Category Archives: personal

I Guess I’m on the Cusp

It seems I am no longer a daily blogger.  I do not like that.  I like to be a daily blogger.  With that in mind, I am sitting at my dining-room-table-top on Friday morning, hoping to make a Throwback Thursday post.  Then later today I can make a Lame Post Friday post, and go on from there.  I have a recent history of dropping the ball on weekends, so we shall see.  A little suspense adds interest to my week.

So pretty!

I throw back to November 2016 and a lovely bouquet sent to me by my husband, Steve.  He recently sent me another bouquet, but I have neither my cell phone nor my Tablet handy to take a picture, and anyways, that would not be much of a throwback, being just earlier this week.  Then again, some people feel 2016 is not so long ago either.  I cannot deal with these deep questions so early in the morning.

So sweet!

Another picture from 2016:  our sweet, dearly missed poocher, Spunky.  I was watching the National Dog Show yesterday and simply longing for another dog of my own.

Time to be merry!

Let me take a break from melancholy with a Christmas muppet picture.  I feel Thanksgiving is a fitting start to the Christmas season, with Santa Claus anchoring the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  One of my favorite Christmas movies, Miracle on 34th Street, begins on Thanksgiving.  I happened to catch that movie recently.  I am ready to feel Christmasy, are you?

I hope everybody had a lovely Thanksgiving, by the way.   As for this blog post, I am going to bill it as a Non-Sequitur Thursday, seeing as I am having Throwback Thursday on Friday morning, and I cannot decide between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

I Decide to Make a Blog Post

I am so indecisive! I was going to write in the TV Journal, then I thought I would make yesterday’s blog post.  TV Journal… blog post… Which one?  I paused, suddenly paralyzed, between the couch and the dining-room-table-top.  What a terrible feeling!

I finally sat on the couch and wrote the preceding paragraph and thought, hey, that might make a good introduction to a blog post.  Perhaps my readers will be amused at the thought of me standing in my living room, taking half steps in opposite directions as my brain refused to make up its mind.  Or perhaps they could sympathize with a spate of indecision interrupting one’s day.  At any rate, I got on the laptop (dining-room-table-top is too awkward to type every time) (yeah, I realize I just did.  It is not easy being me, but it is fairly entertaining) and eventually began to type (this computer takes a long time to boot up, get to a site, and log in).

Where was I?  Ah yes, nowhere in particular, but trying to type in some semblance of a blog post.  Writing tends to alleviate my depression, when I can tamp down the do-nothingness and actually do it.  That is, as fellow sufferers know, the terrible cycle of depression.  Doing almost anything might alleviate some of the symptoms, but one of the dominate symptoms is the almost overwhelming desire to do NOTHING.

I do manage to get to work every day.  And most days, I manage to take a walk in the morning.  Exercise is a potent and underused anti-depressant.  And so I try to self-medicate.  As a matter of fact, I did have the vague plan to make a Pedestrian Post after this morning’s perambulation.  However, I see I am approaching 300 words by rambling on about my tiresome mental gyrations.  I still have to make my lunch, so I am going to follow my usual method: Hit Publish and Hope for the Best.

 

I Feel Monstrous When I Don’t Write

I like Monstrous Monday.  No matter how down and dull I feel, I almost always feel capable of putting up a few monster pics with my own silly comments.

That sounded so confident.  While I typed those two sentences, a voice inside me was saying, “No, you can’t. You don’t really feel capable of anything.  Furthermore, your comments are dumb, boring, and repetitive.”  I believe it is either my depression or my low self-esteem talking (you wouldn’t think an egotist such as myself could suffer from low self-esteem,  but so it is).  Am I oversharing again?  I had better get on with the monsters.

What I feel like some days.

Ooey-gooey!   I think my favorite part of The Blob is the theme song.  That tango beat!

What I do not seem to have some days.

I like to share The Brain from Planet Arous when I am feeling particularly brainless.  Come to think about it, I have not seen that movie in some time.  I wonder if I have it on DVD or video.

I just loves me some Nosferatu.

I thought I would throw in a picture of my favorite, Nosferatu from the 1922 silent film.

Kafka knew from monsters.

I close with a quote to encourage myself.  Making silly comments about monsters is at least writing something.  Perhaps I can segue into something more literary, or at least more lengthy.  For a Monstrous Monday blog post, I am going to call this sufficient.

 

Late for Friday, Looking Forward to Saturday

What did I say about late posts being a thing?  At least I made Thursday’s on time, if anyone was keeping score.  Be that as it may, here I am early(ish) Saturday morning, lounged on the couch, on my second cup of coffee, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet (just to give you the full picture), trying to make my Lame Post Friday post.

Well, that was annoying.  I just searched my Media Library for a picture of Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer, NY.  I plan to meet a couple of friends there for lunch today, so I thought I could give them a shout-out as well as making this a Preview of Coming Attractions.

Never mind pizza, how about some wine?

I was able to find a picture of Prospect Falls Winery.  I am also hoping to make a trip there this afternoon.  I hear they are celebrating an anniversary.  I love that place and have not been there in a while.

My usual partner in crime.

Here is my friend Kim, enjoying a libation at Waterfront Grille.  I do not plan to go there today, but it is a favorite spot.  It was the first picture of Kim I came across in my Media Library.

I see I am over 200 words.  Sufficient for a Lame Post Friday post, especially a late one.  Just to complete my shout-outs:

Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, 650 1/2 German St., Herkimer, NY, 315-866-2600

Prospect Falls Winery, 400 Academy St., Prospect, NY, 315-205-4045

Waterfront Grille,  800 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY, 315-717-0700

 

A Little Snow, A Little Post…

I shall make my Throwback Thursday Post on Thursday.  I hope.

Some call it the four letter word that begins with S.

I go to November 2020 in my Media Library to find some snowy pictures to share.  The Mohawk Valley got its first snowfall of the season on Wednesday.  At least, it is possible that some areas already saw a flake or two in the air (cue bad jokes about me being a flake), but I did not hear about them.  Wednesday morning I went for my first snowy run since last spring.  It was not too bad, but I did not take any pictures.

He’s so cute!

This jaunty snowman stood in a yard on German Street that November.  I have not made a snowman in years.  Perhaps I will make one this year.

At least the sidewalks are bare.

Here is a shot from March 2018.  By March most of us are heartily sick of winter.  Right now, to me, it is kind of fun.  I know some people are in despair already.  Sorry, guys (I use “guys” in a unisex manner).

The Abominable Frankentree?

I think our Frankentree looks a little scary covered with snow.  One might argue that I look for monsters everywhere.  My reply us, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”  Maybe I am just wishing I had done a Mid-Week Monsters Post.

 

Not Wuss-out, Shout-out!

I should have known I would wuss out on Wednesday.  I had to work late (for me).  But never mind that.  Instead of another post that is not really a Post (autocorrect decided to capitalize that, and I think I like it), I will share a couple more pictures from my Saturday adventures, thus giving another shout-out to a local business.  I have used this headline before, but I guess I am wussing out on coming up with a better one.

Aren’t they cool?

This is from Rose Quartz Stand in Herkimer, NY, who recently moved next door to a larger space.  They have all kinds of gems and minerals, but I am particularly fascinated by the geodes.  How do the geologists (if those are the ones that find them) know which rocks to crack open?

Very pretty!

I have purchased several of these angels for friends.  Who couldn’t use a little blessing?

There are also some delightful animals carved from stone.  I have a small collection, which I usually add to when I stop there.

Rose Quartz Stand is located on the corner of Mohawk and South Main streets in Herkimer.  315-868-5199. They are open Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.,  Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

 

I Suppose This Is a Blog Post

Oh dear.  I thought that when I made my Monstrous Monday Post on Monday, I was beginning a week of on-time posts. It did not take long for that to fall apart as I failed to post on Tuesday.  Now I am sipping coffee on Wednesday morning (THANK GOD for coffee!), and thinking I should attempt some semblance of a blog post.

I did not have any Mohawk Valley Adventures yesterday.  I did go for a half-hour walk in the morning, as I do most mornings.  My reasons are several:  I hope to improve my physical health, keep my weight down, and alleviate my depression.  I know I could have put “physical and mental health,” but I wanted to make it sound like two different reasons.

I suppose I could have (and still could) make a Pedestrian Post, but those are so much better with pictures, and it is usually still dark when I take my walks.  I further suppose I could search my Media Library for pictures previously taken of places I walked by.  After all, I can only walk by so much in a half-hour walk, even if I start in a different direction each time.  I only have so many directions to pick from.

I am realizing I suppose a lot in these posts that are not really posts.  I suppose I could write this, I suppose I could write that…  I comfort myself once again with the reflection that writing about not writing is still writing.  I am going to bill this as a Tired Tuesday Post and drive on.  First I will throw in a picture, just for fun.

Not what I saw on yesterday’s walk, but who doesn’t love a rainbow?

 

I Creep into a Monstrous Monday Post

Hello and welcome to another Monstrous Monday Post.  It has not been a horrible Monday.  It rarely is.  My life is not that bad, which makes my persistent depression difficult to understand and not a little embarrassing.  However,  my purpose now is to entertain myself and (I hope) others with a few creepy-crawlies, or perhaps gruesome movie villains.

Is he as villainous as he looks?

Here is one of the masters, Vincent Price.  I believe this is a publicity shot from House on Haunted Hill, which features the immortal line, said to Price by his onscreen wife, “Darling, the only ghoul in this house is you.”

I don’t think he is bidding us velcome.

And here is one of our finest ghouls, Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula.  He is looking rather malevolent in this picture.

Crazy love? Insane love? No, it’s…

I was hoping to find a creepy-crawly but will make do with creepy:  Peter Lorre in Mad Love, one of my favorites.

Not from a movie, but they will do!

Here are a couple of crawlies!  They were props for a murder mystery.  I do love fake bugs and often use them in my home decor.

I guess my gruesome friends have cheered me up.  At least I have made my blog post, which always adds to my level of contentment.  I will try for a more Mohawk Valley-oriented post tomorrow,  but, as usual, no promises.  Creep and crawl on, my friends!

 

At Least I Have Been Adventuring

I really, truly, totally meant to make my Saturday blog post on Saturday.   Then I thought for sure I would make it early Sunday morning.  Or maybe later Sunday morning after my run.  Predictably,  here I am Sunday evening,  hoping to make some semblance of a post.  No promises.

On the brighter side,  I am better off than I have been some weekends when I just quietly did not post at all Saturday or Sunday.  I have to congratulate myself on the small wins.  I can only hope that one day they will lead to larger wins.  Or maybe to getting anything done at all.  But let us not ask for miracles.

New digs for one of my favorite places!

Here is one of the pictures  I took Saturday in hopes of doing a Scattered Saturday Post.  It is Rose Quartz Stand, one of my favorite stores.  They recently moved next door, to the corner of Mohawk and South Main streets in Herkimer,  NY.  It is a larger space and very nice.  I must write a longer blog post about it.

The downstairs is open!

Another blog post I need to make is one about Mohawk Valley Community Market,  on North Main Street in Herkimer.   They recently expanded.

Look at all that fun stuff!

One more shout-out on this post-that-is-not-really-a-post:  A Little Touch of Country on South Washington Street in Herkimer.  What a lot of really nice stuff!

As you may guess, I did a bit of adventuring on Saturday.  Isn’t that often the way:  when you do a lot of stuff, you are too tired to make a blog post; when you are not too tired to make a blog post, it is because you have not been doing anything worth posting about.

However, I see I am approaching 300 words.  I call that good on what is often a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

 

Don’t Say I Never Gave You a Lame Post Friday Post

The earlier in the morning I make my late posts, the less late they seem.  That is logical, of course.  However, there is also the school of thought that a miss is as good as a mile; that is, late is late.  As long as you’re late, you might as well be REALLY late.  Then again, sometimes you are so late, you might just as well not bother.

I find it does not pay to generalize.

Anyways, here we are, early Saturday morning, I couldn’t sleep any more, I hope my husband, Steve, is bringing me coffee (he is!), and I don’t really have a whole lot to say, even for a Lame Post Friday post.

It is raining heavily and has been since yesterday afternoon.  I guess we can’t say Hurricane Nicole never gave us nuthin’.

By the way, that is one of my favorite things to say, “Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’!”

Some examples:

Someone:  You gave me your cold!

Me: Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’!

Person:  You’re always giving me crap!

Me: Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’!

Song on the Radio:  You’ve given me (given me) nothing but shattered dreams (shattered dreams)!

Me: Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’!

Blog Reader:  You keep giving us with these late, lame posts!

Me: Don’t say I never gave you nuthin’!