Tag Archives: writing

Shoveling Something

Posted on August 19, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I keep telling myself that you don’t have to shovel humidity.  That is really a good thing, because it would be damn uncomfortable to be outside hefting a shovel in this heat.  Yes, I know,  who could complain about the hot weather after the long, cold winter we just endured?  A lot of people apparently.

I did experience some relief from the heat last night.  My lovely niece and nephew-in-law (silly word, nephew-in-law, but I don’t want to make it sound like she married her brother) got central air and gave us their window unit.  It’s not your usual kind of window unit; it sits on the floor and has an exhaust tube that goes out the window. Very handy if you prefer a fan in the window when possible, which we do.

That is a good point about the weather, by the way.  I don’t mind it so much being hot during the day as long as it cools off at night.  I can even live with it being swelteringly hot at night if I don’t have to work the next day.  I get dreadful insomnia in the heat.  And that reminds me that I pretty much do have to work every day.

Ah, from there I could segue over into a lament that I was not born wealthy, like the heroines in those Regency Romances I dote on.  Of course, they are not always fabulously wealthy.  Sometimes they have a “respectable competence.”  Sometimes it’s straightened circumstances or even genteel poverty.  Sometimes they are constantly being dunned by creditors or (horrors!) have to take a position as a governess or companion.  From these situations, of course, they are usually rescued by some rich, titled hottie.

Isn’t that nice?  I have led myself from bitching about the weather to daydreaming about romance novels.  I’ve tried to write a romance novel.  Perhaps I should try again.  As soon as I have finished the one I am working on, which I VOWED I would finish.  In fact, why am I not working on it right now instead of messing with foolish blog posts?  Ooh, that makes a good exit line.  I hope you’ll tune in tomorrow,when Mohawk Valley Girl explains once again why she cannot write a decent blog post.

 

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Family, Fun and Forehead

Posted on August 17, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes Mohawk Valley adventures render you too tired to write about them.  For me this is especially true when I spend any amount of time in direct, hot sunlight.  I have some sort of sun sensitivity.  And I’m a big, fat baby.  Don’t judge.

Speaking of big, fat babies, Steven and I saw our delightful great-nephew, Shepherd today.   Well,  he’s not exactly big and fat, and he is more toddler than baby, but he is nine months old and he has sweet, chubby feet.  Everybody loves him, with good reason.

We met him and his family at church, then met up with some other family members and drove to Fly Creek Cider Mill.  I have written numerous times about Fly Creek Cider Mill, but it is always worth another visit and shout-out.  My father and I made sure we tried every sample offered, although he eschewed the fudge and the alcoholic beverages (wine, hard cider and today there was gin and vodka).  In case anyone is shaking his or her head at my lushiness, I did not try ALL the alcoholic beverages offered.  Two wines, one cider and some gin, and it was eetsy-beetsy tastes of each.  Why am I justifying myself to you?  That’s a bad sign too, isn’t it?  Oh dear.

The highlight of the visit was showing Shepherd the ducks, geese and chickens.  He loved them.  He couldn’t get the hang of throwing them corn, but he enjoyed watching them gobble down the corn we threw them.  This was the part I spent out in direct sunlight. I even took off my crazy old lady hat for part of it, because I put it on Shepherd’s head.  Must protect the bambino, after all.

After our fun visit, we went for some food at Jerry’s Place, which I have also written about before.  I got one of the chocolate shakes in a mason jar this time.  Yum!  Perhaps tomorrow I can finally begin to do something about my big fat butt.

Before, after and during our adventures, we enjoyed beautiful drives through some of the best scenery I’ve ever seen.  Up hills where you can see for miles over farmland, forests and mountains.  Down into valleys near lovely lakes and rivers. I positively must get some kind of camera or device whereby I can post pictures.  In the meantime, I’m afraid you’ll just have to use your imagination.

In conclusion, this really is a Wrist to Forehead Sunday, because I feel some distress over the fact that I cannot do justice to today’s adventures.  Tomorrow I plunge back into the whirlpool of overtime, play rehearsals and my new diet and exercise program.  And a few other projects I have in mind.  Will I have the wherewithal to take my wrist off my forehead and write about them?  We’ll see.  Once again, a little suspense adds interest to the blog.

For more information about Fly Creek Cider Mill, visit their website at http://www.flycreekcidermill.com/.   For more information about Jerry’s Place visit http://www.jerrysplaceny.com/.

 

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I Want My Pork Chop

Posted on August 14, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

The weather in the Mohawk Valley has taken a turn towards perfect.  As I type this into our little Acer, I am sitting on our deck, enjoying a lovely breeze.  The two trees in our backyard give enough shade to keep me cool and to keep the sun from really bothering my eyes.  The sunshine is bright enough to make everything in your yard look pretty, and that’s a pretty good trick, since I have not done much yardwork or gardening this season.

My container garden is still in bloom.  Of course some plants have done better than others, but I am seeing bright purple and yellow blooms as well as a enough basil for at least one more good batch of pesto.

In short, life is good.

If only I could write, life would be perfect.  I spent a good portion of the day thinking about my novel (I reiterate that I have the sort of job where one can think about other things and still be productive).  I tried to frame things into “Because THIS then THIS,” with no notable success.  What terrible news.  Fiction MUST have a progression, cause and effect, one thing leads to another.  Otherwise, why would the reader turn the page?

But one must persevere.  I vowed I would finish this novel.  I must either come up with an outline that fits what I have written thus far, and continue to write, or I must start all over again.  This is a daunting proposition, but one which I am prepared to face.

In the meantime, I am greatly enjoying my time sitting out on the deck while my beloved husband cooks supper.

Full disclosure:  Steven finished cooking when I has halfway through the second sentence of the first paragraph.  I stopped composing to eat then continued on,  leaving the headline I had written first, in order to make this Non-Sequitur Thursday.  I hope this blog post meets with your approval.

 

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Severed Heads, Murder Television and Foolish Blog Posts

Posted on August 10, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did anybody not expect a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post today?  Nonsense, of course you did.  Perhaps, like me, you were hoping for something better or at least different, but any length of acquaintance with me will show that I am continual proof of the rule: shit happens.

I am feeling marginally better from my sinus infection.  I have a new cord for my Acer and am once again typing with two hands.  Things are definitely looking up.

I’ve been researching my role for the play Roxy by watching television.  That is, I’ve been using that as an excuse.  Last night we saw Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which involves a guy getting his head chopped off.  OK, that really has very little to do with the play.  For one reason, the movie is a mystery while in the play it is quite well known whodunit (me).  Still, Bette Davis.  I couldn’t help myself.

Today, as I usually do on Sundays, I am watching Snapped on digital cable.  Some of those are about  wives who kill abusive husbands.  I caught the tail end of one where she killed him with an axe, then tried to hide the body and pretend it never happened.  The parallels were striking!  If only I had seen the entire episode.  Oh, OK, it was a re-run, and I’ve seen it at least a couple of times before.  I may even have seen another true crime show about the case.  I watch a lot of murder television.

Earlier this weekend I stopped by Ilion Wine and Spirits to purchase a bottle of wine.  One of the owners greeted me and asked how the blog was going.  I was forced to confess that I have twice tried to write a post about a wine tasting they recently hosted.  I must, I positively must finish that post and get it published.

As I begin my week, I hope once again to write good blog posts, not foolish ones.  But we’ll see what happens.  I think some people are entertained by my foolishness.  Sometimes I even entertain myself.  I hope you’re all having an enjoyable Sunday.

 

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First the Sinus Infection, Now This

Posted on August 9, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

This will  be a fast, foolish post, posted merely because I couldn’t bear to have today be the day I don’t make a post.

It’s computer problems.  My desk top refuses to cooperate.  The power cord on my Acer has inexplicably stopped going into the hole properly.  I am getting power now by virtue of holding the device in my left hand, jamming the cord against my fat thigh, typing with my right hand.  I haven’t typed single-handedly in a long time.  I HATE IT!

It does add to the interest of the post.  It is taking longer to type, so I’m not saying as much.  It is an enforced slow motion.  I can’t feel it improves me.

In case anybody was wondering,  I’m still sickly.  I slept the morning away and am trying to hydrate.  I say this merely to give an update, not to complain.  Well, maybe to whine a little.  Don’t judge.

I hope to solve my cord problems and type with two hands tomorrow.  Happy Saturday, folks.

 

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Lame Excuse for a Blog Post

Posted on August 8, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Lame Post Friday and I will be perfectly honest:  I want to finish this blog post so I can sit on the couch, crochet, and watch Snapped on digital cable.  I figured once I started typing in words I would enjoy myself, and once again, I was right.

I went to the doctor this morning because of that blasted lightheadedness I was whining about  yesterday.  She said it was probably a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics, so presumably help is on the way.  Speaking of relief, my Saturday overtime got cancelled, so it really, truly is Friday for me.

While I was in my break area at work, I looked out the window at an Ilion neighborhood.  I saw the nice dog I sometimes see.  I don’t know for a fact that the dog is nice, but I consider them all nice until proven otherwise.  As I looked at him, he stood up and looked down the street, tail wagging.  Unfortunately, my break ended before I could see what was making him so happy.

Anyways, that is my random observation for the day.  Regular readers will remember that Lame Post Friday is my traditional space for random observations and half-baked philosophy.  Do I have any half-baked philosophy to round out the post?  Let me see…

Is being lightheaded a good excuse for a bad blog post?  And if it is, how do my other lame excuses compare?  Are there many or even any good excuses for bad blog posts?  Am I not my own worst critic in calling them bad blog post?  Are we not all very often our own worst critics?

Discuss amongst yourselves.  I have an afghan to crochet and cable television to watch.  Happy Friday, folks.

 

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Tired from Having a Bad Attitude

Posted on August 5, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

So yesterday I was doing really well.  I wrote a real blog post AND I went running.  I thought, this is awesome, because I can write a running commentary for Tuesday’s post.

And then Tuesday happened.

Nothing really bad happened, but I got a really bad attitude nonetheless.  I did not get any writing done, because I was studying my lines for Roxy, the play I am in (which I believe I have mentioned before).  Full disclosure:  I also worked on a few cryptogram puzzles.  I thought it would make my mind more supple.  Did it work?  Well, who can tell how much MORE un-supple my mind would have been otherwise.  So difficult to have a control in these experiments.

So there I was, partway through my day and I knew it was Bad Attituesday.  A lot of other people at work had bad attitudes.  I didn’t worry about them and they didn’t worry about me.  Then I got home (an hour later than expected, by the way, but never mind THAT dull story) and tried to get all my stuff done before rehearsal.

Of course my most important chore of the evening was this blog post.  As I sat down to write it, my bad attitude had faded somewhat.   Unfortunately, it was not replaced by any notable ability to write anything decent.  I’m TIRED!  As I struggle to stay awake enough to write some semblance of a blog post, I worry how I will stay alert for rehearsal.  Oh, I’m afraid this is another Tired Tuesday.

Hey, I just realized something:  on Mondays I have either Middle-aged Musings Monday or Mental Meanderings Monday.  Tuesdays can be either Tired Tuesday or Bad Attituesday.  How clever I have become at thinking up things to write other than a regular blog post.  I’ll have to see what I can do about that.

Just as soon as I learn all my lines for that play.

News Flash! As I was adding the categories for this post, I noticed Tasty Tuesday.  I don’t remember having anything called Tasty Tuesday!  What a brilliant idea!  Next Tuesday I will be sure to eat something delicious, and that is what I will write about.

 

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Lame Old Woman

Posted on August 1, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Lame Post Friday, the day I do a silly post and do not apologize for it (that’s my new description for today. I like it).

It really is a Friday for me, because I am not working Saturday.  Woohoo!  Overtime is nice, but I like time even better, if you see what I mean.  I didn’t even have any overtime today, which meant I could sleep in to a leisurely 5 a.m.  I felt like a new woman!

Now that it is after work, I am feeling like the same old woman as usual.   Well, these things happen, especially at my age (middle).  I do not despair of thinking of something to say.

I was going to mention that I have some Mohawk Valley adventures planned for tomorrow.  However, I am uncomfortably aware that I have not yet blogged about last weekend’s adventures, nor yet a few adventures I had prior to that.  I use the silly verb “blogged” instead of  “written,” because I have in fact written about some of them.  The paragraphs reside in my notebook (the paper, spiral-bound kind) (do they even still make a computer called a notebook?), awaiting further work.

Wait a minute, I did blog about one adventure.  OK, you pedantic sorts (and I know some of my friends are; hell, I’m something of a pedant myself), I wrote a blog post about it.  That was yesterday’s post about eating a hamburger at Jerry’s Place in Hartwick.  I wish I had another hamburger to eat tonight.  Oh well, one can’t have everything.

One virtue I insist upon for my silly posts is that they be brief.  This post is over 250 words. I call that respectable. Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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This is Not What I Wrote on Break at Work

Posted on July 30, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh this is dreadful.  I was so determined NOT to have a Wuss-out Wednesday.  I brought all my notes and fliers from the weekend’s adventures to work with me.  When it was break time I opened my notebook and started writing!

Well, first I couldn’t settle on a lead.  That shouldn’t matter, I told myself.  Just write something, anything.  You can always edit later.  I wrote a sentence.  Crossed it out.  Wrote another sentence.  Crossed it out.  Consulted my notes.  Realized I had left at least one flier at home.  Sat with my pen poised over the notebook till the buzzer rang and I had to go back to work.

During a ten minute break, by the way, I had worked on, I think, three potential blog posts and one article for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  If anyone is gearing up to lecture me on focus, just give it a rest.  I gotta be me.

Back at work, I pondered my dilemma.  I picked one topic I thought I could get written.  I considered the different things I could write about it.  I went to lunch, opened my notebook, picked up my pen, and started writing.

I got almost a whole page done.  Aaahh.  I didn’t hate it.  I barely crossed anything out.   I was following my notes and adding insights and observations.  I could so write!  This was going to be just fine, a perfectly acceptable blog post.

And then the whole thing just  kind of petered out.  I was maybe a quarter of the way through my notes.  I reminded myself that I did not have to use ALL my notes.  But how many notes should I use?  Had I used the notes I’d used so far to best advantage?  Was this really anything anybody would want to read?

I know, this is inner critic carping that one must tune out while in the throes of composition.  The problem is, the bitch had a point.  What I had written may indeed have been perfectly acceptable, but I could do better.  It was almost the end of lunch time anyways.  I could fix everything later.

Who knew I would be so tired after work?  Oh, I know YOU probably did (you know who you are).  For heaven’s sake, three ten-hour days, two rehearsals, not a lot of sleep, swelteringly hot, humid weather.  AND NO, I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE HEAT, I AM MERELY POINTING OUT THE FACT THAT IT MAKES ME TIRED!!!  Jeezum.

On the brighter side, some readers enjoy posts about the writing process.  I myself often enjoy reading what other bloggers have to say on the subject.  On the even brighter side, I still have the stuff I wrote today.  I can look it over and edit, add, polish etc, tomorrow.  And I don’t have rehearsal tonight.  I can go to bed early.

I hope you are all having a stellar mid-week.

 

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Midsummer Monday

Posted on July 28, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I began the week determined to write my blog posts in advance.  I would not spend the week composing nonsense at the keyboard, mostly about how I just can’t write a real blog post.  I was going to Write Real Blog Posts.

So far, not so good.

In my defense, quite a full weekend, ten hour day today, rehearsal tonight (you know, for the play I’m in?).  Oh, and temperatures in the 80s (92 in Little Falls, which is not that far away).  I do not work in an air conditioned building.  When I did work in an air conditioned building, I wore  sandals skirts with no pantyhose.  Now I wear steel-toed work shoes and BDU pants.  I say this with pride, not complaint.  I am bad ass.

Unfortunately, “bad ass” does not necessarily translate into “able to write awesome blog posts.”

I tried, I really did.  Actually, what I first tried to write was an article for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I thought perhaps I could publish a shortened version for the blog.  It did not go well.  I tried to work on my novel.  I wrote one sentence on a scene I had previously written.  That effectively brought the scene to an end.  I started another scene.  Then I couldn’t remember if one character did or did not believe in ghosts.

How could I forget such a thing?  How long have I been living with these characters?  What kind of a writer am I?  I was too traumatized to write anything else.  I looked over my lines for the play then helped a co-worker with a crossword puzzle.

Now I must finish getting ready for rehearsal.  For anyone just tuning in, it is for Roxy, at Ilion Little Theatre.  I play Roxy.  And I just realized something:  yesterday was Severed Head Sunday.  Today I am going to rehearsal for a play in which I CHOP MY HUSBAND’S HEAD OFF!  Oh how delightful to have something in common with Joan Crawford!

So what if I can’t always write an awesome blog post?  I’m still bad ass.

 

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