Tag Archives: HALO

Lame About Me

I got up this morning, having slept in till the for me late hour of six, with two thoughts vying for supremacy in my foggy head:  “Coffee first,  then run,” and “Run first, then coffee.”  Coffee won.  Hello, and welcome to another Late Lame Post Friday post.

I delayed making this post until I had a few sips of that magic elixir that renders almost any morning less hideous.  Thus I indulge in a little hyperbole. Is that an oxymoron?  Since hyperbole is exaggeration for effect, can you, in fact, have only a little hyperbole?   Points to ponder.

One problem with a personal blog: I tend to start all my paragraphs with “I.”  Because it is All About Me (ooh, that just gave me my title).  I have to watch that.

By now I think it is quite clear I have nothing whatever to say and am only rattling on in hopes of reaching 200 words before I run out of coffee.  I’ll throw in a picture to pep things up.

Who, us? Be silly?

This was taken at the H.A.L.O. Hoedown, a fundraiser for the cat rescue group, Helping Animals Live Organization.  It was some years ago and never became an annual thing, much to my disappointment, because I had a blast.

Yes, that is my late beloved husband Steve in the picture.  I’ll never be over being sad that he is gone, but I can smile at all the memories.  On that melancholy note (sorry about that; I know this is billed as a “totally fun blog”), I see I am over 250 words.  Score!  Thank you for tuning in.

 

The Post Is Certainly Scattered

I was all set to do a Scattered Saturday Post, but I guess I was too scatterbrained to actually do it on Saturday.  My bad.

It was not a super good day for me.  I started out having problems with my cable.  Instead of going on a run, I got some exercise by attempting to shovel my driveway.  In this I was helped by an anonymous neighbor who snowblew the end, a path to the front steps, and the walk in front of the house.  So that was a very nice thing.

The cable problem wasn’t complete frustration, either.  They were actually able to send a tech on a Saturday morning, he showed up when they said he was, and he was very nice and helpful.  I only have trouble feeling grateful for it now, though, because I got up this morning to the same damn problem!  It must be operator error, because the guy gave me a new cable box and replaced some outside wire.  I talked to a guy on the phone this morning who concluded that an inside wire is to blame.  He is sending me a replacement, but I can also drive to New Hartford, NY, and pick one up for free.  That way I will not have to wait and will have a spare in case it happens again.

I Don’t Know About My Saturday, But This Post Is Certainly Scattered.

I just typed that into the title bar then realized it was far too long for a title.  Under the heading Waste Not Want Not, I copied and pasted it here.  Now I am too lazy to change the capital letters to lowercase (but apparently not too lazy to spell out “capital letters” when the rest of the world just says “caps”).

Anyways, the rest of my Saturday was spent with my friend, Kim. She met me at the End Zone Pub, where I had gone after  I walked my post cards to the post office (that makes it sound like the post cards walked too, like they were my pets that needed exersise).  We enjoyed a libation, and I took a picture, since I had it in mind to do a Scattered Saturday Post.

They posed and approved the shot.

Next Kim took me to my house to pick up an afghan to donate to the HALO Chinese Auction, which was being set up at the Mohawk American Legion.  We stopped on the way to the Legion at Mohawk Antiques Mall to pick up a copy of Mohawk Valley Living magazine.

Lots of good prizes to try for!

Local readers, if you see this in time, I encourage you to go to the auction.  It is today, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

 

Easier the trying to type in the info. Did I mention I was lazy?

More Memories

I said posts were going to be sporadic, but I did mean to make a few.  This morning I noticed that a Facebook friend had commented (I almost always share my posts to Facebook) that she enjoyed seeing the memories and would like to see more.  For anyone just tuning in, I lost my husband, Steve, recently.  I draw great comfort from my memories.

Which one is the silliest?

One of Steve’s great legacies is his humor.  My best memories are of the laughs we shared.  The above was taken at the HALO Hoedown, a fundraiser for the cat rescue operation based in Little Falls, NY.

Cheers!

Steve was also a great partner in my Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Here we are at Woodland Farm Brewery in Marcy.

A fun bunch, indeed.

There he is, in the back with me.  This is a pre-show ussie from Leading Ladies, the show I directed at Ilion Little Theatre.  Steve was such a good actor.  He was a pleasure to work with.

Handsome men!

One more memory:  a memorable lunch at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica, with our dear friends Phyllis and Jim.  Phyllis left us in 2021 and I will never be done missing her.

Here’s all four of us.

I know there will be more good times with friends and family.  Right now I just have to feel sad until I start to feel a different way.  Thank you for letting me share.

 

Who Likes Monday? Or Spiders?

Mondays are hard.  At least for me they are, and I know a lot of people feel the same way.  On the other hand, many people do not work Monday through Friday, and for them Monday holds no terrors.  Similarly, Friday holds little joy.  What I am worried about here is that what I write may not resonate with a sizable number of readers.  Then again, when have I ever felt like one of the majority?

Why am I arguing with myself?  Where do I think I might end up?  I have no answers to these questions.  Quick, throw in a picture of a monster!

Eeeeeeeee!

Lots of people are freaked out by spiders.  I confess to not being particularly bothered by them (see what I mean about being in the minority?).  For example,  this morning I saw one dangling from the ceiling where I work.  I let it live.  I considered trying to catch it and let it go outside, but it was pretty cold out today.  I don’t know how well spiders do in the cold.

One of my favorite hats.

And here I am with a spider on my head.  I picked up this sweet fascinator at a yard sale to benefit H.A.L.O., Helping Animals Live Organization, a cat rescue operation based in Little Falls, NY.  They are hosting an open house this Saturday.   You can visit their Facebook page for more information.

Oh look, I am over 200 words.  Sufficient for a Monstrous Monday, I think.  I hope you will tune in tomorrow, when I will try for something better than a Tired Tuesday Post.

 

Kitties, Pizza, Cheese: Is This Non-Sequitur Thursday?

I had a Mohawk Valley Adventure today! I have not had one of those on a weekday after work in a while. You see, I had a donation to bring to H.A.L.O. House in Little Falls, NY for their yard sale. And here’s a real pisser for you: I just went to their Facebook page and found out the sale has been postponed to the first weekend in June! Well, I still made the donation and I can still plug the sale. On with the post!

The trunk of my car.

I had books and VHS tapes to donate. Now that the sale has been postponed, perhaps I can find a few household items to add. I dropped what I had at H.A.L.O. House.

I like kitties, although I am allergic.

Since I was in Little Falls, I went to Canal Place to get some dinner from Mangia Macrina’s Wood-Fired Pizza. Yum!

It’s a decorative oven, I think.

The fellow behind the counter admired my shirt from Original Herkimer Cheese. I wonder if I can find a picture of it in my Media Library.

One of my favorite shirts!

As I left the pizzeria, I noticed some lovely flowers and just had to take a picture.

I want purple tulips and a magnolia tree!

I felt it was a productive afternoon. H.A.L.O.’s yard sale will be June 4 and 5 at 615 Albany Street, Little Falls, NY. Mangia Macrina’s Wood-Fired Pizza is at the Stone Mill, Canal Place, Little Falls, NY. Herkimer Original Cheese is located at 2745 Route 51, Ilion, NY. You can find all three of these on Facebook.

Phew! One adventure, three plugs, I call that OK for a weekday blog post. Happy Thursday, everyone!

Short Slacker Post

Here is the epitome of Slacker Saturday: making the post at 5 o’clock Sunday morning. And I do not have much to say. My friend Kim had a migraine, so I went to the H.A.L.O. Flea Market without her. It was not as much fun alone, but I wanted to support the cause.

H.A.L.O. stands for Helping Animals Live Organization. It is a no cage, no kill cat rescue organization based in Little Falls, NY. You can Like them on Facebook and visit their website at halorescue.net. You can see a lot of pictures of very sweet cats.

Personally, I am allergic to cats so cannot adopt one. However, I like to support the cause so attend their events whenever possible.

OK, this is a dull post, but at least I plugged a worthy cause. I’ll try to be more entertaining later, but I’m afraid it is Wrist to forehead Sunday.

No Lame Apologies

Last night I made a conscious decision not to make a blog post. I will not iterate my reasons, because that would smack of an apology, and I do not want to make a lie out of my headline. However, I feel bad to entirely miss a day, so here I am, pre-dawn (my usual rising time, even on a weekend), pecking away at my Tablet with the stylus.

I feel very comfy, lounged on the couch. I managed to find a position where my lower back doesn’t hurt. I tell you truth: getting old isn’t for sissies. But never mind my aches and pains, on with the blog post.

Today I have an authentic Mohawk Valley Adventure planned with my friend, Kim. We are going to the H.A.L.O. Indoor Flea Market at the Ilion-Frankfort VFW. There will be basket raffles, a 50/50, and a bake sale. It runs from 10 to 4.

Kim wants to get there right when it starts. That would be nice, because the parking lot at the VFW fills up fast at these events. However, I personally am skeptical of her ability to get moving that early; Kim likes to sleep in on a Saturday. No matter. Whatever time we go, we will have a good time.

Well, I guess this was not a traditional Lame Post Friday Post, since I plugged a local event. But if I change my headline, my first paragraph will make no sense. Oh the tribulations of a silly blogger! I need more coffee.

Winning Prizes to Help the Cats

So on Friday I declared I would be posting every day.  It only took me till Sunday to make a liar out of myself.  Now here it is early Monday morning and I will attempt to finish what I started last night (I am going to give myself credit for at least starting it on Sunday).

I walked from my house to the VFW  in Herkimer for the H.A.LO. Chinese Auction.  HALO is the Helping Animals Live Organiziation. It is a no cage, no kill cat rescue organization in the Mohawk Valley. Their annual Chinese Auction is huge and hugely popular.  I donated an afghan.

Tables and tables of fabulous prizes!

I had a fun time putting in my numbers for various prizes.  I put in for a print, jewelry, baskets of different things, gift certificates, and more. I ate a hot dog.  My friend Kim joined me, and I helpfully tore her tickets while she made her selections.  It was getting close to time to draw winners!  We also put in for the 50/50 and Baskets of Cheer, which included Tylenol, much to our amusement.

We got a glass  of wine and walked around again, pointing out to each other what we did and didn’t try for.  Then we went and chatted up the bartender.  We liked him.

Mark Sommer and Kim Darling.

It took a long time for the HALO people to draw all those prizes.  We all looked at our tickets and hoped! I won a tote bag donated by Weisser’s Jewelers.  Score!

Everybody hoped to be a winner, and a lot of us were!

We had a great time for an excellent cause.  Now we can look forward to the HALO Hoedown in September!

 

Late But Certainly Wrist to Forehead

OK, so I missed making Sunday’s post on Sunday.  I have to leave for work soon, so I can’t do one now, BUT I can share a few pictures I took at the HALO Chinese Auction.

My crowd shots didn’t turn out so good.

This nice lady sold me a hot dog.

And here’s the nice bartender.

Ah, you say, with the picture of the bartender, all becomes clear.  Or maybe blurry.

No matter.  I am nowhere near my self-imposed standard of 200 words, yet I must sign off now.  Tune in later for what I hope will be a better post.

 

Fun and Games on Scattered Saturday

He looks mean, doesn’t he?

I was hoping for a picture of a big explosion to start off this week’s Scattered Saturday post, because that is pretty much how Demolition Man (1993) begins.  It is what we are watching now.  I suggested it because it is a funny, fun, fast-paced flick.  We had just watched The Bad Seed (1956), a perennial favorite of ours.

Isn’t she sweet?

Our day was even more fun before we got to the movie-watching portion.  We went to Little Falls for the grand opening of Meeples Mug House, the new board game cafe.  We played gin and then Yahtzee, in between enjoying a delicious sandwich (me) and soup (Steven).  I’ll write more about Meeples in another post (preview of coming attractions).

I took more pictures for subsequent use.

Before that, I went running and, um, not much else.  I made a phone call to arrange donating an afghan to the H.A.L.O. Chinese Auction tomorrow at the VFW (another preview of coming attractions).  While watching movies, I did a load of laundry and popped a bowl of popcorn (yum).  It was Aversa’s Popcorn, just to add a little local flair to the post.

For local readers, the HALO Chinese auction is at the  Herkimer VFW from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  HALO is the Helping Animals Live Organization, a no kill, not for profit, cat rescue group.

Meeples Mug House is located at 598 E. Main St., Little Falls, NY.  They are open from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

And that brings me over 200 words, which regular readers will remember I consider respectable.  I WILL write more about Meeples, possibly in an article in Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I will also write again about H.A.L.O.  Right now, however, I have knitting to do, and I have to watch Sylvester Stallone kick Wesley Snipes’ butt in Demolition Man.  Happy Saturday, everyone.