Category Archives: humor

It’s Not Just For Wednesdays Anymore!

Posted on March 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers know about my regular Wednesday thing of going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY for music and food on a Wednesday night. Of course they have music other nights too.  This week I got to go there for some great music and family time on a Thursday.

I had not meant to go out this evening.  For one reason, I had to wait for the cable guy to come hook up my internet (long story, perhaps a little interesting but never mind).  While I was waiting my sister Cheryl messaged me that she was on her way to Frankfort and Fratello’s.  Damn!  That sounded good!

Long story a little short(er), I managed to join Cheryl, her daughter Kimi, and Kimi’s boyfriend, Matt for  a really fun time.  Matt happened to be on the porch making a phone call when I arrived.  He immediately gave me a big hug, which I sorely needed.  Joining Cheryl and Kimi at the bar, he said, “I brought in this lady.  She was just wandering around outside,.”

“You brought that old lady in here?”  my sister scolded. I got some more hugs.

They had already ordered their food, but I quickly got a glass of Pinot Noir and ordered a cheeseburger for myself.  The music had already started.  I took my obligatory shot to share on Facebook and encourage others to come down.

He was pretty awesome.

It was Matt Migliore, who I had heard of but never seen (I don’t think).  He played a wide variety of music and asked for any requests. Someone asked for Guns ‘N Roses, which he did a very good job of.  Some of the requests sounded more recent for my tastes, so I asked for Kansas.  It was the first one I could think of because I have been listening to “Leftoverture” in my car lately.  Then I thought of their orchestral, synthesizer-heavy harmonies and admitted it might be a little hard for a solo artist with a keyboard. He began playing a familiar riff on the keyboard then went into a beautiful verse of “Carry On, My Wayward Son.”  He paused at the chorus.

“I need a lot more voices to sing that!” he said.”At least five!”   But what he did was awesome.

Later I asked for something from the ’70’s, and he obliged with “Brandy.”  Other people asked for Cold Play or people I have never heard of.

It’s not just about the music!

Cheryl suggested I take a picture of her food for my blog post. She got Pasta  Al Forno .  I must try that some time.  I got a cheeseburger while Matt and Kimi split a pizza.

A fun group!

I asked to take a picture of my dining companions for the blog post. Cheryl was not best pleased and suggested I crop her out, but I think she is pretty.

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort,  NY, phone number 315-894-8484.

 

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Help from Pizza and a Friend

Posted on March 9, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was going to just give up and declare this week Late Post Week when I noticed how low the battery on my phone is. Will I have time to plug it in and get it to 100 percent in AND be able to make a blog post in the morning? I suppose a little suspense will add interest to my day.

Regular readers (I think I still have some) may be wondering why I did not go to the library and make my blog post, as I spoke of doing this morning (when I made yesterday’s post). It is too long and whiny a story for me to share. Also, I don’t come out of it looking very good.

So I guess this is a true Wuss-out Wednesday Post. Hmm… Maybe I could yet salvage something.

At one point earlier this evening I texted my friend Kim and told her I was having a HORRIBLE day (I daresay I was indulging in hyperbole). She suggested ordering food and watching a movie. Brilliant!

While she got ready to come over, I called Salvatore’s Pizzeria in Herkimer and ordered a cheese pizza and chicken wings Siciliano. When Kim arrived, we popped in “Clue: The Movie” (I put it in quotation marks because I do not know how to do italics on my phone). I craved the silliness factor of the movie.

I’ll be honest: The evening was not a miraculous cure-all. Why can’t I have a miraculous cure-all? No matter. I can’t and that’s all. I was feeling better after good food, a few laughs, and most of all time with a friend.

Full disclosure:. Kim was not the only one I reached out to. I also called my parents for some good advice and got it as usual. Additionally I called the Veteran’s Crisis Hotline and am on my way to getting more help. I mention the last to add my little bit to erasing the stigma attached to needing help with our mental health.

And I guess the stigma does exist, because I am quite hesitant now to publish this post. People I know may read it! Then again, why worry? In the first place, my blog is probably not as widely read as all that. In the second place, a lot of my friends and family would probably say, “Oh Cindy, we knew you needed help!”

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At Least It’s a Post

Posted on March 8, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

My trials and tribulations with the cable company continue. I am lounged on my couch typing in one letter at a time with the stylus on my phone, not my Tablet, because I am currently off line. It seems I need new equipment to connect with the internet now that I cancelled cable television.

My first inkling of this was when I received a package from the cable company yesterday. I said, “What the hell is this?” They patiently explained things to me on the phone (which apparently and luckily was still working) (I should perhaps mention I have a landline as well as a cell) and scheduled a semi-convenient time for a tech to come hook me up.

My internet had been working earlier in the day, but it stopped sometime after said phone call. Yes, yes, these are first world problems. I am grateful that I still have my cell and can at least make some semblance of a post.

I must say, it is a little awkward posting this way. I don’t have the tool bar I am used to and I don’t see a word count. YES, these are first world problems, you don’t have to keep telling me! (You know who you are.)

I am just going to count this as a Tired Tuesday Post and drive on. Perhaps I can get to the library later and make my Wednesday post from a computer and on time. As always I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Of Cows and Monsters

Posted on March 7, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

What, is it going to be Late Post Week?  I made Sunday’s post on Monday, now I’m making Monday’s post on Tuesday.  What the hell, me?  Never mind the recriminations, let’s make with the monsters!

Sweet!

OK, these are not monsters.  It is a photo from Cabot Creamery Co-operative, one of my Facebook Likes. They share a lot of sweet pictures of cows.  This showed up in my  On This Day yesterday.  I shared it on my News feed then downloaded it, thinking I would use it to soften my blog post about my crappy Sunday.  Then I went a different way, and you know me:  Waste Not Want Not!

Graphic depiction of me trying to rise above my problems.

Here is a bona fide monster, one of my own Halloween decorations.  I say it is a graphic depiction of me, but I will never be that skinny, even if I do go back on the South Beach Diet.

“Follow me! To the graveyard! Ah ha ha ha ha!”

This pleasant fellow, Elliott Ghoul by name, stands in my window all year long.  In previous years, my husband Steven would turn him off after the spooky season, but this year he is still entertaining me by going off at loud noises or when headlights go by just right.

So this is my Monday blog post.  I don’t know if my Monstrous Monday Posts are getting old, but I still enjoy them.  Regular readers know I often find comfort in the macabre.  I hope your Monday was swell and your Tuesday is even better.

 

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Bad Sunday, Good Pizza

Posted on March 6, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

My Sunday was really crappy, although I’ll admit my problems were primarily of the first world variety.  Then again, when you feel your desires are simple, it can be twice as frustrating to be unable to meet them. Additionally, my whole life these days is overshadowed by the grief of losing my husband.  I am afraid anything that sucks is going to suck a little bit more for the foreseeable future.  One must live through these things.

All I wanted to do was watch television.  A little news in the morning while I played solitaire (on the floor with a regular deck of cards), a little Snapped in the afternoon while I knitted.  A relaxing Sunday.  However, it did not work out that way.  Once again, my television persistently told me “No Signal.”

I spent time on the phone with cable people, I drove to New Hartford, NY to pick up a cable they said I needed, I figured out how to replace said cable, I spent more time on the phone, I drove to Little Falls so the UPS store could send my (brand new) cable box back to the cable company, I required two more phone calls to actually cancel service.  Phew!  That is the short version, but I did not want to skip any steps.

So now I sit in silence on Monday morning, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet (I always feel the need to tell you that), making my Sunday blog post late once again.  As you see, I did not cancel internet.  I am not a savage, after all.

Just to add a plug for a local business,  in between the last two phone calls, I went to Mangia Macrina’s which is handily located in the same building, for a wood-fired pizza and a glass of wine.  While I sipped and munched, I wrote another character sheet for my upcoming murder mystery, Shooting at the Grange (more about that later) (preview of coming attractions).

Good pizza!

Mangia Macrina’s (Macrina’s, not Marine’s, autocorrect!  Sheesh!) is located at Canal Place in Little Falls, NY.

 

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The Post Is Certainly Scattered

Posted on March 5, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was all set to do a Scattered Saturday Post, but I guess I was too scatterbrained to actually do it on Saturday.  My bad.

It was not a super good day for me.  I started out having problems with my cable.  Instead of going on a run, I got some exercise by attempting to shovel my driveway.  In this I was helped by an anonymous neighbor who snowblew the end, a path to the front steps, and the walk in front of the house.  So that was a very nice thing.

The cable problem wasn’t complete frustration, either.  They were actually able to send a tech on a Saturday morning, he showed up when they said he was, and he was very nice and helpful.  I only have trouble feeling grateful for it now, though, because I got up this morning to the same damn problem!  It must be operator error, because the guy gave me a new cable box and replaced some outside wire.  I talked to a guy on the phone this morning who concluded that an inside wire is to blame.  He is sending me a replacement, but I can also drive to New Hartford, NY, and pick one up for free.  That way I will not have to wait and will have a spare in case it happens again.

I Don’t Know About My Saturday, But This Post Is Certainly Scattered.

I just typed that into the title bar then realized it was far too long for a title.  Under the heading Waste Not Want Not, I copied and pasted it here.  Now I am too lazy to change the capital letters to lowercase (but apparently not too lazy to spell out “capital letters” when the rest of the world just says “caps”).

Anyways, the rest of my Saturday was spent with my friend, Kim. She met me at the End Zone Pub, where I had gone after  I walked my post cards to the post office (that makes it sound like the post cards walked too, like they were my pets that needed exersise).  We enjoyed a libation, and I took a picture, since I had it in mind to do a Scattered Saturday Post.

They posed and approved the shot.

Next Kim took me to my house to pick up an afghan to donate to the HALO Chinese Auction, which was being set up at the Mohawk American Legion.  We stopped on the way to the Legion at Mohawk Antiques Mall to pick up a copy of Mohawk Valley Living magazine.

Lots of good prizes to try for!

Local readers, if you see this in time, I encourage you to go to the auction.  It is today, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

 

Easier the trying to type in the info. Did I mention I was lazy?

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Another Stroll Down Movie Memory Lame

Posted on March 4, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another late Lame Post Friday post.  I even got up up later this Saturday morning than I usually do, having stayed up later on Friday night.  I am sitting in silence, other than the sound of my furnace and the irregular tip tip tip of my stylus pecking in one letter at a time.  I hope to purchase a new laptop at some point.  Then I can ten finger type in more places and postures.

Yesterday was a Blogger’s Sad Day.  It would have been my husband Steven’s 68th birthday.  Birthdays were a big deal for him.  He always made mine special, and I tried to do the same for him.  I felt relieved that I did not have to work (took the whole day because I had an appointment).  I thought I should do something to mark the occasion.

Lots of screaming in this movie, but nothing like the scream queens of the ’70’s.

Since watching movies together was one of our favorite things, I popped in one of our all time favorites, House on Haunted Hill, the original William Castle version, starring Vincent Price (I have no use for the remake).  The first time we saw this, I was in the army.  We had taken the long drive to my first duty station, gotten signed into billeting, and had time to relax. It was a Friday, and I didn’t have to sign into my unit till Monday.  We saw House on Haunted Hill was going to be on AMC, back when AMC was good and showed all movies.  We loved it!

I think her braids are too tight.

Next I went to The Bad Seed, another long time favorite.  This goes all the way back to Norwood, NY, where we lived in the ’90’s and spent a considerable amount of time renting videos.  I miss those rental places!  I know, some people prefer streaming and the fact that they can sit on their butt in sweats and watch whatever.  I loved going to the place and walking around, finding things I didn’t know I wanted to find.

So this my stroll down Memory Lame.  See how I looped back to Lame Post Friday?  Sometimes I think I’m clever, but I daresay I flatter myself.

 

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Memories of Murder

Posted on March 3, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Throwback Thursday Post?  I make it a question, because I am not sure I will be able to actually make the post.  I make it to work these days.  Beyond that,  no promises.

We’ve seen this suspicious bunch before.

I wanted to throw back to murder mysteries, because I was working on another one today.  The above picture is from A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which we presented a few years ago to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  It was a very fun show.

Another shot from that show.

I realized the first picture did not include our friend Jim, who had a pivotal role in the show.  I guess all the roles were pivotal; I just like to use that word to describe acting roles.

A dramatic moment.

Here is a rehearsal shot from another murder mystery, whose title escapes me.  How embarrassing! Then again, I can’t remember everything.

Don’t we all look pretty?

I remember the title of this one: Fabulous and Fatal.  It will always be one of my favorite scripts.

It was a work in progress.

This is a shot from a read-through for Donate to Murder, which also benefited Herkimer County Historical Society.  Eventually.  This picture was taken in March 2020, right before the COVID shit hit the fan.  The show was postponed and had a different cast when it was finally performed.

Regular readers will notice my late husband, Steve, in a few of these pictures.  I so loved working with him. Treasured memories.  I hope it made for a good blog post.

 

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Mid-Week Monsters from my Media Library

Posted on March 2, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having a hard time writing anything these days.  I open a notebook (the spiral-bound paper kind), uncap a pen, and…  sometimes I write a word or two, sometimes not.  I guess the important thing is to keep trying.  So I will try to make a blog post.  I know what!  It’s Wednesday:  I will do a Mid-Week Monsters Post! I look in my Media Library…

He’s not the only one who was scared!

I open with Nosferatu (1922), because I have been watching it on DVD while running in place on the mini-tramp this past week or so.  I have only been doing short runs, so it took a few times to see the whole movie.

Not showing the monster, but appropriate for the day.

I love Young Frankenstein, in fact, I love most of Mel Brooks’ movies.

 

“This is a good boy!”

Here is the monster! At first, I went to Facebook and downloaded a new photo, but when I tried to put it in the post, it was really small, so I went back to my Media Library.  I do not properly understand photos and computers.

“I said I only wanted a trim!”

After Dracula (although they couldn’t call him that) and Frankenstein,  I put in the Wolfman.  I don’t know what movie this is from; it was in my Media Library.  Sometimes I just download pictures I like.

This silliness has gotten me over 200 words.  Apparently I can come up with more words pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus.  Tomorrow I will try again with pen and paper.

 

 

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Post about Pasta

Posted on March 1, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a cooking post instead of my usual Tired Tuesday Post.  I make it a statement instead of a question, because I intend to do so regardless.  At first I thought not so much a cooking as a fixing post, because I didn’t cook the salad, then I remembered there was pasta involved.  That was cooked.

It was, in fact, leftover ziti, which I had cooked to go with some leftover cheesy sauce I was finishing up (maybe I should have done a cooking post on the sauce).  I cooked all the ziti left in the canister.  I was out of the tossed salad I have been bringing to work for my lunch, so I wondered if I could come up with something involving pasta.

I had a jar of marinaded artichoke hearts in the fridge, along with the rest of the rainbow peppers I had used in the cheesy sauce (yes, I totally should have led with the cheesy sauce).  I try to always have a can of black olives in my cupboard. As Gene Wilder said in Young Frankenstein,  “It! Could! Work!”

First I put the ziti in a bowl.  I chopped some rainbow peppers and added those. I also chopped the artichoke hearts, adding the marinade to be the salad dressing.  Sliced black olives completed the mixture.  It seemed a little bland when I tasted it, so I added lemon pepper and dill.  I put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors blend.

I did not taste it again till lunch time today.  It was yummy!  I look forward to lunch tomorrow.

 

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