Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

T.G.I.L.P.F.

Posted on May 2, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

You know that means Thank God It’s Lame Post Friday, right?  Otherwise, all my work has been for naught (said with my wrist on my forehead).  Not really, of course.  I just felt like being dramatic.

 

It is not just Lame Post Friday, though.  It is the first day of Finish That Novel May.  I am putting it out there in order to put myself on the spot.    I have declared to the world that I am going to finish my novel.  I have 31 days to make good on that boast.

 

Yikes.

 

I did write a few notes on the novel, and I wrote a letter to my sister in which I talked about my plans for tackling the project.  Now I must get on to the real work.  However, right now it is Lame Post Friday, my day for random observations and half-baked philosophy.

 

I did observe a nice-looking dog outside a house when I looked out the window at work today (of course, I like to think all dogs are nice).  He was a biggish brown mutt, lying comfortably on a front walk, just chilling.  Yesterday on my way home I observed a springer spaniel puppy, jumping happily on the fence to greet a passerby.  At least, I think it was a spaniel.  You know I don’t know from breeds.

 

My own dog continues to improve from last week’s malady.  We keep giving her the medicine prescribed.

 

I must plan some Mohawk Valley adventures for tomorrow.  For this reason, I shall skip the half-baked philosophy portion of Lame Post Friday, hit publish and carry on with my Friday.  Hope you’re all having a lovely beginning of the weekend.

 

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Show All Your Work

Posted on May 1, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Twice now this week I’ve gone running.  Twice I have narrated in my head, coming up with some rather witty commentary if I do say so.  Twice I have sat down at the computer and NOT been able to write the post.

 

Well, I can’t wuss out, because this is not Wuss-out Wednesday.  It is Non-Sequitur Thursday.  I shall come up with something non sequential but fun.  Or I’ll write a short, foolish post and slap on a goofy headline that doesn’t really fit.

 

But first I have to start dinner.

 

OK, I cooked the last of the bacon (we don’t often have bacon, but Steven had a craving).  While it cooked I sliced some red onion and opened a can of mushroom pieces and stems.  Then I cooked a couple of cube steaks, seasoning them with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and lemon pepper (I used the last of the Worcestershire, but I know Steven put it on the shopping list).

 

When the steaks were almost done, I put on the onions, mushrooms and bacon on them, then covered them with cheese.  Full disclosure: not real good cheese.  We got it to hide Tabby’s medicine in, but it turns out peanut butter works better.

 

Oh yes, I cooked with wine.  I did not put any in the food this time, because I don’t have a whole lot.  Next time I might put it on the food.  I think cube steaks need all the help they can get.

 

In the meantime, I hope this counts as a post, even without a catchy title.

 

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Tabby Goes to the Doctor

Posted on April 30, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I mentioned that Tabby, our adorable schnoodle, was feeling under the weather but appears to be on the mend.  I thought I would give a brief shout-out to Mohawk Valley Veterinary Service.

 

Tabby had started ailing Friday evening.  We immediately cancelled our plans so we could stay home with her.  We hoped it was just something she ate or a 24-hour bugaboo (dogs get that too, don’t they?).  When we woke up Saturday morning, we saw that this was not the case.

 

Being an early riser can be a curse.  It took forever for it to be 8 a.m. when we thought the vet opened (we had a rather old piece of paper with their number and hours).  No answer at first.  Oh no!  I was on the computer trying to look up emergency veterinary care when Steven tried again and got an answer. Phew!

 

The doctor would be in at nine.  I even had time to make my blog post before I left.  Steven had already gone to work, although he would have liked to call in (employers are less generous  than blog readers about doggy sick days).  Tabby perked up a little when she saw the leash, but she was obviously having trouble moving.  I had to help her into the vehicle.

 

As we walked into the vet, a very cute cockapoo greeted us (I asked his person what breed).  He would have liked to be all over Tabby, but his person restrained him.  I petted him and said how cute and sweet he was.

 

When I told the receptionist about Tabby’s symptoms, she said it sounded like Lyme Disease.  I was surprised, because Tabby had not been in the woods (we do sometimes take her to the Nature Trail at Herkimer College) (previously referred to here as HCCC) or near deep grass (I don’t think there is any yet this year).  Apparently ticks are extremely prevalent this year and are turning up everywhere.  No dog is immune, and the tick medicine (which we do give Tabby) can only do so much.

 

Once we got in to see the doctor, a blood test quickly confirmed that it was Lyme Disease.  The doctor gave Tabby two shots —  which of course she did NOT like — and some medicine.

 

I was very grateful to the clinic, for getting Tabby right in and helping her so quickly.   Despite the worry, it was a fun experience, seeing a few dogs and a cat, and chatting with their people.  I heard but did not see the duck.  Yes, they have a resident duck, as two “duck crossing” signs warn.

 

Mohawk Veterinary Service is located at 5624 State Rt. 5, Herkimer, NY 13350.  For more information call 315-866-3417.

 

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How to De-Funkify?

Posted on April 29, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yeah, I know defunkify is not a word (hyphenated or otherwise).  Is that a problem?

 

Full disclosure: this is my third attempt at writing this post.  I am a little embarrassed.  Usually when I can’t write at least I can write about not being able to write (the irony is not lost on me).  But this funk seems to be reaching sizable proportions.  However, I continue to attempt to deal with it, one way or another.  These are my thoughts on how one might deal with such a thing.

 

In general, one has two options when dealing with a funk:  surrender to it or fight it.  One’s first impulse is often to fight it.  As the poet said, Do not go gently into that good night!  (Was it Dylan Thomas?  Probably ought to look that up before I publish this.)  Sometimes what you need to do is power on out of that funk.  Just sit your butt down and write (or  get off your butt and run, clean the house, whatever it is your funk is preventing you from doing)!

 

Surrendering sounds like a terrible option. One of my favorite movies Galaxy Quest taught me, “Never give up! Never surrender!” Well, let’s not call it surrender (a’ 70s song about “Sweet Surrender” just started playing in my head).  Call it Relax Into It.  Just sink down into the funk and give your brain a break.  Take a deep breath and enjoy the view.  Relax.

 

Sometimes when you do this, you emerge on the other side of the funk.  Sometimes the funk is your brain and body’s way of telling you that you need a rest.  And sometimes not.  Sometimes the above mentioned power through it is the way to go.

 

As I wrote the preceding, it occurred to me that perhaps there is a third option of gently trying different things to ease your way out of the funk.  I alluded to this method in yesterday’s post, when I felt marginally better after a nice walk with my husband and dog.  A blogger I often read, Return of the Modern Philosopher wrote about a trip to the library which helped his funk considerably.  He took a hard run the next day which also seemed to help.

 

Hmmm…. This may land me in the middle of some half-baked philosophy more suitable for Lame Post Friday.  It seems to me a walk and a trip to the library are gentle ways to ease out of a funk while a hard run is more on the power your way out method.  Then again, running is not writing, so really it would only be powering your way out if your funk was preventing you from running (my funks do that sometimes, too).

 

Now I have three things to look up before I publish this: the poet quoted earlier and the links to Return of the Modern Philosopher.  The question is: is it easier to save this post AGAIN and do that, or to save this post (AGAIN) and write about the run I took this afternoon.  Less writing to pause and look things up, but I hate to waste a good run.  Hmmmm…..

 

OK, it was Dylan Thomas, and I put in the appropriate links.  Now I wonder if the title is right… Oh hell, I’m hitting publish.

 

 

 

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Bogged Down in the Blog

Posted on April 28, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Still can’t do it.  Yesterday I started writing a post about getting out of the funk I was in.  I got all bogged down and ended up writing some silliness suitable for Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Today I tried to edit what I had written, feeling it would make a dandy Middle-aged Musings Monday.  Got bogged down a again.

 

What, I ask you, is a blogger to do?  (This may or may not be a rhetorical question; reader’s choice.)

 

I did take a lovely walk with my nice husband, Steven, and our beloved schnoodle, Tabby.  I could write a Pedestrian Post and have done with it.  It was an enjoyable walk.  The temperatures have warmed up.  I was fine in a regular sweatshirt, although I did put the hood up when my ears got cold.  We saw some daffodils, a few crocuses and some little purple flowers which I could not identify (must ask my Mom; she knows all that stuff).

 

Tabby, by the way, seems to be recovering nicely from her Lyme Disease.  She ran around barking when she knew a walk was imminent.  She is not completely herself yet.  When I got her a treat after the walk, she did not jump up on her hind legs to get it but waited for me to bring it down to her level.   However, she is definitely on the mend, for which Steven and I are quite grateful.

 

As for me, the walk did not exactly cure my funk, but I think it helped.  Fresh air, good company, exercise, what’s not to like?  Could it be that my funk, like Tabby’s Lyme Disease, is not something  I can just snap out of?  Perhaps I could gradually emerge from it, feeling a little better each day, till I am busily writing, completing tasks as I hope to.

 

In any case, this is my Middle-aged Musings Monday post.   Ooh, I just remembered something.  A few weeks ago I changed it to Monday Mental Meanderings.  Did I mention I am in a funk?

 

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Another Doggy Sick Day, Please?

Posted on April 27, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Full disclosure:  I don’t really need another doggy sick day.  My dog is on the mend.  She is not her happy, jumpy self yet, but she drank water, ate food and took her medicine.  Phew!  Thank you Mohawk Valley Veterinary Services.  But, alas, I do not seem to be able to write a really good blog post today.

 

It happened again.  There I was, in the midst of writing a blog post and I started not to like it.  I was even editing it, rearranging sentences, adding, subtracting.   I always feel like a real writer when I do that.

 

Oh dear, I can hear the critics now, “You can’t write and edit at the same time!  Write first!  Get it down!  THEN you can look at it and edit!”  This is one of those pieces of writing advice given so often that everybody just accepts as true for every writer.  Is it true for me?  Could be, because I just brought that post to a grinding halt.

 

The fact is. it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday for me, as it often is.   I am in a funk, and I have been in a funk.  However, I do not despair.  After all, I have my new plan of Finish That Novel May (yes, yes, it wasn’t my idea originally, but it is my plan now).  I still have four more days to gear up for that.  Four days is certainly enough time to find a way out of my funk.

 

In the meantime, I tell my critics that I will edit when and where I feel like it.  I will pet my dog and take her for a walk as soon as she feels like it.   I will write what I can when I can.  And hope that I still have readers.  Happy Sunday, everybody.

 

 

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I Am Much Woman

Posted on April 25, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Tabby continues sick today.  I shall be taking her to the vet, willingly forgoing the Mohawk Valley adventures I had planned for the day.  One thing I did not want to forgo, however, was my run.  Accordingly, I set out early, when Steven was still home with the poocher.  Therefore, I am able to offer Saturday Running Commentary two weeks in a row.

 

It was prior to 6 a.m.;  the sun was up but the light was still grey and dull.  The temperature was cold (31, according to my thermostat).  I wore leggings and my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirt.  I also put on my toque and some gloves.  As I ran, it seemed my hands and ears were the only warm parts of me, but one must persevere.

 

I decided to run up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC, although I think it goes by a different name now).   For the uninitiated, that is a rather impressive hill.  When I’m in shape I run it at least once a week.  For one reason, it makes me feel bad ass.  Today I thought, “Do it for Tabby!”  In fiction, that would become a big deal in the character’s head: “If I do this, she’ll get better!”  I knew it was no such thing.  In the first place, I am doing it for my own fitness, weight loss and Boilermaker goals.  Oh, and to post it on Facebook so my friends will Like it.  Taking Tabby to the vet is far more to the point regarding her health.  So much for symbolism.

 

I wondered if I was really up to the big hill yet, but I realized it did not matter.  I tend to accomplish things simply because I make up my mind to do them.  For example, the novel I will complete during Finish That Novel May.  I’ll just make up my mind to do it.  I made up my mind to run the hill.

 

Up a minor upgrade, then a little downgrade, the UP.  Hmm…. that hill did not look as steep as it had in my head.  Did it look longer?  Well, it was long enough, anyways.  Here we go.  At least I shouldn’t have much traffic at this hour on a Saturday.  Then I heard a car behind me.  A total of three cars passed me going up.  The last yahoo was really gunning his engine.  What, I thought, won’t your car make it up the hill otherwise?  I wished I could gun my body, but I know from experience it is better to shuffle up the hill than to sprint.

 

I speculated on where those people were going.  Perhaps to the gym to work out.  Ha! I was already getting my workout.  Perhaps they were returning to the dorms from a rough night of partying.  Good for them, not driving home drunk last night.  Or maybe it was a hot one-night stand.  You know, college students.

 

At last I made it to the top!  I would post that on Facebook for sure.  My sister Vicki has a saying when she does something bad-ass that she is “much woman.”  Should I say I was much woman?  No, I decided.  I would say “Yeah, I’m bad,” my usual saying in these cases.  Then if Vicki commented that I was much woman, I could comment, “I was hoping you would say that.”  Well, if I’m not going adventuring today, I’ve got to have some plans.

 

My legs felt warm and supple as the road leveled out.  This was awesome.  I was getting in shape!  Bring it, Boilermaker!  I turned to run down the back way, a more gradual slope with woodsy surroundings.  As I started down, my legs were all, “Yeah, we got this.” And gravity was like, “Yeah, YOU got this.”  Oh, but it is nice to keep running after you finished your terrible hill of the day.

 

I turned left where a sign said “No Left Turn,” just to be that way.  I saw my wonderful paper deliverers’ van.  They have a wide territory.  I love my paper deliverers.  SO reliable!  We waved at each other.

 

Tabby did not walk my cool-down with me, so I did not go around the block as per usual.  That may have been silly of me, because after all, I started the around the block cool-down before I got Tabby.  Today I walked up and down the backyard while Tabby sat on the deck.  I hoped she could feel she was participating that way.  Dogs like to participate.

 

I felt delighted that I had run, and that I had done that big hill.  It was the first time in 2015.  I’ll do it again soon.  And I hope Tabby will be walking my cool-down with me soon.  Incidentally, I did post on Facebook that I ran it.  So far I’ve gotten six Likes but no comments.  Still, I think I am much woman.

 

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Give Me Lame! Or Give Me Debt!

Posted on April 25, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well I didn’t want to say “death.”  That seemed too dark for Mohawk Valley Girl.  And “give me debt” is appropriate, because I would owe you a blog post if I did not make one today.

 

You may have realized I did not write anything while at work today.  No blog post, at any rate.  I thought it would be OK, since I knew I would walk Tabby, my delightful schnoodle, after work. If nothing else, a Pedestrian Post is always acceptable (to me, anyways).

 

WELL, when I got home from work this afternoon, my poor dog was not her usual happy, jumpy self.  No joyous barks preceded my unlocking the door. No furry white body jumped on me as I opened it.

 

“Where’s my dog?” I asked, a question that usually brings her running.  Then I saw her, moving hesitantly from her usual end of the couch to my usual end of the couch.  Poor honey!

 

We had some excellent plans for the evening but feel we should stay home with our ailing canine.  Of course I must still make a blog post, and one would think I could still come up with something mildly amusing at least.  Unfortunately, not so much.  I think my headline is the only marginally good thing I’ve come up with so far.

 

Never mind.  It is a My Doggy Is Sick Day.  Real employers do not recognize such days (many of them barely recognize your own sick days, the bastards).  However, this is my own silly blog.  I’m going back to petting my dog gently and just being with her.  I hope you are all having a lovely Friday.

 

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Running in Place toward May (and July)

Posted on April 24, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had been going to write a Running In Place Commentary, because I ran in place on the mini-tramp today.  However, in looking at my WordPress notifications, I saw some interesting comments on yesterday’s post.  One in particular gave me my topic for today’s post.

 

Fellow blogger Mark Bialczak suggested I declare next month Finish That Novel May.  What a marvelous idea!  Like NaNoWriMo only I don’t have to write the whole damn thing in 30 days.  For one thing, May is 31 days.  Already I’m ahead of the game.  And I have a lot written on this novel.  Some needs to be cut, some new scenes written, lots of organization…

 

So that is my new plan.  I will no doubt write further blog posts on the topic.

 

In the meantime, in the interests of Non-Sequitur Thursday, I’ll just mention that I wrote more on the new novel while at work today.  A new character magically appeared.  I love it when that happens.  Other characters are developing, plot points present themselves, I am enjoying it a great deal.

 

As the Boilermaker 15K continues to approach (yes, another non-sequitur), I knew I must run.  Of course the weather did not cooperate, with snow falling all day.  Then again, what do I care about the weather?  I can and do run in crappy weather.  However, today I elected to run in place on the mini-tramp.

 

While I ran, my husband Steven and I watched The Blue Dahlia, which we DVR’d from TCM back in February.   Naturally we discussed what we were watching, but I mustn’t share too much, in case you’d like to watch the movie sometime.  It is not one of the cheesy ones I delight in giving plot summaries of.

Incidentally, the Boilermaker is in July (I just wrote the headline and realized the reference might be obscure).

 

 

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At Least I’m Writing SOMETHING

Posted on April 23, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Welcome to another Wuss-out Wednesday.  I was busily writing while at work today (before my shift and on breaks, as usual), but not on a blog post.  I started a new novel.  Oh, it is so fun to start a new novel!  New ideas just appear in my head and I write them down.  I feel brilliant.

 

I’m writing this novel a little differently from how I’ve attempted previous novels.  I started writing a list of potential names, then I just dove right in and started writing.  No notes.  No outline.   All I have, other than the pages of novel, is a growing list of characters, so I don’t use any names that are too similar (so annoying to the reader, I know it drives me crazy).

 

Of course it is the wrong thing to do, to begin a new novel.  I VOWED I would finish the last one I started.  You see, I have many, many novels started and only one I ever finished.  And that one’s not very good.  My later novels are better, but they are not finished.  It is mortifying to admit this, but it is true.

 

However, my latest unfinished novel (I mean the one before the one I just started) was at a STANDSTILL.  I simply could not progress.   I had to take a step back and I just couldn’t bear to not be writing.  Sometimes I can only write what comes out of my pen.

 

In case anybody is wondering, I am still working on the play about bananas.  I’m writing on that every night before bed.  Yesterday I wrote a speech from the play within the play (I just can’t write anything that is not complicated, I suppose).

 

So that is my story about why I did not write a blog post today.  Tomorrow I will try to find a little more time to write an actual post.  But since tomorrow is Non-Sequitur Thursday, I make no promises.

 

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