Tag Archives: post cards

It’s My Parasol

Is anybody surprised I did it again?  I posted yesterday for the day before, and here I am today posting for yesterday.  These things happen, especially to me.  Right now my only question is was it the right morning to substitute tea for coffee?  I’m on my second cup.

Yesterday I could not make up my mind what to do.  I wrote a letter to an aunt, finished a letter to a friend, and wrote my regular Saturday post cards.  The post cards I sent were of different states; my friend Kim sent me a set of 50 from the thrift store she works at.  I wrote on one, “I am in a state of indecision.”  Eventually I decided to walk to the post office.  It was quite sunny, so I took an umbrella.  I have found that an umbrella makes a nice little bit of portable shade.

As I walked, I thought of things I could say to people who remarked on my umbrella:  “It’s my parasol.”  “I am protecting my dewy completion from the sun’s ravages.”  Nobody said anything.  After mailing the letters, I decided to walk to Mohawk Antiques Mall.  For one reason, it was Customer Appreciation Day and they were serving hot dogs.  Also, it is a very fun place to walk around, as there are lots of vendors.

One thing they definitely have is post cards!

I was so glad I went!  I found three packs of 40 different post cards each for a very good price.  I enjoyed a nice burnt hot dog, too, while listening to a lady play old tunes on the piano.  I did not spend much time walking all around, though, because I found the post cards right away.

Back out on the sidewalk, it was even warmer.  The wind made it more comfortable but wasn’t so good with the umbrella.  I have not spent a great deal of time out in the sun this summer, and yesterday I was reminded why.  I start to feel a little ill.  Additionally, I had neglected to put on good sneakers, and the walk to the Antiques Mall was lengthier than I had realized.

Still, a walk is a walk.  I enjoyed looking at houses I passed and the canal as I walked over the bridge.  I went by a friend’s house and petted his dog (I didn’t know he lived there; he just happened to be sitting on the front porch with his dog at the time).  I felt rather tired at the end, and my feet hurt.  I fear I do not treat them very well.  I neglect my blog, I neglect my feet, what a bum!

In the meantime, I have gotten to over 450 words.  Will I make a Sunday post on Sunday?  My hopes are not high.

Not Too Hot to Blog, Apparently

Regular readers know I am not a fan of hot, humid weather.  In fact, I can be quite the big fat baby brat about it.  I had a pretty bratty day today.  I pause in wiping away the sweat to attempt to make some semblance of a blog post.

“But it’s a dry heat!”

This is not me, or even close to me.  For one reason, I have not been on the South Beach Diet long enough.  More importantly, the Mohawk Valley does not enjoy dry heat.  I cannot say I enjoyed dry heat even when I experienced it, but I know some folks swear by it. To each his own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

Well, maybe it isn’t this hot out. But I am looking forward to Halloween.

I am in a bit of a quandary right now.  I did not go running this morning (judge me if you want to be that way) so thought to walk to the post office this afternoon, to mail a few post cards.  Additionally, I want to purchase some stamps since I hear the price is going up again soon.  Then I thought I would walk to the Herkimer Elks Lodge, where they have Comfort Food dinners on the first Monday of the month.  Tonight it is a grilled burger.  I thought I would get it to go, bring it home, then go to the Herkimer Town Board meeting, which I have to cover for Sentinel Media.  A nice little amount of walking, so I thought.

First, however, I had to put out my trash and recyclables.  No problem, that.  I put away the green waste containers that were emptied this morning (perhaps you read my blog post about filling them), then brought out the other totes and filled them accordingly.  That’s two trips up and down my not very long driveway and two trips back into and out of the house.  This is not strenuous activity, even for a woman of my age and weight.

Explain to me, then, why the sweat was pouring off my body by the time I finished!  What the hell, me?  What the hell, Mother Nature?

I know, you are sitting there hoping that I will quit my bitching soon.  I did mention being a big fat baby brat, did I not?  No matter.  I see I am approaching 400 words.  I find that fine for a Monday, and I can only hope that some readers found me entertaining.

 

Slacker Day, Silly Post?

It is a Slacker Saturday Post.  I have done pretty much nothing today.  Can I yet make a blog post about it?  We shall see.

I do see this building almost every day.

I managed to write and mail my usual Saturday post cards.  I do this most weeks, because I know it gives a smile to my post card peeps.

Who me? Have a glass of wine?

I did not have this shirt on, and I was not in the place shown here, the Waterfront Grille in Herkimer, NY.  However, I confess I did have a glass of Chadonnay this afternoon.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

Crazy daisies!

These are my daisies from last year, when in fact, they were looking a little better than this year.  They are looking a little blowsy this year, if you know what I mean.  Perhaps I will get out there tomorrow with a pair of clippers and do some major trimming.  On the other hand, they are holding the peonies up.  You know how peonies like to flop down once they bloom, as mine just started to do.  I love peonies.  I wonder what happened to the fence Steven bought one year to help them stand up.

One of last year’s peonies, for good measure.

So it’s another silly post, but one does what one can.  I did some other writing today, besides the above mentioned post cards.  I worked on a letter to a friend, and I wrote two character sheets on my latest murder mystery.  So perhaps the day was not a complete slack.  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

I Blow it at Blogging and Shoveling

Once again I went the weekend without making any blog posts.  Alas!  I did some writing of post cards and letters both Saturday and Sunday.  I sometimes wonder if that is not my real writing mission, because people seem to enjoy hearing from me, despite my often atrocious handwriting.  I feel any small comfort or pleasure we can give another person is worth the effort.

Different neighbor, same favor, greatly appreciated!

Speaking of giving to others, I have the best neighbors.  Yesterday I woke up to more snow than I have seen at once this winter.  I have been pushing off the top fluffy layer as it falls, so out I went, feeling I would be up to the task.  I may have been, but a fellow across the street was snowblowing his mother’s driveway, and he came over and did mine!  The above picture is from last year, when a different neighbor came to my rescue, because I did not take a picture yesterday.  People are wonderful!

My Chromebook is underlining “snowblowing,” which I find odd, because what else would you call it?  However, it reminds me of a question I had when I went to post on Facebook about my good fortune.  Should I say he snowblew?  Snowblowed?  Both are underlined.  I believe my Mom usually says, “Dad got out and snowblowed.”  A Facebook friend who is a college English professor posited, “Snowblought.”  Another completely sidestepped the issue with, “Provided snow removal.”  These are the things that occupy my mind.

I say there are worse things to dwell upon.  Earlier today I got to thinking about a character in a book who I suddenly felt so sorry for.  There are days when I just feel bad over every sad thing that ever happened.  It is not very productive.  So I will continue my snowblowing meditations (please tell me why my computer does not consider “snowblowing” a word, when “snowblow” is certainly a verb) (oh dear, my Chromebook just underlined “snowblow”).

 

Not the Hole Story

Sooo… by making my Tuesday blog post on time, I broke my streak, because I did not post anything yesterday, Wednesday.  I can’t get too exercised over it, though, because by my rules for me, this will count as my Wuss-out Wednesday post, and my streak will only be broken if I fail to post anything for Thursday, whether I post it today or early Friday morning (ooh, yes, tomorrow is Friday) (with apologies to all those who work Saturday).

What could this be?

This may look like a random photo for Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, but it is much more than that, at least in my twisted mind.  It is a well outside the Herkimer County Historical Society.  They dug in this well for artifacts some years ago and found some interesting things.  Now, as you see it is overgrown.  But could it have future relevance and interest?  At least fictionally, it could!

I took this picture after walking to the Society to purchase some post cards (regular readers know I like to send post cards to people).  I thought it would inspire me.  You see, I began writing a murder mystery for the Historical Society centering around this very hole in the ground (ooh, I just thought of a good title for this post!).  Full disclosure:  I began to write it last year for our fall show but felt it was too complicated a plot for my brain at the time.  I wrote Lights, Camera, Murder! instead, which I think worked out pretty well.  More recently I came across the notes for the other and was surprised by how much I had written on it.  I said, “Heeyyyy!”  or some such expression.

Many accept the rule that writing about not writing is still writing.  I will add that writing about what one is going to write is also still writing.  Now I just have to write it.

(That last sentence would have made a good title too.)

 

Cheesy Throwbacks

I begin this post by admitting the real reason I refrained from making a Wayback Wednesday Post yesterday was that I was pretty sure I would want to make a Throwback Thursday Post today.

As I lounge on my couch pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus on my Tablet, I am continuing my viewing of 50 Horror Classics with a bit of foolishness called Blood Lust.  It did not look familiar when I put it in, but I quickly recognized it.  I wrote a blog post about it once.

I’m still a little freaked by the presence of Mike Brady.

I miss writing posts about cheesy horror movies.  They are fun to write.  I like to have fun writing.

Cheesy reading material.

Searching for something else to throw back to, I found this pulp fiction cover (actual pulp fiction, not the movie of that name, which I never saw, by the way).  I once had a bunch of post cards of pulp fiction covers, but I eventually mailed them all to people.  I wish I knew where to get more.

Waaaait a minute!  As I proofread this post, I see that this is, in fact, a movie, not a book!  How careless of me!  I am quite mortified.  I must seek some pulp paperback covers for future blog posts (I am much too tired to do it now).

One of my favorite shirts.

I was just wearing this shirt yesterday, to my Dad’s birthday party.  I got it some time ago at Original Herkimer Cheese in Ilion, NY.  I need to get back there soon for some chutter: tastes like cheddar, spreads like butter.  Yum!

So I threw back to my own blog, my sent postcards, and a shirt I still have, plugging a local business along the way.  And I did it in over 300 words.  Happy Thursday, everyone!

 

Some Kind of Saturday

It was not a particularly Scattered Saturday, because I was just not up to doing much.  I did manage to go for a run, slowly on slushy roads.  I wrote a few postcards.  I ran a few errands. I did a very little house cleaning.  I am watching a few movies.

The highlight of my day was running into one of Steve’s former co-workers.  She gave me a hug and said how sorry she was about Steve’s passing.  She told me how much she liked working with him and agreed with me that he was a really great guy.

When she asked how I was doing, in a rare moment of honesty, I said, “I’m falling apart!”  But then I pulled myself together and said that I appreciated the time we had together, over 30 years.  Of course I treasure the memories.

Being me, I had to add, “If anybody asks my advice about marriage, I’m going to say, ‘Marry a sonofabitch!  Then you won’t feel as bummed when they die!’ ”

She agreed with me and gestured towards her husband, who was, I believe, not listening to the conversation. Teehee!

To any friends and family who may be worried about me (although I am sure they all have much greater concerns):  I am not falling apart all the time.  These things go in spurts.  Anyways, in the best of times I rarely have my act together.  And so I carry on.  Happy Saturday,  everyone!

 

Still Scattered, Still Saturday!

I am going to make a fast Scattered Saturday Post and get back to enjoying my evening.  Maybe with another glass of wine.

I went for a run earlier this morning and eventually made my Lame Post Friday post.  More importantly, I wrote out a few post cards to send.  Regular readers know I like to send out a few postcards every week to folks who might need a pick-me-up.  I have not sent any for the past two weeks, so I felt happy to do so again.

I throw in a picture of the post office, just to add an illustration.

When I went to mail the post cards, I went on to Little Falls, NY, because I had to drop off a couple of catalogues I had borrowed from Mohawk Valley Funerals and Cremation.  Since this brought me past the turn-off to Dolgeville, I decided to visit Dolgville on my way back.

In Dolgeville I stopped at Stella’s Styles, a delightful consignment store I have been at before.  Alas, once there I felt disinclined to purchase anything, although I did see a  couple of fancy evevening bags I coveted.

Shortly after returning home, I joined my friend Kim for a tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  Three Brothers Winery in the Finger Lakes, yes!  After the tasting, we stopped at the Waterfront Grille for a full glass of wine.

Back home, I made some popcorn and watched as episode of Svengoolie on DVR.

It was Godzilla on Svengoolie.

I must decide what to watch next, but for right now I feel perhaps disproportionately pleased with myself for making my Saturday blog post on Saturday.   Hey, I gotta take my  wins where I can.

 

Snail Mail to Cinema Saturday

I am still not up to having Mohawk Valley Adventures, so no Scattered Saturday Post. However, my husband, Steven, suggested I write a few lines about the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I did not italicize it, because I mean the character not the movie.

I saw on Facebook that Ricou Browning, the actor that played the Creature, was not doing very well, and his family was asking for cards or letters to cheer him up. Snail mail is right up my alley! When I was writing my usual Saturday morning post cards to my post card peeps, I included one for Mr. Browning.

Later on, when we got to the movie watching portion of the day, we found that we had on DVR the episode of Svengoolie when he showed Revenge of the Creature. Perfect!

I need a rubber chicken.

After the Creature, we stuck with Svengoolie and watched Tarantula. As regular readers may remember, we DVR Svengoolie every week so have a few episodes to spare.

I forgot I had this in my Media Library.

After the giant spider was dispatched (should I have included a Spoiler Alert? My bad), we stuck with our DVR with Mad Love, which we recorded from TCM.

It is delightfully creepy.

Also on our DVR were a few episodes of Columbo from the sadly brief time that MeTV showed them (here’s a Fruedian autocorrect: MeTV became Meth. A commentary on the addictive nature of television?). We love Columbo.

Peter Falk is so cool.

It seems I have segued into a Saturday Cinema Post. Well, why not? I am over 250 words and included pictures. I call that a respectable post. Happy Saturday, everyone!

RIP, Theatre Friends

Today is a Blogger’s Sad Day. I found out that a friend passed away. It was not very long ago that the friend’s wife, also my friend, passed away. So I am very sad.

This couple was very active in Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) until the wife got Parkinson’s Disease. That was before I joined the group. However, when I was secretary of ILT, another board member mentioned that this couple would appreciate a phone call. I had never met them, but since I love to send post cards, I said I would send them one every week, keeping them updated on ILT.

They really enjoyed the post cards. The husband wrote me a few letters, telling me about their time at ILT and other things. Of course I also told them things about my life, not just the theatre parts of it. They made it to a murder mystery and a couple of plays I was in. They were truly delightful people.

The husband called to tell me when his wife passed away. I continued to send him cards. I hoped when things open back up to see him at the theatre sometime.

I got a text today that he passed away on Tuesday. So I am sad. I hope to return to regular blogging tomorrow.