Category Archives: humor

More Meander than Mental

Some of the first green I’ve seen.

I have been waiting for the trees to sprout leaves again.  For one reason, when the sun gets as bright and hot as it was this past weekend, I like the shade.  No, I am NOT complaining about the heat at this early date!  Sheesh! Anyways, I took this shot of a neighborhood tree when I was out walking on Sunday.

I have noticed other trees starting to bud but have not gotten any other pictures.  I feel I should go for a walk and remedy the omission but am too tired.

Well, I just went searching for a monster that was also a tree but had no luck.

And that was as far as I got last night.  I took a walk this morning, but I can’t get good pictures in the dark and was too lazy to carry my Tablet with me.  I am temporarily without a cell phone.  I could write a blog post about no longer being able to carry connectivity around in my pocket (preview of coming attractions).

From my Media Library.

I did walk by Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners,  but not from this angle.  Still, it is a not bad picture of two of the four corners and I found it rather easily, always a concern when one is pressed for time.

I see this nonsense has gotten me over 200 words.  Score!  I think I’ll bill this as  Monday Mental Meanderings.  It has a double meaning, since I also meandered around Herkimer.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

Not Exactly Cinema But Not a Bad Sunday

I thought I might make a Sunday Cinema Post, but I am only on my first movie and getting tired.  I did watch the rest of a Columbo episode I started last night.  I suppose that counts.

She was divine!

The movie I am currently enjoying is Death on the Nile, a star-studded Agatha Christie romp (come on, autocorrect, Agatha is a well-known name!).  This is the wonderful Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne, alcoholic writer of sexy romance novels.  I would SO love to play that character!  I kind of did when I was Ruby VanRenssalaer in Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, a murder mystery of my own devise.

Two more delightful divas.

Here are two more stars who stud the movie, Bette Davis and Maggie Smith.  So delightful to watch these two old pros playing off each other.

I have done a few useful things today.   I ran,  I did laundry,  I went grocery shopping, I wrote a letter which I walked to the post office.  From the post office, I walked to Herkimer Elks Lodge, where I secured space for Wednesday’s rehearsal of Shooting at the Grange, our upcoming murder mystery.

Back home, I watched Columbo before putting in the aforementioned Agatha Christie but also made a salad for the week’s lunches.  I call this not a bad Sunday.  Is it not a bad blog post?  You decide.

Today there is not “one more thing.”

 

At the Grange

Yesterday I drove to Salisbury Grange for their open house.  In addition to my interest in historic buildings, I wanted to scope out the space for Shooting at the Grange ,  our upcoming murder mystery.

I like the stage.

It is a gorgeous place, all beautifully stained wood.  I don’t know why I didn’t take a shot of the ceiling.

It looks solemn to me.

They had it set up the way it used to be for meetings back in the day.  Each officer had their own podium.  Some of them were also Masons, and they borrowed some of the ceremony and symbolism.

“Ooh, the Masons,”  I said.  “They were intense.”  Full disclosure:  my knowledge about the Masons comes mostly from the movie From Hell.

Mason stuff.

 

Another view.

I spent a lot of time chatting with the Grange volunteers.  They are very excited about the murder mystery and have already sold a number of tickets.  They have great plans for the Grange; they hope it will become a real community center with many different events.

Maybe even a sing-along!

I was taking pictures to show my cast as well as for use here.  I hope we will be able to rehearse at the Grange next week.  It will make a great blog post.

Just to re-iterate the information.

 

April Lame!

OK, I said I was going to make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday and here I am.  Unfortunately,  I got nuthin’.  That should not matter on Lame Post Friday, but somehow it does.

Remarkably similar, yes?

I thought a picture might spark more words and found this one from April 2021.  I confess it does not look a whole lot different from more recent pictures of crocuses,  yet I cannot stop from taking pictures of what they look like this year.

J’accuse!

Here is a different April shot.  I just SEARCHED through my posts from April 2019 to find that the title of this murder mystery was Murder by the Book.  I am not inclined to also do a Google (or even a Duck Duck Go) search to see if “J’accuse” is the proper French spelling.

Earlier today I went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I also spent some time sitting on my front porch, enjoying the weather. I sipped a little wine while I did so.  I also spent some time planning my Mohawk Valley Adventures for tomorrow.

I need to get such a short ‘do again!

Just to give another picture from April, here are my friend Kim and I at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica in April 2017 for their Prohibition Party.  I love to dress up!

Ooh look, I have gotten myself over 200 words.  Not bad for a Lame Post Friday post,  I say.  Thank you for tuning in.

 

Why I Didn’t Make a Blog Post This Time

I guess the entire week is late posts.  Yesterday I went in search of rehearsal space for Shooting at the Grange, the murder mystery we are working on.  I wanted to ask at Basloe Library, which closed at five on Thursdays, so I hustled home from work so I could get in a shower and make myself presentable, no easy task.  I managed it in pretty good time, though, and was soon on my way.

It turns out the library is under construction, so my first thought of a room was unavailable.  I had a very nice conversation with the lady there, though.

“The construction workers have all their stuff in there,”the lady said.

“Rats!” I said.

“I hope not rats!” she said.  Good point.  We chatted some more about other things as well as aboit the murder mystery.  If we cannot find another space, we might be able to sit in their cafe and run lines, just keeping our voices down.

I tried the Marine Corps League in Ilion.  They have big signs up, saying, “Members Only, No Exceptions,”  which I found a little intimidating, but they were very nice.  I have to call a guy to see if there is a room available when we need it.  I thought I should buy a drink, since I had parked in a space marked “Customers Only,” but a guy was buying the house a round and included me. I thought that was very nice of him.

After I got home, I decided to walk to the Elks Lodge, which is near my house.  We rehearsed there for murder mysteries that were performed there, so I thought maybe they would be so kind.  It turns out they would, if the space is available.  I stayed for a glass of wine there as well.  The people at the  Elks are very nice, too.

So when I got home, I still had to fix supper, and I was tired.  I have been running around every day this week.  What the hell, me?  Tonight I mean to stay home and make my Friday blog post on Friday.  As always, I hope you’ll stat tuned.

Just to throw in an illustration.

 

Some Semblance of a Blog Post

I’m afraid this is another post about What I Could Make A Blog Post About.  Because I’m just not feeling it this morning.  Tuesday we had the read-through for Shooting at the Grange, the murder mystery we are presenting April 29 to benefit Salisbury Grange.

Note to self: find out how to get to Salisbury Center.

Yesterday I took a half hour walk before work then went for a pretty good run after.  Pedestrian Posts and Running Commentary are always fun.  Later I took an unexpected trip to Frankfort, NY, to Fratello’s Pizzeria, to hear Phil Arcuri, one of my favorite local musicians.

From my Media Library.

I confess to feeling a bit down.  I took another half hour walk this morning, because I read somewhere that a half hour was the equivalent of taking 25 or 50 mg of Zoloft (I forget which).  I almost cut the walk short, because I seem to have done something to my hip again.  I said to myself, What do you think, something magic is going to happen if you walk for 30 minutes?  Well, nothing magic happened, but I am sure 30 minutes of walking burns more calories than walking for 20, that stands to reason.

So this has been my update, and I am going to call it a Wuss-out Wednesday.  I need to get on with my Thursday.

 

We Like Wednesday

I was going to call this Also Not A Post, but I thought of the other just now when I turned off the burner on the stove and liked the alliteration.

The reason I thought of it just then was that I have formed the habit when turning off the stove of saying out loud, “Turning off the burner on Wednesday.”  Or whatever day it is, of course.  This is because I tend to forget those things I do automatically.  I kept calling my husband, Steve from work to ask him to check for me. This could be a problem if I went in early for overtime and he went back to bed.  Thus, the habit of reminding myself.

Now, sadly, there is nobody to check for me if I do forget, so it is good I maintain the habit.  Anyways, today I said my phrase and felt that usual spurt of relief that it is Wednesday and not Tuesday.  Um, I will admit that Tuesday is when I should have been making this post (according to my rules for me), but let us not worry about that now.

So, I guess Not Really A Post describes this post better than the title I chose.  Oh well, 200 words including a little tidbit about one of my weird things.  I’ll bill it as a Tired Tuesday Post and drive on.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

Welcome To My Quagmire

Sometimes I have a To Hell With It Day on Monday.  OK, most weeks I do. I often feel that if I just get through Monday, I have done enough.  That is why I usually do a Monstrous Monday Post.  It is all I want to manage.  And some Mondays, I just go to bed and leave it for Tuesday.

I am trying not to do that today.  I already sloughed off fixing my lunch till tomorrow.    I almost sloughed off putting out garbage till next week but at the last minute put out what little I have.  Full disclosure: I felt self-conscious about being the only house on the block without containers out front.  Then I felt ridiculous for being self-conscious about such a thing.  For heavens’ sake, why should I care what anybody thinks about me putting out garbage every other week?   Additionally, why should I flatter myself that anybody even notices? What do I think they say? “That crazy old lady in the yellow  house, she doesn’t even put out garbage every week. Does she just let it pile up in her kitchen?  Eeww!”

A neighbor giving me the side-eye because of my garbage habits.

I thought I would throw in a picture, to get myself out of the quagmire of the previous paragraph.  That is a good word: quagmire.  I think it describes many of my blog posts and much of my life.  At least my mind, much of the time.

I seem to have lost my head.

I was looking for a suitably quagmirish photo but could not find one.  I settle for Joan Crawford in StraitJacket. “She’s insane! She’s insane!”  I just don’t imagine I’m that bad.

Side note:  I am actually finishing and posting this early Tuesday morning.  I add this in the interests of accuracy.

 

Post Easter Post

When I made Saturday’s blog post on Sunday morning and said Happy Easter, it kind of left me without anywhere to go on Sunday evening.  I had a delightful holiday with some of my family.  As a friend put it, I have a wealth of family, and for that I am truly grateful.

That being the case, I feel I should not go on to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.  I mean, one does not go from having a lovely Easter Sunday to swooning, posed dramatically with the back of one wrist against one’s forehead, dreading Monday.  Does one?

Not exactly a swoon, but notice the placement of the wrist.

Here I am being dramatic in Dirty Work at the Crossroads, presented by Ilion Little Theatre,  directed by my late husband, Steve.  I always wanted him to direct again, but he never did.  This is a problem I am having.  At odd times, it hits me anew:  I will never see him again.

I’m sure anybody who has suffered a loss has these moments too.  I try not to feel that I am the only one to ever shed a tear.  Sometimes I think I am a bigger baby than most, but one does the best one can.

So I am grateful for my nice day with my nice family.  If I start to feel sad when I am home alone, well that is just the way it is.  I forgot where I was going with this.  Ah yes, just trying to make my Sunday blog post on Sunday.  We’ll call it a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post and drive on.

 

By the Way, Happy Easter

Late posts on the weekend.  It’s a thing.  Anyways, here I sit early Sunday morning, lounged on the couch, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet.  I have pecked in that sentence many times, according to the predictive text thingy, but it is the case so I make bold to repeat it.

My favorites are the two-tone ones.

I thought instead of an actual post, I would share the rest of the pictures I took with my phone the other day.  I saved all the pictures on my phone to my blog before returning the phone and cancelling my cell service (long story, and I don’t look so good in it).

But the deep purple is pretty, too.

 

This one looks a little wilted.

There weren’t any yellow ones, of which I usually get one or two.  Also, the ones in the front yard haven’t gotten beyond a few pretty green shoots.  Further updates as events warrant.

I didn’t plant these.

I also saw some white flowers over by the fence. I don’t know how they got there, but I was happy to see them.  There is only a parking lot on the other side of the fence, so it is unlikely the neighbors planted them.

I admit, not the best picture.

I guess these flower pictures are appropriate, being as it is Easter Sunday.

And then there’s this.

I end with a preview of coming attractions.  I am hard at work on the next murder mystery.  I hope to make a post about rehearsals next week.  I hope you’ll stay tuned.