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Thursday we went to the Herkimer Farmer’s Markets. There are two, one in the Aubuchon parking lot and one in Herb Philipson’s parking lot.

We went to the one at Aubuchon first. According to the sign this was the first week. We admired the craftsmanship of some leather work and were sorely tempted by a peach pie. There was also produce and some pepper plants. The man at the produce table said they were out of strawberries.

“You snooze, you lose,” I philosophized. We moved on to the table with some pepper plants. I wouldn’t mind planting some peppers but would need to dig up more of my yard to do it. The man selling them said there had been some mix up and all the peppers were hot. This did not sound like a bad thing to me, but I was not sure I could muster the necessary ambition to augment my garden.

Another table had magnetic jewelry such as we had seen at the Mohawk Farmers Market. Pretty stuff, but I was not in the market for it.

We next went to the market at Herb Philipson’s, or Herbie Philipson’s as my sixth grade math teacher called it. This market had some lovely flowers. Too bad I already went overboard on my container garden. Another booth was not out of strawberries. Unfortunately I did not think I had time to bake anything with them, and nobody wants to see fresh strawberries go bad in the fridge.

Neither market was very extensive, but it is early in the season. Even with only a few vendors it is pleasant to shop outdoors, and fresh local produce is always a treat. I’ll look to see the markets get even better as the summer wears on. Just one more thing to take advantage of in the Mohawk Valley.

I did not actually view last night’s full moon over the Mohawk River, but Moon over the Mohawk makes such a nice headline. Much better than Moon in the Mohawk Valley, I thought.

It was a beautiful day from start to finish yesterday. The temperature was perfect when I ran in the morning. It was not too hot when Steven and I planted the last of our tomatoes. And a sweet breeze was blowing as I sat on the deck with a cup of tea before going to work at one.

After work we sat on the deck and regretted that the moon was on the other side of the house. Steven’s nephew Kirby used to call it the moonah-moolah, which I find very descriptive. I felt very relaxed sitting there, but rousted myself for a short walk, because I thought that would make this a better blog post. I was right.

We could see the moonah-moolah through some trees as we left the house. Steven had brought the camera and took a picture. It is not a digital camera, so we’ll have to wait to see how it turns out. Tabby may have been a little confused, because we aren’t usually out walking after 10 o’clock at night, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. I do like living in a place where you can go out walking after dark and not be worried. After our walk we sat on the deck for a little longer and enjoyed the Mohawk Valley evening.

This is probably the tamest post yet, but I do have something to add that I forgot to mention during my post about what brought us to Herkimer. One of the first days we were here, I was in orientation for my job and Steven was walking around the village. When we met up for lunch, he said to me, “There’s a building with my name on it!” Sure enough, a building on Main Street said HM Quackenbush. I said, “Steven, you have to go in and say, ‘Uncle Bob, it’s me Steve! Give me a job!'” But Steven did not follow my advice. Imagine my chagrin a few years later when HM Quackenbush went out of business and apparently left a mess that had to be cleaned up. Still, if we could get the name off that building, I’d put it up somewhere in my house.

When Steven suggested we go to Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner for breakfast I said, “Perfect! It’ll make a great blog post!”

Crazy Otto’s, located at 100 W. Albany St, Herkimer, is an old time diner in a silver bullet of a trailer. It is not one of those ’50s-looking diners — although those are fun, too — it is a diner from the ’50s. The decor includes movie posters, vintage signs and toys, and license plates from all over the country. Steven and I always look for the Georgia plate we gave them, but have not found it yet. We’ll have to sit at the other end of the diner next time.

While perusing the menu, I always enjoy to read the history of Crazy Otto’s, which involves the story of a young Scott Tranter and an Easy Bake Oven. I was pleased to note that the Crazy Elvis had earned a permanent place on the menu. The Crazy Elvis is French toast stuffed with peanut butter and banana. Yum! It was previously only available occasionally as a special. Sitting here writing this, I regret that I did not order a Crazy Elvis. It obviously would have made a much better blog post if I had eaten a Crazy Elvis. Unfortunately, this is not a fictional blog, so I must report that Steven and I both ate the special: two eggs, bacon, toast and a huge, heaping mound of hash browns. “Huge, heaping mound” is my own description. The waitress just said “hash browns.” We had our eggs over medium and the toast was wheat.

The Diner Wizard himself greeted us as we waited for our food. This is Scott’s alter ego, an author who offers mentoring, instructing, speaking and restaurant consulting. You can find him at DinerWizard.com.

Crazy Otto’s is open seven days, including 24 hours on the weekends. Some night when I have the midnight munchies, I’ll have to pop down and check it out. For more information on the Empire Diner, call 315-866-8801 or visit their website http://www.CrazyOttosEmpireDiner.com.

Sunday afternoon Steven and I went to check out St. Anthony’s Festival at the church on South Main Street in Herkimer.

If we had been hungry we would not have stayed that way long. They offered a great selection of food including two of my favorites, calamari and sausage and peppers. You could also get beer or wine, but you had to stay in a specific place while you consumed it.

The church was open, so I went in to say a prayer. I picked up a card with a picture of St. Anthony on the front and a prayer on the back. I like the peaceful atmosphere of an empty church.

The best thing at St. Anthony’s Festival, to me, was the music. They had a polka band that was excellent. People were dancing the polka, and it was fun to watch. I’ve never learned to polka, but I bet I could pick it up fast. You only have to count to three.

I remember at family weddings when I was a little girl, the band would strike up a polka and everyone my parents’ generation and up would be on the dance floor. I remember my mom and dad being particularly good at it. Had I known there would be a polka band, I would have tried to get Mom and Dad to make the drive to Herkimer. Maybe at a future festival.

St. Anthony’s Festival was a three day affair. I know we missed many activities and other bands. We had actually thought about going down Friday or Saturday night, but were discouraged by rain and my own tiredness. I’ll make a greater effort the next time I see that St. Anthony’s Church is doing something. Those Catholics know how to have a good time.

Sunday we went to a fundraiser at Silverado for two families that were left homeless after a fire in Herkimer. I love these fundraisers. Not only are they a good time and you can feel good about helping someone, you can get inspired by how generous people are. This is what people are really like, I tell myself. they come together to help each other and they have fun doing it.

Silverado is located on Marginal Road in Herkimer. It is decorated with a country western theme and is a good size for such an event. After we paid our admission we filled paper plates with hot dogs, potatoes, salad and beans. Steven got a bottle water while I indulged in a beer. After all, we must also support the venues for these events. I noticed a sign for another fundraiser that day in Ilion, this one for a sick little girl. I hope they did equally well. I felt a little bad not to attend both fundraisers, but our budget would have been a little strained.

After we ate we checked out the Chinese Auction. Steven and I love Chinese Auctions and have experienced very good luck in winning things. It is fun to walk up and down, debating which jars to put your numbers in. I saw that the afghan I had donated had been paired with a floor lamp. I put in for it, because I could really use a floor lamp. My scarves had been broken up. I had donated four of them together in a blue basket. The basket now held other things, and I spotted the scarves with various other groupings. I put in for one of them because of the other prizes in that basket. We did not experience our usual luck, though, and no phone call telling us we had won a prize brightened our evening.

The musical entertainment was top notch. Johnson and Co. was playing when we arrived. Very danceable stuff. I boogied while I was putting my numbers in the auction cups. After Johnson and Co., Gridley Paige took the stage. They had a more mellow sound and were also excellent.

It was very enjoyable just to sit at the bar and watch the crowd. You get quite a cross-section of people at these fundraisers. All ages, shapes and sizes, and everybody smiling and having a good time. A great way to spend part of an afternoon in the Mohawk Valley.

A friend suggested I write a about how I came to the area. I seem to recall referring to that as a long story, not very interesting, but let’s see if I can make is short and amusing.

The year was 2003 (oh dear, that is a long time ago!) and I was on terminal leave from the army, staying at my parents’ house in Rome, NY. Now I have not been unemployed since I left college in 1987, so I went right down to Working Solutions to see what I could find. One job opening was in Herkimer.

“Where’s Herkimer?” I asked my Mom. I had heard of Herkimer. Other classes in my elementary school had gone to the Diamond Mines for field trips.

Herkimer, it turned out, was my kind of town. Steven remarked that it was reminiscent of Potsdam in its heyday. By Potsdam’s heyday, of course, he meant Potsdam when he was a college student there in the ’70s. Or perhaps when we were newlyweds there in the ’90s. Anyways, a fun little college town, with a lot to offer not just to college students.

Here’s where I’ll make the long story short. I took the job in Herkimer. Steven found a job in Herkimer. We took an apartment in a farmhouse on Rt. 5 in Schuyler below the Frankfort Bridge. Eventually we bought a house in Herkimer.

I really like Herkimer. For the most part people are friendly. Just this morning I ran up to Herkimer County Community College and encountered two nice people with nice dogs. I only got to pet one, but that was OK. There is a lot of green, lots of trees and nice lawns to run by. I take notes of what other people are doing with flowers and steal their ideas. I’ve mentioned before what a good walking/running village it is, and that is something I appreciate almost every day.

Herkimer is also an active place with lots of community events. This afternoon we plan to check out the St. Anthony’s Festival at his Church and a fundraiser at Silverado’s. I’m happy to look back and see that I have been a Herkimer resident for almost six years. Does that mean I can count as a Local?

I neglected to mention something that happened Tuesday morning. Tuesday was the day I ran, bought plants and worked one to nine-thirty. Before I ran I read the paper and noticed that a benefit was planned for three families that are homeless after a fire on Main Street in Herkimer. The fire was about two blocks from my house. I’ve been by those homes, and it looks scary.

While I was running Tuesday I thought, “Hey, they’re probably having a Chinese auction as part of the fundraiser. I have an afghan I can donate. I wonder if they’d also like a few scarves?” See, I crochet or knit when I watch television, and I love to watch television. I don’t know how to make that many things, but I can do afghans, scarves and prayer shawls.

When I got home and had showered and eaten, I called the number in the paper “for more information.” The lady who answered was delighted at the idea of my donations. She was currently at Wal-Mart, chasing down another donation. I said I would meet her there.

Steven found a basket in the attic (which I believe I had won some years ago at a Chinese auction to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network) for me to put a few scarves in. I also grabbed a recently completed afghan and we hurried to Wal-Mart. The only downside of our hustle and bustle was that Tabby got the idea she was going somewhere fun with us. It is sad to disillusion an excited schnoodle, but it was too warm a day for a dog in a car.

We met Peg Czarnecki, the lady organizing the fundraiser. Our donation was gratefully received, and Peg told us about some big ticket items to be raffled as well. We told her we would probably be at the fundraiser, and she encouraged us to attend. For one thing, I have to see how many tickets get put in for my afghan.

The fundraiser is set for Sunday, June 12 from 1 to 7 p.m. at Silverado Inn, Marginal Road, Herkimer. Musical entertainment includes Showtime, Johnson & Co., Jeff and Tim from Gridley Paige, Stevie Rigo and Friends, and Jon Liebing. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for ages 12 and younger.

I’ll probably post a blog on Monday, telling how it was. If you’re local, you should go too. We can compare notes.

I knew my blog was in trouble when I got home from work too tired to do ANYTHING. Luckily Steven fixed dinner.

“I’m even too tired to take Tabby for a walk,” I started to say, then realized I would always find some little energy for my dog. I wore one of my crazy old lady outfits. I supposed that technically I’m not old enough to be a crazy old lady, but I’m getting there. I wore my wide brimmed canvas hat, the bicycle shorts I wore under my skirt to work (too hot for pantyhose), and a baggy Rick Dees Top 40 t-shirt left over from Steven’s radio days.

We only went around one block. The temperature had cooled to a reasonable amount. We encountered one small boy. He was throwing some beat up looking stuffed toys onto the sidewalk in disdain while his parents sat on the front stoop. When he saw Tabby he ran to pet her, which she graciously allowed. Then she tried to sniff one of his toys, and suddenly he did not disdain it so much.

“You can’t play with his toy,” I told her, and we moved on. We heard some pugnacious barking, and I saw a pug poking his head through the railing of an upstairs porch. Tabby was not impressed, but we turned the corner before we reached that house anyways.

We got home in time to watch Them! on TCM. This is a 1954 movie about giant ants, which I had been looking forward to all day. I know, watching Cold War Era horror movies on cable television is not exclusive to the Mohawk Valley. While I watched, I drank blue Gatorade out of the glass I was given for participating in the 2010 Boilermaker in Utica, NY. One of the sponsors of the glass was Saranac beer, which of course is brewed in Utica. How’s that for a little local color? Then I sipped some herbal tea from my Ilion Little Theatre coffee mug. I sweetened it with Finster’s Honey, made in Franfort, NY.

I must say it is easier to do Mohawk Valley things on my day off. But I will persevere, because you never know. The next think I do might be just what somebody wanted to read about.

Our big event for Wednesday was to check out the Farmer’s Market in Mohawk. It is in Weller Park, 41 W. Main St., Mohawk, NY. It is a nice setting for a farmer’s market, under the shady trees in the park. There weren’t many vendors Wednesday, but that may change as the summer progresses.

We admired some jewelry and crafts but determinedly walked away from the yummy looking baked goods. I purchased a bag of red lettuce and an apron. I don’t regularly wear an apron, but I’ve always wanted to. Years ago a friend gave me one of some gorgeous Halloween-y fabric, and Steven gave me a lovely Christmas one last December (which, incidentally, he purchased at Philly’s). I was happy to find a non-holiday apron.

I put the lettuce to use in a tossed salad we had for supper, but I forgot to put the apron on while I made it. I made some homemade dressing, using dill, basil and oregano from my container garden. I put some fresh chives from my garden in the salad as well as some other veggies purchased at Hannaford.

I may have my own tomatoes for salads by the end of the summer. I planted all but two of the tomato plants we purchased Tuesday. I lacked one tomato cage and sufficient dirt for my upside down planter. Therefore, two tomato plants wait sadly in their original containers. We did purchase the needed cage and dirt at Aubuchon this afternoon, but an inopportune hailstorm kept me from doing any gardening in the evening.

I hope to be able to check out other farmer’s markets in the area. And I will definitely return to the one in Mohawk, the next time I have a Wednesday off. The market is sponsored by the Friends of the Weller Library and is open every Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m., through Oct. 26. For more information call 866-1671 or 717-6447.

I am determined to get my tomatoes at least in this week, so Tuesday morning, Steven and I drove out to my favorite greenhouse, Elizabeth’s Country Garden, 463 West Main St., Little Falls, NY.

The porch of the little building in front was filled with the most gorgeous hanging baskets. We walked through to the greenhouses and walked up and down, wondering how many more containers we could fit on our deck. I asked about one kind of flower that didn’t have a little plastic thing telling me the name. Of course, I forgot to write down the name, but if I go back and buy some I’ll be sure to make a note. At Steven’s suggestion I asked about the rudbeckia.

“Oh, sure, you mean Brown Eyed Susans,” said the helpful man, whose name I also didn’t note. Brown Eyed Susans! Who knew? See, at T&J’s (mentioned in a previous post) I thought they had rudbeckia because I read the name on a price list. Turns out I was wrong. I know, a real gardener would be laughing and pointing because I didn’t know rudbeckia and Brown Eyed Susans were the same thing, and because I was all hot to buy rudbeckia without knowing what it was. What can I say? This is how I roll.

I still don’t have my rudbeckia, though, because they were out. However, the man promised he would have more tomorrow (which is now today), so we may drive back. Little Falls is really very close to Herkimer.

We bought two types of tomatoes, and, also at Steven’s suggestion, an S hook to hang the upside down planter I purchased at Aldi’s. Nothing is in the ground as of yet, because I had to work yesterday, but I have big plans for today. Stay tuned!

For more information on Elizabeth’s call 315-823-1810.