Category Archives: Monstrous Monday

Monsters and Memories

Hello and welcome to another Monstrous Monday blog post.  My Monday became rather monstrous this afternoon for reasons it is too tiresome to reiterate. Suffice it to say, I will be largely immobile for the foreseeable future.  But never mind.  Monday is a day for monsters, and I will indulge in monsters.

Well, here is a cheery skeleton.

These are our skeletons Bonita and Bonaparte.  Bonita is wearing a summer outfit which my late, dearly missed husband Steve put together for her.  It is his shirt and my headband.  He purposely left the tag of the headband showing, because he was going for a Minnie Pearl look.  Minnie Pearl, in case you do not know (she was before some people’s times) always wore a hat with the price tag conspicuously dangling. She was on HeeHaw, a show which was also before some of your times.

Another bony friend.

And while we are on monsters around the house, here is a delightful fellow who used to lounge around at our friends Phyllis and Jim’s house.  Phyllis sadly passed away in 2021.

He was not a monster.

Now that I am feeling melancholy, I do not feel like looking for another monster.  I will instead share a picture of Steven doing one of the things he liked to do best: dancing.  We were dancing to our favorite band, The Posers.  I must see when they are playing again.  Some good music would undoubtedly cheer me up, even if I couldn’t dance.

 

Monsters I Have Never Known

This will be a Monstrous Monday post.  I still recline on my couch (which is almost as good as a dramatic swoon), waiting for the health care system to work me in.  But no more about my physical woes.  It would be a HIPAA violation, not to mention dull and boring.  I would rather see what I can come up with using a few fiends from my Media Library (and, yes, autocorrect, I mean fiends, not friends!) (stupid computer changed it on me twice).

That’s a scary looking guy!

I never saw Lady Frankenstein, but I appreciate this poster.  I did not know Joseph Cotten did any horror movies.  I can’t find any older horror movies on RokuTV, although I will probably continue to look.

He looks scary.

Here is another movie I have never seen. I do not even know what movie it is.  It is some picture I found scrolling around Facebook back in the 2018.  Back then I found it easy to steal photos from the internet for blogging purposes.  I do not know how to do it on my Chromebook.  I am SO twentieth century!

All-time best ending for a horror movie.

Too bad StraitJacket wasn’t made by Twentieth Century, or this would be a perfect photo to follow that last remark.  This is a movie I have seen many times, a heartwarming film starring Joan Crawford as a mother reunited with her daughter after 20 years in a mental institution. In the prelude, we learn Crawford chopped her husband’s head off.  These things happen.  In the movies, at any rate.

I see I am over 250 words.  I fear these foolish posts will continue for the foreseeable future.  However, it helps me to make them, and I hope it entertains somebody to read them (that wasn’t blatantly fishing for compliments, was it?) (I know, if I’m going to fish for compliments, I ought to find better bait).

 

No Excuses, But Monsters

Well, it’s Wrist to Forehead Monday, because I neglected to make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I am quite mortified, as you may imagine, especially as I have no good excuse.  I am also a little shame-faced, because I am making a Monstrous Monday post.  I just don’t have it in me to write about any of the Mohawk Valley Adventures I have been having recently.  In short, I am tired.  Could I be too old for all the running around I have been doing lately?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!

Me, aghast at myself for missing a day’s blog.

That is from the silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920.  Very atmospheric.  I must watch it again.  I rarely watch silent movies, because it is difficult for me to knit or crochet and watch.  I like to run in place on the mini-tramp while I watch, although that also has its drawbacks.

Not the cure for insomnia.

Here is Vincent Price with the eponymous Tingler, a William Castle masterpiece.  I kind of identify with this picture, because I had the weirdest post-apocalyptic dream this morning.  It just kept getting stranger and more scary.  That is what I get for trying to get back to sleep after my body said, “I’m wide awake.  Let’s get up now.”  In my defense, it was two in the morning.

“I told you to blog about the Mohawk Valley!”

I finish with this scary guy from Carnival of Souls, a low-budget masterpiece from 1962.  When I DuckDuckGo’d the movie to see what year it was, predictive text suggested “Carnival Cruises,” and I thought, “How about a Carnival of Souls Cruise?”  Passengers can spend the whole time running from the undead.  In luxury conditions, of course.  I hope some entrepreneur jumps right on that idea, because that is a cruise I might actually save my pennies for.

 

Mondays Are Murder

I resort to a Monstrous Monday post, as I am short on Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Well, I did participate in A Revolutionary Murder Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, NY on Saturday, but I did not get any pictures.  I felt quite exhausted by the end of the evening, then I could not sleep, because I had drunk two cups of coffee to help me get through the evening.  Well, that is more than enough whining. On with the blog post.

Here’s a monster for you!

This is pretty much how I felt and feel, and yes, I am laughing at myself.  As I say, it’s not always easy being me, but it is usually entertaining.  This is me at the tail end of our performance of A Revolutionary Murder at Herkimer Elks Lodge in April to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  I played the evil Amaretta VonSchnapps, who perished in an accident involving a cannon.  We thought it would be funny if I showed up at the end looking “cannonized.”

The picture was taken by an Elk friend who Facebook messaged it to me, and I was able to download it to my Chromebook.  I have not yet figured out how to steal pictures directly from Facebook for blogging purposes, so I cannot show you a “Before” picture of Amaretta, nor any any of my fellow cast members.  As regular readers know, technology eludes me. Perhaps I could move to another device (preview of coming attractions).

For right now, however, I see I am over 200 words.  I say that is good enough for a Monday.  I must strive to get some things done while yet recruiting enough energy to cover an important Herkimer Town Board meeting this evening (regular readers may remember my side hustle freelancing for Sentinel Media).  I hope you all have a delightful Monday.

 

Vincent Price Helps Me Out Today

It is late in the day (for me) and the only thing I can manage is a Monstrous Monday Post. After a lovely Easter holiday, I had rather a blah day today.  I guess I partied too heartily.  You’ll have that.

This is kind of how I feel right now.

Here is a guy whose name escapes me from House on Haunted Hill.  The original, Vincent Price version, directed by William Castle.  I love that movie.  I guess he’s not a monster, but he is in a monster movie.  It will have to do.

You’d scream, too!

Here is a monster from that same movie.  He is terrorizing Vincent Price’s wife.  She has the line, “Darling, the only ghoul in this house is you,” but I think she is a little monstrous herself.  Watch the movie for yourself and see if you agree.

Talk about don’t let the bed bugs bite!

And here is Vincent Price himself, in The Tingler, another William Castle thriller.  I think I have a picture of Vincent in House on Haunted Hill, but I feel too tired to look for it.  Or perhaps I am too lazy.

I confess to feeling down today.  Post holiday letdown?  Still disappointed because I did not get cast in the play I auditioned for?  Just sad because the weather turned cold again?  I don’t suppose it matters.  On the brighter side, I made a blog post of at least 200 words.  I’ll hope for a better day (and blog post) tomorrow.

 

Late Monsters, But It’s a Post

It looks like I am entering another time of late posts and not very exciting posts.  I’ll be honest: my depression is getting me down.  BUT… there are things I can and will do about it.  I will get exercise every day and strive to NOT sit on the couch and do nothing (a favored activity for many depressed individuals).  I took a nice run yesterday so could have made a Running Commentary post, but for some reason did not.

Here’s a cheerful fellow.

I was looking for a picture to pep things up and found Nosferatu, from the eponymous 1922 silent movie.  Regular readers know he is one of my favorites.   I do enjoy a Monstrous Monday post, even when I wait till Tuesday to make it.

Looking ahead into the day and the week, I see a few opportunities for Mohawk Valley Adventures.  The basket I won at the HALO Lucky Paws Auction was from Phoebe’s Florist in Mohawk, NY.  I would like to go there, spend a little money, and make a blog post about it.  Maybe I could buy myself some flowers.  Maybe I can clean up my house a little, so I will be able to see the flowers.

Preview of Coming Attractions?

I may also try to make a Running Commentary post, if any of my runs seem memorable.  The above picture is from October 2020, when I was doing a challenge of exercising for at least 34 minutes for 34 days to call attention to 34 million people with diabetes in the U.S.  The challenge wanted you to post a selfie each day.  I did a few with my monster friends.  Maybe I should do another challenge like that.  Any thoughts?

In any case, I have made another placeholder blog post.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Can I Manage a Monday Post?

If I want to continue (return to?) being a daily blogger, I must admit that some posts will be less worthy than others.  I have fewer Mohawk Valley Adventures these days, despite having more time on my hands.  Yet I want to post something, anything.  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

“A little busy here.”

I might as well make it a Monstrous Monday post. Regular readers will recognize this as my favorite guy, Nosferatu, of the eponymous 1922 silent film.  He is scary, yes.

And it is winter.

This is a picture from some years back, but just to show you I am also dealing with quite a bit of snow.  I have help from a nice neighbor on my driveway.  I confess to ignoring my back deck at the current time.  This particular year we cleared all the stuff off the deck, which is obviously a wise thing to do.  This year, I was not so wise, nor so ambitious.

Resting peacefully?

Here is a picture that combines Monstrous Monday with Winter Woes:  a skull on my deck last winter.  It is part of one of those skeletons you can make look like it is coming out of the ground.  I have a picture of it doing that, but I am too lazy to search my Media Library for it now.

Another skull angle.

Here instead is another picture of my snow skull.  I see I am over 200 words, so I say it is OK.  I thank you for tuning in, and once again, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

Still Feeling Monstrous.

I am still feeling pretty monstrous (I use the adjective purely to fit in with Monstrous Monday) yet feel I must begin to creep back into the land of the living.  I did not post for the last two days, because I felt it was too many posts about how rotten I felt.  Today I will try for a transitionary post (what? transitionary isn’t a word?  Where’s my dictionary?) (Yes! transitionary IS SO a word!  what the hell, Chromebook? Why are you underlining it?).

Oh dear.

The fact is I am sitting here with a vague headache and not many thoughts in my head.  Yesterday I thought as how I had done nothing but lie around for four days I ought to try to exert myself a little.  Accordingly, I stood up at the sink for a while and did some dishes.  Not all of the dishes, but you can’t have everything.  Later on, I  mustered up enough oomph to go out and shovel the driveway.  There was not a lot of snow, and I did a lousy job, but I felt I had accomplished something.

Not much snow, not much driveway.

This is a picture from a whole different year, but I wanted to add an illustration.

Today my main concern is to make it to the Herkimer Town Board meeting, which I must cover for Sentinel Media.  I do not know what else I ought to demand of myself.  Like I said, creep slowly back to the land of the living.

Creeping back to life among the living?

I thought I’d throw in one monster.  I was looking for The Blob, which I certainly feel like, but I find The Tingler will have to do.

 

Mummies and Memories

I’m afraid it has to be a Monstrous Monday Post today.  It has in some ways been a Monstrous Monday, as I have been feeling sad and low.  A dear friend from up North passed away.  We had only been Facebook friends recently, but I have great memories of working with her in the Seaway Valley Footlighters, a community theatre based in Massena, NY.

He kind of looks like I feel, only I don’t have a hat like that.

Here is Christopher Lee, looking melancholy as The Mummy.  At least, I don’t think he is a mummy yet.  I have not seen the movie enough time to recognize the scene.

Oops, no monsters here.

Unable to settle on a monster, I share a community theatre memory:  a rehearsal from The Tempest, presented by LiFT, the Little Falls Theatre Company.  There were no monsters onstage, but the blond in the back is a wizard.  Does that count for anything?

Now there’s a mummy, if you like.

This is not Christopher Lee.  I quite frankly do not know which mummy this is or what movie it is from.  This post is definitely not one of my best efforts.  I guess I’m going to bill it as a blogger’s sad day and drive on.  As usual, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

Spoiler Alert! I Give Away the Ending of One Monster

I am resorting to a Monstrous Monday post, because I fear if I wait till I leave my house and do something blogworthy (and there is no guarantee of either of those things happening), I will not post at all.  We can’t have that.

“Why can’t we?”

Regular readers may remember my favorite guy, Nosferatu, of the eponymous 1922 silent film.  It’s scary!  I love it!  I also love the song by Blue Oyster Cult, which I only recently discovered.  I think my vampire friend looks startled in this picture, or perhaps he is just trying to remember how to say grace.

She looks like I feel.

And here is the beautiful Candace Hilligoss in Carnival of Souls (1962).  I guess she is not looking her best in this shot.  Carnival of Souls is a great example of how you can make a very unsettling movie on a low budget.   One might argue that Candace is not exactly a monster, but I usually try to avoid arguments as I often lose them.

Another scary one!

These could be described as monsters of the human sort, but I believe they call themselves witches.  Does anybody recognize a young Christopher Lee?  I think I need to revisit some of these older horror movies I have on DVD.

A reformed monster.

I close with a seasonal monster, the Grinch.  I suppose this gives away the ending of the story.  I know what!  I’ll put in a Spoiler Alert in the headline!