Category Archives: personal

Great Weather, Dull Post

Posted on November 17, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today is the sort of day November sometimes gives us as a gift, a kind of a fond farewell to the warm weather. The sun was bright, the sky was blue and it was warm enough to not really need a jacket.

I walked to the post office with Tabby, to mail some postcards I had written. I started out in my rain jacket (for the large pockets), toque and sunglasses. A hat of some sort was necessary, due to a bad hair day. I told myself it didn’t matter if it was too warm for the toque; the young kids are wearing knitted hats in all kinds of weather these days. Still, after about five steps, I returned to the house, ditched the jacket and switched out the toque for my crazy old lady hat.

The combination of crazy old lady hat (it has a wide brim) and sunglasses was the way to go. What a day! After a while I was actually looking for shade. A guy was raking leaves in his front lawn. What a good job he did; that lawn was almost pristine. I told him I had to go home and do that, but I didn’t mention that my lawn will probably never look that good.

I noticed a “Beware of Dog” sign on a house, where I happen to know an adorable little pooch, smaller than Tabby, resides. I shan’t reveal where the house is, in case they are hoping to frighten prowlers with thoughts of the Hound of Baskervilles, but I had to laugh. Then I thought, it was on the driveway. Perhaps they were warning visitors not to run over their dog. I’ve never seen that pooch on a leash (in their defense, he doesn’t seem to leave the lawn and I believe the people are right there when he’s out).

After we got home from our enjoyable walk, I spent some time raking leaves, as I said I had to. I didn’t get very far. In my defense, Steven had already filled most of our yard waste bins. What a thankless job raking is. I can see why people like leaf blowers, although I find them obnoxiously loud when the neighbors use them.

This pedestrian post has been even more plodding than usual, I’m afraid. Well, one does one’s poor best. Perhaps I can do something better tomorrow. Maybe some running commentary. Or there is another Vincent Price movie I can write a post about how I can’t write a post about. I do hope you’ll stay tuned.

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To the Play!

Posted on November 16, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

There I was at work (on a break, that is), writing my Friday Lame Post, and I thought it was going rather well. Then I realized I had written something extremely similar already. I was mortified.

And then I couldn’t really think of anything better to write, because I got a headache. Not a bad one, but I didn’t like it. So instead of thinking about my blog, I plotted how I could get out of going to the play at Ilion Little Theatre, which Steven and I had planned to attend. We can’t go on Saturday, because we have been invited to a party. We will probably be too tired on Sunday.

At the end of the day, I told my co-worker (who had earlier that day heard my weekend plans) that I would go to the play on Sunday.

“You will not. You’ll be too hungover from the party. You won’t go see that play at all!” He felt quite confident in his prediction.

Long story short (I know: too late): here I sit, showered, dressed and ready to go. Play tonight. Party tomorrow. Blog post in between.

Short post for now.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

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Wuss-out Walk

Posted on November 14, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Wuss-out Wednesday, I offer a brief pedestrian post about a walk my husband and I took with our schnoodle, Tabby.

What I mainly wussed out of today was running. I spent all day at work trying to psyche myself into a running state of mind. I pictured myself running. I thought about various streets I particularly like to run on. I anticipated with relish writing a blog post about the run. All to no avail.

Well, you can look superior all you like, but the only ones who really are superior are the ones who actually did run today. To those readers, I hang my head in shame. To all others I explain, “Shut up.”

It has gotten cold in the Mohawk Valley, as one expects it to do in November. We even had some snow. Naturally I’ve been singing “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” but not too loudly, because I don’t want to get punched in the nose.

All that long introduction is because the walk was actually short and uneventful. It was cold. I keep telling myself, not as cold as it’s going to be. I had on my insulated sweatshirt, toque and gloves, so I felt pretty comfortable. It was about to get dark, helped on by sporadic cloud cover. We could see the moon, at a little more than half.

“The full moon is Sunday,” I told Steven. “We’ll have to take a walk after dark then.”

Everybody’s Halloween decorations seem to be gone, except for a few rotting pumpkins here and there. Some scarecrows remain, as well as pots of mums, but those are appropriate for Thanksgiving and fall in general. We saw a lighted Christmas tree in one window.

“It’s too early, but it’s pretty,” I said.

Tabby trotted along in a businesslike fashion, stopping the usual amount of times to sniff. She led us down Bellinger Street to Meyers Park. We saw a few trees that still had colored leaves on them, although in the fading light it was difficult to see the color. The trees in the park were mostly bare. I love the sight of bare branches against a grey sky.

Going up Prospect Street, we passed the parking lot for Basloe Library. I had thought to go there tonight, before opting for the walk. They are open till seven Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Perhaps I’ll make it there on Saturday. I haven’t gotten my library fix in a while.

We did not take a very long walk, but we enjoyed it. Another good thing about the cold was that a hot shower felt really good. I am now feeling all cuddly in my sweats. Having written my blog post for the day, I retire to plot real Mohawk Valley adventures for the rest of the week.

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A Hastily Thrown Together Post

Posted on November 13, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I worked on three different posts today and I’m not going to use any of them. Instead I offer a cooking post on tonight’s hastily thrown together supper.

I arrived home close to five o’clock with my husband, Steven, due to arrive at 5:30. I felt pressed, I felt stressed, but I was on the job. After petting my dog (priorities, you know) then washing my hands (food safety, of course), I peeled and chopped an onion. I chopped it fairly small, because onions sometimes take a long time to cook, but not too small, because I didn’t have a lot of time to spend chopping. I put it in a pot with a lid, added some olive oil and put it over medium heat, so I would have something to turn down from when it started to sizzle.

I peeled and crushed some garlic and set the timer for fifteen minutes, so it could reach its full anti-oxidant qualities. Then I realized I could actually sit down for a few. After all, the onions did not need to be stirred constantly.

The onions were practically done, some of them even browning when the timer went off. I put the garlic in the pot and stirred it up. Leave it like that for a while? Check the time. Steve would be home soon. Check the onions. Getting soft.

I added a can of chicken broth and a can of water. Then I put in some frozen spinach. For seasoning I added lemon pepper (actually the bottle says Lemon and Pepper Salt Free), McCormick All-Purpose Salt-Free for Savory (or something like that)(I know I could go downstairs and check the bottle, but it’s been a long day), and parsley flakes. I briefly lamented that I could no longer get fresh parsley from the garden, but after all, people who package dried seasonings need to make a living, too.

When the broth boiled, I added cheese tortellini. It took a little longer to cook than package directions said, because it took a while for the broth to get back to boiling, but that was no big deal. Steven had arrived home just before I added the tortellini, and he had left again to go put air in my soft tire. Did I mention he is a very good husband?

Side note: Yes, I KNOW I can pump up my own soft tires. Steven offered to do it before we ate, so it would be done. Yes, I owe him a favor. Stop shaking your feminist fingers at me (you know who you are).

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Curse You, Vincent Price!

Posted on November 12, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

What is it about Vincent Price? I start to write a perfectly straightforward post about one of his movies and I get all bogged down and confused and it takes me days to get it right.

At least, the one I started today hasn’t taken me days yet, but I can see which way the wind is blowing. First it was The Tingler. Now it’s The Mad Magician. What’s a blogger to do but write about the problems she’s having writing. (I didn’t end that last sentence with a question mark, because it is rhetorical. I don’t need any smart answers from the peanut gallery.)

After all, I avoided Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I think I’m entitled to a Middle-aged Musings Monday. I shall muse about my trials and tribulations as a writer.

The problem I had with The Tingler and am having with The Mad Magician is neither Writer’s Block nor Writer’s Blank. It’s quite the opposite. I have too much to say (some people think I have too much to say at all times, but I daresay they don’t read my blog, so we need not consider them).

Usually, having too much to say is not a problem. I just write and write till it’s all said. I find that fun. In this case, however, my thoughts do not flow in a logical fashion. I start out talking about pre-movie commentary, jump to the plot, jump back and add in the spoiler alert, remember something I forgot from the commentary, go off on a whole other tangent.

Some may say that’s still no problem. Just write it all down they say, perhaps in a condescending, overly patient voice (you know who you are). Sort it out later. Well, that is what I’m doing. However, these things take time and effort and a good deal more oomph that I can generally muster on a Monday.

I repeat, what’s a blogger to do?

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Not My Usual Sunday Run

Posted on November 11, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Pouring rain and cold outside, me coming down with a cold inside, but dammit, I wanted to run. When the rain let up, I set out.

My thermometer said it was in the 40s, but I thought it probably felt colder, what with the rain and wind. A wind warning had been issued for Oneida County, which is just a few miles down the road. I wore pants, a long sleeved t-shirt and a headband covering my ears. I was glad of all three, especially the t-shirt, whose sleeves were long and loose enough to cover my hands. Actually, I had to be careful or the cuffs started to flap in the breeze.

I had gone down German Street to Caroline when I last ran, six days ago (say it ain’t so!), so I turned right on German this time. I thought about it being Sunday, and how my previous Sunday Run included running by the high school, which is on the other end of German. Well, this would not be a usual Sunday run, I told myself.

I had thought to run almost to the end of German, but I hadn’t gone a block when I saw some people walking a dog ahead of me. It was not a small dog. I’m not afraid of dogs, especially when their people are right there, but this group seemed to take up a lot of space. I turned down Prospect Street.

That was OK. I could run to Meyers Park. It used to be a thing with me to always go through Meyers Park at some point in my run. Now I only sometimes hit it. It seemed to take a long time to make it all the way down Prospect. Well, you know my middle-aged shuffle.

Through the park and onto Park Avenue. Doesn’t Billy Joel mention Park Avenue in his song “Big Shot”? I thought the people who live on that street probably enjoy saying, “I live on Park Avenue,” in a hoity-toity tone of voice. Then I realized that if I ran all the way down Park Avenue, I would be practically at the high school. I could do my usual Sunday run in the opposite direction. Score!

It was grey and gloomy, but I didn’t mind that. When I thought it was starting to rain again, I wasn’t thrilled, but it didn’t amount to much. I admired some colored leaves still on trees. Fall isn’t quite over yet. My run was going pretty well, but I was tired by the time I reached the high school.

The few times I’ve been running lately have not included many hills, so the slight upslope to get out of the parking lot looked a little challenging (I did mention I was tired by then, right?). Don’t be silly, I told myself. That’s no hill. Back on German the continued gentle upslope made me feel even more tired. Then I reached a point where I knew it was all downhill. Not a real downslope, mind you, but aaaahhhhhh.

I had not thought to try to increase my run time, since I’ve been so inconsistent about getting out. However, due to where I had run, I found I had added the recommended ten percent to last week’s time. It started to rain again while Tabby and I walked my cool-down. I felt grateful that I had run. Now I contemplate the upcoming week, hoping it is not so long before I am out there again.

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Oh No! It’s a Love Story!

Posted on November 10, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not done anything really blogworthy so far today (although I may mock something up about my earlier gyrations), so I thought I could watch a cheesy horror movie to write about. I love to write about cheesy horror movies, and it’s Saturday afternoon. What better time for a monster movie? (Actually, in my estimation, any time is a good time.)

So after my usual Spoiler Alert, let’s get on with it.

I DVR’d I Walked With a Zombie (1943) from TCM sometime in October. Only an hour and fifteen minutes long. Perfect!

Of course I knew zombies in older movies are not usually the disgusting flesh-eating zombies we know and love from more recent fare (full disclosure: I haven’t seen a more recent zombie movie than the 1968 Night of the Living Dead; I just thought the expression “we know and love” would sound cool). Still, I thought catatonic undead, mindlessly obeying the nefarious behest of some villainous sort, what’s not to like?

Once again, I was in for disappointment. Oh, it was a perfectly good movie. I watched with interest. But it wasn’t a monster movie, it was a love story! It was based on a novel, and I know just the sort, because it is the kind I used to read all the time, in the tradition of Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and whichever Bronte sister wrote Jane Eyre.

In fact, when I looked it up in Leonard Maltin’s 2011 Movie Guide (Signet, 2010), I read that it was loosely based on Jane Eyre. Maltin says it with an exclamation point, like he just can’t believe it. I can believe it. Brooding romantic guy in an exotic setting with a crazy wife, wholesome young thing to fall in love with him. That’s Jane Eyre. The charming younger half-brother and the wise (or IS she?) mother are more from the Holt and Whitney canon.

The atmosphere is pretty well done, and the voodoo scenes are creepy. There is one voodoo’d guy who is my idea of a 1940s zombie: bug-eyed, shuffling, doing what the voodoo guy orders him to do, pretty scary, although you could probably outrun him.

Perhaps I didn’t need the spoiler alert, since I haven’t said too much about the plot. I won’t, either, because I think the movie is worth a watch, as long as you don’t have your heart set on a monster. For a romance novel, it makes a fairly decent horror flick.

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Ah, the Weekend

Posted on November 9, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I contemplate the upcoming weekend, I am thankful that for the most part I got the I Don’t Have a Headache Friday I had hoped for. Now to make my post and start thinking about Saturday. My blog has been thin of Mohawk Valley adventures lately. I can find many possibilities to remedy the deficiency.

I have no less than three theatrical productions I could check out. Ilion Little Theatre opens their season with the comedy Bless Me, Father. However, this play runs next weekend as well, so we may take it in then. The theatre is located in The Stables on Remington Avenue, behind Remington Arms in Ilion, NY. Performances are Nov. 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m.

A friend at work told me about Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen,an original play being presented by Utica College this weekend. It is based on true stories from profoundly poor Utica resident as well as people who volunteered at the kitchen. The play opened last night, and my friend said it was very good. It is in Strebel Student Center Auditorium, 1600 Burrstone Rd., Utica Nov. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

If we don’t feel like driving to Utica, Herkimer High School is offering The Best Haunted House Ever. This especially appeals to me, given my love of all things Halloween. That play also opened last night and continues Nov. 8 and 9 with a 7:30 p.m. curtain time.

These are only the plays I have some first-hand knowledge of. As I pulled the newspaper out of recycling to double check times, I see at least two more, so sorry to any thespians that didn’t get a shout-out this time!

During the day on Saturday, I might check out the Helping Animals Live Organization (HALO) Trash to Treasures Sale at the Herkimer Polish Home, 319 S. Washington St., Herkimer, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I have found some really good stuff at previous HALO sales. I always like to support HALO, which is a no cage, no kill cat rescue organization.

I was also thinking of swinging by Basloe Library in Herkimer. I’m not looking for anything in particular, but it has been a while since I’ve just browsed the shelves. If I’m there at 11 a.m., I can listen to the Guitar Group. This is an informal group that meets and plays Saturday mornings. Everyone is welcome to listen or to play along.

I could go on about some other possibilities, but I think I’ve given myself enough to think about. And I certainly have some better options than, for example, doing the laundry and cleaning the house. Happy Friday, everybody!

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Yes, Another Damn Headache

Posted on November 8, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Dear Reader,

Please excuse Mohawk Valley Girl from making a blog post today. She has a very bad headache.

Sincerely,
Mohawk Valley Girl

OK, that was really lame, and it is not Lame Post Friday yet. I would like to spout out some half-baked philosophy regarding the contention that a foolish blog post is better than no blog post at all. But, again, half-baked philosophy is for Lame Post Friday. What I am really hoping for, however, is I Don’t Have a Headache Friday.

Interesting phenomenon: I dragged myself from my sickbed to write just a couple of lines so that I’ve posted something, and I can’t seem to stop typing.

OK, now I can.

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What a Wuss

Posted on November 7, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s Wuss-Out Wednesday and I’ll just have to feel bad about that, if I’m inclined to. I’m not, really. It’s been a bad week so far. Bad for novels, bad for blogs, bad for running and bad for cute little doggies.

Tabby had to go to the vet for some dental work today. She had to be sedated, and Steven had to leave her there for a few hours. I don’t know who was more upset about it, him or her. I heard about it via cell phone at work, and I wasn’t exactly cheerful about it myself.

I would like to give a shout-out to Mohawk Valley Veterinary Clinic, where we bring her. They are very nice there and very professional. I’d like to give a real plug to them, sharing some pertinent information, but right now I’m busy wussing out. Oh dear.

Tabby is fine now. They called Steven and told him he could pick her up between 4:30 and 5, which information he duly relayed to me. I thought Tabby would like it best if we both came to pick her up. So, naturally, I could not go running. At least, if I had been in better shape, I suppose I could have run to the clinic and met Steven there. Um, I did mention this is Wuss-Out Wednesday, didn’t I? Well, I wouldn’t like to run without Tabby anyways, because she always walks my cool-down with me.

So this is me, wussing out on a Wednesday. No Mohawk Valley adventures are in the offing, so the rest of the week may seem wussy as well. What can I say? I live to write another day.

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