Tag Archives: husband Steven

What Were We Talking About?

I am sitting here playing with the predictive text thingy and typing things in and backspacing them out.  I have had a headache all day, but it was not bad enough to make me leave work, so I have that going for me.  I even managed to mow my lawn, after spending over 45 minutes on the phone trying to get a bill straightened out.  Never mind which bill; that company doesn’t need a plug from me.

Where was I?  Nowhere I suppose unless it is in the midst of a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.  How about some non-sequitur pictures, since I don’t have much in the word department.

You had me at Vincent Price.

My late, dearly missed husband, Steven, gave me the Vincent Price Pumpkin Spice Coffee for either a birthday or anniversary present.  The caption is something I had said to him some years ago.  He was reading to me all about a movie on TCM.  He read the cast, the director, that it was based on an Edgar Allen Poe story, etc. etc.  I interrupted him with, “You had me at Vincent Price.”  I have probably told that story before.

“I’m a man.”

This is the final scene in Some Like It Hot, one of the funniest movies ever made.  Oh dear, this makes a kind of a movie theme.  That is not very non-sequitur-ish of me, is it?

I say, no matter.  I am over 200 words.  I can always bill this as a Blogger’s Sick Day instead.

One more random shot, just for good measure.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

 

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.

 

Monstrous Monday Sucked the Life Right Outta Me

All I can manage today is a Monstrous Monday Post, and we’ll see how well I can manage that.  Full disclosure: sometimes it seems easier to troll my Media Library than to download new stuff.  My technological know-how seems to be going downhill.  How can that be?  Never mind.  On with the post!

“I bid you velcome to my blog post.”

I just watched the Bela Lugosi Dracula yesterday.  I was trying to think of a horror movie to watch and remembered this was one Steven did not often want to see.  Under the heading Now That He’s Gone, I suppose, although I confess it was not the thrill I was hoping for.

“Uh, I’m kind of in the middle of something here!”

Moving to an older vampire movie, I think Nosferatu looks a little startled in this shot.  Of course, vampires do not usually expect to be interrupted in their work.  I understand that is one advantage to the night shift.

These two look rather neutral.

 

To continue with the vampire theme, here are two from  Mark of the Vampire.  I have not seen this one in a while.

Gotta get me an outfit like that!

Not having much else to say, I add another photo from Mark of the Vampire.  I’m afraid this has been rather a dull post, but I hope you have at least enjoyed the pictures.  As usual, I’ll try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

Are Wednesdays a Thing Again?

After deciding last week that I was going to stay home every night this week, I  decided to go to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY for food and music, as I used to do almost every Wednesday.  A quick check of their Facebook page told me Justin Smithson was playing acoustic guitar.

He is an excellent musician.

As I walked in, I was greeted by Geno the bartender and Justin Smithson himself.  I ordered a garlic pizza with sausage and mushrooms.  It was one of Steven’s favorite things to order.  I was sipping some Chardonnay, also a favorite of his.  The music started shortly.

I was loving it right away.  Justin started with a beautiful James Taylor song.  Then I dissolved into embarrassing tears as he got to the chorus:  “But I always thought that I’d see you again.”  This is what happens.  Every day I realize I will never see my husband Steve again.  However, I must try not to make a spectacle of myself.

This one turned out a little dark.

Justin moved on to play a variety of tunes.  At one point he asked for requests, and a man said, “Cat Stevens!”  Justin played “Wild World,” which is a song that plays in my head when I am running and go by a WildWood camper.

“Made my night!” said the requestor when the song was done.

I greatly enjoyed hearing the music.  I will be back at Fratello’s again soon!

 

Some Sort of Sunday

It’s not so much that I mind tomorrow being Monday.  It is more that I let another weekend go by without accomplishing much.  Then again, what did I hope to accomplish?  One might argue that I did not plan to fail, I failed to plan.  I hate it when people talk in sound bites.

That’s one way to make a Monday even worse.

One might also argue that weekends are for relaxing and recharging one’s batteries.  Do I feel recharged?  I don’t know, but at least I do not feel overly depleted.  I forgot where I was going with this.

A star-studded cast.

A good part of today was spent watching movies.  I enjoyed the Kenneth Branagh Murder on the Orient Express.  I found it to be a very sad movie, though, so I went back to my beloved Columbo (I don’t need to show the picture of Peter Falk again, do I?).

It’s trippy.

I popped in The Terror, because I find these old, cheesy horror movies relaxing.

I did not go there today.

Oh dear.  I looked through my Media Library for a graphic from Dementia 13, the next movie I watched.  Finding none, I downloaded one.  Somehow in the process, I added the above shot of my husband, Steve, and our friend Tracy at the Waterfront Grille in Herkimer, NY.  I just can’t bring myself to delete it so beg your pardon for the digression.

I did bring myself to delete the downloaded picture from Dementia 13, because it turned out too small.  I don’t know how to change the size.

I see I have gotten over 250 words with this nonsense.  I am going to call that respectable and go back to not accomplishing much.  I hope you are having a lovely Sunday.

 

Vermont Memories

I attempt a Throwback Thursday Post, because I do not wish to be making my Thursday blog post on Friday morning.  I thought that sentence might give me a little spurt of happiness by reminding me that tomorrow is Friday, but alas, not so much.  No matter.  On with the blog post.

Wrong season, so sue me.

This is a picture of the area of Vermont where some of my late husband Steve’s family lives.  I love the covered bridge.  Anyways, this was in my Media Library in April 2017, so I say it is a Throwback photo.

Nice doggies!

This is a really old snapshot, taken at Steve’s sister Ruby’s house, with one of those disposable cameras we used to use all the time.  It is Ruby’s dog Sapphire and our own Tabby.  I put it on a napkin and took a picture of it with the Tablet so Steven could share it on Facebook.  That may have been back in 2011, but I am not at all sure.  We never did learn how to use a scanner, although I think we have one my sister Diane gave us.

Gobble, gobble!

And here are some wild turkeys in Ruby’s backyard.  We had some wonderful afternoons and evenings sitting on Ruby’s deck, enjoying nature.  She had many small animal visitors.   She also had the occasional bear, but not when we were there.

Oh dear, I just remembered, I think there was once when we saw a bear although did not get a picture.  It was dark and we were looking out the kitchen window, as I recall.  If I recall correctly.  This is where it would be so nice to be able to turn to Steve and say, “We saw a bear at Ruby’s, didn’t we?” I am still getting used to widowhood.

There he is, with a friend.

On that note, I end with a picture of Steve.  He is at the So Sweet Candy Shoppe in Utica, NY, with our friend Margaret, the proprietress.  I guess that doesn’t really fit with my headline.  Does that mean I can also bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post?

 

We Like Wednesday

I was going to call this Also Not A Post, but I thought of the other just now when I turned off the burner on the stove and liked the alliteration.

The reason I thought of it just then was that I have formed the habit when turning off the stove of saying out loud, “Turning off the burner on Wednesday.”  Or whatever day it is, of course.  This is because I tend to forget those things I do automatically.  I kept calling my husband, Steve from work to ask him to check for me. This could be a problem if I went in early for overtime and he went back to bed.  Thus, the habit of reminding myself.

Now, sadly, there is nobody to check for me if I do forget, so it is good I maintain the habit.  Anyways, today I said my phrase and felt that usual spurt of relief that it is Wednesday and not Tuesday.  Um, I will admit that Tuesday is when I should have been making this post (according to my rules for me), but let us not worry about that now.

So, I guess Not Really A Post describes this post better than the title I chose.  Oh well, 200 words including a little tidbit about one of my weird things.  I’ll bill it as a Tired Tuesday Post and drive on.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

Post Easter Post

When I made Saturday’s blog post on Sunday morning and said Happy Easter, it kind of left me without anywhere to go on Sunday evening.  I had a delightful holiday with some of my family.  As a friend put it, I have a wealth of family, and for that I am truly grateful.

That being the case, I feel I should not go on to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.  I mean, one does not go from having a lovely Easter Sunday to swooning, posed dramatically with the back of one wrist against one’s forehead, dreading Monday.  Does one?

Not exactly a swoon, but notice the placement of the wrist.

Here I am being dramatic in Dirty Work at the Crossroads, presented by Ilion Little Theatre,  directed by my late husband, Steve.  I always wanted him to direct again, but he never did.  This is a problem I am having.  At odd times, it hits me anew:  I will never see him again.

I’m sure anybody who has suffered a loss has these moments too.  I try not to feel that I am the only one to ever shed a tear.  Sometimes I think I am a bigger baby than most, but one does the best one can.

So I am grateful for my nice day with my nice family.  If I start to feel sad when I am home alone, well that is just the way it is.  I forgot where I was going with this.  Ah yes, just trying to make my Sunday blog post on Sunday.  We’ll call it a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post and drive on.

 

I Hate Late

I read a quote from a writer, I forget who or even the whole quote, but it started, “One must be pitiless in the matter of mood…”

He is right, of course.  But it doesn’t really help me right now.  I am sitting here with my Tablet (the laptop-come-dining-room-tabletop is dying a slow painful death, as it gets slower and more painful to do anything on it), feeling it would be a good idea to make Saturday’s blog post even at this late hour.  Yet I also feel paralyzed by indecision and resistance.

I’m also a little hungry, although I did have some scrambled eggs earlier.

Lately I feel overwhelmed by all I need and want to do, with the vicious circle result that I do not do any of it.  Well, sometimes I do some of it.  For example, yesterday I worked on paying bills.  This is one chore my late husband Steve always did, and I was SO grateful that he did.  So naturally,  I am not only not very good at it, it is doubly painful, because it emphasizes once again that Steve is not here.

I guess this is another thing to be pitiless about.  I keep telling myself I have to learn to be alone.  So yesterday I sat down with the checkbook and a stack of bills and told myself, “Just pay one bill.”  This was me applying my method of Just Do One Thing.  I started by putting the bills in order of due date.  I hate to be late (blog posts notwithstanding).

Somewhere in the midst paying one bill online, one by phone, and writing a couple of checks, I felt a surge of… not quite happiness, but of not depression.  “I’m doing this,”  I thought.  Of course I have a lot more to do, but maybe I will be able to do it.

Hmmm… I guess the quote I referenced earlier did help me, because, look, I have blogged over 300 words.  I say “blogged” instead of “written” in deference to the Truman Capote line, “That’s not writing, that’s typing.”  Do you suppose if he were still around, he would sniff at my blog, “That’s not writing, that’s pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus”?

 

There Are No Words

I was reading a few other blogs hoping to get some inspiration for today’s post, and there it was: Wordless Wednesday.  If only I had a good, evocative picture to share.  Damn!

He was so handsome!

After looking through a LOT of pictures on my Tablet, I came across several of my dearly missed husband, Steven.  This one caught my eye, because I am wearing that same shirt tonight. I spilled a little sauce on it when I was eating supper.  I’d better remember to rub in a little soap when I take it off later.

Anyways, the picture was taken at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort,  NY, when we used to go almost every Wednesday for music and food.  That adds a little symmetry to the post, I think.

Full disclosure:  I did not want to make a cheerful, chatty post today.  I was rather inclined to give a grief update.  It occurred to me today that my sadness is just a chronic condition I have to get used to, like a bad back or knees (both of which I have, but they are not constant, so I count my blessings).  This is actually a helpful thought: Just something I have to get used to.  I can get used to something.

So I am over 200 words on this Wordless Wednesday.  I can never get these things right.