Category Archives: personal

Just Like PT!

Posted on May 28, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

It really was not just like PT, but I thought that might make a catchy headline. PT, in case you did not know, stands for Physical Training in the army. That is where I learned to run, among other things.

In honor of Memorial Day, I put on my ARMY t-shirt to run in. This did not make it like PT, actually, because I also had on some comfy spandex shorts, not the doofy PT shorts they issue you. It was also not like PT because in army PT, you do not DARE untuck your t-shirt from your doofy shorts. I remember once running at army PT another soldier said, “I WANT to untuck my shirt!” To do her one better I said, “I want to take mine off and wave it over my head!” Then I added, “Under strobe lights, to a pulsing disco beat!” for good measure. I was actually shouting this after her, because she ran faster than me. I used to have fun during army PT.

I actually did not want to run this morning. I had two long, hilly runs the last two days. I usually take Mondays off. But I also usually work a 10-hour day Mondays. Today I do not work. I was up shortly after 6 a.m. (a very late sleep-in for me). It was plain silly not to run.

To make things more tempting, I promised myself no major hills. Then I thought I would try to cross State Route 5, which runs down the middle of Herkimer, and run in an area I rarely run in. I figured earlyish in the morning on a Monday holiday, I could cross without too much trouble.

I further decided to run to the canal path, which you can get on where State Route 5 crosses Route 5S, where Herkimer meets Mohawk. I was not sure how long it would take me to get there or how long down the path I could run, but it fulfilled my quest for Someplace Different and a running/walking/biking path might be fun.

Crossing State Route 5 was no problem. There is a button that will give you a WALK signal, but I managed to sprint without waiting for it. Ooh, now I was in different territory. Not unfamiliar, because I have run there before or even been there numerous times in a car. Past some businesses. A computer repair place, a bike repair place. I really ought to get my bike back on the road. Pedaling a bicycle is much easier on the joints than running. I noticed they also offered snowshoe sales and rentals. Snowshoeing sounded good to me. Any sport that you can do slowly sounds good to me when I am running (which, of course, I also do slowly).

It did not take me too long to get on the path, but now I started to fret. How far down the patch should I go? I knew there was a bridge over the canal that brings you to Washington Street. It would be good to run that far then go home by way of Washington, but how long a run would that make? I kept looking at my watch. The bridge was nowhere in sight. I’m sure it is further away when one is running than when one is driving.

A small group of ladies was walking toward me. I said good morning, but they ignored me. They were having a conversation. Still, a little wave would have been nice. I was exerting a lot more energy than they were, so I felt a little virtuous about that. But they were being easier on their joints and being sociable with each other, so they could feel virtuous about that, if they so chose.

I would run out 20 minutes then turn around. Or maybe 25. After all, I was up to a 50 minute run in my training regimen. Was it a good idea to run out a full half of what I wanted for my total? Did I want to run out and back? I would run to that curve in the path up ahead and see if I could see the bridge. Well, maybe a little further.

Of course, if I got to the bridge, I would have to go out on the road to cross it. The path goes underneath the bridge. There was the bridge! Was there a way to get easily from the path to the bridge? I didn’t think so, so I got out on the highway. Not a wide shoulder, but a shoulder. I thought I could hear a HUGE truck coming toward me. It turned out to be a garbage truck, not a negligible size by any standard. He nicely hugged the center line and even crossed over it a little as he approached me. God bless him.

Almost to the bridge. I could see that I would have had to crash through some grass and climb over the rail to get from there to here. Well, I will do that next time. Highways are scary. A small but existent shoulder on the bridge. There was a narrow lip by the railing, but I did not get on that. For one thing, the railing would have been at the bottom of my hip. I could just see me tumbling over and falling down, down, down to the water below.

Then I was on Washington Street. It wasn’t going to take me any time at all to get home. Would I even fulfill my 50 minutes? Of course it took longer to get home than I expected, but I still had to go around the block then past the house and backtrack. It was a pretty good run.

When I got to the computer, I went on a Facebook page of Veterans of Rome, NY and posted that I had run in my ARMY t-shirt in tribute to soldiers past and present. A couple of people liked it.

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More Deck Drudgery

Posted on May 28, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, with a scrubbed deck (just a week ago), a can of stain (stain and clear coat in one!), a brush, a roller… everything I needed except ambition. My husband was due home at 6:30 or thereabouts. I had a three day weekend ahead of me. Wasn’t it acceptable to make my blog post and futz around on Facebook or watch World’s Dumbest for Friday night? NO! It was NOT!

I told myself, I’ll just get started. I’ll do the railing. That would be the pain in the buttest part anyways. Won’t Steven be pleased to come home and find me hard at work, not sitting on the couch enjoying my Thirsty Owl Chardonnay (from a New York State winery)?

Of course nothing is ever easy with me. I have that quality. First I had to search for clothes I didn’t care if they got stain on them. I had already worn the Hummel’s t-shirt (purchased at a church rummage sale) to scrub the deck and had not washed it yet. It was definitely shorts weather. I grabbed a pair of bicycle shorts that I like to run in. I could run in stained shorts (nothing could make me look worse running than I already do). At last I found a t-shirt. Some slip-on sneakers my sister Diane gave me some 20 years ago that have never been particularly comfortable. I was ready.

I should have bought one of those little hooky things you open paint cans with. I managed with the edge of an old pair of scissors. I carried the can and brush to the far side of the deck and began staining. The top of the railing was no problem, but the edges were a little tricky. Leaning over to get the far edge, I was sure to hit the top I had just stained. The spindles (are they called spindles? Uprights? I’m sure you know what I mean) were sons of bitches. I quickly realized I could not conveniently get the far side of those. I would do all I could standing on the deck and worry about the other side subsequently.

Slowly I worked my way around. Stand, crouch, sit. Move the can of stain. Go back and get that spot I missed. I started to feel pretty ill used. Where was my husband, who ought to be helping me? (At work, earning money to pay for my stain and accessories.) Where were my family and friends? (Staining their own decks, which I did NOT help with.) I knew I was being unreasonable. Anyways, I would be proud of myself when I was done. In about a hundred years.

Then I went to pull the can after me instead of picking me up and the bastard spilled! At least I didn’t knock it right over, but that comforting thought did not occur to me till later. The best thing I could think of to do was to take my brush and spread the spilled stain around as quickly as I could. Well, I meant to stain that part of the deck anyways. I was just getting a jump on tomorrow’s chore.

I was nearly all the way around the railing by the time Steven came home. I had been working maybe an hour and a half (typically for me, I had failed to note what time I started). He immediately asked was there another paint brush. So much for me grumbling about him not helping! But I thought it would be a better idea for us both to enjoy what was left of the evening and leave the rest for the bright, ambitious morning. For one thing, Steven had to work. For another, I had a blog post to make and I was hungry.

Saturday morning after a long but satisfying run and an invigorating shower, I assessed the shade that covered the deck. Ruth at Aubuchon had cautioned me not to work in the bright, sunny heat of the day. I thought it looked good. It was a little after eight. Steven had gotten out the six foot stepladder for me, so I started on the outside of the railing.

And realized that was the biggest pain in the butt of all! I couldn’t get in the corners. I kept missing places. I had to keep brushing away cobwebs that had grown there since I had scrubbed. Eventually Steven suggested a smaller paint brush and even found me one. That worked better. I was still on the railing when he left for work, but working with determination.

I thought the deck part of the deck would be the easy part. I had a roller, with extender attachment, so I would not have to bend over or be on my hands and knees. Rollers were fast. This might even be fun.

Of course it was not. The roller did not put the stain on smoothly. Ruth had warned me I would have to brush over it after I rolled, and I still had my big brush that had been so poorly adapted for the outside of the railing. It looked better after I brushed it. Unfortunately, I only had one extender attachment. I could roll in a semi-comfortable position, then had to bend over in a distinctly un-back-friendly posture to brush. Oh dear!

At last I took the extender off the roller, put it on the brush (which had a place for it; I think I mentioned in my last post the brush’s package had said it was the Best), and continued to stain with sweeping movements. It really was not going too badly. Not too swiftly, but not too badly.

As I went along, I couldn’t help noticing that it was not looking wonderful. There were large spots on the deck from where my container garden had leaked, and the stain did not obliterate them as I had hoped. I guess that’s from the woodgrain-showing-through quality I thought would look so nice. It just goes to show, we can’t always think of everything.

Then I noticed how the sun was moving. It was pursuing me. And it was not pursuing me like a movie villain, giving up after I managed to stay one step ahead of it. It was relentless. I checked where it was coming from in relation to what was blocking it and changed my tactics. I stained where the sun was now and started working my way back to the shadier shade. Oh, I just had to finish! I could not leave till late afternoon when the shade returned.

Closer and closer to the end I got. I was well into the shade; the sun would never catch me now. Only my own fatigue and frustration could do me in. I encouraged myself with promises of beer and bragging rights. I made it.

In all honesty I have to say, the deck looks less awful than it did before I stained it. And I enjoyed the beer I subsequently rewarded myself with. I would like a beer now. This has been a long damn blog post. If you’ve stuck with me, thank you. I’ll have more deck doings in future posts.

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I Get Decked

Posted on May 27, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

And of course I mean decked as in knocked on my keester, not all decked out to go on a fun date. Some of you may recall my last week’s post about how I scrubbed the deck. This week I was determined to get it stained.

First I went to Aubuchon Hardware in Herkimer, NY, to buy the stain. I love to go to Aubuchon, because they are so helpful there. First I tried not to ask for help. I looked at paint cans till I saw some that said “stain” or “deck,” then I read labels till I found a can that looked good. I hesitated between two paintbrushes, but chose the less expensive one that said “Best” on the package. I thought, why would they lie? I looked at rollers, but decided it was time to ask advice. I was tired of carrying the paint can around with me anyways.

A young man at the register said he would let the resident paint expert, Ruth, take care of me. Ruth has helped me before with other stupid questions (I pretty much don’t have any other kind), so I was glad to wait for Ruth.

She looked at my can of stain and pretty much told me it was the wrong thing. She suggested something that would let the wood grain show through. Did I know what color or would I want to leave with some samples and decide? Oh, no, I would decide NOW. And, Ruth said, I would need a clear coat over top of it.

“I need two coats? Do I have to wait 48 hours for it to dry?” The thought was appalling. But, no, I could do both coats in one day. My plan to begin my container garden next weekend could still happen (I’m not saying it will; you know me).

Ruth shook up both cans (stain and clear coat), and we talked about rollers. She told me I could put the stain on with a roller then brush over it, doing the deck in sections. The manager came over at that point, and she told him there ought to be a video to show customers how. He said there was and called it up on the computer.

The video was actually a training session for employees. It turned out there was no application demo, but in the course of looking at parts of it (we did not watch the whole thing, thank goodness), we discovered there was another kind of stain with the clear coat built right in. I could do one coat! Yay! Ruth found that one for me in a color I thought was nice.

She advised I get liners for the roller tray, a thing I had not even considered but decided she was right: they are a good idea. She found me a tray with came with a roller handle (that I thought I needed) and a roller I can use another time when I paint something. Ruth also found me the roller specifically for stain.

I thanked her profusely for her help and patience, and I praised her knowledge. Graciously accepting the compliment for the whole store, she said she was glad to and that was why they had such training as the video we had looked at.

It was a tiring session at the store, especially after a long day of work, but I felt I was prepared for my upcoming adventure. I’ll continue the tale with another post, and you can hear about me really getting decked.

Aubuchon is at 105 N. Caroline St., Herkimer, phone 315-866-4931.

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Lame Effort?

Posted on May 26, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Does anybody else look at the first page of a new notebook and hesitate before writing anything down? This was not the half-baked philosophy I had originally thought to write about, but let’s run with it for a sentence or two (for those of you just tuning in, today is Lame Post Friday, when I amuse myself and I hope others with random observations and half-baked philosophy)(and for regular readers, sorry that I boringly repeat the explanation yet again).

On a blank page I could write something brilliant or wonderful or… oh, what the hell, now I’ve written something. Now it’s just a run of the mill notebook with words in it, not a magic spiral-bound receptacle of possibility. But one thing I’ve noticed about me: I like to write. I enjoy the physical process of putting words on paper. So rather than feeling the middle-aged mix of disappointment and philosophy that happens when reality meets potential, I feel content. And pleased about my new little notebook, purchased at Hummel’s Office Plus in Herkimer, NY (I am Mohawk Valley Girl, after all). So much for that topic.

The half-baked philosophy I had meant to expound upon is, “No effort is wasted.” That phrase occurred to me at work this morning as I struggled up the stairs with my heavy bag. My bag is heavier than previously, because I switched my lunch to salad instead of sandwich. You wouldn’t think a small thermos would weigh so much more than a pita pocket (whole wheat, of course), but it totally does. But, I told myself, the extra effort will at least burn a calorie or two. No effort is wasted, I went on. Any effort can make us stronger or teach us something.

Last night I was suffering from a bit of angst and wanted to post a Facebook status of “Does anybody care if I run the stupid Boilermaker?” What I wanted to see was comments like, “Yes, we like to read your running blogs,” or “I’ll look for you on the TV coverage” (my sister Cheryl saw me on TV the first year I ran), or even, “Hell, yeah, I’m not going to run it!” What I figured I would get was things like, “Do what YOU want to do,” and “These things are meaningless unless you do them for yourself.” And I was trying to think up replies, like, “No man is an island,” and “I KNOW that BUT…” or even, “Duh.” Now that I think about it, probably nobody would be rude enough to say, “What possible good can it do ME if YOU run the Boilermaker?” But you never know.

Now I have a potential answer to my internal Boilermaker debate. No effort is wasted. If I run the Boilermaker, my effort to do so is not wasted. If I don’t run the Boilermaker, my efforts at training are not wasted. What a comforting thought. Although I can’t help thinking I’d like it if somebody else would be a little bit happy if I ran it. How lame is that?

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No Sweat! (Wanna Bet?)

Posted on May 24, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Since I did not run Monday I thought it would be a good idea to run Tuesday. Then when I heard that thunderstorms were predicted for Wednesday and Thursday, I knew it would be a good idea. (Please note, and I believe I’ve noted before, I did not say “I ought to” or “I should.” I almost never do what I ought to.)

It had been a sticky, stinky day. That is, the weather was sticky and I was stinky. I wanted to wash my work pants (I only have one pair; don’t judge me). I could multi-task by putting in the wash before I ran. My washing machine takes about 40 minutes: a 30 minute run with 10 minute cooldown would be just right. Did I feel like a woman with her act together or what?

Oh, it was muggy (I was originally going to call this post “Muggy Run” but I think I’ve used that title before). I thought at first to run neighborhood streets; no hills. Cut myself a little break. Then I saw that I could immediately cross German Street. I had to go for it.

Now I was headed toward Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). Could I manage the hill to HCCC, front or back? Then I remembered the unknown park. All those trees, all that shade. Would it be cooler or merely more muggy? I would find out. It was soon clear that this was going to be a perseverance run. Well, you’ll have those (that is my stock reply to myself when I don’t like something).

As I turned into the park and started up the small hill, I noticed two signs that said, “No Dumping.” I pictured people coming by later and saying, “Will you look at that? Right next to a sign that says No Dumping somebody has dumped a middle-aged lady wearing running clothes!”

Up ahead of me I saw three college-age boys walking. One of them appeared to be texting (aren’t the young folks always texting?). I thought he could text for a taxi for me. Or an ambulance. They were really strolling at their leisure, because it did not take me long to pass them. It can be discouraging sometimes, how long it takes me to pass a pedestrian.

Past the athletic fields (no sports games going on), into the picnic area, and soon I was on the path through the woods. An occasional breeze off the stream offered a little relief, but for the most part the air was hot and heavy. I noticed a number of large rocks I would like to put in my garden. The little devil on one shoulder said, “Go ahead! They won’t miss one or two rocks!” The angel on my other shoulder said, “If everybody just took rocks out of the park, there wouldn’t be any left for the park.” While they continued to argue, I thought about how much harder it would be to run carrying a large rock, and that settled that.

A couple more upslopes and I was on the back road to HCCC. I turned away from the college and ran downhill. Ah! I considered running to the spring. I not only wanted to drink some, I wanted to splash it all over my face. The sweat was running down it. I had on a sweatband, but that only caught some of the overflow from the top of my head. Every other sweat gland in my body was pumping industriously.

I thought of the bottle of ice water waiting for me on my (scrubbed, unstained) deck. I thought of the Gator Ade in my refrigerator. I thought of a long, cool shower. I stopped thinking about those things before they made me cry. I paused briefly to pet a nice dog. Her owner told me she was a year old puggle. Sweet puppy. I noted several rhododendrons with as many blooms as mine. I must get more flowers planted.

By virtue of running past my house twice I managed to keep running for thirty minutes. The sweat continued to drip as Tabby walked my cooldown with me. I tried to encourage her to stop and sniff only in shady spots. When we were almost all the way around the block, the most wonderful cool breeze blew over us. Heavenly!

I looked at the weeds on my front lawn and decided they could wait another day. These runs do take it out of me. But the Boilermaker is coming! I must persevere!

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Fun at the Garden Fair

Posted on May 23, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven had a rare Sunday off this week. We were delighted that it fell on the day of the 18th Century Spring and Garden Fair at Herkimer Home State Historic Site in Little Falls, NY.

We made plans to get there as soon as it started, 1 p.m., so for once it was no problem getting a parking space. I’m always so pleased at the number of people taking advantage of these events. Not everybody sits home complaining, “There’s nothing to do around here!” We actually arrived a little prior to one, but most of the booths were already set up, and a number of other early arrivals were strolling about.

The tents over most of the tables were a welcome sight. I had sensibly worn one of my crazy old lady hats (the nicer one), but I needed all the shade I could get. We chatted for quite a while with a lady from Glimmerglass State Park. Steven picked up some information on a telescope night they are having in June. That would be a great blog post if we could make it to that.

Moving on to the vendors, we pondered plants, eventually selecting a Toad Lily from Acadian Farm Perennials by Kathy-O of St. Johnsville. Photographs of the blooming flowers were attached to some of the pots. What a great idea! I just have to decide where to plant it now.

We also purchased some natural flea and tick spray from The Mustard Seed & Antiques at Stone Mill of Little Falls. We’ve purchased dip mixes from The Mustard Seed at other events. Good stuff. The lady told us the flea and tick spray would be good for us and our dog. We will utilize it the next time we walk the nature trail at Herkimer County Community College.

Acadian Farm is located at 259 Tillboro Rd, St. Johnsville, phone number 518-993-3967. The Mustard Seed is at 410 Canal Place, Little Falls, phone 315-823-0718. The Herkimer Home State Historic Site is at 200 State Route 169, Little Falls, 315-823-0398.

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Monday Morning Muse

Posted on May 22, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have a couple of Mohawk Valley adventures to relate, but I’m afraid today I’m going to hide behind Middle-aged Musings Monday.

I actually wrote three paragraphs on our visit to the Herkimer Home, and I may still be able to use them Tuesday or Wednesday. However, when I started to write the fourth paragraph, what happened (I’m not asking rhetorically; I honestly don’t know)? Not Writer’s Block or even Writer’s Blank. I just realized I was about to start the third paragraph in a row with the word “We,” didn’t want to do that, and could not think of a damn other thing to write. It’s all very well to say, “Just put ‘We’ for now and change it later.” That’s not how I roll.

I am just about at my year’s anniversary of being Mohawk Valley Girl. I challenged myself to post every day for one year. I may be subconsciously sabotaging myself. Why would I do such a thing?

This is probably a mere case of the Monday Blahs. I had a very tiring weekend. I worked Saturday then scrubbed the deck. Sunday I ran for 45 minutes, pulled weeds, then spent time walking around in the direct sunlight. Sunlight always does me dirt. In all I had what I thought was a respectable combination of ambition and fun. Now I am not only exhausted and ravenously hungry, but I don’t like a damn thing that comes out of my pen.

I’m thinking we all get in these moods (stand by for today’s musing). For example, in Shelley Winters’ second autobiography (Shelley II: The Middle of My Century, Pocket Books, New York, NY, 1989; excellent book), she talks about how she gets the three a.m. dooms and asks, “what if…” For heavens’ sake, Shelley Winters? A respected professional whose career spanned decades in a field NOT known for career longevity? She won two Oscars! She was in many wonderful movies and plays. She made significant contributions to causes she believed in. She had a lot of steamy romances with some majorly hot men. I could go on, but I’m getting jealous.

Before I segue into my own case the dooms, I point out to myself: you see, nobody does everything they would like to do. Does that thought make me feel better? Not really. I’m still looking at Shelley Winters and wondering why I didn’t do some of the same stuff she’s done. Maybe not win an Oscar (not even one?) and I guess my husband would have a problem with the majorly hot men, but significant contributions to causes I could do.

And this is the way the Monday Blahs work: as I wrote that this morning on a break at work, I only felt more blah and, truth be known, was a little amused by myself at doing such a thorough job of it. As I type this into my computer Monday evening, I’m thinking, let’s see, what could I do? Let’s make a plan…

But as I said, this ambitious thought did not occur to me as I was actually musing on a Monday morning. At that point, all I could think was I’d like to go home and watch A Place in the Sun. Shelley didn’t win an Oscar for that, but she’s very good.

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“I Can Rock This” Run

Posted on May 21, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sunday when I set out to run, I had a vague notion of running straight out somewhere where I could later drive in my car and see how many miles I did. I always run for a certain length of time and only occasionally wonder how far it gets me.

I thought I would run out Steuben Street. I know it goes on for a ways, and there is a pretty good hill. I like to run hills. I know there are hills on the Boilermaker and I want to laugh at them. My usual Sunday run, up to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) the front way, is a pretty steep hill, but I deemed it not so good to drive that way later. In point of fact, I have not run my usual Sunday run in a while. Maybe next week.

It was perfect running weather. Sunny, not too hot, no humidity that I could feel and even a little bit of a breeze. I crossed German Street with no problem (love Sunday morning traffic!) and headed toward Steuben.

And realized how far down German Street Steuben is. What’s that all about? This was taking forever! A glance at my watch informed me that in fact it was not. I distracted myself by looking at houses and other people’s flowers. Two nice hanging baskets there. I must get started on my container garden. I figure I’ll make a tasteful arrangement in the yard until the deck is stained and dried.

At last I was on Steuben. Ooh, that hill looked steep. Don’t think of the difficulty, think of how I’m building my muscles. Once I got closer it didn’t seem as bad. My problem now was the lack of a good shoulder. That’s one thing about the road to HCCC, it has a good wide shoulder. Luckily there was very little traffic.

There is a little sort of a soft shoulder. In the army if a soft surface offered itself, I usually chose instead to run on pavement. Running was difficult; I wanted each step to count for the maximum amount possible. That centimeter or so your foot slips back on a soft surface was just too much for me to deal with. An army friend of mine usually chose the soft surface as being easier on her feet. Today I ran in the soft surface. For one thing, my feet are bothering me since I need to replace my running shoes. For another thing, as I reflected this morning, no stern NCO awaited me at the end of the run demanding to know why I took so long (in point of fact, most NCOs I encountered in the army did not sternly await me at the end of runs; they knew I was trying my darnedest).

I knew there was a place to turn off somewhere along Steuben, and I intended to turn off, not merely turn around. I knew the place was there, because on previous runs I have run the other way and come out on Steuben. Naturally these things take longer going up than going down. Soon I was firmly in the “what the hell was I thinking?” stage of my run. I knew I could just turn around and go downhill at any time, but I wanted it to be a long run.

Where was that turn off? Was that it up ahead? No, just a driveway. Around the curve? Perhaps. I looked to my left through some back yards and saw the road I would soon be running down. The turn off must be close! Another driveway. A speed limit sign. Well, no chance I was going over 35 m.p.h. At last, I turned left and went downhill. Lovely, lovely downhill.

This was a quieter road. Still no shoulder, but no traffic either. I looked at some houses and envied a couple of porches. Another uphill stretch and soon I was going downhill at a rather steep gradient. I would almost rather go uphill than downhill when it’s that steep. I told myself to enjoy it, all I had to do was shuffle my feet a little and gravity would do all the work. Then my back started feeling every step. Oh dear. I know running is bad for your back, but so is being overweight, and running helps me keep mine down. Well, hills don’t last forever, up or down (and there’s a metaphor for life).

After a while my back stopped hurting. Then my right knee started in. Oh for heavens’ sake. Well, it wasn’t too bad. I got back to German Street and started toward my house. I had not run as long as I intended. The sun was feeling pretty hot by now, and I considered running to the spring on Lou Ambers Drive to have a drink. That was the way up to HCCC. I did not consider going there.

I soon decided to cross at Caroline Street, run down Caroline a ways then back home, for a total of 45 minutes. My previous longest time was 44, which I had thought to duplicate today. Then I thought, if I add 10 percent to 45 next week, that gets me up to 50. I could be over an hour in two weeks’ time at the 10 percent a week rule! Yes, I do the math while I run. It helps.

Lovely shade on Caroline Street. My knee had stopped hurting and my back was at it again. What was this, tag team? No matter, I was almost home and I was making my time. I had spent the latter half of my run in the “I can rock this” stage. I never reached the “I LOVE running” stage, but you don’t always. I consider that it was a good run. I enjoyed it.

These running posts tend to get a little long, don’t they? I didn’t even tell you all the silly things I was thinking of at the time. Perhaps for a future post.

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What the Deck

Posted on May 20, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Anybody who was reading my blog last year in May and June (was there anybody? I dare not hope) knows I love to have a container garden on my deck. I grow flowers and herbs, and generally go overboard and have to search my house for things that can be used for more containers. I’ve been noticing, though, that my deck has been looking pretty shabby. I’m trying to do something about it.

My first move, as usual in these cases, was to consult my father. He knows many things. He suggested I stain the deck after first scrubbing it. I should scrub it with a powdered cleanser made for such a purpose, possibly containing tri-sodium phosphate, if I could find any.

Dad said I would have to let the deck dry thoroughly between scrubbing and staining. I could scrub one weekend and stain the next. I thought I might better purchase the stuff I needed to scrub it with right away. The sooner it started sitting around my house till I got sick of looking at it, the sooner I would get to scrubbing.

After working till 11:00 Saturday morning I stopped by Aubuchon Hardware in Herkimer on my way home. Aubuchon is our go-to place for many things garden, pet and home. They are so helpful there. I was pretty sure somebody would advise me. I thought it would be OK to go straight there in what I think of as all my blue collar glory. That means my steel-toed work shoes and BDU pants from the army.

They were doing a booming business when I arrived. Well, mid-day Saturday is prime shopping time. I should have remembered. I made my way to the paint section and started looking for myself.

I finally located something called TSP-PF, phosphate free heavy duty cleaner. I supposed phosphate free is what they replaced tri-sodium phosphate with when they figured out it was bad for some reason. You know my father’s generation. They didn’t know anything was ever bad for you. That’s why they all smoked and/or ate bacon for breakfast every day. Who says they weren’t the good old days? But I digress.

The stuff said right on the box it was good to clean decks with prior to staining. I perused the box carefully, to be sure I had everything I needed. Then I pondered buckets. I chose one to mix in, handily marked with quarts, ounces and liters; and a larger one to pour the completed mix in.

After unsuccessfully looking for a scrubber and staring indecisively at gloves, I found a lady free to help me. She found me the right scrubber and recommended some heavy duty, reusable gloves. When she rung me out, she said to come again.

“Oh, I will, when I go to stain the deck,” I assured her. Actually, I’ll probably also be back to purchase dirt for my container garden. Like I said, the go-to place.

I got hit by an inexplicable burst of ambition when I got home and mixed up the cleaner (you add water and bleach; I already had the bleach). I put on the gloves, carried everything out to the deck and got to work.

What a pain in the butt! And I could have used a pair of knee pads. However, I persevered (a skill I learned from running) and got the deck scrubbed. Now it is out drying in the sun. I like the steps of projects that require only patience on my part.

Aubuchon Hardware is located at 105 N. Caroline St., Herkimer, NY. Phone number is 315-866-4931.

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Not So Fun to Run in the Sun

Posted on May 19, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

Monday I tried but had a terrible backache, Tuesday it poured with thunder and lightning, Wednesday we went to dinner, Thursday was the Ilion Little Theatre dinner meeting… so Friday I thought it would be a good idea to run.

The more I think about this Boilermaker, the more I think, “What the hell was I thinking?” It’s less than two months away and I have been running like garbage! Well, the best thing I can think of to do is to keep running and hope for the best. I’m sure I can be up to running for an hour by the end of June. And I always say, if you can run one hour, you can run two; you just don’t stop.

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day on Friday. Perfect porch or deck sitting weather. I say SITTING. I don’t do so well in the direct sunlight. Could I be part vampire? Nevertheless, I got on my running stuff and set out. At least my back didn’t hurt. Much. (I am over 40, after all.) I reflected that at least my leg muscles could not complain that they were not warm. My whole body was warm. Well, it may very well be warm for the Boilermaker. Hello, July!

I decided to take it easy on myself and run neighborhood streets with no real hills. This had the added advantage that I would not have to cross German Street in four o’clock Herkimer traffic. I mostly picked which streets to run down by virtue of how much shade I could see. Ah, shade!

I passed a lady next to an almost full U-Haul truck a few blocks from where I live.

“Moving in or moving out?” I asked as I ran by.

“Moving in!”

“Welcome!” I heard her yell thanks as I continued to run. You see how slowly I run that we had plenty of time for that little exchange.

I saw a Dead End street I had never run down. Remembering my Dead End Run, I thought I’d go down it. This one had a place you could cut through a very short patch of lawn and get out onto another street. Tee hee, a dead end street I didn’t have to back track on.

I ran around the H.A.R.C. building at the end of German Street. The porta potty was back (I don’t know if I mentioned it had not been there another time I ran by) (and I don’t know if current readers read the post where I was happy to use the porta potty another time). It didn’t matter though; I had remembered to pee before I left. I was good.

It was a while before I realized I was not hearing the ice cream truck. How unusual. I didn’t want to purchase ice cream, but I sure would have like to stick my head in the freezer. I saw a Schwann truck. I was going to ask the guy if I could stick my head in his freezer, but by the time I got to him he was crossing the street with a delivery. Just as well. He probably would have tried to sell me some food. I was feeling hungry.

There really were not a lot of patches of shade any where. I took what I could get. I got to the end of Green Street, where there is a traffic light on Washington. I could see the lovely shade of a church. I ran in place while waiting for the light. There was no chance I was sprinting anywhere. Aaah, shade. I ran around the side of the church, which offered a little more shade. Then it was across a parking lot and eventually to the shade of an abandoned building that I believe used to be a bank. Then running in place again while I waited for my chance to cross Main Street. Lots of shade by some businesses. A man was sitting smoking in front of Pete’s Tavern.

“I’m thinking a cold beer,” I said as I ran by. I wondered if I could return for it after I was showered.

My body wanted to go home and collapse. I kept running through all the shade I could find, even if it took me in the wrong direction temporarily. That was my sneaky way of extending my run. Closer to my house, some people were washing their cars. A little boy had the hose and was squirting his protesting sisters.

“If I cross the street, will you squirt me?” I called. The kids said they would. I ran almost to the end of street first, then thought, “Why not?” I ran by and yelled, “Hit me!” He mostly hit my legs, but it revived me enough that I thought I would to around the block then home.

Bad move. There was very little shade on the other side of the block. Me and my big ideas. But I persevered. When I collected Tabby and my bottle of water for my cool down walk, I also grabbed my crazy old lady hat. I wanted the portable shade for my face at least.

Oh, I felt like crap after my run. However, after stretching then sitting for a few minutes, I took my shower (always a good idea; if you can’t feel better at least you’ll smell better) and drank some Gator Ade. Soon I started typing. And that catches us up. This post has been in lieu of my usual Friday Lame Post. I’ll tell you one thing, though: a few more runs like that and I may be lame in more ways than one.

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