Tag Archives: coffee

Thank You, Utica Roasting

Posted on May 10, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

While I was out and about on Saturday, one of my stops was at Utica Coffee Roasting Company.  Full disclosure:  I was looking for a distinctive local place I could potentially write about for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I think I found one and must get to writing that article, but for now I will content myself with a blog post.

I was on Genessee Street, which looks as if it goes right to the Roasting Company with very little effort on my part.  However, since that section of the street is one way in the wrong direction, I had to overshoot it and turn back.  This accomplished, I found a parking space and walked up to the place.

Saturday had turned into a beautiful, sunny day, and some people were sitting on tables outside the place.  I could see one seat at one empty table (the rest were all crowded around another table, as sometimes happens at these establishments).  Inside, I saw that one of the tall tables I so love was available.  I hoped it would still be available after I ordered.

I got plain, regular hot coffee instead of one of the many other choices available, and asked what kind of bagels they had.  At first the girl said they had Everything.

“My favorite!” I said.

“Oh, wait, it’s onion.  I’m sorry.”

“That’s OK,  I like onion.”  Onion bagels used to be my favorite, as a matter of fact, but I did not burden her with the information.

The tall table was still free.  Yes!  There were also seats free at the bar across the front window.  These had been fully occupied when I walked in.  I do like to sit at the window, so I may go for one of those seats at a future visit.

As I sat, sipping and eating, I looked around at the decor and other patrons.  I opened my notebook and began to write.  Ah, yes, to WRITE!  Regular readers may know I have been having a few problems with that lately.  It felt really good to sit there with words coming out of my pen for a change.  I can’t say that what I wrote was such a much, but that’s not the point.  I wrote.  I was happy.

Utica Coffee Roasting Company is located at 92 Genessee St., Utica NY, phone number 315- 624-9596.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

 

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A Pause for Coffee

Posted on March 21, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I interrupt my Wrist to Forehead Sunday for a brief shout-out to a VERY local business: The Locavore in Frankfort, NY.

There I was, on my way home from church in Chadwicks, during which my delightful year-old great-nephew declined to sit on my lap, pondering my actions for the rest of the day.  I felt sluggish and down (you know, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and all).  I thought a cup of coffee might perk me up. Then I remembered:  Higby Road takes me right into Frankfort. I could go to The Locavore for an awesome cup of coffee!

The Locavore has all kinds of locally made products. I considered purchasing soap, honey, cheese, meat and other stuff, but ultimately decided just to get coffee.

The proprietor of the establishment remembered me from previous visits but remarked he had not seen me in a while.  I said I never went anywhere, and he said that was a lousy excuse.  He was quite right, of course.  I told him about all my theatre commitments, which he was interested to hear.

After some debate I decided on… oh crap, I can’t remember the name of the coffee.  But it was YUMMY!  There are several different kinds of coffee, both iced and hot. I had the LocaMocha another time and loved it.

The Locavore only recently started opening on Sundays.  I asked what time they are open till, because Steven works till one.  I was thinking maybe we would make it a thing to go out for fancy coffee after work on a Sunday.  Then I could try all the coffees.

The Locavore is located at 159 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-895-0325. You can Like them on Facebook.  I did.

 

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Running through the Window

Posted on October 5, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Does that give you a dramatic image of a triumphant crashing through glass?  I’m afraid it isn’t quite like that.  However, I ran today and thought a Sunday Running Commentary might make a nice post.

Regular readers know I have been having the damnedest time getting back into running, which is a little ridiculous considering how much I love to run.  Well, I’ve been busy with community theatre commitments (as you may have read my blog posts about), dealing with physical problems (long story, not very interesting), and my ever-present depression.

Lately I have been more comfortable talking about my depression.  Part of me cringes when I bring it up, though, because, I think about those nay-sayers (some of whom, I admit, live in my own head) who think it’s not a real thing.

“Put on your big girl panties!” they say (I talked about that heinous expression in yesterday’s post). Also,  “Snap out of it!”  “Quit feeling sorry for yourself.”  “Get over it!”  “Just do something.”

That last bit of advice is actually a good one.  It has been widely observed that doing something, almost anything, will often alleviate depression.  It is also a widely observed fact that those of us suffering from depression often feel we cannot manage anything further than staying in bed and pulling the covers further up over our heads (that is, our respective heads in our respective beds; if we were all in bed together, well, I leave that up to your imagination).

What I have found for myself is that it does NOT work to just force myself to do something.  Grit-teeth determination only gives me a sore jaw.  Beating myself up only makes me feel worse (although I am really good at it, so that ought to give a boost to my self-esteem).  I have to sort of back into these things.  For example, I can’t say to myself, “I HAVE to run.  I MUST run. I OUGHT TO run.  I SHOULD run.”  I sit home and stew over these exhortations.  However, if  I say, “It would be a good idea if I ran,”  I often find myself in my running gear and going.

I ran on Wednesday using these tactics.  I felt so good about myself.  I wrote a blog post about it on Thursday, which never got typed in and published due to computer glitches (perhaps you read my Non-Sequitur Thursday post about that) (I suppose I could publish it next week, suitably introduced).  Then I did not run Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and felt predictably disgusted with myself over it.

Oh the vicious cycle:  too depressed to run, not running making me even more depressed.  Then I logged onto WordPress to see a picture of muscular running legs on Return of the Modern Philosopher, a blogger I often read.  I scrolled down and read some other blogs.  I could not bear to read about someone else’s running triumphs.  I read some earlier posts instead, making comments as I like to do.

Of course in one of his posts, the Philosopher talked about running.  I made some silly comment, he replied. I logged on and off WordPress as the day wore on, to be confronted by those legs again and again.  Hmmm…

This morning I slept in, decided that I would walk today and ease back into running.  I got up, made coffee, got on the computer.  Now, I did not make coffee yesterday.  I am on my own for the weekend, because my nice husband, who makes the coffee I like best, is visiting his family.  I had tea.  Later in the day I heated up some day-old coffee that was still in the pot (I know, some of you are saying, “EW!” while others are nodding, “Yeah, I’ve done that.”).  This morning I wanted some fresh-brewed goodness.

Logging back into WordPress, I made a few more comments and replies, saw those legs again, drank my coffee and pondered my fate.  Finally I looked up and said, “Oh, I’m going to go running now.”

This is unusual for me.  Normally I run as soon as I get out of bed or home from work or not at all.  Those are my three choices.  I guess sometimes I go at other times, though, and today was one of them.

I did not get any of them there endorphins I hear so much about, BUT I felt terrific from the moment I started till the moment I finished.  I was just so proud of myself that I got out there and did it.  Why in the world did I wait so long?  Perhaps the euphoria was the result of my first real cup of coffee in two days.  I don’t care.  I’ll take my good moods however I can get them.

I pondered the vicious cycle I mentioned earlier, and I realized something.  In the prison of depression (just to choose a really dramatic metaphor), I can’t break through the ever-thickening walls.  I can’t beat up the guards to break free (the guards being those nay-sayers that live in my head, I guess).  But every so often, a small window opens, and I can sneak through that window.

So remember that, any of you who suffer from depression or just a little blue mood, and I shall try to remember it myself:  watch for the window.  When one opens, sneak through it out into the sunshine and fresh air.  I hope to see you there.

 

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Led by a Nose to The Locavore

Posted on July 6, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

In a recent post, I mentioned stopping at The Locavore in Frankfort, NY, where I discovered some yummy horseradish and garlic pickles.  Naturally I introduced my husband, Steven, to the place at the earliest opportunity.  Today, in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I shall give the establishment a brief shout-out.

The small retail store is located at 159 E. Main St. in Frankfort.  Steven and I easily found a parking space and walked in to enjoy a marvelous aroma.

“It smells like a co-op,” I said, unable to pinpoint exactly what I was smelling but liking it quite a bit.

One reason for the olfactory delight was the Sallye Ander Soaps.  We also noticed items from the Lake George Olive Oil Company and the Saucey Sauce Co.,  a Brooklyn company.  Saratoga Crackers we have seen and eaten before, but Stony Brook Whole Hearted Foods is a brand I must try.  I was pleased to see  Finster Honey from Frankfort, NY, and interested to see grass fed beef and bison.

After having a lovely conversation with Jimmy, the proprietor, I suggested we get a cup of coffee and sit at the table in front of the store to drink it.  There are also a couple of tables inside the store.  The coffee is made from their house beans,which are also available for sale.

“If you like the coffee, we can get some beans,” I said to Steven.  “You can use your coffee grinder.”  Many years ago some friends gave Steven a coffee grinder, but we rarely have occasion to use it.  Jimmy told us he could also grind the coffee for us.  That will be handy if we purchase any beans as gifts for our coffee-loving friends.

Steven got regular coffee (quite delicious since made with their own house beans), but I thought I should get something more distinctive.  After hesitating between iced and hot, I chose Locamocha,  coffee with dark chocolate.  I got it black, without sugar, which is how I usually take my coffee.   Ooh, was it ever good.

I think I have a new favorite store.  My only problem is that I can’t afford to purchase everything in their inventory at once.

For more information about The Locavore you can call 315-895-0325 or you can Like them on Facebook.  They are on Twitter too, but I don’t know from all these social media  things.

 

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It Really, Truly Is a Blogger’s Sick Day

Posted on February 20, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Remember yesterday, when I kind of sort of didn’t wuss out on the blog post? I seem to remember saying that a Blogger’s Sick Day had been a real possibility. Guess what today is.

Oh, if only I could end it there, hit publish and have done with it. Well I can’t. I have felt too awful to write a blog post but not too awful to write at all. I wrote a couple of pages on the play I am working on. It is turning out to be a farce, and it gets sillier as I go. And yet, the silliness is beginning to make sense. Perhaps that is just the virus talking. Whatever.

I was supposed to do laundry after work. I got halfway to work and realized that although I had the dirty clothes (Steven had put them in my vehicle last night), I had forgotten the detergent and the quarters. And my cup of coffee (the coffee was not essential for laundry, but it was going to make the quality of the day ahead of me much better).

Reflecting that a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved while a joy shared is a joy doubled, I told my sad story to one of my work friends. He offered to loan me $20. When I said no, thank you, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill, which he insisted I take. He also found me two dollar coins in another pocket, which he pressed on me. He wanted me to at least be able to have some coffee.

There is more to this story, but I am too ill to continue typing. I am going to bed. This has been my Non-Sequitur Thursday post for the week. Thank you for playing.

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Where Are You, Juan Valdez?

Posted on September 19, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am a dingbat. Not just a dingbat. A ding. Bat. A dingy bat. The dingiest bat. The dingiest AND the battiest. Not your ordinary, run of the mill, common or garden dingbat.

I wanted to do a good post today, since yesterday’s was pretty bad (still, it got four likes; perhaps I should not disparage the tastes of my readers) (four of them, anyways). I was unable to write one at work. I had time when I got home, but I had a lot of stuff to do. Steven and I were to attend a dinner meeting of the Ilion Little Theatre. I had a dog to walk, chip dip to make, a shower to take and an outfit to figure out. I was swamped.

I got all my stuff done before turning on the computer. I still had time to write the post. And I was JUST TOO TIRED!!! I thought to myself, “I can’t do it. I just can’t do it.” I was pretty sure there would be decaf coffee at the meeting. I couldn’t dare drink the caffeinated stuff after 6 p.m. or I’d be up all night. But decaf still has a little bit of caffeine plus placebo effect. I would come home from the meeting and write a GREAT blog post.

Why do I even think these things MIGHT happen? I’m never good for ANYTHING after 8 o’clock at night! And now it’s after nine. I want to go to bed. Whatever will I do about my blog post? I know, it’s Non-Sequitur Thursday. Just think up a silly title and hit publish.

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Maybe More Coffee Would Help

Posted on August 3, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was at work. I had written a page on my novel before my shift began. You may remember, that novel that keeps me from writing blog posts. I was determined not to let that happen today, Lame Post Friday or not.

I was going to think about my blog post all morning till I came up with something. It’s worked before. In any case, I had reached the end of a scene in my novel and had no idea where to go next. The novel is at that stage. I’m sort of limping along till I get to the top of the next hill, to speak metaphorically.

I began to work and think (my job is the sort where you can multi-task like that) (although in general I am no fan of multi-tasking). I was drinking coffee (no, that does NOT count as another task. Sheesh!). That was it! I would write about coffee!

I began to think about all the good things I could say about coffee. I even had a few good memories to share. Oh dear, would that make it more suitable for Middle-aged Musings Monday? Well, that would be OK. I could write it today and be ahead for Monday. I could hardly wait for the nine o’clock break to write that blog post.

The break buzzer rang. I sat down and took out my notebook. And began to write a whole new scene in my novel where the characters were sitting around drinking coffee. I worked on that scene for the rest of break and most of lunch!

So once again, the novel wins, and I write a post on Why I Can’t Write a Post. I don’t think that’s so bad for a Lame Post Friday. We’ll see what the weekend brings.

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In Case of Emergency, Hit Publish

Posted on January 27, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes coffee is not the miracle one is hoping for.

Full disclosure: This is a Middle-aged Musings post I’m writing with no real plan as to when to post it. I thought it might be useful to have a spare column kicking about, in case of emergency.

It is Monday as I write this. Many people do not sleep well Sunday night. I’m one of them. One can temporarily overcome the deficiency with coffee. Coffee also has mood-boosting properties, which I, for one, find welcome. Sometimes not so much.

Well, at my age (middle), one does not lightly abandon an old friend after a disappointment. Besides, it still tasted good.

My second musing for the day is: sometimes the Write It Anyways philosophy works. I wrote a whole post on Saturday about how I could not write a post about my intended topic. I felt even worse on Sunday but was too embarrassed to admit it could happen to me two days in a row. The result was perhaps not brilliant but perfectly acceptable.

A small side note about the post: my sticking point was the first sentence. I wanted something less mundane than “We went here and did this.” And I felt quite incapable of going on to the second sentence and writing the first one later. Sunday, I accepted the mundane. There’s some half-baked philosophy lurking around there somewhere, but I’ll save that for Lame Post Friday.

Getting back to the Write It Anyways school of thought, I drove to work this morning feeling dry as a bone, writing-wise. I was even composing in my head a lead of “Sorry, kids, it’s Middle-aged Musings Monday.” Then when I sat down with my notebook (I had some time before I had to start work), I thought I would just try to write about a local business we had recently patronized. It worked!

So what have we learned here? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, “Not much.” Like coffee, sometimes Do It Anyways works and sometimes it does not. And the next time it doesn’t work for me, now I have a spare column.

Side note after I typed this in: Regular readers may remember I mentioned this column yesterday, saying that I had not typed it in. So today I in fact had to type it in and not just hit Publish. Still, I thought it was too good a headline to waste. My only regret is that now I don’t have a spare post any more. Guess I saw that one coming.

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Breakfast at the Bakery

Posted on October 23, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

About halfway through last week, I decided that since Steven had Saturday off we would have breakfast at the Heidelberg Bakery and Cafe, 3056 State Route 28, Herkimer, NY. I spent the rest of the week upheld by a vision of sourdough toast.

We got up early on Saturday, so I knew we would beat the crowd. I admired once again the larger tables with benches that look like church pews, but we sat at the same table for two we had sat at last time.

“It can be Our Table,” I said. It was our anniversary. I was allowed to be sentimental.

Of course we got coffee. I had been looking forward to the coffee from Utica Coffee Roasting Company as well. I don’t know why they don’t sell Utica Roasting at Hannaford, seeing as they love to carry local. I’ll have to ask.

I ordered fried eggs with sourdough toast. Steven ordered French toast, which is made with raisin walnut bread, and sausage. When I told the waitress how I had been looking forward to sourdough toast, she told me they don’t always have it. Well, I’m sure there are other good choices as well. I love Heidelberg bread.

We decided to get a treat before we left. After pondering cookies, brownies and strudel, we settled on a small apple cake. We ate most of it on Sunday. I may go back soon and get another.

Heidelberg Bakery and Cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone number is 315-866-0999. You can like them as well as Utica Coffee Roasting Company on Facebook. Utica Coffee Roasting Company (which probably rates a blog post all its own) is located at 92 Genessee St., Utica, NY, phone 315-269-8898.

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