Another Coffee Adventure!

Posted on February 28, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of this title yesterday, as I was writing my blog post, because I remembered that Athenix Books and Brews in Little Falls, NY, was opening the Brews component on Feb. 26.  I needed to get there soon and make a blog post about it!  I drank tea for my first cuppa at home this morning, then after completing a couple of other chores and errands, I headed to Little Falls.

Lots of choices!

I opted for a regular dark roast coffee with whole milk.  I couldn’t resist also getting an Oreo brownie.  I sat at a tall table wrote a few more lines on my murder mystery (preview of coming attractions)  while I enjoyed my treat.  As I sat there I noticed that it looked as if there were letters on the wood floor.  I could not make out what they were supposed to be until I got up and realized I had been looking at them upside down.  Normally I can read upside down, but I failed this morning.

It says Athenix!

I was very impressed with the craftsmanship.  The whole place looks wonderful to me.  Nick mentioned he had gotten a one star review that called the floors unfinished and not modern.  Another customer and I asserted that we love them.  They have character and add to the ambiance.

Cozy!

I sat at a tall table, but there are also some soft chairs and sofas to lounge on while you enjoy your beverage.  I plan to make this a regular stop.  I will sit at a table or one of the cushy chairs, sip my coffee or tea and write!

Athenix Books and Brews is located at 624 E. Main St., Little Falls, NY.  You can follow them on Facebook.

 

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I Get Adventurous with my Coffee

Posted on February 27, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

A lot of my Mohawk Valley Adventures involve food.  Well, I like to eat; I may have mentioned that my weight-loss goals are more like daydreams.  Never mind that.  It is also important to me to be sociable. I meet a group of my Elks friends every Thursday for breakfast at various area restaurants and diners.  This morning we went to the Java Shop in Herkimer.

At least you can read “Java.”

Oh dear, I knew I should have tried for a better picture.  In my defense, it was snowing this morning.  I have been to the Java Shop several times and am a great fan of their breakfast sandwiches.  I usually get regular coffee but decided to mix it up this morning with something cold and fancy.  I got a Delgano, which is whipped coffee with milk on the bottom.  SO silly of me not to get a picture of it!  I guess it is an excuse to return to the Java Shop soon.  I also got a breakfast sandwich with ham, egg and cheese on a roll.

Full breakfasts are also available. One friend got an omelet while another got eggs and toast.  The home fries looked delicious.  I noticed the shop does a booming take-out business, especially for the coffees.  There are a lot of options available, for coffee and for food. I greatly enjoyed my breakfast.  I only hope to remember to take more pictures the next time I am there.

The Java Shop by Cucino Berto is located at 402 Mohawk St., Herkimer NY, phone number 315-717-7724.

 

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Waste Not, Shout Out

Posted on February 26, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had thought to do a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post, but when I looked through the pictures in my cellphone, I saw very few I had not used that I liked.  Some of them were pictures I had taken to submit with my articles for Sentinel Media.  Some were more before and after pictures of my shoveling endeavors, but really, how many snow pictures do we need?  No doubt a few more, and I will take them.

In the meantime, I found two pictures that I liked.

I love a punny name.

I am really surprised I had not used this one.  Perhaps my Media Library does not show everything all the time.  In any case, I am happy to give To Niche Their Own another shout-out.  They have all kinds of fun and beautiful things: jewelry, clothes, decor, key chains, stuffed toys, crochet items… I think I need to go back there and look around some more.

Yes, books!

This is Athenix Books and Brews (I believe Brews will be available as of tomorrow!), which I have written about a few times, but this is a special picture for me.  On the Local Authors page there are two books by my sister Diane E. Young.  You can see Soulmates pretty well; Wednesday Wine Club is right behind it.  I find it pretty cool to see my sister’s books in a real book store.  Now my ambition is to write a book myself, so maybe Athenix can carry me, too!

To Niche Their Own is located at 127 Mohawk St., Herkimer NY.  Athenix Books and Brews is at 624 E. Main St., Little Falls, NY.

 

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Thank Goodness It’s Tired Tuesday?

Posted on February 25, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I am making a Tired Tuesday blog post, even though I am making it earlier than I made my Monday blog post, yet I feel even more tired.  But I want to be a daily blogger, so here I go.

An oldie but a goodie.

I do not really care that it is Tuesday instead of Friday.  However, I was looking for a picture to pep things up and saw my favorite Tuesday meme.  In fact, for me Tuesday is a better day than Monday. Most Mondays I have to go to a town or village board meeting in the evening, then write a story about it for Sentinel Media.  Tuesday morning I finish the story and try to find something to take a picture of to go with it.  Once that is done, I have such a feeling of accomplishment.  Then I laugh at myself, because real reporters do much more than one or two stories a week (I have the Frankfort Town Board meeting on Thursday this week).

Random picture of snow.

I went running yesterday, on partially icy roads.  Today I walked, wearing boots and walking on snowy sidewalks.  There was ice under the snow, so I exercised caution.  The sole came off one of my boots, so I may be boot shopping tomorrow (preview of coming attractions?).

So that is my post, for better or worse.  It has been difficult for me to find bloggable activities in the winter weather, but I will try to do better tomorrow.  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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Monday Night Flights

Posted on February 24, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was at the Ilion Elks Lodge when I remembered I did not make a blog post today.  That was OK, though, because I was about to partake in an excellent subject for a blog post: Monday Night Flights.  I have attended Monday Night Flights before but thought I would not make tonight’s, because I had to cover the Ilion Village Board Meeting.  Imagine my delight when the meeting did not last very long.

I was happy to walk in and see some friends.  They were happy to see me, too.  I ordered a glass of wine, because there were no flights in sight.  Jackie, the bartender, gave me a beautiful glass.

Alas, I did not get the best picture!

You can’t really tell, but there are flamingos on it, and the base has polka dots.  Eventually Jackie poured the flights.  We sampled three cocktails: Cherry Rose Mudslide, Very Sexy Martini, and Tiffany Mimosa.

I thought they were all pretty good, but my favorite was the Cherry Rose Mudslide.  A regular Mudslide is kind of like a chocolate shake with a kick.  This one had hints of cherry.  I later found out they use Tequila Rose in it.  I seem to remember sampling Tequila Rose some years ago but do not remember it very well.  I liked the Tiffany Mimosa better than the regular kind.  I found out I have been making Mimosas wrong to begin with.  Apparently you are only supposed to  add enough orange juice to change the color.  A fellow flight sampler told me that.  I guess I don’t know if it is true.

The Very Sexy Martini was interesting, but I prefer a regular martini, perhaps a dirty martini.  However, this martini had champagne in it, which I found interesting.  I guess I like to drink straight champagne, but to each their own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

They were selling turkey wrap sandwiches, so I ate one of those, which helped me not get tipsy.  The flights were not large: enough to let you taste the cocktail but not enough to get you drunk.  I meant to take a picture of the three little glasses but foolishly forgot.

I highly recommend Flight Nights as Ilion Elks Lodge.  You can follow their Facebook page to see when the next one will be.

 

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Not a Useful Blog Post

Posted on February 22, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

It has long been a contention of mine that there is no point in trying to get anything done on a Sunday.  My brain and body rebel against all useful activity and most not so useful activity that still requires effort.  One thing that requires very little effort is a Wrist to Forehead Sunday blog post.  So here I am.

The crooked path I follow towards my ill-defined goals.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  There are actually very few paths through the snow just now.  I tend to walk in the road, especially if I am not wearing boots.  What I would really like to find is a pair of fake leather high top sneakers.  I wore a pair of those through two Potsdam winters and my feet were dry and comfy!  One sole finally parted with the upper when I was pushing it off using the other foot.  These were the days before I had multiple pairs of footwear, so it was a little bit of a problem.  But I digress.

Did somebody say footwear?

Looking for another picture, I came across this one of Melfe’s Shoes at their old location in Ilion, NY.  That is my late, dearly missed husband Steve.  I insisted he get a really good pair of shoes to help his aching feet.  I myself purchased several pairs of running shoes and one pair of nurse’s shoes there.  Additionally, I got a free pair (or two) of safety-toe work shoes every January when I worked at Remington Arms.  It was a perk of employment. I still have the free t-shirts they give out in January.

What a scattered post.  Kind of stream of consciousness.  I see I am approaching 300 words.  I do like to keep these silly posts short.  I hope you are all having a delightful Sunday.

Melfe’s Shoes is now located at 101 W. Main St., Mohawk, NY, phone number 315-894-4049.

 

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I Get my Wish for Fish!

Posted on February 21, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

All week I looked forward to going to Fish Fry at Herkimer Elks Lodge.  I got the fish to go several times last year and, YUM!  This year, I planned to dine in and sit with friends.  My parents may join me later in the season.  I encourage anybody who likes fish to check it out!

Who doesn’t love fish fry? I guess somebody somewhere, but I love it!

Being an Elk Lodge member, I showed up early and had a glass of wine at the bar before eating.  When we sat down, I was hungry!  In fact, I did not get fried fish but, with calories and my finicky stomach in mind, asked for the baked. Dinner included fish, cole slaw, fries or baked potato, and a roll with butter.  I opted for the baked potato.  Mmmm… sour cream!

Such a good meal!

I hope to get the fish fried another Friday, if my stomach is feeling good, but I will probably stick with the baked potato.  Dinner is $17.  For an additional $4, you can get clam chowder.  Cash bar is available.

Herkimer Elks Lodge is located at 124 Mary St., Herkimer, NY.  Fish Fry runs Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. during Lent.  You can eat in or take out!  Call 315-866-1439.

 

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I Can’t Give You Anything But Lame

Posted on February 21, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am not only having a Lame Post Friday blog post, my entire Friday is lame.  However, it did not start out that way.  It started out with a not too bad run, and I had thought to make a Friday Running Commentary.

The weather people forecast all kinds of bad stuff for today, but it did not seem to have started yet, so I got on my running stuff and got going. I was a little nervous, because the roads looked wet and the temperature was not very much above freezing, according to my thermostat, which often gives a higher temperature than what is actually out there.  But I had not run since Monday.  I may still register for the Boilermaker 15K.  And I am not losing any weight!

Right away I felt some cold raindrops on my face.  Oh swell.  Was it freezing rain, the beginning of the wintry mix we had been promised?  Never mind.  I was out there, I would give it a shot.  I kept to the roads, which had been sanded.  As long as I felt something crunching under my sneakers, I felt all right.  When I turned onto German Street and moved to the side of the road due to traffic, I felt one foot slide.  Oh dear!  But my old lady shuffling pace saved me. I stuck to the side streets after that.

Picture taken during my cool-down walk.

Early on in my run, I felt a kind of time warp as I saw somebody’s Christmas tree at the curb. It didn’t look dried out or anything!  Had these people kept watering it throughout January and most of February?  Sometimes after a run I feel like collapsing on the curb and waiting for somebody to haul me away, but that was not the case today.  The run felt pretty good, and I felt pretty good.

The better day to run would have been yesterday, when the roads were bare.  However, I went over to my sister Cheryl’s, and played in the snow with her two grandkids.  She and her son-in-law were chipping ice out of the gutter.  The snow was the crunchy kind, crusted on top, soft underneath.  It is an effort to walk around in such snow but so fun to make the crunch.  The kids got the idea to make a snow fort using some of the ice-ish layer, you know, the part you crunch through.  I helped them carry chunks of ice.  It must have been good exercise, because I got quite out of breath.

It is hard to see the edifice, because of white on white.

I also helped find a couple of the sticks we decorated it with.  Anyways, running on the sanded ice, crunching though the icy snow, I had two days of exercise.  Will I manage to leave the house tomorrow?  It will depend on what Mother Nature piles on us overnight!

 

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Another Good Breakfast

Posted on February 19, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Thursdays I usually meet a few of my friends from the Elks Club for breakfast.  Looking back at the last couple of blog posts, I see I eat out a lot.  Well, one must eat after all, and why not put some money into the local economy as well?  So I was happy to drive to Little Falls to Ann Street Restaurant and Deli.

It looks like they still have their Christmas decorations outside.

The sign says, “Restaurant and Deli,” but their Facebook page is “Ann Street Deli,” and I usually hear it referred to as Ann Street Deli.  I add this purely for information’s sake. I remembered to take a picture before going in, so I would have an illustration for my blog post.  I have eaten at Ann Street many times, for breakfast or lunch.  It is a very popular spot, for good reason.

I had one of my favorites: a sandwich with egg, ham and cheese on a grilled hard roll.  One of my companions asked for mayonnaise on his sandwich (I forget which kind he got), and I said, “Oh yeah, put mayonnaise on my sandwich, too!”  I got into putting mayonnaise on my breakfast sandwiches in the army.  A friend who was from Alabama used to do it, and when I was in Georgia, the Waffle House automatically brought a packet of mayo with your sandwich.   I thought it was a southern thing.

Of course I had coffee and a glass of water.  And I enjoyed some good conversation.  Looking around, I saw that Ann Street is a gathering place as well as a restaurant.  There were a lot of groups of various sizes enjoying each other’s company as well as a good breakfast.

Ann Street Deli is located at Canal Place, Little Falls, NY, phone number 315-823-3290.

 

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Good Tuesday Dinner

Posted on February 19, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday was Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday as I like to call it.  I know, for me every Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, and every other day as well.  Leave me alone, I’m working on it (was it a Freudian typo that I first put “forking on it”?).  Anyways, the day was wearing on, and I thought I would like to do something fat.  Like go out to eat.  After considering every possible place I could get to, I decided on the Paradise Eatery.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I had made the right decision, as the waitress gave me a big smile and welcomed me.  Soon I was sitting down and looking at a menu.  My eye immediately fell on Cheeseburger, and my body said, “Yes!”  It was a rare moment of decisiveness for me.  I had asked for a glass of water to start with but later requested a cup of coffee as well.  It was very good coffee.

The Cheeseburger was everything I had hoped for, and it came with fries which were perfectly done.  I chatted a little with the waitress, who has helped me before when I have eaten there.  I told her how her big smile had made my day.

Picture taken at a different time.

When looking for a picture, I remembered my original post about Paradise Eatery was “Bad Pictures, Good Eatery.”  I guess I need to get some better pictures.  An excellent excuse for another meal at Paradise Eatery!

Paradise Eatery is located at 122 W. Albany St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-219-5149.

 

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