Category Archives: Mohawk Valley

Dressing for Dinner

Posted on October 1, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought my Friday nonsense was getting out of hand, so I determined to do something blog-worthy on Thursday. All I managed was to go to dinner at Applebee’s. Regular readers (both of them) know I don’t usually blog about chains. Still, I rationalized, this particular Applebee’s is in the Mohawk Valley. As I sit here writing this (rough draft in my notebook in the break room before work), I think: I will compromise between nonsense and business by entertaining you (I hope) with my gyrations getting ready. In other words: welcome to another Lame Post Friday.

Following my after-work shower, I looked for something to wear. I don’t have a lot of clothes that fit since I lost weight. Most of my skirts still fit. I usually wear them with long johns or leggings instead of pantyhose. However, since I no longer wear pantyhose to work, I will occasionally wear a pair after work, especially if I’m trying to keep my long johns clean for the weekend, which I am.

A side note here: I once worked with a rather obnoxious girl who would sniff, “I wear tights.” In fact, the package mine came in was labelled “Microfiber Tights.” It’s all pantyhose to me.

I grabbed a black pair at first, then noticed my sexy (or do I flatter myself?) silver pair.

“Hey, should I be sexy?” I asked my husband.

“Sure.” Of course his line should have been, “You’re always sexy,” but husbands do not always know their lines. He is a very good husband in other respects.

Pantyhose on, I searched for my black velvet skirt. It’s not a mini skirt, but at knee length, the pantyhose would show. I modeled a blouse for Steven. He approved, but I decided it needed ironing. I was not about to go that far. I settled on a green top which was not exactly low cut, then pondered my jewelry choices.

I have to say, this was the most fun I’ve had getting dressed in a long time. I even wore nice shoes, with a bit of a heel. I was ready for dinner with the hubby.

The only sad thing was we could not sit at one of my favorite tables, the tall ones in the bar area. I suggested we sit at the bar, but Steven did not want to. The hostess offered a booth in the bar area. We accepted, but I must say, it was a real compromise on my mental picture of the evening. It is difficult to look sexy, or even dignified sliding into and out of a booth, especially when the seats are real sinky downy, which these were. The sinky downy quality, while comfortable, also made the table a little taller on me than I like. However, these were minor discomforts. We were prepared to enjoy our meal.

We took advantage of the “2 for $20” special. I indulged in a Perfect Margarita, while Steven had coffee. Our appetizer was Potato Twists, which was new. My entree, Bruschetta Chicken, was also new. Steven rather boringly had Chicken Tenders, which is what he usually gets. Applebee’s does make tasty Chicken Tenders. It was a satisfying dinner; for once we were too stuffed for Dessert Shooters. The food and service were both very good.

It was a fun evening. I did not feel that my glamorous outfit was wasted. As a side note, we are headed to Vermont this weekend (as soon as I finish this post, in fact), so my next few posts may not have that Mohawk Valley flair. But stay tuned; I won’t be away from home for long.

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Running in the Unknown Park

Posted on September 30, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yes, it is another post about running, but this time I ran someplace different.

There is a park off German Street, a couple of streets before the turn to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), heading west, I think (I don’t know from directions). There is no sign saying the name of the park, but there is a gate between stone pillars that is sometimes closed, bearing a sign reading “Park Closed for Season.” I don’t run into the park very often, because it is merely an out and back run, and I am more into turning here and there, or at least going around the block.

The reason I turned into the park Wednesday is that I was on that side of the street. Now, crossing German Street at four in the afternoon is no easy matter. I accomplished it, because I had some vague notion of running up to HCCC the back way. My legs were instantly trying to talk me out of that. Still, I had crossed the street. Then I saw the park and my legs said, “Look! That goes uphill, and we haven’t run that way in a long time!”

The incline into the park is not what you would call a real hill, especially compared to what I had thought to run, but a little more effortful that the fairly level sidewalk I was on. As I ran on, I realized a little more effort was entailed, because the road through the park is not smoothly paved, but comprises uneven stones and gravel. Not so uneven as to put one at risk of a turned ankle, but a little more effortful. Sometimes that is the best I can accomplish: just a little more effort.

I’ve run into this park a few times and rarely encounter anybody. Wednesday I saw a sports game in progress. I was too far away at first to see which sport it was. Soccer? Rugby? Lacrosse? I couldn’t tell if they were holding sticks or kicking a ball. Then I saw white on everybody’s head. Oh, helmets. Let’s see, what sport requires helmets? Oh, football. Silly me. This from a girl who listens to Sports Box on WVHC. I ought to be ashamed. Well, embarrassed anyways (but not too embarrassed to include this in the blog for a cheap laugh).

Unfortunately as I got closer the banks were such that I couldn’t see the game any more. I did see a man in the distance, tossing a toddler in the air the way most toddlers love to be tossed. There’s a sport I could get into: the Toddler Toss. Watching, not participating. I’ll confine myself to the Toddler Lift and Carry. Any toddlers handy? By the time I reached the man and tot they were sitting in the back of a pick up truck, watching the game.

After the sports field, things got more woodsy. I remembered the problems we had with mosquitoes on Saturday, but I wanted to keep running.

“Let ’em have at me,” I thought, “I’ve got witch hazel!”

I ran by an area with a pavilion, picnic tables and hibachis. I remembered that during the DARE run we went on a path that came out on this area. I thought briefly of exploring that, but I know the other end of the path is gated off, and I was not feeling sufficiently rebellious. I ran on to the end of the park.

A man made stream flows through the area. In fact, there is a cute little footbridge to the picnic area. I call it a man made stream. It may actually be a drainage ditch, but doesn’t man made stream sound better? As I got to the end of the path the man made stream started to look more like a nature made stream. I could have explored that, but there was a forbidding looking fence with no gate. One could perhaps go around the fence, but one might be asking for trouble to do such a thing. Also, as it got more wooded, it got more mosquito-y.

As I ran back out of the park, I got to pet a cute dog briefly. He was off his leash and much more into running around than being petted. I left the park and managed to cross German Street without mishap. Another cute dog that wanted to be petted, down a couple more streets, and back home.

A different setting with different thoughts to distract myself with. Not a great run, but a good run, and a fairly lengthy blog post.

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Another Schnoodle Stroll

Posted on September 23, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of walking in Herkimer. Or of writing about walking in Herkimer. I have not been running much, but having an energetic schnoodle is great motivation for getting out and walking.

Yesterday we did not have a purpose for our walk, so we walked what I call the Tabby Way, meaning we let Tabby decide which direction at the intersections. She led us to our church. First she looked around the yard where they do the Blessing of the Animals in October. Nobody there. Then she wanted to go in the door to the social hall, where we brought her on Saturday when we dropped off brownies for the spaghetti dinner. I told her nobody was there, either. I’ll say this for Tabby, she takes her disappointments with grace.

We walked by the county office buildings. In between two buildings is a little park looking area with a circle of flags and a rock with a plaque in front. Tabby wanted to sniff the rock, but I hurried her along because I did not think it was a respectful place to pee. Then I thought I might like to include the flags in my blog post, so we walked back to read the plaque. It said the flags represented the nineteen towns and one city of Herkimer County. We walked into the circle to count. Twenty American flags, with one big one at the head of the circle (that is, directly opposite the rock). The big flag had a POW/MIA flag underneath it.

Feeling we knew a little more than we did before (like for instance there are 19 towns and only one city in the county. Can’t say I knew that), we walked on. We imposed our choices on Tabby a few times, for example when she wanted to follow an interesting-looking dalmatian. It looked as if the owner had made a turn to avoid us. Maybe not, but why look for trouble?

As we walked down German Street we met a lady who asked if she could pet Tabby. Tabby politely allowed it. The lady asked how old Tabby was. When Steven said almost six, she wished Tabby a happy birthday. We met another lady who did not ask to pet Tabby. Oh well, to each his own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

So it was a fairly uneventful walk, except for the flag stuff, but we enjoyed it. One of my favorite things to do on a Mohawk Valley evening.

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HALO Hoedown

Posted on September 21, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sunday Steven and I went to the HALO Hoedown at Silverado, Marginal Road, Herkimer. HALO is the Helping Animals Live Organization, a no kill, no cage, not for profit cat shelter in Little Falls, NY. This was their third annual Hoedown. We had attended last year’s and enjoyed it. When I noticed it advertized again, I made a note.

We had a bad moment Sunday when Steven looked at the Community Calendar in the Telegram and saw the Hoedown listed for Saturday. I was sure it was Sunday. It was Sunday last year or I would not have been there (work schedule). For once, I managed to find something online (when it comes to computers, I am so twentieth century): HALO’s Facebook page (love that Facebook).

Misunderstanding cleared up, we headed over. The Hoedown had been going on for over an hour when we arrived. A large crowd seemed to be having a very good time. A lady at the door stamped our hands with a paw print after we’d paid our admission, in case we stepped out. That was a definite possibility for me, because it was warm in that place. I was foolishly wearing long sleeves. Oh well, who can predict how to dress this time of year?

We fought the crowd to get our tickets for the Chinese Auction. They offered a number of creatively put-together baskets. Two books, two coffee mugs, fancy tea and biscotti; two bottle of wine, cheese and candles; two DVDs with microwave popcorn. The cans you put the tickets in had labels telling the complete contents of the baskets. We passed on the gift cards but put in for a lovely picture of a rainbow. It’s always so fun to walk up and down deciding what you want to try for. I’m sad to report, we did not win anything. Then again, we had just purchased a number of really cool items at garage sales on Saturday. How much junk do we need (apparently more, because we keep buying it).

We found seats at the bar and settled down to enjoy the music. A number of talented musicians had volunteered their time for the event. We heard two groups, but I didn’t catch who they were. I drank a beer and took in the scene. It was quite a cross section of people, all ages, shapes and sizes. I saw a few cowboy hats, appropriate for the Silverado. Some people were two-stepping on the dance floor. I’d like to learn how to two step. Steven is not confident in his own abilities, but I’m fairly sure I can count to two.

We stayed long enough for some door prize drawings (again, we didn’t win), but left early enough to have some more of Sunday afternoon to enjoy. I later saw on Facebook (because of course I Liked HALO) that the fundraiser had been a resounding success. For more information about HALO check out their Facebook page or visit their website: http://www.halorescue.net.

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Paying Our Respects

Posted on September 18, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am a veteran. I almost never do much about it, except wear my field jacket in the cold weather and occasionally say things like, “I can carry that; I was in the Army!” Friday, however, Steven and I attended a ceremony honoring national POW/MIA recognition day in Myers Park in Herkimer sponsored by Chapter No. 827 Vietnam Veterans of America.

We walked down with our schnoodle Tabby, since the park is quite close to our house. We had meant to take a longer walk first, so Tabby would not be too restless, but time got away from us, as it is apt to do. I had in my hand two postcards to mail to soldiers, since the post office is nearby the park. I thought that was appropriate.

Some people were gathered when we arrived. We saw some American Legion guys in white shirts and black pants, two holding flags, two holding rifles. Steven hoped they would not fire the rifles and scare Tabby, but I said they were more likely to hold them at present arms during the ceremony. A man came up and thanked us for coming and asked if we would like to hold a candle for the missing soldiers. Of course we would. We had noticed several other people doing so as we had approached.

“If if starts to burn you, just drop it,” he said. The candles were in plastic cups with the bottoms ripped out. A lady also came up to us and said she recognized our dog as one who had been very well behaved during a concert in the park. Tabby wagged her tail.

“She’s just magically good,” I told her. “We don’t know how to train a dog.” I don’t want to take credit where none is due.

“She came that way,” Steven added.

The lady told us some troubles she was having with a dog she had rescued and petted Tabby before it was time for her to join the ceremony. Part of the ceremony was a small table set up with an empty chair. As a man was explaining the symbolism, I looked down and noticed our well-behaved dog had slipped her leash and wondered off. It was obviously not the moment to yell, “Where’s my dog?” which is our method at home when we don’t know where she is. Steven spotted her standing under a tree looking around. She wagged her tail when I went up to her and got her back on the leash. She stayed with us, so we could pay attention to the rest of the ceremony.

The table I was talking about had lemon on the plate to symbolize the soldiers’ bitter fate, and salt to symbolize the tears shed for them. The wine glass was upside down because they could not raise a toast with us, and the chair was empty because they were not with us. Then several people read the names of soldiers who were POW/MIA from Vietnam. The master of ceremonies read a story of one individual believed killed in action, putting a face to the name. He also read an excerpt from a book which I believe was titled Body of Secrets.

It was a short ceremony, but very moving. It was sometimes difficult to hear people talk, since they weren’t miked, but somehow that was appropriate too. We left feeling solemn and glad we went. I was especially glad to be mailing post cards to soldiers. I said an extra prayer for all who served.

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Lame Post Friday

Posted on September 17, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was trying to write a post on the monthly dinner meeting of the Ilion Little Theater, and I was having a very difficult time with it. At first I thought it was because it was Friday, and Friday has been my day for lame blog posts lately. I was thinking of making it a weekly feature: Lame Post Fridays. A good way for me to ease into the weekend.

Fine, I told myself, write a lame blog post about Ilion Little Theater. See, that’s the first thing to do when experiencing resistance to writing: try to write anyways. Sometimes resistance is plain laziness, and you need to just get going. Sometimes resistance is fear of writing something not very good. By giving myself permission to write something lame, I could get the pen moving (I was writing in a notebook at work).

Somehow that didn’t seem right either. I did not want to write a lame blog post about Ilion Little Theater. Ilion Little Theater is one of the all time greatest things about the Mohawk Valley. I wanted to write a GOOD blog post about it. I even had my concluding paragraph in mind (“Ilion Little Theater has been called the best kept secret in the Mohawk Valley. I’m in on the secret. Now you are too.”) In fact, I’ve written two blog posts about the theater, and I feel they are not contemptible. What was my problem today? I should perhaps mention here that I had actually written a page and a half about the dinner meeting. But I was stuck, and I didn’t want to publish what I had written (and as a further aside, right now I am composing at the keyboard, not my favorite method).

Then I realized the cause of my hesitation: I had not asked people if they minded being in my blog. I realize I put people in my blog all the time. Sometimes it’s some person I ran past, faceless and nameless. Sometimes it is the owner of a dog I know. Then I name the dog, but I don’t even know the person’s name. I’ve mentioned my friend Megan, because I’ve plugged her blog (megactsout.blogspot.com). I thought there could be no possible objection. Dave Dellecese figured in a post, but he was being a celebrity waiter at a fund raiser. I think he expected his name to be public. Oh, and my friend Tracy Robertson has been mentioned a few times. Well, I never asked her, but she subscribes to the blog. If she had a problem with it, I surely would have heard by now.

Then I thought of the opposite problem: what if people would like to be mentioned and I left them out? These are my friends; I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. And so I dithered.

Finally I tried to think of how I could write the post and not mention any people at all. I could report very drily, tell the time and place of the meeting, mention upcoming productions, give information on how to get involved or find out more, and still use my killer closing. Well, I suppose I could still do that. But now I see I am over 500 words of fairly lame post. Happy Friday!

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Walking with a Purpose

Posted on September 16, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I was in Basic Training for the Army, we were often adjured to walk purposefully. No meandering strolls with a schnoodle for soldiers (not that I owned a schnoodle or even knew what one was in those days).

“Walk like you got a purpose,” First Sergeant would say. I always liked that way of putting it. I thought about those words Wednesday as we put the leash on Tabby and set out for that evening’s Mohawk Valley adventure (just to invest a perfectly pedestrian post with a little excitement).

Now, a meandering stroll with a schnoodle is a beautiful thing. As regular readers know, I take many and blog about them. Sometimes I add a purpose by walking to the post office to mail post cards. Wednesday, we decided to go further afield.

Thursday we have the first monthly dinner meeting of Ilion Little Theatre’s 2011-2012 season (preview of Friday’s blog post). I wanted to bring a veggie tray, so a visit to Hannaford was in order (I know, I only could have stopped at Mohawk Farmer’s Market on my way home from work. My bad). We’ve never walked to Hannaford, because we drive down busy streets to get there. I don’t like walking where there’s a lot of fast traffic, especially with a dog. I had noticed while running, however, that Folts Street, one of those quiet residential streets Herkimer is blessed with, comes out right near Hannaford. You only have to cross one busy street. We decided to try it.

While running I had located Folts Street but had not run all the way to the other end, so was not sure where it started. Streets never do run in a straight grid, do they? For one thing, they almost never run from one end of town to the other; for another, they are never perfectly parallel. However, we located the street without too much problem and walked down it.

You might think we would be quite familiar with all the area streets, between our walks and my runs, but that is not the case. See, when we walk and when I run, our usual method is to say “We’ll turn here,” or “Let’s go down this street,” very spontaneously. Sometimes we even let Tabby decide. It often comes as a surprise when we find ourselves close to home again.

Soon we found ourselves on a stretch of sidewalk we rarely, if ever, have been down. Suddenly a large dog was off his front porch, jumping and barking. Tabby was not impressed. She wanted to sniff a post at the next house over, but I convinced her to move on and not give the other dog doggy apoplexy.

“I ran by that dog yesterday,” I said. “He just stood on the porch and looked at tme. I said, ‘Hi, pretty dog.'”

“Maybe it’s the influence of another dog,” Steven speculated.

We were delighted to find a WALK signal with button on Don Reille Boulevard (the one busy street you have to cross). We utilized it, and soon I was shopping while Steven and Tabby nicely waited outside.

It would have been better to have brought two reusable shopping bags instead of one, because my purchase was a little heavy. Steven carried it for me, like the excellent husband he is. We walked back down Folts Street on the opposite side of the big dog, then turned down Gray Street, to go home a different way. We employed a little of our “Let’s turn here” method, but did not meander too much.

My legs told me it was a longer walk than usual, but that’s not a bad thing. It was a practical and enjoyable way to spend part of a Mohawk Valley evening.

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We Drive On

Posted on September 13, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

As I ended my last post, Steven and I had reached Remsen on our way to seek adventure outside the Mohawk Valley.

I’m not clear on precisely where the Mohawk Valley ends. I see that many businesses employ “Adirondack” in their name well before we reach the actual Adirondacks (which, incidentally, we did not this journey). I don’t think I saw anybody claiming the Mohawk Valley who did not have a clear right to. What does this tell us? I would not venture to speculate, and I will refrain from going to any “what’s in a name?” philosophy (except for, you know, that one sentence).

While in the Town of Remsen we passed a car whose license plate was dangling and a barn with a completely rusted roof. I saw a sign that said Alder Creek but did not see the creek. We did not take a turn to Old Forge, although I understand Old Forge is worth a visit. Perhaps a future blog post.

Then I saw a sign that said Nirvana Natural Spring Water Next Right. Herkimer tap water is perfectly potable, but I do occasionally purchase bottled water. I had forgotten Nirvana was so local. I may include that on the beverage list at my next party.

I saw CNY Glass and Metal Designs. They weren’t claiming to be anywhere they weren’t. Next thing I knew we were in Boonville. I noticed Mellace’s Produce Market and was surprised. I knew they were in Rome, but I didn’t know they were anywhere else. I went to school with Frank Mellace. He’s a great guy. We also passed Mercer Dairy store but did not stop for ice cream, much to my disappointment.

Soon we passed signs for Lewis County and Town of Leyden. We were pleased about that, because we knew we were approaching the Lock 96 convenience store, just out of Port Leyden. All along this route you can see old locks, dry and no longer in use (well, I guess if they are dry they are obviously no longer in use). The convenience store is located right next to one. You can walk over and check it out, but we did not do that this trip. The convenience store itself is a good one. The bathroom is clean and the coffee is hot, our most pressing concerns. The parking lot is large, for dog walking convenience (at least, that may not be why they made the parking lot big, it’s what we use it for). And they sell local baked goods. I bought some chocolate chip cookies from Jeanne’s Kitchen in Constableville (we went to a car show there!). The sticker said “Made in Lewis County.” They were good cookies.

As we approached Lowville, the surroundings grew very agricultural, as did the smell. “Smell that good fresh country air!” I exclaimed, as the odor of cow poop became distinct. That was a favorite line of my friend Mickey West, many years ago when we drove between Rome and Potsdam. I started to say, “At least we know they’re using organic fertilizer,” but I got a little mixed up and said “furniture” instead. We got a pretty good giggle about cow dung furniture.

As we got closer to our destination, my notes grew more sparse. We were anxious to start our next adventure. But thanks for riding along.

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The Journey Is the Destination

Posted on September 12, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I enjoyed writing and I believe some people enjoyed reading my posts about road trips. Therefore, when we planned to travel to a friend’s birthday party in the Alex Bay area, I planned to write about the trip. When Steven graciously offered to drive, I opened my notebook so I could take notes. I seem to remember talking about businesses whose names I neglected to note and thought to eliminate the error.

We left Herkimer via Don Reille Boulevard. See, I’ll have real Mohawk Valley color for at least the first part of the post. We passed the Harvest Hills Baptist Church, Heidelberg Bakery (yum!), and Mudville. I’m not clear on what Mudville is, but I believe it has something to do with baseball.

I saw somebody parked in the parking area and a couple of bicycle riders sensibly wearing helmets. I noted Lady Carousel Woodworks and thought that was a business I’d like to check out sometime.

In the Town of Newport, we passed the Crystal Chandelier Restaurant and the Herkimer Diamond Mines. I’ve blogged about the Crystal Chandelier and mean to return one day. There are some cabins across the street from the Diamond Mines I’d like to stay in. I know I live quite nearby, but I think it would be fun to stay in a cabin, fake roughing it for a weekend, and check out the Diamond Mines. Wouldn’t that make a nice post?

In Middleville, I saw a sign for a Snow Bash Sept. 17 and 18. I wondered where they will get the snow for that. I’ll have to watch the papers for more information. We passed the Town of Fairfield Offices, the E.W. Corey Hose Co., and a purple Victorian house. Cool. Then we saw a sign that said Newport 3. Does that mean Newport is in the Town of Fairfield, not the Town of Newport, as one would think? Why should that surprise me? After all, the City of Oneida is in Madison County, not Oneida County.

We saw a sign to watch for Amish buggies but no buggies, a salt box that was so faded it looked like stone from a distance, a W on a rock in front of another house, and West Canada Valley Central School. So that’s where the school is. I know a couple of people who work there.

We went by a river, which we discovered to be West Canada Creek and on into Newport. I saw a Federal style brick building. I don’t know much about architecture, but this trip I noticed the Victorian, the salt box and the Federal, so I felt kind of good about that.

We passed a turn to Norway and drove by the Blue Rose Restaurant. In the Village of Poland I saw a banner for a Fall Festival but did not see a date. Rats! Quite abruptly I noticed we were in Oneida County. We almost missed the turn to stay on Route 28, then we were back in Herkimer County.

I noticed three very realistic looking geese in a front lawn, only their stillness and rakish stance alerting me they weren’t real; at least one “No Asphalt” sign, and two horses that had black and white spots like cows. We saw Cincinnati Creek and drove by Trenton Falls Road. That reminded me to watch for when Trenton Falls is open for a weekend in October. That is definitely worth a blog post.

I think we were in Trenton when we saw a sign for a Barn Fest Sept. 24 and 25. That’s something else to look for more info on. Multiple signs told us about a Chicken BBQ at Remsen Reformed Church Wednesday, Sept. 14. I noticed the Swing Inn Motel, because I liked the name. We passed the New York State Police station and soon were in the Village of Remsen.

Do you suppose I went a little crazy taking notes? I see I am over 600 words and I only got to Remsen. This could be a problem. I don’t like to tax my readers’ patience, so I’ll stop now and pick up here tomorrow.

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Walk at Dusk

Posted on September 10, 2011 by mohawkvalleygirl

I will never get done writing posts about taking walks in Herkimer. I love walking in Herkimer.

Last night, I looked out the window at the sky and said, “We’d better take our perambulation soon, it looks like rain.” We always say “perambulation,” because our dog Tabby knows the word “walk,” and we don’t want her getting too excited too soon. I mean, dogs are ready to just walk out the door, but I have to use the bathroom, put on the right shoes, sometimes put my bra back on, etc etc. Last night, too, I wanted to write two postcards.

I only have two soldiers I’m sending cards to these days, because one is on his way home. Yay! For some reason, I like to send similar cards. I don’t know why; the soldiers don’t know each other so are unlikely to compare notes. Still, perhaps it’s a holdover from growing up with siblings and feeling we should all be treated the same (I know, realistically an impossibility). Last night I chose post cards of Ft. Pulaski in Savannah, GA, a place I have actually visited. I have some post cards I bought just because I liked the picture, and/or to fill out the “3 for” or “4 for” when purchasing. If so, I usually make a note on the back to the recipient. Full disclosure from Mohawk Valley Girl.

When we got outside, I realized it was not about to rain (finally!), but I had completely lost track of time, the sun was going down. Silly me! It was great, though, because dusk is one of my favorite times of day. I’ve heard that some places don’t have twilight. It’s light, then it’s dark. Boom! I wouldn’t care for that. I like the dimmer switch, and I’m glad I live in a place that has one.

After dropping the post cards, we walked on to Main Street and down towards State. We passed a group of college age kids gathered in front of Beanie’s, an eatery I mean to go to and blog about sometime. One of them turned around and said, “Hi, pooch,” to Tabby, but nobody offered to pet her, much to her disappointment.

We walked up Prospect Street, fascinated by a blue light we could see in the distance. Before we actually got to it, I thought I remembered it was a decorative street lamp in somebody’s lawn, but we decided to walk past it to be sure I was right. We passed a bunch of young adults gathered on a porch, listening to loud music coming from a car parked in front. Again, nobody offered to pet Tabby.

We passed the decorative lamp, and it was what I thought I remembered. We saw a couple with a dog up ahead of us, and Tabby looked interested. We easily reached them, because the dog had stopped to sniff at a tree. Both dogs were adjured to behave themselves, and they did. All they did was touch noses. He was a cute little hairy dog, I don’t know breeds. I let him sniff my hand and petted him. He was perhaps a little more interested in Tabby than Tabby was in him. The man petted Tabby, which she enjoyed, and we walked on.

An elderly couple was walking toward us on German Street. I think Tabby wanted to greet them and be best friends. She pulled on the leash, but I held her.

“She loves people,” I explained. The couple smiled and nodded, but Tabby didn’t get any more pets.

By the time we got home it was just about dark. A very enjoyable walk, part of another fine evening in the Mohawk Valley.

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