Tag Archives: sister Diane

I’ve a Feeling It’s Not Monday Anymore

I thought I was doing so good this morning.  I wrote my story about the special meeting of the Ilion Village Board for the Daily Sentinel.  I did some of the dishes (as the good Lincoln said, I can do some of the dishes some of the time, and all of the dishes some of the time, but I can’t do all of the dishes all of the time).  I looked for a picture to go with my story (unsuccessfully, but you can’t have everything).  I went to the Little Falls Y and swam.

It was not until nearly noon that I remembered:  I did not do my Monday blog post.  I did my Sunday blog post on Monday, and my Saturday blog post on Sunday.  Yes, it sounds weird to me even as I type it.  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

Looking and feeling weird.

This picture was taken in October 2020.  I was doing a challenge of exercising for 34 minutes 34 days in a row to draw attention to diabetes, which at the time effected some 34 million Americans.  The idea was to post a selfie on Facebook with information about diabetes every day.  I usually included some Halloween things in the background.  I mostly ran but sometimes walked.

I look a little more cheerful in this one.

The bat’s name is Mookie Wilson, as was suggested by my sister Diane.  My late, dearly missed husband Steve won him in a claw machine, back when he was my boyfriend.  Mookie has hung from one lamp chord or another in apartments or houses ever since.

Crazy eyes, but they look really green, don’t they?

One more shot from that memorable month. I guess I can bill this as a Monstrous Memories Monday, even though it is almost noon on Tuesday.  I get my days mixed up anyways.  You’ll have that at my age.

 

Still Over 400 To Go!

During the Fall Fest Saturday at Bellamy Harbor Park in Rome, NY, I deserted my sister Diane’s booth a couple of times to take a walk along the path.  For one reason, we were in the shade where it was a little cool for me. A walk in the sun warmed me up.  For another reason, I needed the exercise.  To recap for those just tuning in, my sister is independent author Diane E. Young, and she was at the first annual Fall Fest to sell some of her books.  You can check them out at her website, authordevy.com.

A lovely view.

The first thing I noticed was a lovely older couple, walking slowly and enjoying the scenery and each other’s company.  Full disclosure: it was my parents, and I thank God every day that I still have them with me.  I caught up with them long enough to say hello but did not intrude upon their romantic walk.

A nice bridge.

I did not go very far after I crossed the bridge.  For one thing, my back was hurting me.  I probably should not have helped Diane move her table after all the books were on it, but we do not always think of these things at the time.

Ducks or geese? At least they were not in a row!

Naturally I took a picture of the birds on the water.  It was a nice walk, less than a mile, but I took another walk later, so I had a full mile towards my goal of 500.  I walked a little more on Sunday.  And so we reach our goals, a little at a time.

 

Fun at Fall Fest

AAAaaaand it’s back to late posts as I sit here after 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning making a post from Saturday.  In my defense, never mind my defense, explanations are tiresome.  But I pause to put on more hot water for another cup of tea (still have not replenished my supply of coffee, if you can believe such a thing).

Picture to denote passage of time while I put on tea water.

When in doubt, lead with a beautiful blond, that’s my motto.  In this case, it is my sister, noted author Diane E. Young.  This is her table at yesterday’s Fall Fest at Bellamy Harbor Park in Rome, NY.  Some 22 vendors gathered on a beautiful fall day.  Most of the vendors offered treats for kids that showed up in a variety of Halloween costumes, and a fun time was had by all.

The trees cooperated, too!

I walked around and looked at the various vendors.  I was especially taken with Yardzee at one of the wood-working tents: giant dice in a five gallon bucket for an outdoor version of the game.  I took a card.  Wait, I must find it and plug that business.

Another picture to denote passage of time while I look for my purse.

John’s Rustic Arts.  It seems he has a Facebook page too.  I don’t have another picture to share while I look for that.  I purchased a stone skull at another booth, where I stupidly did not get a card.  Maybe I can poke around Facebook and find out who that was and plug them in a future post.

In the meantime, I am over 250 words and must get on with my Sunday.  I hope to do a Sunday post today and be caught up again, but no promises.  I hope you are all doing well, and as always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Not Exactly Guns n Roses

I thought I would do a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post so looked in my phone for a few pictures I have not used yet.  I picked three.

I got this one while the gettin’ was good!

This was one of the pictures I took to go with the story I wrote for the Daily Sentinel about the Ilion Village Board meeting on Monday.  The chair of the Ilion Marina Committee said this sign would not last the winter so they would like to relocate it to the Ilion Fish and Game Club, who will undertake to restore it and display it there.  Remington, unfortunately, is no longer in existence.

Nice!

Here is a picture from Herkimer, taken on a walk I took last Friday.  There were several flower boxes in front of The Java Shop, which I have also written blog posts about.  I do like to see flowers planted around town.

More pretty flowers!

Speaking of flowers, here is an attractive indoor display from my sister Diane’s house, taken when I visited her last week.  She cut some blooms from her hydrangea bush then some of her oregano which had gone to flower and combined the two.  I did not know oregano had purple flowers, but then I have not had an herb garden in some years and cannot recall if I grew oregano when I did have one.

I do like to take pictures just because something catches my eye, so I have something for my Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

We’ll Call This a Scattered Saturday Post

Oh dear, look at the time!  I was about to begin this post with “That was exhausting!”  I got a new phone yesterday.  I got it for free for being a loyal TracFone customer (don’t know how to spell it, so you see how loyal I really am; I am just to lazy to change these things once I have them).  I think I got my stuff switched over OK, all except for WordPress.  Well, I wanted to download (or is it upload?) two pictures I took yesterday to make a fast post today.  Full disclosure:  I only took the pictures to see if I could email them, because I am off to cover an event for the Daily Sentinel and it is of prime importance that I be able to include pictures.

I do babble on, don’t I?  Quick, throw in one of those pictures!

I do love purple!

These are the purple flowers that I am letting live in my front lawn after the daisies and peonies died.  Alas, they are not as plentiful, but they have the advantage that I can see them.  I was trapped on my couch or transporting to various medical facilities when the daisies and peonies were spreading their joy.  I hope other passers-by enjoyed them.

Can you count them? I can’t, so there will be no contest for guessing the correct amount.

These are the little pine cones that grow in profusion on the former Frankentree.  I took the picture, because my sister Diane was quite taken with them when she last visited, and I meant to email the pictures to her, since I knew I had her email address on file and was pretty sure she would email back.  I wonder if I could do some artsy-craftsy thing with a lot of little pine cones.  Additionally, I thought pincecones was one word, but my computer is underlining it, so I guess not.

I must get off my Chromebook and get ready to go to the Annual Wellness Fair at the Town of Herkimer Park.  It starts at 9 a.m. and runs till 1 p.m. will lots of vendors, information and activities, for any local readers who would like to check it out!

 

A Little Farther Afield

This past weekend my sister Diane took me to the Liverpool Elks Lodge.  I admit I am kind of an Elk-aholic.  I love to go to the Elks Lodge and visit with my friends.  It was fun to go to another lodge.

Our Lodge doesn’t have a deck!

I got the grand tour, but I didn’t take any pictures inside.  They do have a nice big banquet room and bar.  I was envious of their deck, although with my sun sensitivity, I would probably not spend much time on one.

I’m also envious of the water view.

I should have gotten a close-up of the little pavilion.  I said that was probably a good place for weddings.  The lady giving me the tour said she had gotten married there.  Another thing I didn’t get a picture of was their nice pavilion, which was build entirely with volunteer labor.  It looks like a great place for barbecues or clam bakes.

A handsome memorial.

The bricks have names on them, memorializing veterans.

I took a close-up, in case I needed to remember the lodge number.

Inside the lodge, Diane and I enjoyed a few drinks, some popcorn, and conversation with other Lodge members.  Her husband and daughter joined us later, and it was altogether a very nice time. Of course I like my own Lodge best.

 

Lame in Liverpool

Since I did not do a Lame Post Friday post, I will do a Silly Saturday post.  At least, I guess it is a Lame Saturday Post, given the headline, but I prefer always to go with alliteration when possible.  I did not post earlier, because I was frantically trying to get things done prior to driving to my sister Diane’s house in Liverpool, NY for a family party.  I have been driving quite a big lately, even without counting myself crazy.  But never mind that.  I have lamed myself as well, because just when I think the mysterious leg pains have stopped, they have not. But I shall not whine, I shall blog.  Quick throw in a picture, to distract from what a big baby I am being.

What a sweet picture!

This is from 2023, my sparkling niece Jenna with my parents.  We were celebrating my father’s birthday, as we are today.  It is a bright sunny day, but alas, too cold to swim. It does not keep my  great-niece Evie from sticking her feet in the pool.  I confess, I would get in if anybody else would.

I actually planned to wear this shirt tomorrow.

And so I raise a glass to my father on his birthday, and to family and fun.  Having made this post, I shall go back to having fun.  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

 

Hanging Out With Mom

Buying presents for my parents is tricky.  They are in their 80s; they have acquired many things in their years on the planet. Whatever I get them, they must find space for.  However spring time solves the dilemma handily: hanging baskets for my Mom for Mother’s Day.  I was delighted to see that T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables in Herkimer, NY had some lovely ones.

Yay!

They had some beautiful ones out front, but I walked back to the greenhouse to view the entire selection. I think picked the prettiest one.  I loved all the different colors.  Mom loved it too.  I hung it right up on the corner of the garage.  I soon took a picture for a blog post.  Sitting here at their kitchen table making said blog post just now, I notice the basket is no longer there and remember:  Dad moved it when the wind picked up later in the day.  He replaced it with the wind chimes my sister Cheryl brought Mom.  Excuse me a moment.

It makes a lovely sound.

I went out to get a picture of the wind chimes, as you see.  Dad put the flowers at the other end of the garage, where it is a little more sheltered, and the wind chimes could take advantage of the wind.  The air is calmer this morning, making for a better picture.

My sister Diane also brought my Mom a hanging basket, but it is not hanging as of yet.  As I say, great minds run around in the same circles.

 

Spring Makes Me Feel Less Blue

I thought I would do a Waste Not Wednesday post. today.  I actually have a number of pictures I could share but settled on a few for today.  I should mention that I am feeling rather tired and down after my (not very serious) medical procedure today.  Then again, I feel tired and down many days.  I am not a young woman, and I could live a healthier lifestyle than what I do.

Am I blue?

Yesterday as part of my colonoscopy (the aforementioned procedure) prep, I was required to drink GatorAde.  I chose my favorite flavor, blue.  To make things more enjoyable, I chose a fancy glass.  This also gives me a chance to give a shout-out to Woodland Farm Brewery in Marcy, NY.  I went there some years ago with my husband Steven and sister Cheryl.  I think somewhere in my Media Library is a picture of Steven and I toasting, but of course I am too lazy to go look for it now.  I must return to the brewery one day soon.

Ah, the promise of spring!

Yesterday was a nice warm day, warm enough for some porch sitting.  My sister Diane, who came out from Liverpool to drive me to the colonoscopy (I do keep harping that, don’t I?), sat out with me for a while, while I drank the blue stuff.  At one point, I went into the backyard to see if my daffodils had bloomed. They had not, but imagine my delight to see some crocuses.  Every fall I neglect to put down more bulbs, but every year a few come up to brighten up the place.

This was the biggest patch.

As I said, I have more pictures but felt I would only be up to a three-picture post, and so it is.  I really am feeling not too bad, and I have to give a shout-out to Little Falls Hospital, where I had my procedure done.  Everybody was so nice, and things were accomplished must faster than I had imagined (of course I slept through most of it).

Well, I feel a bit better having managed a post of over 350 words.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

A Train of Ducks?

I’m afraid the best I can manage today is a Monday Mental Meanderings.  I am helped in this by something that showed up in my Facebook Memories:

I envy people who have a train of thought, even if it jumps the tracks. My thoughts are on a rickety cart on a muddy path, pulled by an ornery mule who sometimes just sits down and refuses to go (I made that one up myself; I’m rather proud of it).
It’s kind of like the one about ducks in a row, where you say your ducks are scattered about and one of them is possibly a pigeon.  I stole that one.

See? One’s a frog!

I went to the trouble of taking a photo of a few of my ducks so I could throw in a picture to pep things up.  These are the latest in my collection, sent to me by me by my friend Kim.  She sent me the purse, too (that’s what the ducks were in).  I don’t remember where I got the frog;  I grabbed her off the dresser to add a random touch to the photo.

As you see, I do not have much today.  I am trying to make some improvements in my life so I can get more done, but I seem to be quite resistant to change.  Oh well, one does what one can.   The Facebook meme says, if you can’t do the dishes, wash one dish.  If you can’t get your ducks in a row, at least take them out of the purse.  If your train of thought is stuck in a ditch, just don’t kick the mule!

As a side note, some of my ducks were in a row once, courtesy of my sister Diane.  There are several in my bathroom and she lined them up neatly along the bathtub, just so  I would have… you know.  And I did, till I knocked them over getting out of the shower.