Lame-a-Rita?

It is Lame Post Friday and, yes, I am drinking and typing.  At least, I had a drink and now I am typing.  If my dear, DEAR husband, Steven, gets me a glass of wine, I will be drinking and typing.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” he just asked me.  He really is a most satisfactory husband.

So at Christmas my sister (my dear, DEAR sister) Cheryl gave us a gift card for Applebee’s.  I know, I don’t usually plug chains in this blog, but Herkimer Applebee’s is really an exemplary link in the chain.  Additionally, I am amused by the story of tonight’s drink of choice.

Last October, I was in Applebee’s with the large cast of Splitting Issues, the play Steven and I were in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I was not drinking, due to a tiresome medical issue which I will not bore you with at this time.  I was also fighting a dreadful cold, but I managed to have a fun time anyways.  That often happens when you hang out with theatre people.  As we were leaving, I caught sight of a drink being enjoyed by the wife of a fellow cast member.

“Is that an upside down beer in your drink?” I asked, awestruck.  It was.  It was, in fact, Corona, one of my favorite beers (as well as a pretty good typewriter).  I promised myself that one day I would go into Applebee’s and have “one of them there drinks with the upside down beer in it”  (yes, that was precisely how I planned to ask for it).  Today I had that opportunity.

We were lucky enough to get one of the tall tables in the bar area, which I love to sit at.  Steven pointed out on the “Featured Drink” card a drink with an upside bottle of Reunite Lambrusco.  I asked the waitress about it, mentioning the one with the beer as well.

“That’s the Corona-Rita,” she explained.  “After that, we came up with the one with Reunite.”

I opted for the one with the beer, because Lambrusco is sweet and I prefer dry wine.

I confess, I was a little disappointed in the drink.  I think in the future I’ll stick with their Perfect Margarita, which I have enjoyed on many occasions.  Or a glass of wine. However, I was happy I finally had my drink with the upside down beer.  We got some appetizers, too, which were pretty tasty.  All in all, a very fun evening out.  In fact, it was not in the least bit lame, but this being Lame Post Friday, I went with the headline I did.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

Is It Worth 3,000 Words?

I think I may have run out of things to say about not having anything to say.

I am forcing myself not to backspace and erase that, as I did to at least three other possible leads.  I’m thinking at least one of those leads was better than what I went with, but of course now I can’t remember any of them.

Using a few random pictures seemed to work yesterday.  I wonder if I could get away with it two days in a row.

533190_10150968041494203_1586967156_n

He’s telling me what to say, and I’m thinking he’s full of beans.

 

This picture is from the Ilion Little Theatre production of Harvey in 2012.  Steven played Dr. Chumley.  I was Veda.  Perhaps longtime readers remember when this blog was All Harvey All The Time.

14753322_10207432285232559_7612313384790705947_o

My character is drinking wine, but it is not real wine in the glass, a source of much disappointment to me.

This is a more recent stage appearance: Splitting Issues last October.  I believe I also wrote a couple of blog posts about that.

 

14543755_1274138415964714_9092463396277293232_o

In jail, where some believe we belong (you know who you are).

 

I don’t have another theatre picture of Steven and me together, so I will show a picture of me in costume with Steven.  This was a Haunted Tour of Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners.  I reprised my role (wait a minute; my computer thinks “reprised” is not a word, but apparently “reprise” is. Oh, I can’t worry about that now) of Roxalana Druse, who was hanged behind the 1834 Jail.  I don’t think I did a blog post about that event (the haunted tour, not the hanging, although I never wrote about the hanging either).  How remiss of me.

So this is my Non-Sequitur Thursday post for the week.  I think I’ve jumped around enough to qualify.  If only I could think of a catchy headline, I could head to my Steel Magnolias rehearsal content.

 

A Beer or Wine with Joan?

12495079_976705979092289_7495251657647343675_n

I am  learning more about including pictures in the blog.  It is very exciting for me.  This picture was in our laptop’s downloads. I think my husband, Steven, may have used it for a profile picture last October.  It appeals to me, because I love skellingtons and I love beer.  In fact, it has not been a bad day at all.  But I am quite tired and cannot think of anything to make a blog post about.  Let’s see if there are any more fun pictures in the downloads, to make this a kind of a Wordless Wednesday post (I think we’ve already discussed that I am almost never entirely wordless) (and “Wordless Wednesday” sounds SO much more respectable than “Wuss-out Wednesday”).

 

14601127_569210533270207_287460256763850175_n

 

This is my current Facebook profile picture.  I was having a Lizzie Borden kind of a day (another profile I’ve used is a plaque that says, “I’m having a Lizzie Borden kind of a day”).  The picture is Joan Crawford in Straitjacket, a William Castle flick and one of my favorites.  I wonder if I’ve ever written a blog post about it.  I believe I mentioned it once on Severed Head Sunday (one of my favorite days).

14344270_1202065043190525_953886593148044903_n

 

For our last photo of the day (I think three is a good number, don’t you?), I show you my Facebook cover photo.  It is a lovely welcome mat which was given to Steven and me by our dear friend, Bruce.  Bruce’s most frequent comment on any of my Facebook posts is, “It’s WINE TIME!!!”  I like the way he thinks.  Happy Wednesday, everybody.

 

Remember Those Donuts?

So Tired Tuesday follows Mental Muck Monday, everybody must have seen that coming.  For anyone that was worried (although I don’t imagine anybody was),  my writing abilities seem to have returned.  Um, not that I expect this post will reflect my best efforts, but I did work on my articles for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.   The deadline is looming; I must make haste.  In the meantime, I need a blog post.

I had thought I would be posting in haste (posthaste, there’s a word you don’t see much anymore) before getting to rehearsal.  First, of course, I had those articles to work on.  As I worked, I could hear the sleet striking my window panes.  Oh dear.  Luckily my rehearsal is not far.  Still, it was not going to be a fun drive.  This is why I don’t like being involved in the March production, but it is useless to repine about that now.  Then the phone rang.  It was the director, cancelling rehearsal.  Cast members who live farther away than I do had phoned him, saying they did not want to drive in this weather.  I didn’t blame them.

I’m sure some readers are thinking, “Well NOW you can write a decent blog post, can’t you?  Can’t you?”  And I’m thinking,”Apparently not.”  However, I do have a few pictures to share.  Not very good pictures.  Perhaps not worth a thousand words.  Then again, my posts don’t usually run to a thousand words.  Who has time to read thousand word blog posts anyways?  Not me!  Let’s look at the pictures.

These were taken Saturday, at the set-building session to which I brought the donuts (perhaps you read my blog post about it).

20170107_101042

Two walls were already up when I arrived. And you see how fast our set-builders were working: this fellow is a blur!

 

 

20170107_101010

There was much discussion about where the window would be.

 

20170107_101025

They are discussing more walls to raise. The walls are there now, but I did not have my tablet with me at rehearsal last night.

Perhaps I can remember to bring my tablet to the next rehearsal and take more pictures of the set in progress.  At least I can hope to post pictures of the completed project.  And I will write many more word about the play itself, especially when the blog becomes All Steel Magnolias All The Time.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Monday Mental Muck

Well, I would have a Monday Mental Meanderings post, but my brain is mired in the muck (just to alliterate a little further).  Seriously, my thought processes seem to have slowed down almost to a halt.  In fact, they may be moving backwards.  Oh dear.

There.  I just took a break and read a couple of blogs. I don’t know how I thought that was going to help, but I thought it couldn’t hurt and it is the only chance I will have to read any blogs before tomorrow night.  I have rehearsal tonight.  I know, I know, it is not yet time for this blog to become All Steel Magnolias All The Time.  That time will come much closer to production, I hope.

Here is my problem:  I can’t write.

I know, I know, one must be merciless in the matter of mood (I think that is a quote, but I do not remember who said it.  I hope I do not have it exactly right as it might constitute plagiarism) (which some say is the sincerest form of flattery).  Well, here I am, aren’t I?  I’m at the keyboard, typing away and, as you can see, nothing very good is coming out.   Could this be Wrist to Forehead Monday?

Earlier today I tried to write.  It did not work out very well at all.  Not one word made it from brain to paper.   And you can clearly see not much brain is at work in the words I’m typing here.  This may be my worst post about I Can’t Write a Post Today yet (I’ve labeled some “Why I Can’t Write a Post Today” and some “How I Can’t Write a Post Today,” but I feel that today the how and why eludes me).

 

Putter, Post, Repeat

I pause in my Sunday gyrations to make a blog post, or at least to begin a blog post.  I may do other things between paragraphs and make no apology for doing so.  We’ll see.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it in this space before, but I often have what I call a putter and post kind of a day.  I putter around the house, I post a status on Facebook, I putter some more, go back to Facebook, etc. It is a pleasant way to spend a day off, and sometimes I even get a few things done.

Today I have gotten a few things done.  I grocery shopped.  I stopped at Honey Brook Hobbies and Sweet Temptations in hopes of writing an article about them for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I did the dishes. I made a pepperoni and cream cheese roll-up, just because.  I chopped up radishes and carrots for this week’s lunches.  I am in the midst of making a batch of Chex Party Mix (in the oven with real butter, as God intended).  And I paused to check up on my Facebook friends.  I like Facebook.

And that was when I stopped composing this post and did a few other things, as threatened in the first paragraph.  I did not accomplish anything more of note, but I am anxious to get on to the sweats on, bra off, movie watching portion of the day.  That is, get back to it, since in fact my sweats are on, my bra is off and A Place in the Sun is playing on the DVD player.

Last night we watched A North Woods Elegy: Incident at Big Moose Lake, a DVD Steven got for me from the Herkimer County Historical Society.  It is about the real life case that inspired the novel that A Place in the Sun is based on,  An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.  The case was, as local readers no doubt know, the murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gilette.  Gilette stayed in the 1834 Jail here in Herkimer, while he was tried and convicted in the Herkimer County Court House; both of those buildings are located on the Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners, which I have mentioned numerous times in this blog.

I would like to write a longer blog post about A North Woods Elegy.  Perhaps in a subsequent blog post, because if I don’t get this posted soon, today might turn into Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  And we wouldn’t want that, now, would we?

 

I Brought the Donuts!

How about a brief shout-out to a local business instead of my usual Scattered Saturday post?  For one reason, I get to talk about donuts.  Mmmmm… donuts.

The director and a few others were going to begin building the set for Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre  (ILT) this morning.  I sometimes show up for these sessions in hopes that I can be useful, but I rarely am.  I know how to use a few tools, but I am no hand at carpentry.  However, we all offer our contributions according to our talent.  I thought I would offer moral support by bringing donuts.

Being, as I am, Mohawk Valley Girl, I naturally wanted to go to one of those unique local businesses I treasure.  For set-building donuts, I like the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, NY.  I have several times stopped there for donuts before heading out to ILT.

The first thing I grabbed before the lady waited on me was a loaf of their good Italian bread.  Yum!  I looked at the donuts in the display case while I waited my turn, pondering.   Some might call the decision I reached radical.

“I’m going to make this easy,” I said.  “I’ll take a dozen plain.”  They just looked really good, and they can be less messy than the powdered or filled ones (not to mention the ones that are powdered AND filled) (the frosted ones can get a little messy, too).

The donuts were a big hit at the set-building.  I ate two myself.  The guys appreciated the old-fashioned, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside cakes.  I brought three home for Steven.

The Friendly Bake Shop is located at  122 E Main St., Frankfort, New York, phone number (315) 894-8861.  they are open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, closed Monday.  You can Like them on Facebook.

 

Lame is Not Fair

Today is the Epiphany, and I certainly could use one.  You see what I just did there?  It is also Lame Post Friday, and I have a bit of half-baked philosophy to share.  I thought of this earlier in the week.

People love to say, “Life is not fair,” and it is certainly true.  However, this is not a license for you to do whatever the hell you feel like no matter who you hurt.  Sure, the universe seems unfair (bearing in mind that we can’t see the whole picture), but we as human beings can strive to be fair, equitable, or perhaps even unfair for the benefit of someone other than ourselves.

“Life is not fair,” it seems to me, refers to things like cancer, tornadoes, hair color, natural talent.  I will never be tall, willowy and have high cheekbones.  I will never have the opportunities enjoyed by people born to wealthy, well-placed parents.  However, other people will never have my ability to just sit down and tap out a blog post (lame or otherwise).  Other people will never enjoy the utter fun of having a spouse like my husband Steve.  All these things fall under the heading of “Shit happens.”

When you take the biggest piece of cake or the last beer in the fridge, turn around and say with a smirk, “Well, life isn’t fair,”  that does not make it all right.

There is probably a much more eloquent, well thought out essay to be written on this subject.  However, for Lame Post Friday, I’m going to call this good enough.  Do you suppose that’s fair?

 

No Wine, No Words

Oh, could I use a couple of pictures today!  Because the words that are currently swirling around in my head are just not  coalescing into a blog post.  And I must make a post soon, because the read-through for Steel Magnolias (you know, the play I’m in a Ilion Little Theatre) is tonight.  Yes, we are heading into another few months of hurried posts before I hurry off to rehearsal or performance.  Yes!  I AM a drama queen!

I am not, unfortunately, a blogger queen.  I typed in the first paragraph and have been sitting here staring at the computer since.

Then I paused to eat supper, bacon and scrambled eggs, made by my husband, Steve.  Yum!  And I keep getting distracted by the Reba re-run on the TV.  That is a largely ignored but very fun little show.  I love Reba McEntire.  I like the rest of the cast as well.  Phew, it’s over now.  Now it’s a show I don’t like.  Watch me get interested in it in spite of myself.  I do that sometimes.  Steven just changed the channel to 20/20 on OWN.  I love true crime shows.

So I guess this is truly a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  All I have to do now is think of a catchy headline that may or may not have anything to do with this nonsense.

Winery Wordless Wednesday

I’m really liking the idea of Wordless Wednesday, although I am probably one of the least wordless people on the planet.  I mean, I’ll be honest, I LOVE words!  I love to talk!  I love to write!  But today, I just want to post something quickly and and go to bed early.  So this is kind of a Preview of Coming Attractions about the blog post I intend to write about Prospect Falls Winery.  I’ll post the pictures today and the words… subsequently (I can’t promise tomorrow; I have the read-through for Steel Magnolias!)

 

20161228_142428

It was easy to get a space at the tasting bar the day we were there.

Oh, I can’t just put the pictures, can I?  I have to have some words.  Anyways, Steven and I were at Prospect Falls Winery last Wednesday with my sister Cheryl and our friend Penny.  Steven and I tasted a few wines, and we spent some time walking around looking at the wines and other things for sale.

20161228_142456

I wish I had gotten a better shot of the wall hanging.

 

20161228_142410

Love the Adirondack lamps!

 

20161228_142354

The bundles are vintage Readers Digests.

Prospect Falls Winery is located at 400 Academy St., Prospect Falls, NY,  (315) 205-4045.  They are open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.to 6 p.m., Sunday from noon to six.  For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.prospectfallswinery.com/.  You can also Like them on Facebook.