Category Archives: personal

Wussed Out and Not Very Way Back

Posted on September 22, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yikes, look at the time!  As usual, I wussed out on Wednesday and did not make my blog post till now, early Thursday morning.  But not as early as I usually make my blog posts.  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  I feel I must confess, moreover, that I do not have my usual excuse for not posting yesterday.  We did not indulge in our usual treat of music and food at Fratello’s in Frankfort, NY.  I was just tired.

One reason I was tired was that I went on a run.  I ran faster than I usually do, especially on a week day.  This, of course, is not nearly as fast as others run, but one does what one can.  Still, since I had just about talked myself out of running at all, I thought I done good.  Unfortunately, it was not a particularly memorable run, making a Running Commentary Post ineligible.

How about a Way-Back Wednesday post instead?  I wonder if I can find something old in my computer downloads, just as something different from my Media Library.

Aren’t they cute?

Here is an oldish picture of our dear friends, Phyllis and Jim, dressed for Halloween.   We lost Phyllis in 2021, and I miss her dearly.   I treasure my memories.

Another great memory.

Here are Phyllis and Jim plus Steve, at Salvatore’s Pizzeria in Herkimer, NY.  Three of my favorite people at one of my favorite places!

So I guess it is not a very far back Wednesday.  A Little Ways Back Wednesday?  However, it does me good to remember my lovely friend Phyllis.  We’ll have to get together with Jim again soon (preview of coming attractions).

In the meantime, I have gotten myself up to nearly 300 words.  Score! If I also have time to eat breakfast, it will not be a bad Thursday morning for me.

 

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Tuesday Trudge?

Posted on September 21, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have long tried, sometimes successfully, to motivate myself with the mantra Just Do One Thing.  I recently encountered a similar thought in a Facebook meme.  It went something like, Can’t do the dishes? Wash one plate.  Can’t take a shower?  Just wash your face.  So this morning when I woke up with my entire body and psyche screaming that they did not want to walk, I thought, Just go around the block.  Take a short walk.

I was doing really well with my early morning walks for a while.  I was up to 30 minutes, drinking water while I walked and making my way to the spring to refill my bottle. Yesterday I did not walk at all. This morning I told myself a ten minutevwalk would be acceptable.

Temperatures have dropped somewhat as fall approaches, but it was no cooler than sweatshirt weather.  That is fine with me as it gives me pockets for tissues and my phone.  I took a bottle of water but did not intend to refill it.  It was kind of nice to walk a different route from to the spring and back.

Down to Church Street and over to my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners, I decided.  That would make two blocks.  Further than intended but not as far as previously.  Thus I compromise with myself.

I did not take any pictures with my phone, because pictures taken in the dark so rarely turn out well.  But perhaps I can find something in my Media Library to pep up the post.

It looks more mysterious in the dark.

Here is the graveyard surrounding Herkimer Reformed Church.  I find it fascinating any time of the day or night.

As I approached the church, I saw a bicycle in the parking lot entrance.  It looked for all the world as if it had been left out with the trash.  Tuesday is trash day in Herkimer.  That can’t be, I thought.  Still, there it was, and who knows what the garbage collectors might think.  I took it upon myself to move the bike from the curb.  I leaned it against the railing of the steps leading up to the church’s back door.

That was the only excitement in my walk, which lasted 17 minutes, by the way.  So I got some semblance of exercise today.  And now I have made some semblance of a blog post.  Score!  Not bad for a Tired Tuesday.

 

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Vamping with Vampires

Posted on September 20, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

It should come as a surprise to no one that I am ready for bed on a Monday, have not made my blog post (nor in fact accomplished much of anything useful), and, quite frankly, I got nuthin’.  This is the point where I usually start to throw in pictures of monsters and vamp.  One thing I can do is vamp, although I usually call it blathering on.  Why don’t I call it vamping?  It sounds like a much better thing to do, in a blog post or elsewhere.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”

Since I mentioned vamping (no, autocorrect,  not camping, vamping!), I searched my Media Library for a picture of a vampire.  I was hoping for Dracula, but Nosferatu will do just as well.

“Let me shed a little light on the subject.”

There’s my boy Bela!  Bela Lugosi is considered by many to be the definitive Count Dracula.  It is certainly an admirable performance.

I wish I had this book in my collection!

I do not know who the model was for this depiction of the Count, if in fact the artist used a model, but I just love these pulp fiction paperbacks.  I buy them whenever I find them for cheap.  Sometimes I actually read them, although they are often falling apart.

I keep hoping I can segue from these admittedly foolish blog posts into some more better writing (grammatical error intentional), but it hasn’t happened yet.  Still, one continues to hope (one being me).  In the meantime,  I hope at least some of my readers have been entertained, and as always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Some Kind of Sunday

Posted on September 19, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, looking back over the last week, I see I have missed a few blog posts.  Well, at least I will not miss my Sunday post.  Last week I considered instituting a different feature from Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  That still appeals to me.  For one reason, I feel I must explain Wrist to Forehead every time, and explanations are so tiresome.

I must make a note to myself to strive to make my blog posts earlier in the day.  I get so tired so easily!  Perhaps I need to lead a healthier lifestyle.  Any suggestions?

A lucky find in my Media Library.

I have had an enjoyable if not particularly productive day.  I went for a long (for me) run, I grocery shopped, I did a load of laundry, I cooked a tasty dinner, and we watched movies, one of which I found a picture from, Murder by Death.

I cannot seem to find any good pictures from Sleepy Hollow, the first movie we watched, but here is a funny story about it.  Our DVDs are in alphabetical order.  I started looking for Sleepy Hollow   under “H,”  because I usually call it The Headless Everybody.

Skulls are so in these days.

The last movie we watched was The Screaming Skull. I think I have the movie poster in my Media Library but am too lazy to look for it so downloaded the above from Facebook.  You would think I could have found an image of Sleepy Hollow that way, but apparently not so much.

This is a fun book.

In my gyrations to share the skull picture, somehow I inserted Dick and Jane and Vampires into this post, which was also in my Media Library.  I know I could easily delete it, but I kind of like it.

I see I have somehow gotten to 300 words.  How did that happen?  I don’t know how to bill this post.  Cinema?  Scattered? Slacker?  Maybe Searcher Sunday, because I was searching for pictures to share.  Any thoughts?

 

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Lost My Train of Thought?

Posted on September 18, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

The reason I did not make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday was that I flatly had no time to do it.  I rushed home after work with just enough time to get ready to go to the Richfield Springs Scenic Railway.  And I only had enough time for that due to diligent pre-planning and preparation,  which regular readers know is not my strong suit.

Yes, the cars originally belonged to Frontier Town.

I suppose I could have, in fact, made my post after I got home or even early Saturday morning.  Oh well, I did not, and it is too late now.  However, I had a marvelous time on the train, as did my husband, Steve, and our friends Kim and Rob, who joined us.

Kim and Rob, excellent adventure companions.

This morning I wrote an article about the railway for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  That is how we got hooked up with tickets for the excursion. How awesome was that?

Steven, getting on the train.

My sister Diane, who I spoke to before I wrote the article, suggested I cut and paste from the article for my blog post.  It is not a bad suggestion, only I typed the article into my dining-room-table-top and I am currently on my Tablet.

OK, one more picture.

However,  I hope this will do for my blog post.  For more information on Richfield Springs Scenic Railway, you can visit their Facebook page.

 

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Where Are Those Monsters Now?

Posted on September 16, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Early Tuesday morning I made my Monstrous Monday Post, but before I did that, I had tried to make a different post.  I had in fact began said attempt on Monday. On giving it up Tuesday morning, I saved the effort, titling it, “To Continue This Blog Post?”  Then, as people may or may not have noticed, I failed to make any post for Tuesday or Wednesday.   I felt bad about it, but there it is.  Now it is Thursday night and there is no blog post in sight.  So here is the post I started to make:

What did I say about making a better blog post?  Whatever it was, it is not likely to happen.  I might as well acknowledge that I am going through a rough patch, in my blog and in my life.  Since the blog is about my life, I suppose it should come as no surprise that both hit a rough patch at the same time.  But don’t mind me; I’m always whining about something.  My problems almost all fall under the heading Operator Error and are mostly First World Problems anyways.

Where was I?  Ah yes, making another Monstrous Monday Post. Can I do it?

As it turns out, I could not.  I typed in the above last night (one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet).  I am now ten-finger typing on the dining-room-table-top, sipping coffee for which I am truly grateful.

Here is the thing about depression:  doing almost anything can make you feel better.  It won’t definitely make you feel better, but there is a very good chance that it will.  However, when one has depression, the first thing one wants to do is NOTHING.  I lie in bed or sit on the couch or do my job at work, thinking, “I can do this, and then I’ll do this, and it will be a good idea to to this…”  But I don’t do it.

I have gone over this before, although I feel it bears repeating, at least to me.  Now that I typed the preceding paragraph, I realize I have proved my caveat:  anything can make you feel better, BUT it might not.  Obviously starting a blog post did not make me feel better, because I could not continue.  Some voices in my head want to argue this:  “You COULD have continued, you CHOSE not to,”  “It was a stupid, boring blog post anyways,” “This one is even worse.”

I’ll stop that right now.

OK, back to Thursday night and I see that this nonsense runs over 400 words.  I feel dreadfully self-indulgent publishing it, but then again, why not?  People can read it or not.  If they read it and think it sucks, they can always feel pleasantly superior.  Thus I rationalize myself.  In any case, I think I will try to come up with a punchy title and bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.

 

 

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Depression is Monstrous

Posted on September 13, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

I started a blog post last night but did not finish it (obviously).  I tried to finish it this morning but got bogged down in a morass of words about being depressed.  It felt whiny and pointless, so I stopped (although I did save it for possible future use).  I want to publish something, so I am going to throw in a few monster pictures and call this a Monstrous Blogger’s Sick Day (depression is an illness, although I feel somewhat fraudulent using it as an excuse) (never mind that, on with the post).

“You cannot escape!”

This is from Carnival of Souls, an excellent example of how a movie can be quite unsettling on a low budget and minimum of special effects (you know, it is much easier to italicize words with a mouse than on a Tablet) (just to throw in a little computer chatter).

My depression looming over me? Only I do not look that good in a bathing suit.

A little Creature from the Black Lagoon never hurt anybody.  Some people find it helpful to picture their depression as an animal that follows them around.  I wonder if a mind trick like that would help me.  I could picture it as a monster and make friends with it.

“Hi, Depression. Nice suit. Green suits you.”

Maybe not.

Invasion of the Happiness Snatchers?

Or I could fight my depression with a pitchfork, and a little help from my friends.  The pitchfork only provided temporary relief in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but it certainly made for a dramatic moment.  Regular readers know I love drama.  I wonder if the pod people could be worked up to a full metaphor for depression.  That might be something to play with sometime.

And now I see I am approaching 300 words, with very little effort and only a minimum of whining.  I will make a greater effort toward even less whining, and as always try for a better blog post next time.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

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What? No Sunday Swoon?

Posted on September 12, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am beginning to think I need a different feature to replace Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Lately I do not possess the requisite oomph to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead, on a handy chaise lounge or elsewhere.  I know some of you are asking, how much energy does it take to swoon?  Very little, I confess, for an ordinary swoon.  But for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday swoon, I need to be dramatic!  Surely you understand (it seemed a good moment to call you Shirley).

Now there is a dramatic swoon!

I throw in a picture from my Media Library to pep things up.  It is from Mad Love, a delightfully creepy movie.  I am ready to start watching Halloween movies.  I do not have Mad Love on DVD, but I think it is still on my DVR from when I recorded it off TCM.

This is me being dramatic.

Here is the picture I was looking for when I found that one of the swoon.  I am the one in blue, wrist to forehead, sobbing,  “Oh shame!  Oh degradation!”  It was in Dirty Work at the Crossroads, a,1890’s melodrama directed by my husband, Steven, at Ilion Little Theatre in 2013.  It was a fun scene to play, but it took a lot more energy than I seem to have these days.

So basically I need something for Sunday similar to Tired Tuesday, only I can’t think of anything alternative.  I do like alliteration.  Then I ask myself, what is my problem that I have to have so many days when I can’t seem to make a decent blog post.  What’s that all about, me?

In the meantime,  it seems I have blathered on for almost 300 words (isn’t “blathered” a word? my autocorrect wants to change it to “slathered”). I say that is not bad.  I’ll work on making a better blog post tomorrow.

 

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Early Run, Late Blog Post

Posted on September 11, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

If I make my Saturday post late (which I am in the process of doing), I am at least doing better than I did last week, when I missed Saturday and Sunday entirely.  Why do I feel the need to emphasize my failures?  Why don’t I just drive on and hope nobody notices?  There is a very good chance nobody will, and an even better chance that nobody cares.  So what’s my problem? Never mind, let us get on with the post.

My Lame Post Friday post ended up being about my Saturday morning run, so I will feel free to talk about my Sunday morning run now.  For one reason, I took a couple of pictures on my cool-down walk.  That should pep things up.

First, however, I will share something I did not mention from yesterday’s run. I had just returned to the suburbs (I call them the suburbs) from the church parking lot where I got a good look at the moon.  It was a dark patch, because of the full trees and lack of street lights (they are kind of spaced out).  Did I see a flash of light?  Then another?

“Good morning,” said a voice, and I saw it was a guy running.

“Hello,” I said.  “I wondered what that flashing light was!”  He laughed.  I have a red flashing light I attach to my road guard vest, but I rarely turn it on.  It does a continuous light or flashing, so that is kind of fun.

This morning, I started my run earlier, so the moon was higher in the sky.  My husband Steve’s nephew, when he was a little boy, used to call it the Moon-a-Moolah, so that is how I think of it.  However, I thought I would not see the Moon-a-Moolah this morning due to cloud cover.  As I ran down German Street, I thought I could see where it was behind some clouds.  Would they clear enough to give me  glimpse?  I did not get my hopes up.

Fortunately for me, I was wrong about that.  As I continued my run, the cloud moved, and I could glory in a full view of the moon.  Yay!  I purposely turned down a road so I was running straight towards it.  Eventually I had to turn, and the moon was to my left.  I turned my head, taking care to also watch where I was going.  I was less successful with that, although I suppose I could also blame the darkness.  At one point, I missed seeing where the road dipped down till my foot thunked lower than I expected it to.  Ouch!  It wasn’t so bad, though, so no harm, no foul.

I kept the Moon-a-Moolah in sight as long as I could but eventually had to head back home.  The clouds were starting the cover the moon again anyways.  I ran for as long as I did yesterday but not for as far.  I set a slower pace.  As I walked my cool-down walk, I told myself that there was no law I had to walk all the way around the block or for a full ten minutes.  However, I did admire the moon again and took the opportunity to take a picture with my phone.

A little hazy but nice.

The moon was not clear even to my eyes, so I did not worry that my phone doesn’t always take the best pictures.  I tried for a close-up, then took one that showed more of the neighborhood.

The sun was starting to take over for the moon.

I enjoy starting my runs in the dark and finishing them in the light.  I also enjoy writing blog posts about them.

 

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Lame Post? Running Commentary? Non-Sequitur? Anyways, It’s Late But Here It Is!

Posted on September 10, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, and welcome to another late Lame Post Friday post (ooh, it is weird not to be ten-fingered typing and not have the predictive text thingy making suggestions). In my defense, and I suppose it is not much of one, I was cheering up my friend Kim, or she was cheering me up, I guess.  This involved sitting on my front porch, sipping wine, and having a lot of laughs. What would I do without my friends?  It does not bear thinking about.

Be that as it may, I am sitting at the dining-room-table-top (which used to be a laptop, as regular readers may recall), having my first cup of coffee of the day.  I have been up for almost two hours, so the coffee is extremely welcome.  I went running for just over three and a quarter miles in 44 minutes.  Yay, me!  Stretching with my recovery beverage of chocolate milk (yum!), a soapy shower (with hair wash!), and a search for something to wear (note to self: do laundry) took up the rest of my morning so far.

Just a quick note about the parenthetical comment about “hair wash” (does that make this Non-Sequitur Saturday?):  since my hair got so long, I do not shampoo it every day.  Some days I put on a shower cap and it makes my showers a whole lot quicker.  I suppose most readers are not interested in my follicular gyrations, so I’ll shut up now (but only about that).

One reason I wanted to go for my run early was to see the full harvest moon.  I love the moon!  Actually, any time of the month I enjoy to start my run in the dark and end it in the light, but the full moon was a definite added attraction.  I saw it from my upstairs hall window when I first got up and said, “Yes!”

As I ran toward German Street, I could just see it disappearing behind some trees.  Damn!  I ran down Germany, hoping for a break in the branches.  I ran faster than I normally would have, because I was afraid the moon was setting and I would miss it entirely.  On I went, catching flashes of it now and then.  Oh wait, that was a street light.  Damn!  Up the hill by Valley Health, would I have better luck in the suburbs?  That is what I call the residential area behind Valley Health, next to Herkimer College (formerly known as HCCC).

Into the suburbs I went.  Oh, there was the moon!  If I could just get to the end of the street I was on, I could see it beyond those trees.  Aaaand, it disappeared behind a house.  Stupid house!  I turned a corner and kept hoping.  I could almost see it as I approached what I thought was the end of a dead-end street, then discovered the street in fact turns into the parking lot of a church.  There was the moon!

Running into the parking lot, I could see the full moon in a break in the trees.  Beautiful!  I turned my head to keep seeing it, knowing that was not the brightest thing to do.  My knee still has a scar from when I was looking at somebody’s yard and tripped on the sidewalk (these things take a long time to heel when you are my age) (middle).  I looped around and admired the moon some more.  Luckily it was a smooth parking lot.

Well, look at me, approaching 600 words.  I guess my Lame Post Friday post morphed into a Running Commentary.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.  For one thing, I wanted to share my story about the moon.  I am off now to plan my Saturday of adventures.  I hope to make a blog post ab0ut it later.

 

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