Tag Archives: Christmas

I Run in the Slow Lame

Posted on December 13, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Lame Post Friday post.  I went for a short run earlier this morning (ooh, it is still morning; I have not wasted away the whole day).  Am I ready for the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls tomorrow?  Was I ever going to be?  No matter.  I have a new theme song that goes:

We do what we can do

And if it’s not enough

Tough.

I sang it to myself during the latter part of my run.  It was quite snowy.  I meant to take a picture after the run to show what I was dealing with but was feeling rather defeated at the time and could only go in the house.  I was happy that I made the effort, though.  I am sure my body will feel better tomorrow because of it.

Preview of Coming Attractions?

That was me after I ran in 2018.  I was thinking of going to a dollar store and getting some garland to drape myself with this year but do not know if I can muster the oomph.  I find I have a very short supply of oomph these days and a whole reservoir of I Just Can’t Even.  That the hell, me?

I return to my theme song.  What I can do today, it seems, is a lame blog post.  I wonder if I can find a fun picture to close with.  Come on, Media Library, don’t fail me now!

Cheers to the season!

How about a very nice picture of my dearly missed husband, Steve.  He loved Christmas as much as I did, and he was proud of me for running a 5K, even if I was pretty slow about it.  I treasure warm memories, even as I search for a little more oomph.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Post Christmas Lame-Down

Posted on December 28, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a classic Lame Post Friday post complete with random observations and half-baked philosophy.  I put a period instead of a question mark, because that is what I intend to do regardless.

Cluttered, like my mind.

I quickly throw in a picture to pep things up, since in fact I have neither random observations nor half-baked philosophy to share. This is a picture from a Christmas Past, when my (late) husband Steve and I put out most of our Christmas decorations every year.  I have not had a greatly decorated Christmas in years; in fact, even when Steve was still around we had kind of fallen off in the decorating department.  However, my purpose today is not to lament such shortfalls as will sometimes happen.

Another view.

This is from that same year.  We sure had a lot of little stuffed toys.

A few of our larger stuffed friends.

I had meant to bring down our collection of stuffed Santas this year but did not quite get around to it.  It hardly matters since nobody comes to visit my humble abode.  Perhaps that will change in 2025.  One can but hope.  And clean one’s house just in case.

I am afraid this has turned out to be a rather dull post, but  that happens sometimes.  I hope my readers can at least enjoy the pictures.  I hope your Christmas was grand, and your Post-Christmas Let-Down is not too bad.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

We Interrupt this Christmas Celebration for a Blog Post

Posted on December 26, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been off WordPress since, I believe, Christmas Eve Eve (of COURSE I am too lazy to go back and check).  I just typed in some 600 words about my parents’ house, coffee, tea, and the 21st century.  It needs editing.  I must say it is rather a joy to be composing at the keyboard.  I have not even had a pen and paper in front of me in a number of days.  I do not recommend fasting from writing.  It feels good to get back at it, but I believe it would have felt better never to have stopped.

Here’s a festive lady!

No, I have not been away from the blog due to excessive consumption of wine, although those who know me may be forgiven for thinking so.  I merely wanted to put in a Christmasy picture, and this is one I have not yet used. It is Lisa from Adirondack Winery pouring for a tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY recently.  I walked down specifically to see her.  She is there on a regular basis, and we have become friends.  I told her all my Christmas-related drama, and she told me some fun stories of her day job (she works in the school system).  I had to take a picture of her seasonal outfit.

Still jingling all the way!

These slippers, a gift from my late husband Steven, made another appearance, as did the fun socks.  I am Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time, as the song goes (I love that song).  This is, as you may have guessed, another placeholder post, to keep my hand (fingers, really) in as a blogger (keep my finger in the blogger pie?  Mmmm…. pie!).  I need to begin my celebration of Boxing Day, or the Feast of Stephen, or perhaps Second Christmas (you know, like Second Breakfast).  More blog posts to follow!  Eventually.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Festive Fiends

Posted on December 26, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Monstrous Monday, personal, Uncategorized and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Wrist to Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Sunday Christmas Fun

Posted on December 18, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

2 Comments

Posted in Community Events, humor, personal and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

What Lame on Yonder Window Breaks?

Posted on December 16, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Mohawk Valley Memories

Posted on December 15, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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?

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I’m Still Here!

Posted on December 13, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Still Lame After All These Years

Posted on December 2, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Full disclosure:  I am making my blog post now only because I want my breakfast to settle in my stomach before I take a walk.  Otherwise, I might have done a Pedestrian Post with Pictures.  Perhaps another day.  The point is, I have nothing in particular to say or even to make a blog post about. Yes, I am still posting lame (and that gave me an idea for a title, at least).

Must up my decorating game.

A picture always make a post a little brighter.  This is from December 2021, before my life started to fall apart.  Oh, who am I kidding?  My life has always been a shambles, but we used to do a better job of decorating for Christmas.  I am particularly fond of the ghost with the Santa hat.  He has a practical function, which is to add light to the living room.  Right now he is sporting on of my rhinestone tiaras.

I love my Elliott Ghoul.

Here is another Halloween/Christmas mash-up.  The ghoul still stands in my window, keeping my company when I turn off the dining room lights or make a loud noise.  I especially like the reflection of Santa in this picture.  I brought that Santa inside Halloween night and mean to return him to the porch when I take down the pumpkin lights and put up some multi-colored ones I found (preview of coming attractions).

It looks a little like the ghost of Santa, no?

Here is Santa from the front.  I purchased Santa Claus the first year we lived in this house, from a nearby big box store which needs no plug from Mohawk Valley Girl.  I remember walking home with him tucked under one arm, feeling inordinately pleased with myself.

As I gear up to celebrate the first Christmas without my Steve in over 30 years, I remind myself to find joy, and to try to bring joy to others.  Perhaps my silly blog brings, not joy exactly (I shall not flatter myself), but a little smile.  Thank you for tuning in.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
→