Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

I Digress

Posted on October 30, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am lightheaded. I don’t know why: I have not taken any sinus medication since… Thursday? I forget (an effect of the medication? Or my current lightheadedness?). And yet a voice in my head keeps repeating, “But my blog! My blog!”

I have not gone running in two or three weeks (a glance at my running journal would tell me, but that’s downstairs). (My running journal is a journal only by the most generous definition of the word. It is a spiral bound book I bought at Micheal’s for $1, and when I run Steven or I make a note of how long I ran, sometimes including hills climbed and dogs petted.) (Actually, I think it is quite appropriate, considering my runs are actually running only by the most generous definition of the term.) (But I digress.)

So I want to start running again, but I have not even been walking much. So I tried to get in a couple of walks this weekend. Saturday Tabby and I went for two 20-minute walks. It felt very good. And a little cold. We did not encounter anything blogworthy.

Today (Sunday) we went for an almost half hour walk. It was even colder, but the sun was bright. I had on my prescription sunglasses (a wonderful device) but was soon wishing I had also worn a hat. That little line between my forehead and the top of my glasses was blinding me. Too bad I don’t have a Frankenstein-style overhanging brow. That would be practical and seasonal. I normally would have worn my crazy old lady hat with its wide brim, but I had on a knitted headband against the cold. I put my hood up and tried to pull it forward with indifferent success. I crossed the street to enjoy some shade. It is colder in the shade, but I have come to accept that you can’t have everything. Tabby did her business and I discovered that it is not too cold for doggie poop to stink. That’s one good thing about when there’s snow on the ground: you scoop a little up with the poop and it doesn’t stink so bad.

It was after I got home from the walk that my lightheadedness hit me. Seriously, I went to go up the stairs and instead laid down on the landing for about ten minutes. Must be it’s not too cold for the pollens to play havoc with my sinuses. And it is damn hard to write a coherent blog post with your head spinning.

A kind friend wrote me a comment on Lame Post Friday, saying why didn’t I feel free to write what I felt like writing. Since I’m in the Mohawk Valley, anything I write is technically germane. I guess I’ve invoked that rule today. My walks were taken in the Mohawk Valley. When I manage to run again, it will be in the Mohawk Valley. You know what, I’ll bet it’s Mohawk Valley pollens that are making me so lightheaded. So there.

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Posted in dogs, humor, lame, Mohawk Valley, running, walking. Bookmark the permalink.

Lots of Local, with Wine

Posted on October 29, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Friday I was delighted to have a Wine Tasting to attend at Vintage Spirits, 246 Mohawk St., Herkimer.

The tasting ran from four to seven. We arrived shortly after 4:30 when the event was in full swing. The Jones Family Farm was also there with goat cheese samples. I am not very familiar with goat cheese and I am happy to report: it’s yummy!

The Jones Family Farm is located at 753 Caldwell Rd., Herkimer. I intend to go there one day soon for a whole blog post about them. For now I’ll tell you the cheeses I tasted were delicious. I told the lady about my blog and how I’d say there was Great Cheese Lady at the tasting. She suggested I capitalize it.

Also present at the tasting was Domnhall Vineyards, also of Herkimer. I had met them at the Crusaders Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Herkimer County Community College in the spring (alas, pre-blog days, because that would have made a great post). They are located at 531 Shells Bush Rd. I asked the guy when he would have a tasting room available. I confess, I was hoping for today, because I have a couple of sisters coming over later who would love to go to a winery for a tasting. He said probably by spring. I’ll be on the look-out for that. For now, I tasted the semi-dry Vignoles and Baco Noir he was offering. Both were very tasty.

Bronson of Vintage Spirits was offering a number of reds and whites. I tried a Prosecco, a lightly oaked Chardonnay (I don’t like the heavily oaked ones), and two blends. I learned how to pronounce Dogajola, an Italian winery from which we sampled a red and a white (the j sounds like y, as opposed to h in Spanish, or, you know, j).

I decided on the Prosecco, which is bubbly, because I’m having a party tonight. I think a few of my guests would like to mimose, as we say. Bronson also told me I could add peach nectar and make bellinis. That sounded good too, but I forgot to look for the peach nectar when I was at the store this morning. I also purchased the Domnhall Vineyards Baco Noir, because I was fairly sure I would be more in the mood for a dry red. Steven had already purchased a dill cheese spread. Very good choice.

When we got to the front of the store, a lady asked us did we want to sample some vodka. I told her I was not much of a vodka drinker.

“Have you ever tried flavored?” she asked.

“I have.”

“How about some rum?”

I do like rum. One of the men at the register took the wine bottles I was carrying. “Wise man,” I said. “Don’t let me hold the bottles while I’m tasting the rum.”

It was Sailor Jerry spiced rum. Quite yummy. I sampled it straight, but I think I’d also like it in a cup of coffee.

As I was paying for the wine, the man at the register showed me a pomegranate liqueur which he said would be good in the Prosecco. I impulse bought an airplane sized bottle. In case somebody at the party feels adventurous.

We left with our wine and cheese, and headed to Ilion for the Farmers Market. Lots of local purchases! And stay tuned for future posts about the Jones Family Farm and Domnhall Vineyards.

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Posted in cheese, Herkimer, Ilion, local business, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Random Observations

Posted on October 29, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

On Thursday I thought, “I don’t have to do anything Mohawk Valley-ish tonight: tomorrow is Lame Post Friday!” Today (Friday), I realize that, lame or not, I still have to actually write something. What the blankety-blank am I going to find to talk about?

I’m eating an egg and olive sandwich. I blogged about making egg and olive and how it turned out soupy. I fixed it by adding two more eggs, and now it’s pretty good.

Something I always wonder about is why they say you can’t have your cake and eat it too. When someone says, “Have some cake,” don’t they expect you to eat it? I may have mentioned this before. If so, sorry for repeating myself.

The Ilion Farmer’s Market is NOT closing for the season but runs all winter long. It is Friday and Saturday at Clapsaddle Farm on Otsego Street. I want to go there today and buy some pickles. I hope they have the garlic kind.

The sun seems to be shining for the first time in a few days. I hope it refrains from raining this evening, so I can take my dog for a walk.

And there’s another odd expression: “The sun is trying to peek out.” The sun does not really move much; we all know the earth rotates to create the appearance of sunrise and sunset. The clouds move in front of the sun. The sun has very little to do with it. In fact, I believe about a million miles separate the clouds from the sun. I would be very surprised to find out the sun considers the matter at all.

I have no half baked philosophy for today. It’s kind of too bad, because my usual Happy Friday Mood has eluded me for much of the day. I think some philosophy may have helped. After all, as the great Donald Westlake once said, “My philosophy is you have to be philosophical about it.”

And there’s your Friday post. See ya Saturday.

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A Halloween Poem

Posted on October 28, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today’s post is a poem I wrote which may very well have happened in the Mohawk Valley.

The Purple Broom

The witch flew on the purple broom
High above the trees.
She like to loop, she like to zoom,
Wherever she might please.

As she flew, she chanced to meet
A monster with one eye.
He tried to kick her with his feet,
But Witchy flew too high.

And then she met a Frankenstein
Walking through the wood.
Frankie said, “I’m feeling fine,
And hope that you are good.”

The witch flew on, it was such fun.
And soon she met a zombie.
He was quite the well-dressed one
In Fitch and Ambercrombie.

And on she flew into the night.
She saw a werewolf prowling.
The witch said, “Boo!” Try as she might,
She could not get him howling.

A skeleton waved from the street.
His fingers were all bloody.
“Come down!” he said. “I’d like to meet!
And I could be your buddy!”

A wizard with a cauldron black
Was stirring up his potion.
“I need a broom! Come back!” he said.
But Witchy stayed in motion.

Past ghosts and ghouls and everyone,
And as the night drew on,
The purple broom was fast and fun,
And so the witch flew on.

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Haunted Walk

Posted on October 27, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

In the spirit (so to speak) of making another haunted post during Halloween week, I decided to walk my schnoodle, Tabby, past a couple of buildings in Herkimer which I had read might possibly harbor ghosts.

I was a little flustered when we started out, because I had many things to do that evening and was approximately halfway through them. But I needed a blog post for Wednesday (today), and it is too early in the week to go lame (so to speak) (for new or sometime readers: that is a reference to Lame Post Fridays).

We headed to the Historic Four Corners, which holds the 1834 Jail and the Herkimer County Courthouse, both of which are reputed to be haunted. I thought I might also stroll by the other two corners, the Herkimer Reformed Church and the County Historic Society, just in case.

The Reformed Church seemed like a good bet, with the graveyard and all. Tabby was more interested in sniffing a handy patch of marigolds outside the yard. I started to pull her along, then I noticed a sign in front of the church that said, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s one of my favorite Bible quotes, and it was so apropos for the moment. I stood still till Tabby had finished her sniff.

I saw a light on in the church, so I did not walk into the graveyard after all. I did not want to be caught creeping around gravestones looking for spooks by people doing church business.

We crossed the street and walked up the steps to the door of the 1834 Jail. I felt somebody watching me and waiting for them to ask me what I thought I was doing there. I was all ready to say, “Just checking if there was a ghost,” but nobody asked. Then when I looked, nobody was there. It was not until later that I realized the significance of that. I felt somebody watching me, but nobody was there. Hmmmm… Only,do ghosts go out onto the sidewalk in front of buildings they haunt? I suppose it would depend on the ghost.

We walked across Main Street to the courthouse, which is still in use for the purpose for which it was built. When we got to the top of the steps, I saw a couple of current notices taped to the door. Very prosaic. We walked back down the steps in time to greet a very cute little dog walking with his person. Tabby was less than thrilled when he wanted to sniff her butt. They all do.

I started to walk up the sidewalk next to the courthouse. It bordered a parking lot so did not look like any place I was not supposed to be. I did not notice anything unusual, but Tabby pulled me very insistently back to the Main Street sidewalk. She was not at all interested in checking out the Historic Society but kept pulling in the direction of home. I could not help wondering if she saw something I did not. In any case, I figured she had been nice enough to accompany me two places ghost hunting, I would let her decide where the rest of the walk took us. She took us straight home. I only made her wait for traffic when we crossed a couple of streets.

We passed one pedestrian on our own street. Tabby barked a little angrily at his ankles as we crossed paths, which is unusual for her.

“What’s that all about?” I asked her. The odor of tobacco drifted back to me, so I wondered if Tabby had taken exception to his cigar. Then I remembered that some ghosts announce themselves with a scent such as tobacco. Maybe that guy was a particularly solid looking ghost. Dogs are supposed to know these things. Unfortunately, there was nobody else around to ask if I was the only one who had seen him. That would have been another sign.

I suppose now I’m being silly. Or else really reaching to invest my little expedition with haunted excitement. Oh well, how else am I supposed to get a Halloween blog post out of a twenty minute walk?

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Haunted Castle?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I haven’t written much about haunted things this Halloween season, and I’m not sure if this is an actual haunting, but I found it of interest.

Recently I was at Beardslee Castle with a group of friends which included my sister Cheryl. We had lunch in the basement, or dungeon as some in our group called it. The next day Cheryl called me.

“Did you see the guy wearing an old fashioned captain’s uniform?” she asked.

“No, I didn’t see anyone like that.”

“I’m the only one who saw him!” Out of eight of us. “I didn’t speak to him, because he didn’t look very happy to be there.”

The not looking happy to be there part caught my attention. Usually if you’re in a cool setting wearing a cool costume, you’re happy to be there. For example, at Home Fries with the Historical Society, the gentleman dressed at General Herkimer was strolling around, chatting people up, and he looked quite contented.

“If Steve or I had seen him, we’d have said something to him,” I said. “You know, about the costume.” Theatre people would.

I suspected, of course, that she was making it up, just to freak me out.

“Why would I do that?” she asked.

“Because I’ll believe you,” I said. “And then you can laugh at me.”

“That’s what I thought you guys were doing to me,” she said. “Everybody pretending I was the only one that saw him.”

We had not so conspired, but I was a little disappointed nobody had thought of it. It would have been a great Halloween prank.

“Well, we’re totally going back there,” I said.

Cheryl agreed. I’m thinking maybe on a night when there’s a full moon. I’ll report back.

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Just Be Nice

Posted on October 25, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I try to keep this blog positive. It’s not that I have a problem with negative. In fact, sometimes when I read the reviews in Entertainment Weekly, I skip anything higher than a C+ (sometimes I don’t read any; when did movie reviewers get so easy to please?). But my purpose here is to be a booster for the area. I want to highlight something my readers might like, not warn them away from things they might not.

That makes it difficult when I go to a local business and do not have a good experience. I’m not going to warn anybody against any places where very possibly the staff was merely having a bad day. But I am also not going to give a positive review where one is not deserved.

Under these circumstances and given some recent experiences, I can only offer, without naming names or using identifying characteristics, is a rant about Dealing with the Public. I will preface this by saying I’ve been there! I know. In fact, I could do another whole blog post on what stinkers customers can be and you should be nice to service personnel (ooh, that can be my topic for tomorrow).

The first thing I have to observe is that it is not too hard to smile. You don’t have to gush, give compliments, chat me up, etc. You don’t even need to make recommendations or give positive feedback on my selections. But maintain a pleasant demeanor. Maybe you hate your job. Maybe you just helped the absolute worst customer in the world. Or your boss yelled at you for something that was not your fault. Or you just got horrendous personal news. Or you have a raging sinus headache or other physical pain. We’ve all been there (and if you haven’t been there, please go away; you have led too charmed a life to consort with us mere mortals). But here’s what I found: if I somehow, some way managed to be nice to the next customer, very often that customer would be nice back to me. And that would make me feel better.

To all retail and restaurant people out there who are doing your job to the best of your abilities and striving to stay pleasant: THANK YOU! To those of you who are being unpleasant, or neglecting to ask my husband does he want more coffee (he almost always does) (too specific?), or committing other infractions against good customer service, I doubt you know who you are. But I hope you start having better days soon. Then maybe I can give you and your employers a positive blog post.

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Halloween Fun at Home

Posted on October 23, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday all I really wanted to do was stay home and watch Halloween movies. I can give the post a Mohawk Valley connection by telling you that I popped a big bowl of popcorn which I had purchased at Dyn’s Cider Mill in Richfield Springs. It was their own popcorn. I put lots of salt and butter on it.

We watched two DVDs Steven had given me for our anniversary. The first was The Watcher in the Woods, a 1981 Disney movie with Bette Davis. Neither of us had seen the movie before, but we heard it was scary and we love Bette Davis.

It is definitely a Disney movie. Not gory, no sex, no swearing. Sometimes I like that in a movie. It actually was pretty scary. A family with two daughters moves into this grand old English mansion of which Bette Davis is the landlady. She, of course, is eccentric and a little unsettling. Strange things begin to happen almost immediately. The older girl gets visions. Unseen beings whisper to the younger girl. And it all has to do with a very mysterious happening from the past.

I suppose I’m being very non-specific in my plot summary. I do that on purpose, because the less I know about a movie before I see it, the better I like it. All I knew about this movie was Bette Davis and scary. I enjoyed it very much.

Our second movie was Dracula with Bela Lugosi from 1931. I had seen this movie once, years ago. I love old horror movies. While we watched, Steven entertained me with accounts of his experiences working on a college production of the play Dracula. Hmmm. That might be something to suggest to Ilion Little Theatre.

I greatly enjoyed my movie watching evening. I know, outside in the Mohawk Valley, corn mazes and haunted hayrides awaited my blogging pen. But sometimes a girl just has to stay home.

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Lame S****, Different Day

Posted on October 23, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

For those of you who missed Lame Post Friday as much as I did, here is some rather foolish commentary about my ride home Thursday.

When I left work on Thursday, I was on a mission to procure a special snack for my husband, Steven, and I to share when he came home for his dinner break at 5:30ish. I though I might go to Melrose Market in Frankfort and see if they had anything.

I work at a certain factory in Ilion. Now, there are a few different ways to get from Ilion to Herkimer or Ilion to Frankfort, as the case may be. The most direct route to my house is out State Route 5. That is a very busy route between 3:30 and 4, so I usually go through Mohawk. It’s kind of fascinating to me how Herkimer, Mohawk, Ilion and Frankfort kind of run into each other. You can go on one of two highways — State Route 5 or Route 5S (east or west) — or you can go through the villages. It’s fun. Or am I too easily amused?

And here’s a related question, why is there a State Route 5 and a Route 5S so close together? You can’t run out of numbers. That is a recurring theme around here. For example, Ilion has a Second Street and a Second Avenue. I can understand being just too tired to think up another street name. But numbers are infinite, and we all know the order they go in. Just move on to the next number! How hard can it be? Apparently too. If anybody out there knows the very logical, understandable reason the streets are thus named, I would be interested to hear it. But I will not feel the least bit chastened, and I will not cease to poke fun.

Now then, where was I? Ah yes, driving around the block in Ilion. I didn’t quite explain that, did I? I took a right rather than a left out of the factory parking lot when I really wanted to go left. Just go around the block, right? How hard could it be? Well, Ilion is a little like Rome: screwy. None of the streets are quite parallel, and nothing comes out where you think it ought to. “Going around the block” in this case necessitates two right turns, one left, another right, another left, and two more rights. On the brighter side, this brings you out right next to the liquor store. I stopped and got a bottle of Pinot Noir. Not Vampire Pinot Noir, which would have been seasonal, because they didn’t have any. Still, Noir is dark. But I digress.

I drove through Ilion into Frankfort, not needing to go on one of the highways. I passed a sign that said “Saranac Tasting 4 to 7.” It was 3:55, which was just as well, because I was on a time budget. Unfortunately, when I got to Frankfort, there was not a parking space to be had anywhere near Melrose Market. I love that grocery store, but the parking situation leaves something to be desired. I drove past and got onto State Route 5. From here I could go back to Ilion and try again. This would bring me near that Saranac tasting at four. I was tempted, but like I said, on a time budget. I opted to drive into Herkimer and my old stand by, Hannaford. From there, I went home and fixed roll-ups, as described in yesterday’s post.

I hope this satisfies everybody’s need for my weekly silliness quotient. It certainly satisfied mine.

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Posted in Frankfort, Herkimer, humor, Ilion, lame, Mohawk, Mohawk Valley. Bookmark the permalink.

An Anniversary Snack

Posted on October 22, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Anybody who has been looking forward to Lame Post Friday (I was) is about to be disappointed. You see, I’m working Saturday, thus depriving Friday of all meaning. This week, Friday is dead to me.

However, the following post is not, I think, without lame qualities. It is one of my silly pseudo cooking posts, but I have tried to add a bit of Mohawk Valley flavor. Kind of sort of.

I had pledged to make a “snacky thing” to share with Steven on his dinner break, to celebrate our anniversary. I decided to make roll ups.

I started by spreading Garlic and Herb Spread on flat bread. I had purchased the spread, made by Adirondack Cheese Company of Barneveld, at Tripple’s Produce in Schuyler (see, Mohawk Valley). Then I put roast beef and black forest turkey ham (some people find turkey ham a contradiction in terms, but I really don’t mind it) on it, which I dotted with more spread to be like glue. I topped that wtih slices of Sorrento Provalone Cheese. Sorrento Cheese, I recently discovered, is made in Buffalo, NY. Not quite the Mohawk Valley, but still in the state. Then I rolled it up, wrapped it in tin foil and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

I made a second one with the same meat and cheese, but I had used up the last of the cheese spread. Instead, I used guacamole, made by me in my own personal Mohawk Valley kitchen. I also chilled some black olives, to be our vegetable.

I set out a couple of champagne flutes and put a bottle of seltzer with lime in an ice bucket. I figured at least it was bubbly, and it actually tasted pretty good.

When Steven got home, I sliced the roll ups. He had gotten out early for his break, so I did not have time to tastefully arrange them on a fancy plate. We ate them off the cutting board, toasted each other with the seltzer, and enjoyed Steven’s break. After 21 years, it wasn’t bad.

We intend to have a real dinner out one night soon, taking advantage of one of the great Mohawk Valley restaurants. That’ll be a post for another day.

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