screen kind of blogging days.  This won’t do.  I’ll pep things up (most notably myself) with a picture.

Who will give Valentine Ducky a kiss? Will Cher do it?

This is a picture from last February, when Steven decorated our mantle for Valentine’s Day. The wine glass with the lips and the rubber ducky are there again this year, but, as I mentioned in an early post, it is not a particularly seasonal decor.

I just used this recently, but I include it for comparison’s sake.

As I enjoy the first few days of the month, I am still getting used to the idea that it IS a new month.  Now I have to think about Valentine’s Day.  And I have less time before I have to worry about my murder mysteries in March and April.  Ooh, and I need to be getting my article(s) written for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  All of a sudden, I am thinking I have every reason in the world for it to be Wrist to Forehead Sunday!

 

Perhaps I should pop in a film noir and pour myself a glass of pinot noir.

How about if I make it a Non-Sequitur Sunday instead and throw in a couple of unrelated photos.  Double Indemnity, shown above, is  good movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon.   Had I watched it earlier, I might have managed a Sunday Cinema post.  And while we’re on the subject of What Might Have Been, I went running this morning — outside in the snow — in hopes of making a Running Commentary post.

Most unusual suspects.

I shall close with a photo of a past murder mystery, A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which was presented in October of 2017 to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I post it to inspire myself to finish my latest deadly opus (hmmm, how does Deadly Opus sound for a title?).  At least I have managed a blog post of over 300 words.  I say not bad for a Sunday.  Bring on the rest of the week!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Donation, Decongestant, and DVDs, It’s Scattered Saturday

Posted on February 3, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I almost forgot to make my blog post today. Isn’t that terrible?  Well, I will attempt a Scattered Saturday post.

It was COLD this morning!  Zero degrees, according to my thermostat.  I felt rather ill-used, since the weather reports had said it would warm up some today.  Still, I had a good reason to leave the house by ten this morning, so I did.  My car told me it was 5 degrees by then, which I was not happy about, but at least it was above zero.

My errand was a charitable one:  the Joe “D’Con” DeJohn Poker Run was happening in Frankfort, NY.  It is a snowmobile run followed by a spaghetti dinner with Chinese auction.  That is where I come in.  Last year I donated an afghan for the auction.  I had mentioned on a Facebook post I wanted to do that again, but I did not have my act together enough to call and arrange to do so before the fact (what, me not have my act together?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!).  I saw they had registration at The Brass Tack at 10 a.m., so figured I could drop the afghan off then.  I figured they would still take it

They not only still took it, they were expecting it!  They had seen the Facebook comment and thought I would drop it off. The people I saw were quite happy when I did.  There was never a better reason for going out in the freezing cold on a Saturday morning!

There was less reason for staying out in the cold.  I managed to stop at the drug store to get some decongestant that I wanted to take and stop by the post office to mail a few post cards, but then I went home to some warmth.  I did not stay more than a couple hours, however.  After a nap with my heated face mask (which I believe I have mentioned here before) and some food, I saw the temperature had reached double digits, so  ventured back out.

My goal this time was Basloe Library in Herkimer, NY (where I live, as regular readers will recall).  Steven had expressed a desire to see For Your Consideration, one of the Christopher Guest mockumentaries.   We have seen it once before and did not like it as well as, for example, Best in Show or A Mighty Wind, but lately both of us have though of giving it another view.  While looking at the DVDs, I thought of the Kenneth Branagh Murder on the Orient Express.  We have wanted to see that since before it hit theatres! I was delighted to find it.  I also grabbed a couple of Agatha Christie books and a biography of Rasputin (don’t ask me why; it just caught my eye as I went by).

After watching Murder on the Orient Express, we popped in our DVD of Deathtrap, and I am missing The Bad Seed as I type this.  It has been an enjoyable Saturday so far.  Not as lazy as last Saturday, not as ambitious as some.  I look forward to seeing what next Saturday will bring.  Or even tomorrow.  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

At Least No Lame Excuses

Posted on February 2, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, trying to think of a play on words for my title utilizing Lame, because it is, you know, Lame Post Friday (at least, perhaps you don’t know, but I do).  Nothing is coming.

Earlier today I said, “That’s just a random observation.”  I have no memory of what it was, but I remember thinking at the time that my earliest Friday Lame Posts included random observations and half-baked philosophy.  These days they are merely lame.  What can I do?  What can I say?  What lame excuses can I offer?  None, I suppose.

Ooh, here’s a bit of half-baked philosophy:  what is the difference between a reason and an excuse?  Some people accept reasons but scorn excuses.  Others discount both indiscriminately.  I seem to recall reading somewhere, “We have a thousand reasons for failure but not a single excuse.”  That means, I suppose, that however many reasons there are that we fail, there is no excuse for failure.  “You are not excused!”  On the other hand, I also have seen excuses scorned. “There’s always an excuse,” someone says, meaning one has offered something completely lame, and not even on a Friday.  In these cases, I would think a legitimate reason would be more respected.

Then again, why are we even talking about why?  For heavens’ sake, not everyone can succeed at everything! And who cares who excuses me or not? Who is the arbiter of these things, anyways? It’s not like school, where your mother wrote you an excuse, so you did not get in trouble for being absent.  Whether or not you get in trouble depends entirely on what you are trying to succeed at.  I don’t suppose excuses or reasons matter that much in some cases.

In this case, I sincerely hope that is true, because I have neither a reason nor an excuse for this weeks Lame Friday Post. But here it is.  I hope to see you all again Saturday, whatever kind of Saturday it turns out to be.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

John Quinones, Can You Help Me Now?

Posted on February 1, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, I just searched my Media Library twice, thinking I had a logo from 20/20 on OWN, the show which is currently distracting me from my blogging activities for the evening. And by “blogging activities,” I mean typing words into the computer.  I don’t have the oomph to actually do any activities that are worth blogging about (or blog-worthy activities, as I sometimes refer to them as).  I did find a picture of John Quinones (I think that “n” should have a tilda over it but don’t know how to find one on my keyboard).

I do enjoy the hosts of my true crime shows.

Tomorrow I have some blog-worthy stuff planned. Steven and I are meeting our friends Phyllis and Jim at Jamo’s in Herkimer for dinner.  Then we are going to see The Trip to Bountiful  at Ilion Little Theatre.  I must find an elegant outfit to wear.  I do like to dress up for the theatre (sometimes I pronounce it “thee-ah-tah” just to be extra hoity toity).  The only problem will be I may not have time for my post before the evening and at the end of the evening I may be too tired (do you suppose I should have put some commas in that sentence?  I am usually so good at punctuation).  I seem to recall having just such a problem last Friday.

So I guess this is my Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  For one reason, I have to finish it soon, because dinner is almost ready.  Steven is cooking chicken and potatoes.  He really is a very nice husband.  And on that note, I hit Publish.  Happy Thursday, folks!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Non Sequitur Thursday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Wuss-Out? Wordless? It’s Wednesday!

Posted on January 31, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Some bloggers have Wordless Wednesday,  showing pictures.  Full disclosure:  I only remember reading one Wordless Wednesday post, and that blogger used words.  I intend to use words,too.

I like the pictures she picked!

I have been meaning to take a picture of these mugs to share on Facebook, but I’d like to share them here as well.  This is the awesome Christmas present my sister, Cheryl, got me and Steven.  Even if I did have too many coffee mugs (and I DON’T), these would be a welcome addition to the collection.

I did not want to do a post with only one picture, so I took a couple more.

Who, me, lolly gag? Say it ain’t so!

This is my birthday present from Cheryl.  She says it sounds like something I would say.  The idea!  In fact, I do prefer dilly dallying to lolly gagging, due to the alliteration involved.  Steven found a good place to hang the sign when he redid our mantle after Christmas.

I’ll have to do some detail shots, to show off specific things.

Steven often goes from holiday to holiday with our mantle.  After Christmas is Valentine’s Day, sometimes followed by St. Patrick’s Day, sometimes going directly into Easter… This year, he went with an any time theme.  Actually, he added a couple of Valentine rubber duckies, in honor of February 14th, but I don’t know if you can see them in this picture.

So this is my Wednesday post.  I think it is a bit of a Wuss-out Wednesday, because all I did was share a few pictures and chatter about them.  I do not think it is such a much as a Wordless Wednesday, though, because I am over 250 words. I can’t do anything right.  Oh well, as usual I am going to hit Publish and hope for the best.  Hope to see you all on Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Too Tired Today

Posted on January 30, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I was kind of proud of yesterday’s post:  pictures, commentary, local stuff…  But perhaps I flatter myself. No matter, today’s post is going to be foolish.  I am tired!  Yes, it’s Tired Tuesday!!! (fanfare, please)

No, I never thought it was Friday; I just like this picture.

We got lots of snow today, and more is falling.  I had to brush off my car after work.  I drove home and parked in the street while I shoveled the driveway.  More accurately, I removed one layer of show.  I did not hit bottom and I knew more was to fall.  But one does what one can.  I did not take too long about it but still had to brush off my windows when I went to park my car.  At least I backed in, so I have a better shot at getting out tomorrow.

Preview of coming attractions.

This was not today; it was the results of a previous storm.  I hope this is not what we wake up to tomorrow, but, as the great Fats Waller said, one never knows, do one?

“What is it? I’m a little busy here.”

And I throw in a picture of Nosferatu just for good measure.  I did mention this is Tired Tuesday, did I not?  Just as an aside, my laptop is acting up lately.  It keeps going blank for no reason.  It turns back on, then I have to log back in, bring up WordPress again, and most of my blog has usually been saved.  It happened a few times during my typing of yesterday’s opus.  It happened once so far today. I’m going to quite while I’m ahead.  I hope to see you all on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Tired Tuesday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →