Category Archives: personal

Lawn Order

Posted on May 25, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I fought the lawn and the lawn won.

I would say we fought to a standstill, but of course the lawn is always growing.  Kind of like my stomach, but let us not dwell on THAT depressing subject.  I was actually pleased with my yard efforts today, and I have a few pictures to share.

Regular readers may remember that I use a non-power mower for my grass cutting needs.  The advantages are that it is quieter, easier to start, and does not run low on gas and oil.  Additionally, I get that frisson of virtue for being more environmentally friendly.  Oh, and it is excellent exercise.

The main downside is that I need to mow more often than I am usually inclined to do.  In this case, I had not mown since last Sunday.  Note to self: don’t wait that long again.

I got the front done first.  It is easier and and arguably more important, because people see it.  NO, I do not care what people think!  Well, maybe a little.  Why would I not want to give the world a pleasant view? I had been working on the back for a while before it occurred to me to take a “before” picture.

It looked more intimidating in real life.

When I looked at this, I could clearly see what I had done and how overgrown the rest of it looked.  This view seems less clear, but I hope it gives an idea.  Photo taken, I had at it again and ended up feeling fairly pleased with myself.  Later on, I took a few “after” shots to round out the blog post.

Did the lawn win? Or did I?

The shadows show that time had passed.  I took a shower, worked on my novel, and watched a little Snapped (what’s a Sunday without an episode or two of Snapped?

Our Rose of Sharon

The Rose of Sharon took a while to start getting green.  At least it is definitely too big to be accidentally mown over (although it was Steven who did that, not I).

The Red Thing from Diana’s house.

This is a better shot of the above plant than I got before, and it has even more green.

Can’t have too many forget-me-nots!

I did not mow over my forget-me-nots!  After taking these pictures, I went out front.

Peonies!

Our peonies were eaten or plucked away by something or someone last year.  I hope they survive this year!

Alligator from Knoeble’s in Pennsylvania.

I put our alligator out front this year.  I would like to get some more lawn ornaments.

I hope to get more lawn and garden work done in the coming weeks.  I have never gotten as much done as I would like.  With so many things cancelled or on hold, this just might be the year!

 

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Fat Finger on Slacker Saturday

Posted on May 24, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a bad bout of vertigo today and did not get much done.  I am feeling a little better now and want to make my blog post.  Unfortunately I am too lazy to sit up at the laptop and ten-finger type, and I cannot find a stylus.  Hence, my headline.

And halfway through typing that paragraph, my darling husband Steven found a pen with a stylus on his coffee table.  This is still typing not writing, as Truman Capote once said, but at least I might have fewer typos.

Regular readers will understand that I want to make a post every day, even when I do not have much of substance to say.  I started to say “feel compelled to” instead of “want to” but decided to for once be less dramatic.

I guess I am still feeling a bit lightheaded, but at least I feel better than I did earlier.  The one good thing was, I went running as soon as I got out of bed.  My first run in almost a week, and it went pretty well.  I wrote two note cards (I am just about out of post cards), which I put put on the mail box. Steven and I had a pleasant interlude sitting on the front porch, and I watched a DVR’d episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 which had me laughing out loud.

And that was my day.  Ah, one thing I did not mention was that I worked for a while on my new novel, which is still in the organizational stages.  I kind of hate to mention it, because I am afraid of jinxing myself. But I thought some people might like to know.

As usual, I apologize for the dull post.  Also as usual, I will try to do better tomorrow.  I am hoping the room will stop spinning.

 

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Lame but Happy on Friday

Posted on May 23, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Almost my sentiments.

Today is my first earned Friday in a long time.  I worked 40 hours.  Yes, yes, many folks worked more than 40 hours and I am sure many worked harder.  I bow to their superior dedication and motivation, and yet I feel that I have earned the glass of wine I am currently enjoying.

The picture above shows a picture our friend Tracy gave Steven for his birthday one year.  At the time, we all lived in the same town and went out almost every Friday night.  Steven and Tracy’s husband, Ron, worked at the same place, which had payday every other Friday.  Sometimes, they would come up with variations on TGIF.  Their favorite turned out to be Thank God It’s Friday And Pay Day.

I just now took that picture of the plaque.  Then I backed up and took a picture of the wall it is on, just because we have a lot of things on our wall.

I may need to take close-ups of some of these.

Steven and I spent some of our Friday sitting on our front porch.  It is lovely to be home with my beloved husband.  And yet, I will be delighted when it is safe again to go out and sit at a bar, enjoying my friends as well.

Like this!

Here are Tracy and I at the Waterfront Grille in Herkimer, NY.  Here’s hoping she can return one day soon for a repeat performance!

On the same visit.

And here is a picture of Tracy and Steven, taken the same day.

So this is my Lame Post Friday.  Happy memories of Friday’s past, hopes for happy Friday’s in the future.  That is a common theme these days.  However, I would like to say that today is a happy Friday, too.  I hope it also is for you.

 

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I’m Back with Backyard Flowers!

Posted on May 22, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

My back was feeling much better today.  I suppose I will look like quite the kvetch if I mention that I had a perfectly dreadful headache, but I will just mention it.  I do appreciate the way my body parts tag team.  Back yesterday, head today;  I guess I really internalized the lesson about taking turns in kindergarten.

But never mind that.  I promised some back yard flowers!

A close up view.

I mentioned yesterday how much I am loving forget-me-nots this year.  When I went to photo my backyard patch, I was delighted to see white ones in with the blue.  I didn’t know they came in white.  I am not very botanically knowledgeable.

This is where I thought they were not going to grow this year.

Here is the view under the rhododendron.  Earlier this spring a different flower was blooming there.  I am happy to welcome the forget-me-nots back.  As you probably noticed, I am letting the dandelions live.  I understand bees like them.  Also, it is a losing battle to try to get rid of them, so I figure I may as well embrace the yellow.

I did not choose the best angle.

The last time I looked at this, I thought it was all dead shoots from last year.  Yesterday, however,  I saw little leaves sprouting out.  Yay!  I’m afraid the picture did not turn out as clear as I had hoped, but I will have more photo ops as we go on.  You may also be disappointed that I cannot tell you exactly what it is.  We got the shoots from my sister Diane a few years ago.  We just refer to it as “that red thing from Diane.”

I hope to plant more things as the spring progresses.  Maybe I can blog more about plants and less about pain.

 

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Aches and Pains, but Flowers!

Posted on May 21, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I need all the help I can get!

I found a four leaf clover on the cool down walk after a recent run.  I open with it, because as I sat down to make my blog post, a voice in my head said, “Good luck with that!”

As I worked today, I thought that after work, I could go for a run, mow the lawn, or take a walk, and write a blog post about whichever I picked.  As I pondered my choices, I had to weigh which would wreak the least havoc on my back.  Hey, I’m middle-aged and overweight: I get back pain.  Returning to work after an extended break has caused some pain (YES, I am grateful I have a job!  We have been through this!  Sheesh!).

I apologize for complaining.  The fact is, most of us at work have been having more than the usual aches and pains.  I may philosophize about possible causes on Lame Post Friday (half bakedly of course) (ooh, here’s an autocorrect I’m glad I noticed: the computer put “nakedly” instead of “bakedly”).  For today, I decided a gentle walk would be my best choice.

I got about two houses down the street when my knees started in.  What the hell, me?  I turned around, thinking I could at least take some pictures at my own house.  First I crossed the street to take a picture of the lilac bush in front of a neighbor’s house.

How have I never noticed this before?

Returning to my house, I took some shots of the front yard.

And a few dandelions.

I am so into forget-me-nots this year, and it seems Mother Nature is as well.  I see them everywhere.

I did not get to the tulips at their peak.

We had two tulips, but I did not get any pictures when they were at their prettiest.

A wider view.

This is a kind of a preview of coming attractions,  because the peonies and daisies are not blooming yet.

I see I am over 300 words, so I think I will save my back yard shots for a future post. I will try not to spend so much time blathering about my aches and pains!

 

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Not Running, Not Writing, I’m Tired

Posted on May 20, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not think for one minute that today was Friday.

I did not work on a blog post before work today.  I started a letter to my sister, then I worked on an anacrostic puzzle.  I love anacrostic puzzles.  I thought, this will be fine.  I’ll go running and do a Running Commentary post.  I should have known better than to think that. So here we are in the middle of a Tired Tuesday post.

I don’t have a mug like this, but I wish I did.

As I type this (back to one letter at a time with the stylus), I am listening to Deadly Women on ID.  I love that Candice DeLong.  Oh dear, one of the women is perpetuating a rather horrific crime.  Sometimes I question my viewing preferences.

As I worked today, I tried to bestir my brain to work on a writing project (yes, computer, I meant “bestir” not “bestie”!  It is so a word, I just looked it up!).  No luck, but regarding that parenthetical comment, how is “bestie” more of a word than “bestir”?  I thought “bestie” was a slang term 9f fairly recent coinage.

There.  I just looked in my Webster’s College Dictionary, copyright 1991, and “bestie” is NOT there, but “bestir” is.  I feel vindicated.

I also feel this is rather a silly blog post, almost a Non-Sequitur Tuesday, but I like it.  I hope my readers will, too.

 

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Merely Monday

Posted on May 19, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hi Ho! Hi Ho!  It’s off to work we go!

That song started playing in my head this morning, and I thought, “Don’t call me a ho!”  Then I thought I would open my blog post with that little exchange.

Yes, I am once again working for a living, wearing a mask and keeping a 6 ft. distance from my co-workers.   Actually,  the mask will reside around my neck for most of the day, since my co-workers are at least that distant most of the time.  Phew!  I feel so sorry for folks that have to keep their masks on constantly.

Really, when you look at all my advantages, I ought to have no complaints about returning to the beastly grind.  In fact, when I got the call to come back, I experienced a good half hour of pure happiness.  I had not realized how worried I was that furlough would turn into lay off.

You may have guessed by now that today’s post will be a Middle-aged Musings Monday.  Hmmm… considering how incoherently I have rambled so far, perhaps a Monday Mental Meanderings or even a Muddled Monday would be more appropriate.  So much alliteration.  So little substance to the blog post.

The important thing here is that I sat at work before my shift and WROTE.   It felt pretty good.  I think I’ll try it again tomorrow.  Maybe I can come up with something better than  Tired Tuesday Post.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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I’m Grateful it’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on May 18, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

This is actually a pretty good way to make sure Monday is a lousy day.

No, I am not pouring booze into a blender.  I am enjoying a mere moderate amount of white wine and plan to go to bed at an early hour.  Tomorrow I return to work after almost two months off.  Oh don’t shake your finger at me and tell me to be grateful I have a job to go back to.  Of course I’m grateful for what I have.

But while we’re on the subject,  did you ever notice how easy it is to tell other people what they ought to be grateful for?  You can put almost any kind of a gripe out there, big or small, and you can be pretty sure some yahoo will pipe in with, “Just be grateful that…”

“I have to go to work!”

“Just be grateful you have a job!”

“My house burned down!”

“Just be grateful you got out alive!”

“I lost my left leg!”

“Just be grateful you didn’t lose both!”

These may all be very good points, and gratitude is indeed often appropriate.  Sometimes, however, you just want the space to be grumpy.

So this is my space, on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Tomorrow I will be grateful.  Today, I will have a little more wine.  Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

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Svengoolie then Slack on Saturday

Posted on May 17, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, here’s another late post, and I still can’t find a stylus,  so I’m fat fingered typing.  I thought I might try typing with two thumbs, like a real texter,  but of course my thumbs are even fatter then my fingers.  Now I am trying hunt and peck with my two index fingers.  So much for my Tablet troubles.

I went for a pretty good run yesterday and wrote four post cards.  That was the extent of my usefulness. Judge me if you are so inclined.  Steven and I were also able to enjoy a little porch sitting, although it was not as warm as Firday.

I think the highlight of the day was our viewing of a DVR’d episode of Svengoolie.  I mostly mention it so I can include a picture.  They really do pep a post up, or so I flatter myself?

My new favorite guy.

I really think I need a rubber chicken in my life.

I saved this poster a few years ago!

I had to search for this!  Dracula’s Daughter was the featured movie last night.  I must have used this poster on a some long ago Monstrous Monday.  How fortunate that I remembered I had it.

I see I am approaching 200 words, so I will call this a Slacker Saturday and drive on.

 

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Into Every Life, a Little Lame Will Fall

Posted on May 16, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

How fortunate that it is Lame Post Friday.  For one thing, I do not have much to say.  For another, I cannot find any of my styluses and am fat fingered typing.  Yes, my fingers are as fat as the rest of me.   Additionally, I have been drinking red wine. Don’t  judge me, it’s Friday night and I go back to work on Monday!   Oh, OK, judge me I don’t care.

Yes, I return to my place of employment on Monday.  Now days of the week will once again have meaning.  It will be fine.  After all, one needs to work for a living (one being me, of course).

That will count as my half-baked philosophy for the week.  As for my random observations,  it has just gotten dark, cloudy,  and windy outside.  Yikes!  Earlier it was warm and a trifle humid.  Steven and I sat on the front porch and enjoyed ourselves quite a bit.

So now I have fulfilled the requirements of Lame Post Friday:  random observations and half-baked philosophy.  If only I could think of a good headline, I would be reasonably content.   Hmmm… nothing is coming.  Oh well, as that great philosopher Mick Jagger said, You can’t always get what you want.

Incidentally, the weather is getting loud and threatening.  Yikes!

 

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