The Ballot of Steve and Cindy

Posted on November 5, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yes, I voted today. Would you believe the reason I didn’t write my blog post earlier today was that I was busy pondering my decisions on how to cast my ballot? Well, it’s not, but in fact I have not yet written my blog post for today. Full disclosure: I have one almost entirely written, but I want it to be good and anyways it’s too long to type in on a Tired Tuesday such as today.

Be that as it may, here is my voting tale.

Steven and I had several errands to run, so I suggested I get home, change my shoes and we go. Of course it didn’t work that way. For one reason, there was a pot of hot coffee when I arrived home. Naturally I had a cup. It is a rare example of total alignment of the universe that I LOVE the way my husband makes coffee. Surprisingly, it was not why I married him, but I sure do enjoy it now that I’m here.

It didn’t take long to be on our way. When we got to our polling place, a lady standing outside told us where the door to go in was. We already knew but thought it was nice of her to be helpful, so we thanked her as if it was new information. We had to walk by several doors with signs informing us that this was NOT the door. That always amuses me. I was exaggeratedly relieved when we found the correct door, clearly labeled.

Of course we went to the wrong table and the wrong book on the right table before they found where we were supposed to sign for our ballots. One of the poll workers remembers Steve from the play Harvey at Ilion Little Theatre, in which Steven played Dr. Chumley.

“Hi, Doc!” he said. He told another worker that Steven participates at plays in Ilion. I told him Steven might be in another play next year. I do hope Steven will audition for one.

At last we had cast our ballots, thus fulfilling our democratic duty. Steven asked for a sticker, but alas, they were out. We left to run our errands with a little frisson of virtue. Drug store, bank, grocery store, I liked voting best.

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Run, Not Rake

Posted on November 4, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went running today. That’s two runs in three days after a break of over a month. I have been having a hard time going running after work and even when I have been running regularly, I have a hard time running on Monday, because, you know, Monday. Therefore, I feel quite pleased with myself and I am going to reward myself by posting another Running Commentary.

I spent a good portion of the day today telling myself I would go home and run. For once I did not think of any good reasons not to. That was nice, because it can get tiresome arguing with yourself. A few times when the sun went behind some clouds I didn’t even feel my hopes rising that I would be let off the hook with a downpour. I just thought, if it rains, I can run on the mini-tramp while watching the silent horror movie I DVR’d off TCM last week.

No rain changed my plans. I did not let my dog Tabby’s hopeful look send me on a guilt trip. I just went upstairs, changed into running clothes and got the heck going. It was warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. I didn’t even need to put my headband over my ears. It was awesome. There was still plenty of cloud cover, too, so the sun was not in my eyes. Then again, we just changed the clocks back. The sun is lower in the sky by 4:01 p.m., which is what time I left the house.

I headed up to German Street and turned left towards Caroline. I thought I would do the down Caroline, up Margaret, down Henry, up Bellinger routine. No busy streets to cross, lots of interesting houses to look at, I could rock this. I didn’t think I had to do more than 20 minutes although it would be nice if I went 25, as I did on Saturday. I like to keep things loose on my weekday runs, see what my body feels up to. No point in killing myself. I still had a blog post to write and dinner to cook.

As I ran, scuffling through the leaves when I found them, I did not feel guilty about leaving my little dog behind (she doesn’t like to run with me). However, I soon felt I was a selfish wretch for running at all. You see, our back yard is covered with leaves. My husband Steven plans to spend a good portion of his day off tomorrow raking leaves and dismantling my container garden on the deck. Now, raking leaves is perfectly good exercise. If I wanted to burn calories, why the blankety-blank didn’t I just pick up a rake and get moving? Oh dear.

Still running, I pondered my options. Rake after my run? I could do that. Finish the run, take Tabby on the cool-down walk, pop open the garage door, find my gardening gloves, and have at it. Good plan. But what about my blog post? What about dinner? I pictured the clock, tried to figure how long things would take me, debated how long of a run I really needed now that I was out here and, truth be known, enjoying the act of running quite a bit.

I wondered if a heart-felt apology would make things right. Well, no, the leaves would still be there. I could tell him we’ll rake together as soon as I get home on Tuesday. He might not like to wait that long. Perhaps I had better just rake some today. I thought about opening the garage door. Our garage door opens hard. I had actually gone an entire Monday at work without much of a backache. I didn’t want to open the garage door.

Oh, what kind of a lame excuse is that? I stopped thinking about raking and started wondering how long I ought to run for. All the way down Henry, across Park Avenue and through Myers Park? Just all the way down Henry? Maybe just one more block?

I ended up doing 25 minutes. By the time Tabby and I had walked a very enjoyable cool-down walk and I had stretched, I had forgotten all about the leaves. I took a nice hot shower and got into sweats. I looked at Facebook and checked my email. I realized I felt very tired. I decided to try to write my blog post anyways.

I hope it turned out OK.

Oh yeah, now I have to cook dinner. Damn.

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Writing and Running

Posted on November 3, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

In lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday or a Blogger’s Day Off, which I was quite inclined to take, I offer a brief meditation on writing.

Two things the reader may or may not know about me by now: (one) I run, but I sometimes have difficulty sticking to it. I’ll go for months running regularly, improving myself, writing about it and in general enjoying it. Then I stop, for one reason or another, and often have difficulty starting up again. (Two) I have started many novels and only ever finished one, despite being, I make bold to say it myself, a pretty good writer.

I started running again yesterday after a pause of more than a month. It was awesome. I will surely run again within the next couple of days. I told my sister, Diane, about it when we talked on the phone. She told me she ran and walked with their recently acquired puppy. It seems the puppy likes to run with her. I told her it was a good way to begin running: walk and run. I have done it. Now, I said, I have been running enough and stopping for a short time enough, that when I start again I run for a short time, say 20 to 25 minutes (it was 25 yesterday), then increase it by 10 percent each week.

Talk turned to writing, because Diane is a very good writer and usually has a novel or two in the works. I said how I am having a hard time with my novel. It has reached the stage where I can’t just write: I have to figure out how the plot as a whole will unfold and then write the specific scenes necessary. I talked about how it seemed I should spend all day on Saturday writing, say while Steven is at work, but I never seem to.

Diane made the suggestion that I treat it as my running: that is, work for a set time, say 20 minutes, then stop. Do that for a week or so, then up the time. I had actually thought of this method but not implemented it with any degree of success. However, when somebody smarter than you suggests something, suddenly it seems like a MUCH better idea than when you thought of it yourself.

In fact, Diane has done it herself. She works on her novel during her lunch hour. She jolly well has to stop at a certain time, because she has to go back to work. Then she returns to her writing all fired up, because she didn’t work till she was completely petered out.

It’s brilliant! I tried it. Sort of. I spent more than 20 minutes typing in scenes I had previously written. Wow, this novel is a mess. I finally settled on who the murderer is, and I’m not clear on who gets killed.

Well, that is neither here nor there. The point is, I shall continue to write. I shall build up my writing muscles. I shall also run. I’ll write blog posts about both. I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Post Halloween Run

Posted on November 2, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Let fanfare right and banner fly! Saturday Running Commentary is BACK! For today, anyways.

We got up at 3:30 this morning, because Steven had to work at 6:30. I had said I would have a cup of coffee then go running. I heard you burn more calories if you consume caffeine before your workout. I knew there was a danger that while I drank the coffee I might talk myself out of running, but it was a chance I was willing to take.

I was hungry right away, so I ate a banana with peanut butter a little after four and got ready to run by five. I was really looking forward to it by then. I have missed running. I wanted to run after work several days in the past few weeks, but Tabby would look so happy to see me and would so clearly want to go for a walk, that I just couldn’t disappoint her. It seems I am not capable of walking my dog and then going for a run. Perhaps I could work on that.

The temperature was in the low 40s, so I wore leggings and long sleeves. They were the leggings and mock turtleneck I had worn under my Halloween costume last night, so I felt all reduce-reuse-recycle. I was happy I found my reflective vest, because the clothes were black (Halloween costume, you know). I put a headband over my ears, found running socks and shoes, and I was on my way.

My hands got cold, but the rest of me felt pretty OK. My legs did not complain AT ALL for at least the first half of the run. My breathing wasn’t too bad, either. The cold air bothered my throat a little. I tried the “in through your nose, out through your mouth” thing, but as usual it did not work for me. My nose will just not let in enough air.

I ran down German Street towards the high school. I could see the sign blinking messages. I saw that the Herkimer Footlighters were going to present something, but a tree got in the way before I saw what. I’m sure it will be in the newspaper or I’ll see a poster somewhere.

I rounded the corner and ran down Church Street to Main Street. I was looking for Halloween decorations, figuring it would be one of my last chances to. It could be the streets I’ve been on lately, but I seem to see fewer Halloween decorations this year. I hope a lot of people will decorate for Christmas. I like decorations.

Main Street was quiet and deserted. No lights greeted me, no cars went by. As I passed Basloe Library I remembered that Guitar Group is starting up again. This is an open jam session held every Saturday in a room in the library. Anybody is invited to come play and sing. I sing quietly, so nobody need be put off by my possible participation.

As I ran by the post office, I reminded myself to write a few postcards to mail. I did not write any last week, which I feel was remiss of me. Through Myers Park and up Bellinger Street. This had not been a bad run at all.

I ended up doing 25 minutes, which I thought was good considering it has been at least a month since I’ve run. I didn’t even feel too tired. As Tabby walked my cool-down with me, I felt pretty good about myself. And I saw a few Halloween decorations to admire. I probably would have seen more if I had been running all through October. Let that be a lesson to me.

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Less Wine, More Time

Posted on November 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yes, I mean wine not whine, although it is true that one can waste an inordinate amount of time whining (don’t point your finger at me; you do it too) (you know who you are).

It is Halloween afternoon and I am on my lunch break at work pondering the rest of the day. I have just written a lengthy post about a Mohawk Valley adventure Steven and I had yesterday. However, I will be in a time crunch from the moment I leave work till our earlyish bedtime (we rise at 3:30 tomorrow morning). It may be too many words to type in. Plus, I must look up a couple of things and edit, oh, and I might include some links. These “real” posts take time.

What I often end up doing in these situations is to snatch a few minutes to compose something really fast at the keyboard. It works for Lame Post Friday (which, of course, is today). However, I think it would save even more time if I only had to type something in and not have to think of it first.

I will also save time (here we come to the headline) if I forgo the wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor, which I could stop at on my way home after carefully running an errand to take up the time till four, when the wine tasting starts.

Hmmm, I just realized if I continue to dither about this now, as I feel inclined to do, there will be even more words to type in later. What’s a blogger to do? I could use a drink.

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“A-apples and Cider!”

Posted on October 31, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

The main problem with writing about Fly Creek Cider Mill (and going to it, talking about it or even thinking about it, for that matter) is that the song from the commercial plays in my head for the next three hours. “A-apples and cider! At the Fly Creek Cider Mill!”

Some might say another problem is that I have written about the place several times before (too lazy to check how many and anyways I’d probably miss one). Well, I’ve said before and I’ll say again, I like to give another shout-out to a place I enjoy. Regarding the song, if I’ve given anybody an earworm, sorry. It goes away eventually.

Be all that as it may, Steven and I made yet another trip to the Fly Creek Cider Mill last Friday. It was quite enjoyable. As usual, I went around trying all the samples. Dips, sauces, jellies, mustard, salsa and fudge. Yum!

Of course we went into the tasting room to sample wine and hard cider. My favorite was the Mill Pond Reisling. Steven was fond of the Montezuma Winery Canvasback Red. It was $4 off three bottles, so we also got Diamond from Montezuma Winery, which I am pretty sure my mother will like. I found the taste reminiscent of Tickle Hill’s Suzy Q, one of her all-time favorites. It also had a very cool label.

After making our purchases, we went outside to visit the ducks. I was sorry I did not have a quarter to get some corn to feed them, especially when a bunch of them swam over hopefully. I could only find a couple pieces of corn on the ground. Usually I can find at least a handful that way (I always say, waste not, want not). I didn’t think the ducks looked too poorly fed, though, so I didn’t worry about it too much.

We always have a good time at the cider mill. We may even make another trip there before the year is out. The Fly Creek Cider Mill is located at 288 Goose St., Fly Creek, NY. Phone number is 607-547-9692. You can visit their website at www.flycreekcidermill.com, and you can Like them on Facebook.

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Breakfast Before Adventures

Posted on October 30, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven and I began our adventure-filled day last Friday with breakfast at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner in Herkimer. I mentioned that in passing the other day, but today I’d like to give them a proper shout-out. Of course I’ve written about Crazy Otto’s before. It is something of a landmark in Herkimer and one of our favorite spots. We rarely get to go out to breakfast together, so we were happy to take the opportunity last Friday.

For anyone who missed my previous posts about Crazy Otto’s or for anybody who has forgotten, the diner is an authentic 1950s trailer. It’s been on the corner of West Albany and North Main streets for as long as we’ve lived in the area. In 2006 it was taken over by Scott and Kim Tranter, who changed the name from Empire Diner to Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner. You can read the history of Crazy Otto’s on the menu.

Steven and I got there around nine Friday morning. It wasn’t too crowded, being a weekday morning. We got a booth right away and as usual sat enjoying the retro decor. We especially like all the license plates hung on almost every available surface. We gave them our Georgia plate for the purpose. I think it’s still the only Georgia plate they have, but I couldn’t be sure. That’s a lot of plates to check.

After much debate I ordered an egg sandwich of bacon, egg and cheese on a kaiser roll, one of my favorite breakfasts. Steven chose a waffle with eggs and bacon. We discussed our upcoming adventure while we waited for our food. Everything was delicious, as usual.

As we were walking back to our car, a rap on the window called us back in. Our friends Phyllis and Jim were about to have breakfast. As you can see, Crazy Otto’s is patronized by many people of discriminating taste. We were tempted to sit down and have another breakfast, or at least some more coffee, but we had adventures to get on with. We chatted for a few minutes before continuing with our day.

Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner is located at 100 W. Albany St., Herkimer, NY. Phone number is 315-866-8801. For more information you can visit their website at www.CrazyOttosEmpireDiner.com. You can also like their Facebook page. I did.

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Tired of Not Writing

Posted on October 29, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just looked back at my posts for the past week and see that last week I had a Tired Tuesday. I am mortified to admit to being tired again today. I am further mortified to notice that last Tuesday I at least had the excuse that I had just done laundry. Today all I did was come home and take my dog Tabby for a walk. I had thought to write a Pedestrian Post, but my brain seems uncooperative.

In fact, all my brain seems to want to write is Wrist to Forehead Tuesday. After all, I did not have Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I wrote about something! Then yesterday I didn’t have Middle-aged Musings Monday, I wrote about something! Couldn’t I have gone three days in a row writing about something? Apparently not. That is why my wrist is inclined to go to my forehead in the usual dramatic gesture.

I’ve been having a bad writing day all day. When I got to work this morning (arriving early to have writing time, as usual), I opened my notebook and looked at it. Then I reached for my puzzle book. Many years ago, i would always do a puzzle before working on my novel (whichever novel I was working on at the time). It would clear my brain, since I was always reading somebody else’s fiction at the time. Today, however, reaching for my puzzle book was not a good idea. I have done all the puzzles I like. I am reduced to looking at the “Hard” crossword puzzles, which are, I admit it, too hard for me. Alas.

On break and at lunch I couldn’t write either. My brain rebelled. I had been thinking about my novel a lot while I was working. This usually helps. Today not so much. So here I am, writing this ridiculous blow-by-blow of me not writing. How embarrassing is that!

But what can one do? Hit “Publish” and try again tomorrow, as usual. I hope my readers are all having a pleasant Tuesday.

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Where I Like to Go for Popcorn

Posted on October 28, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Astute readers may remember that a stop at Dyn’s Cider Mill formed part of Steven’s and my adventures last Friday. I’ve written about Dyn’s before, but I think it’s always appropriate to give a fun place another shout-out.

Dyn’s is located at 7915, Rt. 28, Richfield Springs, NY. It’s a scenic ride with views of water, mountains and farmland. The fall colors were past peak last Friday, but Steven and I saw patches of bright yellow, red and orange. We also scanned for Halloween decorations as we drove by people’s houses.

We walked into the large room and once again admired the country decor. One thing I definitely wanted was a cup of hot cider. The girl working there had to bring out more cups. She also brewed a fresh pot of coffee, which is almost always Steven’s beverage of choice. While the coffee brewed, I found my Dyn’s Popcorn, which was the real reason for the visit, and we debated which of the baked goods we would purchase. I moved my things out of the way of another customer.

“There’s popcorn?” she said, as I moved the bag.

“Really good popcorn,” I said. “I get some every year and love it. Then when it’s gone I make do with Jolly Time till I can get more Dyn’s.”

She got some popcorn, too. Steven and I decided on a half dozen apple cider donuts. I thought about purchasing some gourds to enhance our fall decor but decided against it. I pointed out to Steven that if we had felt like sitting and enjoying our beverages there, we could have used ceramic mugs. We could have played checkers on a rather large board on one of the tables. Perhaps on a future visit.

Dyn’s is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They serve breakfast every Sunday from 7 a.m. to noon, and spaghetti and lasagna Wednesdays from noon to 7 p.m. For more information call 315-858-2078.

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A Rustic Taste

Posted on October 27, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of the stops on Steven’s and my adventurous Friday was Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats, NY. I am, of course, a longtime lover of wine and of wineries, so I was delighted to find another good one.

We had the map of the Cooperstown Beverage Trail. I would like to make all the stops on the trail one day, but since we had other adventures in mind on Friday, I thought one winery would be good. It was not hard to find, 2805 St. Hwy 80. We pulled into the driveway and felt pleased with ourselves for not getting lost or, even more likely, driving right by the place.

Steven right away saw a nice labrador-looking dog out behind the place. I read somewhere that most of the wineries have dogs. They help keep certain pests away from the vineyard. Also, dogs are nice. Steven tried to get the dog to come over and say hello, but he declined. I said he was probably on guard duty.

Inside, the cabin looked, appropriately enough, rustic. Country music was playing. We were the only tasters there at the time. We could have paid $3 for five tastes, but opted to pay $6 and keep the glasses. We like to add to our collection of wine glasses.

For whites we tried the Chardonnay and the Untamed White. Two Chardonnays were available. I chose the one that was not oak aged. I liked it. The Untamed White had a cool label with evil eyes. Rick Bennett, the owner who was doing our tasting, said it was comparable to Pinot Grigio. We liked it but preferred the Chardonnay.

For reds we both tried the ’09 Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Franc. Steven tried the Merlot and I went for the Lemberger ’09. I’m not as familiar with lemberger as I am with merlot, so I thought to try something different. We liked everything we tried but only purchased the Chardonnay, giving us a good reason to return at a later time.

Before making our purchase we browsed the shop for wine accessories and t-shirts. Steven especially liked one that read, “New York is for wine; Napa is for auto parts.” Of course, we’ve had some California wines that we liked perfectly well, but I enjoyed the play on words.

Incidentally, the dog came in while we were tasting and Steven petted him. I was busy taking tasting notes, but on our way out I petted him, too. I’m sure fellow dog lovers will be happy to hear we got to meet the nice dog.

We were very pleased with our stop. I hope to bring some of my wine other tasting buddies with me next time. For more information on Rustic Ridge Winery you can call 607-965-0626. Their website is www.rusticridgewinery.com, and they have a Facebook page.

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