Tag Archives: shoveling

Hush… Hush, Sweet Sunday

Posted on January 20, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

Who wouldn’t love Bette Davis in a graveyard?

I pause during our viewing of Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post. It has actually been an enjoyable Sunday, but I don’t know that I did anything particularly blog-worthy today.

A bit of snow fell last night, so I spent some time shoveling the driveway in lieu of running. Full disclosure: I shoveled for less time than I would have run. I hoped the hefting of weighty snow made up for it.

After shoveling I went to the grocery store, a chore I had meant to put off till another day. Now I have stuff for my lunch for the week. And I had onions to put in with a pork butt roast I meant to cook.

I do not cook many roasts, and I usually do them in the crock pot, which is fairly fool-proof (or should I say Cindy-proof?). I opted for the oven this time. I consulted Joy of Cooking, the internet, and my mother (via phone). Then I kind of winged it. I love cooking; it is such an inexact science, things usually turn out tasty.

A stellar cast, but where’s Cecil Kellaway?

I just thought I’d throw in another picture from the movie for good measure. We have not watched sufficient movies for a Cinema Sunday post. I’ll have to work on that for next week.

“I could spit in your eye!”

Well, what’s wrong with a Bette Davis Sunday? If only I had a martini, very dry, my life would be perfect. Happy Sunday, everyone!

More Murder and Mayhem on Monday

Posted on January 9, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a plan today that I was going to come home from work, write my postcards (which I neglected to do over the weekend), walk to the post office with them, take the long way home, then do a Pedestrian Post. I felt certain there would be plenty to observe and comment on. Herkimer is good that way. Well, as my day at work wore on, I realized I am not feeling well. Am I coming down with a cold? SAY IT AIN’T SO! In any case, coming home and lying down on the couch started sounding better and better.

When I left work, I felt happy that it was nowhere near as cold as it was all weekend. How pleasant to walk to my vehicle and not have my face hurt! I did not even mind that I had to brush wet, heavy snow off my SUV. Ah yes, it snowed. I had to utilize my 4-wheel drive to get into my driveway. Damn! Steven’s car is small and NOT 4-wheel drive. I figured I’d better do a little shoveling.

As I worked at it, a neighbor told me that Steven had done it once already, but the plow had been by again. I thought that was nice of him to tell me, in case I was thinking unkind thoughts about my husband (I wasn’t). I did not do a very good job shoveling, but I tried. And I decided that could count as my exercise.

Anyways, now I am sitting on my couch, cooking, typing, and watching Snapped. So I see that it is over 250 words into my post that the headline makes sense. I find that highly amusing, but perhaps that is just me. I ended yesterday’s post questioning my future as a blogger, but not feeling up to answering my questions. I feel in the same state now. However, I have over 300 words and an alliterative headline. I am going to hit Publish and hope for the best.

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Posted in humor, Monday Mental Meanderings, personal and tagged blog post, blogging, herkimer ny, lame post, pedestrian post, shoveling, Snapped, snow. Bookmark the permalink.

I Don’t Feel Abominable, Just Tired

Posted on December 13, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just can’t get away from Tired Tuesday. But what do you want from me? I worked all day, got my boobs squished (see yesterday’s post), then shoveled my drive way.

Yes, winter returned to the Mohawk Valley today, and I guess it could have been worse. Roads were pretty bad when I drove into work shortly before 6 a.m., although I know the plows had been around. I enjoyed that weird personality quirk of mine that I laugh at bad weather. I chuckled all the way from my car to the building, being careful not to slip on the slush. I just kept looking up and marveling at the sheer amount of snow coming down. It did make me laugh. Luckily it did not keep up at that great rate all day.

There was not a massive amount of white stuff on the driveway, and it was still coming down, but I got out to at least take off a layer. I TOLD Steven not to come with me, because his back is bothering him, but he joined me anyways. I guess most spouses don’t do what the other one tells them to do, do they? I almost never do myself.

What I am really looking forward to now is that first cup of coffee tomorrow morning (again, see yesterday’s post). I told all my friends at work that I would probably show up with a BIG smile on my face. So that will be two days I show up at work smiling: laughing at the snow, then giddy over the coffee. Perhaps the giddiness will carry over and I will write a better blog post.

I think this is one of my co-workers.

I thought I would just throw in the Abominable Snowman for good measure. I think he is kind of cute.

Can You Dig It?

Posted on March 16, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, it is Wuss-out Wednesday today. I got the day off work due to Winter Storm Stella (I like “winter storm” better than “nor’easter”; it makes me feel like I’m under 70 and I still have all my teeth) (was that a dreadful thing to say? There is nothing wrong with being over 70 and toothless; I may be there myself one day) (but this is not that day).

Where was I? Ah yes, telling you a little about my day. The best part was going back to bed after I got up and found out all shifts were cancelled at my place of employment. The worst part was spending over two and a half hours shoveling the driveway. However, even that had its moments.

I wanted to take some “before” pictures for this blog. When the extent of the task became apparent, I abandoned the Tablet and just started digging. For another reason, I was afraid the sheer whiteness of the view would make it harder to see where the snow ended. I could barely see where the snow ended, and I was right there.

Our neighbor, who owns half the two car garage and has driveway rights, had snow-blowed a path from his half of the garage (where he keeps his snowblower) to the sidewalk. That definitely helped, because the rest of the driveway was quite impassible. I think he also blew out the very end of our driveway, because although it was completely filled in by the plow, it did not look as deep as other areas. We dug and dug. I tried to keep my spirits up.

“We are bad-hyphen-ass,” I assured Steven. Many things become more bearable if you can feel that you are bad-ass when you do them. I paused to admire the bare trees against the grey sky. No, I did not make it back outside to take a picture of those. Sorry.

I sang, “High Hopes,” you know, with the verse about that little old ant who thinks he can move a rubber tree plant. I tried to put new words and make the song about us, but I could not think of a word for “old farts” and a word for “snowbank” that rhymed.

“How you doing, honey? How you feeling?” I kept asking Steven. This was not just me being silly. People have heart attacks while shoveling snow all the time, and my husband is not a young man. He also does not lead the healthiest of lifestyles, but perhaps I can help him improve on that.

At one point, the neighbor kids were out playing. The boy did a cannonball off his deck into the snow.

“I wanted to do that!” I said. Unfortunately, I did no such thing. As we shoveled, my feet and hands were becoming more and more cold.

Finally we decided that good enough was good enough. Both vehicles are clear enough to move, with enough space to make it to the road. It ain’t beautiful, but it’ll do. I hit the showers.

And almost cried when the warm water hit my toes! My thighs, which were bright red, stung like hell as well. What a dreadful feeling! It is good we did not take any longer than we did with our shoveling. I do not need to lose any toes to frostbite; I need them to count to twenty!

Large Weather We’re Having Lately

Posted on December 16, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

So winter came back to the Mohawk Valley and it came with a vengeance! I have never been so glad that I work a mere eight minute drive from home. Oh who am I kidding? love working so close to home each and every day, I’ll never get over it. Be that as it may, I am home. If only my dear husband was also home, my life would be perfect.

In the meantime, I need to make a blog post. I hate having a Non-Sequitur Thursday after I just had a Wuss-out Wednesday and there is every chance that tomorrow will indeed be Lame Post Friday. But here you have it. I am tired.

When I got home, I first took my dog, Spunky, for a short business meeting. I can’t say it was a walk, because he does not go far in this weather. In his defense, he is a very small dog with a very short haircut. I put his coat on him, but a coat can only help so much. After he had done his business and I got him back inside and dried off (as best as I could get him with a towel), I went back outside and shoveled the driveway.

I felt somewhat ineffective, with the snow still pouring down on me, trying to move what had fallen so far. There was not a whole lot to move, but I thought if I took out what was there, it might at least help. And it gave me some exercise. Back and forth, up and down the driveway I walked, pushing show. Every so often I stopped and tossed a shovelful to one side or the other. I also cleared the sidewalk in front of the house, although not quite as widely as the village sidewalk plow had done it earlier. I’ll just take another opportunity to deplore the pedestrians I often see walking down the road when there is a perfectly good sidewalk (please don’t justify yourself if this is you; you will not convince me).

So here is my blog post for the day. If only I could think of a punchy headline, all might not be lost. Then again, if the headline is as dull as the blog post, at least it is truth in advertising. I will try to come up with something better tomorrow. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Posted in humor, Non Sequitur Thursday, personal and tagged blog post, blogging, shoveling, snow, Spunky, tired, weather, winter. Bookmark the permalink.

Not Wuss — Winter!

Posted on December 30, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Winter returned to the Mohawk Valley last night (Tuesday, Dec 28). I could hear sleet hitting the windows when I woke up in the night. When I got up I saw the back yard was covered with snow. Well, we knew it was coming.

I had planned to go running today. For one reason, I could make a Running Commentary blog post. For another, I’m getting fatter. And for just one more, I promised myself I would run up the hill to Herkimer College before the end of 2015. Perhaps the rain would stop before I got out of work.

During lunch I left stepped outside of my place of employment briefly. Cold rain was falling and a bitter wind blew. Even more ominous for my running plans, the sidewalks were covered with ice and ice water. Yikes! I could probably talk myself into running in the cold, POSSIBLY the rain (although I don’t usually). Icy sidewalks, however, are to be assiduously avoided. I revised my plans: I would run in place on the mini-tramp while looking at a movie. I might still have a Boris Karloff flick on my DVR.

I was feeling dreadfully tired by the time I got home, but rather than have a Wuss-out Wednesday post, I was going to try. Then I saw a neighbor shoveling the snow from his front walk. The neighbors on the other side had already shoveled their walk, as had other houses. I felt I should be a responsible homeowner.

Shoveling snow is exercise, I assured myself. Were the shovels on the back deck? Yes. I went inside only long enough to put my bag down then went out and got started.

It wasn’t long before I realized that while yesterday I had worn my work shoes home, today I had sensibly changed into my sneakers. I told myself not to worry about it. Even if my feet got soaked, I wasn’t going to be out there long enough for it to matter. I would be out there maybe a half hour. Half an hour is a good amount of exercise in the middle of the week.

I started on the sidewalk. It was crunchy, iced-over snow, but it wasn’t too deep and it wasn’t too heavy. I had my reward right away when a nice lady came along walking her dog. I petted the dog and chatted with the lady. She said she had seen me walking a little white dog.

“Did you lose her?”

“Yes, she had cancer.”

She offered her condolences and I petted the dog again before they moved on. I do hope to get another dog one day, possibly in the spring.

As I continued to clear the sidewalk, a gentleman from the apartment building next door came out and started shoveling the end of their driveway. We chatted a bit about winter, commuting, and store-brand cottage cheese. This shoveling wasn’t a bad gig at all.

When I started on the end of the driveway, things got a little less fun. Between the snowplow piling more snow up and our vehicles going in and out of the driveway, the snow and ice was more stubbornly in place. I worked away with determination. I was rewarded with further conversation when the neighbor who lives on the other side came out and started shoveling their driveway.

I ended up shoveling for an hour. I did not get the whole driveway done, but I cleared enough that Steven should be able to pull in and park. I wasn’t sure I could get a blog post out of it but decided to try. You be the judge: is this better, worse, or about the same as one of my Wuss-out Wednesday posts?

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Posted in humor, personal, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged blog post, conversation, running, running commentary, shoveling, snow, weather, winter. Bookmark the permalink.

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