Category Archives: personal

And the Secret Word Is…

Posted on February 9, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I spend a lot of weekend time on Facebook, because I find it fun. My usual method is to do a chore or two, pop on to check my notifications, do a chore or two, pop on to read some posts, see some pictures, laugh at some jokes. Sometimes, I confess, I skip the chores.

Here is a Facebook thing I have addressed before, but I’ve thought of a new post, so I make bold to revisit the topic. Sorry, I’m too lazy to search my old posts and give you a pingback to it. If you missed it, you aren’t really missing much.

To perhaps reiterate what I’ve said before, I don’t read every post, especially the ones that are clearly copied. One I have skipped almost every time begins, “Let’s see who reads my posts all the way to the end.” I think, “Why are you even friends with me if you think I don’t read your posts,” and I don’t read it all the way to the end.

While at work the other day (I was doing a job that gave me a chance to daydream a little), I composed the following post I may put on one day:

“Do NOT read this post all the way to the end. Are you still reading? If so, good for you, because that means you do not do everything you are told. Neither do I. What you do next is entirely up to you, but I think if would be fun if you posted a silly comment to this. And if anybody does read this all the way to the end, they will learn that the secret word is bananas.”

I like this one. I think it’s almost as good as a post I’ve actually done that reads, “Do NOT re-post this.”

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Not Even a Non-Sequitur

Posted on February 7, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

This is the worse case of Writer’s Blank I’ve had in a while.

And writing that sentence did not seem to help.

Good God, can it be that I’ve run out of things to say? Wasn’t I just writing last week that it wasn’t like a bucket that got emptied? Oh well, I think I stole that metaphor. After all, plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery (and I bet the person I stole it from stole it from somebody else).

I seem to be moving from Non-Sequitur Thursday to I Got Nuthin’ Thursday.

In fact, I had a minor adventure I had been going to write about. It involved my husband’s car getting hung up in a snowbank at the end of our driveway. When I got to work and shared the story with a co-worker, I finished with, “Now I’ll go write a blog post about it.” Another co-worker said, “Now you have something to write in your blog,” before I had a chance to say that (yes, I told the story twice; I really don’t have that much excitement in my life).

Could this be an example of what they say concerning fiction writing? Don’t tell your plots to people, because you won’t need to write them any more. Did I talk myself out of a blog post?

I’m thinking I did not. It really was not all that good of a story. I just said the blog line to be cute.

And I see I have now written over 200 words about, once again, not writing a post. In my defense, I have a headache and I have been striving not to mention it, because people who go on about their aches and pains are tiresome. I won’t promise anything better for tomorrow, because it will be Lame Post Friday. However, there is a chance we’ll have some Saturday Running Commentary. I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Get Off the Road!

Posted on February 6, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Wuss-out Wednesday and you bet I am wussing out. In my defense, it’s been a long day and I need it to end early. My original plan had been to write about yesterday’s run. Come to think about it, it was kind of a wussy run. Maybe this will work.

I ran in the road, which I rarely do. However, portions of Herkimer’s sidewalks are treacherous. I did not want to go flying.

I put on the reflective vest my sister gave me for my birthday. Safety first. This had the added advantage of covering me up a little more. I was wearing an actual winter running shirt, and it is form fitting. On the brighter side, my form is looking marginally better than I thought it was.

My plan was to stick to the least busy streets I could find. As I ran down Bellinger, left side facing traffic as recommended, I realized another caveat: it is better to run on the side of the road with no parking. I dodged around cars in between oncoming traffic. I wondered if my reflective vest was doing me much good since it was still daylight.

Soon I noticed a couple with a stroller on the opposite side of the road. I suppose I can’t really fault them for walking in the road with the sidewalks what they were, even with a baby carriage. At least they were on the left side facing traffic. But I had to feel silly: There I was with a reflective vest on, and their baby carriage didn’t have any safety devices. What kind of a wimp was I?

When I finally got off Bellinger I made the rest of my run based on which streets I could be left-side-facing-traffic on the No Parking side of the street. That worked a little better.

Not great, mind you. Just a little better. There were plenty of puddles on the side of the road, too, some of them frozen. Well, all I can do is my best. I managed to run 20 minutes. Less than I had run on the weekend, but longer than I had thought I would make. I did stick to the sidewalks for my cool-down walk with Tabby. At least, mostly sidewalks and some snow right next to the sidewalks.

On the brighter side, it’s February. Spring can’t be far. And I must admit, the weather does add interest to my runs. My next running post may feature me plowing through all the fluffy snow that fell today. I hope it will at least be on the sidewalk.

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Another Delightful Library Trip

Posted on February 5, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Monday after work, Steven and I went to Ilion Free Public Library. I had an ulterior motive for going there, which I may share in a subsequent post. Right now, however, I would like to write a straightforward post about Something I Did in the Mohawk Valley.

My default Thing to Do at almost any time is to go to the library. In the Mohawk Valley, we are blessed with many beautiful libraries.

Ilion Free Public Library, 78 West St., Ilion, NY, is in an historic-looking stone building. I learned from the library’s website that it was designed in a Romanesque style by New York City architect George P. Chappell and erected by local builder Albert N. Russell. This was after Clarence W. Seamans purchased the land.

Seamans was a local philanthropist of some note. I was particularly interested to note he had worked for Eliphalet Remington and Sons. He later became president of the Remington Typewriter Co. I was at the Remington Museum recently where I particularly noted the Remington Typewriter. I like to think that typewriter was partly responsible for the library I was in.

Inside, the library looks more modern. The most beautiful room is the Remington Room, a meeting room and art gallery. The room hosts events such as bake sales and plant sales as well as being available to groups for meetings. Steven and I were particularly interested in a display case of artifacts and photographs from Ilion’s past. The room also contains a large table with chairs and a long sofa.

“You could sit on that sofa and read a book,” I suggested to Steven, but he was not equipped with a book at the time.

On a wall just outside the Remington Room are several pen and ink drawings of historic buildings in Ilion. We enjoyed looking at those before browsing the shelves. As usual, I had to restrain myself from getting more books than I have time to read. I showed Steven a biography of Bob Fosse (we’re big fans of his movie All That Jazz). We may return and check that out soon. Steven perused the DVDs but did not find anything.

We also looked at the listings for “Lunch and a Movie” and “Snack and a Movie.” For the former BYO sack lunch and Friends of Ilion Library provide a beverage. For the latter, the Friends provide a snack and a beverage. That might be another activity for Mohawk Valley Girl.

As we left the library, we noticed a fundraiser sale for the Friends of Ilion Library. Knitted and crocheted items were offered as well as some lovely notecards. We did not have time to looks things over as much as we would have liked. Just another reason to return to Ilion Free Public Library.

Library Hours are Monday,Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. to May;
Closed Saturday from Memorial Day through Labor Day; closed Sunday.
Hours are subject to change. To confirm library hours, for Historical Room hours or more information, call 315-894-5028. Or you can visit the website at www.midyorklib.org/ilion.

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Lighthearted Musings

Posted on February 4, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear.

It is Monday. I only need to do a Middle-aged Musings Monday. How hard can it be? I’m middle-aged. Almost any thought can masquerade as a muse. Um, this is “muse” the verb, as in to think about or ponder, not “Muse” the mythical creature who inspires art. I don’t know if I’ve ever made that clear.

Be that as it may, I did have some rather important thoughts today. I feel they are too important to write about off the cuff, as I am doing. I must think some more, write, think, edit, etc. Or leave it right alone. After all, this is a lighthearted blog.

Ah, here’s a thought I can muse about: just because I write a lighthearted blog, am I a lighthearted person? Or am I merely masquerading as one, because it’s fun to write a lighthearted blog? Is it better to be lighthearted than serious? Am I straying into half-baked philosophy, which more properly belongs on Lame Post Friday?

Because I’ve read that in writing you should answer any questions you ask, I will attempt to reply to the above paragraph. No, yes, yes, yes. Just kidding; the answers are more complicated than that.

I am not always a lighthearted person. I suffer from depression, which is a heavy hearted malady. However, I have lighthearted moments and I appreciate lightheartedness. Therefore, I am not masquerading necessarily but merely emphasizing one aspect of my personality more than another. Whether it is better to be lighthearted than serious depends upon the situation.

OK, the last question is not complicated: yes, half-baked philosophy belongs on Lame Post Friday. It often intrudes on other days, because it is my favorite kind.

And now I have written over 250 words and I call that respectable for a Monday. Let’s get on with the week.

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Better than Running the Vacuum

Posted on February 2, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have awaited this day with impatience (but apparently not enough impatience to make it come sooner): the return of running commentary! All week, as I watched the predictions of the end of the cold snap, I planned to run on Saturday. I was psyched, I was ready, I was going to do it.

I got up extra early, because Steven had to be to work at six. I thought it would be a good idea to wait till the sun was up. Running in the dark is all very well during the hot weather, but today I felt I should give myself every advantage. When I noticed it was light out, I checked my thermostat. 24 degrees. That didn’t sound very warm.

Well, I had all day. I went upstairs and started some housecleaning, till we gained a few more degrees. Naturally, this put me in an “I’d better run NOW” mood. Remember that, people, if you are ever disinclined to exercise, just start doing a distasteful chore. Your desire for good health will become paramount.

I put on the long-sleeved running shirt my sister gave me for my last birthday. I decided to keep on the fat old lady pants I had put on earlier (for a trip to Wal-Mart, just to give you a mental image; they were most appropriate). After all, they provided freedom of movement, they didn’t look unlike exercise pants. I have a limited running wardrobe, after all.

I need new running shoes, but figured I could make do with that I had. I found my one good pair of winter running socks. Ah, I will definitely buy more of those the next time I’m at The Sneaker Store in New Hartford, NY (that’s where I get my running shoes; great store). They felt great. A hooded sweatshirt, my toque, mittens, I was off.

The sidewalks were not bare. That would be OK. For one thing, running on the snow would be more effort. I could burn more calories. I just had to watch out for ice.

I saw another runner going down German Street. He or she was shuffling along at about the pace I usually manage. That made me feel better, but I still ran in the opposite direction. For one thing, that person was running in the road. I always feel self-conscious running on the sidewalk while “real” runners run on the road. Like I’m the little kid doing what my mom told me to do.

Oh, but it felt good to run. Why didn’t I do this much sooner? Oh yeah, icy sidewalks and below zero temperatures. Well, that was a thing of the past. I was a runner again! Woohoo!

When I started I thought I would be happy with a 15 minute run, considering the temperature and how long it had been since I ran. However, I ended up doing 23 minutes, due to my failure to turn around in a timely fashion. It didn’t matter. My body was OK with it. Just by the end, my throat and lungs were getting a little tired of breathing in the cold air. I know, I know, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Sorry, my sinuses render that method ineligible.

My legs enjoyed the cool-down walk even more than the run. I guess that’s no surprise. I enjoyed the run. I spent the whole time narrating in my head. This would be one damn long blog post if I used all the good stuff I was coming up with. Then again, they might have sounded better in my head than they would look on the screen.

No matter, I ran, I was happy, I wrote a blog post about it. I hope to run again soon. In the meantime, off to more Mohawk Valley adventures. Or perhaps to the housecleaning I put off in order to run.

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Two Lame Scares

Posted on February 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Lame Post Friday and I confess, I am feeling beyond lame.

I worked on my novel on breaks at work today. I wrote some good stuff. When I got home I typed in some stuff I wrote on the novel last August. It’s some pretty good stuff, too.

OK, I admit it, I don’t really have a clear idea of whether or not it’s good stuff, but I like it. Just a minor problem, however, in that I seem to have two novels. Seriously, I see two main plot lines that I thought were related, but perhaps are not.

I would really love to expound upon this dilemma, but I am afraid that if I talk too much about the novel, I will no longer feel obligated to write it. I’ve mentioned that before. Also, the ever present threat of Advice from Others. Even (good God not that!) Well-Meaning Advice.

Now I’ve scared myself.

When I first got home today, I wrote a few postcards and walked to the post office with Tabby to mail them. Suddenly I’m flashing on a Writer’s Horror Story I heard once, about a writer who used up all his creativity writing witty cards to friends and never wrote that novel.

Actually, I thought that story sounded kind of lame at the time (hey! How appropriate for today!). And the more I’m in this writing game, the lamer I see that it is. Creativity is not a bucket that you empty. It is a spring or a river or a bottomless well. You take some out, and it flows even better. I wrote novel and postcards (and, dare I say, blog post) today, who knows what I will write tomorrow!

Yes, it’s another post where I just put some words here, hit publish and drive on. I am hoping for some Mohawk Valley adventures tomorrow. I hope at least some of you stay tuned.

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Soup du Cold Jour

Posted on January 31, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last night I improvised a soup I thought might be worth a blog post.

I used a smaller pot than I usually make soup in, because I have a tendency to make huge pots of soup that don’t all get eaten. I chopped up a half a yellow onion I had in the fridge and put it in olive oil. I added a green pepper and put the lid on tightly. This is my trick when I cook things in olive oil. The moisture from the vegetables stay in the pot and they end up getting steamed or even boiled if there are enough vegetables.

I crushed some garlic and set the timer for 15 minutes, so it could breathe, or whatever it does. Then I added it to the pot.

When the pepper and onions were soft I added chicken broth, lentils and a can of Great Northern beans. I had originally thought to use black beans, but my back was bothering me and I just couldn’t keep bending over to search the cabinet. It is a most inconvenient cabinet.

When I had been planning the soup in my head, I had thought a can of diced tomatoes would be good, but I did not have any of those. Must remember to add that to the grocery list. I put in basil, oregano, lemon pepper, cumin and parsley flakes. Then I just let it simmer.

I added more chicken broth as some cooked away. It ended up being a not very brothy soup, but it tasted pretty good.

Steven put the leftovers in the freezer, so now we have that to look forward to on a future cold day. Maybe with some kind of hearty bread. I guess winter does have its compensations.

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A Cold Walk

Posted on January 30, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been wanting to walk my dog, Tabby (I didn’t name her after a cat) (I told that story, didn’t I?), for some days now, but it has been too cold out for cute little doggies and middle-aged ladies. Today was only marginally better, but I thought I’d give it a try.

One reason I wanted to walk is that my back has been hurting me. I thought maybe I did something to it, but I really think all that I did was live to be fifty. And I haven’t been walking. Walking every day is very good for your back. It is good for your dog, too. How could I stay inside?

My thermostat said it was 18 degrees, which is practically 20. Luckily, my thermostat says nothing about wind chill. I hoped for the best. I put Tabby’s coat on her, bundled myself up, and we were off.

That bright sun ought to help, I thought. If only it hadn’t gone behind the houses. At least there were strips of sunlight. The sidewalks weren’t too bad. In the few places where nobody had shoveled, other pedestrians had worn a path. I don’t mind a little snow. The resistance burns a few more calories.

One patch of sidewalk was completely bare. I wondered if the people living in that house had put a heater under it, like some businesses do. I’d like to do that and not have to shovel. With my luck, I would mis-set the heat, the snow would melt then freeze, somebody would take a header and sue my pants off. Then I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay the heating bill.

When we turned the corner, we had full sun on our backs. Aaahhh. Well, I guess it was mostly placebo effect, because the air was still cold. My nose was running, but at least I had a handkerchief today.

I decided we would only go around one block. Tabby might have preferred to go farther, but I don’t think little dogs necessarily know what is best for them or me. Around another corner, we were in shade again. I thought how much I would appreciate the shade this summer. Then the wind picked up. Yikes!

I think Tabby enjoyed the walk. At least she stopped and sniffed the usual number of times. I enjoyed it too. I certainly needed the exercise. I needed more than what I got, to be honest, but one does one’s best. Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be in the 20s. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it sure looks different on the way up than it did on the way down!

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A Public Service Announcement

Posted on January 29, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Has anybody else observed that this January seems to be taking longer than the allotted 31 days, or is that just me? Never mind, it’s almost February, and I have a marvelous idea.

At the end of January, I got a little annoyed at some people who said, with or without a superior sniff, “I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions,” or “My New Year’s Resolution is to not make any New Year’s Resolutions!” Well, now they are probably feeling quite vindicated as many people who made New Year’s Resolutions have fallen by the wayside or off their respective wagon or otherwise failed to make our lives perfect.

Full disclosure: My New Year’s Resolutions were really just continuations of things I had been working on all during the past year. I let a couple of them slide during the holidays. I am, in fact, making some progress in everything except running (and for that it’s been too damn cold).

So here is my brilliant idea: Let’s all make Ground Hog Day Resolutions!

Think about it: Ground Hog Day is a fairly useless holiday. We torment a poor animal who has even less weather predicting capability than your local meteorologist. It’s dumb! They don’t have sales, nobody gets a paid holiday for it, there aren’t even any parties. What, I ask you, is the point?

On the other hand, many of us have transitioned from our post-Christmas letdowns into our midwinter slumps. Cabin fever is setting in. We need something to perk us up.

Self-improvement? you ask, with a skeptical eyebrow raise. Hear me out. My idea is that we make fun resolutions. Cheery resolutions. Get Ourselves Out Of The Dumps Resolutions.

My resolutions are as follows (full disclosure: I’m deciding this as I type): Watch more cheesy movies to write blog posts about. Send more postcards. Go to more fun places to buy said postcards. Write blog posts about those places.

Don’t look at your shadow and run back into the hole! Try to think of a fun resolution, and let’s make Ground Hog Day something to celebrate!

This public service announcement is brought to you courtesy of Mohawk Valley Girl.

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