Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

I Brought the Donuts!

Posted on January 8, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a brief shout-out to a local business instead of my usual Scattered Saturday post?  For one reason, I get to talk about donuts.  Mmmmm… donuts.

The director and a few others were going to begin building the set for Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre  (ILT) this morning.  I sometimes show up for these sessions in hopes that I can be useful, but I rarely am.  I know how to use a few tools, but I am no hand at carpentry.  However, we all offer our contributions according to our talent.  I thought I would offer moral support by bringing donuts.

Being, as I am, Mohawk Valley Girl, I naturally wanted to go to one of those unique local businesses I treasure.  For set-building donuts, I like the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, NY.  I have several times stopped there for donuts before heading out to ILT.

The first thing I grabbed before the lady waited on me was a loaf of their good Italian bread.  Yum!  I looked at the donuts in the display case while I waited my turn, pondering.   Some might call the decision I reached radical.

“I’m going to make this easy,” I said.  “I’ll take a dozen plain.”  They just looked really good, and they can be less messy than the powdered or filled ones (not to mention the ones that are powdered AND filled) (the frosted ones can get a little messy, too).

The donuts were a big hit at the set-building.  I ate two myself.  The guys appreciated the old-fashioned, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside cakes.  I brought three home for Steven.

The Friendly Bake Shop is located at  122 E Main St., Frankfort, New York, phone number (315) 894-8861.  they are open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, closed Monday.  You can Like them on Facebook.

 

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Lame is Not Fair

Posted on January 7, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today is the Epiphany, and I certainly could use one.  You see what I just did there?  It is also Lame Post Friday, and I have a bit of half-baked philosophy to share.  I thought of this earlier in the week.

People love to say, “Life is not fair,” and it is certainly true.  However, this is not a license for you to do whatever the hell you feel like no matter who you hurt.  Sure, the universe seems unfair (bearing in mind that we can’t see the whole picture), but we as human beings can strive to be fair, equitable, or perhaps even unfair for the benefit of someone other than ourselves.

“Life is not fair,” it seems to me, refers to things like cancer, tornadoes, hair color, natural talent.  I will never be tall, willowy and have high cheekbones.  I will never have the opportunities enjoyed by people born to wealthy, well-placed parents.  However, other people will never have my ability to just sit down and tap out a blog post (lame or otherwise).  Other people will never enjoy the utter fun of having a spouse like my husband Steve.  All these things fall under the heading of “Shit happens.”

When you take the biggest piece of cake or the last beer in the fridge, turn around and say with a smirk, “Well, life isn’t fair,”  that does not make it all right.

There is probably a much more eloquent, well thought out essay to be written on this subject.  However, for Lame Post Friday, I’m going to call this good enough.  Do you suppose that’s fair?

 

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No Wine, No Words

Posted on January 6, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh, could I use a couple of pictures today!  Because the words that are currently swirling around in my head are just not  coalescing into a blog post.  And I must make a post soon, because the read-through for Steel Magnolias (you know, the play I’m in a Ilion Little Theatre) is tonight.  Yes, we are heading into another few months of hurried posts before I hurry off to rehearsal or performance.  Yes!  I AM a drama queen!

I am not, unfortunately, a blogger queen.  I typed in the first paragraph and have been sitting here staring at the computer since.

Then I paused to eat supper, bacon and scrambled eggs, made by my husband, Steve.  Yum!  And I keep getting distracted by the Reba re-run on the TV.  That is a largely ignored but very fun little show.  I love Reba McEntire.  I like the rest of the cast as well.  Phew, it’s over now.  Now it’s a show I don’t like.  Watch me get interested in it in spite of myself.  I do that sometimes.  Steven just changed the channel to 20/20 on OWN.  I love true crime shows.

So I guess this is truly a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  All I have to do now is think of a catchy headline that may or may not have anything to do with this nonsense.

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Winery Wordless Wednesday

Posted on January 5, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m really liking the idea of Wordless Wednesday, although I am probably one of the least wordless people on the planet.  I mean, I’ll be honest, I LOVE words!  I love to talk!  I love to write!  But today, I just want to post something quickly and and go to bed early.  So this is kind of a Preview of Coming Attractions about the blog post I intend to write about Prospect Falls Winery.  I’ll post the pictures today and the words… subsequently (I can’t promise tomorrow; I have the read-through for Steel Magnolias!)

 

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It was easy to get a space at the tasting bar the day we were there.

Oh, I can’t just put the pictures, can I?  I have to have some words.  Anyways, Steven and I were at Prospect Falls Winery last Wednesday with my sister Cheryl and our friend Penny.  Steven and I tasted a few wines, and we spent some time walking around looking at the wines and other things for sale.

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I wish I had gotten a better shot of the wall hanging.

 

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Love the Adirondack lamps!

 

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The bundles are vintage Readers Digests.

Prospect Falls Winery is located at 400 Academy St., Prospect Falls, NY,  (315) 205-4045.  They are open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.to 6 p.m., Sunday from noon to six.  For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.prospectfallswinery.com/.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

 

 

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Merry Post-Christmas Letdown

Posted on January 4, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So last week my excuse for foolish blog posts was that I was on vacation.  This week my excuse is I’m back at work and trying to get into the swing of things.  Does anybody have a problem with that?  You there, in the back?  You do?  Or were you just shooing a fly?  I thought so.

That by way of a silly introduction to a Post-Christmas Tired Tuesday post.  I returned to work today, still grateful for having had yesterday off.  Now I only had a four day week to get through!  It was not until I sat down here and started typing just now that I remembered:  in school on the first day back after Christmas vacation, everybody had on their new clothes they had just gotten for Christmas.  How fun was that?  Until I would realize I still wasn’t beautiful and popular, which I spent most of my childhood and adolescence hoping I would one day wake up to find myself.

Of course with school as well as with work, it did not take long to feel as if I had never left.  Vacation?  What vacation?  When is the next one?  I looked at the calendar and counted the full weeks till a three day weekend.  Far too many.  However, I do have a few discretionary days to take.  I may treat myself to a Monday off in February or March.  I will probably write a blog post about it.

All things considered, it was not a heinous first day back at work.  Some of the usual annoyances annoyed, but some of the usual amusements amused, and it was nice to see my work friends again.  I do like having friends.  I’m still not beautiful, but now enough people talk to me that I can at least pretend I’m popular.  Happy Tuesday everyone, and I hope you are all recovering from any post-holiday blahs you may have.

 

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All Kinds of Drama in 2017!

Posted on January 3, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Welcome to the first Mental Meanderings Monday of 2017.  I hope nobody is expecting brilliance (I know, most of you never had such expectations of me) (OK, me neither),  because I feel tired and stupid.  These are not unfamiliar feelings for me, but I do not repine.  I just have to wait and sooner or later I will feel some other way.  That is how it works.

Where was I?  Ah yes, mentally meandering.  I’m expecting my post-Christmas letdown to continue at least for a few more days, with the occasional relapse as the month wears on.  On Wednesday I have a meeting to talk more about the murder mystery LiFT Theatre Company is doing at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls.  Who could be uncheered by a murder mystery? (That is a paraphrase from Winnie the Pooh, by the way.  I think the real line is, “Nobody could be uncheered by a balloon.”) Thursday I have the read-through for Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre.

And then I have at least two more murder mysteries to write, in addition to writing articles for Mohawk Valley Living magazine and making a blog post every day. Then there is running, finally organizing my house and life, and of course seeking out new Mohawk Valley adventures.  I hope to also find time to crochet, knit, and watch true crime on cable television, as well as the occasional cheesy movie to write a blog post about (I haven’t done one of those posts in a long time!).

I see that I am over 250 words.  Score!  And never once did I whine about my inability to come up with a blog post for today.  That makes me feel a good deal less stupid than I felt when I typed the first paragraph.  You see, I was right:  just wait and I will feel a different way.  Bring on 2017!

 

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Wrist to New Years to Murder

Posted on January 2, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

NEVER BLACKMAIL A MURDERER!!!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SA Y IT??

I guess a few more, but I don’t suppose it matters, since witnesses to murder rarely do.  Do murders ever?  I imagine some do, especially the one ones to murder that we never hear of, that is, the ones that do get away with it.  And there is the part of murderers I rarely understand: if they got away with it, you rarely hear their names.  What’s that all about?  Who wants  to do things where people don’t even know that you did it?  Or am I just an approval junky?

I guess none of this matters on New Years Day, or as some like to call it, “National Hangover Day.”  Oh, don’t go pointing the finger at me! I am quite hangover free today (about tomorrow, I make no promises).  Who wants to think about murder on New Year’s Day?  Oh well, I guess a few people must.  Policemen.  Newswriters.  The producers of Snapped.

And here we come to the second point of today:  it is Sunday.  For me, Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I can’t think about a blog post.  All I want to do is watch Snapped.  But Happy New Years, everybody, nonetheless.  I hope you are all having a lovely holiday weekend.

 

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Red Wine, Red Blood, Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, ready to get this New Year’s Eve party started.  I only lacked my husband Steven (the only other guest expected since Spunky the dog was already here) and all the food I said I was going to fix.  I thought it would be a good idea to open a bottle of wine, so I could sip a little while I chopped and mixed.  And then things got ugly.  A short time later, I was posting the following on Facebook:

“So I open a bottle of wine, so I can enjoy a libation while I fix the snacks. Somehow a chip gets broken off the rim of the bottle, and I cut my thumb! It’s bleeding big red drops (although a very pretty color)! I get a Band-aid on it and go to cry on Facebook, and it’s STILL bleeding! I fortunately do not bleed on my laptop. I employ pressure and elevation for a short time and it seems to have done the trick. Then I see my thumb is bleeding from two places. Two Band-aids later, I wonder if I can be trusted with a knife.”

It really does seem OK, but you know what a drama queen I am (it’s a little awkward to hit the space bar with the band-aids on my thumb)  (it is my right hand, by the way).  I thought it might be a good idea to make my blog post before attempting any further culinary adventures.  I’m even thinking in a vague sort of way of sending out for pizza and making all the fun party snacks I planned tomorrow instead.

In the meantime, I had meant to write my blog post about quite a different thing.  I was going to talk about resolutions vs goals and strive for some profound thoughts about improving myself.  Or I was going to get all introspective about the passage of time and change and our own perceptions of what makes a good year.  I even had some vague notion of musing on these artificial milestones we invent for ourselves:  Why is one revolution around the sun called a year?  Who even figured out how we got back to the same place in the planetary ellipse?

And here I am, doing what once got a professor really annoyed with me:  writing about what I’m not going to write about (in my defense, he only wanted a two page paper; how much could I say in that?).  My thumb is fine; my wine glass is almost empty.  However, I feel disinclined to begin cooking or refill the glass, because a little dog (above-mentioned third guest at the party) is snuggled up next to me so cozily, I hate to disturb him.  Happy New Year, everyone.

 

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Lame Production

Posted on December 31, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

What’s wrong with Lame Post Friday anyways?  Have I used that lead before?  No matter.  I typed in two or three leads earlier and backspaced them out, I am determined not to do that again.  I asked yesterday if bloggers got vacations.  Today I answer my own question: Yes, we do, and this is mine!  I’m going to post my usual foolishness and NOT feel guilty about it?  Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The weather was better today than yesterday, but my level of productiveness held steady at the low level I have been at all week.  That I feel guilty about. Then again, I have three more days off before I go back to work.  Who knows how much I can get done?  I know, some of you are saying YOU know and it isn’t damn much (you know who you are).

What is this preoccupation with being productive anyways?  Why can’t we just BE?  (Ooh, I just flashed on Hamlet. Not my favorite Shakespeare soliloquy, by the way.)  That sounds remarkably like the half-baked philosophy in which I often indulge on Lame Post Friday.  I’m afraid the only things I can think of to say, though, strike me as painfully obvious.

Namely, that there is no point in being productive for its own sake, just to say, “Ah, I accomplished something today.”  However, there are specific things one might like to accomplish.  For example, I clean my house because I want to enjoy sitting in a clean house, not so I can say, “Ha-ha!  I just spend two hours cleaning my house!”

And now I have the dreadfully uncomfortable feeling that sometimes I publish a blog post merely so I can say, “Ha-ha!  I published a blog post!”  How mortifying.  I guess I’m not too mortified to hit “Publish,” though.  For one reason, I said in the first paragraph I was not going to feel guilt about it. So there.

 

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Is It Multi-Tasking to Vacation and Blog?

Posted on December 30, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have previously bemoaned the absence of Blogger Sick Days.  How about the absence of Blogger Vacation?  I am on vacation from my real job this week (also known as “shut down” in the factory world).  Why do I have to keep worrying about this silly blog?

Of course the short answer is that I don’t. For heavens’ sake, this is not a paid writing gig.  I don’t have a contract with anybody.  I daresay not a lot of people would even notice if I did not post every day (I like to think that some would).  The long answer is… perhaps not worthy of a blog post.  In fact, I’m not even sure if I know the long answer.  I only know another short answer:  I decided in my head that I would post every day, and that is what I do.

It has been quite a dreadful weather day in the Mohawk Valley today.  It snowed like the proverbial son of a bitch most of the day (a friend said on Facebook that it was “snowing like a bitch,” and I corrected her) (thus being both didactic and silly; who says I can’t multitask?).  I went out in it for stops at the library and grocery store, necessitating three times of brushing off my vehicle.  That’s a lot of snow. When I got home I shoveled the top layer of snow in my driveway.  Throughout the afternoon, I checked out the window occasionally as the sonofabitchy snow rendered my labor useless.

I did not get a whole lot else done.  I washed the dishes.  I cooked a pretty good dinner.  I encouraged local entrepreneurship by paying two young men to shovel my driveway after the snow had pretty much obliterated my earlier efforts.  They did a marvelous job.  Score!

And now I am going to think of a silly headline and call this a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  I hope you’re all having a lovely week after Christmas.  Stay safe, if you are also getting hit with a lot of snow.

 

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