Tag Archives: blog post

Christmas Wrist to Forehead

Posted on December 21, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Not even 10 a.m. and I have dithered enough to send a normal person into a tizzy.  Fortunately, I am an experienced ditherer, and nobody has ever for one minute in my life accused me of being normal.  I have not actually swooned, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead, but let me tell you, I’m close.

I can’t seem to find that necklace. Rats!

What, don’t you decorate your gorilla for the season?  This is actually from last year.  I have not decorated my house nor even cleaned it thoroughly.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

My favorite socks and slippers.

Maybe if I get a few things done, I will feel justified in putting my feet up and taking a rest, as in this picture from 2023.  I went out this morning to purchase wrapping paper, etc.  As I searched for what I needed, I kept hearing Boris Karloff’s voice in my head saying, “It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.”  Well, it very nearly did come without tags, because I couldn’t find any for what seemed like the longest time.

We were a cute Christmas couple.

I close with a picture of myself with my late, dearly missed husband Steve.  We were at Salvatore’s in Herkimer, one of our favorite places to eat.  I have not been there in a while.  I do not think they are open on Sunday, but perhaps tomorrow I could stop in for lunch or dinner.  Maybe I will even wear the vest I have on in the picture.

 

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Not a Pretty Post, but a Pre-Tea Post

Posted on December 20, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I think I can do a Lame Post Friday post early Saturday morning.  It is just after six, and I haven’t had coffee yet.  Full disclosure:  I have been drinking tea rather than coffee most mornings in hopes of making my stomach happy, a forlorn effort at best.  Yesterday I had a nice time shopping at To Niche Their Own, a delightful little shop in Herkimer NY.  Alas, I neglected to take any pictures.  I must return and take a few in order to give them a proper shout-out.

The coffee I’m not having.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  It took a bit of scrolling through my Media Library to find a coffee mug.  I must take a picture of one of the Christmas mugs I have been using lately.

Random picture to denote passage of time while I put on water for tea.

The thought of a hot beverage overcame me.  The above picture was taken a couple of summers ago, when Brookwood Market was still a thing. I forgot which vendor I got the flowers from, but the fingerless gloves are from Herkimer Handknits.  I can’t find a website or Facebook page for it, alas.  I also have a beautiful shawl I purchased from her.

But it’s so cute!

With little else to say, I share another photo.  This was taken at the sadly closed FarmHouse Restuarant, where I enjoyed many a delicious breakfast.  You can just barely see that it is a Christmas tablecloth in the background, so I am seasonal.

I guess this was another placeholder post, but what do you want on (OK, just after) Lame Post Friday?  Will I make a Saturday post on Saturday?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my weekend.

 

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Must… Shop… More…

Posted on December 19, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, I missed another day!  (Hey, that rhymes!)  It is Friday morning, not particularly early so I do not feel I can make my Thursday post now and my Friday post later. Then again, why not?  It’s my blog, and I make the rules (and usually break them, but let us not go there at this time) (I could have made another rhyme with make/break, but I refrained).

I always think these are so cool.

Here is a Throwback Thursday AND a Preview of Coming Attractions.  The picture is from 2022 and it is the Rose Quartz Stand in Herkimer, NY, where I might do a little Christmas shopping later.  It is one of my favorite little shops.  They have all kinds of gems, rocks, gifts, incense, smudges, and more.  I like to just walk up and down the aisles and look, but I often find stuff I want for me as well as presents for others.

I confess that my Christmas shopping is not progressing well.  I do not rule out stopping at any point and keeping what little I have so far for myself.  However, I have a few days left to make another effort.  I’ll let you know how I do.

The Rose Quartz Stand is located at 101 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-868-5199.

 

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Just a Couple of Christmas Stops

Posted on December 18, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause in my Christmas shopping to make a blog post.  Then I am out to tackle the season once again.  How brave that sounds.  In fact, I paused for lunch, to read a book for a while, take a Facebook break, and do an  anacrostic puzzle (my computer thinks “anacrostic” is not a word, and in fact PennyPress calls them “crostics”) (which the computer also does not like).  Where was I?

Ah yes, beginning my Christmas shopping.  In fact, I think most members of my family would not notice or care if I did not give them presents, except for the great nephew and niece, and OF COURSE I am going to get them something nice!  But I like to give presents, at least small tokens of my affection. Additionally, as Mohawk Valley Girl, this is a golden opportunity to shop at many of the little stores I love and with which the Mohawk Valley is blessed.

Accordingly, I drove to Little Falls this morning.  My first stop was at Chickweed Boutique on Main Street.  There was a wonderful handmade sled on the front porch.

Beautiful!

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there is no space in my house for such a thing.  Chickweed has a lot of great stuff for Christmas, though:  jewelry, clothes, books, art, and more.  I found… well, I can’t tell you what I found, can I?  Some members of my family read this blog.  I continued down Main Street to Venture Fourth, a fairly new business in Little Falls but one I had not visited till today.

As I came in I confessed to the man behind the counter that most of the people on my list were not super outdoorsy.  Still, he did have some things that looked nice for anybody.  Candles, coffee mugs, and clothing.

I may need to buy some of this stuff for me!

I further confessed that I did not plan to spend a whole lot per present.

“After all, I’m just the crazy old aunt,”  I said.  He said I didn’t seem that crazy to him, but then again, he had just met me.  I found a couple of items to purchase, and we had a lovely conversation about the area and small businesses, etc.  It really is one of my favorite things about shopping small:  the interaction with the shop keepers.

Anyone can use clothes!

As I left Venture Fourth, I felt tired and hungry, and remembered I had to go grocery shopping. That led to the pause I alluded to in the first paragraph.  Now I have a blog post of over 400 words.  Score!  I think I’ll hit a couple places in Herkimer next.

 

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I Have No Defense

Posted on December 17, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I did it again.  I went three whole days without posting. In my defense…

The three words that best describe me are as follows, and I quote…

I guess it isn’t really a defense, but I have been running around like I have health, energy, and ambition (I bet you thought I was going to say, “like  a chicken with its head cut off”) (you know who you are).  Saturday I ran the Reindeer Run 5K on unreliable streets in Little Falls.  After returning home to shower, I went to Ilion to take a picture of the Frosty Forest at their Municipal Hall, a fundraiser for Hoffman Wellness Center.  I wrote a quick blurb for Sentinel Media (must also do a blog post), which I emailed out.  Next I went to the cookie sale at Herkimer County Historical Society, because, well, cookies.  I had a very nice visit there with a couple of my favorite volunteers.

Finally I went to the Elks Lodge where I donated a few canned goods to Feed Our Vets and watched part of the Army/Navy football game. I wore my Army shirt, just to harass a couple of Navy vets I’m friends with.  Once of them did an end run around me, though, and wore Army stuff.  He served in both branches.

Sunday I was up early and off to Herkimer High School to volunteer for the Elks Hoop Shoot, a nation-wide foul shot contest.  That was a little nerve-wracking, because I had to pay close attention as one of the score-keepers.  I am not so good with numbers.

So it has been a weekend of lots to blog about but no time to blog.  You may be tempted to point out that today is Tuesday, and I had all day Monday to write numerous blog posts.  You are, of course, at liberty to point out whatever you would like.  I did a few things Monday, as it happens, but I feel I have blathered on for long enough.  I am going to bill this as a Tired Tuesday post and feel justified in doing so.

Bunny looks interested in hearing whatever I have to say.

I close with a picture of the bunny from Herkimer County Humane Society, because I like that bunny.

 

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I Run in the Slow Lame

Posted on December 13, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Lame Post Friday post.  I went for a short run earlier this morning (ooh, it is still morning; I have not wasted away the whole day).  Am I ready for the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls tomorrow?  Was I ever going to be?  No matter.  I have a new theme song that goes:

We do what we can do

And if it’s not enough

Tough.

I sang it to myself during the latter part of my run.  It was quite snowy.  I meant to take a picture after the run to show what I was dealing with but was feeling rather defeated at the time and could only go in the house.  I was happy that I made the effort, though.  I am sure my body will feel better tomorrow because of it.

Preview of Coming Attractions?

That was me after I ran in 2018.  I was thinking of going to a dollar store and getting some garland to drape myself with this year but do not know if I can muster the oomph.  I find I have a very short supply of oomph these days and a whole reservoir of I Just Can’t Even.  That the hell, me?

I return to my theme song.  What I can do today, it seems, is a lame blog post.  I wonder if I can find a fun picture to close with.  Come on, Media Library, don’t fail me now!

Cheers to the season!

How about a very nice picture of my dearly missed husband, Steve.  He loved Christmas as much as I did, and he was proud of me for running a 5K, even if I was pretty slow about it.  I treasure warm memories, even as I search for a little more oomph.

 

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What Would Rudolf Do?

Posted on December 11, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, I missed another day of blogging (I still think blogging is a silly verb, but then blog is a silly word) (then again, I am a particularly silly person, so everything fits in).  I have no excuse.  I did pretty much nothing all day.  Now I am up early-ish, looking at WKTV News, where Eric Gage is telling me to drive carefully.  I am going to meet friends at Java Shop for breakfast in a bit, but I intend to walk.  It will be good exercise and marginally safer than driving.

Must get a better picture of the sign.

I have not been running since Monday, which does not bode well for the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls this Saturday (the day after tomorrow, yikes!).  At my age, I cannot afford to take many days off.  I took a good-ish walk on Tuesday (in my defense, it was really cold!).  As I walked, I thought I should have run, because the roads were fairly bare.  They are not so now, and not likely to be so in the foreseeable future.

I can run in the snow!  I’ve done it before!

I don’t know why I feel worried.  I’ll show up, I’ll run, I’ll be slow, I’ll make jokes along the way. I’ll write a blog post about it.  It’ll be great.

As for today, I’m going to bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday, also known as At Least It’s A Blog Post.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Ready for the Reindeer Run?

Posted on December 9, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went running in the cold yesterday, thinking to make a Running Commentary Post, but then, well, got distracted.  This morning I realized, it is just about time to make this blog All Reindeer Run 5K All The Time.  The big race is THIS SATURDAY!  Am I ready?  I guess I have to be.

One of my all-time favorite pictures.

This was taken before the race in 2017.  I will probably wear that same T-shirt but do not know where my Santa hat is.  I suppose I could pick up another one at a dollar store, but I have another alternative in mind.

I was pretty proud of myself at the time.

In 2018 I visited a dollar store before the race and picked up the garland and bells to enhance my ensemble.  The hat was enhanced with a few things I had around the house.  I happen to know where the hat is but would need to search for the bells and garland.  A co-worker urged me not to wear the bells, saying it would drive my fellow runners crazy.  I argued that it would encourage them to run faster.  In fact, most of them run faster than me with no encouragement on my part.

Wardrobe suggestion for after the race.

Rather than share another race photo, I offer this from December 2016.  I still have the gold lame top.  I have the high-heeled boots, too, but question my ability to walk very far in them.  Some people would say, suffer to be beautiful.  I don’t know that I will dress up and go out after the run, having few places to go and nobody anxious to accompany me.  Then again, I am not shy about going places alone.  I usually find somebody to talk to, and it often makes a good blog post.

In the meantime, I have reached 300 words on this topic.  Score!  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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A Little Taste, Please

Posted on December 8, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I stopped in for the tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer on Saturday and enjoyed some Bailey’s.  I used to never miss a tasting at Valley; my friend Kim and I used to start our weekends there every Friday.  Am I slowing down in my older years?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!  Be that as it may, Saturday I was out for a walk and my footsteps took me to South Caroline Street, so I stopped in.

I should have tried to get more Christmas decorations in the picture.

Katheryn, the woman pouring, was very nice.  We talked about how good Bailey’s was in coffee or hot chocolate.  I declared the Salted Caramel delicious, just to make a change from my usual accolade of “yummy.” The Espresso Cream was also very nice.  The Chocolate was my favorite.  I wrote down “Yummy!” but observed that it would be dangerous, because I would love to down a big old glass of it, as if it was chocolate milk.  Bailey’s also offers a non dairy flavor, but they were not sampling it Saturday.

I see that Valley Wine and Liquor is offering a number of tastings between now and Christmas.  You can check it out at shopvalleywine.com.

 

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And a Bunny!

Posted on December 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I drove out to the Herkimer County Humane Society to do a story for Sentinel Media.  The Society had made a Facebook post saying they were at capacity and needed help, and my editor emailed me and asked me to make an update.  It was rather frightful weather driving out Route 5S, but I made it all right and went in.  Almost the first thing I saw was a bunny!

So cute!

The workers told me how the shelter is at capacity but still receives multiple calls daily from people wanting to surrender pets.  That is so sad!  Isn’t your pet like a member of your family?  Then again, I know some people who would be happy to get rid of certain members of their families.  Oh dear, I hope my family does not feel that way about me.

Nice kitties!

Cats are now occupying spaces usually used for other purposes as well as the usual cat spaces.  Every dog kennel is occupied.

The regular cat room.

On Giving Tuesday, people responded to the Humane Society’s plea for help with over $20,000 in donations and many words of encouragement.  Several people inquired about adoption or fostering pets.  I personally am thinking about getting a dog, if I can ever get my act together sufficiently.  I would adopt a cat, but I am allergic.

I wrote the story and got it emailed out but thought a blog post might further highlight the Society’s plight and get more folks thinking about adopting, fostering, or making a donation.

The Herkimer County Humane Society is located at 514 State Route 5K, Mohawk, NY.  Their website is herkhumane.org.

 

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