Neither a Gardener nor a Photographer

Posted on August 13, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am posting on my Tablet, meaning it’s one letter at a time.   We’ll see how long that lasts.

I thought in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, I would give an update on our yard.  I confess, it is not looking good.  But I am going to accentuate the positive,  as the song says, so I just now went out and took a few pretty pictures.  I hope.  The sun was so bright, I couldn’t always see what I was shooting.

I’m nobody’s landscape photographer.

Steven has been quite pleased with our Rose of Sharon.  The Rose of Sharon should be proud of herself, too, considering how many times she was mowed over when she was just a wee sprout (I’m just guessing it is a girl, because, you know, Rose, Sharon) (Rosey Grier and Sherry Boehlert notwithstanding).

A better angle.

Fewer shadows in this shot.

Kindly ignore the weeds,

Our Black Eyed Susans are looking well, too, and spread further every year.  It would not bother me much if they took over the whole yard, but I guess that might take a few more years.

They are also called Rudbeckia.

Our Brown Eyed Susans just magically appeared one year and have spread as well.

Now they are on two sides of the deck.

I studiously avoided photographing the shabbiest sections of the lawn.  Maybe I’ll try to do something about it before the leaves fall.  Or maybe I’ll just let the leaves fall and cover it all up.  That’s called making a virtue out of necessity.

 

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Just Type in Some Foolishness and Hit Publish

Posted on August 12, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I suppose the operative thing to have done today was to have written a blog post about one of the things I mentioned this morning.  Or I could have done a Running Commentary about this morning’s run (it was awesome, by the way).  But here I sit, looking at television and strongly inclined to just type in some foolishness and hit Publish.

Right now Forensic Files is on, but before that we were watching the divine Joan Crawford in Straitjacket.

Don’t lie; we’ve all been there.

During the movie we debated and debated what movie to watch next.  We still have not decided, hence our viewing of Forensic Files.  I was hoping to find the cheesier Deadly Women on ID, but no luck.  Not even a Snapped on Oxygen.  Some Saturdays are bad that way.

I must admit, it is quite relaxing to sit on my couch, wondering how best to veg out.  The last couple of weeks we have been moving and shaking. Even last night we were out and about (as I believe I mentioned).  It is fun to be out and about, but you can get too much of a good thing.

Just to make this a Scattered Saturday post, I will quickly cover today’s accomplishments, although they are a little thin.  My run was long and felt good.  Then I wrote some post cards and we left the house by the front door.  Regular readers will recall that our back door was ailing.  We went to breakfast at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner then to Collis Hardware to get some screws for the door.

Back home, we fixed the door.  Woohoo, I think it was a success!  Then I had a headache so laid down with my heat-up face mask and took a nap.  On rising, I got on the laptop and typed in what I had written on my murder mystery script.  Later I thought how to finish up and made a few notes about it.  I anticipate finishing and polishing tomorrow.

And that was about it.  Eventually we got to the movie watching portion of the evening, and that is where we are at now.  If only we could agree on which movie to watch next.

 

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A Lame Apology

Posted on August 11, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How embarrassing is it to not post on Lame Post Friday?  For heaven’s sake, all I have to do is type in some nonsense and hit Publish (YES, that is what I do every day, what an obvious joke, you should be ashamed of yourself) (you know who you are).  Well, I just didn’t have time.

You see, I had to be in Little Falls early for the Canal Days Parade, and of course I did not have my costume together in advance (it’s been a bad week) (or I guess you could say I’ve been bad this week, but I would point out that that is an unkind remark).  No problem; I could post afterward.  Well, afterward, my friend Kim and I went to Asteroga Ale House, then to the End Zone Pub via Papaleo’s Wise Guys Pizzeria.  Yes, that is one community event and three local businesses I can write blog posts about.  However,  I am unlikely to do any such thing at 5:37 on Saturday morning (that is the time on the bottom of my computer as I type that sentence; no doubt it will be later by the time I hit Publish, but I can’t help that).

I know I have sipped and posted, and even sipped, eaten pizza, and posted, but last night I did not.  My only lame excuse is we had a kind of a domestic crisis when we got home.  The screws in our back door hinges are perpetually loose and this time we have neglected too long to tighten them.  We at least managed to get the damn thing closed and locked, but I just imagine our efforts to fix it will make another, possibly humorous blog post.

Anyways, sorry my post is late and lame, but there it is.  We’ll see what I can come up with later today.

 

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Sprint Distance, Marathon Pace

Posted on August 10, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

That describes today’s run in a nutshell.  The only problem with the headline is that it might sound like a shout-out to the phone company called “Sprint.”  Never mind.  I’m making a Running Commentary instead of a Non-Sequitur Thursday post, and, like the run itself, I will try to keep it short.

I have not run for three days for what seemed like good reasons at the time.  I did not dare skip today as well, because I will not have time to run tomorrow before the Little Falls Canal Celebration Parade.  Five days is too many even for a wuss-out like me.  It was hot and sunny, but according to the weather forecast humidity levels were less.  Still not in the comfortable range, but less.  No matter.  I could go for a short run.  I did not rule out running longer, but I wanted to go for at least 20 minutes.

It took a lot of determination to not rule out running longer right away.  It took a lot of determination to keep running at all.  Luckily I had a sufficiency of determination for the project.  Also, I just tried not to think about it.  I thought about my murder mystery instead.  I started writing the script today (don’t judge me that it took so long), and it seems to be going well.  I’ll write more about that later (preview of coming attractions).

I changed my mind about which way to run several times.  I don’t know why certain sidewalks seemed so unappealing, but I kept thinking, “I just can’t run that way today!”  I ran a different way.  Slowly.  I never got the hang of it.

I’m not getting the hang of writing about it either, it seems.  Sorry, folks.  I continued to run (which I insist on calling it) for 22 minutes, my favorite number.  The 10-minute cool-down walk felt good, especially when I was in the shade and a breeze blew.  At least I did it.

And I wrote some semblance of a blog post.  We’ll see if I can do better tomorrow on Lame Post Friday.  As always, no promises, but I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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But I’m Not IN the Play

Posted on August 9, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title as I realized it would be a good idea to make my blog post NOW, before leaving the house, although I do plan to return.  I am going to attend the first read-through of Shattered Angel, the play being presented by Herkimer County Historical Society in cooperation with Ilion Little Theatre. I have neither a part nor a clearly defined backstage role, but I have proffered my services wherever needed.  Additionally, I want to write blog posts about it.

If anybody noticed me whining about my health yesterday (in addition to whining about a parade costume), they may like to hear that I felt much better today.  I even felt energetic enough to do a load of laundry, print out the character sheets for the murder mystery I’m working on (preview of coming attractions), and go to the read-through (of course, I have not done the last thing yet, but I feel energetic enough for it) (and if I stop feeling so energetic, there are a couple of couches in the lobby of the theatre; I am ready for any eventuality).

We’re all pretty pumped about this read-through, because we finally got a full cast.  It’s TERRIBLE when you don’t have enough actors!  Of course I am flabbergasted that this could ever be the case at all.  I love to be in a play.  I thought lots of people did.  I spent junior high, high school and college auditioning for plays I never got a part in.  I’m still a little miffed about some of them, so let us not dwell on these dreary memories.

I suppose some of you are thinking I should have written my blog post AFTER the read-through, so that I might have had more to say about the play (you know who you are).  Don’t worry!  I’ll write another blog post tomorrow!

 

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Another Parade! What to Wear?

Posted on August 8, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers may recall that LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company, is not doing a Shakespeare play this summer.  This has rendered the summer a less busy and a little sad.  This weekend is the Little Falls Canal Celebration,  one of the venues we perform at.  However, LiFT will have a presence at the parade on Friday, Aug. 10.

Last year I did not participate when LiFT marched.  I just felt too tired.  Of course I regretted it, because they had a fun time, and I do love a parade.  So when I received an email saying we were going to participate this year, I jumped at the chance! (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)

But what to wear?  I could NOT wear my wizard costume again!  I wore it for the Doodah Parade in Ilion.  It would be a faux pas to wear it again so soon, even if I switched back to the wizard hat I wore for the March of Dimes in May.

And, yes, I did pretty much have a silly expression on my face most of the time I wore the outfit.

I append a couple of pictures for those of you who missed my wizard-attired exploits (and to pep up the post, like I did yesterday).  The above was a rehearsal of the outfit for March of Dimes March for Babies.  I also made myself a wizard wand with a knitting needle, a few odds and ends, and a hot glue gun.  I can be dangerous with a hot glue gun. I modified the outfit slightly to march in the Ilion Days Doodah Parade.

I was a hit with the crowd, if I do say so.

I wore the witch’s hat, because it has a brim to offer shade from the sun.  I added the sunglasses for the same reason, and the necklace just because I liked it.  My dear friend, Kim, gave me the wooden wand.  I still had my homemade one, so I used both to cast spells on the crowd as I rode in the back of the pick-up truck.

But I need something different for Friday.  Something light, and light colored.  Maybe a set of wings from the dollar store.  Maybe a quick trip to the Thrift Store. What can I come up with? I spent most of the morning at work pondering options and formulating plans, while trying to stay hydrated and not get too far from a fan, because hot and humid seems to be a way of life these days.

Regarding the latter part of that last sentence, let’s just say I was not successful.  I am susceptible (wow! I spelled susceptible right on the first try!) to heat injuries.  I got too light-headed and nauseous (I had to google nauseous) to handle it, despite the perseverance that has seen me through many difficult runs.  I went home, ignobly calling my husband for a ride, because the nurse didn’t want me to drive and neither did I.

So I am really re-thinking this march through the heat in a costume idea.  However, I hate to let my LiFTer friends down, especially my friend Kim.  And I have lost a whole afternoon I could have been working on a costume, because I am still feeling like crap.  In fact, I wasn’t even going to make a blog post today.  I was going to take a blogger’s sick day.  But look at me, I am over 500 words with two pictures.  That’s one thing I did right today.  Let’s see how I do tomorrow, on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

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Pepping Up the Post on Muddled Monday

Posted on August 7, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How many thought I was going to use the picture of sad Frankenstein’s Monster saying, “No like Monday!”?  I say too soon, but yet I am doing a Muddled Monday post.  I could not write while at work today; it was too hot and and I was too ate up from the weekend (Hey!  It was a fun weekend, alright?).  Right now I am sitting on my couch in front of a fan watching Dateline on OWN, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) one we have seen several times.  How I love Dateline on a Monday.

Just a little graphic to pep up the post.

Sorry to have three or four foolish posts in a row, but I’m afraid that is what happens when it is beastly hot and I am on overtime at work.

The look on my face when I realize it is Monday.

I throw in Frankenstein’s Monster, because it is also Monstrous Monday.  You see how I cleverly avoided using the “No Like Monday!” picture referenced earlier but still kept in the Monster and my dislike of Monday.  I feel quite horribly cliche disliking Monday.  Everybody dislikes Monday.  When have I ever been mainstream?  How mortifying!

Oh, the horror, the horror.

I add this poster, because I am horrified by my own following of the crowd.  In fact, it has not been that bad of a Monday.  Unfortunately, I’m afraid it has been that bad of a blog post.  As always, I hope my readers will forgive me and tune in tomorrow, even if I only manage a Tired Tuesday post.

 

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Wrist to Sweaty Forehead

Posted on August 6, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Kitty was always my favorite character on “That 70’s Show.”

I did mention yesterday that today would be Wrist to Forehead Sunday, didn’t I?  Well it is, and I don’t have much else to write a blog post about anyways.  For one reason, I’m too hot to think. I am sitting on my couch letting the sweat run down my face, because I let Steven take one of the fans out to the kitchen.  He is doing the dishes and making my lunch for tomorrow, so I think I have the better end of the deal.

There.  I just moved to the floor and rearranged  the other fan so I am getting a little breeze on my back.  I have been suffering a lot from face sweat lately.  Sweat all over, of course, but on my face is where it really seems to get to me.   I keep flashing on certain Facebook memes I saw all winter saying things like, “It’s so cold my face hurts!”  I didn’t care for face-hurting cold, either, but I sure could use a happy medium.

So, yeah, I guess this is going to be a blog post where all I do is whine.  You’ll have that, especially with me involved.  I just have this sneaking feeling that my upcoming week is going to be terrible.  Some will say there is only one person who can change that and her blogging initials are MVG.  I must admit, however grudgingly, that they have a point.  I will also say, in my defense, that I am not the only person on the planet.  I could have the best attitude in the world (which I obviously do not), and somebody could do something to make my life miserable. Please, let’s not argue that they will only make my life miserable if I LET them.  For one reason, if you try to dispute with me in this heat, I will begin to suspect that you are one of those people who are trying to make my life miserable.

Here’s a funny thing:  the act of typing in this silliness has cheered me up.  Monday?  Bring it.  Want to make my life miserable?  I’ll write a blog post about it.

I naturally flashed on this little bit of inspiration.

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Interrupted Scattered Saturday

Posted on August 5, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m watching a Dateline on my DVR, but in a rather desultory fashion, because I think Steven might want to watch it with me later, and I thought it would be a good time to make my Scattered Saturday post.  For another reason, I want to stay on the computer in case a couple of friends message me about returning to the Diamond Days festivities downtown.  The vendors are leaving at six, but music continues till midnight.  And I would imagine I could get another Gem Juice at the End Zone Pub and Grub (see yesterday’s post).

That was as much as I had typed in earlier when my friend Wayne messaged me that he was down there already.  OF COURSE we wanted to join him!  We met at the End Zone.  I had another Gem Juice.  We sat and drank and visited.  Eventually we got a table outside.  A long time later our friend Kim joined us.  I only had one Gem Juice, but then I had two gin and tonics.

I am home now.  I am still feeling tipsy.  We had a delightful time in downtown Herkimer.  I am in no condition to make a good blog post about it. I am only happy I can type in this much. Happy Saturday, everyone.  I hope to see you all on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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Diamond Daze on Lame Post Friday

Posted on August 4, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So Herkimer Diamond Days kicked off this evening.  I noticed folks setting up for a chicken barbecue and food trucks while I was running this afternoon (short, muggy run, not worthy of a Runny Commentary post). I got home and told Steven what I had seen.

“I wanted to get a beer and sit in front of the End Zone Pub,” I told him.

To my surprise, he said, “Let’s do it.”

We did.  Our friend Kim joined us.  What a fun time!

The End Zone’s kitchen was closed, but Kim and I got beers and we sat down at a table on the sidewalk.  Steven checked out that food trucks and one that offered hot dogs (I foolishly did not get its name).  He has been craving a hot dog.  He got a hot dog and french fries.  It looked so good that I went and got a hot dog for myself.  Yes, I ate some of Steven’s fries, don’t judge me! We settled down and watched the crowd.

Steven got a drink after he got his food.  After Kim and I finished our beers, we wanted to try something called Gem Juice.  For one reason, you got to keep the cup.  In fact, the cup was only a plastic one with a beer logo on it.  I was hoping for something about the Diamond Days or at least the End Zone.  However, the drink was damn tasty.  It was gin, run, vodka and clear fruit juice.  They told me the exact proportions, in case I wanted to make it myself at home, but I do not remember what they were.

“I can just add more to taste,” I suggested.  I am more fond of gin than of vodka.  On the other hand, I am not at all sure I will be trying this recipe at home any time soon.

Full disclosure:  the Gem Juice gave me a bit of a buzz.  I don’t drink much of the hard stuff lately, I guess it goes right to my head.  The point is, we had fun.  And it is Lame Post Friday.  I hope your Friday is equally as fun.

 

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