A Short Post about a Band

Posted on January 24, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday night Steven and I finally got to hear a local band we’ve been interested in since we became friends with one of the members: The Rick Short Band.

Our friend is Rick DeJohn, the bass player. He’s a member of Ilion Little Theatre Club (ILT). He’ll be doing sound for Dirty Work at the Crossroads this spring (preview of coming attractions).

Saturday the Rick Short Band was playing for Animal Jam, a fundraiser for the Steven Swan Humane Society. Well, we are all about helping the animals, so this was a win/win situation. We made immediate plans to attend and were delighted to be joined by four other members of ILT.

We loved the band! They rock! I regretted that there was no dance floor, because I would have liked to boogey down. I was at first reminded of how old I am, because it seemed a little loud to me. Then I remembered that I’ve always been a little sensitive to loud music, even in my younger and yet more foolish days. This a minor quibble, though, because rock music is supposed to be loud.

The band plays original music, and it’s not easy to describe music (I mean, how many times can you say, “They rock!”). However, if you go to the Facebook page for The Rick Short Band, you will find links to ReverbNation and you can listen for yourself.

The other members of the band are Tanya Davis, lead vocals; Eddie Reilly, drums; Doug Boehlert, lead guitar; Tracy Bowens, backing vocals; and Rick Short, guitar. I hope to have an opportunity to hear them again soon. Hope to see you there!

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Saturday Shopping

Posted on January 23, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven’s and my Saturday Mohawk Valley adventures included an indoor garage sale at the Baptist Church in Ilion, NY. I figured it would be as good as a rummage sale.

The blurbs in the paper I had seen had only said Baptist Church without including the address. I felt sure we would be able to find it anyways, but I was still happy to see an address of Second Street in Saturday morning’s paper. Then as we drove to Ilion I could not remember if it was Second Street or Second Avenue (don’t get me started on street names!). Steven thought we would still be able to find it. He was driving.

“We’ll probably say, ‘Oh yeah, that church’ when we see it,” I said. We go to a lot of church sales.

It was easy to find. Getting into the parking lot was a little trickier, but we managed to get a space.

I noted by a flier on the door that Indoor Garage Sale meant that vendors paid the church to set up a table. Individuals as well as professional dealers were displaying their wares. It was fun to look around, but we did not find anything to buy. I admired a vintage Saltines tin one of the antique dealers had. Steven checked out some decorative plates, one by Normal Rockwell.

As we left the church, I noticed Cornerstone Consignment Shop not even a block away. I’ve been there a couple of times. Steven has not, although he does remember browsing their outdoor display during Ilion Village-wide Garage Sales a few years ago.

It is a very well-stocked shop with multiple rooms on two floors, all filled with stuff. Steven found a shot glass from Rosamund Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. We have been to that zoo but not recently. Perhaps another trip there for a blog post is in our future. Or maybe one to the Utica Zoo. I like zoos.

While we were looking at things upstairs, I found a furry fedora, such as an old man who lived across the street from my family in Rome used to wear many years ago.

“Steven,” I said, “now that you are in your 50s, maybe you should have an old man hat.”

Another shopper promptly took me to task for so designating the hat. It turned out to be a friend we had not seen in a few years (how the time flies, especially when you are in or approaching your 50s). We had a nice chat during which he assured us it was a hat he would not scorn to wear himself.

The hat was too small for Steven or me, so anyone hoping for a picture (if and when I eventually learn to post photos) is doomed to disappointment.

So a sale and a store netted us one shot glass and the renewal of an old acquaintance. Not bad for a Saturday morning.

The Cornerstone Consignment Shop is located at 68 Morgan St., Ilion, NY. Phone number 315-894-0477.

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Breakfast Before Adventures

Posted on January 22, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday Steven and I had the opportunity to have breakfast out together. Since we intended to go to Ilion anyways, I suggested Farmhouse.

Farmhouse Restaurant is located in a very small building on Central Avenue, right next to the fire station. For the longest time we would drive by it and say, “How in the world do they fit a restaurant in that little building?”

It turns out to be a little crowded but a very good place to eat. The atmosphere is homey and the decor is fun. Vintage tins and other decorations are on a shelf that runs around the wall just under the ceiling. Old-fashioned wooden games sit on the window sill and some of the tables. I especially admired a hand-embroidered tablecloth on one of the tables. The waitress told me the original owner had done it, as well as most of the other decor.

Steven ordered French toast with fried eggs and sausage, plus orange juice. I more conservatively went with fried eggs and sourdough toast (my favorite). Do I need to say we both got coffee?

While we waited for our food, I picked up the wooden game on the table. It was a triangle with golf tees stuck in holes. The object was to jump one tee over another till you eliminated all but one tee. I used to have a plastic version of it when I was little. I seemed to remember getting very good at it. Not so much on Saturday. Then when I thought about it, I figured I probably did not get very good at it but played it enough that once in a while I somehow got down to one or two pegs. Steven didn’t do a whole lot better when he tried, so no bragging rights for either of us.

I felt really stupid when I bumped the table with my knee and spilled some of Steven’s orange juice. We mopped it up with napkins till the waitress brought a cloth. A little later a lady at another table called to the waitress asking for her orange juice.

“She’s afraid I’ll spill it,” I said.

“I can spill my own orange juice,” the lady assured me.

One table had a number of books on it. I asked if they were for sale. It was actually an exchange. I could take one and bring it back and/or bring others I was done with. In fact, I have a few paperbacks I don’t intend to read or don’t intend to read again. I picked up a murder mystery and got interested in it. You know me and books.

We enjoyed our breakfast very much. We happily set out for further Mohawk Valley adventures. Farmhouse Restaurant is located at 9 Central Ave, Ilion, NY. Phone number is 315-894-3276.

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A Capitol Time

Posted on January 21, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Friday night, Steven and I traveled into Rome, NY to the Capitol Theatre to attend a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

The Capitol Theatre is a truly gorgeous old time movie palace. It is where I saw my first movie (Mary Poppins), roughly a hundred years ago. I saw other movies there, till it closed. The building fell on some hard times. It was used occasionally for stage shows such as Rome Catholic High’s musical. Now it’s a Center for the Performing Arts, and they do all kinds of fun stuff there. This is the first event we’ve been able to make it to.

The Capitol first opened in 1928, I recently learned. I just knew it was old. It’s never been renovated, that is, chopped up into a six screen cineplex, for which I am grateful. The ceilings are high and ornate. The balcony goes back forever. It seats over 1,000 people (1,788, according to the brochure I picked up).

Steven and I got there early, so we had time to walk around a little and explore. We climbed up the steps to the balcony. There is a large foyer-type of room with a few comfy chairs and a piano, then you go up another small set of steps and through an opening about a third of the way down the balcony.

We walked up toward the top of the balcony. It went back just about as far as I remembered. I also remembered there being bats, once during a performance of Oklahoma! I was in, one summer during high school. I didn’t see any Friday night, though. With the theatre more occupied these days, perhaps the bats have found other quarters.

We decided to sit right in the front of the balcony. First we went and got popcorn and soda (me) as well as coffee (Steve). I don’t usually drink soda, but they were having a special on a large soda and large popcorn. I didn’t finish either.

The movie was wonderful. Rear Window is one of our favorites, but I have never seen it on such a big screen. The movie concerns Jimmy Stewart, wheelchair bound with a broken leg, looking out his window at his neighbors in the surrounding apartments. It was fascinating to notice all the details I missed on a television screen.

The Capitol hosts a variety of events. We picked up a flier that listed movies, a Celtic-Rock group called The Elders, Joshua Kane’s Psychic show, and others. We voted on next year’s Hitchcock selection (Steve wants Lifeboat, I picked Strangers On A Train). We also hope to return in August for CapitolFest II, three days of silent and early sound films.

For more information on the capitol, visit their website at www.romecapitol.com. You can also like them on Facebook.

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At Least I Wrote Something

Posted on January 20, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, having Wrist to Forehead Saturday. A full blown case, too. Oh, I was being pathetic. It was embarrassing. The thing was I could. Not. Write. A. Thing.

I had a lovely Mohawk Valley adventure to write about. Failing that, I had taken not one but two walks with my schnoodle, Tabby. Always acceptable for a Saturday post. I understand the Write It Anyways philosophy. I got out my notebook. I found a pen. I wrote a sentence and scribbled it out. I could not think of an alternative.

“This NEVER happens to me!” I wailed. I had wailed it about thirty-eight times (in my head, of course; I didn’t want to scare the dog), before a little voice in my head said, “Don’t be silly; it happens to you all the time. That’s why you have so damn many lame posts.”

Well, I believe my theme yesterday was “Things Happen.” Or, as the case may be, Things Don’t Happen. In this case, writing the post I had intended to write is not going to happen.

In the alternative, let us briefly consider the Write It Anyways philosophy. I know, half-baked philosophy is for Lame Post Friday. However, since some do not consider this philosophy half-baked, I will make bold to compose a paragraph or two. For one thing, I do not want today to be the first day in over a year and a half that I don’t make a blog post.

Most professional writers acknowledge that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike. If you wait till you are “in the mood” to write, you will write very little. Indeed, I have found in my own experience that most of the time, if I just pick up the pen (or pencil, or put my fingers on the keyboard, if we must be literal as well as literary), words will appear.

Oh, it’s fun when they do. One of my favorite things is, it gets so they appear more easily and regularly. It’s true! Since I’ve been writing the blog, I do spend less time staring at a blank piece of paper. I spend less time staring into space thinking about writing. It’s kind of like running: the more you do it, the more you are able to do it (no, I haven’t started running again, let’s not open THAT can of worms!).

Um, slight disclaimer here: unlike running, it is not as easy to be good at writing. If I keep putting my feet down on the ground one after the other, I will get someplace and I will get there increasingly quicker or go increasingly further. If I put more words on the paper, I will be able to put increasingly more words on the paper, but that does not mean they will be any more interesting for others to read.

Case in point: this post.

On the other hand, if I start to worry about my every every word being deathless prose, I will surely write fewer words. The write-it-and-scribble-it-out disease happens because there is that voice in my head saying, “That’s not good enough” (I’m not sure if it’s the same voice that said, “It happens to you all the time,” but it’s a pretty good bet). Today I said to myself, “It doesn’t have to be brilliant, it just has to be written.”

And now I have written over 500 words. It might be foolish, but it is a blog post. I’ll work on making it brilliant tomorrow. And I will write about our trip to the Capitol Theatre in Rome, NY for a screening of Rear Window (preview of coming attractions). Um, I’m not promising that will be brilliant, but I’ll work on it.

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Post Ironic

Posted on January 19, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve done this before. I write my Friday Lame Post on Thursday and type it into the computer. Then on Friday I have only to hit “Publish” and be off on whatever Mohawk Valley adventure I have planned. It is most convenient. When it works.

For those of you just tuning in (and I always hope for new readers), Lame Post Friday is the day I relax with random observations and half-baked philosophy. Sometimes I sit at the computer and write it off the cuff, spontaneously.

I seem to remember last week talking about how you can’t schedule spontaneity (good word. Spontaneity). I would submit that it is difficult to schedule anything. Because things happen.

For example, Friday night Steven and I plan to drive into Rome to see an old movie at the Capitol Theatre (preview of coming attractions). Suppose it snows. Suppose I get a raging sinus headache. Suppose we just don’t damn well feel like it.

Another example: I work Monday through Friday. That’s an almost set in stone schedule. I’ve even proven I can work with a raging sinus headache. Still, you never know. What if my vehicle breaks down on Route 5? What if the factory burns down? It would take quite the huge fire, for one thing., but this is just an example.

The irony of this post is not lost on me. I’m writing it early because I PLAN to do something, and I’m writing about how you can’t plan anything. Ooh! Ooh! I did not plan it this way, but what a load of half-baked philosophy. Yes! And just like that, Lame Post Friday is back. Have a nice weekend. I plan to.

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On with the Salsa

Posted on January 18, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t think it’s Non Sequitur Thursday if on Wednesday I say I’m going to tell you my salsa method and on Thursday I actually do it. Then again, considering my salsa method (especially this time), it might be eligible for Lame Post Friday. And there we have it: If I do a post better for a Friday on a Thursday, that makes it a non sequitur post. Ipso facto (I have no idea what ipso facto means; I just thought I’d throw in a little Latin to class the post up).

I could go into some half-baked philosophy here (or is it middle-aged musing?) about how I’ve been posting lame Thursdays and Fridays for some time now (as well as other days, but let’s leave that alone for now). But that sounds a little dull to me. On with the salsa.

For those of you just tuning in, yesterday I roasted vegetables with cilantro. There was plenty of cilantro left to make salsa. I tentatively planned to bring the salsa, with chips of course, to the monthly dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre Club.

My first step in making salsa consisted of calling home while I was a work and leaving a message for Steven to pick up a red onion after his work. He had planned to pick up a few things anyways, so I didn’t feel I was placing an undue burden upon him. Also, I said IF it wasn’t too much trouble (a thing people often say when they are hoping the person will do the favor anyways, even if it is too much trouble).

I take a lot of time to actually get to the salsa, don’t I? When you hear the actual recipe (insert usual disclaimer), you’ll see why.

One can make salsa with a food processor or blender, or not. I chose not. I chopped up the Roma tomatoes fairly small (diced? must find a glossary of cooking terms). Then I chopped a bunch of cilantro leaves as small as possible. This part was trickier, but I did my best. Next I cut up some of the red onion (red onions are BIG), also into as teeny tiny pieces as I could manage. I sprinkled ground cumin and Perfect Pinch Savory Seasoning over the whole, and mixed well.

Then I remembered salsa should have jalapenos. Luckily I had a jar in the refrigerator. I chopped up a few. Not too many, or Steven’s bald spot would sweat.

The flavors have been blending ever since. I taste tested it at the time, but taste testing as soon as it’s mixed doesn’t really tell you much. When I get home tonight I will taste test the salsa again. I trust it will be tasty enough to share with my friends at Ilion Little Theatre Club. If not, I’ll still have over an hour to think of something else.

NOTE: The salsa tasted fine. I also made some garlic dip (subject for another post?). On to the meeting! Hope to see you on Lame Post Friday.

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Semi-Fancy Eggplant

Posted on January 17, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I purposely cooked a semi-fancy supper last night so I could have a blog post today. Then I thought I had probably written a post about that recipe (if you can call how I cook a recipe) before (full disclosure: I’m too lazy to check). Then I thought maybe I would find different things to say about it. I do tend to do these things differently every time, depending on circumstances.

Circumstances this time were that fresh cilantro was on sale at Hannaford, and it looked pretty good. I picked up some eggplant, too, because I like eggplant roasted with cilantro. Then I grabbed some Roma tomatoes, because there would certainly be enough cilantro to also make a batch of salsa, maybe even for the pending dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre Club.

I hesitated long and hard over the mushrooms (good to roast with eggplant). I did not like the way the pre-washed, pre-sliced ones looked. The unsliced ones looked extremely dirty. I do hate washing mushrooms (point and laugh if you must). I finally found a package I could live with.

I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. I’ve done eggplant at 350, but it seems to me that 350 is baking and 400 is roasting. I think I read that somewhere. I peeled and pressed a goodly amount of garlic (no worries about vampires at my house) and set the time for 15 minutes.

I pulled the blender out of the cupboard and poured in the rest of my olive oil then supplemented that with some canola oil. I pulled a bunch of cilantro leaves off the stems and threw them in. No point in chopping them when the blender would do it for me.

Plenty of time while the garlic breathed (or whatever it does) to chop up the eggplant. I had not gotten such a large one as I sometimes do. They say the smaller ones have better flavor (no, I don’t know who “they” is). I always pick whichever looks good at the time.

I had it in my head that I had to wash the mushrooms. Me and my middle-aged memory. Imagine my delight when I realized I had so purchased a pre-washed pre-sliced package.

Eventually I put the garlic in the blender, blended, poured some of the resulting mixture over the eggplant, stirred, poured that into a glass baking dish (previously sprayed with no-stick; I left that part out), and put it in the oven. I set the timer for 20 minutes and thought I could type in yesterday’s blog post.

No luck. The computer was acting up. Now what to do? Oh, all right, I could start on the salsa, which, if it turned out well I would bring to Thursday’s dinner meeting. My actual salsa method I will save for a future blog post (waste not, want not, I sometimes say).

Regarding the roasted vegetables, I stirred the eggplant after 20 minutes then set the timer for a further 15. When the eggplant was looking pretty good I put on water for farfalle, sometimes called bow-tie pasta, I believe. Normally I have roasted vegetables over angel hair, but sometimes I like to mix things up a bit.

The farfalle was to cook for 12 to 14 minutes, so when I put that on, I added the mushrooms (tossed with the oil-garlic-cilantro mix) to the eggplant. I tossed the cooked pasta with a little of the oil mixture as well.

Steven had bread and butter with his pasta and vegetables. I put grated cheese on mine.

Roasted eggplant is one of my favorite meals. I’ll probably write another post about it the next time I fix it. Dire warning or preview of coming attractions? You decide.

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More of a B Feature

Posted on January 16, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I wanted to make sure I watched a movie this weekend, so I would have something to write about one day this week. I don’t know that I picked a cheesy one, though. I would say more of a B feature. But it featured an intrepid girl reporter, so I thought it would suit my purposes: Fly Away, Baby (1937).

The description in the digital cable guide, on the strength of which I DVR’d it from TCM, said something about newswoman Torchy Blane proving to her policeman boyfriend that she could so solve a murder. The words “intrepid girl reporter” were not actually used, but I can read between the lines. With a name like Torchy, I figured she’d be wise-cracking as well. Right on both counts.

In pre-movie commentary, Ben Mankiewicz tell us this is the second of nine Torchy Blane movies. I believe TCM was going to or did show more of them, but this is the only one I caught. So, apologies to any Torchy Blane fans out there who might have been hoping for multiple posts.

The movie starts right out with the murder. The police are not letting anybody in, especially reporters. The door is being guarded by a hapless beat cop whose name I don’t remember, largely because it is one of those names that when you hear it you have no idea how it’s spelled. I could have made a note in the TV Journal. He shows up again later on, in a part I thought was going to be a whole lot more important, but I suppose I should not ask for miracles in a B picture.

Back at the city desk (I don’t remember the names of the papers; you know how I am), the editor is looking for the one reporter who can surely get in — Torchy Blane. So right away this movie is different from other intrepid girl reporter tales: the editor likes her and considers her a good reporter. Perhaps he learned so in the first installment, which makes this a worthy sequel in my book. So many sequels want to act like the first one never happened and we have to solve a bunch of stupid problems all over again. But that’s a whole other blog post.

Where is Torchy? Off to get a marriage license. Oh no! We all know married ladies don’t have jobs (this was the last century, after all). But no fears. Torchy’s boyfriend stood her up because of the murder (he’s a cop, remember?). So Torchy makes it to the murder after all and, true to her editor’s expectations, she manages to get in.

Another reporter also manages to get in. He’s a spoiled brat whose daddy got him a job on a rival newspaper. And he’s friends with the dead man, a jeweler. Or is he? It is brought up several times that Rich Boy is a heel, but as Cop Boyfriend points out, that does not make him a murderer. Of course it’s up to Torchy Blane to find out.

A reporter from a third paper also plays a role. He’s a fun guy with a rich wife and a way with words. He and Rich Boy are about to have a race around the world.

“I intend to show him the backs of two heels,” Fun Guy tells reporters. “Counting him, that will make three.” See, everybody says this kid is a heel.

As you may have expected, Torchy gets in on the race, in hopes of catching Rich Boy with the evidence.

Mankiewicz says this part was inspired by an air race in which Dorothy Kilgallen, a real life intrepid female reporter, took part. I may have to look up some Kilgallen biographies and read more about this, because quite frankly, I don’t get it. The reporters are not flying the planes themselves. They all get on the same plane. Then stay in the same hotel. They end up on the same zeppelin for the dramatic climax. Where’s the race?

This is only one of several “Waaait a minute” plot points. There are also a couple of clues that Torchy seems to find way too easily. What self-respecting murderer just leaves clues lying around in such a careless fashion? (I know, all of them.) But “Waait a minute” plot points are a movie staple, be the movie A, B or C for cheesy. The question is, does the movie carry us along in an entertaining manner so that we don’t say “Waaait a minute” till much later (ideally waking up in the middle of the night to ponder the points, from a movie maker’s point of view)?

The answer is this one pretty much does. The supporting characters are fun (not just Fun Guy), and Torchy Blane is an endearing heroine. She cracks wise, she doesn’t make egregiously stupid mistakes, and she’s always hungry. What’s not to like? I may try to catch further entries in the series.

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Breakfast is Back

Posted on January 15, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was delighted when I saw that the Lady Elks were again offering Sunday Breakfasts in January. Last year I went all four Sundays and wrote a blog post about each one. This year Steven had to work the first Sunday, but he had the second Sunday off, so we made a definite plan to attend.

They begin serving at eight. We arrived shortly after nine and were fortunate enough to find a parking space right in front of the Elks Lodge. I paid for breakfast ($8 for adults), bought ten 50/50 tickets for $5 and put $4 in the tip basket, knowing we were assured of excellent service.

Steven ordered eggs sunny side up, wheat toast, pancakes, bacon and home fries. When he hesitated over with or without onions, I said, “You might as well get with, because I’m getting onions and you’re going to kiss me regardless.” I got scrambled eggs, wheat toast, bacon, beans and, as I said, home fries with onions. I think I mentioned last year how I had never had or heard of beans for breakfast before the Elks. I find they are a yummy addition to the meal.

We got our numbers and found a seat. They were doing a booming business, but a small table was free. Steven borrowed a pen from me to write our name and number on the 50/50 tickets. Two gentlemen brought us coffee and orange juice (we could also have chosen tomato or cranberry, I believe).

Ladies were bringing out breakfasts and calling numbers. I had a moment of panic when I thought I heard 5. We were 52 and 53! It was actually 45. Phew! We did not have long to wait.

A wide variety of people were also enjoying breakfast. I saw at least two family groups with three generations represented. A couple of people were taking pictures with their phones. Note to self: Try not to do anything embarrassing in public. Somebody might take a picture.

It was a very enjoyable breakfast. As we left several people said, “Thank you.” No, no, thank you, Elks Club. The breakfasts continue Sundays, January 20 and 27 at the Elks Lodge, 24 Mary St., Herkimer, NY. I may be there next week.

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