Tag Archives: writing

In the Midst of Writing, I Blog

Posted on July 28, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Thunder outside reminds me that I have not yet made my Monstrous Monday blog post.  It is Tuesday, not so early in the morning (for me).  I am actually in the middle of writing my article on the Ilion Village Board meeting for the Daily Sentinel, and I am having trouble with it, so thought I would take a break.  I do enjoy the thunder, but I think it is going away.  Now I can hear the rain, because I have both doors open.  Ooh, no, another rumble.  Yes.

Oh, sure, that’ll make a good blog post.  Just talk about the thunder, Cindy.  They’d never guess you already had some coffee!

It’s this dark in my head.

This was my attempt at a shot of a full moon one early morning some time ago.  I have not been out walking in the dark in a long time (and regular readers know running is way beyond my current abilities).  It is dark in my house now, but not that dark.  I just grabbed the picture, because I did not want to waste copious amounts of time scrolling through my Media Library as often happens at times like this.

Great movie!

In the spirit of not scrolling, I grab this picture which just happened to be right there.  This is a really fun flick, featuring a really creepy performance by the inimitable Peter Lorre.  Actually is it correct to say “featuring” when he is the star?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

As for me, I approach 250 words, and I must go back to struggling with the activities of Ilion Village Board.  I have dealt with the Mayors Comments and the Public Comments, now I am on to the 2026 Organizational Meeting, Department Reports, and New Business.  Does it sound exciting?  It’s not bad.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Monstrous Monday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Stop Typing, Me, and Start Writing!

Posted on July 25, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Late and Lame Post.  I neglected to make my Lame Post Friday blog post on Friday, and here I am prior to 7 a.m. (I slept in) on Saturday, listening to my coffee lazily brewing, and thinking it would be good for me, if for nobody else, to try to type in something (as Truman Capote famously said, “That’s not writing, that’s typing.”

My current state of mind.

I throw in a picture to pep things up, as I like to do at these times.  I did not want to take the time to search my Media Library for either a coffee cup nor my one picture of typewriters (note to self: get more pictures of typewriters), but this one caught my eye.  It is me as the alleged murder victim at the end of A Revolutionary Murder.  I was supposedly blown up by a cannon (“canonized” as one cast member put it), and we all thought it would be funny if I came out at the end looking like this.

Ah yes, books.

Scrolling down my Media Library I came across this picture of the Little Free Library on the walking trail at the Town of Herkimer Park.  I put a couple of books in the Little Free Library at Valley Wine and Liquor yesterday when I stopped by for a wine tasting (good wines, yum!).  This is to remind me that I have not yet written that novel, although I have made a few false starts.

I guess it’s time to get myself going.  At least I have made a blog post, lame as it is.  Will I write anything today?  Will I even type another blog post?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my weekend.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Do I DooDah?

Posted on July 17, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

That title occurred to me as I sat here on my Chromebook contemplating my day and wondering if I would get anything of substance done (spoiler alert: I probably won’t).  One problem is I have to recruit my energies for the DooDah Parade, a highlight of Ilion Days this evening.  I must cover it for the Daily Sentinel.  At least, I never heard back from my editor that she wanted me to cover it, but I covered it last year, so I thought I would submit something.  At least it will make a good blog post and be something for me to do on a Friday other than watch Dateline or Columbo and wish it was not too hot to knit.

I personally am on the Boomer cusp.

This is a picture from last year.  I walked all around the floats and marchers as they waited for the parade to start, chatting up lots of people and looking for Joe White, who is the main mover and shaker behind the parade.  I never found him, but one of the American Legions let me ride along on their float.  It was great fun.

I am back left, with my arm raised, looking a little like the Statue of Liberty.

This is from 2019, when Ilion Little Theatre used to participate in the DooDah.  They had a circus theme that year.  I just draped a few of my lighter shawls around me and put on my tiara, which long-time readers know I wear at any excuse.  I don’t remember what I purported to be, but I feel I looked fabulous.  This year the theme is, not surprisingly, Happy Birthday, America.  I feel I should dress appropriately, although I must remember the weather will be warm, not to say hot.

I keep saying I’m going to join them.

I thought I’d close with another shot from last year.  These are the Happy Hags, a delightful dance troupe that makes many local appearances.  I think they are wonderful.  If my arthritis or whatever it is permits, I may yet join them.  They are very nice.

So I guess I have talked myself into going to the DooDah Parade.  I must figure out what to wear (my Uncle Sam or George Washington costume?), where to park (I know a good spot close to the end but not too far to walk to the beginning), where to go afterwards (there is a good band playing at Ilion Elks Lodge) (preview of coming attractions) etc.  I said in my email to my editor that she might prefer to send a more talented photographer, so I see someone else there from the Sentinel, that will be fine.  I will use my photos for the blog.  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Community Events, humor, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Fought the Lawn, Fought the Deck, What Next?

Posted on July 6, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I got out early in hopes of making a Lawn Order post instead of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday blog post.  Well, fighting the lawn (and the lawn won) did cause me to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead, but I felt I got something done, so I took a few pictures and I will attempt to make a blog post recounting my adventures.

No, really, this IS the “after” picture.

I maybe should have taken a “before” picture.  I spent some ten minutes yesterday and a little bit longer today with clippers, chopping away at dead daisies and past their prime peonies (I made up the alliterative titles while I worked) while trying to let the purple flowers live.  There was a insidious invasive species I tried to do away with as well.  One sprig of purple blooms ended up in my green waste container, but I clipped it with a pair of scissors and it now resides in a bud vase in my living room.  Sorry there is no picture of it, but my living room is quite cluttered.  I hope to fight that mess to a standstill as the week progresses.

Not party ready yet, but getting there!

After puffing and panting out front (bending and straightening is not fun for my age and weight) (yes, I KNOW I can do something about the latter, I’m trying, but these things take time, give me a break!) (you know who you are), I went out back to my deck.  There were still leaves on it from last fall, which I know is extremely harmful to the wood.  I huffed and puffed first with a rake then with a broom.  I feel I met with some success.

Luna, the dog next door, came out on her back porch and barked at me.  There were no balls handy for me to throw for her, as I explained to her.  She watched me work for a while, making sad noises from time to time but in general acquiescing in my refusal to play with her.  I felt bad, but there is only so much an old lady like me can do, after all. Quite frankly, if there had been a ball handy I might have thrown it a few times and let some of the leaves go hang, but we’ll never know.

Yes I know the lawn needs mowing.

Three containers is the most we can leave out.  Also, they don’t like stuff to stick up over the top of the containers.  So I felt I was in compliance.  I went back in the house and like any normal person got on the internet for a while.  After scrolling around, I noticed some weird brown puffy things on my shirt.  Oh dear.  This is what happens when you don’t get into the shower right away.  It was awkward to get a picture of the shirt (I do like to document these things), but luckily there were some on my socks.

It’s an old pair of sneakers.

This is turning out to be a long blog post.  Isn’t that nice?  Maybe I should try to write a few other things.  Maybe that novel I keep talking about.  I’ll let you know how that turns out.  Maybe a horror novel about invasive species and little brown puffy things who terrorize old ladies who just want to have parties on their decks.  What do you think?

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, lawn order, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Would Coffee Help?

Posted on June 13, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I am having a difficult time making my Lame Post Friday post.  I do not want to go on about my health woes, but I have some pain that comes and goes (mostly comes), and it keeps coming especially strong every time I sit down at my Chromebook to write.  Could it be psychosomatic?  I fear my post will be dull and boring so I am subconsciously trying to keep myself from making it?  It could be, but then, what am I subconsciously trying to prevent myself from doing the rest of the time?  Also, I am almost always afraid my posts will be dull and boring, yet I make them anyways.  Once again I say, what the hell, me?

At least she dies happy.

I add a silly picture to pep things up.  I personally have not had coffee or tea since Friday.  No wine, either (SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!!).  When I do finally have a cuppa, I expect to enjoy it.

Pretty!

I add the Luna Moth because it is beautiful.  I was happy to get a picture of it while I was supposed to be working.

Who, me?

While searching for a third picture, I found Candice DeLong of Deadly Women and other true crime shows.  Last night while I was clicking around RokuTV, I found Deadly Women and watched a couple of episodes.  It is a total re-enactment-fest, which I don’t particularly like, but I loves me some Candice DeLong.

Reading over this post before I hit Publish, I think it reads like I haven’t had coffee in a week.  Maybe I’ll try for a caffeinated post tomorrow.

 

4 Comments

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Whine on Wuss-out Wednesday

Posted on June 11, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

After two days of posting from my phone, I am home, on my couch and ten-finger typing while Dateline plays on RokuTV.  Sounds cheery enough, yes?  Well, it isn’t too bad, and I certainly do count my blessings.  Sometimes I whine about my un-blessings while I’m counting, but you’ll have that.

I will not be climbing rocks any time soon.

As usual, I throw in a picture to pep things up.  It is a t-shirt I got at Venture Fourth in Little Falls, NY, just to give a quick shout-out to a local business.  I got red to wear on Fridays, because on Fridays, Elks Club members wear red for the troops that are overseas.  Alas, Mohawk Valley Adventures and trips to the Elks Lodge recede further into the future.  I hate to go into any details about my physical ailments. For one reason, I don’t really know any details so would only be able to whine about the symptoms.  How boring is that?

This is at the Elks Lodge during Lent.

If I feel better enough by Friday, I could go someplace and get a Fish Fry.  That would make a good blog post and a good dinner.  I have a sneaking suspicious that will not be the case.  However, tomorrow is Thursday, so I can do a Throwback Thursday, then I can take advantage of Lame Post Friday.  If I remain immobile indefinitely, I will have to find something to continue to blog about.  Eventually there may be doctor appointments or physical therapy to blog about, but I must be wary of HIPAA violations.

Of course I am going to bill this as a Wuss-out Wednesday and of course I am going to apologize for the lack of substance.  However, my daily blog is something I can hold onto in times of stress.  Oh, doesn’t that make me sound like a drama queen!  Oh well, I always say go with your strengths!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Tired and Not Typing

Posted on June 10, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I could manage a Tired Tuesday blog post.  I am pecking in words one letter at a time with a stylus on my smarter-than-me phone. Yesterday I also made my post via cellphone, only I fat-finger pecked, because it seemed like too much trouble to reach for my purse to get the stylus. Yesterday, of course, I had the advantage of a picture and something to blog about. Today not so much.

Who could be un-cheered by a duck?

I search my Media Library for a cheerful picture. The caption is a paraphrase from a Winnie the Pooh story.

Often on Tired Tuesday I can get a post out of why I am so tired.  Today, however, I fear it would be tiresome.

On the brighter side, I just figured out how to italicize my captions.  As regular readers know, technology eludes me.

A nest for the duck?

So I guess this is one of those posts where I share a couple of pictures and spew a little nonsense.  You know, I don’t remember the stylus pecking being this onerous when I was making all my posts from the Tablet. I suppose I was younger and more fit in those days.

Pretty!

I end with a pretty picture and an optimistic thought. I hope to soon get back to having and blogging about Mohawk Valley Adventures.  I hope you will stay tuned.

4 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Tired Tuesday and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

No Excuses, But Monsters

Posted on June 1, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, it’s Wrist to Forehead Monday, because I neglected to make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I am quite mortified, as you may imagine, especially as I have no good excuse.  I am also a little shame-faced, because I am making a Monstrous Monday post.  I just don’t have it in me to write about any of the Mohawk Valley Adventures I have been having recently.  In short, I am tired.  Could I be too old for all the running around I have been doing lately?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!

Me, aghast at myself for missing a day’s blog.

That is from the silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920.  Very atmospheric.  I must watch it again.  I rarely watch silent movies, because it is difficult for me to knit or crochet and watch.  I like to run in place on the mini-tramp while I watch, although that also has its drawbacks.

Not the cure for insomnia.

Here is Vincent Price with the eponymous Tingler, a William Castle masterpiece.  I kind of identify with this picture, because I had the weirdest post-apocalyptic dream this morning.  It just kept getting stranger and more scary.  That is what I get for trying to get back to sleep after my body said, “I’m wide awake.  Let’s get up now.”  In my defense, it was two in the morning.

“I told you to blog about the Mohawk Valley!”

I finish with this scary guy from Carnival of Souls, a low-budget masterpiece from 1962.  When I DuckDuckGo’d the movie to see what year it was, predictive text suggested “Carnival Cruises,” and I thought, “How about a Carnival of Souls Cruise?”  Passengers can spend the whole time running from the undead.  In luxury conditions, of course.  I hope some entrepreneur jumps right on that idea, because that is a cruise I might actually save my pennies for.

 

8 Comments

Posted in humor, Monstrous Monday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Mid-Swoon on Mid-Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 25, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause in doing not much of anything to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I really do feel like swooning today.  My poor-pitiful-me meter is registering extra high.  What’s that all about?  Get a grip on yourself, me!  I drink a little water and calm down.  Things are not really that bad here in the Mohawk Valley, only I have not had any Mohawk Valley Adventures recently.  I must get out more, but it is difficult on a rainy holiday weekend.

To remind myself why it is a holiday weekend.

Just to make me feel ashamed of feeling sorry for myself, I call to mind those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  So I throw back my shoulders, lift my chins, and try to make my own contribution, whatever that may be.  At this time, I suppose, a blog post that may momentarily entertain those who read it.

Now, I am not one of those holiday shamers, who post memes of mourning army widows with snarky captions of,  “And you thought it was national barbecue weekend!”  I feel that one of the things soldiers fight for is the right to enjoy fun times with family and friends.  But I do not want to start an argument.  I am no good at arguments.  I usually try to get out of them by changing the subject with a line like, “So do you think the Yankees are going to go all the way?”

I am wandering from the point, but then I do not think I had a point. I apologize to my readers for making yet another placeholder post.  In my defense… never mind my defense.  It’s a long story and not very interesting.  In the meantime, I approach 300 words of nonsense.  Let me look for another picture to end on a positive note.

Will my deck ever look this good again?

This was my deck some years ago.  I aspire to reach such decorative heights again.  Will I attain them?  Or will I have yet another reason to swoon?

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

A Pause for a Post!

Posted on May 23, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause in my gyrations to make a Lame Post Friday blog post.  I have been running around all day trying to be an Intrepid Girl Reporter (you know, like from a 1940’s Screwball Comedy or Cheesy Horror Movie).  I wrote my article about the Frankfort Town Board meeting.  I drove all around Frankfort looking for something to take a picture of that was talked about in the meeting. Then I had a dedication to go to, which I also had to write a story about.  I found where I had to go. Being me, this was not easy (that is some sort of dangling participle, I think).

I pause in the midst of that rather foolish paragraph to mention that I have one of my light-headed whatever it is I occasionally suffer from.  It does not feel fun.  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

Could Gatorade solve my problems?

I wonder if I could just be dehydrated?  I do sometimes forget to drink water.  In the meantime, my article about the dedication is hanging over my head.  I mean, it is written.  These articles are not especially difficult:  I take notes, I write up my notes.  But I also have to look over them and second-guess myself.  Regular readers know that overthinking is kind of a hobby of mine.  Additionally, I took a picture of all the speakers and I have to remember which name goes with which dignitary.

On the brighter side, I am over 200 words.  A dithery post is better than no post at all, I say.  Back to work with my newspaper duties!  The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing when you paused to read this!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
→