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Tag Archives: Frankentree

A Little Snow, A Little Post…

I shall make my Throwback Thursday Post on Thursday.  I hope.

Some call it the four letter word that begins with S.

I go to November 2020 in my Media Library to find some snowy pictures to share.  The Mohawk Valley got its first snowfall of the season on Wednesday.  At least, it is possible that some areas already saw a flake or two in the air (cue bad jokes about me being a flake), but I did not hear about them.  Wednesday morning I went for my first snowy run since last spring.  It was not too bad, but I did not take any pictures.

He’s so cute!

This jaunty snowman stood in a yard on German Street that November.  I have not made a snowman in years.  Perhaps I will make one this year.

At least the sidewalks are bare.

Here is a shot from March 2018.  By March most of us are heartily sick of winter.  Right now, to me, it is kind of fun.  I know some people are in despair already.  Sorry, guys (I use “guys” in a unisex manner).

The Abominable Frankentree?

I think our Frankentree looks a little scary covered with snow.  One might argue that I look for monsters everywhere.  My reply us, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”  Maybe I am just wishing I had done a Mid-Week Monsters Post.

 

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Halloween Decorations: Part Two

I think sharing a few more pictures of my Halloween decorations will make for a delightful Monstrous Monday Post.  It will be delightful for me at any rate.  Also, I am too tired to think of much else (I fear I am becoming tiresome with all these complaints about feeling tired.  I’ll have to work on that).

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

I used that caption before when I shared a picture of this guy, but I think it is funny so I dare to use it again.  I shook things up by putting him on the other side of Frankentree from where he was last year.

She looks so cheerful.

Witchie was the first decoration I put up after hanging the lights.  All I had to do was take off her angel costume (which I put on her for Christmas) and put her on a table.  Yes, she has been sitting on our porch all year.

He could use some more white drapery.

I used Witchie’s angel dress to make Santa’s ghost costume. I picked up the mask at a garage or rummage sale some time ago.

We only have one railing.

Going back up the porch stairs, I will show you what else is on the porch.

For the mail carrier’s entertainment.

OK, this is the last picture.  It was a pick in a flower arrangement I was given some years ago.  I stuck it through the hole in the mail box and said, “I am done decorating! ”

 

Halloween Decorations: Part One

Regular readers know I do not have my act together but hold the hope that I may have at some future date.  We will not consider how forlorn that hope may be.  I did do one thing today that I have been meaning to do (regular readers also know that Do One Thing is kind of a mantra of mine):  I put some Halloween decorations out on my front porch and yard.

First view of Frankentree.

I actually have quite a few pictures so may stretch this out over two or three posts.  In this picture you can’t really tell why this is a Frankentree and not just a regular one, but here are the first few decorations I put on him.  I thought I was done but found a couple of scarecrows and a Broomhead and decided they could go on the tree, too.

Here you can see a little more of the tree’s Frankenness.

I decided to stick the scarecrows in as if they were being eaten by the tree.  I am afraid they look a little too cheerful to sustain the illusion, but one does what one can.  Quite frankly, it was the easiest thing I could think of to do at the time.  I had already been up,and down the stepladder unhanging and hanging lights and was ready to be done.

Sorry, Lady Scarecrow.

I had not meant to leave her hanging like this, but when it happened I thought “Hey, That’s kind of scary.”  It reminded me of a scene from a movie we saw recently on Svengoolie, I think it was called Gargoyles.  A lady was left hanging upside down on a telephone or some such pole.  The funny thing about that was, I swear I can remember seeing that scene one Saturday afternoon or evening roughly a hundred years ago when my siblings and I used to try to find scary movies on television (back when cable got you about seven channels, including the major networks).  But I digress.

I’m so glad I found Broomhead!

Full disclosure:  it No longer looks like the dinosaur is about to bite Broomhead’s arm.  The dinosaur fell off and I tried to stick him back on more securely.  I’ll have to take another picture.

First, though, I have other pictures from today to share.  I hope to get to them tomorrow.

 

Can You Picture Me Taking a Walk?

I was too tired yesterday to make even a Tired Tuesday post.  I did, in fact, type in one sentence:  “I am SO TIRED!!!”  I did not save it so do not know why I feel compelled to re-type it in and share it now, but that’s me for you.  I went for a walk this morning but am not sure it will make a good Pedestrian Post, due to my inability to take good pictures.  However, I shall try.

I turned on the dining room light to put on my sneakers and left it on, because I was wondering how well our ghoul, Elliott Ghoul, looked from the street.  Elliott Ghoul is one of the Halloween decorations we keep up year round.  I like to keep his sound on too, but Steven turned it off, because Elliott kept waking him up when he takes a nap on the couch.  Outside, I observed that Elliott does show to passersby, although he can be blocked by Frankentree.

He looks even more spooky when he’s all blurry!

I tried to take a picture from the sidewalk.  First I zoomed in, which I can sometimes do.  Other times, I think I am zooming but instead I change it to selfie mode.  I hate it when that happens!

You can see one of Frankentree’s branches on the left.

I zoomed back out to show part of the porch, then started on my walk.  I usually walk the same way in the morning:  to the spring on Lou Amber Drive.  It is good for me, because I carry a bottle of water and drink it while I walk to the spring, then I re-fill it and continue to sip. It makes for more hydration than I usually get first thing in the morning.

The only exciting thing that happened on this morning’s walk was when I encountered a skunk on Church Street, as I headed home with my spring water.  Yikes!  I was luckily a couple of houses away when I saw what was clearly NOT a cat or bunny.  I quickly crossed the street then wondered if I dared keep walking in that direction, which was still toward the animal.  I took a few hesitant steps.  He (or she) turned and walked up a lawn towards a house.  Phew!  I did not take a picture.

However, on a walk last month, I took a picture of the full moon that I will now share.  It was not a fully successful picture, which is one reason I have not shared it thus far.  I had a thought of using it in a Pedestrian Post with the title, “No Moon Shot,”  but I could not get my act together to the extent of writing said post (what a surprise: me not have my act together!  Say it ain’t so!).

I guess it isn’t so bad. Or do I flatter myself?

Pedestrian Posts with Pictures are clearly more successful when I take my walks in full daylight.  I will attempt another of those in the future. For now the important thing is, I have made a blog post.  At least, it is important to me.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

Thank You, Media Library

I shall try for another Throwback Thursday Post, hoping for some cooperation from my Media Library.

A note of hope!

Here is a cheerful picture: a crocus in my yard in 2018. I had a few crocuses in my backyard, before the Monday/Tuesday nor’easter hit. Tuesday afternoon, after I took my walk, I spied a lone purple crocus in my front yard, defying the snow. I took a picture with my phone, which, alas, I am unable to share at the current time.

Scary tree?

Another view from 2018: Frankentree in our front yard. He is even bigger and more monstrous now, but there is considerably less snow.

Now this is a scary tree!

This is the tree which dropped a major portion of itself on the power line, causing the outage which enlivened (or made hideous) our Tuesday/Wednesday. Thanks a lot, tree! I always liked you!

These will cheer me up!

I usually content myself with three pictures, but I wanted to end with flowers. The daisies will not arrive for a while yet, but I hope they grow in a similar profusion when they do.

I guess some would say 2018 is not throwing back very far. Then again, sometimes last week seems a very long time ago and second grade feels like yesterday. What’s that all about? A question, perhaps, for Lame Post Friday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Can’t It Still Be Halloween?

Do I have to keep apologizing for making late posts? Am I just calling attention to my own deficiencies? Perhaps a better question would be why do I keep making late posts? Or posting at all? This is getting too deep for me. Let us continue with a Throwback Thursday Post.

For those of us who can’t let go of Halloween.

This was our front porch in 2016. Look how small Frankentree is! But even then he had his unusual hybrid quality.

Spooky, yes?

I’m not sure how long ago this was. I went to my Tablet’s pictures and the was where I got tired of scrolling (it just seems to take so long!). It is a neighborhood house. It looked a little different this year.

See? I let people borrow my clothes!

One more Halloween Throwback picture. Santa did not wear that shirt this year. Our Halloween decorations this year did not measure up to previous years, but you’ll have that.

My ambition now is to make my Lame Post Friday post ON Friday. Will I succeed? A little suspense adds interest to my day.

Is This a Frankenpost?

I need a new approach to blogging, but today is not going to be it. Today will be a common or garden Slacker Saturday Post. I have often been offered the good advice of don’t post every day; post when you have something to say. It is, as I say, good advice, but quite frankly, Homey don’t play dat. I have to try my best to post every day.

“Not post every day? Back off, Satan!”

Since that first paragraph was so long, I thought to add a picture. This is Peter Cushing, fighting vampires. I have been enjoying several Hammer Horror films featuring Cushing. He is fine, yes.

Another Hammer icon.

Here is Christopher Lee, as one of the vampires Cushing was chasing. Last night was Dracula, tonight was Frankenstein. Alas, I do not have any pictures of Hammer Frankenstein. Other Frankensteins, I have a few.

Here’s one!
And there is always FrankenTREE!

I am not sure where the above picture of Frankenstein is from, but Frankentree is in my front yard. When I am back on my laptop, I will look for pictures of Hammer Frankenstein. In the meantime, Happy Saturday and stay monstrous!

From Little Falls to my Yard and Back

Sometimes Tired Tuesday follows Monstrous Monday,  we all know that.  I won’t bother telling you why I’m tired; explanations are so tiresome.  I will attempt instead to share a few pictures and make a non-tiresome post.  No promises.

A depiction how I feel: old and fat.

This is one of the pictures I took last Friday at Showcare Antiques of CNY in Little Falls.  In case you can’t read the card, it is an historical ovoid jug.  Ovoid is a good word, which, unfortunately my autocorrect wants to change to “avoid.”

I never gave him a name. Any suggestions?

Making this more of a Non-Sequitur Tuesday, I put in my alligator (or crocodile; I don’t know whether I will see him later or in a while).  I need to find a better spot for him.  Perhaps he would like to lurk amid my Brown-eyed Susans.

A place for a reptile to lurk?

I have several overgrown spots he might like.  He previously resided under Frankentree in my front yard, but I got tired of moving him every time I mowed.

Regular readers will remember Frankentree.

So I went from antiques in Little Falls to my yard in Herkimer.  Can I find another shot from Little Falls to tie this post together or will it be hopelessly non sequitur?

A great place for coffee and a snack.

I think this is a shot of Little Falls which maintains this post’s non sequitur status:  The Cafe at Stone Mill.

And here we are, approaching 250 words.  Happy Tuesday, everyone!

 

Trying to Keep Cool on Monstrous Monday

Hello and welcome to another Monstrous Monday Post.  I might have done a Running Commentary Post or a post about fixing food.  I couldn’t call it a Cooking Post, because it was too hot to cook.  I want to say it is too hot to blog, but there is no point in being overly dramatic.  On the other hand, I often say, go with your strengths.

Where was I?  Ah yes, monsters.

It creeps, and leaps…

I wanted to show The Blob, because (Spoiler Alert!) at the end of the movie, they ship the creature to Antartica.  Or was it the Arctic Circle?  Anyways, someplace really cold.

They were showing scary movies!

I share this picture, because it shows that the movie theatre is air conditioned.  I personally do not have air conditioning.  The older I get the more I wish I did.  I know, bitch, bitch, bitch.  What did I say earlier about going with your strengths?

Some may find it scary.

I guess this is not really a monster, but we do call it Frankentree.  Mostly I just wanted to share a picture with snow.

After all, it MIGHT be the tree that ate Bellinger Street.

We don’t have a monster name for this neighborhood tree, but I think it looks fairly spooky covered with snow against a grey sky.

I see I am over 200 words.  I will just reiterate for the record, I KNOW some people suffer worse heat with fewer fans.  It is nice that I do not have to shovel snow.  Can’t I have just a little space to complain?  Sheesh!

 

 

Dressing Up My House for the Occasion

Yesterday I started a home improvement project I hope to add to in the coming days.  I saw on the news that some people were decorating their houses for the amusement of passersby.  This is especially helpful, the feeling is, as we are free to take solitary walks but must not actually visit our neighbors.  Full disclosure: my neighbors have almost never visited me, although they are certainly welcome to do so in better times.  That said, I know various pedestrians pass our humble abode, and I am happy to give them something extra to look at.

The view from across the street.

When Steven saw me coming down from the attic laden with various stuff, he said, “What are you doing?”  However, he approved of the project.  I put a Christmas ribbon and some tulips on Frankentree.

I think I need more stuff.

I put two scarecrows, a pumpkin, and a skull on the porch,.

I need to zoom in more.

 

And on the other side of the tree…

I hope to add to my porch in the coming days.  I think I have more stuff in my house, but I do not rule out a trip to the dollar store.  For one reason, I heard they have toilet paper.

Another thing is putting stuffed toys in your window, so neighborhood kids can go on safari.  I immediately put a tiger and lamb in one of my windows.  Alas, I could not get a good picture of them.

Too many reflections!

I also put a couple of teddy bears in an upstairs window.  Unfortunately it is raining so I cannot get any more pictures today.  However, it is a work in progress.  I will post more pictures as my decorations improve.  As always,  I hope you’ll stay tuned.