In My Defense, Here’s a Blog Post

Posted on April 29, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

What is it with me and missed blog posts these days?  It is most embarrassing. I’m on furlough, for heaven’s sake; what else do I have to do but write blog posts?  In my defense, we are all on quarantine, rendering many Mohawk Valley Adventures impossible. In my prosecution (I truly cannot think of a good opposite for “in my defense” and would welcome suggestions), do I not have a vivid imagination?  Should I not be able to think of things?

That inner dialogue could go on all day.

I am afraid I am not making good use of my time at home.  There, I have admitted it.  It is a source of some mortification to me.  Additionally,  I am afraid I have written about that in this space before.  Can I think of anything new to say?  Maybe I could just add a picture to pep things up.

Full disclosure: I did not step on each of those colored spots.

Here is a sight I see a lot these days.  It is the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal.  I have been running and walking most days.  That is one thing I can feel pleased with myself about, although one could argue that I am not running as far nor as fast as might be expected.  I think I will not indulge in another self argument.

Preview of Coming Attractions

To further cheer myself up, I will remind myself of things I will be able to do again someday.  Meeples Mug House in Little Falls, NY, a board game cafe, was one of the first businesses to responsibly close for the pandemic.  It is one of the first places I want to go when quarantine is lifted.

So we have an apology, a self argument, a couple of pictures, and a plug for a local business. I’ll call that good enough for a late Tired Tuesday post.

 

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Mediocre but Macabre Monday Post

Posted on April 28, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of my new favorite guys.

I wanted a post with pictures, and I finally figured out how to get photos from Facebook to my blog via my Tablet.  I am so technologically inept.  No matter.  Here is Svengoolie to start off this week’s Monstrous Monday Post.  I only recently discovered Svengoolie,  and I am a big fan.  Also, I am quite envious.  What a great job!  I personally have made inferior career choices.  But let us not talk about me; let us get on with Monstrous Monday.

Regular readers know who my favorite is.

I stole this picture from Horror Movie Hedonists, one of my monster Facebook groups.  I spend a lot of time on Facebook looking at monster pictures.  I find them way more soothing than political posts.

Which is the real monster?

Here is a good movie with monsters of the human variety: Bedlam starring Boris Karloff.  I have this on on a DVD of two Karloff movies sent me by a friend.  I have been in the mood to see it again, but Steven does not share my love of the macabre (he appreciates murder and mayhem, just not to the same extent as me).

So this is my blog post for today. Full disclosure:  I am tired, not for any good reason, but these things happen.  Excuse the mediocre blog post and Happy Monday.

 

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I Plunge Into Excuses for Missing a Post

Posted on April 27, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I missed making my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, and I was about to call it my Wrist to Sunday post, so perhaps I am finally losing what is left of my mind.  Usually when I lose my mind, I can find it where it usually is: in the gutter.  But I digress.

We had toilet troubles again yesterday, necessitating a trip to Hannaford to try another kind of drain unclogger, if they had one.  We were low on coffee and out of apples anyways.  After I got home, somebody shared a  meme from a Hannaford employee scolding that they were open for necessities, not entertainment purposes, could we please show only when necessary!  I felt guilty, because I had not planned on going out at all yesterday.  However, I really, really needed the drain unclogger.  I was getting a overuse injury in one arm from all the plunging.

Incidentally, the clogs were NOT caused by using things other than toilet paper.  We know better than that.  I think my husband and I are just more full of shit than normal, and that is quire a lot of shit, if you will pardon my language.  But I did not mean to make another Plumbing Post (a new category I may have to add).  By the way, the drain unclogger worked.  Phew!

And now I am over 200 words.  I call that respectable for a late apologetic post.  I will try for a better post later today.  Perhaps with pictures.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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Svengoolie on Slacker Saturday

Posted on April 26, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am going to call this a Slacker Saturday, because, quite frankly, I have slacked.  You may judge me if you are so inclined.  I maintain that no life is wasted, because I can always stand as a bad example.

I went for a pretty good run this morning.  I thought of making a Running Commentary post, but, alas, the moment has passed.  I finished the letter I had started yesterday at the laundromat and walked to the post office with it.  That got in my exercise for the morning.

Steven and I spent a good amount of time this afternoon just sitting on the front porch.  How delightful to savor the day.  We waved to passing cars and observed neighbors working on their homes.  At least, I think we observed people working on roofs and yards.  Whether they were residents or hirees, I could not say.

Back inside, we are on our third DVR’d episode of Svengoolie.   Yes, we have been drinking wine while doing so.  Is this another occasion on which to judge me?  No doubt it is.  I do not feel I should worry too much about who is judging me.  My only thought right now is that I should find some illustrations to enhance my post about watching Svengoolie. I’ll call that a Preview of Coming Attractions.  Happy Saturday,  everyone.

 

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Lame Laundry Observations

Posted on April 25, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Even though the days blur one into the next, I cling to my Lame Friday Post.  For one reason, at least today I have an excuse.

Today I made a number of random observations, because I was sitting in my car outside the local laundromat, where I was washing towels and comforters.  The comforters needed a larger machine than mine, and the towels needed hot water, which my machine is not fond of.  I was writing a letter to a friend, and what better to write about than my fellow laundromat patrons.

I dubbed one guy Drew Carey, because he was heavy-set, had a crew cut, and wore geeky glasses.  He folded his laundry on the premises, which I know other laundramats frown upon, seemed to be doing his entire wardrobe,  and pulled his mask down under his chin.  I felt sympathetic regarding the middle observation, about the entire wardrobe, because I, too, used to wait until I was out of clean underwear.  Full disclosure:  sometimes I bought new.

Another observation was of a guy who I used to work with (no names!).  He did not wear a mask.  I always thought he was a big fat jerk.  But I try not to judge.

I noticed a lady with a long grey braid carrying in sheets of the same pattern I was washing.  A young-ish man (meaning he looked younger than me, at least) kept pulling his sweatpants up as he made trips between his pick-up truck and the laundramat.

My snarky comments continued, but the friend I was writing to might read my blog post, and I don’t like to spoil things for her.  Additionally, I see I am approaching 300 words,  so I hope that is sufficient for Lame Post Friday.  I hope to see you all on Saturday, whatever sort of post it turns out to be.

 

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Domestic Disturbances

Posted on April 24, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh what a day!  The day was just shaping up to be difficult when I talked to my mother on the phone.  I said, with what may have been misplaced optimism, “At least it will make a good blog post!”  We shall see.

The first thing to go wrong was that the coffee maker died.  It had been sputtering along on its proverbial last legs for a while, but these things are always a tragedy when they finally occur.  I made plans to purchase a coffee maker later this morning, but I wanted to go running first, since I did not go yesterday.

And that was when things got interesting.  The toilet overflowed.  Yikes!  I plunged and plunged, hollering for Steven to come up and turn the water off (I can’t get that little handle to turn).  At last I got all the water to go down.  Steven got a mop and with the help of some dirty towels (don’t judge my laundry methods; I have enough problems today), we got the spilled water cleaned up.

This has happened to us before, most memorably on Christmas Day (I wonder if I made a blog postpost about it). What I did then was run out for a bottle of drain unclogger (we needn’t mention brands).  A couple of doses, more plunging, and our holiday was saved.  I had every reason to believe that would be the case today.

First I had a problem finding the right stuff to pour in.  So many of them said do not use on toilets!  What’s that all about?  I finally found one that said to pour a quarter of the bottle in.  Four doses!  I felt I would soon be flush with success (see what I did there?).

It was while I was waiting 15 minutes for the second dose to work its magic that I called my parents.  My father told me a useful trick: take the lid off the tank, then when you see the water is not going down, push the stopper down and the bowl will stop filling.  Genius!

If I had known how many times I was going to use that trick this morning,  I would not have been so sanguine when I hung up the phone.  However, I kept in mind the other thing my father told me:  sometimes you just have to keep plunging.

When I needed a break from plunging, I took a walk down to Collis TrueValue Hardware on Main Street in Herkimer (just  to sneak in a plug for a local business) for more stuff to pour into the toilet.  I tried something different this time.

More pouring, more plunging.  On my forlorn last pour, while I waited the 15 minutes, I asked Google how to snake a toilet.  I feared another trip to Collis was in my future.

I went upstairs, held my breath, and flushed.  And the water did NOT go down!  I plunged.  However, this time it felt different.   It took fewer plunges for the water to go down.  Barely daring to hope, I flushed again.

IT WAS A NORMAL FLUSH!!!

I cannot adequately describe my relief, joy and delight.  I flushed it again, just to be sure.  Success!

So that is my toilet story for the day.  I wonder if I can top it on Lame Post Friday.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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Cook With Wine, Feel Cheerful

Posted on April 23, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just made a most delicious late lunch, so I am going to make a blog post about it.  Alas, I did not take any pictures while I was doing it, so this may not be a really peppy post.  Still, you can’t have everything.

Yum!

I paused to take one picture.  Yes, I was cooking with wine.  This time I did not put any in the food.  I had a red pepper that was getting old, and I was in the mood to put something together.  The therapeutic benefits of chopping vegetables is not to be discounted.

The first thing I did, as usual, was to peel and crush up some garlic, and set the timer for 15 minutes,  so it could reach its full cancer fighting potential.  Then I chopped up an onion.  I was chopping it into small pieces, so I stopped after half an onion.  So I guess I did not get the full measure of therapeutic benefits available to me.

I put the onions in a pan with oil over low heat and chopped the pepper into small pieces, adding it to the onion.  I added the garlic after 15 minutes, covered the pan, and let them all cook for a while, stirring frequently (of course I didn’t note how many times or how often; I’m not that kind of a cook nor that kind of a blogger) (did I mention you can’t have everything?).

Eventually I added a can of tomato puree. I seasoned it with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Towards the end I put in a can of chopped clams.  I served it over angel hair pasta with grated parmesan cheese.  Yum!

So now I have managed another blog post without much whining.  In fact, after managing the blog post, I am feeling more cheerful.  Let this be a lesson to me:  make a blog post, feel cheerful.  I will try to duplicate the phenomenon tomorrow.

 

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Cheery Pictures on Tired Tuesday

Posted on April 22, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of our talented local artists.

I thought I would open with a picture calculated to cheer myself up.  This was some neighborhood sidewalk art I took a picture of a week or more ago (regular readers know I rarely go back and check these things).  There was more artwork there recently, but it faded before I got out there with my Tablet.  I have been sitting here trying to psyche myself up for at least a Tired Tuesday post.  Sharing a picture finally got my mind moving.  Slowly, but any progress must be appreciated.

Another bit of cheer.

Here is a picture from last May, of a neighbourhood yard.  I hope to have a few tulips in my own front yard. I may purchase more bulbs to plant.  When do you plant tulip bulbs?  I’ll have to look that up.

I find this impressive.

This is our rhododendron in a previous year, just to share another picture of something I am looking forward to.  I guess this makes today’s post a Preview of Coming Attractions.

Irises are so graceful.

I also hope to see my irises again.  I really must plant more perennials.  Then I will have even more to look forward to in the future.  In any case, I have cheered myself up, and I hope I have done the same for you.

 

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Non-Movie Monstrous Monday

Posted on April 21, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am really happy that I got into the habit of making a Monstrous Monday Post,  because that is all that I am up to now.  It has not been a horrible day.  The truth of the matter is that I have very little to complain about. So I won’t.  At least right now (no promises for tomorrow).

Not a movie monster, but kind of scary.

This is the first monster to catch my eye in my Media Library.  It was a display at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I have missed their weekly tastings!  However, in view of other current events, this is not something to complain about.  So I’m not.

He is more fun than scary.

Here is another non-movie monster: a skeleton on my front porch last Halloween.  That was a fun evening.  I hope we are back to interactive enjoyment by next Halloween!

Aren’t they cute?

To continue the theme of at-home monsters, here is the adorable skeleton my husband gave me last year.  He is sitting in a mug for Fabulous and Fatal, the murder mystery we put on for the Herkimer County Historic Society last fall.  They created the mug for WKTV’s Mug Club, and Steven got them to make another one just for me.

He looks a little confused.

Another of our domesticated monsters is this delightful mummy. I think this is appropriate for a post in this time of quarantine.  I do not have to leave my house to enjoy monsters!

I may enjoy some movie monsters later,  courtesy DVR or DVD.  I hope you are all having a marvelous Monday.

 

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Perhaps a Disappointing Post

Posted on April 20, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh crap!  I waited too long in the day to make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, and I got nuthin’.

I could have done  Sunday Running Commentary,  although my run was neither long nor noteworthy.  I could perhaps do a Sunday Cinema post, but I have not illustrations for the movies seen, and I lack the ambition to find them.

I worked on our back yard for a while.  I did not take any pictures,  because, quite frankly, the yard is still not looking very good.

So we are left with yet another post lamenting my ability to make a decent blog post.  Can I at least share a silly picture for your amusement?

Am I pretty? Don’t answer that question.

I got myself a new headband at the dollar store while purchasing more essential supplies.  It broke today.  That was rather a disappointing development.

It has not on the whole been a disappointing day, however.  After working in the yard, my husband Steven and I sat on the front porch for a while. I have been wanting to do some porch sitting, but the weather has not cooperated.  I relished our outdoor time today.

So this how my days go: some disappointment,  something to relish, not a whole lot to blog about. What can I say?  We do what we can. Happy Sunday, folks.

 

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