Tag Archives: Spunky

Flubbed Up Monday

AAAaaaaand, welcome to a week of All Steel Magnolias All The Time.  I am posting in haste before hurrying off to First Dress.  I can only hope all my dresses are there!

Oh dear, this isn’t very interesting, is it?  I was going to have a Middle-aged Musings Monday, and I even had something to muse about. Oh, it wasn’t anything very good, but at least it was something.  Earlier I was going to take a Blogger’s Sick Day. I’m not sick, but my poor dog is.  We’re a little upset about it.  However, we did manage to get Spunky to come out of the closet (his favorite place these days) and administered another dose of his medicine.  Now he is resting comfortably on his afghan at the end of the couch (I’m sitting at the other end, typing) (as Truman Capote once said, “That’s not writing, that’s typing”)  (one of my favorite quotes).

Where was I?  Ah yes, nowhere in particular.  Steven is nicely making me a sandwich.  Then I shall go down my list of  things to remember and see what I forgot (yes, I remember where I put the list).

Earlier today I looked over all my lines, paying special attention to the portions that were somewhat dicey during the last few rehearsals.  I feel quite sure I will remember everything.  Then again, actors often feel that way just before they flub up big time.  Then again, if I flub up big time, it might make a funny blog post for tomorrow.  As always, I hope you’ll tune in.

 

Non-Sequitur Spunky

For this week’s Non-Sequitur Thursday post, I am going to talk about Spunky, our little dog.   Here is a picture of him:

13407265_496338217226771_3908281774292477426_n

Isn’t he cute?

I think that one was taken at The Velvet Dog Grooming Salon, where he gets groomed regularly.  Regular readers may remember that the Velvet Dog was fostering Spunky after his owner died. We saw adopted him after they posted his picture on Facebook.   I wrote a blog post about it last June.  Spunky is an old guy.  He mostly likes to lay around and sleep.

13494898_1135575926506104_8939044064930455801_n1

It is a pretty comfy chair.

Right now he is curled up right next to me on the couch.  He doesn’t always do that.  He has his own end, with an afghan that he sometimes burrow under.  Spunky is fond of my yarn.  I had a basket which my sister Cheryl had given me specifically for me to put yarn in, while I was working on my projects.  Spunky spotted it and climbed right in:

13439123_1136486803081683_2727972478528375160_n

I like a dog to make himself at home.

I have since taken out the unfinished projects and put in an afghan made specifically for Spunky.  After all, I can find another place to put my yarn.

I sometimes wonder about Spunky.  He was ten years old when we got him and had only had one owner.  I hope he is settling in with us.  I worry that he might not love us.  It’s not that I mind having a dog that’s not crazy about me, my low self-esteem notwithstanding.  I just want him to be happy.  How happy can you be living with people you don’t love?  So I like it when he snuggles up next to me on the couch.  And I like it when he wags his tail when he sees me.

Well, this has not been a particularly inspired blog post.  Still, with pictures of a cute little dog, what’s not to like?  If only I can think of an unrelated but catchy headline, so this is a true Non-Sequitur Thursday, I can hit Publish with a clear conscience.  Hope to see you again on Lame Post Friday.

 

Not Useful But Not a Bad Saturday

Once again, I post in haste on a Saturday so I can get back to enjoying my evening.  Hey, bloggers like to relax on their days off, too, you know!  I am at the coveted bra off, sweats on, wine drinking, TV watching, with husband hanging portion of the evening.  Why did I not post earlier in anticipation of this time?  No good reason.  I could not think of anything good to post about, but, really, when has that stopped me?

It has not been a usefully-spent Saturday.  I don’t know if I even did enough to warrant a Scattered Saturday post, but let’s try anyways.  We slept in till 6:30 this morning and could have slept even later but Steven had to go to work.  Rats!  After we hung out and had coffee, and I made my usual Saturday morning phone call to my parents (I call them other times, too, of course, but the Saturday morning call is kind of a thing), I started writing post cards (another Saturday morning thing).

I waited till after Steven had left and I took Spunky for a business meeting to walk to the post office.  Spunky did not walk with me.  He doesn’t seem to care for long walks.  I started making it an even longer walk than last week, but I got kind of cold and depressed, so I walked back home sooner than planned.  At least I got some exercise.

Back home I worked a little more on the murder mystery LiFT Theatre Company is doing at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, NY.  I read a few of the newspapers that collected all week (I don’t get the chance to read them every day).  I looked at Facebook.  I took a short nap on the couch.  I did a load of laundry and folded the last two or three that have been waiting to be folded (don’t judge me).  I talked to my sister on the telephone.

Finally I judged it OK to pour myself a glass of wine and sit down in front of the television with my knitting.  Ah, my favorite time of day.  After a while I changed into my sweats and started fixing a fairly interesting dinner.  At last Steven came home!  Now he is looking at the television and waiting for me to finish my blog post so we can go on to the movie watching portion of the evening.  And I think I’m there.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Scattered, then Snapped on Saturday

No, I didn’t suddenly snap and murder somebody, although that would have made quite the blog post, I suppose. How much internet access do they grant you in jail? I’m figuring if I murdered anybody I would get caught.  It’s all very well to trash talk that I know how to commit a murder, but in fact, any murderer I’ve written about has gotten caught.  But I digress.

This was hands-down a better Saturday than last one, because I didn’t have a headache.  I didn’t even have to take any medication to make it happen; I just got lucky.  Or blessed, I suppose.  However, I can’t say it was any better of a Saturday in the category of getting stuff done.  No, that, not so much.  But I shall attempt to make a blog post about what I did do, so I can get back to watching Snapped (you know, from the headline?).

Steven and I got up at the delightful time of 6:30 a.m.  That is SO much better than getting up at three! No, I’m not whining about getting up at 3 a.m.; I do it for a reason and I do not repine.  However, I LOVE getting to sleep in a little!  Even when I can’t exactly sleep (I am a long-time insomniac, but don’t worry about me).  I had no plan for the day, but I knew there were several things it would behoove me to get done.  Go to Melfe’s for work shoes, study my lines for Steel Magnolias, finish writing the various murder mysteries I have committed to, clean the house, do laundry, go running… the list went on and on.

I crossed out the first item mentioned by strategically postponing it till Wednesday, Steven’s next day off.  He wants to go to Melfe’s to see if they have any shoes that might be good for his work.  Having good shoes makes your work day SO much easier to get through!  After chatting on the phone with my Dad and Mom (that was not on the list, but it is something I almost always do on Saturday), I wrote a few postcards to the folks I usually write postcards to (that was not on my list, either, but it is something I usually do).

After Steven left for work, I felt kind of like a lump pondering what to do.  When Tabby was our dog, she loved to walk with me to the post office.  However, Spunky does not like to take long walks.  I took him for a short business meeting, after which he contentedly snoozed on the couch.  I went upstairs to take a shower.  After I was naked but before I was actually in the shower, I noticed what I had been noticing all week, that the bathroom really needed cleaning.  I have heard about women cleaning naked, to keep from messing up their clothes.  I tried it.  It was no problem, except when Spunky started barking and I wondered if someone was at the door.  I put on a bathrobe and ventured down.  False alarm.  I finished cleaning and showered.  Now what to do?

Finally I sat down and started working on my lines for Steel Magnolias.  I do the trick that was taught to me by my fourth grade church school teacher, Sister Mary Christina.  It was how she taught us the Act of Contrition (fourth grade is when you make your First Confession, or Reconciliation as I guess it is called now).  I include the trick for any possible benefit others may derive from it:  Take it one or two sentences at a time.  Say it out loud ten times, looking at it, say if five times not looking at it.  I still have to study the lines after that, but the trick really helps.

You know, it is kind of boring to say a line out loud over and over, not to mention hard on your throat when you have a little post-nasal drip, which I often do.  I persevered as best I could.  Finally I decided to take a break and walk to the post office.  I even thought of doing a Pedestrian Post and just writing about the walk, because I took a rather long way back and stretched it to almost a half hour.  I need the exercise and I really wasn’t up to running.  If only it were not face-hurting cold out, my life would have been perfect.

Back home, I studied my lines some more, spent some time looking at Facebook, read the newspapers I had been neglecting all week (this could be construed as a cleaning chore, since I put them in the recycling box when I had finished with them), waited for Steve to come home for lunch.  The only other remotely useful thing I did was go to the liquid store (as it is sometimes known) and purchase some white wine, a glass of which I am currently enjoying.  Oh, and I took Spunky for two more business meetings.  Good dog.

Ooh, look at me, over 800 words.  I wonder if anybody will read to the end?  If you did, thanks!  I hope I wasn’t boring.  And I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  Peace out.

 

Red Wine, Red Blood, Happy New Year!

So there I was, ready to get this New Year’s Eve party started.  I only lacked my husband Steven (the only other guest expected since Spunky the dog was already here) and all the food I said I was going to fix.  I thought it would be a good idea to open a bottle of wine, so I could sip a little while I chopped and mixed.  And then things got ugly.  A short time later, I was posting the following on Facebook:

“So I open a bottle of wine, so I can enjoy a libation while I fix the snacks. Somehow a chip gets broken off the rim of the bottle, and I cut my thumb! It’s bleeding big red drops (although a very pretty color)! I get a Band-aid on it and go to cry on Facebook, and it’s STILL bleeding! I fortunately do not bleed on my laptop. I employ pressure and elevation for a short time and it seems to have done the trick. Then I see my thumb is bleeding from two places. Two Band-aids later, I wonder if I can be trusted with a knife.”

It really does seem OK, but you know what a drama queen I am (it’s a little awkward to hit the space bar with the band-aids on my thumb)  (it is my right hand, by the way).  I thought it might be a good idea to make my blog post before attempting any further culinary adventures.  I’m even thinking in a vague sort of way of sending out for pizza and making all the fun party snacks I planned tomorrow instead.

In the meantime, I had meant to write my blog post about quite a different thing.  I was going to talk about resolutions vs goals and strive for some profound thoughts about improving myself.  Or I was going to get all introspective about the passage of time and change and our own perceptions of what makes a good year.  I even had some vague notion of musing on these artificial milestones we invent for ourselves:  Why is one revolution around the sun called a year?  Who even figured out how we got back to the same place in the planetary ellipse?

And here I am, doing what once got a professor really annoyed with me:  writing about what I’m not going to write about (in my defense, he only wanted a two page paper; how much could I say in that?).  My thumb is fine; my wine glass is almost empty.  However, I feel disinclined to begin cooking or refill the glass, because a little dog (above-mentioned third guest at the party) is snuggled up next to me so cozily, I hate to disturb him.  Happy New Year, everyone.

 

Large Weather We’re Having Lately

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.

 

Not a Bad Saturday

But I don’t FEEL LIKE making a blog post!  Ha, ha, just kidding.  At least, I would in fact rather be reading others’ blogs right now, but I KNOW as a writer I must not wait till I am  “in the mood” to write, anybody taking in a deep breath to make a self-righteous lecture to me can just stand down.  In fact, I very often am in the mood to write, especially once my fingers hit the keys and I begin typing.

I have been having a not very good day, although it has had its moments.  I have about a half hour right not to make my blog post before Steven arrives home from work and we head out to a Christmas party.  Therefore, I shall attempt another Scattered Saturday post.

I realize that people who harp on their physical ills (as well as other negatives in their lives) are tiresome.  However, I just want to mention that I once again have one of my Saturday headaches.  How very annoying.  Before you start shaking your finger or your head (or your booty) at me, no, I did NOT tie one on last night.  That sort of headache can often be cured with some Gatorade and a nap.  Well I did eventually get a nap and am sipping some Gatorade now, but they are far from the miracle I was hoping for.  No matter, the headache seems to be fading away of its own accord, and I did not mean to write the whole blog post about it.

Then again, isn’t that always the way?  Pain has a way of overtaking your life, and it is often all you can think of.  Well, I shall drag my mind away from my petty pain.

I wrote four post cards to my usual people this morning.  I walked to the post office with them.  Alas, my dog, Spunky, did not accompany me.  As I have said, he does not seem to enjoy long walks.  More to the point, I went from the post office to Basloe Library for Coffee with a Cop.  I’ll write a full blog post about that later.  I walked home after the coffee and conversation, and immediately got into my vehicle and drove to The Medicine Shoppe in Ilion to pick up a prescription.  While there, I ducked into Ilion Wine and Spirits for a bottle of wine for later (we still haven’t had the bottle I purchased on Shop Small Saturday; I’m saving it for an occasion).

Back home, I took the nap I mentioned earlier.  When I got up, I put on running clothes and ran in place on the mini tramp for forty minutes, the longest I have run in a very long time.  There is a 5K in Little Falls next weekend I may run.  Stand by for numerous Running Commentary posts this week while I prepare.

I think I still have time to read a blog or two. Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Frantic Friday

I actually wrote a whole post in my head while at work today.  I even told it to a co-worker, you know, not word for word, but the gist of it. I did not go so far as to write it down, but I daresay I could remember it. However, I thought of the above-used title on my way home from work.  I thought it might be appropriate for the afternoon and evening I had envisioned, and it turned out to be true.

Steven worked until six, and we planned to meet to Christmas shop using a one-day-only coupon.  The details of where and how are not important.  For one reason, it is not one of the small, distinctive local businesses in which I delight.  I’m sorry that I do not exclusively shop at such establishments.  I mean, I’m not apologizing about it, I truly am regretful that I do not.  Be that as it may, I will tell you about my gyrations thus far today, and that will serve as this week’s Lame Friday Post.

I went straight home from work at three and took my dog, Spunky, for a walk.  He only wanted to go to the end of the street and back, but at least that is further than the end of the driveway and back.  I felt a huge need to exercise, so I changed into running clothes and ran in place on the mini-tramp, while watching part of an episode of Snapped.  It was not too cold or rainy to run outside, but I did not want to leave my dog twice in one evening.

After a shower and the usual trauma over what to wear, I got on the computer to check my Facebook notifications and email.  The Facebook check was not purely frivolous, you know.  A friend had messaged me a cookie recipe, and I intended to purchase ingredients as part of our Christmas shopping spree.  Of course, it was partly frivolous.  I also wanted to see how many Likes I got on my status of “The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote:  Stink!  Stank!  Stunk!”  But I digress.

Leaving the house shortly after five, I walked to where I was meeting Steven.  It had gotten colder, and the wind had picked up.  I enjoyed looking at Christmas lights on houses as I walked.  I started shopping without Steven, and he joined me already in progress.  We bought a lot of stuff.  No, I’m not going to tell you what!  People on my gift list sometimes read my blog, you know.

Now we have shopped, eaten, and are enjoying a glass of wine and watching another episode of Snapped.  I think Oxygen shows them all night long on Fridays.  I don’t believe I will stay up all night to see, though.  I’m tired.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

Running Out of November

I started writing a real post while at work today (YES, I was on a break, don’t go running to my boss!).   Then I got home and went running, and I’d like to do a Running Commentary instead.

I was thinking when I left work that it would be a good idea to run. For one reason, I haven’t run for the last two days (judge me if you must). For another reason, it was almost warm out.  As I walked to my vehicle I pondered whether I should run in shorts or leggings.  When I got home I noted that our thermostat said it was 50 degrees outside. That is definitely shorts weather for me, although it had seemed like legging weather as I left work.  Spunky wanted to go for a walk, so I had another chance to think about it.

Spunky went down the driveway as far as the neighbors’ front yard and pee’d, while their dog, Piper, barked at him from their front window.  Then Spunky  led me firmly back to our house.  He is definitely not the walker Tabby was.  That was all right, though, because I had to get out and running before I ran out of ambition.  I went with the thermostat and put on shorts and short sleeves.  I chose an ARMY t-shirt with a reflective decal on the back, because it was grey and gloomy.

I did not feel too bad as I started down the sidewalk.  I admired the grey sky and dark atmosphere.  I felt it was a very November day for the last day of the month (although I think my blog post will be dated December 1; just go with it).  I turned right onto German Street.  I had it in mind to run by the HARC building at the end of the street.  I noticed when I drove by there the other day that they seem to be building a playground in back of it.  I wanted to take a closer look.

However, as I approached Main Street, I re-thought my plans.  It is a busy corner with a four-way stop.  I wondered if I would be able to cross it easily.  If so, then I would have to cross back later.  I would see how traffic was.  Several cars were there. I turned right down Main Street.  Main Street was busy, too.  Should I run all the way down it?  There is usually a lot of pedestrian traffic as well, especially as you get closer to State Street.  I decided to turn right on Church Street, at the Historic Four Corners.  When I got there, a car stopped at the stop sign actually pulled back a little to let me across the street.  I tried to wave, “Thanks but don’t bother, I’m turning.”  I hope the driver got that.

It did not seem especially warm to me.  My legs didn’t feel too bad, but my arms were cold.  I put my headband over my ears.  I looked around at houses to distract myself.  I noted a few Christmas decorations here and there.  I’d like to take a walk after dark and look at houses with lights.  I wish Spunky was into taking longer walks but I do not want to force him to go farther than his inclination.

Soon I had to admit that I felt tired.  Now I have realized that when I run I can pretty much keep going for just about as long as I decide to (I do NOT need anybody to tell me that this is painfully obvious and true for almost anything).  That said, OH, did I want to stop!  Or at least walk!  I could feel that I was running slowly.  A brisk walk might even be faster than I was moving.  However, I persevered.  Then I felt bad for not enjoying my run more.  Don’t I run because I like to run, I asked myself.  Never mind, I answered.  Sometimes you have to put up with the runs that are not so fun in order to get to the runs that are.

As I ran up my street, the end in sight, I saw a pedestrian on the sidewalk up ahead.  I had already gone around several pedestrians on the run, as well as changing direction a couple of times to avoid others.  I would go around this one.  Then I saw that the pedestrian had a dog.  I like to pet a dog.  Could it be my friend Rocky?  As I got closer, I saw that it was Rocky and his mom.  She was talking to another person I hadn’t seen at first.  Rocky saw me coming and pulled at his leash a little bit.

“He knows he’s going to get pets from me,” I said.  “Hi, good boy!  Good to see you!”  His mom and the guy she was talking to laughed.  I gave them a wave and ran on.  I was almost home.  Yay!

It felt GREAT to walk my cool down.  For about half a block, then the wind picked up and I was cold.  I had sensibly put a sweatshirt on my back deck with my water bottle, so now my arms felt OK and my legs were cold.  No matter.  I ran. I was glad.  I would write a blog post about it.

 

Looking for a Little Cheer

When in doubt, take a couple of pictures and wing it.  That is my new blog motto.  I think it’ll work for Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

Actually, I feel it is not a true Wrist to Forehead Sunday, because that is a day I kind of make fun of myself for my angst.  I don’t feel like making fun of myself tonight.  Then again, perhaps that is the best time to do so.  I’m sure I don’t know these things.

At any rate, I am sitting in my living room watching Lethal Weapon, which I have never seen before.  Oh, I’ve seen the scene with Mel Gibson’s butt, but I guess that’s neither here nor there.  It is, of course, a Christmas movie.  We like Christmas movies. This one, however, is kind of a depressing movie.  So I’m kind of watching and typing, trying to get this blog post done, and I don’t really know what I feel like typing about (as Truman Capote once said, “That’s not writing, that’s typing”).

As I am feeling kind of down, but not that my angst is of the usual amusing Wrist to Forehead Sunday variety, I thought I would take a couple of pictures of cheerful things in my life.  I started with my dog, Spunky.

 

20161120_160810

I confess to feeling a little envy that he is so comfy, all curled up and sleeping.  I tried to take a nap earlier, because I had a headache.  I had the damnedest time falling asleep and it didn’t even help the headache.  I suppose you’ll have that sometimes.  Most headaches go away eventually and in the meantime they must be endured (I say philosophically now; at the time I felt quite grumpy about it).

 

20161120_161008

 

 

These are some lovely flowers that friends sent me, because of my recent medical thing.  It was quite unexpected and very much appreciated.

So there are two thing to be cheerful about:  a nice doggy and nice friends who send me pretty flowers.  What reason to I have to have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday?