Wuss Out or Shout Out?

Posted on June 14, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Wuss-out Wednesday, I’m afraid, but I hope to add a modicum of worthiness to the proceedings with a shout-out to a local business, the Miners’ Table in Herkimer, NY.

Steven and I first went to the Miners Table on a recent Sunday, and I hope to write an article about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  In fact, I have started writing the article.  Full disclosure:  I could have finished writing the article without returning to the place, but I wanted to go out.  So did Steven.  So we went.

We sat at the bar, as we did before, and ordered drinks and an appetizer.   I wandered around the restaurant with my Tablet, taking a few pictures.  I will submit the pictures with the article.  I suppose I could also use them in this post, but, like I said, this is Wuss-out Wednesday.

It was a fun interlude for mid-week.  We chatted a little with the bartender. She said it was a great place to work, where they treat their employees well. I told Steven he should apply for a job.  The appetizer we got, Hammer and Chisel Nachos, was as substantial as a meal.  I understand most people order it as a four-person appetizer, but I think it would still be pretty substantial.  The wine was tasty too.

The Miners’ Table is located at the Herkimer Diamond Mines, 4579 State Rt. 28, Herkimer, NY, 315-891-3463.

 

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A Few More Ball Pics

Posted on June 13, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

In lieu of my usual Tired Tuesday post (in a shining example of Freudian slip and wishful thinking, I almost typed “Wuss-out Wednesday”), I will continue sharing pictures of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs’ Purple in the Park for March of Dimes last Saturday night.  As I mentioned, it was a great time for a good cause, Mohawk Valley adventuring at its finest.

Note the lights coming on; I was up past my usual bedtime!

They painted the March for Babies logo on the field.  I was a silly wizard at the March for Babies event in May.  Perhaps you read my blog posts about it.

Must learn to focus my Tablet better.

I tried to get a shot of the outfield.  As you can see, I’m nobody’s photographer.  I hope to practice and get better, maybe even learning to use my digital camera.  In the meantime, I crave your indulgence.

No, I did not get their names. My bad.

This was early on, as you can see by how clean their pants are (why DO ball players wear white?).  I don’t know what these fellows were looking at or talking about.

I really could have used a zoom feature!

In the foreground are the Visitor Bleachers.  Behind them, we saw a few people sneaking a long distance view of the game.  I think they must live nearby, because I saw them leaving and returning by a path through the trees.

The tennis courts were recently redone.

This was the view behind us.  I did not mention yesterday that we were on the Sky Box, a really cool place to sit.  It is right over the Dawgs’ dugout.

So these are the rest of the pictures I took.  At least, I took a few more, but these were the best of the bunch.  I still have not said a whole lot about the game or about the March of Dimes, but, you know, it is Tired Tuesday.

 

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Just a Bit about the Ball Game

Posted on June 12, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Play ball!

On Saturday Steven and I went to Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls to watch the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs.  The occasion was Purple in the Park for March of Dimes Mohawk Valley.  Perhaps some of you read my post about my purple outfit for the occasion.  I realized I neglected to mention two things about my ensemble:  I wore all the purple beads I got at March for Babies a few weeks ago (at the end of the event I snagged a half dozen strings nobody seemed to want) AND I put purple in my hair.  But this post is not about me; it is about the Diamond Dawgs and the March of Dimes!

Full disclosure:  All I’m really doing is sharing the pictures I took on Saturday and typing a few words about them.  I felt I should not do another Monstrous Monday after the string of foolish blogs I have been doing.  Am I not Mohawk Valley Girl?  I must write more often about the Mohawk Valley!

Note the purple beads and bracelet. The beads are like the ones I wore. I did not wear a bracelet. Missed a bet!

Information was available about the March of Dimes and the great work that they do.

We were going for a Rambo-esque pose.

Adding excitement to the event was a homemade t-shirt shooter which shot March of Dimes t-shirts into the crowd.  I particularly liked the miniature baseball bat trigger.

The woman of the hour!

 

And here is the mover and shaker behind the event: the wonderful Laura Powers.  It was her husband, Matt, wielding the t-shirt gun.

I’m going to call this post a Preview of Coming Attractions, because I have not used all my pictures.  Perhaps tomorrow I’ll add the rest and tell a little more about the game.  Go, Dawgs!

 

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The Run I Almost Missed

Posted on June 10, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Sunday Running Commentary in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday?  I got out of bed this morning thinking I would not run but after a cup of coffee talked myself into it.  As Steven pointed out, it is a beautiful day.  I do love running in the morning and weekends are the only times I can do it (unless I run at 3 a.m., which is not the same thing).

As I ran out the end of my driveway, I saw the peonies in my front lawn were blooming.  I paused oh so briefly to sniff at them.  What a wonderful scent!  I flashed back to springs and summers of my childhood, when my Mom had a large peony bush (she still has it).  I made up my mind I would smell any peonies I encountered on the run.

I was expecting my legs to start complaining as usual, but they did not.  Score!  I crossed German Street and headed for Main, where there is a nice hill. Yesterday I ran the hill by Valley Health, so I am working my way up to the hill to Herkimer College.  My current goal is to be ready for the Falling Leaves Run in September, which is 14K and I believe has several hills.  I should make it handily, if I don’t fall off the running wagon.

At the end of Main Street I saw a sign, “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only.”  I added in my head, “And Cindy Running.”  The hill was not much fun, I admit, but I persevered till the top.  It is kind of nice to be less than seven minutes into your run and have the big hill out of the way.  As I made my way back down to German, I wondered where else to run.  Today should have been the day for me to add the weekly ten percent to my run time, making it 29 minutes.  When I talked myself into running, it was with the proviso that I would not necessarily have to do that (as Scarlett O’Hara famously said, tomorrow is another day).  I was at this point undecided.

When I got to German Street, the sight of peonies decided me:  I crossed German and ran down Harley Street.  The peonies were pink and white, several bushes stretching almost a block long.  I sniffed four or five blooms, making very short pauses to do so, nothing like the stops I make to pet dogs.  Incidentally, I did not see any dogs.  More dedicated runners may shake their heads and opine that I will never improve my run time if I stop while running, but I do not care at all.  I like to smell flowers and I like to pet dogs.

My legs felt fine but my breathing was a little ragged.  I concentrated on breathing in slowly and holding the air in for a second or two.  I heard this advice from a fellow soldier, who had heard it from a Native American drill sergeant of his.  He said it stood to reason:  you hold the air in so it has time to do your body some good.  It helped.  I started to feel thirsty so thought of running to the spring and taking a drink.  How long would that take me?  Would I run 29 minutes after all?

I turned in the direction of the spring, keeping an eye on the time.  It soon became clear that I could not make it all the way to the spring and back.  That was OK, because as usual I had a bottle of ice water waiting for me on my deck.  I figured times in my head, changed my mind a few times, going up one street and down another.  Ooh, more peonies, sniff, sniff.  It came to me that I was GOING to make it for 29 minutes and it was NOT going to be a problem!  I felt GREAT!  I could run for DAYS!  Yes!

As I walked my cool-down, I said to a neighbor, “I’ll tell you what, running four days in a row is the Way to Go.  I feel awesome!”

“There you go,” he said.

“Which I did NOT feel the last three days,” I added.  It is wonderful to prove things to yourself.  When I have to persevere through a bad run, I always tell myself, you have to get through the bad runs to get to the good ones.  Today was definitely a good run.

 

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Purple Prose about Purple Clothes

Posted on June 10, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It has been another Saturday where I have not done enough to warrant a Scattered Saturday post, and I have waited too long after my run to make a decent Running Commentary post (my run wasn’t such a much anyways).  Instead I offer another Getting Ready post (which I need to come up with a better name for).  At least I am amused myself by my gyrations in finding something to wear.  Others can point and laugh or roll their eyes in self-satisfied superiority.  Whatever floats your boat. I try not to judge.

Tonight’s Event is Purple in the Park with the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs in Little Falls, NY.   The aim is to all wear purple to raise awareness of the March of Dimes.  Regular readers may remember that I dressed as a wizard to participate in the March for Babies.  I was not a purple wizard, although I guess I could have been. I briefly considered wearing the purple graduation gown that was my back-up wizard costume to tonight’s event.  Then I decided to dress like a normal person, or as much of a normal person as possible.  After all, I can only work with what the Good Lord gave me.

I wanted to wear a large purple t-shirt with some bright-colored shorts I’ve had for years.  Alas, I could not find one.  That’s what I get for falling behind on my laundry. I knew I had a purple patterned button-down shirt that would work.  Could I find that?  Of course not!  I nervously eyed the clock and wondered if I had enough time to do a load of laundry.  I did not.  In searching for some purple, any purple, I found the button-down shirt.  Yes!  I even went so far as to iron it.

What pants to wear?  The shirt looks better untucked, so baggy shorts would not make me happy.  Spandex would be OK, since the shirt covers my fat butt (don’t judge).  I sent Steven out to my car, where my knee-length grey bicycle shorts were.  Full-disclosure:  they have been in a bag with other work-out clothes in my vehicle for about two weeks now, waiting for me to go to the YMCA after work.  In my defense, many of the days I have not gone to the Y, I have gone running.  Anyways, this is not a fitness post, stop judging my work-out habits or lack thereof.

Naturally I was able to find three purple earrings (I have three ear piercings) (cue jokes about holes in my head).  Yes, they all had to do with wine.  As they say, I gotta be me.  I was delighted to also find purple ankle socks.  I hope my blue little canvas sneakers do not clash too wildly, but it seems to warm for black sneaks and my white ones are too ratty.

For more information on tonight’s event, click on the link above.  If anybody local reads this in time, come on out!  Wear purple if you can; if not, at least you can cheer on the Diamond Dawgs!

 

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It’s Lame Post Friday and I Want Monsters!

Posted on June 9, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, I typed in that headline, went to my Media Library, and said, “I can’t use that!” to every monster picture I saw.  What the hell, me?  Why don’t I just take a blogger’s sick day and drive on.  All I want to do is knit and watch true crime television anyways. And now I have to go turn the meatballs again.

There.  I was cooking with wine, and now I’m letting the bowties cook for another ten minutes.  I could do a cooking post, since I am getting a little creative, but, dammit, I’m in the mood for monsters.

 

OK, they haven’t made the monster yet, but what an atmospheric shot.

I do like a grey shot of a cemetery.  And just look at all those crooked gravestones.  I always heard that when a gravestone was tipped, it meant the soul that had been buried there walked. I say cool, although others may say it’s just erosion.  I try not to argue with such people.

I’m not sure what he’s doing, but he is definitely more ambitious than I am this evening.

Here’s the monster!  Yes, he is Frankenstein’s monster or The Monster, not Frankenstein.  I personally do not have a problem with anybody calling him Frankenstein, although I think “Frankie” is a little precious.  However, I am not the arbiter of these things.

Sometimes we all need a little help from a friend.

To round things out with three pictures, here is The Monster having a tea break.  Ah, tea.  Perhaps I will have a cup.  After my glass of wine. It is Friday, after all.

 

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And That Murderer on 20/20 is a Self-Justifying Slime Bucket!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

When it gets to be after 7 p.m. on a weeknight (and my bedtime is EARLY, don’t judge), it is time for a Non-Sequitur Thursday post. This will be, actually, more of a Scattered Thursday post, but that lacks the alliteration of Scattered Saturday.  I know, I know, so does Non-Sequitur Thursday, but as long as I can’t have my alliteration, I’ll take the cool word.  Are we done with that?  Can I get on with the post?

I was tired after work today.  What is it with me?  I thought I was eating healthily (for the most part) and exercising (some) and even taking vitamins and supplements.  In any case, I knew it would be a good idea to run, since I did not run yesterday, yet I arrived home completely disinclined to do so.  I read my mail (I got a couple of real letters!  Woohoo!) and checked my email and Facebook notifications.

One thing I checked on Facebook was if there would be a tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor.  Merritt Winery was going to be there!  Unfortunately, my usual wine tasting buddy, Kim, is in a play tonight.  She did not have time to go to a wine tasting.  I might as well run.  Or I could go to the wine tasting without her.  Or I could run.  Then I said, “Oh, what the hell,” and looked for a couple of sports bras.

As soon as I realized I was going to run after all, I felt pretty good about myself.  This would be great!  Of course, it was not. My whole body complained for most of the run, but I persevered.  As with almost all runs, it had its moments.  I came home, showered, put on a cute outfit, including my “Keeping It Cheesy” t-shirt from Original Herkimer Cheese, and drank my usual recovery beverage of chocolate milk.

Then I went to Valley Wine and Liquor.  It would be a good idea to write a whole blog post about the tasting. In fact, I was at a tasting for Three Brothers Winery last week I still have not written about.  I’d better get on the ball.

After purchasing a bottle of Reisling, I went to my husband’s place of employment and suggested I get something for dinner.  He said pizza sounded good, so I picked up one with sausage and pepperoni on a thin crust.  I still had some asparagus in the refrigerator, so I roasted that with garlic oil I also had in the fridge.

And that is my Thursday.  As you can see, I have a couple of things I could write a blog post about, but I am going with what I have just typed in.  Like I said, Non-Sequitur Thursday. If only I could think of a catchy but unrelated headline, my life would be perfect.

 

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A Trivial Post for Wuss-Out Wednesday

Posted on June 7, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I could avoid a Wuss-out Wednesday post, but it seems I was over-optimistic.  Right now, I am lucky I can remember it is Wednesday, and I am thankful it is not Monday or Tuesday.  What, you may ask, is my problem?  Well, you may ask it, but I do not have an answer.  I am just going to keep typing till dinner time and hit Publish.

OK, after I typed in that paragraph, I just sat here and couldn’t think of what else to say.  I know, what a surprise.  I wanted to go to my Media Library and find some monster pictures, but how many times a week can I get away with that?  Maybe two?

I’m not familiar with this artist, but I think he is reminiscent of Hirschfeld.

This picture reminded me of something that happened at work today.  A co-worker said to me, “Hey, know-it all!”  I was sorry to be called this, because I do not think I act like a know-it-all.  I told him that I know many things (well, I do) but am not a know-it-all.  After a little more back and forth about this, he came to his question, “What is the Munster’s address?”

“1313 Mockingbird Lane.”  It was the damnedest thing. I didn’t think I knew that! Then I remembered, “Oh yeah, Mockingbird Lane,” and when I opened my mouth to say that, I remembered 1313.

Maybe I should go to a trivia night somewhere sometime.  Then again, there is no guarantee they would ask something I would magically remember.  As I often say, all of my knowledge is quite trivial, but I don’t usually do well at trivia.

And now I am over 250 words.  What a stupid post this has been! I repeat, what is my problem?

Here is Nosferatu, trying to remember where the Munsters live.

I’ll just throw in another picture of two for good measure.

This one’s Hirschfeld!

Bonus points: see if you can find “NINA” in the above picture.  And I hope to see you all on Non-Sequitur Thursday.

 

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I Wasn’t Too Tired to Run!

Posted on June 6, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Running Commentary post instead of my usual Tired Tuesday or Bad Attituesday?  Once again I admit that what I do is called running only by the most generous definition of the word.  Then again, I like to think of myself as a generous person, although I daresay I am no more generous than anybody else.  Well, maybe more generous than some self-serving, stingy, I-got-mine cusses such as we all know, but I digress.

I had a bargain with myself that if it was raining after work I would go to the YMCA, if not, I would run. I wondered if I oughtn’t to go to the Y anyways, because I have not done any upper body or ab work in a while.  However, when I left work it was breezy and cool.  How could I waste that? It will be warm and muggy again before you know it.  Oh, I will run then, too, but why not enjoy some cool air while I can?  So that is what I did.

I put a load of laundry in the washing machine before I took off, so I could multi-task.  In general I don’t believe in multi-tasking.  I feel it is better to do on thing at a time and do it well.  But I don’t see how letting the machine wash while I thunk around the neighborhood could hurt anything.  This way I will not run out of clean handkerchiefs.

Right away my legs and feet were not happy with me.  I was not surprised.  Pretty much my whole body had been giving me grief all day.  I never got my Monday back-ache yesterday but made up for it today.  I tried not to dwell on it but just to keep going.  I had not been running since Saturday.  Sunday I had done strenuous yard work for an hour and twenty minutes.  Monday, well, you can judge me, that’s all.

I changed directions a couple of times because of traffic.  Sometimes it is easier to just turn down the sidewalk than to wonder if the driver is going to wave you by or run you over.  One driver waved me by before I turned, so that was nice.  I gave him the thank-you wave and sprinted.

Twice I stopped to take a quick sniff of peonies. Mine have not bloomed yet, but they’re getting there.  I saw some lilacs that were over. Alas!  I still don’t have any lilacs.  I would like to plant more flowers.  I only wish I were clever enough to plant varieties such that I could have something blooming all spring, summer and fall.

I also stopped to pet a few dogs.  First I saw my friends Chico and Bear with their Mom.  I greeted her and petted both.  Toward the end of my run I saw Pudge the pug crossing the street with his Mom.

“Is that my friend Pudge?”  I said.

“Oh, do you know Pudge?” she said.   I used to see Pudge out with his Dad all the time, but I have not seen him lately.  I petted Pudge and wished his Mom a good day.

It was really not a bad run at all.  I had moments of definite enjoyment, I mean when I was running, not just when I was petting the dogs.  There were a couple of brief stretches where I felt I could just go on, if not indefinitely, at least for a while.  By the end my feet were really hurting me, but I managed to persevere for 26 minute, the length of my last run.

As usual, I enjoyed my cool-down walk, although my water went down my Sunday throat once.  I hate it when that happens!  When I got back to the house, I was exhausted!  My body creaked when I stretched.  I made it to the basement to put the laundry into the drier.  When I got upstairs to take my shower, I wished I had one of those old lady shower chairs, so I could sit down while I washed.  Oh, just shower, I told myself, it’ll take you five minutes.  I certainly felt better after I was clean.

I felt even better after my recovery beverage of chocolate milk.  Now I am feeling tired again and not a little brain dead.  I think that is showing in this blog post, because I can’t seem to think of a conclusion.  How weird is that?  I know what:  I’ll close with a picture from my Media Library.  I’ll try to find something to do with running.

This is NOT what I wore to run today.

Will you look at that?  The only picture I have of me about to run is from the Little Falls Reindeer Run 5K last December!  I’ll have to see what I can do about that for future Running Commentary posts.

 

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Monsters on Monday, What’s Not to Like?

Posted on June 5, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a couple of authentic Mohawk Valley adventures I was going to write about,  but I’m tired.  Sorry, folks, I’ve had a rough weekend and a tough Monday — oh, I KNOW other people work much harder than I do and have a much harder time.  I’ll stop whining, I really will.  My point is, as I was idly scrolling down Facebook, trying to work up some ambition, I came across an awesome still from The Invisible Man, and, well, you know me and monster movies.  We are having another Monstrous Monday.

“But, Darling, I never loved you for your looks!”

Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart, what’s not to like?  Naturally I kept scrolling to see if I could get lucky and find a couple of more pictures.

They don’t do newspaper ads like this any more!

I LOOOOVE The Raven!  I only recently saw it for the first time, having DVR’d it from TCM.  I feel certain my husband will give me the DVD for my birthday or Christmas sometime.  Maybe on a boxed set of Roger Corman movies.  I like Roger Corman almost as much as I like William Castle.

I think this also works as a depiction of the popular conception of Monday.

This is one out of my Media Library.  Since I mentioned William Castle, I just had to include a picture of House on Haunted Hill (the 1959 original, of course), one of our go-to movies.  So entertaining!

Alas, one cannot enjoy Percepto while watching this on DVD!

Oh, how silly of me.  I went looking in my Library for William Castle, completely forgetting that I had just downloaded a movie poster from one of his flicks!  It just goes to show how truly tired I am.  I’m leaving the other picture in, though, because who couldn’t like to see a scary ghost and a screaming woman on Monstrous Monday?  No promises, but I’ll try not to be so tired on Tuesday.

 

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