Tag Archives: Halloween decorations

One Monster for Good Measure

Posted on October 8, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to yet another late blog post from me, Mohawk Valley Girl.

Having typed that, I feel myself disinclined to type any more. If I was not ten-finger typing on the Chromebook, I would be tempted to give it up as a bad job.  I know, I know, one must not wait for inspiration.  Sometimes one prefers to at least wait till the coffee kicks in.

Picture to denote passage of time while I get another cup of coffee.

That is one of my favorite pictures.  I have seen some really gruesome rotting pumpkins but have not had anything to take a picture at the time.  The scariest are when the inside starts to mildew and the mouth becomes a black hole!  Not the most sanitary decoration, but I must appreciate beauty where I find it.

I hope to take a drive to Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY tomorrow (preview of coming attractions).  I can get a pumpkin, maybe some lights for my porch, and at least I can walk around and enjoy looking at everything.  I have a bit too much to do today to contemplate the expedition.

A veritable Halloween Mecca!

I can’t say I have made strides in getting my house decorated for Halloween, but I have taken steps.  Maybe they were baby steps, but one does what one can.

I see I am over 200 words.  I guess I can bill this as a Monstrous Monday post, since it is a lot about Halloween.  I’ll just close with one monster for good measure.

 

 

Don’t know who he is, but I like him!

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Will I Live Up to Halloweens Past?

Posted on October 4, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another late Throwback Thursday post.  Thursday was a kind of a wasted day for me, although it had a few useful moments, a few fun moments; who is the arbiter of saying whether a day is wasted or not anyways? Not me.  But I veer into half-baked philosophy, more suited to Lame Post Friday, a post often made early Saturday morning.  And I wonder why I am in a time warp most of the time.

I throw in a photo before going to get coffee.

I thought a throwback to Octobers past might be fun, and a change from my usual theatre throwbacks (autocorrect does not approve of that spelling of “theatre” but I like it).  That is my late, beloved husband Steven at Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY, one of my favorite Halloween places.  I would like to go there soon, but I really need to clean my house more before adding Halloween decorations, which I inevitably will.

Looks like a fun party!

Speaking of Halloween decorations, here is an arrangement Steven made on our buffet in 2017.  Right now the buffet still has most of his nutcracker collection.  Oh dear.

Isn’t he cute?

To end on a cheerful note, here is the sweet little vampire Steve gave me (it came in a coffee cup), sitting in a delightful pot sent me by my friend Marsha.  The orange is a t-shirt I didn’t like much anyways (advertising something I don’t even like any more, but that’s a long, dull story).

This is all encouragement for myself to get this house in better shape today and put out some Halloween decorations.  That would make a good blog post.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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Early Morning Monsters

Posted on September 9, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I embark on my second cup of coffee early Monday morning, I faced a decision:  take a walk or make a blog post.  Sitting the couch ten-finger typing and continuing to sip coffee won.

Aaaahh, coffee!

This is the mug I am using.  I was using it yesterday, too, and wanted to put it in the blog post.  I find it appropriate for the time of year (aficionados know the Halloween season begins the day after Labor Day) and for a Monstrous Monday post.

Scary? Or just old?

This picture was in my Media Library near the picture of the mug.  I use it to keep the post local, since I took the picture on one of my walks around the neighborhood.  It is, perhaps, a little in advance of the current season, but I like it.  It isn’t as scary as other rotting pumpkins I’ve seen; some of them mildew inside and the mouth becomes a rotting black hole.  Nice!

I think she’s pretty!

For another local photo, here is my skeleton Bonita, wearing a pet mask I picked up at a rummage sale and holding black tulips a fell0w cast member gifted me after making them for a prop in a murder mystery.  I never put her in her summer outfit this year; it was a kind of a bad summer, but that’s a long story, not very interesting.  I have yet to dress her for Halloween (yes, she is naturally dressed for Halloween, but since she is a year-round skeleton, I like to give her a little something extra).  In fact, she is sitting on a chair almost buried in some costumes I need to return to another fellow murder mystery actor.

Now I am over 250 words and have three pictures.  Score!  And my Monday blog post is done!  Could this be the start of another streak?  I can only hope!  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

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The Blog Post Isn’t Perfect, Either

Posted on March 26, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Monstrous Monday post typed in early Tuesday morning.  I really must start finding new monster pictures for this feature, but for right now, let me go to my Media Library and see what I can find.

Isn’t she sweet?

I went back to 2016, when I first learned how to add pictures to the blog.  Till then I told myself it was all about the words, thus excusing my lack of technological expertise.  I still lack said expertise (hence no new monster pictures when I post from the Chromebook) but I improve by dribs and drabs.  Anyways, this is Witchy, who graces my front porch much of the year.  I brought her in last Christmas instead of dressing her as an angel, which I usually do.  She currently stands in my dining room, awaiting further developments.

It’s scary!

I go from sweet to scary with a shot from the 1922 silent movie, Nosferatu, one of my all time favorites.  I like to tell the story of how my mom and her colleague borrowed it from the library to show my elementary school when I was in 6th grade.  It was a fun Friday night thing the school was doing.  They thought, a silent Dracula, how scary could it be?  They found out.  It was years before I saw the whole movie.  They had to stop it, because the younger kids were crying.  I felt really bad for Mom and her friend.

Me too, but I lack the dramatic hair-do.

Under the heading Nobody’s Perfect, I end with Bride of Frankenstein.  I use this as my Facebook profile picture sometimes.  I think it sums up a lot of us.

 

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My Decorations Are Late, Too

Posted on December 17, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

 

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This Blog Needs a New Plot

Posted on November 4, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, this is embarrassing.  It seems I have had almost an entire Blogger’s Sick Week.   In my defense, I have been ill with some unnamed, unhappy malady (oh, come on, autocorrect!  “ill” is a word; you don’t have to change it to “I’ll”!).  However, my purpose today is not to get bogged down in my tiresome ailments but to get back to blogging with a Late Lame Post Friday post.

That was as far as I got on my Tablet, curled up comfortably at the end of my couch, pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus.  Now I am ten-finger typing on my dining-room-table-top and kind of missing the predictive text thingy.  Oh well, one can’t have everything after all.  I do have coffee and that will have to suffice me.

Aren’t they cute?

I thought I would throw in a picture to pep things up.  These are some of our fall decorations from November 2017, ones that can count for Thanksgiving as well as Halloween.  The two larger scarecrows are sweethearts, and the little one is the younger brother of the boy scarecrow.  The big boy scarecrow wishes his little brother would go away so the sweethearts can be alone, but the girl scarecrow thinks the little guy is adorable.  See, I make up plots for everything.  I have probably shared that one before and ought to make up another one for these three.  Incidentally, they are not out this year, and I have no idea where they are.  That is the kind of year I am having.

Looking behind to look ahead.

You can accuse me of rushing the season all you like; I will admit the fault.  This is a shot of my late, sadly missed husband, Steve’s nutcracker collection in December 2019.  The collection has grown since then.  The reason I wanted to share a picture of the nutcrackers is that they are still on the buffet and I can look straight at them while I type.  I have thought about packing them away any time since last January, but now it seems more appropriate to let them stay and perhaps be my only Christmas decoration this year.  Um, except for a couple of thing we keep out year round.  Full disclosure:  I do not remember if I put those nutcrackers out in 2022 or an earlier year.  I daresay regular readers will not be surprised.

A toast is always seasonal!

I looked around for a good picture to end with, and this nice shot of Steven caught my eye.  It is one of our many happy times hanging out on the front porch.  In the background, you can see another scarecrow peeking around the post.  I suppose she is spying on the neighbors, but I do not judge her for that.  I love hanging out on the porch, but it might get boring for a scarecrow to be there 24/7.  Full disclosure:  she is there 24/7/365.  She is out there now.  I may make up a new plot for her later.

It is good to be blogging again.

 

 

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Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Happy Halloween!  I continue my plan of early morning posts although this morning it is over an hour later than yesterday.  I took the day off because of a doctor’s appointment.  I won’t say much about that, because, you know, HIPAA (however you spell that) (is it spelling when it is an acronym?  Oh well, you know what I mean).

I typed that much (pecked one letter at a time with the stylus, I add, catering to my overdeveloped sense of accuracy) on my Tablet, curled up on the couch, waiting for my coffee to perk.  Now I am sitting up at the dining room table like a respectable writer, ten finger typing and feeling SO HAPPY for my coffee.

My cup is appropriate to the day, yes?

I have a number of things I must get done today, but one essential is to get at least one light on my front porch for the trick or treaters.  I normally have a porch nicely decorated with colored lights, sometimes appropriate for the season, but as with many aspects of life, I have dropped the proverbial ball (I have not done this in a while, but in the past I have mentioned, if you add the “the proverbial” to a cliche, it turns it into a self-deprecating cultural reference) (or do I flatter myself?)

Witchy says “Happy Halloween!”

I threw in a picture before I got bogged down in parenthetical comments or worse.  Witchy is still on my porch but not currently plugged in.  I unplugged her when my Dad was here and needed to plug in his compressor to pump up my tire.  Since most of the light strings that were also plugged in were burnt out, I just threw the extension cords into the house, figuring I would fix it later.  Obviously I did not specify how much later.

A Merry Halloween!

Santa is also still on my porch but out of costume.  Perhaps I can fix that today as well.

It may seem silly to light and decorate my porch the day of Halloween, but I think the trick or treaters will appreciate it.  I usually get quite a few.  Additionally, if I put up green lights as I intend to, I will only have to add some red for Christmas in a few weeks (hopefully before Christmas Eve).  I will un-costume Santa and put an angel costume on Witchy.  I think I will have to make her a new halo, though.

Preview of Coming Attractions.

I couldn’t find a picture of Angel Witchy, so a picture of Elliott Ghoul in a Santa Hat will have to do.

 

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October Memories

Posted on October 6, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I guess it’s another Late Post Week (when you put it in caps it looks like more of a thing) as I sit here Friday morning making a Throwback Thursday Post.

I love it!

I go back to 2016 and one of the first pictures I ever shared in this blog.  It is from Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, so I can give a shout-out to one of my favorite local businesses.  I don’t think they had this particular display when I was there last year, but there was still plenty to look at and enjoy.

Isn’t he handsome?

Here is my late, dearly missed husband Steve that same year.  We used to have all kinds of Mohawk Valley Adventures together.

I’ve shared this suspicious bunch before.

Another kind of October adventure was our presentation of A G.R.A.V.E. Murder to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I must do some more work on Lights, Camera, Murder! the next murder mystery, coming up Nov. 11 (preview of coming attractions).

Must work on my front porch!

And here is  my front porch, with past Halloween decorations.  So far this year, I don’t even have lights.  I hang my head in shame.

To complete the post, and the shout-out of the first two pictures, I will add that Pumpkin Junction is located at 2188 Roberts Rd., Sauquoit. They are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m, daily through Oct. 31.  Check it out!

 

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A Little More Late, A Little More Lame

Posted on September 23, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t think I have ever made my Lame Post Friday post this late before.  And how bad is it that I am only happy that I can do this to procrastinate doing something useful?  Oh well, one does what one can.  In my defense, I am tired from working all day and being in a play.  Additionally, I have been plagued by headaches.  But enough whining, on with the blog post!

Personally, I am not a night person either.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  This was a present from my late, dearly missed husband, Steve.  I do not know where the cute little vampire is.  The cup should be in my cupboard.  I must find it.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

I was going to continue with Halloween decorations, but this gem caught my eye.  Don’t you sometimes just feel like screaming, even without a creepy lady curling her fingers at you?

Threaten me with an ax, will ya?

I guess it’s Put In Random Pictures And Talk About Them Day.  This is from a rehearsal of Roxy, a play presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society and Ilion Little Theatre.  It concerned the true story of a local murder of a man by his wife.  Quite frankly, I think he had it coming, but then, I played the wife, so you can’t take my word for it.

I see I am over 200 words, so I guess it is on to doing something useful for me.  I wonder if it would be considered useful to take a nap.

 

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Monsters for my Blogiversary!

Posted on May 23, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Happy Blogiversary to me.  At least, WordPress said Happy Anniversary, but I like my word better.  I have been writing this silly blog for a dozen years now.  How the time flies.  What better way to celebrate than with another Monstrous Monday Post?

Isn’t she sweet?

Although I have been blogging since 2011, I only started including pictures in 2016.  I was always slow to catch up with technology.  We got the witch at Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, a great place to go for Halloween stuff.  Witchy, as I like to call her, stays on our front porch all year.  I dress her as an angel at Christmas time.

“What do you mean you’ve been blogging for a dozen years?”

I had to include my favorite guy, Nosferatu, of the eponymous 1922 silent movie.  I always think he looks startled in this shot, as if we have interrupted him.

I love the side-eye.

THERE’S The Brain That Wouldn’t Die !  I was looking for a picture of her for yesterday’s blog post and couldn’t find one.  I’ll be a ding dong daddy, as my grandmother used to say.  I keep thinking I will take the time to make an index of my Media Library but I never do.

Isn’t she pretty?

Back to my own decorations with my skeleton Bonita wearing a mask I think was made for a dog.  I picked it up at a rummage sale somewhere.  I don’t know if you can tell, but Bonita is holding black tulips.  They were made by my friend Jerry for a murder mystery.  He graciously presented them to me afterwards.

I thank any readers who have been reading me since 2011 (if any), I thank anybody just tuning in, and everybody in between!  I hope I have entertained!

 

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