Sorry, Readers

Posted on March 25, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s another Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I don’t have a post written. I don’t have any ideas of what to write a post about. I don’t even have any humorous remarks about Why I Can’t Write a Post Today.

I almost had Wrist to Forehead Saturday. I took out an old spiral notebook and wrote a sentence. And crossed it out. I wrote another couple of sentences and crossed them out. I frowned. Started another sentence. Forced myself to write… each… word… Then when I was folding laundry I came up with the St. Baldrick’s Day idea. Saved!

I walked with my schnoodle Tabby to the post office to mail postcards yesterday morning, thinking that would be worth a post. My husband Steven joined us for another walk this afternoon. The highlight of today’s walk was the memorial for Ape, the police dog who gave his life protecting his human partner from the killer. At least, I don’t know if highlight is the right word. But I don’t feel I can write a blog post about that, or indeed, say anything else about the tragedy today.

Yesterday I had a couple of opportunities for Mohawk Valley adventures, in addition to our post office jaunt, but alas, nothing blogworthy ensued. I didn’t even watch a cheesy horror movie, although a couple good-sounding choices await on my DVR.

So boo hoo for me. And boo hoo for you the reader, as I blather on about these things. Oh well, I guess the blogosphere can survive one more stupid post from yours truly. Ah, here’s something apropos. In the old notebook I was writing in yesterday, I found a crumpled piece of paper with the following quote:

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometime courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

I guess what I do doesn’t take a plethora of courage, but, yes, I will try again tomorrow. Hope to see you then.

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Lame Hair Anyways

Posted on March 24, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

My original headline was “I Might Be Bald,” but in fact, I don’t think there is a “might” about it: I intend to BE bald! This isn’t exactly a lame post either, but I missed Lame Post Friday (made a post, not too lame), and I like this headline better. So enough about that, on with the post.

Sometime in June, I intend to participate in a St. Baldrick’s Day event. St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an organization dedicated to raising money for children’s cancer. They have events in which participants get their heads shaved after hitting up friends, family and acquaintances for donations. They say it’s like a walkathon only without the blisters.

Usually when I mention my intention, somebody says, “Oh, you’re going to donate your hair?” No, they don’t make wigs. In fact, the last time I was growing my hair out, I checked out one of the wig making web sites, and it turned out they didn’t want grey hair. I got it cut that afternoon. I tell people that this is more along the lines of a solidarity thing: you lost your hair to cancer? I’ll be bald, too!

I think it’s a beautiful thing. I’m not saying I’ll be beautiful, but then again, maybe I will. Perhaps by then I will have learned to include photos in my blog and my readers can be the judge.

I went to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website, www.StBaldricks.org, and looked at some possibilities. I liked one at the North Syracuse VFW June 16. My sister who lives in Liverpool would probably accompany me to that one, although I believe she would keep her hair. However, that’s Father’s Day, and I may have Dad plans. Then I saw one at Richfield Springs Community Center on June 2.

One may wonder why I do not try to participate in one at Utica College March 27. Closer in distance and time! As it happens, I’m in a play at Ilion Little Theatre in May. The director (my husband, in fact), would prefer I had hair at that time.

I will share more about my bald intentions when I have actually signed up for an event. In the meantime, I thought I’d put it out there. For one thing, the more I say I’m going to do it, the less wiggle room I have to back out. Me back out? Never! We’re going to have a bald Mohawk Valley Girl! Stay tuned!

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Not Exactly a Lame Post

Posted on March 23, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

This post may strike some as lame, or at least not up to whatever standard of entertainment I have set, but I don’t feel I can call it a lame post, because the subject matter is… not lame.

Last week I wrote very briefly that a bad event had taken place in Herkimer, NY. In fact, it was still going on as I wrote. Briefly, a man had set fire to the house where he had an apartment then went on a shooting rampage. Well, the event is now over (perpetrator dead along with a police dog), and the Mohawk Valley begins the healing process. As part of that process, some wonderful people have organized the Love and Compassion Benefit for victims and their families, including victims of the fire as well as of the shootings.

I get a tear in my eye when I think about this, because I think, THIS is what people are like. Real people, most people, come together after a tragedy and try to help. Most people do not take guns and shoot other people. No, I don’t have any official statistics on this, but here’s what I see: one guy set a fire and shot people. Lots and lots of people are trying to help during the aftermath.

The benefit will be Sunday, March 24. It was originally to run from noon to five, but has been extended to eight. It was originally to be held only at the American Legion in Mohawk, but they have moved the Silent Auction to Francesca’s in Ilion. The auction will run from noon to 5:30, with drawings beginning at six. Admission to the auction is free, then you purchase tickets of course. Admission at the Legion is $10 and includes refreshments and entertainment. There will be a heated tent to handle the overflow.

When I saw the event shared on Facebook, I emailed one of the organizers and asked if they would like one of my afghans for the auction. I dropped it off this afternoon after work. I had thought to write my blog post about the adventure of driving through unfamiliar streets in Ilion (it was a little adventuresome), but after writing about the benefit, I think I’ll leave it at that.

According the the Event posted on Facebook, 740 people are going to the benefit. Really, that’s just the people that saw it on Facebook and hit “Going.” I think the place is going to be mobbed, and I think that that is just wonderful.

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One Cheese, Two Cheese, RATS!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I closed yesterday I thought I might take today to come up with a rating system for my cheesy movie reviews. A Facebook friend suggested servings of cheese. I had thought maybe kinds of cheese — this one’s cheddar, that one’s Velveeta. That strikes me as rather qualitative and subjective. Then again, who cares about that? They’re my reviews, and any review is perforce subjective. Then again, not everybody likes the same kind of cheese.

For example, when I think “cheddar” I think dry, aged, classy, substantial, delicious. Others might think, can’t have it without crackers, gets lumpy when it melts, I’d rather have American. For another example, I find Cheez Whiz a delicious treat, whereas cheese snobs find it unbearably tacky and I daresay many refuse to try it. Hmmm. That one’s kind of a metaphor for the sort of movies I like.

But now I’m thinking, if I have to explain what I mean when I rate a movie “cheddar,” I may as well leave off the cheddar and just explain. Which is pretty much what I do now. I say, “Worth a watch,” or, “Good if you want a stupid movie to make fun of.” I don’t know that I’ve ever used it in the blog, but my ultimate pan of a movie is “It needs robot heads.”

This, of course, is a reference to Mystery Science Theatre 3000, in which a guy and two robots make fun of cheesy movies. Delicious show. I think if a movie needs robot heads, it’s not just cheesy, it’s dull. I did find one movie so dull even robot heads couldn’t get me through it. The next time I find myself without a feature on a Saturday afternoon, I may attempt it again and write about it.

Where does that leave us? One cheese, two cheeses, Rats! I never should have watched this movie! But am I rating how cheesy a movie is, how good it is, or how enjoyable? I think I’m better off sticking to my descriptions.

So now I’ve wasted a whole blog post deciding to just keep doing what I’m doing. Maybe I should have saved this one for Lame Post Friday.

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Add a Robotized Dead Brother

Posted on March 21, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Spoiler Alert! Actually, I’m not sure how much I’ll actually spoil, but I’m used to putting these in now.

I DVR’d The Awful Dr. Orloff with high hopes. Full disclosure: as I currently write this (in my new spiral notebook while on a break at work), I don’t quite remember the doctor’s name or if he was Awful or Horrible or some other adjective. The description said something about using his robotized dead brother to kill women in order to keep his wife beautiful. Kidnapping and/or killing women in order to make or keep another woman beautiful is, of course, a staple of the cheesy horror genre. Add a robotized dead brother and what’s not to like?

I had a bad moment at the beginning of the movie when I realized it was in French with subtitles. For one thing, foreign films have that cachet — ooh, it’s European, it must be classy! More importantly, I was not at all sure I could knit and read subtitles at the same time. I might drop a stitch and I never know what to do when that happens (I’m not that good at knitting). So I had to make more of an effort at this movie, especially when the subtitles and the background blended together. I persevered though, because lately it seems cheesy movies are hard to come by.

This one starts right out looking like a cheesy horror movie should, on an eerie, darkened street, with a beautiful but not very classy woman fleeing in terror from… it could only be the robotized dead brother. That cadaverous gait! Those wide, unseeing eyes! I’d run, too! He catches her, kills her and carries her away, in view of witnesses.

The time is probably the late 1800s: flickering street lamps, horse-drawn carriages. Of course, movies are known to play fast and loose with period. If anyone says, “Here we are in the year blahblah,” I missed it. At least the atmosphere is good, and I think a mad scientist plays better in a period piece.

Soon we meet the hero and heroine, a detective and an opera singer who have fallen in love. When he is assigned the case of the mysterious killer, the newspapers have a field day printing headlines about how he’s dallying with his girlfriend instead of solving the case. So, no intrepid girl reporter, much to my disappointment. No reporters at all, actually, just headlines. Sorry, journalism.

The mad scientist, it turns out, doesn’t know how to transfer the beauty from his murder victims to his deformed daughter — not wife as I was sure it said in the description (I couldn’t get back to the description on digital cable and check). He just keeps trying different experiments. There’s one boob shot when he slices a woman open. Oh, these French films!

The robotized dead guy, by the way, is not not a common or garden dead brother. He was executed for murders including parricide. I thought they guillotined convicts in France. At least, they did on some Frankenstein movies I saw (and wrote blog posts about). I guess I shouldn’t take those as historic fact. No matter, he was a bad man before he was dead and robotized and he’s a bad robotized dead guy now.

That doesn’t stop the mad scientist’s assistant from feeling sorry for him. At least, I don’t know if she’s an assistant. She’s a beautiful woman the mad scientist broke out of prison by making it look like she was dead. I guess she liked him well enough before, but now she thinks he’s mad as well as evil.

The detective’s girlfriend gets to be intrepid, going undercover to try to catch the killer. She’s not completely stupid about it, either. It’s not her fault her detective boyfriend fails to read the note she sends him because he thinks it’s from some random crazy woman. Oh well, it makes for more suspense.

It’s actually a pretty good movie. You just need a large capacity crane to suspend your disbelief. As cheesy entertainment, I say it is worth a watch. Once again, I think I need a rating system, like thumbs up or three stars. Maybe I could discuss a few possibilities on Non-Sequitur Thursday.

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More Green Cooking

Posted on March 20, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I realize that headline implies my recipe (if I may call it that) will be good for the environment. I don’t think it is necessarily bad for the environment, but “green” in this context is meant only to denote St. Patrick’s Day.

Yesterday I wrote about how I added a green pepper to sausage balls in honor of the day (perhaps you read my post). While the sausage was cooking (I did mention it tends to take a long time), I made guacamole with a couple of avocados I had purchased the week before, when they were on sale. How clever of me to save my GREEN avocados for St. Patrick’s Day! Luckily, they last a long time, especially if you intend to mush them, as in guacamole.

I didn’t bother looking up a recipe; I just threw stuff in. A little of the garlic I had crushed for the sausage balls, some minced onions from the spice rack (I had had enough of chopping onions), a splash of lemon juice, a smaller splash of Worcestershire sauce, some cumin, some lemon pepper (actually, I think they call it Lemon & Pepper now). I mushed it with the potato masher, then stirred it thoroughly with a fork.

I taste tested it, as did Steven. I added more spices and let the flavors blend. It turned out pretty good.

I had meant to include this recipe (such as it is) with yesterday’s post, coming as it did in the middle of that cooking adventure. However, as I typed that post in, I feared it would be too lengthy. I always say, waste not, want not. Now I have plenty of time to worry about tomorrow’s post.

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St. Patrick Sausage Balls

Posted on March 19, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Since yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be a good idea to cook something green. I just happened to have a large green pepper I had purchased at Hannaford. I had also purchased some Hannaford All-Purpose Baking Mix (they didn’t have my usual Jiffy). This was going to be good.

Regular readers (if any) will recall that Saturday I had wanted to make sausage balls but lacked the proper ingredients. I still had the sausage (from Dino’s in Utica, NY). Now I had the baking mix. The green pepper would be a new addition to the recipe, which in any case I couldn’t find. I found a similar recipe in a book. I felt confident in my ability to wing it.

I started by peeling and crushing some cloves of garlic. I set the timer for 15 minutes, so the garlic could reach its full antioxidant benefits (or is that cancer fighting qualities? Whatever). I chopped up a yellow onion and put it in a cast iron frying pan with some olive oil. Then I cut up my green pepper into small pieces and added that to the onions. I put the sausage in the pan all in a lump. I figured it would be easier to break apart as it cooked. I added the garlic shortly after the sausage, as soon as the timer went off.

It took a long time to cook, as sausage often does. I kept chopping the sausage into smaller and smaller pieces with the spatula, which helped. At last it was ready. I emptied it into a bowl and added two cups of baking mix.

And it didn’t seem to do much but kind of sort of coat the sausage a little. I added some more. Then a little more. Then I poured some milk over it. Finally I got a consistency I liked.

I turned the oven on to 350 degrees and sprayed no-stick stuff on two baking sheets. I dropped the sausage mixture onto the sheets by the spoonful. I filled both sheets and a pizza tin. I put them in to bake for 20 minutes. I took the oven temperature and baking time from the recipe I had found, which may have been silly of me, since I didn’t really follow anything else in it.

The sausage balls turned out perfectly tasty. Perhaps I could have taken them out of the oven a trifle sooner, but really not too bad. Some people like them extra brown. Steven and I enjoyed them. And there are plenty left over. I ate a couple before typing in this post. Still perfectly enjoyable. I hope all my readers enjoyed Menu Monday.

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Unable to Entertain with a Cooking Post

Posted on March 17, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday (Saturday) I thought to cook something good, so I could do a cooking post today instead of having Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I had some lovely sausage from Dino’s in Utica, NY that was thawed out and ready to go. What to do with it?

Of course, sausage is always good in spaghetti sauce, and I do love me some spaghetti. However, I did not have any green peppers. I have many times made perfectly tasty sauce without green peppers, but for some reason yesterday, I just did not feel that I could. And I was definitely not inclined to go to the store. Oh dear.

I thought, really, wouldn’t it be a good idea to go out to eat? After all, dinner at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner would support a Main Street business, which I believe I mentioned in yesterday’s post is something I intend to do. I had mentioned dinner at Crazy Otto’s to Steven that morning, and he seemed a little unenthusiastic. Oh, he loves Crazy Otto’s. It’s just that after a long day of work, he would rather stay home, put on his sweats and relax.

Steven was working till 6:30. As the afternoon wore on, I started to think how happy Steven would feel to come home and see me in sweats. I do like to make my husband happy. I was ready for the sweats on, bra off portion of the day anyways. Surely I could cook SOMETHING.

Then I thought of Sausage Balls. We love to have appetizer-y things for dinner! I started to search for the recipe, first pouring myself a glass of wine, because I like to cook with wine.

And then the whole thing came to a grinding halt. We didn’t have enough Jiffy Baking Mix. I was already in my sweats. It was after 6:15.

I suppose as Saturday night disasters go, this was pretty minor. We still had plenty of options regarding food. I talked Steven into one of my favorites: we called Carney’s Corners and got delivery. A Chicken Bacon Ranch Sub and Potato Wedges. We also ate some cottage cheese, which I think goes delightfully with potato wedges (unless you are having ketchup; I don’t care for ketchup on my cottage cheese).

So here I am on Wrist to Forehead Sunday, unable to entertain you with a cooking post. I went to Hannaford this morning, though, so things may be looking up for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

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Herkimer in the Sun

Posted on March 17, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, with Saturday wearing on and no blog post in sight. I was not about to go running. For one thing, I had a bad headache earlier and the medicine I take, OTC though it may be, kind of drains me. For another thing, it was COLD out and I didn’t need the cold air bringing my headache back. “There’s some things I don’t mess with,” I told myself. “Like going out in the cold air when I have a headache!”

Then I realized I had a dog who had not been for a walk in a few days. She gets her exercise on those days by running around the back yard, which I’m sure she also enjoys. But dogs like to go for walks. Someone told me they benefit from the sensory stimulation of different smells, sights and sounds. How could I deny my beloved schnoodle, Tabby, any benefit that a little effort on my part could bring her?

As we walked, I realized I like the sensory stimulation, too. Maybe not the smells, which my sinuses prevent me from noticing much anyways, but definitely the sights. For one thing, it was a bright and sunny. I think it’s wonderful how sunshine can make almost anything look better. Old dirty snow, clods of earth where snowplows were a little too enthusiastic, muddy sidewalks. Nothing looks as bad in bright sunlight.

I suppose some people will argue with that. For one thing, some people will argue with anything. But I know there is also a big thing about older women (probably men, too, for that matter) looking better in candlelight. I guess I don’t know about that. I just know I enjoyed the sight of Herkimer in the sun today.

We walked down Bellinger Street and through Meyers Park. I was a little surprised Tabby did not turn down Church Street toward her favorite Historic Four Corners, but so it was. She led me across Prospect and onto Main Street. When she turned up toward German, I saw that the street was blocked off where some recent bad events had taken place.

“We can’t go this way,” I told Tabby. She did not seem to be paying me any attention, but after she stopped and sniffed a pole, she turned back toward State Street. Perhaps she noticed the yellow tape herself. She’s a smart pooch.

We walked to Albany Street and by Crazy Otto’s, Hummel’s Office Plus and Belly Up Pub. The lady in Hummel’s waved at us as we walked by. I waved back, but Tabby was busy sniffing other poles. I thought I should do something to support Main Street businesses in light of recent events. Perhaps a meal at Crazy Otto’s or a card at Hummel’s. A drink at Belly Up Pub or Pete’s Tavern? There is also a barber shop and cell phone place, but I don’t have any need for either of those. Do I need anything available at Collis Hardware? I’ll have to think about it. I’ve neglected to mention a few places, but those were the ones I actually noticed today. I’m only one blogger, after all.

During the course of our walk I found two pennies, not both at once. An encouraging sign from the angels? I’d like to think so. I was really glad we went for our walk. My legs felt better for the exercise, and the cold air did not exacerbate my headache. Tabby seemed happy about it, too. What’s not to like?

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Friday Comments About Monday

Posted on March 16, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, here it is Lame Post Friday and once again, I got nothing. And not plenty o’ nuthin’, like in that song in Porgy and Bess. But I do have a comment about another song that I was thinking about earlier in the week.

I don’t know who sings it or what the real name of the song is, but it starts, “Monday, Monday,” and goes on to some words I can’t understand very well so don’t remember. The gist of it is Monday is no good to the guy singing because, “Monday morning couldn’t guarantee/ That Monday evening you would still/ Be here with me.” My apologies if I misquote. I haven’t actually heard the song in a while, but it was playing in my head all day one day.

And it was really annoying me! Come on, guy, better to have loved and lost! Who spends a relationship saying, “Oh, I hope we don’t break up before nightfall!” I suppose some do, but then the singer goes on to say, “Every other day (every other day, every other day) of the week is fine, yeah!” What? Tuesday et al. can guarantee that the girl will still be there in the evening? What kind of chick is this that only breaks up on a Monday?

I suppose somebody will argue that Monday is the most stressful day of the week, at least for Monday through Friday workers. If you’re going to have a messy break up, it might as well be on a Monday (oh, I know, nowhere in the song does he say it will be messy; I’m just extrapolating). Maybe there is something special on Monday, or even this particular Monday, that I don’t know because I never listened to all the words in the song (which is unusual for me). Just get through Monday! Then we’ll be together forever! After all, who am I to judge other people’s relationships?

I think it is more likely that someone will argue, “Lighten up, Cindy, it’s JUST a SONG!”

And Friday is just a day. And now that I’ve made my Lame Post, I’m going to go enjoy what’s left of it.

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