Category Archives: personal

Remember my Bald?

Posted on June 15, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Does anybody remember when I was going to get my head shaved to raise funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation?  Do you also remember that it was cancelled due to Covid?  Well, it was, back in March, and I did not worry too much about it till recently,  when hair establishments began re-opening.

I began feeling a little self-conscious about my increasingly unruly mop, especially when so many of my friends, family and co-workers had donated to a good cause, in addition to the entertainment of seeing me bald.  The money had gone to the cause all right, but there I was with my head of quarantine hair.

I was fortunate to get an appointment at my favorite establishments,  Hot Spot Salon and Spa in Herkimer, NY.  I took a Before picture, specifically for blogging purposes.

I am lousy at taking selfies.

One could argue that it is no sacrifice to get rid of such bad hair.  Additionally, with the hot summer weather coming, it will be a pleasure to be bald.  Well, never mind all that.  I said I was going to be bald, and I am a woman of my word.

Ta-dah!

I confess to a few moments of, “What was I thinking?”  But mostly I think it is funny.  And I do it to honor my beloved Aunt Carlyn, who lost her hair and her life to brain cancer.  St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds cancer research.  So I wear my pate proudly, and remind myself to use sunscreen on top now.

 

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Mohawk Valley Lame?

Posted on June 13, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Please don’t eat the daisies!

Hello, and welcome to Lame Post Friday.  I open with a picture of my daisies, just to make things pretty.  I have had a fairly productive day and do not despair of making a not bad blog post.  Of course, no promises on a Friday (or ever, I must admit).

I mowed the lawn and spent some time chopping and pulling up overgrown stuff where I cannot mow.  I briefly considered taking before and after pictures but decided against it.  It would have distracted me from the task at hand, and I needed to get all the work possible out of my burst of ambition.

After a shower and rest, I finished my articles for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  They sadly were forced to cancel the April, May and June issues.  I was delighted to make submissions for July.  I hope they like what I wrote.

The lovely bouquet on my mantle.

As a preview of coming attractions,  this is a photo from one of the businesses I wrote about, Houle Flower Farm in Little Falls.  Indeed, I must also make a blog post about it soon.

I do love flowers.

And this is a shot from AW Greenhouse and Garden, also in Little Falls,  the other business I wrote about, and another subject of an upcoming blog post.  I may return there soon for more Johnny Jump-ups.

I really like them.

And so I close with a previously shown picture of the Johnny Jump-ups.  I can’t wait to see where they jump up!

So I guess this has been a flowery Lame Friday Post.  Just my little contribution of beauty to pur world.

 

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Running Off Frustrations

Posted on June 12, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I needed to go running this afternoon.  For one reason, I did not run Tuesday or Wednesday,  and my run on Monday was short (I counted my gardening on Tuesday as exercise, since I spent a goodly amount of time walking around carrying rocks) (no, I have no excuse for Wednesday,  judge me if you must).  Where was I?  Ah yes, running off my frustrations, or rather making a blog post about how I attempted to do so.

It does not matter why I was frustrated; it is, in fact, the least interesting part of the story.  Suffice it to say, I felt that some time spent beating up my body would do me good.  So I changed into running gear, threw a load of laundry into the washing machine, and took off.

I had great hopes for this run, because my back was feeling much better than it did on Monday.  However, once I started running, my legs started to feel awful.  Well, that’s what I get for taking days off, I told myself.  Just keep going.

So I did.  The sun was warmer than I prefer, and soon sweat was seeping into my eyes.  Ouch!  Wasn’t that head band helping at all?  Apparently not. I moved my glasses to wipe with my hands or my sleeves.  Don’t touch your face, you advise?  Good luck with that!

I got to smell one lilac bush and one patch of peonies, plus another peony on my cool-down walk.  I had managed to run for a mere 20 minutes, with a 10 minute cool-down walk.  Better than Monday, not as good as I had hoped.  As far as my rotten mood, I guess it helped.  A glass of chocolate milk (my usual recovery beverage) (it’s science, you know!), a cool shower, and a glass of wine (In that order) also helped.

Finishing a 300-word blog post is pretty good too.  And tomorrow is Lame Post Friday!  As always, I hope you’ll tune in.

 

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Where Is Nosferatu?

Posted on June 11, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I felt so happy when I realized I could make a Mid-Week Monsters Post today.  I am feeling so tired, and not for any good reason, but I do so love to be a daily blogger.  I also love monsters.

“Aaaaah! A monstrous mid-week!”

I open with my favorite,  Nosferatu.  I love this shot of him, because I think it looks like Canal Place in Little Falls.  Perhaps in reality it does not, but how awesome would that be if Count Orlock joined LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company?

Are we monsters? Or do we just play them on stage?

Here is a shot of the building I think Nosferatu is standing in front of.   It was taken at a rehearsal for The Tempest three years ago (yikes!  Has it really been that long?).  I’m the one in the middle, with the big hat.  I can’t remember who took the picture.

Hmmm, no. These windows are different.

This is not a monster, but I think it is quite possibly haunted.  It is the Lorraine Billings School in Herkimer, NY, a sadly derelict building.  I noticed it while searching my Media Library for more monsters.  I wondered if the windows were similar to those in picture number one.

“Hey, wasn’t this post supposed to be about me?”

Back to Nosferatu, and I do not believe I have any other pictures of such an arch.  Perhaps that could be a mission for me on a future walk:  to find a similar local setting for a future Monster Blog Post.  In the meantime,  I am over 250 words.  I call that OK, and I hope my readers were reasonably entertained.

 

 

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Do I Have Rocks in my Head?

Posted on June 10, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today I decided to plant the Johnny Jump-ups I purchased on Sunday at A&W Greenhouse Gardens in Little Falls, NY (more about them later) (preview of coming attractions).  This might be worth a blog post, especially as I took a couple of pictures.

There is a space to the right of our porch (facing the house), which needs work.  Originally some really blowsy day lilies grew there.  Steven eventually  mowed them down a few times.  Last year we tried covering the space with an old shower curtain and some decorative rocks.  We used red, but they are not that color now.

This year, over the difficult to mow space in front of the no longer red stone, I put some dark garbage bags weighted down with stones.  This is supposed to produce an area suitable for planting.  This is where I wanted to plant my new flowers.  My hope is that they will jump up (which is what they do) all over the front yard.

I guess I did not wait long enough.  When I pulled up the bags, there was still plenty of grass underneath.  This proved fairly easy to pull up, so I had at it and soon had at least a small area cleared.  I dug into this area with my dirt digger upper (no idea what the tool is really called), and planted my Johnny Jump-ups.

Perhaps I need to buy more.

I put rocks around them, so I would not mow over them (no promises for the ones that jump up elsewhere, but I will do my best).  Then I decided to put the garbage bags back over the surrounding grass.  At least it is that much space I don’t have to mow, and maybe I can put fall flowers down later in the year.

I let the rogue daisies live.

As you can see, I have a lot of rocks.  I hope to do more landscaping things with them eventually.

I love the different colors.

I close with a different angle of the new addition to my lawn.  I confess to feeling a slight frisson of virtue for not making a Tired Tuesday Post.  As always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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Or Is It Non-Sequitur Monday?

Posted on June 9, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went on a run after work today, which I very rarely do on a Monday. On most Mondays I let myself off the hook, hence my usual Monstrous Monday.  This week I decided to mix things up.  For another reason, I needed to do laundry, and it is so handy to put the load in the washer, then run till it’s done.

It was a bad run almost immediately, and it did not get much better.  I cut it short, because my back was in screaming pain.  However, I do not mean to complain.  Not too much, at any rate (I know that to some people, any negative peep is too much complaining and I should just stop whining, but do any of those people read this blog?  I’m thinking not).

Pretty! And they smell good!

The highlight of my Monday was the blooming of my peonies.  I had to go out and take a picture.  I thought my readers would take flowers instead of monsters.  Any who are disappointed can comfort themselves with the thought that more monsters will be forthcoming sooner or later.

In the meantime,  I backed up and got a shot of my out of control daisies.

I just can’t bring myself to cut them back.

Then I remembered that I had never taken a picture of the bird house I recently hung on the porch.  I surprisingly got my Tablet to zoom in.  The last few times I tried that, all I would do was change it to selfie mode.

I am not sure a bird could actually live in that house.

I went up on the porch to try for a closer shot.

It is perhaps an awkward angle.

Imagine my chagrin when I saw the price tag showing.  Full disclosure: I did not purchase the bird house.  I found it in one of those canvas dumpsters in front of somebody’s house.  Hey, reduce, reuse, recycle, am I right?

So this is my Mixed-up Monday Post.  Hey, have I just invented another feature?

 

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Wrist to Svengoolie

Posted on June 8, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did say “no promises” about a better post on Sunday, didn’t I?  I guess it’s always No Promises for Mohawk Valley Girl.  But I am making my post on Sunday and not early Monday morning, so there’s that.

Yeah, what she said.

So it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Yes, I am a little sad that tomorrow is Monday.  Of course I want another day off, who wouldn’t?   Yes, yes, I am happy to be back at work, I am grateful to have a job. Cannot one feel ambivalent about these things?  Sheesh!

I love this guy!

Earlier we watched a DVR’d episode of Svengoolie.  Fun!  It was the original Frankenstein, an excellent piece of cinema. James Whale, the director, was a genius. And Boris Karloff was, of course, wonderful.  However, I prefer it when I can hear Karloff’s mellifluious voice.  “Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…”

The best!

Right now we are looking at Watch on the Rhine, another DVR’d feature.

The definitive monster.

I thought I had a picture of Bette Davis in Watch on the Rhine, but apparently I do not.  However, I found a shot of Karloff in Frankenstein.  I think that is even better.

I Ser I am over 200 words, so I shall return to enjoying my Sunday (as opposed to regretting my two day weekend).  As always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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I Should Have Made a Better Blog Post

Posted on June 7, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, I am up to my old tricks again, falling asleep before I make my blog post then frantically typing at 5 a.m. to make up for it.  I had meant to make a Saturday Running Commentary Post. I even took a picture of my new running shoes for an illustration.

I had to lean over my fat belly to see them.

I was wearing my Boilermaker t-shirt,  which was given to me by a friend.  She had purchased it for herself, for inspiration.  Since said inspiration was not forthcoming, she passed it on to me.  It fits me, so my bloated belly showed.  I did not take a picture of that.

It was actually a pretty good run.  I ran for a long time and went up a couple of minor hills.  My new sneakers were an utter delight.  I purchased them on sale at Melfi’s Shoes in Ilion, NY.  I should probably write a whole blog post about that, in order to give a shout-out to a local business.  We all know Mohawk Valley Girl loves local!

So I guess this is my blog post about what I should have written my blog post about.  I’ll call that OK for 5:30 on a Sunday morning.  I’ll try for a better blog post later, but no promises on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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Flower Friday?

Posted on June 6, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

They smell nice too.

This is a bouquet I purchased from Houle Flower Farm in Little Falls.  I mean to do a whole post about them, and potentially an article for submission to Mohawk Valley Living magazine,  but that is for the future. Today is Lame Post Friday,  and I am drinking wine and relaxing myself.  However, I also took a couple more pictures of flowers, and perhaps they will improve my post.

Yay! Irises!

Regular readers may remember that I shared a picture of iris buds recently.   Imagine my delight when I saw that a couple had bloomed.  I hope to share pictures of other blossoms in coming days.

Steven and I spent some time on our deck, enjoying our Friday.  Steven admired our rhododendron.  Naturally I took a picture.

I find it impressive.

While I was out back photoing the rhododendron,  I noticed how invasive my chives had become.  I took another pic.

The purple flowers hold the seeds.

I love my chives, but I hope they do not choke out my Black-Eyed Susans, which also reside in this area.  Additionally,  I see a tree starting to grow.  I am inclined to let a tree grow,  since my existing trees may need to come down one day.  But is this the proper spot for a tree?  Am I the judge of these things?  I DON’T KNOW!!!

These questions are too deep for Lame Post Friday.  Let us just admire the flowers and look forward to the weekend.

 

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Revisiting Junes Past

Posted on June 5, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

This is a view I would like.

This is not my current view.  For one reason, the Hot Spot Salon and Spa is currently unable to offer pedicures.  I should really paint my own toenails.  But never mind that.  This is a Throwback Thursday Post.  I found the above picture in my Media Library under June 2019.  I find it inspirational.

Will they be as good this year?

And here is a picture from June 2018.  I hope my irises are as beautiful this year.  I may find out soon.

Ooh, a year of more pesto!

This is my basil container from June 2017.  I did not use that container this year.  Damn!  And I was so pleased with my basil!  But I suppose I must make do.

That is as far back as my Junes go.  I only started my Media Library in October of 2016.  But this is too short for a post.  Let me see what else I can come up with.

He loves me, he loves me not…

Here is a favorite picture from last June.  I know it is not the best thing to let things grow in the cracks of pavement, but I just have to admire the will to live of these plants.  And not just live, but spread beauty and joy.  I flash on Jeff Goldblum in the first Jurassic Park movie: “Life finds a way.”

I guess my blog finds a way, too, because I sat here disinclined to post anything till I thought of Throwback Thursday.  I hope to see you all again tomorrow for Lame Post Friday.

 

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