Tired, But Typing!

Make your blog post now, I said to myself.  Use the dining-room-table-top, I said.  You can ten-finger type, it’ll be quick and easy, I said.  I was full of beans (only I don’t necessarily say beans).  My dining-room-table-top is SLOW, and my brain is at no time what you might call a speedy instrument.  Never mind all that, let me attempt some semblance of a post in lieu of the Tired Tuesday Post I was just too tired to make on Tuesday.

I used to be pretty fast on this sort of thing.

I throw in a picture, as usual, in hopes of pepping up the post, only to find my computer is fairly slow about those too.  I would not be having these problems if I had not been too lazy to make my lunch last night.  Here’s a point to ponder:  why do I feel I was too tired to blog but too lazy to pack?  Sounds like some half-baked philosophy more suited to Lame Post Friday.  Ah, Friday, one day closer since yesterday!  But one must not pin all one’s happiness on the weekend, as I have said before.  Let me look for some joy in today!

A common sight on my walks.

One point of some relief, if not joy:  we have not had much snow yet.  I put off shoveling the driveway a little longer!  The warmer weather also makes walks more pleasant.  I had a nice walk yesterday morning.  This morning it was raining, but perhaps this afternoon I will take a meander, even if the rain continues.  I don’t care to go to work drenched from the rain, but just to return home for my evening is another matter.

Now I see I am approaching 300 words.  Score!  Will I make a Wednesday blog post tonight and stay caught up?  A little suspense adds interest to my day.

 

Festive Fiends

I don’t see why I shouldn’t have a Monstrous Monday Post even if it is Christmas. For one reason, I have been so busy celebrating Christmas that I am too tired to do much else.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

I downloaded this picture a long time ago. I wish I had made a note of the artist who drew it, because it is really nice work.

Why can’t I have a hairdo like that?

This has been my Facebook profile picture in previous Decembers. This December I went with a different monster.

The three words that best describe me…

Oh dear. I switched to my phone, because my Tablet was giving me a hard time about inserting the photo, and now I have the photo here twice and can’t seem to delete one. I guess I’ll just go with it.

Festive and scary!

Here is the opposite thing: a Christmas guy pretending to be a monster. This past Halloween I brought Santa inside, but who knows where he will be by next October?

Where I will be next October is an open question as well. I hope I will still be blogging. I hope my readers will stay tuned.

Wrist to Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate it. To all others, Happy Sunday. Things just brightened a little bit for me, because I realized I can do a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.

Please understand that I have had a perfectly delightful day and have no reason to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist my forehead, even if there was a chaise lounge handy, which there is not. Still, I am awfully tired, and while I am thoroughly grateful for the day and my wonderful family I spent it with, sadness will inevitably creep in.

I have been telling myself all month that the first Christmas without my husband Steve would be hard. It is supposed to be hard. That is what happens when you lose someone you love so much

Now I have a reason to swoon, because I am not saying anything new or even entertaining. What the hell, me? I start the post wishing people happy, them go on to moan on a most morose manner (just felt like throwing in a little alliteration).

Most festive, no?

I add a silly picture to lighten things up. This is the lower part of my outfit today. I didn’t get a picture of the rest of it.

I am making this post from my phone, which does not tell me my word count. Still, it feels like a post, so I’m going to go with it. Once again, thank you for tuning in.

It’s Almost Christmas!

I am under orders to make a blog post today. Never mind from who; explanations are tiresome. Likewise never mind why I have not posted since Sunday. Here I am. What sort of blog post can I make?

This afternoon I got together with my friend Kim. After taking care of a couple of chores, we decided to make a stop at Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort, NY. We had not been there in a while. We were delighted to have a fun time there today.

We were happy that the first thing we saw, before even going into the place, was a nice dog. Of course we asked to pet her and quickly realized we knew her doggy daddy, one of the proprietors of Raindrops on Roses Bed and Breakfast in Herkimer. We have enjoyed their wine tasting room a few times.

Look how cute she is!

She came up to us for pets a few times. I eventually got a picture of her.

Kim and I enjoyed wine from Rustic Ridge Winery of Burlington Flats: Sweet Little Blond for her, Untamed White for me. We loved the Christmas decorations and had some pleasant conversations with other patrons.

Now I am home and ready to relax.

I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas Eve Eve as well.

Sunday Christmas Fun

I have just had the most fun evening! I am filled with the Christmas spirit! I went to the Business and Professional Association of Herkimer’s 10th Annual Christmas in Meyers Park. I saw on Facebook that the event had been moved to Herkimer Elks Lodge due to weather. Well, that was an even easier walk for me, so I set out very shortly after 4 o’clock.

” ‘Twas the night before Christmas…”

I arrived at the Elks while the story was going on. He went on to sing a couple of Christmas carols. When he did “Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer,” I added the stuff in between the lines: Rudolf the red nosed reindeer (reindeer!)… You know what I mean.

I sneaked further into the room and grabbed a couple cookies till Santa showed up.

So cute!

After that, I confess I went into the bar and had a glass of Chardonnay. I had a lovely time chatting up a few Elks I knew. Eventually Santa came in to wish us all a Merry Christmas. I roguishly asked to sit on his lap. He graciously invited me back into the room to do so.

” Santa, baby, slip a sable under the tree for me… “

I asked someone to take a picture of us, mentioning it was for my blog. Some others encouraged me to take a picture of the fire department members who were there to offer cookies and cocoa.

Aren’t they handsome?

I told them how I loved fire departments especially after they pumped out my basement after the flood of ’13. They did not just help me, they were happy to help me! These fellows agreed that fire departments are always happy to help. I must find other ways to support the fire department, since I fear I am to old and decrepit to actually fight fires.

I went back and bid a fond farewell to my friends at the bar. It was a delightful interlude. Now I must prepare myself for Monstrous Monday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

My Decorations Are Late, Too

I guess 7:30 on a Sunday morning is early for some people, so I will count this as my Saturday post, although WordPress will not credit me for a four day streak.  How the mighty have fallen!  I used to never miss days.  I think I was in my 40s or 50s back then (wow, I have been blogging for a long time!).

Only I’m not that skinny.

I decided to throw in a picture to pep things up, as I often do, and that was when my Tablet started behaving badly. Now I am on my dining-room-table-top ten-finger typing.  Now I still have not much to say but can say it faster.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a lovely day.  I got my Christmas lights hung.  By that I mean that I switched out a string of pumpkins for a string of multi-colored lights and Witchy for Santa Claus.  Traditionally I leave Santa and Witchy out all year, dressing them for the holidays with which they are not usually associated.  This past Halloween, however, as I was putting up lights on the actual day, I took Santa off the porch and put him in my living room.  Look at me, going all conventional in my old age.  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!  I had a little trouble with the colored lights:  they had worked in my house when I tested them a few weeks ago, but they declined to light up after I had gotten them hung.  Luckily I had another string of colored lights.  Now I have no colored lights on my mantle, but these things happen and we must deal with them.  Anyway, I will try to get some pictures of my porch later today for a future blog post (preview of coming attractions).

He looks a little ghostly, no?

Here is my porch on another year, when I was a little closer to having my act together, and my husband was able to participate in the light-hanging.

I see I am over 300 words, not bad for a late, insubstantial post.  As always, I will strive to do better, but I feel that almost any post is better than no post at all.  Do you agree?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

What Lame on Yonder Window Breaks?

Surely I can make a Lame Post Friday post, despite the various problems,  petty and otherwise, which have been impeding me (I reserve the right to call anybody Shirley).  For one reason, it is actually Friday.  For another reason, my brain is feeling, well, fairly lame.

He’s looking to see if I can really make a post.

Illustrations always liven up a post, even when they do not exactly illustrate the point at hand.  Especially when there is not much of a point at hand. Anyways, this is either the ghost or a cardboard cutout of Chester Gillette at the 1834 Jail in Herkimer.

I hope to have a few Mohawk Valley Adventures tomorrow, getting my Christmas shopping done along the way.  Christmas sort of snuck up on me this year.  I knew it was coming, of course.  For heaven’s sake,  it is the same day every year!

A Christmas I was more prepared for.

I add a Christmasy picture, a little blurry but festive nonetheless. My house is sadly undecorated this year.  I’m afraid most of the Christmas things out have been out for at least a year.

Actually there are a few more there now.

I’m not sure how long Steve’s nutcracker collection has been on our buffet, but it has been a while.

So now I have rattled on for over 200 words.  I think I am up to three days in a row.  Will I continue?  A little suspense adds interest to my weekend.

 

Mohawk Valley Memories

So I posted yesterday morning but not this morning.  By the way, I said it had been ten days since I posted, but I was mistaken.  You see, I thought it was the 15th.  Imagine my amazement when I got to work and discovered it was only the 13th.  But I knew all along it was only Wednesday, so I did not suffer the chagrin on realizing it was not Friday.

An all-time favorite meme.

I said I was going to post about Mohawk Valley Adventures.  However, I am fighting fatigue as well as my recalcitrant Tablet (I don’t think I have ever used the word “recalcitrant ” in a sentence before).  Perhaps a Throwback Thursday Post would be OK.

A great place to go!

Here is an adventure from December 2017.  My late beloved husband Steve and our friend Margaret Rienzo, proprietress of the So Sweet Candy Shoppe in Utica, NY.  I was there more recently with my sisters Cheryl and Diane.

I loves me some nutcrackers!

Here are some Christmas decorations in Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort.  The picture is from 2021, but I saw the nutcrackers there again just the other night.

It’s the good stuff!

For my last photo, I switch it up with a Preview of Coming Attractions.  This was from a tasting of Dikin Dirt Distillery at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  Now where did I put my tasting notes?

 

I’m Still Here!

Oh dear, it has been ten days since I last posted.  How embarrassing.  I have a few (very few) good Mohawk Valley Adventures to write about, but I feel I should first make an apology if not an explanation of not being here for my lovely readers, which I hope I still have.

May be a doodle of 1 person and text that says 'Please do not accept friend equests from my husband. ...He's been hacked. Mrs. ROXALANA DRUSE,'

These crack me up.

I throw in a picture which has very little to do with anything, but I saw it on Facebook this morning (yes, I peeked at Facebook before logging on to WordPress, judge me if you want to be that way), and it made me smile.  My lawyer assured me he is still working on the appeal.  Longtime readers may remember that I had the honor to play Roxalana Druse in Roxy, the fact-based play about the local murder presented by Herkimer County Historical Society at Ilion Little Theatre.  I wrote several blog posts about it.  In addition to giving me a laugh, I guess it helps me to remember past triumphs.  I trust I shall not continue in the wallowy rut in which I have become mired (what an image!) (and autocorrect seems to think “wallowy” is not a word, but as usual in these cases, it is exactly what I mean).

Regarding the wallowy rut:  I try, I really do try to do things other than sit around and feel sad, try to sleep, or read books (reading books is great, but it doesn’t clean the house, do the dishes, or make blog posts).  At first the insidious voice in my head said, “I can’t!”  I could sometimes overcome it with a gentle, “Just try”  or “Just do one thing,”  occasionally even specifying an actual thing.  Then the voice switched to, “I don’t care!”  That is more difficult to overcome, but I have had some minor success with, “Do it anyways,” or striving to ignore the voice.

I throw in a Christmasy picture to liven things up (I was sure Christmasy was a word!).

What a dull, self-involved post.  I will play the widow card once again.  This is my first Christmas without my beloved Steve.  I remind myself that it is going to be hard, don’t be surprised by that, just try to do a few things to make the season merry for somebody at least.  I guess I have gone over these thoughts before, but I must repeat them constantly to myself so inevitably impose them upon others as well.

And I see I am over 400 words.  I hope to make a real Mohawk Valley Girl post later today or tomorrow.  I thank everybody who is still reading.

 

 

Monsters On My Phone

Maybe posting from my phone is going to be my new thing. It is Monday evening, and I am quite tired but want to continue my minor streak of days in a row posting. Additionally, it is Monstrous Monday. I am always cheered up by monsters.

He looks solemn.

I do not know which Frankenstein movie this shot is from, but it was the first monster I came across in my Media Library.

Beware the full moon!

It is more difficult to navigate my Media Library on this phone. I offer the full moon, because full moons make werewolves. I wonder if I can find a werewolf.

He looks surprised.

I went to Facebook and found this shot of Lon Chaney in the role. I always thought that movie was sad.

I fear this post has been rather dull. As usual, all I can do is try to do better tomorrow. Once again, thank you for tuning in.