Tag Archives: Ilion NY

After Being Ill, Some Stuff About Ilion

Posted on April 10, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, so I posted late for Monday on Tuesday then missed posting at all on Tuesday.  In my defense, I was feeling rather ill on Tuesday.  However, I have very little excuse for not making Tuesday’s post late in Wednesday morning.  Not no excuse, since I was sending stories to Sentinel Media which should have been sent on Tuesday.  Oh dear, I am doing very badly.

It was a delightful occasion.

This is part of what I was occupied with on Monday.  Ilion Village Board had a public meeting to present the next budget.  After that meeting, they had a short board meeting during which they officially appointed Andrew Monahan as Fire Chief.  He has been Acting Chief for some two years, so it was good that he became officially appointed.  Many members of his family turned out for the occasion.

Other firefighters.  I love firefighters.

A number of other firefighters also turned out to see their chief officially appointed.

Mayor John P. Stephens

Before the meeting, Ilion Village Board presented their budget for the 2025-26 year.  It was a very good budget, with less than 1% increase on village taxes.  I wrote an article about it for Sentinel Media.

I feel my submissions to Sentinel Media take precedence over my blog posts, but I will endeavor in the future the keep up to date on both.  As always, I thank you for staying tuned.

 

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Good-bye, Columbo!

Posted on April 8, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

AAAaand we’re back to late posts.  It is early Tuesday morning, and I am sitting at my Chromebook hoping to do my Monday blog post.  It should be my last post about Prescription: Murder, the play I was in at Ilion Little Theatre.  The second weekend coincided with what is either a cold or a very bad batch of allergies.  I am hoping for the latter, because I hate to be contagious.  Then again, don’t say I never gave ya nuthin’!

He is a cop, after all.

I brought donuts from the Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, NY for the last performance.  People often bring treats to share backstage, and I have not been to the Friendly Bake Shop in a while.  Yum!  I especially like the plain donuts, such as Lt. Columbo is eating right now.  We all teeheed about the cops and donuts cliche.  Really it is a silly cliche.  EVERYBODY likes donuts!  It is not exclusive to cops.

Isn’t she pretty?

This is our illustrious director.  She did a wonderful job and was great to work with (the two do not always go together, unfortunately).  She is also just about as cute as allowed by law.

Two lovely ladies.

And one more picture of the two female characters who survive the entire play.  Actually everybody but me survives the play.  This isn’t And Then There Were None, which Ilion Little Theatre put on in 2010.  My late, beloved husband Steve and I were both in that one.  Neither of us survived.  More than that I shan’t say, in case you ever get the chance to see the play; I don’t want to spoil the ending.  In any case, I can recommend the book by Agatha Christie.  Fun read.

Auditions for the next play at Ilion Little Theatre are Sunday and Monday, April 13 and 14.  I do not plan to audition.  I must conserve my energies for Recipe for Murder Royale, which is coming up sooner than I like to think (preview of coming attractions)!

 

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The Queen of Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on April 7, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh am I tired!  Today was the last performance of Prescription: Murder, the play I was in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I just got home from the cast party.  They were still partying when I left, but I am old, as you may have noticed.  Now I am sitting at my house, looking at Dateline, although I think I would rather put in a DVD of Columbo.  Regular readers may remember that Prescription: Murder is the play that eventually became the first episode of Columbo.  They changed the ending for the TV version, I think for the better, but nobody asked me.

The “real” Columbo.

I put real in quotation marks in the caption, because I feel our Columbo was the real thing as well. Really, everybody in our cast was wonderful; it was an outstanding production.  I have a few new pictures of it, which I will use to make a real post about the play tomorrow.  For today I am too tired.  Also, the pictures are on my phone, which is in one of my bags, which are in a heap by the door.  I am lounged on the couch, typing into my Chromebook and I am far too lazy to move.

Just for the record, I have been ridiculously lazy during this whole production.  Oh, I put plenty of energy into my performance, but backstage was another story.  I sent anybody handy to get me coffee.  Then I would instruct other people where I would be when the person fetching my coffee showed up.  I asked people to hand me things.  I asked people to bring me things.  I declared myself the Queen of the Cast.  They were nice enough to let me get away with it.

Now I declare myself Queen of This Blog Post.  It is at least 300 words.  I call that respectable for a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  As usual I will try for something better tomorrow.  Also as usual, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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In Haste and In Need of a Second Wind

Posted on April 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, this is terrible.  I have about 45 minutes before I have to leave for the theatre and I am SO TIRED!!!  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  For anybody just tuning in, the theatre is Ilion Little Theatre for the play I am in, Prescription: Murder.  Everybody tells me I am doing a splendid job (although I don’t think anyone has actually used the word “splendid”), and I have no reason to believe they are insincere.

Me in the play, before I am dead.

I do not have any new pictures of the play to share, unfortunately, so I share this one again.  What a hair-do!  I tried to preserve it overnight by wrapping a scarf around my head and trying not to toss and turn too much.  I had little success, then the mop got rained on this afternoon.  It was, as they say, a good day for ducks.  It was actually a good day to stay home, but I did not, alas.

Columbo plays his game of cat and mouse.

It may be obvious by now that I got nuthin’.  Yes, I am brain dead but most somehow catch a second wind by 7:30 when the curtain opens.  I will try to take some more backstage pictures for your entertainment tomorrow, on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Then I must navigate my way through Post-Play Letdown while putting together the murder mystery Recipe for Murder Royale (preview of coming attractions).  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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Still Trying to Break a Lame

Posted on April 5, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well if I do not want to be posting late at night when I am dead tired, I need to post RIGHT NOW!!!

And that was when I thought, no, no! I can’t make a blog post now!  I’ve got to get to the Theatre!!! Regular readers may recall that I am in Prescription: Murder at Ilion Little Theatre.  The play ran last weekend and runs this weekend.  I have made a few blog posts about it.

Of course I got to the theatre early and spent ten or fifteen minutes sitting in my car going over my script.  You’ll have that.  But sometimes one feels too agitated to sit at home and arrive at one’s destination at precisely the right time (as if I have ever done anything at precisely the right time!).  I am now sitting at my house, sipping some echinacea tea (here’s a weird thing:  the ch is pronounced k and the c is pronounced ch, or have I been saying it wrong?).

Here we all are!

The hair and make-up lady took a picture of the whole case plus the director and assistant director.  She was obviously not in the picture nor was the light and sound person, but one does what one can.

The show went pretty well.  I had a bit of a hard time.  It was either my allergies acting up big time or I have a cold, but I was sniffling and sneezing up a storm.  I played one scene with a handkerchief in my hand.  It was a fancy handkerchief with lace around the edges, so I felt it was in character.  Backstage I resorted to one of the men’s handkerchiefs I usually use to try to contain the overflow.  Sorry if that gives you an unfortunate mental image; people with sinus problems will understand.

The beauty part is this is Lame Post Friday.  I am over 300 words.  This may be a foolish post, but I deem it acceptable by my rules for me.  Back to my echinacea tea, and Happy Friday, everyone!

 

 

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Thickheaded Thursday It Is!

Posted on April 4, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Now look what I’ve done!  It’s late (for me) Thursday night, and I still haven’t done my blog post!  Sounds like a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post for me.  I am very tired and feeling a big brain dead.  Could I start a new feature called Thickheaded Thursday?  It has the charm of alliteration at least.

There’s no point in losing my head over it.

I do like to use a picture to pep things up.  This is shown at the end of that William Castle classic StraitJacket, a long time favorite of mine, and often part of my Severed Head Sunday viewing, when I have Severed Head Sunday.  When am I going to have another Severed Head Sunday?  Not this Sunday at any rate.  As regular readers may recall, I will have the final performance of Prescription: Murder, the play I am in a Ilion Little Theatre.

How I’ll feel by Sunday night.

Of course there is no rest for the wicked, because after Prescription: Murder, I have to get going on Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are putting on for Salisbury Grange and the Herkimer County Historical Society.  Oh what trials and tribulations that will cause!  You’ll be able to read about it in this blog, no doubt.

In the meantime, I am over 200 words.  Score!  All I need is a punchy headline that doesn’t quite fit.  Uh oh.

 

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What Can I Say on a Wednesday?

Posted on April 3, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is either a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday or a Wuss-out Wednesday.  Earlier tonight I had the pick-up rehearsal for Prescription: Murder, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre (as I believe I have mentioned).  Then I went to hear the music of Phil Arcuri at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY.  I did not take any pictures of either activity, although I suppose I could make a blog post about either without new pictures. Perhaps tomorrow.

The eyes have it!

This is a picture I took backstage at Prescription: Murder.  It is Samantha, the woman who plays the chippy my husband murders me for.  She worked hard to make her eye make-up just right, with excellent results.

St. Francis is all inclusive.

This is a picture I took on a recent walk.  I was quite delighted to see a rainbow sign reading, “All Are Welcome Here,” at St. Francis Church down the street from my house.  I am all about loving and welcoming everybody.

Looks fishy to me.

The other picture I have is from Fat Cat’s Fish Fry in Herkimer, NY.  I went there today for a fish sandwich, and it was delicious!  I must do a full blog post on Fat Cat’s, but I did not get a picture of their sign, because it was hailing when I left the place this afternoon.  Maybe it was not actual hail, but it was colder and harder than rain, and it was not snow.  In any case, I hurried to my car.

Once again, this is my blog post.  I hope at least some of you have enjoyed it.

 

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Recovering from Murder

Posted on April 1, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I decided today would be my recovery day from the weekend of putting on shows. That is, as regular readers know. Prescription: Murder at Ilion Little Theatre (perhaps you have read a few of my blog posts about it).  I confess to feeling very tired.  This morning my legs felt leaden, as if they could not possibly take a step.  This afternoon I tried to make them take a step or two.  First I ventured into my backyard and was rewarded by the sight of a few crocuses.

Yay, spring!

Of course I took a few pictures.

Pretty!

I wondered if I was being a little silly taking pictures of all the blooms.  I mean, after all, everybody knows what a crocus looks like; people share all kinds of pictures of them.

Yellow, too!

But I felt it was a good idea nonetheless.

Ooh, one more crocus!

I took a nice walk after taking these pictures.  I saw a few other flowers as I walked but since I already had other pictures I did not pause to photograph.  For one reason, that made me walk a little further without pause.

So this is my Monday blog post.  Should I be happy it was not Monstrous?  Discuss amongst y0urselves.

 

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Blog Now, Panic Later

Posted on March 30, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, can I make a pre-show post before I have to finish getting ready to go to the matinee of  Prescription: Murder, the play I am in at Ilion LIttle Theatre?  Naturally I must make a big deal of things on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I just took a two-mile walk, towards the end of which I figured out a few things about my character’s motivation, background, and relationship with her (murderous) husband.  I suppose real actors might argue that I should have settled all these things during the rehearsal process, but I am always adding things, filling in blank spaces, refining, etc.  I like to think it is the writer in me.

In any case, I have a few minutes before I have to start bustling around, saying, “One more thing!” like Columbo, and I have a few more backstage pictures to share.

He is telling Columbo the facts of life as he sees them.

This is a guy from the district attorney’s office who happens to be close friends of my (stage) husband (that character’s wife is my character’s bestie, but she is only mentioned).  The guy in the raincoat is, obviously Columbo.

I think the guy on the right looks evil.

The man in the hat has a small but pivotal role; the other one is the murderer himself.

We couldn’t have done it without him!

This is the assistant director and stage manager, Mason, obviously an extremely important person.

I will try to get a few more backstage shots today.  In the meantime, I need to start running around my house saying, “I know I’ve forgotten something!”  I sure hope it isn’t my lines!

 

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A Dull Post, A Few Pics

Posted on March 30, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I managed to take a few pictures backstage during opening night of Prescription: Murder at Ilion Little Theatre.  For anyone just tuning in, that is a play I am in.  I have written a few blog posts about it.  Full disclosure:  I am feeling quite brain dead at the moment, which is bad news since I have another performance in a very few hours.  However, blog posts must be made, at least my blog posts by me, according to my rules for me, so I will share a few pictures and say a few things.

Would you kill this woman?

I took a selfie with hair and make-up.  Both were done for me by a wonderfully talented woman.  She did all the women’s and one man’s hair.

And this is the one my husband murders me for!

This picture doesn’t show her hair as well as I had hoped.  Perhaps I can get another picture tonight.  Also she has a better costume in Act II.

Also does not do justice to the hair, alas!

And here is the other female character.  I love the dress.  She has two other costumes, but this is the best.  Perhaps I can get a picture of one of her other dresses tonight, as well as a better shot of the hair.

I’m afraid this is rather a dull post, so I am going to bill it at a Slacker Saturday.  I’d better look over my lines again.  Perhaps a cup of coffee would be a good idea, before I go off to try to break another leg.

 

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