Tag Archives: Ilion NY

Leading a Scattered Saturday

Did you see what I did there with the headline?  I used the word “Leading” because my blog is All Leading Ladies All The Time (I don’t promise it actually will be, but then we all know there is no proof in advertising) but indicated that it will be one of my normal Scattered Saturday posts.  Scattered Saturday, for the uninitiated, is when I give a brief overview of my gyrations thus far, usually because I want to get my blog post out of the way and get back to, well, gyrating.  In fact one of these days, I may actually use the title “Now Back to Gyrating.”

We slept in till six o’clock this morning, which was quite delightful after rising at three all week.  After some coffee and a little breakfast, I wrote a few postcards.  The sun was bright and beautiful although the temperature was still chilly, so I walked to the post office and took a long way back.  Oh, it felt good to walk.  I could do a Pedestrian Post.  Maybe I will, sometime in the next few days.

Shortly after 8 a.m. I left the house for more adventures.  First a stop at the ATM, then on to the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, NY, which I wrote a blog post about on a previous Saturday.  I got donuts for my next stop and a loaf of bread for Steven and me.  My next stop was Ilion Little Theatre, where we had to paint and one member was building me a short set of stairs with a landing.  Our theatre activities could also make for a blog post or two.

Actually, I think it is more like three or four, because we didn’t just stay at the theatre.  I made stops at Ilion True Value Hardware and the Rummage Sale at the Episcopal Church I mentioned yesterday.

After we finally finished for the day, I went to Hannaford in Herkimer for groceries and cold medicine for Steven.  I forgot to mention: Steven did not join me for any of my adventures, because he is sick with another cold.  Oh dear!  He has to get better!  He’s in Leading Ladies!

 

Running Out on Rummage

In lieu of my usual Friday Lame Post, I shall tell about a brief Mohawk Valley adventure I enjoyed after leaving work this afternoon.  Last night when I looked at the newspaper, I noticed a rummage sale at the Episcopal Church in Ilion NY.  I could have hurried right over, but I had already reached the sweats on, bra off portion of the evening.  I decided on a quick stop after work today instead.

I was searching for props and costumes for Leading Ladies (remember, that play I’m directing at Ilion Little Theatre?).  Of course I did not rule out finding something for my own personal enjoyment, but that would be strictly by the way.

Right away I found a decanter, such as a rich person might have sitting on a table with booze in it.  I wanted one of those.  For the play, I mean.  I don’t have any booze in my house to decant; I stick with wine.  Then I saw some tins.  I don’t need any tins for the play, but Steven likes to put Christmas presents in tins.  Put a present in a present, he says.  I picked out three.  Then I found two large silky-looking nightgowns.  I thought these might supplement the costumes for the boys that dress as girls (the titular leading ladies).  If not, they might be useful as part of a Halloween costume sometime.  Waste not, want not, I always say.

I asked if I could put my stuff down while I looked at the books and jewelry.  I snagged two books and a huge handful of jewelry.  The nice lady in charge of the jewelry counted up what all I had while I took one last swing though the tables.  That was when I found the VHS tapes.  Cheesy movies!  Yay!  There were a couple of titles I already own (The Killer Shrews and Plan 9 From Outer Space), but I found SIX I’ve never seen.  Cheesy movies have nothing to do with the play but EVERYTHING to do with this blog!

It turned out I had gotten a little too excited about the jewelry and did not have enough money to pay for it all.  The nice lady agreed to hold it till tomorrow, when either Steven or I will return with the cash.  As I was paying for my other purchases, I discovered the decanter was broken.  I told them somebody might still like it to sit on a shelf and look pretty, but I needed one I could actually pour a drink out of.  This was just as well, because I would not have had enough money for everything otherwise.

The ladies at the rummage sale said they would be happy to see me tomorrow, when it will be dollar a bag day.  I’d probably better send Steven, because I would probably find at least a couple of bags’ worth of stuff more.

 

I’ll Be Looking for that Link

I don’t think Tired Thursday has the same ring as Tired Tuesday, and yet here I sit.  Well, instead of crying about how tired I feel, I will give a brief overview of my post-work errand running.  I had thought to write a blog post about that earlier today when I had difficulty coming up with a topic to write on while on break at work.  Of course now all I want to do is sleep on it and I fear the post will not be very good, but we have established that for Mohawk Valley Girl, a bad post is better than no post at all, so here goes (I don’t care if that is a run-on sentence).

I need some props and costumes for Leading Ladies, the show I am directing at Ilion Little Theatre (stand by for this blog to become All Leading Ladies All The Time, it’ll happen soon).  This being the only weekday I don’t have rehearsal, I thought a few stops on the way home would be appropriate.  Full disclosure:  I did not make all the stops I intended to and one place I was pretty sure would not have any props or costumes.

It was pouring rain when I left work, but one must not let weather deter one, must one (one being me, of course).  I kept telling myself that this was better than snow, but I’ve heard we’ll have snow again before too long, so I suppose I will have a basis for comparison.

First I went to the Thrift Store in Ilion, NY (I work in Ilion, by the way).  No props, but I found a black shawl, which I have been wanting to go with my little purple dress (I refuse to own a Little Black Dress).  Now all I have to do is lost that damn ten pounds so I can wear my little purple dress. I merely glanced at the fancy dresses.  My costume ambitions were merely to look.  We’re going to check the Ilion Little Theatre costume collection before purchasing anything.

At New 2 You Consignment Store, where I went next, I found a decanter such as a someone might have sitting on a table in a ritzy sitting room.  I wasn’t sure I loved it, though.  The lady there, who I am acquainted with because her daughter did a marvelous job in the murder mystery I have been talking about (perhaps you read my latest blog post about it), said if I decided I wanted it, I could call her and she would hold it for me.  We talked about the play, and I mentioned my need of dresses for a couple of manly-sized men.  She said she had some quite large fancy dresses, so I may be in touch with her about that, too.

I was getting sick of being out in the rain but decided to make one more stop at Earthly Matters, a store I have lately become aware of.  I did not think it was anyplace I would find anything for my play.  I thought I would like to write about it.  Oh, I SO DO!  I stood there for a while talking to the owner, looking at beautiful things, and taking notes.  I shall write a full post about it and perhaps an article to submit to Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  For today, however, I content myself with a mere mention.

I went home after that, bypassing the dollar store and a couple of other stops.  There is another thrift store and at least one more consignment shop I can check.  When I don’t feel so tired.  Sorry to keep complaining about it, but you know how it is.  If you don’t know how it is, well, just work some overtime and direct a couple of plays and do a few more things other than sleep and then write a blog post about it.   You can post a link in Comments and perhaps I’ll read it.

Happy Non-Sequitur Thursday, everyone.

 

One Dead Body, at a Church

I feel I can get away with one more post about my murder mystery, because some readers may be wondering how it went.  Well, it was splendid.

The church, Morning Star Methodist in Ilion, NY, sold more tickets than they were hoping to.  In fact, serving dinners was delayed at one point when they ran out of potatoes and had to cook more.  I told them if they ran short of meat, I could go hungry, but luckily that was not necessary.

I stood by the table of the lady taking tickets and welcomed people.  I warned them they would meet some unusual people but should not be worried about talking to them.  I’m not sure my warnings were needed, but people were very nice about it.  More importantly, I had to be the liaison between the actors and the dinner-servers.  I gave the actors the high-sign to start the performance part.  I told the audience when to fill out their guesses and collected the papers after they had guessed.

As I attended to these duties, I realized my folly in undertaking such a role.  I wanted to be acting!  There are few things more fun for me than to dress up in a costume and pretend to be somebody else.  I love it on a stage with lines, and I love it at a murder mystery when mingling with the audience.

The lucky ones who did get to act enjoyed it quite a bit, and they did a marvelous job.  A few lines were dropped, but I believe only the author noticed (um, you remember that was me, right?).  The audience was full of praise, except for one gentleman with a hearing aid who hadn’t heard a word.  I felt quite terrible about that.  At least he got a good dinner out of it.  Roast pork.  Yum!

I hope Ilion Little Theatre will be asked to present more murder mysteries in the future.  I’m ready to write them and I am more than ready to act again!

 

About that Murder Mystery

Murder is on the menu when the Morning Star Methodist Church in conjunction with Ilion Little Theatre presents “Engaged to be Murdered,” an interactive dinner theatre, on Saturday, April 2 at 5 p.m. at the church located at 36 Second St., Ilion. Tickets are $20 and include the performance and dinner. Reservations are required by March 31 by calling the church office at 315-894-4093.

“Engaged to be Murdered” takes place at the party celebrating the upcoming nuptials of society girl Genevieve Raglan to handsome up-and-comer Luke Donovan.  Representing Genevieve’s family are her elegant parents, Eliot and Marseille (it’s pronounced mar-SAY) Raglan, her glamorous Aunt Theodora, and family matriarch Grandma Nell.  Luke is accompanied by his father, cattle rancher Harry Donovan.  Also present, although nobody is sure who invited her, is ne’er-do-well Cousin Randy Raglan. All of these people have secrets to hide, and the audience will have a chance to ferret out the clues and try to solve the mystery.

That is from the press release I wrote for the murder mystery Ilion Little Theatre is putting together for the church’s fundraiser.  I had meant to copy the whole thing for today’s blog post, but, well, my desk top would not cooperate.  I managed to copy the first paragraph and half of the first sentence of the second paragraph.  Now I am on my new laptop, trying to remember the rest of it.

I think I have included all the relevant information.  My press release went on to toot my own horn as the writer. I figured the papers, if they used the release at all, would cut that part out.  Therefore, I shall feel free to cut it out now.  Local readers may like to come see the performance. I understand the dinner is roast pork.  Yum!

 

My Spontaneous Friday Night

I don’t have a Scattered Saturday post for this week, but I thought I could give a brief overview of why I was in Ilion, NY at dinnertime yesterday, instead of sensibly and frugally at my home fixing fish sticks or tuna noodle casserole or something.

Directly after work, I went to the Medicine Shoppe to pick up a prescription.  It was not ready (weird renewal situation, not really relevant), but they said they could process it and have it for me in about 45 minutes (in retrospect, they might have said “Four to five minutes,” but, again, not really relevant).

Since I was in the neighborhood, I walked across the parking lot to Ilion Wine and Spirits, to get some of the Pinot Grigio Steven likes (full disclosure: I like it too).  What did I see on their door but a sign advertising a wine tasting that night at five!  Woohoo!  I love wine tasting!  It was only four, but that was a problem patience could easily solve.

“I have a prescription to pick up later,” I said.  “I was wondering if it was worth it to come back out, but now I’m motivated!”

I went home and made vague attempts at doing something useful.  Then the phone rang, and it was my friend Diane.  Diane recently opened Eye Q in New Hartford, NY, an excellent optical establishment.  She gave me a good deal on a truly awesome pair of glasses.  When she heard about the wine tasting, she was happy to meet me at Ilion Wine and Spirits at five.

The wine tasting was from Lakeland Winery from Syracuse.  I’ve tasted their wines before.  The lady that does the tastings is a delight.  She remembered me from the last time we had met at Ilion Wine and Spirits, and even remembered how my husband Steven had joined the tasting already in progress.

“I should go get Steven at work so he can join us this time,” I said.

I ended up doing just that.  Everybody was pleased to see Steven, Steven was pleased to taste some wine, and a delightful time was had by all.  Incidentally, I forgot to mention that the store served crackers and Herkimer Cheese as an accompaniment to the tasting.  Yum!

So that was my Friday, and I’m glad I wrote a blog post about it.  For one reason, I woke up this morning with the dull, draggy feeling that I had wasted my Friday on frivolities.  I see now that I did not.  I had a spontaneous and enjoyable time.  I’m soon off to have a marvelous time at Ilion Little Theatre.  I hope to write about that tomorrow.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Fish on Friday

Don’t ask me why I was in Ilion, NY at seven this evening having not eaten dinner, but there I was with my husband.  I thought we were about to head home.

“Where do I go to get a fish fry?”  he asked.

“The Elks Lodge,” I answered.  A friend at work had recommended the Ilion Elks’ Fish Fry to me since the beginning of Lent but I hadn’t made it there yet.  I hadn’t thought I would make it this week either, but, well, sometimes these things work out.

We had missed the bake sale, which benefited the Herkimer Humane Society, and we had to wait just a couple of minutes while the hostess cleared and set up a table for us, but these were minor points.  Soon we were looking over the menu.  At first I thought to get broiled haddock for $10 but then I saw scallops were only $3 more.  I LOVE scallops!  Steven suggested he get the haddock while I got the scallops, that way we could taste each other’s entrees.

“Can I go in the bar and get a glass of wine to go with dinner?” I asked the waitress.

“We encourage it,” she said.

I asked the bartender what they had for white wine and selected Chardonnay.

“May I sniff the cork?” I asked as he poured.  “Just kidding,” I quickly added.  “We’re not snobby.  In fact, I see by the frog on the cork, that is the kind of wine we usually get.  Nathanson’s Creek, if you were wondering.

It was quite the delicious dinner.  The Elks Lodge is located at 8 West St., Ilion, NY.  They serve fish fry on Fridays during Lent from 5 to 8 p.m.

 

But I Think My Attitude is Improving

I am sipping my first taste of wine in 2016.  Isn’t that nice?  I had not meant to write a blog post about it.  I went running earlier with the specific thought that I could do a Running Commentary post.  Before making my blog post, however, I ate dinner, read some more of a book (I must NEVER pick up fiction unless I can just sit there and read the whole thing; I become obsessed) and of course dithered (I always say: go with your strengths).  This being Bad Attituesday, I don’t think my writing muscles are going to cooperate.

Regular readers may remember that I have been doing without wine for 30 days.  It started as an experiment to see if it had any effect on my headaches, then it morphed into “Well if I can’t go 30 days without wine, maybe I have a problem,” and then, well,  I just got stubborn.  But I made it 30 days, so I felt a little pleased with myself and thought I deserved a glass of dry red.

I went to Ilion Wine and Spirits after work to get my bottle. This is handily located next to The Medicine Shoppe, where I had to pick up a prescription.  So, you see, I give shout-outs to two local businesses as I sip.  When I walked into the liquor store, I immediately saw some bottles of Chianti on sale.  I had purchased one of these bottles prior to Christmas.  Steven drank the whole thing himself during my dry 30 days (not all at once, of course; he’s no lush either).

First I looked all around to see if there was something I’d like better. I hesitated over a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Noir.  When I was at church two Sundays ago, during the sermon the priest told a story involving Barefoot Pinot Noir.  “That’s a good wine,” I told my sister.  Imagine, me having something in common with a priest.  I decided to stick with the Chianti, but I may go back for some Pinot this weekend.

It is Chianti Superiore made by Banfi of Montalcino, Italy.  It was imported by Banfi Vintners of Old Brookville, NY.  So you see I am being international and buying New York State.  It’s pretty tasty wine, too.

Ilion Wine and Spirits is located at 10 E. Main St., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-8142.  The Medicine Shoppe is at 10 Central Ave., phone number 315-894-7283.  Don’t let the different streets fool you; they are just a parking lot away from each other. It is most convenient.

 

Just in Time for Melfe’s Monday

Long time readers (if any) may be wondering if I intend to give my yearly shout-out to Melfe’s Shoe Service in Ilion, NY.  Of course I do.  For one reason, I told them I was going to.

I’ve worked in an industry requiring safety footwear for almost five years now.  My place of employment has a deal with Melfe’s where my employer pays for one pair of shoes per year per employee and Melfe’s gives us a good deal.  Additionally, they give us great service and a quality product. Am I sounding like a commercial for Melfe’s?  Well, I did say this was a shout-out.

Many, many (add a few “manys” and you’ll come close) years ago, I sold shoes at a department store.  Ever since then I have appreciated quality footwear and understand the need to replace shoes on a regular basis (that’s not to say I don’t own a few ratty pair of $4.99 sneakers from K-Mart; I’m only human after all).  So every January I trek to Melfe’s and update.

My preferred time to go is Saturday morning as soon as they open. I’ve never encountered a crowd, and it gets it out of the way early in my favorite day for adventures.  On this particular Saturday, I was there even before they were.  I had not long to wait, though, before I was getting my feet measured and looking at styles.

At Melfe’s they measure your feet every time, because feet can change.  Mine have gotten bigger and wider over the years.  I’d like to think the increased width is the result of bunion surgery and not large amounts of fattening foods (of course my hips have no such excuse).

A young man named Steve was helping me (I asked his name and got his business card).  While he looked for my size, I admired wildlife prints and vintage advertisements on the wall.  I also noticed some very comfy-looking slippers I’d like to get for my husband (maybe for his birthday).

Melfe’s also does shoe repair.  A few months ago, I found out to my dismay that not all shoes can be repaired.  I had to appreciate, though, that they told me up front my shoes were hopeless and did not take my money to make a repair they knew would not last.

I received a Melfe’s t-shirt with my shoes.  I chose lavender.  I told Steve I would wear it to work on Monday.

“I like to have Melfe’s Monday,” I told him.

He told me that a lot of people have a certain day they like to wear their Melfe’s shirt.  I could have gotten a hat or coffee mug, but I like my shirt.  Full disclosure:  I did not wear that shirt this past Monday but one I got two years ago.  Fortunately or not, another Monday is coming.

Melfe’s Shoe Service is located at 64 Central Ave, Ilion, NY.  For more informtion call 315-894-4049.

 

Merry Mental Meanderings

I do not see why this blog should not go All Christmas All The Time for the rest of the week.  After all, Friday is Christmas, it’s practically here! (Said in a Boris Karloff narrating How the Grinch Stole Christmas voice.)

At times, I fear, the Christmas spirit eludes me.  Today I spend some time stressing and obsessing about all I need to get done before the end of the week.  Then I stressed over the fact that I was stressing, because, dammit, I’m supposed to be enjoying this! I LIKE Christmas!  I like to give presents!  I thought I had planned better than this.  I hasten to add, I am not completely without the Christmas spirit.  I get it in spurts and try to enjoy it while it lasts.

As I pointed out yesterday, it is difficult to talk about my gyrations preparing for Christmas without giving away key points about presents I may or may not be giving (already I’ve said too much).  However, those gyrations (that word is so descriptive of my life) are the reason I am posting this later than I like to and why I did not write something earlier while at work (on a BREAK, I hasten to add).  Oh, I know, I could stress about Christmas and still write a blog post.  In theory at least.  The fact is, I did not.

After work I had three stops to make.  I can mention one, because it did not involve anything Christmasy:  I went to The Medicine Shoppe in Ilion to pick up a prescription.  Of course, there is also no need to expand upon that, because as I have often observed, people who go on about their health problems become tiresome (I know, it almost never stops me, but I try to keep it short) (I said TRY! Sheesh!).

Where was I?  Oh yes, a brief shout-out to the Medicine Shoppe.  I called in my prescription renewal to their automated line last night and my prescription was waiting for me after work this afternoon.  How cool is that?  They are also super nice there.

After the Medicine Shoppe, I made two more stops that were Christmas-related. They were relatively successful.  I would love to go on, especially about the second stop, BUT…  Perhaps I will revisit the subject in January.   In the meantime, I continue to chase that elusive Christmas spirit.

The Medicine Shoppe is located at 10 Central Ave., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-7283.  You can Like them on Facebook.