It’s Flustered Friday!

Yesterday I said, “Next Up: Portrait of Dorian Gray”  (only I couldn’t italicize in a headline).  However, today being Lame Post Friday, I make bold to be lame enough to NOT have Mr. Gray and his pretty picture be next on Mohawk Valley Girl.  (Is that a contradiction in terms, bold enough to be lame?  Might make a good headline.)

Actually, I think I will begin a new feature today.  A subspecies of Lame Post Friday:  Flustered Friday. In fact, I am pausing in my Flustered Friday gyrations to make this post.  Then I will continue to Flus (yes, I know that is not a word; don’t be so didactic!).

When I got home from work, I went running, feeling pretty damn virtuous for running two days in a row.  I thought about it all day at work, hoping to instill it in my mind so I would not have to talk myself into it.  It worked.  I had meant to run on the mini-tramp again, watching more of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with my beloved John Barrymore.  However, the weather seemed so fall-like that I decided to run outdoors.

After a good run, cool-down walk, stretching and shower, I put on my short terry robe, got myself a glass of chocolate milk (my recovery beverage of choice) and sat down with the laptop. I was going to make a Running Commentary post.  First I checked my Facebook notifications and emails (I have four but only check three on a regular basis).  Soon I started to feel tired and brain dead.  This would never do.  I had plans with my friend Kim for 5:30.  I wanted to get my blog post done first so I would not have to worry about it.  I ate a small snack and tried again.

Eventually I went to the message string with Kim to double check the time for tonight’s adventure.  Not 5:30, but 5:00!!!  It was 4:36 by my computer’s clock when I made this discovery.  It was actually better to go at five, because Steven worked till six so I had a good shot at being home at least not too long after he got there.  I had time.  It! Could! Work!  (You remember that line from Young Frankenstein, don’t you?) (If you don’t, go watch Young Frankenstein! It’s a great movie!)

First I had to get dressed.  What to wear, what to wear, what to wear?  I need to do some serious work on my wardrobe.  Then I saw one of Steven’s Hawaiian shirts that would go awesome with my yellow capri pants.  I put it on.  Ooh, wrinkly.  I knew I had not put my iron away the last time I used it.  Did I have time? YES!  I scrambled around finding a notebook, pen, Tablet and purse.  I was ready in time, yes!

Our adventure was to DikinDurt Distillery on Smith Road in Herkimer.  I intend to write an article about them to submit to Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I’ll probably write a blog post as well (preview of coming attractions).  It was a fun visit.  We must go there again.  For one reason, you can only try three moonshines at a time.  For another, Steven will like to join us.

After leaving DikinDurt, we thought to go to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, where they often have Friday tastings.  We stopped by my house first to pick up a couple of school supplies.  You see, Valley is having a promotion that if you donate a school supply, you get 10 percent off your purchase.

We tasted some flavored vodka.  We liked it but did not buy any.  Then we walked all around the wines deciding what too purchase.  Having enjoyed some blueberry moonshine at DikinDurt, Kim was looking for blueberry wine.  We found several choices as well as some other fruits.  I decided on some Faustino Tempranillo and Great Western Champagne.

As we left the liquor store, I mentioned to Kim that I was supposed to cook supper but really should have started cooking at five.  Oops!  When we got to my house, Steven was not there yet.

“Get cooking!” Kim said.

“I think I’ll get fixing myself a drink,” I said. Kim approved that modification of plans.

I got to pouring myself a glass of wine.  I’m still drinking it.  Steven came home while I was typing just now.  We still have to figure out what to do for supper.  I know it will not involve going out, because Steven is already in his sweatpants (that man is FAST when he gets home from work).  At least my ironed Hawaiian shirt made it to the distillery and the liquor store!

 

Next Up: Portrait of Dorian Gray

He was really a beautiful man, in addition to be a marvelous actor.

I had thought I might do a Running Commentary post.  I ran in place on the mini-tramp while watching the silent Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with the inimitable John Barrymore (I adore the Barrymores).  Then I was on Facebook and came across a movie poster I just had to download.  Well, I can’t just download it, can I?  I have to use it.  So this is Non-Sequitur Thursday after all (I thought after yesterday’s schizophrenic post, such a thing would be inappropriate, but I am ever one to go with the flow).  There is a bit of a theme, at least, because I am sharing all old movie posters stolen from Facebook.

What’s a guy like Joseph Cotten doing in a movie like this?

I have never heard of this movie, but what a title!  What a poster!  I should probably get on one of those streaming services (or whatever they are; you know technologically ignorant I am) where I can find all these obscure, old titles.  Oh, the blog posts I could write!

Ooh, a double feature!

I may have seen The Incredible Petrified World.  The title seems familiar, and I’m sure I have seen any number of cheesy movies involving women trapped in underground caverns or some such (you know how little attention I actually pay).  When I get a chance, I’ll look through my DVD collection and see if it’s there.  If so, I’ll have to watch it again and see what I remember.  I’ll let you know.

Oh Bela, how I love you!

I have definitely heard of this one but never seen it.  However, the person that shared it (on one the monster movie pages I follow), said there was a freaky, ambiguous ending.  I must add this of my list of movies to check out.

What I’m wondering now is, do you suppose there are readers who wish I had never learned how to download and share pictures?  A point to ponder on Lame Post Friday.  I hope everybody will continue to tune in.

 

Cheesy Monsters in Hawaii?

Today I introduce a new feature to my Mohawk Valley Girl blog:  Weary Wednesday.  It is kind of a companion day to Tired Tuesday.  Only I hope to not be quite as foolish as I was yesterday on Totally Tired Tuesday (many thanks to Granny K for the elusive adverb).  I have been noticing lately how many pictures are in my Media Library here at WordPress, so I think I will pick out a few to re-visit for today’s post.  Think of is as one of those clip shows like the sit-coms do. Full disclosure:  I HATE clip shows; my own hypocrisy is not lost on me.

How do I STILL not have one of these shirts?

How appropriate is this?  I think, very.  This is a cheesy blog post!  I say it with a cheesy grin.  Soon I hope to publish a few more write-ups of cheesy movies.

Oh, if only I could drink beer and be this skinny!

It actually has not been a horrible day, although I feel beat enough to just sit and drink a beer (in fact, I am drinking water right now).  Could it be a sign of my ever-increasing age and waistline that things seem to get to me more these days?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

This is probably as close as I will ever get to a tropical vacation.

Just to change things up a little, I add a more cheerful shot.  It is a lovely photo of me and my wonderful husband, Steven, at a fundraiser for H.A.L.O. (Helping Animals Live Organization), a no cage, no kill cat rescue.  Perhaps you read my blog post about it (although it was some time ago; I wonder if I can find the post and make a link).

I have no idea where I stole this one from.

I end with a kind of a self-portrait.  This was my Facebook profile picture recently, until I replaced it with a picture of Nosferatu yesterday.  As regular readers know, I’m kind of into monsters.  And now that I think about it, this was kind of a Frankenstein’s monster of a post, pieced together with whatever came to hand.  NOW what will I do for Non-Sequitur Thursday?  I hope you’ll stay tuned and find out.

 

Did I Mention I Was Tired?

I’ve used it before and I will use it again!

It is not merely a Tired Tuesday.  I was thinking Exhausted Tuesday, but that lacks the charm of alliteration.  How about Terrifically Tired Tuesday?  No, that implies something might be terrific (of course it might be and I just haven’t encountered it yet, let us not give up hope).  Terribly Tired Tuesday?  Hmmm, doesn’t move me.  Let’s leave it for now and try to write the blog post.

Today was supposed to be the last oppressively hot day for a while.  I have been melting away like the Wicked Witch of the West (there’s some alliteration, if you like that sort of thing) (which I do).  And when I say “melting away,” I do not mean literally, because I am up several pounds.  I realized today when I caught sight of myself in the mirror: I’m dumpy, frumpy and grumpy.  Just to mix a little rhyming fun in with the alliteration.

So, yes, it has been a kind of a whiny, complaining sort of day.  I told a co-worker I felt as if I was clawing my way of a completely vertical surface, with lots of sharp, spiky stones poking out of the mud and coming loose so that I really could not make any progress, although it was painful, sweaty and filthy.  The funny thing was, as I went about my day, I had quite a few moments of feeling, “Hey, my job is all right.  I’m glad I work here.”

This has got to be the dumbest blog post I’ve published yet (of course I’m going to publish it!  Dumb or not, it’s all I got!) (hey, that rhymed!  Cool).  Did I mention I was tired?  As always, I will try to do better tomorrow (it would be very unhandsome of anybody to bring up any ill-advised promises I may have made yesterday).

This is me, minus the lit candle, because, you know, safety first.

Roger Corman on Mental Meanderings Monday

It is getting later and later in the day on Monday and I still have not done my blog post.  It will, for sure, be Monday Mental Meanderings, but I fear my mental is far from meandering.  It is still.  It has stopped.  I looked for some monster movie pictures to pep up my post a little. I did not find any.  Whatever will I do?

The movie is not as sexy as the poster would make it seem.

At last! I found something! This is the movie we watched last night, a Roger Corman confection which I enjoyed very much.  I must say, the monster was much scarier in anticipation than in sight.  When we finally saw the monster, we laughed and laughed.

I believe there is a sexy brunette or two in this flick.

This is a movie we watched some time previously.  Earlier today I found a write-up I started about it.  I worked a little more at it but fear I must watch the movie again before I can finish it properly.  Who me?  Watch a cheesy movie again?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!

“That won’t qualify for the Dolgeville Violet Festival.”

I close with a shot from another favorite Roger Corman film of mine:  Little Shop of Horrors.  I have little use for the musical, on stage or on screen, but I adore the original cheesy movie.

I guess I don’t have much else to say.  Friends, it’s Monday.  I managed to NOT whine about how I can’t seem to write a blog post today.  I’m afraid that is the best we can hope for. But perhaps I will see you all on Tired Tuesday.

 

Wrist to Roger Corman to Tempest

Hello, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday, the day I just can’t get much done and write a foolish blog post so I can get back to not doing it.  I am looking at (I can’t say “watching,” but I am periodically glancing at the television screen) a Roger Corman movie.  I thought I had not seen It Conquered The World before but now I am remembering parts.  I really will have to watch it with some attention some day and write a blog post about it.  For now, however, I am still in All Tempest All The Time mode.

I draw your attention to the entry at the bottom of the sign.

Yes, we performed at the Utica Zoo yesterday.  It was a great deal of fun, and I think the audience enjoyed it, too.  I guess the zoo has a lot of stuff going on. I’ll have to check out a few other events when I get a chance.  That would no doubt be worth a blog post.

Next time I want to be the guy with his sword up in the air.

This is one of the cast photos taken after the performance.  We do one smiling nicely and one “in character.”  My character tends to smile nicely each time. An exception would be a picture taken in Little Falls, when the King’s drunken butler was next to me.  I shared that photo before, but for anybody who has forgotten:

Luckily he is not a “method” actor, or he may have drooled. Ew!

I have been thinking again today about what a great cast I have been working with this summer.  I will miss them when this is over.  Then again, there is always the next play.  That is a cheerful thought for Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

Speedy Saturday Post

My plan right now is to post something really really fast, so we can get on to the movie-watching portion of the evening.  I cannot do a true Scattered Saturday, because I have not done a whole hell of a lot today. I wrote some post cards and took a very uneventful walk to the post office to mail them.  Then I waited around till it was time to go to the Utica Zoo for this afternoon’s performance of The Tempest with LiFT Theatre Company.

The performance was fun and went pretty well.  I think the audience liked us.  The Utica Zoo is a fun place to be.  I only wish I had gotten there a little earlier, so I could have gone into the gift shop and purchased some post cards.  I do like to have a variety of post cards.

After the performance, my friend Kim and I drove back to Herkimer, where we went to a brief wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquors.  Then I went home, where my dearest husband Steven was, and we got some dinner at PK’s Pub.  Yes, I could write blog posts about the wine tasting or the dinner, or, for that matter, the performance of The Tempest or this morning’s walk to the post office (yes, I know, I said it was uneventful, when has that ever stopped me?).  So many posts, so little time.

I am now over 200 words.  I call that respectable.  Maybe not  a good post, but respectable. Happy Saturday, everyone, and I hope to see you all on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

It’s All About Me, and The Tempest

 

In lieu of my usual Friday Lame Post, I thought I would continue my theme of All Tempest All The Time and plug tomorrow’s show at the Utica Zoo.  They have a nice little amphitheater.  Last year we performed Much Ado About Nothing there.  That had the charm of rhyme:  Much Ado at the Zoo.  Well, we can’t have everything.

We rehearsed at the zoo on Wednesday.  Did you know they block off the Parkway on Wednesday nights for the Utica Roadrunners?  Kim and I had to take a little walk to get to the zoo.  Oh well, I needed the exercise.  Alas, I did not bring my Tablet so have no pictures of rehearsal.  I just don’t imagine I will be able to get any of the performance either, because, you know, I’ll be acting.

The show at the Utica Zoo begins at 2  p.m. and is free with admission to the zoo. Cue jokes about animals in cages and on stages (I won’t make any of those jokes myself, because it still is Lame Post Friday, you know).

I’ll close with a couple of pictures from our dress rehearsal at Caroga Lake, where we performed Aug. 5.  Naturally I chose pictures that included me, because, as you know, it’s all about me.

That’s me with my arms upraised, you know, acting.

 

I chose this one, because I thought it would be nice to include one with swords out. I’m hoping for some actual sword fights in next summer’s Shakespeare play.

For more information about LiFT Theatre Company, you can visit their Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

Sharon, Susan and a Swan

Steven has been wanting to get a picture of our Rose of Sharon in the back yard.  I finally got one today and thought, hey, let’s do a Backyard Picture Post.

One day, I think, “No blooms this year.” The next day, “Wow!”

My mom gave me a shoot of her Rose of Sharon some years ago.  Hers is enormous and gorgeous by now.  Ours got mowed down a few times as a wee sprout.  However, it grew back each time, better than before.  First it was big enough so Steven noticed it and didn’t mow it down.  Then it was so big he couldn’t have mowed it down if he tried!  According to Steven, the plant was saying, “Mow ME down, will you?”

While I was taking the picture of the Rose of Sharon, I noticed the swan in our neighbors’ pool which Steven has been envying (I have been envying the pool myself).

The picture is a little dark, but I wanted to share the swan.

I had also been wanting to take another picture of our Black-eyed Susans, which are looking better and better.

I don’t know if you can see that a little Queen Anne’s Lace has worked it way in.

We originally purchased the Black-eyed Susans at a sale to benefit the Herkimer County Humane Society, back in 2011 (are you impressed that I remember the actual year?  I am).  They have gotten bigger and spread.  Now they are battling it out with the chives for control of that little patch.  While I was admiring  them, I noticed some little yellow flowers behind the garage.

The little blooms look better in person, but if you want to stop over and see them, please call first.

I really need to clean out behind the garage, cutting down a pricker bush that is expanding to tree-like proportions.  We just never see that part when we are sitting on the deck, and, you know how it goes: out of sight, out of what’s left of my mind.  Then I remembered the Brown-eyed Susans, which grew with no input on our part.

The green shoots are part of some irises which are done blooming now.

The Brown-eyed Susans are growing in two places in our yard, so I took two pictures.

The green stuff in the background is the beginning of some trees that I need to get out from under my deck.

Some years ago, I read the Rudbeckia is a good plant for bees.  Imagine my surprise when a guy at a greenhouse told me that Rudbeckia is Brown-eyed Susans.  It sounds so much fancier!

So this is how pretty my yard looks in mid-August.  I wonder what September will bring. Will it be worth a blog post? We’ll see.

 

Oh, That Band!

When I was running the Boilermaker 15K in July, I LOVED the band that was playing outside the Utica Zoo.  They were bluesy and danceable.  I dance-ran by them, a move which I am sure looks perfectly ridiculous but is fun nevertheless.  I still had not gotten around to looking up who the band was.  In my defense, I’ve been busy.

Fast forward to Chicks Along the Canal, part of Little Falls Canal Fest, last Saturday, Aug. 12.  While the cast of The Tempest (remember, that play I’m in?) waited to perform, the best band was playing!  They were bluesy!  They were danceable!  I went over to the tent and danced.

“Bands like it when you dance to their music,” I told my fellow cast members.  Another listener was dancing, a gentleman wearing an ARMY cap.  He waved at me, and  went over and dance with him.

It was while I was dancing that the band began to sound familiar.  Ooh!  Was it the awesome band from the Boilermaker?  I thought maybe!

After their set, I saw the lead singer chatting with someone, so I approached and asked if they had been in front of the Zoo during the Boilermaker.  They had!

“I LOVE you guys!”  I said.  “What is the name of your band?”

“The Cathie Timian Band,” was the answer.  She gave me a card.  When I got home, I looked up their website: http://www.cathietimian.com/.  I also Liked the Cathie Timian Facebook page.  I hope to hear them play again soon.  You bet I’ll write a blog post about it.