Souper Sunday

Posted on February 13, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Imagine my delight just now when I searched and found that I have not used “Souper Sunday” as a headline.  I don’t like to repeat headlines.  I know I predicted a Wrist to Forehead Sunday, but I think Sunday Supper post might be nice.  I guess technically it was lunch, but you know how I love alliteration.

I had planned to make soup earlier in the week.  I had a big piece of beef in the freezer (I don’t remember what the cut was; it was on sale and it looked good).  I thought I would cook it in the crock pot on Saturday, then make soup with the leftovers on Sunday.  I find it is a good idea for me to plan menus for the weekend, to lessen the temptation to send out for pizza or Chinese food.  I confess that it only lessens the temptation.  That little devil on my shoulder will whisper, “That meat will be perfectly good to cook on Monday!”  However, this weekend, the devil was silent and I crock potted the beef.

I put Worcestershire sauce garlic powder, minced onions, Salt-Free Essential Spice Blend (from the So Sweet Candy Cafe in Utica, NY), and a small can of mushrooms in the crock pot with the meat, plus a little water.  It cooked for maybe nine hours.  Yum!  Steven nicely put the leftovers away.

I started the soup around 12:30 today.  As usual, I crushed up some garlic and set the timer for 15 minutes so it could “breathe” (I put breathe in quotations, because garlic does not have lungs).  I chopped up an onion and put it in a pot.  Ooh, here’s where I changed things up:  I did NOT cook it in olive or canola oil as per my usual method.  I used red wine.  Yes, I cooked with wine and I actually put it in the food!  You see, I impulsively purchased a cheap bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon the other day at Ilion Wine and Spirits.

“If it’s not good to drink, I can always cook with it,”  I said, quoting a bit of wisdom given me by another wine aficionado.  Turns out it wasn’t so good to drink.

After things had cooked for some time, I added a can of diced tomatoes.  Then I chopped up a small eggplant I had purchased specifically for the soup.  I love eggplant.  This was when I realized I had picked too small of a pot.  Damn! I put everything in a bigger pot.  After letting the eggplant cook for a while, I put in the leftover drippings and chopped up the leftover beef.  Stirring everything up, I added parsley, more Salt-Free Essential and a little cumin.

It was quite a tasty soup, and there was a goodly amount left over.  Steven put it in the freezer, for future consumption.  Now how could I have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday after such a delicious meal?

 

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Let’s Just Say I Drove a Lot

Posted on February 12, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is quite late to make my Scattered Saturday post.  In fact, it is Sunday morning.  Don’t judge.  Oh, no, I guess I don’t want to tell people what to do.  Judge me if you must, but I’m not doing prison time for it.  Where was I?  Ah yes, Scattered Saturday.

I’m still so tired from it, I don’t think I can give a coherent blow-by-blow of all where I went and what I did.  Mostly where I went, actually, because I spent a lot of time driving around the greater Utica area.  I went through Whitestown, Whitesboro, New York Mills, New Hartford and Yorkville.  I saw the sign for Clinton but did not venture that far.  I also think I missed Washington Mills.  Note to self:  find out exactly where Washington Mills is.

That brings up a kind of a silly story.  My friend, Diane, and I were in the late, greatly missed Albany Street Cafe (Asteroga Ale House is there now, a perfectly nice place, but I really enjoyed Albany Street Cafe).  We were sitting at the bar, chatting with the bartender.  He told us his name was Clinton.  The next time we were there, Diane called him Kirkland.  He corrected her. I said, “I knew you had the same name as a town around here, but all I could think of was Washington Mills.”   As we all know, that is the kind of foolish joke I make.

Anyways, my travels Saturday were in search of costume pieces for Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, which I believe I have mentioned before. I had the best luck at Party City.  I don’t usually plug chain stores, but what a fun place!  I found a feather boa, a garter, fake cigarettes and a holder!  I’m going to look cool!  I had a nice time looking around Queen’s Closet in Yorkville, as well as a nice conversation with the lady there, but I ultimately did not purchase anything.  The highlight of my morning was breakfast at Raspberry’s in New Hartford.  Oh, and back in Herkimer, I hit the Indoor Garage Sale at Trinity Lutheran Church on the corner of Henry and German streets, where I got Steve a small token for Valentine’s Day.

I will not offer any excuse for making my Saturday post on Sunday, because excuses are tiresome.  However, I hope my readers will forgive me and join me later today, when I expect it will be a true Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  As for me, I shall have some coffee now.  Can you believe I got out of bed and made a blog post without it?  Doesn’t that make this practically the same thing as posting it on Saturday?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

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Friday Gyrations

Posted on February 11, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title as I drove away from work this afternoon.  I though to a brief description of the stops I planned might make a nice change from my usual Friday Lame Post.  We’ll see.

Steven and I have plans for this evening, so I did not want to spend hours running round.  However, I had said I would stop at Basloe Library to check their ongoing book sale for magazines such as might be good set dressing for Steel Magnolias.  I could have done that tomorrow morning, but I have some major running around planned for Saturday. Then I remembered that I still had not contacted the lady at New 2 You consignment shop to tell her I did not want the dress she was so nicely holding for me.  Yes, that is dreadfully inconsiderate of me.  I hang my head in shame.  Well, you know how it is:  when I thought of it, I wasn’t near a phone; when I was near a phone, I didn’t think of it.

So that was my first stop.  While there I also looked around for shawls or scarves that I MIGHT use to accessorize the dress that I MIGHT wear to be Ruby in Rubbed Out at Ruby’s. I did not find any, but I found a book that looks really good (I didn’t waste time looking at the books; this one just caught my eye) and a couple of long strings of beads.  You can’t have too many long strings of beads.  Ilion’s Dollar Store (I think it’s Dollar General; you know I’m never specific about dollar stores) is in that same area, so I stopped there as well.  I found some fake money, which I need for Ruby’s and for Magnolias, so that was good.

As long as I was in Ilion, I checked their library for a book sale.  They had one, but there were no magazines.  I didn’t even get to look at the books much (just as well), because a large person was kind of hogging the space (it was only a couple of small rolling racks).

At Basloe, I found a lot of magazines but not specifically what I was looking for.  I almost picked up a couple of magazine-looking recipe books for myself but after sternly reminding myself about all the recipe books, magazines and loose pieces of paper I currently have cluttering up my kitchen (and I usually just make something up anyways), I sadly put them back.

I did not get back home substantially later than I usually do.  Then I spent enough time futzing about on Facebook and puttering around the house that I am completely NOT ready to go out and Steven is due home any minute now. Yikes!  Well, at least I’ve made my blog post.  Happy Friday, everybody.

 

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The Vagaries of Non-Sequitur Thursday

Posted on February 10, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, now I’ve done it.  I sat here stressing over the fact that I CAN’T WRITE A POST TODAY (said in a dramatic voice, with a wrist to my forehead), and my sweet husband, Steven said that he wished I would not put myself through posting every day.  I said, “It’s just because I have rehearsal tonight.  I just have to stop doing PLAYS!”  Oh yeah, like that’s going to happen!

Thus adjured, I put my fingers on the keyboard and started typing.  I can’t stop posting every day, it’s what I do.  But I can’t let my husband feel upset because I am stressed.  So, as of right now, I am not stressed.  About the blog, at least.  I mean, let’s start small.

I just paused to eat a very delicious dinner that Steven fixed.  He really is a most satisfactory husband.

Earlier today I was pondering the vagaries of writing.  I have been having a difficult time lately, but earlier I sat down and wrote a page of dialog with very little problem.  It was part of Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, the interactive murder mystery LiFT Theatre Company is presenting at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls in — yikes! –just a couple of weeks.  I thought to myself, “I can’t write, I can’t write, I can’t write, I sit down and write.”  For some reason I can’t just skip to the last step.

I just know that some of you are sitting there smirking, “Well, have you TRIED?”  Yes, I have.  In fact, most of the time I want to have at least a couple more rounds of “I can’t write, I can’t write” before “I sit down and write,” but I somehow manage to write.  Like right now.  Then again, perhaps that is not the best example, since this is just another of my foolish posts about I Can’t Write a Post Today.  Then again (I can have as many “again”s as I want; it’s not like “on the other hand,” where most of us only have two hands), today is Non-Sequitur Thursday.  If I can think of a punchy headline, I’m all set.

Hope to see you all on Lame Post Friday.

 

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Favorite Ghouls on Wuss-out Wednesday

Posted on February 9, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am so tired right now, I think all I can manage is a Wuss-out Wednesday post.  It is Wednesday, right?  Earlier today, I was wishing it was Thursday.  Then I reminded myself of a morning I got out of my car and thought, “Why can’t it be Thursday instead of Wednesday?”  then I thought, “You idiot, it’s Tuesday.”  I may have shared that memory before, but I still think it is funny.

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Two of my all-time favorite ghouls.

This is what I immediately thought of at the time.   This is Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.  I never knew which movie the shot is from but I believe that is not the original dialog.  I used it as my Facebook cover photo for a while. Now I realize I should not have put it in a Wuss-out Wednesday post but in a Tired Tuesday post.  Which just goes to show you how often I do the wrong thing.  But now that I’ve put in a photo, I’d kind of like to put in a couple more.  I wonder what I can find.

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She’s really not that into him.

Speaking of favorite ghouls, who doesn’t love Vincent Price?  This is from House of Wax, one of my go-to horror movies.  Price is in love with his Marie Antoinette.  How Pygmalion of him.  Before the film can really explore the creepiness of that infatuation, the place goes up in flames and Price becomes a villain, deformed in body and spirit.  I don’t know where I’m going with that.  Perhaps the next time I watch the movie, I’ll write a scholarly essay on Hollywood’s missed opportunities.

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Aren’t they cool?

Just to finish out the theme of favorite ghouls, here is a photo Steven has shared on Facebook so it was in our downloads.  Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and John Carradine.  At least, Steven says it is John Carradine.  I had thought it was Peter Cushing.  How classless is that, that I’m going to publish this without making sure of my information.  That’s how I roll on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

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More About Rubbed Out at Ruby’s

Posted on February 8, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been promising a full blog post about Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, the interactive murder mystery to be presented by LiFT Theatre Company at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, NY.  Excitement is building!  The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 starting at 6 p.m.

The production involves more audience interaction and less performance than previous murder mysteries I have written (notably Engaged to Be Murdered, presented last April at Morning Star Methodist Church; perhaps you read one of my blog posts about it).  Oh, we’ll still get to ham it up.  You know how I love to ham it up!

The story takes place in the 1920’s and centers around the death of Benny Bottini, Little Falls’ most beloved bootlegger.  Benny’s body was discovered on the ground floor of the mansion some days previously.  The audience will have a chance to read a few details about the murder in an article from Little Falls Confidential, a rather sensational newspaper.

Located in the basement of the Overlook is Ruby’s Rathskeller, the hottest speakeasy in town, which is run by George Raffle. He named it after Ruby Van Renssalaer, a rich society lady who loaned him the start-up cash.  Upstairs of the Rathskeller is Mavis LaLonde’s very fancy bordello, which features Zelda Helsinki, Little Falls’ most sought-after good-time girl.  Benny was in love with Zelda, but her boyfriend is Jimmy “the Shiv” Schlavinsky, George’s head muscle man.  Also on hand are Dianne Enger, George’s new torch singer;   Vivian Velasquez, who runs a rival speakeasy;  and Avery Wainwright, the new bootlegger in town.

Audience members will have a chance to talk to the suspects and search for clues in the basement and first floor of the mansion. Hors d’ouvres will be served with a cash bar available. Participants are encouraged to dress to the period.  Tickets are $25/person.  The Overlook Mansion is located at 55 Douglass St. inLittle Falls, phone number 315-823-1907. For more information you can visit the Overlook’s website at http://overlookmansion.com/mansion/ or visit their Facebook page.

 

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I’m Not Moldy; I Showered!

Posted on February 7, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, time passes quickly when you have to be somewhere at 6:30.  Of course this is not always the case.  Sometimes I sit here, stare at the clock and think, “Dammit, can’t it be time for rehearsal now?  I’m going to be tired at 6:30!”  Well, I guess I can say that today, but in fact I have been tired most of the day.  Maybe I had too much fun over the weekend.  We’ll go with that, because it makes me look like a wild child, not an moldy oldie.

I was late getting home today, because I made a couple of stops.  I am searching for costume pieces and props for both Steel Magnolias and Rubbed Out at Ruby’s.  I met with no success.  The Dollar Store (I think it is actually Family Dollar; they’re all Dollar Stores to me, but this is the one near Wal-Mart in Herkimer, and everything really is a dollar.  My favorite kind of dollar store)… I’d better start that sentence over; I got a little lost in my parenthetical comment.  The Dollar Store, I was saying, did not even have any play money.  I thought they always had play money!  They’re toy aisle was shortened.  Of all things!

I also went to the Arc Thrift Store next door.  I tried on two red evening gowns (I’m Ruby).  One fit, but I felt my flab was too lovingly detailed.  It was definitely not a 20’s outline.  The other one I couldn’t even get on.  I mean, maybe I was too fat, maybe I wasn’t.  The fact was, I couldn’t get myself into the damn thing.  It was a lined sheath, and I could not seem to get myself into both parts at the same time.  I would have laughed had I not felt so frustrated.  I caught sight of myself in the mirror after I had given up but before I had put my own clothes back on, and I said, “Damn.”  I positively must eat less.

When I got back home I was too tired to make the guacamole I had intended for my flat bread sandwich tomorrow (on a whole wheat tortilla, by the way).  So I’m afraid it’s Cotto Salami.  I’m sure that’s more fattening, but I comfort myself with the thought that it is better than crap out of the vending machine or deep-fried yumminess from the cafeteria (why is my computer underlining “yumminess”?  Isn’t that a word?  I’ll be damned!).

So that is my Monday Mental Meanderings for the week.  Did anybody notice that I did not whine about not being able to make a blog post today?  Can I get a brownie point for that ?  Mmmm…. brownies.  No wonder I’m fat!

 

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Holding On Till The Next Hot Flash

Posted on February 6, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Welcome to another Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I did not get much done today, although I tried.  I don’t know why I thought I could get anything done.  Hope springs eternal, I suppose.

It has been a cold weekend in the Mohawk Valley.  I know, it’s February, what can I expect?  As a matter of fact, I did expect it to be cold.  And I did not expect to enjoy it.  However, I will admit to feeling… not good, but as if the cold was doing me good as I walked through the Hannaford parking lot after picking up a few groceries.  You know, like an ice pack or a cold shower is sometimes just what you need.  I couldn’t pinpoint for you exactly what about me I felt needed icing at at time, but I decided to go with it.

The cold did not continue to do me good (or feel as if it was doing me good, I guess), but you’ll have that.  As usual, I just tried to hold on till the next hot flash.

We had another rehearsal for “Rubbed Out at Ruby’s,” the 1920’s murder mystery LiFT Theatre Company will present at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls.  This week I positively will write a full blog post about it.  In the meantime, I’ll try to find a link you can click for more information.  You can also go to the Overlook’s or LiFT’s Facebook pages.

 

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Snow, Costumes and Oolong Tea

Posted on February 5, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I am going to try to make my Scattered Saturday post before Steven comes home and we go out to meet good friends for dinner.  For one reason, I thought I would refrain from drinking and typing, as I sometimes do on a Saturday.  At least for my blog post.  About Facebook I make no promises (note to self:  make a Facebook page for Mohawk Valley Girl, in case my readers would like to Like me there).

Mmm… I paused to sip my Oolong tea.  I LOVE Oolong tea.  Why have I not been drinking it every day?  Points to ponder.  Then I paused again, because my laptop told me the battery was low.  Silly me, not plugging it in between Facebook breaks.  I moved to a different chair, plugged the damn thing in, moved my tea, which necessitated moving a piled up lace dress (that I’ll tell you about in a few), sat down, remembered my mouse, went back across the room to get the mouse… I tell you, it’s not easy being me.

We slept in this morning, because Steven did not work till 10:30.  Oh, the laziness of staying in bed till almost seven o’clock!  It was great.  It was after eight when Spunky indicated it was time for his first business meeting.  I put on a bra (do NOT tell me TMI!), my flood boots and my warmest coat.  It was still pretty frigid out, and snowing.  Spunky barked at a neighbor as she came out of her house.  We exchanged good mornings, and I told Spunky he was a silly dog (he already knew).

Steven had sensibly put off clearing the cars since more snow would fall before time to leave, but I saw that we also had to shovel.  After I got Spunky back inside, wiped his paws and gave him a treat, I went back out and started.  Steven soon joined me.  At least the snow was lightweight.  Pushing it worked fine.  Our neighbor shoveled the sidewalk in front of our house and started helping on the driveway!  How awesome of her!  I thanked her profusely, and Steven and I introduced ourselves.  After she left and Steven and I had finished up, I paid it forward by doing the walk in front of the house on the other side.

After showering and getting dressed, I wrote my weekly postcards.  My first stop on leaving the house after Steven was the post office.  Then I gassed up, got some money from the ATM and a drink at the Nice N Easy.  The drink took some debate, since I am avoiding sugar (on a doctor’s suggestion) yet wanted more than mere water.  I finally got Poland Springs Sparkling, black cherry flavor.  That stuff is awesome!  It tastes like soda only not sweet (I often don’t enjoy sweet soda after the first few sips), but there are NO calories!  Score!

I drove to Ilion Little Theatre, where a few people were hard at work on the set for Steel Magnolias.  I hope to show you a photo of the beautifully painted backdrop when it is finished.  I went upstairs to look for 1920s type costumes for the upcoming murder mystery, Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, to be presented by LiFT Theatre Company in Little Falls.  I did not have a whole lot of hope, because I went through every dress in that place when we were doing Leading Ladies and I did not remember anything I thought would work.  However, I was mistaken.  I found a few things I liked, including the lace dress I mentioned some paragraphs ago (was that mention even worth foreshadowing?).

After those exertions, however, I started feeling not too well again.  How stupid of me!  Why can’t I just be healthy?  And why do I have to be such a baby about it?  And here I am, troubling my readers with my complaints.  So sorry.  This is what happens, though, when I’m typing away with one eye on the clock.  I have to plug in the curling iron and do my hair (an unaccustomed chore, to be sure).   Well, I hope you have been moderately entertained by my Scattered Saturday gyrations.  As for me, that Oolong tea has given me my first hot flash of the day and all I can say is, Thank God for menopause!  I have been freezing!  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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On the Set

Posted on February 4, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I know some of you have been waiting for an update on the set of Steel Magnolias, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.  At least, I know any fellow cast-members who read my blog (DO my fellow cast members read my blog?) would like an update.  Before yesterday’s rehearsal, I remembered to pull out my tablet and I took a few shots.  I got more of the cast than the set, but, after all, isn’t it all about the people?  I think it is.

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We love each other at Ilion Little Theatre.

Kim Darling and Kara Buttermore, who play Truvy and Annelle, were working on the set when I started to click.  They immediately posed for me.  I knew that would make a good photo, but I wanted an action shot.  They offered me this scene from the beginning of the play:

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Annelle does Truvy’s hair as part of her job interview.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Kaylynn Iglesias, who recently joined the cast as Shelby, consulted with Cindy Shepherd.  Cindy, in addition to playing Ouiser, is assisting Rick Vroman in his directing duties.  I had a little problem with my tablet getting this shot.  I hope it looks OK.

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We do a lot of consulting with each other. Theatre is such a collaborative art.

Then I realized I had not gotten a shot of Kelly Stone, who plays M’Lynn.  She and Kaylynn decided to do a mother/daughter shot.

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Their characters really do love each other, although they bicker a lot in the play.

Sadly, I did not get a picture of our awesome sound and light guy, Rick DeJohn, nor of our delightful director Rick Vroman.   Perhaps in a future post.

I’ll close with a couple of shots of the set itself.  More work will be done on the set tomorrow (I’m supposed to go help.  Yikes!  What a lot I have to do tomorrow!).  I hope to include more photos in future posts.  I’d better charge up the tablet.  Happy Friday, everyone.

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The driers don’t actually work, which is actually too bad, because the sink on the other side of the set will.

 

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A center view. Alas, I did not get stage right, where the sink that will actually squirt water is located.

 

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