Tag Archives: Little Falls NY

Another Non-Sequitur Lame Post Friday

This feels like a really late Lame Post Friday post, because Thursday felt like Friday, and yesterday felt like Saturday, so today should kind of feel like Sunday.  It is in fact early Saturday morning (I consult my watch and my Chromebook to confirm). Only I am not sure that it feels like anything as I got very little sleep last night.  But let us not dwell on my myriad problems and my tendency to whine about them; let us attempt some semblance of a blog post.

Well isn’t red a Christmas color?

OK, about that picture.  As I typed the first paragraph, my headache rolled back in.  I thought to throw in a Christmas illustration but the headache got more obtrusive as I searched my Media Library so I clicked almost at random, hit Save, and went elsewhere on my Chromebook till the weird feeling subsided (I should type up a few paragraphs describing the sensations of this headache, not for blogging purposes but to inflict on my neurologist). I typed and sent a couple of emails.  It is funny how you can do some kinds of writing sometimes.  Ooh, that is a bit of half-baked philosophy, is it not?  This IS a Lame Post Friday post!

Yesterday I took a real trip to Little Falls, NY with my sister Cheryl, and I took a number of pictures at our various stops.  Later on I stopped by the Wine Tasting Room at Raindrops on Roses Bed and Breakfast in Herkimer for a chat with the delightful proprietors.  I continued to a delicious dinner at Salvatore’s.  In between bouts of headache, it was quite the enjoyable day, and I hope to make more detailed posts about the places I stopped.

I quite forgot where I was going with this blog post, but I see I am approaching 300 words.  I say that is not bad, and I am hungry for my breakfast.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

I Guess I Was a Non-Sequitur

I meant to make my Thursday blog post on Thursday.  In fact, I went out in hopes of finding something to blog about.  It did not work out so well.  You see, I had this weird headache and I could not seem to quite do anything.  Don’t tell my mother; I don’t want her to worry.  Oh dear, she might read this post.  Never mind; I’ll think of something good to tell her.

Anyways, the headache was as much light-headedness as pain, and it kind of came and went, so during one of the times it went, I ventured out of the house.  I had an idea to check out a new store in Ilion, BB Music Center at 141 Central Ave., then have lunch at the new Jessie’s Grill at 200 Otsego St. (that cool wedge-shaped building). Unfortunately I found out Jessie’s was not to open till later, so I decided to go to Little Falls.

I hadn’t been here in a while.

I had not realized how cold it was till I walked from my car to the Little falls Antique Center at Canal Place. It was nice to look at all the beautiful wares again. Ooh I was loving the vintage jazz they were playing!  But these were not the Christmas presents I was thinking of purchasing for my loved ones.  Still, I know some of my siblings would love to accompany me there for another shopping trip one day.  I thought it might be a good idea to have lunch before going on.  For one reason, my headache was starting to come back.

Unfortunately I could not make up my mind to go into any of the eateries at Canal Place.  Perhaps I could find something on Main Street that would work.  Accordingly, I drove there and parked.  Ooh, there was Chickweed Boutique.  I love that place.  But… food.  I locked my car and started down the street.  I had parked close to one end of Main so I had a good ways to walk, and a few good eating places to walk by and choose from.

The wind had died down a little, so with my shawl, hat and gloves, I was not too cold at all.  It felt good to walk.  I walked by several places and ended up turning right and continuing to walk up a hill.  My headache was feeling much better.  There are not enough hills to walk up in Herkimer.  I was enjoying this.  I walked up the hill till there was no outlet then turned around and walked back to Main Street.

I decided to walk back up to my car and go home.  I had not consulted my watch when I parked, but I thought I had been walking for at least 20 minutes.  As I turned up Main Street, I wondered what if I ran into somebody I knew and they asked what I was doing.  I would have to say something like, “Well I don’t really know,” or, “It’s kind of hard to explain.”  I am a little sorry I did not run into anybody.

The beauty part was I noticed CVS Pharmacy before I got to my car and remembered I needed some supplements I have been taking for my migraines.  Alas that I forgot I also meant to purchase some hair gel.  I did amuse myself at CVS.  While waiting at the Pharmacy to pay for the B2 (I do not know why that should be a controlled substance) I saw myself on a television overhead, and it kept saying “recording.”  It made me nervous, but I reminded myself I was not buying poison.  It took a few minutes as the clerk needed to look up the price, so I thought to turn the image of me to good use by adjusting my headband.  When the clerk returned to complete the transaction, I told her the recording could be my alibi if I was accused of murder.  Do you suppose I watch too much Dateline?

I was a little annoyed with myself for not paying for the magnesium (oh dear is it a HIPAA violation that I told you both supplements I am on?) at the same time as the riboflavin (that’s another word for B2) when I couldn’t find anything else to buy (remember, I forgot about needing the hair gel).  Then I had a pleasant conversation with a man waiting to pay and with the clerk, so I felt happy about that.

Holy crap, I have blathered on for over 750 words about what was, so I thought, a rather uneventful interlude. If anybody has read till the end, thank you!  I hope you had a lovely Thursday and have a wonderful Friday.

 

Interval? Fartlek? Anyways, I Ran!

As I finished my run this morning, going past the house twice to make sure Map My Run agreed it was two miles, I said to myself, “This is great!  Two Mile Tuesday is back!”  Then I said, “You idiot, it’s Wednesday,” echoing Boris Karloff is one of my favorite Tuesday memes.

Tee hee!

In fact, it is like a Friday for many, because they have the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving.  I was euphoric when I finally had a job that gave me that perk (or is it “perq” short for “perquisite”?  Discuss amongst yourselves).  But I have covered the vagaries of three day weeks in this space before.  Right now I was hoping to make a Running Commentary.

I got up early, because I went to bed early last night (Tired Tuesday, remember?).  I thought I would do something different and go running right away, even before I had coffee.  For one reason, it was not raining. It was pouring yesterday morning, so I did not run, although I took a nice walk later. On Monday’s run, I started experimenting with interval training, that is, interspersing my normal slow shuffle with bursts of greater speed and effort (why did autocorrect capitalize “greater”?  And why does my computer underline “auto-correct”?) (OH, it wants a hyphen.  Who knew?) (Oh you probably did) (you know who you are) (but I digress).

Actually, from what I learned in the army, there is interval training and fartlek workouts (tee hee, I said “fart”!).  In interval training, your slower and faster periods are set; for example, on a oval track, sprint the straightaway, run slower on the curvy parts.  In fartlek, things are more irregular: “You’ll sprint till I tell you to stop sprinting!”  Of course, this may have been just some sergeant’s definition.

Oh, according to Google, it is unstructured!  I looked it up to make sure I was spelling it correctly. Also, it is meant to be fun.  I’m sure that wasn’t part of the sergeant’s definition, but I will certainly remember it the next time I put on the old running shoes!

Anyways, I ran for just over 30 minutes, doing a kind of a sprint about every five minutes. I say a kind of a sprint, because with my speed or lack thereof, an unbiased observer might not have recognized it as a sprint.  I would decide to sprint to a certain point, a telephone pole, a corner, that sort of thing, looking at my Garmin at the beginning and end.  My sprints lasted from ten to twenty seconds.  I figure that gives me something to build on.

I am thinking I will try to do the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls Dec. 14.  Regular readers may remember that I have done it before; it is a fun event put together by good people, the Rock City Runners.  I may not be in quite the shape I like to be for a 5K, but I could stretch a point.  After all, as I have often said, round and puffy is a shape.

 

Ten Finger Typing Again!

My Chromebook is charged again.  Phew!  I confess I am in a very wimpy state these days.  The slightest setback slays me.  However, I move forward as best as I can, sometimes one sloggy step at a time.  The Chromebook thinks “sloggy” is not a word, but I find it apt.

Previous loves.

I thought this illustration was appropriate to my title.  I do not really have much to say other than, Yay!  I got my Chromebook back!  I had thought yesterday to make a Running Commentary Post. I ran for 30 minutes, covering about two miles.  That was my longest run since this last time I re-started running.  I may actually be ready for the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls, NY in December (preview of coming attractions).  I have no hopes of the Turkey Trot but no real desire to do it anyways.  I will be with family on Thanksgiving.

Coffee makes everything better!

Yes, I am still using Halloween mugs.  I find it difficult to let go of spooky season (oh, let’s be honest:  I never let go of spooky season!  I’ll probably watch a vampire movie later!).  However, as I am fond of pointing out, we can only move forward (even if it is one sloggy step at a time).  I intend to try for more Mohawk Valley Adventures in the coming days.  Maybe I’ll start this morning with breakfast out.  I realized early on in the blogging game:  it is always a good excuse to do something fun!

 

Is It a Hot Blog Post?

It probably comes as no surprise that I am doing a Tired Tuesday post, especially to local readers who are also experiencing the heat wave currently visiting the Mohawk Valley.  Perhaps some are surprised that I am making the post on Tuesday rather than early Wednesday morning.  As for anybody who feels I am being a big baby to be melting in the heat, either because they LOVE hot weather or because other places have MUCH hotter weather, I can only suggest you find another blog to read (you know who you are).  There are many available.  Of course you are welcome to continue reading this one, but a baby I am and a baby I will remain.  A big fat baby brat.

It was a hot scene.

I was looking for a non-baby, non-bratty picture to counteract the whining and defensiveness in the first paragraph.  In fact I have been trying to complain less.  I spent most of the day at work telling myself, “We all feel the heat; we all know it is hot.  I do not have to remark on how hot it is.”  A co-worker tried the opposite approach by saying how cold it was.  I had no clever comeback.  My brains, such as they are, were pretty much boiled, broiled, and steamed.

The picture, by the way, is from Love’s Labour’s Lost, as presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company two summers ago (or was it three?  How the time flies!). It was quite warm rehearsing and performing outdoors, especially in costume, but a lot of fun.

Here’s some cold weather, if you like.

My late, dearly missed husband Steve used to say, “You don’t have to shovel humidity.”  That is true.  However, in the winter time it may not snow, and then you will not have to shovel, while in the summertime, the grass is definitely going to grow, and you will have to mow.  Well, I can’t complain about that right now.  My father mowed my back lawn and my sister Cheryl mowed the front.  Did I mention I have a very nice family?

Sometimes it is nice to just lounge around in the heat.

To end on a more positive note, here is me, or part of me, enjoying summer in sandals and painted toenails.  Pedicure is from Hot Spot Salon and Spa in Herkimer, NY, just to give a quick shout-out to a local business.  I have since broken those sandals, alas, but my toes are currently a very similar color.

I see I have rattled on for more than 400 words.  Not bad for a Tired Tuesday.  I wonder what I can come up with for Wuss-out Wednesday.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

I Like LiFT

Another day, another late blog post, and I am tired.  This is getting to be a theme with me.  I guess I need to get more exercise and eat more vegetables.  Anyways, it is early Friday morning and I am going to try for a late Throwback Thursday post.  I can only hope the coffee kicks in as I scroll my Media Library.

It was a dramatic moment.

My favorite kind of throwback is theatre throwback.  This is from Much Ado About Nothing, the first Shakespeare play I was in with LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company.  They have once again not done summer Shakespeare for a couple of years. Perhaps I can help get something going for 2025.

I always hang out with suspicious-looking people.

Here is another project with LiFT, Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, an interactive movie mystery set in a 1920’s speakeasy.  I was Ruby, and that may or may not have been coffee I was drinking earlier.

I miss rehearsals!

Here is a rehearsal shot from The Tempest, another LiFT production.

This was a fun one.

I had to search for this one.  It is Donate to Murder, a murder mystery LiFT put on to benefit Herkimer Elks back in 2018.  As we rehearse there for other mysteries, I have talked to the Elks about doing another, but we haven’t nailed down any particulars.  I hear Little Falls Elks would like a murder mystery.  I do like doing murder mysteries.

As I type this, I am on a temporary hiatus from theatre.  I need to finish writing one for Herkimer County Historical Society.  I also need to get my house clean, get my bills paid,  finish the yard and deck work my Mom and sister got such a good start on, answer a couple of letters, oh, and return an overdue library book.  I have left a couple of things out, but I see I am over 300 words.  At least I have made Thursday’s blog post!

 

A Little Art, A Little Music…

I have just returned from the Renaissance Pub in Little Falls, NY, where I attended a Meet the Artist event with Oscar Stivala.

Oscar Stivala is a jazz trumpeter as well as an artist.  The Renaissance is displaying some of his works, and he was playing music tonight.  Some friends joined him.

They were awesome!

I sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine.  Oscar was already playing with a guy on guitar.  He was soon joined by a man on bongos and then a woman on trumpet.  The music was wonderful.  As I sipped, I looked at his paintings, which I foolishly did not get any pictures of.  It took me long enough to get pictures of the musicians, because different ones played at different times.

Here were two without Oscar.

I was joined by my friend Angela Harris, who wrote Strike Story, a play I had the honor of being in a few years ago.  She also wrote the cheese plays that were part of Little Falls Cheese Festival.  She is working on one for the next festival.  If there is a part for me, I assured her of my willingness to participate. We were soon joined by a couple other friends, and it was a very nice evening.

Here are Oscar and another musician whose name I did not ask.

I did not get the names of the other musicians playing.  My bad.  I hope to go to the Renaissance Pub again and write more blog posts about it.  I would also like to blog more about Oscar Stivala’s music and art.  However, for today, this will have to do.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Brains Aren’t Everything

So… I missed making my Tuesday blog post Wednesday morning. I overslept as the introduction to a very weird day. And then I did not make my Wednesday blog post on Wednesday, and it is Thursday morning, and I thought I should post something.  I do not know what I will end up billing it as, but I confess at the outset, that I do not have much in the line of brain power.  If only I could handily find the picture from The Brain from Planet Arous, I could properly illustrate this post.

This group didn’t have their act together either.

I veer into Throwback Thursday territory (Wayback Wednesday?) with a picture from Much Ado About Nothing, presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in, I believe, 2016 (no, I can’t go back and look it up, go ahead and roll your eyes at me) (you know who you are).  I had a lot of fun playing the Watch, or whatever we were called.  We played it really dumb.  I always say, go with your strengths (that was directed at me; I was not casting aspersions on the brainpower of my fellow thespians).

Ah yes, more theatre in the offing.

I add a picture of Salisbury Grange in hopes of inspiring myself to complete the as yet untitled script for the murder mystery we are doing there in April (preview of coming attractions).  What is with me that I have not finished it yet?  Get to work, Cindy!

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

Yes, that is the caption I usually use with this picture.  It is how I feel:  half buried and unable to do anything but wave my arms and wiggle my toes!  I remind myself that how I feel is not necessarily reality.  I may be buried, but excavation is possible.  So is writing that damn script.  Look, I managed over 300 words of a blog post.  I think I will call it a Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

I Say Better Lame Than Never

I just remembered again that I have not yet made my Lame Post Friday Post.  Can I do it now?  It is at least prior to lunch time on Saturday (which reminds me that I am hungry!).  But what can I blog about?  All week all I have been doing is babbling on, with a few illustrations.  I do not know how much longer I can get away with that, but I hope for one more post at least.

Spoiler alert: It really didn’t, although it tried,.

Since I like to have a Monster Movie Matinee on, well, almost any day of the week, I thought I would share a cheesy poster from a cheesy favorite.  Unfortunately, I think I only have this one on VHS, picked up at a rummage sale (I love rummage sales, as regular readers know).  Yes, yes, it is not Monstrous Monday or even a day for Mid-week Monsters.  But I love monsters every day!

Alas, poor Benny!

I switch to a Mohawk Valley Adventure, with a murder mystery that LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company, did at the Overlook Mansion (when it was still a B&B) in 2017.  Rubbed Out at Rubies, where we were concerned with the murder of Bennie the Bootlegger and possibly of Ruby VanRenssalaer.   I do love doing murder mysteries.

Is a trip here in my future?

The other thing I love is patronizing local businesses, such as Ruggiero’s in Little Falls, NY.  There are several good eateries and watering holes I like to go to on a Saturday.  Will I make it to any today?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my Saturday.

In the meantime, I have gotten over 250 words.  Score!  I hope you all had a lovely Friday and I wish you an even better Saturday.

 

In My Defense, Cheese!

Hands up, everybody who figured I would be making my Tired Tuesday Post late.  Now pat yourself on the back, because you were right.  I could say I was tired after my rehearsal, but the rehearsal was, in fact, not that strenuous.

What rehearsal, you ask?  Well, yes, I am in another play, this one with LiFT, the Little Falls Theatre Company.  I guess I just can’t help myself.  In my defense, it is a short, reader’s theatre piece, meaning minimal rehearsals and no lines to learn.  Additionally, it is in conjunction with the Little Falls Cheese Festival.  How can I resist cheese?  Most importantly, it was written by Angela Harris, the brilliant writer of Strike Story.  I love Angela!

Angela and I at a previous cheese festival.

I was a little stunned to realize that the Cheese Festival is this Saturday, Oct. 7.  I guess I somehow thought there was more space between September and October, or maybe that October had longer weeks.  Widow brain.  It’s a thing.

A shot of the 2019 cast.

The cheese plays are done like an old time radio program, complete with microphones.  The plots concern Mac Blac, the only problem solver in the Little Falls phone book.

A rehearsal from 2018.

This year’s play will be held at Little Falls Public Library at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  Come on out and see us!  If you can tear yourself away from the Cheese!