Category Archives: personal

Fourth Time the Charm?

Posted on June 12, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am hoping some of the readers of Monday’s post are curious to know if I once again found that running four days in a row is the Way to Go. I’m afraid I’m still on the fence, but I ran and thought I’d make a Running Commentary post.

The weather reports said it was cooler out today, you’ll need a jacket.  I didn’t go that far, but I did put a sweatshirt on my deck to wear on my cool-down walk if needed, and I made sure to wear a headband to cover my ears.

Right away it did not feel terrific. My legs were not happy and my knees hurt.  What the hell, body? I thought.  However, as long as I had gotten that far, I would continue.   I could make it a short run.  You can do those things when you run a few days in a row.

Kids were walking to school.  Maybe I’ll try leaving earlier next time.  We don’t usually  get in each other’s way, but I feel a little self-conscious,  especially when I am headed in the same direction as them and it takes me forever to catch up. I saw a young woman cross German Street, which was what I wanted to do, since I had it in my head to run up the hill by Valley Health.

My good time to cross made me practically run into her.  She looked amused (I probably do look comical) and wished me a good morning.  As I ran on, I heard behind me a car stop and offer the woman a ride.  From her grateful “Yes, please,” I hypothesized that she was headed up the hill to Herkimer College. I may be running that hill myself later this week.

For today,  however, I contented myself with the smaller hill.  It was enough of an effort at the time.  I continued on into the residential area, avoiding the hills and working my way back in the direction I came from.

As I went, it became not a bad run.  I don’t think I got a dose of endorphins,  but I did feel some of the antidepressant effects of exercise.  My legs settled into things, even my knees,  and my breathing felt OK.

I ended up running for 25 minutes.  As I started my cool-down walk,  I said good morning to a neighbor sitting on her front stoop.

“Good morning,” she answered.  “Do you feel good after your run?”

“I sure do,” I said.  “And the best part is the walk around the block after.”

I did feel good.  I wonder how running five days in a row would feel.  Maybe I’ll see how many days I can go.  As always,  I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

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More Tired than Terrified

Posted on June 12, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, I’m afraid this is going to be a Tired Tuesday post.   I have no real excuse to be tired, but there it is.  Oh, I know what.  I didn’t have a Monstrous Monday this week  I’ll make this a Terrifying Tuesday post,  just to keep things alliterative.

Not from my personal collection, unfortunately.

This was the first monster picture I came across in my Media Library. I’ve never seen the movie,  but perhaps it will come my way one day.

“Won’t you step into my parlor, ” said the spider to the fly.

She looks pretty terrified,  I would say.  I think this is Phantom of the Opera with Claud Rains.  I remember it being an OK telling of the story.  My favorite part was the end, but I won’t give that away.

It’s a scary part!

Here is a picture from one of my go-to movies, Horror Hotel.  It has another name I can’t think of offhand (it’s not so easy to look stuff up on the Tablet) (oh I suppose YOU can do it with ease) (you know who you are).

“Gimme a bite!”

I close with a truly terrifying sight.  Didactic types (again, you know who you are) might argue that this merely Bruce, the mechanical shark, but I bet those teeth are really sharp.  I don’t need to say this is from JAWS, do I?  Perhaps I do.  It was a definitive movie of its time, but its time was over 40 years ago.  Yikes, I’m old!

Well, maybe that explains why I’m so tired.  In any case, I am over 250 words now, so I’ll call this a post.  Happy Tuesday,  everyone!

 

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The Happy Birthday Tasting

Posted on June 11, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Saturday  I attended Valley Wine and Liquor’ s 5th Birthday Tasting.  It was fun!  And it has taken me three days to write a post about it.  But here it is:.

Everybody got into the spirit of the day!

The statue is of Jack Daniels.   I could not back up far enough to include the base.  My husband Steven, friend Kim and I walked around the store,  enjoying 10 tasting stations.

Full disclosure: first station, last picture.

We started with Adirondack Winery, which we have tasted before.  Lisa, the lady pouring,  said she’d wondered if she’d see us. Kim and I are kind of known for going to tastings.

“Of course we were going to be here!”  I said. I said I would only try the dry wines but changed my mind and also tried the Sangria. I loved the Baco Noir and the Pinot Gris.  I left my friend Kim tasting the sweet stuff and went on.

Fisher’s Island Lemonade is a cocktail in a can.  It comes from a family owned business off Long Island Sound.  They own a bar, which originally mixed the drink from scratch for their customers.  Then the daughter got the idea of canning and selling it.  It is yummy!  I’m afraid it would do me dirt, however, because it tastes like just good lemonade.

I backtracked to the Knob Creek booth and tried the Smoked Maple bourbon.  They were doing free engraving if you bought a bottle, which a lady was doing just before I tasted.  What a great present,  if you’re buying for someone who likes bourbon.

At hhe Barcadi and Patron station, I tasted Paloma and Barcadi Lime.  Both were nice.  Then it was on to Cupcake wines, which I know are tasty and moderately priced.  I tried Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Red Velvet, and Chardonnay .  The Rose was a little sweet for me, but the others were tasty.

Next I sampled The Crusher, a California vineyard I had not encountered before.  I was quite taken with the Pinot Noir and the Merlot. I tried both Chardonnays, soaked and unoaked.  I liked both, which surprised me,  because in general I prefer my chardonnay aged in stainless (doesn’t that make me sound like a real connesiour?   It is one of the few bits of wine knowledge I possess).

When I saw 19 Crimes, I exclaimed, “My favorite!”  Kristina, the woman pouring asked did I mean her or the wine.  I said both, of course.

Nice pourer and nice wines.

I tried the Hard Chard, the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Banished, and liked them all.  Full disclosure:  I already knew I liked them. The next booth was the 1800 Tequila,  poured by Mallory.  I took two pictures.

She was very friendly, as were all the pourers.

I tried the Ultimate Margarita with jalapeno and lime, which was yummy!   I also liked the Mango Margarita, but it lacked the bite of the jalapeno version.  I got a free pen, and Kim got a necklace.

Two lovely ladies.

Next was DikinDurt Distillery, based right here in Herkimer, NY. I loves me some DikinDurt moonshine!  I tasted Mohawk Valley Fire and Toasted Maple, although I already knew I liked both.  I purchased the Mohawk Valley Fire, then went back and got wines from The Crusher and Thousand Islands Winery.   I could have bought a lot more, based on all the times I wrote “yummy” in my tasting notes.

Kim at the distillery.

I close with a picture of DikinDurt Distillery.   This was taken some time ago, when Kim and I visited the source.  Another trip there might be in our future!   In the meantime,  I think I have finally finished my blog post about the Birthday Tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.

 

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Monday Run After Sunday Slump

Posted on June 10, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I missed making my Sunday post, Wrist to Forehead,  Cinema, or other.  I was working on that post about the tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.   I’d add more to it, say, “Oh, I can’t do this today,” repeat process.  I think I will be able to finish it today, but in the meantime I thought I would attempt a Running Commentary post.

I worked in the yard rather than run on Saturday (please believe that it was a workout), then surprised myself on Sunday by increasing my run time by the recommended 10 percent, to 36 minutes.  Compared to some of my running friends, that is not at all impressive,  but we all do what we can.

This morning I was feeling tired and inclined to let myself off the hook — after all,  running every other day is acceptable — but then I saw on my Facebook On This Day where I had posted, “Running four days in a row is the Way to Go.”  I thought it would be nice to echo that sentiment.  We’ll see on Wednesday whether or not I do.

In any case, I got out and started.  It did not feel great.  No matter, I was running and intended to keep going.   A short, easy run would be OK. The point was to do it.  Maybe I would feel better as I went along.

Eventually I did feel better.  It did not take long to realize my legs were quietly chugging along as if they knew what they were doing.  My breathing did not feel so great, so I concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths. I felt tired but able to continue.

The highlights of my run were the quick pauses I took to sniff lilacs and peonies.  A couple of times I had to take a few steps up a driveway or onto a lawn, but I felt sure nobody would mind.  Beautiful sights, sounds, and smells are to share!  At least so I believe.

Going up one street, a young man was sharing his music.  It wasn’t my favorite kind of music, but to each his own.  I passed a number of young people walking to school or waiting for the bus.  It’s a new thing for me to be running at this time on a weekday,  but never mind that.

I ended up running for 30 minutes.  I thought that was OK. I’m halfway to the aforementioned fourth day on a row!

 

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Then Again, At Least I Posted Something

Posted on June 9, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was (actually,  here I am,  since I haven’t moved, but “there I was” sounded better in my head), making my blog post about a tasting I attended at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I took a few pictures as well as copious notes. And I just don’t feel up to making a good blog post about it now.

I guess this makes this a Slacker Saturday post.  I tried not to slack too much today.  I worked on the lawn for what seemed like a long time.  I tried to make further progress in the house.  I mostly felt like hanging out,  knitting,  and watching television.   Or movies.   I can be flexible to that extent.

My question now is, have I worked hard enough all week to deserve a Slacker Saturday?   Probably not.  Then again,  who am I to decide what I do or do not deserve? I would not make such a judgement on somebody else.   Why should I treat myself with less consideration than I would treat some purely hypothetical stranger?

Now we are getting into half-baked philosophy more suitable for Lame Post Friday.  Then again, I did not successfully pose any such philosophical questions yesterday.  Why should I not philosophize (half-bakedly or otherwise) on any day of the week?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

In the meantime,  Happy Saturday,  and I hope to post about that tasting soon.

 

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Blame it on Keith Morrison

Posted on June 8, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

A bad post is better than no post at all.

A bad run is better than no run at all.

These are both statements I made during this week.  I thought they might be worthy of some half-baked philosophy suitable for Lame Post Friday, but now I am not so sure.  Now it seems to me they are pretty self-explanatory truths.   Not even truisms, if you see what I mean.

Obviously not everything is better bad than none at all. For example,  husbands (I need hardly say that my husband is a GOOD husband, far better than none at all) (yes, wives too, I do not mean to be sexist. Sheesh!).  Where was I?

Ah yes, Lame Post Friday,  and I do intend to post lame.  Incidentally,  looking again at the second paragraph of today’s post,  I feel obligated to say, today’s run was not bad at all.  Yesterday’s and Wednesday’s were not so great,  but, well, you know, as I said.

I completely forgot where I was going with this.

I am obsessed with Dateline.

I panicked and looked for an illustration to pep things up.  In fact, I want to stop blogging and knit while watching TV.  Isn’t that what Friday nights — indeed, any night — are for?

He is fine, yes.

Keith Morrison is my favorite Dateline host.   His voice is marvelous. And I am missing one of his episodes! We can’t have that.

So this is my Friday Lame Post.  At least I am over 200 words.

 

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Fun Times, No Apologies

Posted on June 7, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a couple of Mohawk Valley Adventures today, but I am going to concentrate on the last one, which I just got home from.

I had just finished a glass of red wine (yes, full disclosure: I drank and typed), and there were a few checks to be mailed out.  My choices were to drive to the liquid store to buy more red wine, stopping at the post office first,  or walk to the post office,  then walk on to the End Zone Pub and Grub to purchase a glass of red wine. I chose the latter.

I got my glass of cabernet sauvignon and opened my notebook to write, but I quickly became involved in a conversation and did not write a word in my notebook.

I think they’re both pretty cute, but of course I am not in the market.

Eventually I asked the bartender and one of the people I was talking to if I could take a picture for my blog post.   They graciously agreed.

I did not ask permission from the other folks in this one, but you can’t really see them, can you?

I took a couple more pictures,  once I realized I was not going to get any writing done so I may as well get a blog post out of it.

Not a bad shot of the front, or do I flatter myself?

I had a fun time at the End Zone Pub and Grub. I may go back again soon.

They are located at 129 Main St., Herkimer,  NY, phone number 315-219-5796.  They are open noon to 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday,  2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.

I’m not saying I won’t be there tomorrow.

 

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Mid-Week Mood

Posted on June 6, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s the type-it-in-backspace-it-out disease.  I grit my teeth (metaphorically speaking; I live in danger of cracked teeth on account of my unfortunate dental grinding at night) and try to keep typing.  Welcome to another Wuss-out Wednesday post.

What I kept backspacing out was any mention of the down mood that has been plaguing me.  I hate to mention it, because what the blankety-blank do I have to complain about?  The stern voice inside me says, “Just quit whining and get on with things.” Alas, I do not respond well to such bracing treatment.

On the other hand, perhaps some of my readers have down moods and might like to feel that they are not alone.  When somebody tells me they are in a down mood, I usually respond with sympathy.  Why do I not treat myself with such gentleness?  Ah, that calls for some half-baked philosophy more suitable to Lame Post Friday.

There’s a director who got into his work.

I thought a random silly picture would pep things up.  It also cheers me up.  Who could be uncheered by William Castle?   What other pictures can I find?  I’ll check my Media Library.

But sometimes I am piddle puttering.

Here’s another bit of silliness,  given to me by my sister Cheryl.

This is not exactly a monster picture

I add this not because it is silly, but because it is a good reason for me to keep making posts, however foolish they may be.  Maybe I’ll close with something silly, though.

Who, me? Silly? SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

I’m in a better mood now.  As always,  thank you for tuning in.

 

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A Little Walk, a Little Post

Posted on June 5, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went for a walk with my Tablet and the specific intention of making a Pedestrian Post.  The other reason was that I had not gone running this morning and thought exercise would be a good idea.

When I ran yesterday, I was struck by some overgrown bushes with overgrown grass opposite.   It was not a problem to run through,  but there would not have been room for two abreast.  I reflected that when I was a kid, I would have pretended it was a tunnel.

I had a vivid imagination as a child. I guess I still do.

I turned onto Church Street and walked towards my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners.   First, however, I passed Temple Beth Joseph Synagogue and admired their rhododendron bush.

At least as good as mine if not better.

Next I noticed one of those garden balls I have always liked, in front of a nearby house.  I read a great thriller in which one was figured prominently.

One day I’ll have one in my garden. When I have a garden.

I turned down Main Street at the Four Corners and walked to Basloe Library.  Some major construction is going on there, so I took a couple of  pictures.

I made sure to get the sign in one.

 

I made a mental note of days the library will be closed.

When the construction is completed, I will have to do a whole post about it.  I was at Basloe yesterday (I should have made a post about that!), and it looks like great changes are in store.

My walk was not that long, but I enjoyed it.  Tomorrow I hope to go for a run.  A woman my age needs to keep up on her exercise!  And her blog posts.

 

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In the Mood for Monsters

Posted on June 4, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I am not doing so hot at getting caught up on my blog posts.  Two weekend days I posted early, making a second post well within the realm of possibility.  Then that ship sailed, as they say (you can sometimes get away with using a cliche if you add “as they say”) (although my usual trick is to add “the proverbial,”  as in, “the proverbial ship has sailed”).

Where was I?  Ah yes, making my Monstrous Monday post.  It has not been a particularly monstrous Monday, but, hell, I’m in the mood for monsters.  Ooh, have I used that for a title yet?  It is alliterative,  which regular readers know I love.

Am I getting carried away with these Monstrous Monday posts?

I didn’t mean to go ape on you.

The monster is better in the poster than it was in the movie.

I was just trying to think of this movie yesterday.   We were watching Laura and discussing Dana Andrews.

My obsession with Dateline is well known.

Full Disclosure:  I am looking at an episode of Dateline while I type this.  Do I seem distracted?   If so, I apologize.

After all, nobody’s perfect.

I close with a monster and a quote that are both near and dear to my heart.   Elsa Lanchester as The Bride of Frankenstein.   What a woman.  I hope to work on becoming a better woman tomorrow.  In the meantime,  Happy Monday and as always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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