Another Taste, Please!

Posted on May 15, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I wasn’t going to go to the tasting at Valley Wine and Spirits in Herkimer, NY yesterday, because when I get a free taste I like to make a purchase and I have enough wine and booze on hand for my next party which is not yet scheduled (I think that is a run-on sentence, but it is so seldom that I have one, I shall not apologize).  Where was I?  Oh yes, showing up to say hello to my friends of DikinDurt Distillery at Valley Wine and Liquor.

Nice lady, nice booze!

I seem to have mislaid the adventure book where I took my tasting notes, but I remember what I tasted and think I remember what I thought about it.  I actually think I left the book at the liquor store, because now that I think about it, I seem to remember putting it on some boxes of canned drinks under the tasting counter when I went to take the picture.  I can only hope it is still there, or that one of the workers saw it and said, “This has to be Cindy’s.”  I am known for going to tastings and taking tasting notes.

The bottle Kayla is holding is the Bourbon, which I liked.  It is funny how one’s tastes change, because I used to not care for bourbon.  Now I like the really good ones.  Next I tasted the clear Moonshine, which I purchased the last time I tasted DikinDurt.  I thought it might be good to serve at a party or perhaps to donate to a Basket of Cheer.  It was pretty strong all by itself.  90 proof, I think she said.

“That’ll clear your sinuses!” I said.  I liked it, but these things can be dangerous if taken to excess.

Next I tried the Raspberry, just to try a sweet one, which I rarely do.  It was quite tasty, very fruity and sweet. I am not big on the sweet stuff, but I can see where others might like this, mixed with pink lemonade or ginger ale, or even over ice.

I greatly enjoyed my tastes and my conversation.  DikinDurt Distillery has a tasting room at 7447 Main St., Newport, NY, which is open Fridays by reservation, 315-868-1563.  Their products are available at Valley Wine and Wine and Liquor as well as many local bars and restaurants. You can follow them on Facebook.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Mustard Seed to the Rescue!

Posted on May 14, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I stopped for a few groceries at Hannaford.  As I was getting some deli meat and cheese, I thought how good it would taste on artisan bread from Fox Tale Artisan Bakery in Little Falls.  Actually, I could not remember the name of the place other than Fox.  What I thought was, “I need to get some of that Fox bread for this!”  I impulsively drove to Little Falls, NY.

Taken on a previous visit.

And found out they are only open on weekends.  Serves me right for not checking first.  To cheer myself up, I went next door to the Mustard Seed, always a favorite stop.  I ha a delightful conversation with one of the owners and purchased a lovely pair of monarch butterfly earrings.  I mentioned that I don’t often wear orange, and she said she often wore black.  Oh yes, they would definitely brighten up a black dress or top.

“They would go good with purple, too,” I said.  I wear a lot of purple. Come to think of it, I do have a couple of orange tops.  Alas, today I put on pink, so I cannot wear my new earrings and take a selfie.  Then again, I am not as beautiful as I say I am, so selfies are not so great.

The bumblebee is the mascot of the Mustard Seed.

I will return to Fox Tales Artisan Bakery, perhaps as soon as this weekend.  They are located at 407 Canal Place, Little Falls, NY, phone number 315-508-5021.  The Mustard Seed is at 401 Canal Place, phone number 315-823-0718.  In addition to earrings and conversation, you can get scents, pottery, spice blends, gluten-free baked goods and treats, and more.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Old Mystery, New Mystery

Posted on May 13, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am going to have a Way Back Wednesday post but cannot decide if I want to go back to murder mysteries or gardening glories.  OK, my previous gardening endeavors have not been particularly glorious; I was merely going for the alliteration, since one is built in for murder mysteries.  Since I shared flowers yesterday and am concerned with Saturday’s performance of A Revolutionary Murder, I think I will go with the first one.

They are more suspicious than they look.

These are two of the suspects from A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which we presented in October 2017 to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I was thinking about it last night, because my friend, Chuck, who is in A Revolutionary Murder, said that was one of his favorite characters, an endearingly gung ho ghost hunter (why in the world is my computer underlining “gung”?  I even looked it up!).  Saturday he plays a wheeler-dealer in charge of the evening.

Here’s the whole murderous crew!

Here is the entire cast of A G.R.A.V.E. Murder.  The second from the right is in A Revolutionary Murder as well.  He played a snotty, snobby fellow in the first but plays a gung ho musical theatre aficionado in the second.

Look at the crowd!

One more shot of G.R.A.V.E.  It was one of our best attended performances, which led to some problems being heard.  I hope we will get good attendance on Saturday and help Morning Star make some money.

A Revolutionary Murder will be presented at Morning Star United Methodist Church, 36 Second St., Ilion, NY, on Saturday, May 16, doors open at 5 p.m., roast pork dinner at 5:30.  It is a good idea to get there at 5 p.m. For tickets or more information call Barb at 315-894-4520.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Way Back Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Probably Won’t Eat Pancakes

Posted on May 12, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is too early in the day to make a Tired Tuesday post.  How can I be tired already?  I haven’t really done anything!  Well, I have written and emailed out my story on last night’s Ilion Village Board of Trustees meeting.  Always good to get that out of the way.  Now I am hungry and want breakfast. I sometimes go driving around looking for an appropriate picture for the story then go out for breakfast.  Good times.  But I had a picture already, because they swore in a new trustee.  I could still go out for breakfast, I suppose, after I make my blog post, and title this, Pre-Pancake Post.  That has kind of a ring to it.  My readers would never know whether or not I actually ate the pancakes.

Will my deck see any of these this year?

Could somebody please explain to me why autocorrect capitalized M in “my” when I typed in that caption (and why it always underlines “autocorrect”?)?  Never mind.  This is a picture from a few years ago, when I used to have a nice container garden on my deck.  My deck is a disaster area these days, as is the inside of my house.  I must and will do something about it.  I felt inspired when I was purchasing the hanging basket for my mother at T&J’s Fruits and Vegetables.  They had all kinds of plants I could get for my containers.

This is what I aim for!

I searched for another picture to further inspire myself.  The first picture was the plants just brought home from the greenhouse.  This was after I had done a little work with them.  I will do some work!  It will make a good blog post!  Wish me luck.  And a little more ambition.

 

4 Comments

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

Hanging Out With Mom

Posted on May 11, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

 

Leave a comment

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

It Isn’t Really So Early, Is It?

Posted on May 10, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am making a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning.  Too early to swoon, you say?  Nonsense!  The early bird get the worm, or the chaise lounge, as the case may be.  I once said, “The early bird gets the worm, but the late bird gets spaghetti,” with a waggish intonation.  I forgot I said it and when reminded, I said, “I said that?  I’m witty,” arguably a more quotable line, unless you are inordinately fond of spaghetti, which I am.

When I first started typing the preceding paragraph, a little bubble appeared on my Chromebook reading, “help me write.”  I was highly offended. Help me write?  I need no help to write!  I am an excellent writer! And I do not care if I flatter myself.

Mmmm… wine…

I threw in a picture, to distract from the fact that I was flattering myself.  This is Montezuma Winery’s tasting room in Old Forge, NY, which I visited with my sister Cheryl last fall.  I was mentioning their tasting room in Cooperstown just yesterday.  I like to visit tasting rooms.

My situation this morning, by the way, is that I must take my shower and pack, because I am going to Rome to spend Mother’s Day with my lovely mother and equally wonderful father.  I intend to spend the night.  I do not know why I become so flustered over what should in fact be a fairly routine matter, but so it is.  However, I have managed a blog post of over 200 words, so my daily blogging habit continues.  Once again, I thank you all for tuning in.

 

Leave a comment

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

Just a Taste!

Posted on May 9, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

This week Valley Wine and Liquors in Herkimer NY is doing three days of New York State tastings.  You know Mohawk Valley Girls plans to be there all three days!  So far I have attended two and can I just say YUM!

He had a lot of spirit!

Thursday was Old Home Distillers out of Lebanon, NY.  I met Aaron who, with his brother Adam and his parents run the show.  He poured me itty bitty tastes, so I could try all the different flavors. They distill small batch hand-crafted spirits using locally grown ingredients.  Regular readers know I am more into wine than liquor.  I believe this is because liquor is, as they say, quicker, and I need to take things slowly at my age.  But this stuff was good.  I think I could sip the Field Days Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bourbon slowly.

The rye from the Electric Mayhem straight rye whiskey comes from Richfield Springs.  I liked the homage to the band from the Muppet Show.  It was also a reference to the mayhem that  inevitably ensues when one begins to distill rye, Aaron said.  The one I purchased, though was the Peppershine.  When I tasted it, I said, “Ow!  I would have to have this one in a mixed drink.”  Aaron suggested a Bloody Mary or a highball.  He had me a Bloody Mary.  He gave me a flier of cocktail recipes which included one for a Bloody Mary.

I also picked up a flier for the distillery.  I wonder if I could persuade anybody to take a road trip with me.  I would love to go take a tour.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Lame Myself

Posted on May 8, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I think I have whined a couple of times about my mysterious leg pains.  I keep putting off calling the VA to make another appointment in hopes that it mysteriously resolves itself as pains sometimes do.  In the meantime, it has been causing some problems, because I rely on my nearly daily walks and runs to supplement my anti-depressant medications.  I gradually become more open in talking about my depression in hopes of doing my little part to remove the stigma still attached to mental health.  Was that virtue signalling?  Oh dear. All I really set out to do was make a Running Commentary blog post.  Quick, throw in a picture to distract from my word salad.

Decidedly not where I ran today.

I did run up this hill recently.  Incidentally, it is more intimidating when you are on it than it looks in this picture.  Getting back to today.  My legs and back usually feel pretty good when I first get up, so I thought I would try at least a short run.  I am registered for the Boilermaker 15K, and I would really hate to miss it.  Additionally, I am putting on weight.  And I LIKE to run!  With everything in my favor, I got my gear on and set out.

And it felt pretty good.  I did not attempt any hills and I set a rather slow pace.  I considered trying for two miles, figuring in my head how many weeks I have till the big race and how fast I ought to try to improve.  Doing math in my head is a good way to pass the time while I run.  A drill sergeant told me many years ago that running was just a matter of distracting yourself from how much it sucks to run.

I had looped around and was heading towards my house when my left calf started to ache just a little.  I was about 20 minutes into the run.  I had been going to make a turn and run another block or two, but then I thought, don’t be stupid. Twenty minutes is fine after more than a week off.  I went home.  I think it was a good thing I did, because when I stopped running and stood still, my leg started hurting like a sonofabitch!  I couldn’t do my cool-down walk!  I couldn’t do my stretches!  I made it into the house, sat down on the couch, and put my feet up.  And made this blog post.

That brings us up to date.  I see I have babbled on for over 400 words, and I just remembered something:  This is Lame Post Friday.  I find that strangely appropriate.

 

4 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

No Pictures, But a Great Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 7, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I made my silly blog post yesterday I neglected to mention that I did so have a Mohawk Valley Adventure on Tuesday:  I attended the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the Ilion Elks Lodge.  Unfortunately, I took no pictures, so it won’t be such a great blog post.  It’s a funny thing.  I went five years without putting a picture in a blog post.  Now, if I don’t have a picture to add, I feel paralyzed.  What’s that all about, me?

I do not often find ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but I have identified with the holiday ever since I made the possibly Freudian typo Cindy de Mayo.  But I love Mexican food and occasionally a good Margarita, and I had to be in Ilion on Tuesday anyways, so…

The Elks offered $2 mini Margaritas and $3 tacos.  You got to build your own taco, which was pretty sweet.  I chose soft shell.  I also opted for a full size margarita, because I loved the glass.  I got Patron tequila.  For one reason, another person at the bar told me it was delicious.  For another, my maiden name is Vetrone, and it rhymes. I find that unassailable logic.  It was, in fact, a delicious margarita. There were some good desserts too. I enjoyed a Margarita Bar, which was kind of like a lemon square, only lime.

Alas, I could not linger.  I had to move on to a rehearsal for A Revolutionary Murder. (preview of coming attractions)  We are giving another performance on May 16 at Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, at a Roast Pork dinner.  I have written a different ending, so anybody who attended the first performance will still be surprised.

Leave a comment

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

First Rule: Make a Blog Post

Posted on May 6, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have somehow made it halfway through the week and, oh dear, not a whole lot done.  Then again, what is the rule for how much a crazy old lady is supposed to get done, and who sets these rules anyways?  There are always my rules for me, such as Any Writing Counts, but I do not remember setting a rule for How Much Should Get Done.  Note to self:  Set rule about how much should get done.  Or don’t.

Where was I?

Ain’t nobody here but us chickens!

I threw in a picture to distract from the fact that I have not much to say (I bet you thought I was going to say “to pep things up”) (you know who you are).  As I chose the chicken (yes, CHOSE the chicken, kindly do not get vulgar, this is a family blog!) (again, you know who you are), I thought to myself that it is too early for a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  Then again, that is another Cindy-made rule.  There are no penalties for transgressions.

He loves me, he loves me not…

I found this picture in May 2023 of my Media Library.  I was thinking of mowing down or trying to move my wild daisies this year.  They get a little out of control and completely overshadow the forget-me-nots and lilies of the valley.  They are not very far along so far, but I guess it is early days yet.  I have not bestirred myself to do much outside yet.  The first thing I need to do is to get my lawnmower looked at. I seem to remember indulging in No Mow May last year.  They say it is good for the environment, but for me it was a handy excuse to be lazy (judge me if you are so inclined).

I see I have babbled on for over 300 words.  I shall bill this as a Wuss-out Wednesday and drive on.  I shall be out and about today and try for some Mohawk Valley Adventures.  I hope you are all having a lovely week.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
→