Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

Pet a Pup, Run in Rain, Blog

Posted on April 12, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Saturday Running Commentary Post?  For one thing, I went running, which kind of surprised me.  I don’t like to run in the rain.  I thought I would peek out and if it had stopped raining, I would run.  If it was still raining…

Regular readers know I usually do enter.

Full disclosure:  I did not run past this particular Do Not Enter sign this morning, although it is one I regularly run by.  I just felt that this morning several signs were pointing me away from running, but silly me ran anyways.  I suppose I have a contrarian disposition.

Maybe I am not so silly, though, because the first thing I encountered was a delightful puppy named Pugsley, who lives in my neighborhood.  I dashed across the street to pet him and to greet his person.  He told me what kind of dog Pugsley is, but I forgot.  He is tiny and furry and oh, so friendly!  He jumped up and wiggled and showed me all kinds of love as I petted him.

“He’s so friendly!”  I said.  “Well, gotta run!”

“I support that!” Pugsley’s person said (if I ever asked his name, I have forgotten that, too).  “Stay warm!”

“You too!”

Of course I couldn’t stay real warm, and I certainly couldn’t stay dry, but I could persevere and continue to run.  I even made it up one pretty good hill out Main Street.  Imagine my chagrin when I got to the top of the hill and saw a One Way sign pointing in the direction I was going!  I’ll have to try going the other way next time.

The rain wasn’t really too downpourish, and it was not freezing rain, so I had that going for me.  I did not encounter any more dogs, but I felt it was an OK run.  And now I have made what I hope is an OK blog post about it.  At least it is a Saturday post made on Saturday!

 

Leave a comment

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

This is Surely a Lame Post

Posted on April 11, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, so the blogging has not been going very well post-Prescription: Murder.  I have not been having very many Mohawk Valley Adventures.  I have been getting out to walk and even taken a couple short runs, but nothing worth making a Running Commentary or Pedestrian Post about (as if that ever stops me).  Now I sit, typing into my Chromebook on Lame Post Friday, thinking, surely I can manage at least a Friday Lame Post (and I will call you Shirley if I decide to).

In my case, they have done their job.

I thought I would throw in a picture to pep things up.  Yes, I have been brain dead for some time now, as regular readers may have noticed.  I have been writing letters, which I suppose counts.  By My Rules for Me, Any Writing Counts.  But I have not been, for example, making entries in the TV Journal or even my Running Journal (yes, I have multiple journals and am thinking of adding a few more to fail to write in).  For a week or more I made a daily blog post.  I hope to get back to doing that.

Cheers to Mohawk Valley Adventures!

I scrolled further down my Media Library, looking for a Mohawk Valley Adventure I could aim for.  This is my friend Kim at Rock Valley Brewing Company in Little Falls, NY.  Alas these adventures are always better with a friend, and Kim moved far away.  I wonder what other friends I could find to get into trouble with.

Then again, coffee is always nice.

Another place I haven’t been in a while is Joseph Putrello’s Coffee Barista Bar in Utica.  Will I venture as far as Little Falls or Utica today?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my morning.

In any case, I have at least written to the extent of a Lame Post Friday blog post.  One has to start somewhere.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Leave a comment

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

After Being Ill, Some Stuff About Ilion

Posted on April 10, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, so I posted late for Monday on Tuesday then missed posting at all on Tuesday.  In my defense, I was feeling rather ill on Tuesday.  However, I have very little excuse for not making Tuesday’s post late in Wednesday morning.  Not no excuse, since I was sending stories to Sentinel Media which should have been sent on Tuesday.  Oh dear, I am doing very badly.

It was a delightful occasion.

This is part of what I was occupied with on Monday.  Ilion Village Board had a public meeting to present the next budget.  After that meeting, they had a short board meeting during which they officially appointed Andrew Monahan as Fire Chief.  He has been Acting Chief for some two years, so it was good that he became officially appointed.  Many members of his family turned out for the occasion.

Other firefighters.  I love firefighters.

A number of other firefighters also turned out to see their chief officially appointed.

Mayor John P. Stephens

Before the meeting, Ilion Village Board presented their budget for the 2025-26 year.  It was a very good budget, with less than 1% increase on village taxes.  I wrote an article about it for Sentinel Media.

I feel my submissions to Sentinel Media take precedence over my blog posts, but I will endeavor in the future the keep up to date on both.  As always, I thank you for staying tuned.

 

Leave a comment

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

Good-bye, Columbo!

Posted on April 8, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

AAAaand we’re back to late posts.  It is early Tuesday morning, and I am sitting at my Chromebook hoping to do my Monday blog post.  It should be my last post about Prescription: Murder, the play I was in at Ilion Little Theatre.  The second weekend coincided with what is either a cold or a very bad batch of allergies.  I am hoping for the latter, because I hate to be contagious.  Then again, don’t say I never gave ya nuthin’!

He is a cop, after all.

I brought donuts from the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, NY for the last performance.  People often bring treats to share backstage, and I have not been to the Friendly Bake Shop in a while.  Yum!  I especially like the plain donuts, such as Lt. Columbo is eating right now.  We all teeheed about the cops and donuts cliche.  Really it is a silly cliche.  EVERYBODY likes donuts!  It is not exclusive to cops.

Isn’t she pretty?

This is our illustrious director.  She did a wonderful job and was great to work with (the two do not always go together, unfortunately).  She is also just about as cute as allowed by law.

Two lovely ladies.

And one more picture of the two female characters who survive the entire play.  Actually everybody but me survives the play.  This isn’t And Then There Were None, which Ilion Little Theatre put on in 2010.  My late, beloved husband Steve and I were both in that one.  Neither of us survived.  More than that I shan’t say, in case you ever get the chance to see the play; I don’t want to spoil the ending.  In any case, I can recommend the book by Agatha Christie.  Fun read.

Auditions for the next play at Ilion Little Theatre are Sunday and Monday, April 13 and 14.  I do not plan to audition.  I must conserve my energies for Recipe for Murder Royale, which is coming up sooner than I like to think (preview of coming attractions)!

 

Leave a comment

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

The Queen of Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on April 7, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh am I tired!  Today was the last performance of Prescription: Murder, the play I was in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I just got home from the cast party.  They were still partying when I left, but I am old, as you may have noticed.  Now I am sitting at my house, looking at Dateline, although I think I would rather put in a DVD of Columbo.  Regular readers may remember that Prescription: Murder is the play that eventually became the first episode of Columbo.  They changed the ending for the TV version, I think for the better, but nobody asked me.

The “real” Columbo.

I put real in quotation marks in the caption, because I feel our Columbo was the real thing as well. Really, everybody in our cast was wonderful; it was an outstanding production.  I have a few new pictures of it, which I will use to make a real post about the play tomorrow.  For today I am too tired.  Also, the pictures are on my phone, which is in one of my bags, which are in a heap by the door.  I am lounged on the couch, typing into my Chromebook and I am far too lazy to move.

Just for the record, I have been ridiculously lazy during this whole production.  Oh, I put plenty of energy into my performance, but backstage was another story.  I sent anybody handy to get me coffee.  Then I would instruct other people where I would be when the person fetching my coffee showed up.  I asked people to hand me things.  I asked people to bring me things.  I declared myself the Queen of the Cast.  They were nice enough to let me get away with it.

Now I declare myself Queen of This Blog Post.  It is at least 300 words.  I call that respectable for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  As usual I will try for something better tomorrow.  Also as usual, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

In Haste and In Need of a Second Wind

Posted on April 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, this is terrible.  I have about 45 minutes before I have to leave for the theatre and I am SO TIRED!!!  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  For anybody just tuning in, the theatre is Ilion Little Theatre for the play I am in, Prescription: Murder.  Everybody tells me I am doing a splendid job (although I don’t think anyone has actually used the word “splendid”), and I have no reason to believe they are insincere.

Me in the play, before I am dead.

I do not have any new pictures of the play to share, unfortunately, so I share this one again.  What a hair-do!  I tried to preserve it overnight by wrapping a scarf around my head and trying not to toss and turn too much.  I had little success, then the mop got rained on this afternoon.  It was, as they say, a good day for ducks.  It was actually a good day to stay home, but I did not, alas.

Columbo plays his game of cat and mouse.

It may be obvious by now that I got nuthin’.  Yes, I am brain dead but most somehow catch a second wind by 7:30 when the curtain opens.  I will try to take some more backstage pictures for your entertainment tomorrow, on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Then I must navigate my way through Post-Play Letdown while putting together the murder mystery Recipe for Murder Royale (preview of coming attractions).  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

Leave a comment

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

Still Trying to Break a Lame

Posted on April 5, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well if I do not want to be posting late at night when I am dead tired, I need to post RIGHT NOW!!!

And that was when I thought, no, no! I can’t make a blog post now!  I’ve got to get to the Theatre!!! Regular readers may recall that I am in Prescription: Murder at Ilion Little Theatre.  The play ran last weekend and runs this weekend.  I have made a few blog posts about it.

Of course I got to the theatre early and spent ten or fifteen minutes sitting in my car going over my script.  You’ll have that.  But sometimes one feels too agitated to sit at home and arrive at one’s destination at precisely the right time (as if I have ever done anything at precisely the right time!).  I am now sitting at my house, sipping some echinacea tea (here’s a weird thing:  the ch is pronounced k and the c is pronounced ch, or have I been saying it wrong?).

Here we all are!

The hair and make-up lady took a picture of the whole case plus the director and assistant director.  She was obviously not in the picture nor was the light and sound person, but one does what one can.

The show went pretty well.  I had a bit of a hard time.  It was either my allergies acting up big time or I have a cold, but I was sniffling and sneezing up a storm.  I played one scene with a handkerchief in my hand.  It was a fancy handkerchief with lace around the edges, so I felt it was in character.  Backstage I resorted to one of the men’s handkerchiefs I usually use to try to contain the overflow.  Sorry if that gives you an unfortunate mental image; people with sinus problems will understand.

The beauty part is this is Lame Post Friday.  I am over 300 words.  This may be a foolish post, but I deem it acceptable by my rules for me.  Back to my echinacea tea, and Happy Friday, everyone!

 

 

2 Comments

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

Thickheaded Thursday It Is!

Posted on April 4, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Now look what I’ve done!  It’s late (for me) Thursday night, and I still haven’t done my blog post!  Sounds like a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post for me.  I am very tired and feeling a big brain dead.  Could I start a new feature called Thickheaded Thursday?  It has the charm of alliteration at least.

There’s no point in losing my head over it.

I do like to use a picture to pep things up.  This is shown at the end of that William Castle classic StraitJacket, a long time favorite of mine, and often part of my Severed Head Sunday viewing, when I have Severed Head Sunday.  When am I going to have another Severed Head Sunday?  Not this Sunday at any rate.  As regular readers may recall, I will have the final performance of Prescription: Murder, the play I am in a Ilion Little Theatre.

How I’ll feel by Sunday night.

Of course there is no rest for the wicked, because after Prescription: Murder, I have to get going on Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are putting on for Salisbury Grange and the Herkimer County Historical Society.  Oh what trials and tribulations that will cause!  You’ll be able to read about it in this blog, no doubt.

In the meantime, I am over 200 words.  Score!  All I need is a punchy headline that doesn’t quite fit.  Uh oh.

 

Leave a comment

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

What Can I Say on a Wednesday?

Posted on April 3, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is either a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday or a Wuss-out Wednesday.  Earlier tonight I had the pick-up rehearsal for Prescription: Murder, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre (as I believe I have mentioned).  Then I went to hear the music of Phil Arcuri at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY.  I did not take any pictures of either activity, although I suppose I could make a blog post about either without new pictures. Perhaps tomorrow.

The eyes have it!

This is a picture I took backstage at Prescription: Murder.  It is Samantha, the woman who plays the chippy my husband murders me for.  She worked hard to make her eye make-up just right, with excellent results.

St. Francis is all inclusive.

This is a picture I took on a recent walk.  I was quite delighted to see a rainbow sign reading, “All Are Welcome Here,” at St. Francis Church down the street from my house.  I am all about loving and welcoming everybody.

Looks fishy to me.

The other picture I have is from Fat Cat’s Fish Fry in Herkimer, NY.  I went there today for a fish sandwich, and it was delicious!  I must do a full blog post on Fat Cat’s, but I did not get a picture of their sign, because it was hailing when I left the place this afternoon.  Maybe it was not actual hail, but it was colder and harder than rain, and it was not snow.  In any case, I hurried to my car.

Once again, this is my blog post.  I hope at least some of you have enjoyed it.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Two Mile Tuesday Is Back!

Posted on April 2, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I haven’t done a Running Commentary Post in a while (too lazy to check how long ago), but I have been running again.  Not very far, not very fast, but that is not the important thing.  I hope.  Anyways, I ran today after two days off, and it went pretty well.  I was still feeling sluggish, so I told myself I would feel satisfied if I at least did a 20 minute run.

Me, feeling satisfied with my run.

This selfie was taken after a different run, but I wanted to put in an illustration just then.   I set out hoping to at least persevere.  It was much colder than yesterday; in fact, when I got up my backyard was covered with snow.  I still saw a little of the white stuff, but roads and sidewalks were bare.  Phew!

Looking through my Media Library, I cannot seem to find any of the streets I ran on.  Alas!  I went up Maple Grove and on into the residential area behind Valley Health.  That gave me some minor uphills.  I stopped and petted a cute little dog. A couple of other dogs barked at me but not in a threatening manner.

I had told myself 20 minutes would be all right, but of course I wanted to up my time by ten percent.  Let’s see, that would be 31 minutes.  That was my goal, 31 minutes.  It would probably be two miles, since I was at least doing a 15-minute mile (judge me if you are so inclined; I said I run slow).  So I kept checking my Garmin and doing the math in my head.  17 more minutes… 14 more minutes…

It was not till I was almost back to my house when I realized I had not properly done the math.  Last week I ran 29 minutes.  Ten percent of that is three (I round up).  I didn’t want to go 31 minutes, I wanted to go 32!  So I ran past my house, scolding myself that 29 plus 3 is 32 not 31.  How embarrassing!  But I ran that last minute, so I think I can feel pleased with myself.  It was over two miles, but I seem to have misplaced my Garmin, so I cannot tell you exactly how much.

Full disclosure:  As I typed that last sentence, I remembered where the Garmin is, but it is upstairs, and I just went upstairs, and I am far too lazy to go up again this soon.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →