Category Archives: Uncategorized

Yay! Halloween!

I had been wanting to return to Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit ever since I wrote about it for the October issue of Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I decided Sunday was the day.

I made the decision as I drove to church, over Higby and down Graffenburg roads.  The views were incredible.  I had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the road.  I thought, “Steven has GOT  to see this!”

When Steven got home from work, he readily agreed, so, after doing a couple of chores we didn’t want to put off, we set out. I brought our Tablet, to take some pictures.

“Maybe I’ll finally learn how to put them in my blog,” I said.

I did not take any pictures of the views as we drove but right away saw things to snap photos of at the Junction.  After clicking outside for a while, we went into the barn and spent some good time looking at ALL kinds of decorations.

After acquiring some great new stuff for our Halloween decor, we went out and wandered through the Cornfusion Corn Maze.  We were delighted with our trip.

And now I am typing my words into WordPress.  I see how to add a photo, but am not sure how to… position it.  I wanted to put a photo up top, then words, then another photo, then more words.  Oh dear, let’s see what I can do…

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ALL sorts of pumpkins, gourds and squashes!

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We did not try to guess the weight of this pumpkin, although they had a contest for those wishing to try.

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Just one of the excellent displays

And now I see that I must learn more about this adding photos business. However, for today, here was my text and here are a few pics.  Local readers will like to check out Pumpkin Junction; it is a most wonderful Halloween place.  They are located at 2188 Graffenburg Rd., Sauquoit, and are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.  You can Like them on Facebook.

I’m Splitting Soon for Splitting Issues

Well, so much for the post I started to write earlier today.  I do not have time to finish it, because I must be off to rehearsal soon.  Regular readers may remember that Steven and I are in Splitting Issues at Ilion Little Theatre (ILT). It is coming up SOON!  Do I know my lines?  Do I have my costume together?  Do I remotely have any part of my act together?

We all know the answer to the last question is no.  The costume, I am working on.  Likewise my lines.  For today’s post, I will just talk briefly about the play and encourage local readers to come check it out.

Splitting Issues consists of nine short scenes involving different characters and situations all dealing with relationships.  It is written by Sam Bobrick, who wrote other plays that have been presented by ILT.  It is a very funny play. We were all cracking up at auditions.

Steven and I are in the final scene.  No pressure there. We just have to follow all these hilarious scenes presented by very talented individuals and try to be just as funny, if not funnier.  We want to leave our audiences happy!  I hope we will succeed.

The play will be presented at Ilion Little Theatre, Remington Avenue, Ilion, NY Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 21, 22 and 23, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.  This is production is in addition to the regular season, so season tickets may not be used.  Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com or at the door.

 

Monster Movie Monday

Steven and I took today off too, to recover from our wild Vermont weekend, so today will be kind of a lame weekend sort of post.  We spent the morning having adventures, but that was a long time ago and I’m too tired to write about them.  When we returned home, we decided to watch monster movies, so I’m going to write a little bit about them.

I thought some classic Halloween viewing would be nice, so we put in Frankenstein, the one directed by James Whale in 1931.  Then we quite naturally watched The Bride of Frankenstein, 1935 , also directed be Whale. I wanted to watch another Boris Karloff movie after that, but first I had to fix us something to eat.  Then I had to make a salad and chop some vegetables for my lunch tomorrow, when I go back to work.

It would be nice, I suppose, for me to make some commentary about these movies.  Something intelligent or insightful or at least witty.  Would it be too monstrous to me not to?  I suppose it would.  Steven is searching for another Karloff movie, now that we’re done with dinner.  I think there are a couple in one of our Horror collections.

Full disclosure:  I think I am coming down with something.  Perhaps it is my allergies acting up again.  Perhaps I just partied too heartily in Vermont.  You know how debauched Vermont can be.  And you know what a huge baby I can be when I am not feeling one hundred percent healthy.  Well, we did have a few adventures today in Utica, so perhaps I can write about them in the coming week.  In the meantime, Steven has put in The Terror, which I wrote about in a previous post.  Click on the title if you’d like to read it.  And Happy Monday.

Yummy Start to the “Weekend”

It is prior to 6:30 a.m, which may be the earliest I have ever posted.  I find that interesting.  My plan is to compose a quick shout-out to a local business we were at last night, then pack for our fabulous weekend away.

You know, I know news format, and that is a lousy lead.  Then again, this is not a newspaper, it is a silly blog (emphasis on the “silly” I’m afraid).  No matter.  I’m not editing; I’m posting on the fly, so here goes.

Last night I knew the sensible thing to do would be to start cooking dinner before Steven got home, frugally dine at home and get all our crap done for an un-frantic morning of departure.  Well, sometimes we do not do the sensible thing, do we?  Hence, we went to dinner at Sorrento’s Pizzia in Ilion, NY.  Our original plan had been to go to Froggy’s Take-out, also in Ilion, and, you know, take out.  That way we could potentially get some stuff done at home after we ate.  Additionally, Froggy’s is closing sometime soon for good, so we wanted to have a farewell meal from the place.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to Ilion, Froggy’s was closed for the night.  Sorrento’s is right down the street from there.  We love Sorrento’s!  And by now we were far too hungry to go home and cook.  There were plenty of spaces in the parking lot.  This would be great.  As we were entering, some ladies were leaving.  One said, “They don’t have any more food; we ate it all.”  I was understandably concerned but told Steven to hold the door open for the ladies anyways.  We were happy to learn the lady had exaggerated.

I got an appetizer of Bruschetta.  Yum!  Steven got a BLT.  The menu said it was on white bread, but when he asked if something else was available, the waitress offered marble rye. Again, Yum!  I almost changed my order to that.  We both had a glass of Pinot Grigio.  After all, it was a Friday for us.

We were quite delighted with our meal.  I made a fast blog post when we got home (an extremely lame one, by the way, but you’ll have that) but did not get a whole lot else done. Still, it made an excellent start to our five day weekend.

Sorrento’s Pizza is located at 86 Central Ave., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-9991.  Froggy’s Take-Out is at 4 W. Clark St., 315-894-1400.  You can Like them both on Facebook.

Much Ado at the Keyboard

Let’s see how this goes.  I am going to do all my internet stuff on my tablet,  thus forcing myself to type using the stylus and giving my left hand a rest.  As I have mentioned before, it is very frustrating. But I must say, sometimes the computer’s suggestions for the next word can be amusing.  For example, they suggested “easy” or “good” when I wanted “frustrated.”

I am pecking (can’t really call it typing) this in the morning  (I know it would be shorter, but I just don’t like calling morning a.m.)  (the parenthetical comments also take their toll), because I have an earlier call for rehearsal for Much Ado About Nothing  tonight.

We have a performance Friday at Caroga Lake so are rehearsing there.  I am very fortunate to be getting a ride with my dear friend, Kim.

Full disclosure:  Halfway through the previous paragraph, I stopped pecking and went to work.  Now I am back on my laptop, but I am typing with my right hand and only using my left for the occasional shift.  It is, as you may imagine, still frustrating, and without the added interest of the tablet trying to guess what word I want next. Perhaps my dear readers are trying to guess what sort of post I will make next.  I can only spend so much time whining about my keyboard woes, after all.

In the meantime, I have to get ready for rehearsal.  I hope to see you all tomorrow.

 

Good Chips at Arthur’s

When Steven and I were out adventuring in Newport yesterday, we knew we wanted to go out to lunch but we didn’t know where.  I said it was too bad we were not in the vicinity of Dolgeville, or we could go to Arthur’s.  Steven did not think it would be a too far drive, and he was right.  It was actually a fun drive over country roads.  Once we got to Dolgevile, we found our destination with no problem (I have only been to Dolgeville a very few times).

We had been to Arthur’s one time previously, when I was getting my head shaved for a St. Baldrick’s Day Fundraiser (perhaps you read one of my blog posts about it).  We had some drinks and food and a lot of laughs that day.  We’ve been meaning to get to Arthur’s again ever since, but, well, we just don’t eat out enough, that’s all.

We walked into the bar section and sat right down at the bar.  We like to sit at the bar.  We ordered drinks and spent a lot of time looking at the menu.  Everything looked so good!  I finally decided on one of the specials, an Alamo Chicken Wrap. Steven got The Bird: turkey, bacon and provalone.  Both sandwiches came with homemade chips. I LOVE homemade chips!

When our food  arrived, the chips were even better than I expected.  I order homemade chips almost every time they are available, and these were among the best I have ever tasted.  The sandwich was quite delicious as well. We were very happy with our visit, and hope to return to Arthur’s soon.

Arthur’s American Restaurant is located at 19 South Main St, Dolgeville, NY, phone number 315- 429-9646.

 

Musings on a Miserable Meandering Monday

I started writing a pretty good post while on break at work today.  Now once again I cannot get to my dashboard on WordPress and it is just so frustrating!  I don’t even know where to go to ask them what to do about it.  Additionally, I am stressed and overwhelmed through my own damn fault so there is no point in bitching about it but it has a real dampening effect on my posting abilities.  That is probably a run-on sentence.

Where was I?    In my dining room, on my lap top, watching the clock, because I have to go to a rehearsal for our murder mystery, and trying to get a post done. I thought I was so smart, writing something while I was at work today!  All I would have to do was type it in, hit Publish and go.

If only I had finished it.  Which, truth be known, I should have been able to do right now.  What on earth is wrong with me that I cannot?  Some would say I could do it, I CHOOSE not to.  I suppose it could be true, but sometimes attempting to do something is so mentally painful as to become physically painful and then, well if you want to call it a choice, I call it a sensible choice.

The question now is: is it noticeably less painful to make a foolish post as I am doing than it was to attempt to finish the other post?  I can’t say.  However, it is shorter (the other was running into some length and I wanted to add at least three more paragraphs).  I shall sign off now and promise to do my damnedest to finish that other post for tomorrow.

I wish you all a most un-miserable Monday.

 

Scattered Saturday Post About Friday’s Adventures

Yesterday I had some nice Mohawk Valley adventures with my sister Cheryl and our friend Penny.  We went to Barneveld and made several stops.

Our first stop was Foothills Mercantile, a venue which includes over 20 vendors of different sorts.  They have antiques, collectibles, handmade items and more.  I’ll have to go back again and write a more detailed blog post about them.

While there we ate some fresh-popped popcorn, and I purchased some vintage postcards.  They were a very reasonable price, so I shall feel free to send them to the people I like to send postcards to.

Next we went to Adirondack Cheese Company.  I LOVE cheese.  We tried some free samples, and I selected  Extra Sharp.   I liked the Dill and the Horseradish kinds as well, so I have motivation to return.  Additionally, they carry Croghan bologna.  Yum!  I also got some sesame sticks.

We were hungry after that so went to Van’s Tavern and got fish fry.   What a huge piece of fish!  It came with french fries and cole slaw as well.  Cheryl got macaroni salad instead of cole slaw, which she said was very good.  I took a good amount home.

This is just a brief and I’m afraid uninspired overview of the day.  I am still having problems with WordPress which are causing me no little frustration.  I suppose it is my own problem for being so tech un-savvy.  No matter.  Here is my post and tomorrow is Easter. Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

What’s This All About?

So, here I am, trying to make my blog post for the day. And WordPress won’t let me get to my dashboard!  It keeps saying I can’t get there from here (or words to that effect).  It won’t even let me get to any of my posts, from where I can usually get to said dashboard  (I was going to use “whence,” but you can’t say “from whence,” the expression is “whence,” and that didn’t seem right to me).  Then it lets me get to the “new and improved” posting experience, which I have hitherto avoided.

At least, I think that is where I am.  I could be typing all these words in to no effect.  Oh the pain.  Yet, how appropriate for Lame Post Friday.

It has, in fact, been more like a Saturday for me, because I am off from work.   I had some Mohawk Valley adventures.   I was all set to to a Scattered Saturday post on a Friday.  Alas, I could not.

After being unable to make my blog post, I had a rather amusing exchange on Facebook with a cousin of mine who has a blog.  Hachland is the blog.  Check it out (now he’ll KNOW I wasn’t hating on him) (oh, it’s a long story; I’ll write a blog post about it on a non-lame day perhaps).

The question is, can I link to Hachland from this posting experience?  Can I actually post this blog?  Oh, dear, I hope so. It may be lame, but at least it’s a post.

 

Oh Yeah, I’m Going to be Bald!

Some time ago I mentioned that I have signed up for a St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser.  I am going to have my head shaved after begging my friends, family, co-workers and blog readers for donation to fund children’s cancer research.

I did this once before.  I raised over $600 thanks to some very generous people, and I got a few blog posts out of it (perhaps you read one or two).  I don’t mind being bald. Oh, I’ll admit to a few moments of “What the Hell was I thinking?”  But on the whole, it’s fun to be bald.  I’m looking forward to it.

What I am not looking forward to is asking people for money.  I HATE asking people for money!  I know it is a good cause and most people do not mind being asked.  But I feel dumb and I just can’t get over it.

So I have been putting it off.  Of course, it’s no good to start these things too soon, I tell myself.  However, if I put it off too long, I will look really stupid in front of the other bald people, because I won’t have gotten any donations.  Oh dear.

In fact, I have gotten one donation.  My Aunt Mary (ooh, I hope she doesn’t mind me mentioning this) read my blog post saying I had signed up for the event, and she sent me a check.  My first donation!  Thanks, Aunt Mary!

The event is Sunday, March 6, at Arthur’s in Dolgeville, NY.  For Steven and me, it will be the culmination of a delightful four-day weekend to celebrate his birthday.  How many people do you know that get a bald wife for their birthday?  Oh, don’t worry, I’ll get him other presents as well.

In the meantime, if any of you lovely people would like to make a present to children’s cancer research, I do have one of those fundraising websites: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/813330/2016.  And if anybody has any pointers on how not to feel stupid when asking folks for money, feel free to chime in.