Category Archives: personal

Decorations Past, Future Plans?

I am not waiting for my dining-room-table-top to boot up and get to WordPress, I am pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet as I sit lounged on my comfy couch.  Full disclosure: I am not as comfy as I might be, because I keep doing crap to irritate my back.  I know, I know:  lift with my legs, not my back!

Anyways, it is Friday morning, and I thought I would try for some semblance of a blog post.  A comment yesterday complimented me on my Christmas decorations.  I confess, they are not great this year, but I can share some pictures of previous years and call it a Throwback Thursday Post.

Look at all our toys!

2017 was a good decorating year, it seems.

A less cluttered arrangement.

It is nice to look at these pictures and think, “Maybe next year…”  Then again, I think I thought that last year.

Backing up from the previous shot.

I have long had it in my head to get my house thoroughly cleaned and organized.  I make a little progress, then get discouraged and slack off.  I suddenly have the thought that it is time for New Year’s Resolutions. Could I use this sort of motivation to jump start my efforts?

Hmmm… This could start me off on a whole big thing on New Year’s Resolutions, which have become a kind of a controversial topic.  Sounds like a good idea for Lame Post Friday, a post I hope to make later.  We shall see.

 

Wuss-out, Wayback, Wordless, It’s Not Even Wednesday Anymore!

So I wussed out on Wuss-out Wednesday, not making a post at all. No excuses; as I often say, explanations are tiresome (I know this, because I usually try to explain things and it is almost always tiresome) (for me as well as the listener).  As I prepare for a 12-hour day (don’t ask), I thought I would attempt some semblance of a blog post, since I will no doubt be too tired to do so later.  I was thinking Way-back Wednesday when I had the heady thought, Wordless Wednesday.  Just pictures!  I can shut up!

As if I ever do that!

Just to put you in the picture: I am ten-finger typing on my dining-room-table-top (which regular readers may recall began life as an ordinary laptop).  I thought it would be quicker, but this computer takes forever to boot up and for any pages to open up.  Yikes!  It is sheer relief that I am sitting here typing and not watching one of those little circles swirling, swirling…

But I digress.

Alas, not my New Year’s Eve outfit.

I believe I wore this fabulous ensemble to the Ilion Little Theatre Christmas party in 2016.  Then again, I had a more active social life in those days, so I may have been going somewhere else.  Now that I look at it again, all I can see is the clutter at the bottom of the stairs.  Perhaps if I had not said anything, some people would not have noticed. Oh well, I have never denied the fact that I am a lousy housekeeper.

I see I have blathered on for over 250 words.  Score!  If I wuss out again this evening (which, full disclosure, I fully expect to do),  perhaps I could manage a Non-Sequitur Thursday post tomorrow.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Tired But Still Blogging

I had hoped that Tired Tuesday would not follow Monstrous Monday, but here we are.  Yesterday wasn’t such a great Monstrous Monday Post anyways, with only one monster picture and a whole lot of whining, but one does what one can.  My intention now is to make some post, any post, and continue to do so every day.  We can all hope that at least a few good posts sneak their way in.

I do not feel really awful about not making a better blog post today, because I had little chance to do anything blogworthy.  I went to work and after work stopped at three retail establishments.  Oh, OK, it was the liquor store (I usually call it the liquid store, after a then four year old niece referred to it as such), a convenience store, and the grocery store.  I suppose I could have worked one or all of those into a blog post.  I can’t do it now.

“Ho! Ho! Huh?”

I thought I would throw in a picture to pep things up and found a shot of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians in my Media Library in December 2020.  I feel it is OK to continue the Christmas spirit till New Year’s Day, if not Jan. 6.

In case you had not noticed, I continue my slow convalescence from the flu.  YES, I am grateful my case was not worse. I admit it may  be unbecoming to continue to complain. Sheesh!

On the brighter side, I am over 250 words.  Score!  Maybe I could try for a Pedestrian Post tomorrow.  Or there’s always Wednesday night at Fratello’s.  Different possibilities add interest to my life.

 

Old Blogger, New Monster?

Could I be getting older?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!  Actually,  that is a silly thing to say, because of course I am getting older.  You get older or you die; those are the choices.  The reason I ask is that this flu has really knocked me down.  I feel so NOT recovered.  I think I am recovered.  Logically I know that I did not even get as sick as other sufferers.  Yet I feel dragged out.  Or like something the cat dragged in, as the saying goes (that is another way to get away with using a cliche, by the way: you add in the phrase “as the saying goes”) (the usual trick I use is to throw in the word “proverbial,” as in, “something the proverbial cat dragged in”) (but I digress).

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” And you can see who he’s calling a ho.

I thought I would throw in a monster picture before I got even more bogged down in parenthetical comments. This is a new picture I just stole from one of my monster pages on Facebook.  I had thought to try for a Monstrous Monday Post.  I kind of feel like I am starting blogging all over again.  In fact, I feel I need to begin a whole lot of things all over again:  running, cleaning my house, getting my act in general together…

So I guess I have made another blogging start.  Future posts may document how I progress with everything else.

 

Lame in the Christmas Season

So I have gone a week without posting.  That is not good.  In my defense, I have had the flu, despite getting the damn flu shot!  I feel rather ill-used about that, in addition to feeling just about as crappy as I have felt in a long time.  I feel I should have a good descriptive of my crappiness, but nothing is coming (autocorrect wanted to make that “creepiness.”  More appropriate? Discuss amongst yourselves).

On the brighter side, I have been feeling Less Crappy for a couple of days now.  I don’t feel that I will ever be 100% again, but I look forward to feeling progressively less crappy as 2022 wanes.

I hold tight to that glimmer of optimism, because I am very sad about basically missing over a week of precious Christmas time.  In addition to having scandalously few presents for my family and friends and very little energy to make up the shortfall, I have missed enjoying the time.  I was about to start taking walks around the neighborhood in the evenings, to enjoy seeing people’s lights.  I was going to listen to all my Christmas CDs, a feat I have never managed in a single Christmas season.

But don’t listen to me wine.  We never do all we intend or hope, even without health issues.  I also remind myself that depression is a well-known after-effect of flu, so I must not feel too concerned about feeling a little down.  By the way, that could be a whole other blog post: how we must not beat ourselves up for feeling down, thus creating a downward spiral.

Now I see I am over 250 words.  More than respe table for Lame Post Friday!   I will just find a Christmas picture in my Media Library, to end on a festive note.

All my Santas say Merry Christmas!

 

Short, Whiny Post

I thought I would make a short post to let my readers know I am taking a Blogger’s Sick Week.  It started with a cough on Tuesday and went downhill fast from there.  There is no point and little entertainment value in giving a blow by blow of my hideous nights, trip to Urgent Care, worry about my job for which I have not accrued much sick time…

Oh dear, I suppose that is quite a bit of whining for one paragraph.  In my defense, I feel TERRIBLE!!!  And nothing helps!

This is what happens with these illnesses that last for more than a day.  All I want to do is sleep, but  I can only sleep so long.  Does everybody have that problem?   I have not been knocked out by OTC decongestants and cold medicines in a long time.  That is how powerful my insomnia has become.

I have now established that I cannot do anything right now other than feel sick, and that includes making a decent blog post.  I hope my readers will forgive me and tune in again when I make a better blog post.

I Wine on a Monday

Regular readers know I love wine.  I appreciate it when the local liquor stores have tastings, because I can try before I buy.  This is one reason I often go to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY.  I was delighted when I heard they were doing 12 Days of Christmas Tasting.  Of course I do not intend to show up all 12 days (although it is tempting). In fact, I had already missed the first three days on Monday when I stopped in and was delighted to see a wine tasting in progress.

I had not consulted the flier I had picked up so did not expect a wine but a liquor tasting (Valley seems to do a lot of those lately, but perhaps it is just the days I happen to stop in).  This was OK with me, because I need to pick up a bottle of booze for a Secret Santa I am participating in.  I had not even brought in one of my little notebooks I use to record tasting notes.  However, I always have a little notebook in my purse.  Surprisingly, I did not have a pen, but the pourer, Felicia, had one I could borrow.

Felicia is one of my favorite pourers.  She is so friendly and knowledgeable about what she pours.  She often has good ideas about food pairings, a subject about which I know very little.

A tasting is so much better with a good pourer!

We started with Ruffino Prosecco.  I had been under the impression that all Proseccos are sweet, but Felicia told me they can go either way.  This one was middle of the road.  Felicia pointed out it was not so dry that one needed to mix it with juice or soda to sweeten it.  I said I liked the dry ones.  We moved on to the Ruffino Pinot Grigio, which was citrusy and very nice.  The Simi Chardonnay was oaky but not too buttery.  Felicia and I agree on disliking the buttery ones (although I know others love it).  Moving on to the reds, I sampled the Ruffino Chianti. It was very light.  The Simi Cabernet Sauvignon was also very nice.

I decided to get a big bottle of the Ruffino Pinot Grigio, because I was in the mood for a white.  I greatly enjoyed the interlude.  It was a nice ending to a Monday.  Looking ahead, I may return to Valley on Wednesday for Menage a Trois Wines.  After that… well, we shall see.

Valley Wine and Liquors is located at 326 S. Caroline St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-867-5800.

 

Predictably Lame

I was afraid I would neglect to make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday.  Even my predictive text thingy is on to me.  But it is counterproductive to beat oneself up about these things.  I am lounged on my couch, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet (thank you, predictive text thingy), sipping my first cup of coffee with real gratitude.

I am up as early as I am during the week, which I feel rather ill-used about on a Saturday, but it is by no means unusual for me.  I opted not to run the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls, NY this morning.  One advantage,  I said to myself, was that I could sleep in (oh well).  It was still a kind of a load off my mind.  I have not been running as much as I like to before a 5K, and even in my best shape (which is still kind of round and puffy), I get so nervous.  I like butterflies, but not in my stomach.

Predictably,  I feel a little wistful now. It is such a fun run, and I get to dress up.  Oh well, maybe next year.

Oh dear, I suddenly realize:  I have gotten predictable!   We knew I would make my blog post late!  We knew I would not sleep in on a Saturday!  We knew I would feel bad about not running the 5K!  I need to find something unpredictable to do right away.  I can make a blog post about it.

I suppose you knew I was going to say that.

 

Morning Walk

Ooh, look at the time!  It is about ten minutes to seven on Friday morning.  That is not early morning for me, as regular readers may know.  Regular readers may also have observed that I missed posting Wednesday and Thursday. I am ten-finger typing on my dining-room-table-top, wishing I had a little more to say.  I took a walk this morning, so perhaps I could manage a Pedestrian Post.

It was colder than it has been recently but not as cold as it is likely to become, so I do not repine.  I did wear my biggest, warmest cape, a hat, and gloves.  I got myself a bottle of water, clicked my Garmin to “Walk,” and set out.  I was headed towards Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners, knowing I have nighttime pictures of them in my Media Library (see, even then I was hoping for a Pedestrian Post).  However, I was still a block away when I noticed the moon-a-moolah.  That is what my husband’s nephew used to call a full or almost-full moon.  It was beautiful!  I turned a corner, so I could look at it without walking backwards.

I stretch a point, to include a picture.

I could see the lights from Herkimer Reformed Church as I turned the corner so feel free to include a picture taken in December 2020.  Pictures do pep up a post!

I continued up to German Street, which I crossed, and made the rest of the walk a dead end walk.  That is, I walked up and down a few dead end streets, to look at Christmas lights on houses.  I really must take some walks in the evenings, when more folks have their lights on.

Another shot from 2020.

I did not see this light this morning, nor would I have if I had gone to Main Street.  Apparently the Village of Herkimer does not keep these lights on in the morning either.

On the brighter side (see what I did there?), I am over 300 words.  Regular readers know I call that respectable. Now I have to finish getting ready for work.

 

Is This a Blog or Therapy?

This will be a very fast Tired Tuesday post with not promises as to reaching my self-imposed, admittedly arbitrary 200-word minimum.  I am ten-finger typing on my dining-room-table-top (for those of you just tuning in, it is a laptop on its last cyber legs, we dare not move it) on Wednesday morning.  I have had coffee, taken my walk, and eaten breakfast, but have yet to make my lunch.  I am, as I knew I would be, regretting not making my post last night.  In my defense, I was depressed.

I fear this must be a blogger’s sick day, or perhaps another day when I whine and cry about my own petty personal problems.  I remind myself that other people have much worse things to deal with.  This does not always help, because I feel I am an ungrateful wretch for complaining at all.  I do cultivate gratitude, pointing out to myself every little thing that I can feel thankful for.  I read in some dumb woman’s magazine that it is impossible to feel depressed and grateful at the same time.  It is not true, at least for me.

But never mind my whining, let me instead list a few things for which I can be thankful right now.  It was not raining but merely misty this morning and warm, making it a delightful morning to take a walk.  Some people had their Christmas lights on  I do love Christmas lights.  I have received a couple of Christmas cards already.  I do not have to work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  I am gainfully employed at a job which makes a positive difference in people’s lives.  I have a very nice family and am able to talk to my parents almost every day.

See, me?  All this good stuff.  And here is another one:  I am about to publish a blog post of over 300 words.  Is it a good blog post?  Let us not ask for miracles.  Part of me says I should just save this to drafts, it is nothing more than an attempt at self-therapy.  However, I shall hit Publish, to let others with depression know they are not alone.  I don’t know that they will be especially flattered to hear they are in the same club with me, but I cannot worry about that now.  Perhaps I should look into getting some actual therapy.