Tag Archives: dogs

Hey, It’s a Nickel

Posted on March 17, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I will tell you about the nice walk I took with my schnoodle, Tabby, yesterday.

I was, of course, delighted that the temperature was warm enough to make a walk comfortable. I put on my flood boots to be prepared for all the puddles we were sure to find. Can I just interject here that that is one good thing to come out of my basement being flooded: these rubber boots. They are awesome for walking through puddles. I encourage anybody who likes walking in the springtime to provide themselves with a pair. Don’t wait till you have a basement full of soggy junk to clean out.

In addition to a couple of poo bags (I re-purpose produce bags, newspaper bags, etc.), I provided myself with a plastic grocery bag. Sometimes I use these for poo, although I prefer a smaller bag for my size hound. However, in this case, I had another purpose in mind. You see, money is tight for Mohawk Valley Girl these days, as I suppose it is for almost everybody. I can’t help noticing deposit bottles and cans just lying around sometimes and I think, “That’s a nickel.” I don’t always see them, but I thought I would be prepared.

Yesterday I got lucky a block and a half from home. When Tabby stopped to sniff, I saw a bottle sticking out of the snow. I had to unbury it, then turn it over to make sure it was deposit. It was. Tabby had finished sniffing by this time. I heard somebody laughing from across the street.

“Hey, it’s a nickel,” I told him.

“Oh, no, I was laughing at the dog standing there looking at you. I’d’ve picked it up myself.”

In fact, Tabby was politely waiting for me. We continued our walk. It was a pleasant walk. In addition to exercise for me and my dog, I found five cans. I had to dump Budweiser out of one, and another spilled a little Rolling Rock on my hand. I washed my hand in the snow, being sure to use soap when I got home. Two cans I had to dig out of a bush. Two cans I left lay, because they were crushed.

I had to laugh at myself, especially when I started to do the math. Do you know how many walks we’ll have to take before I have enough nickels to pay for, say, a pedicure? Luckily I love taking my dog for walks. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

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World’s Dumbest Obsession

Posted on March 14, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t really have anything except that title, which I thought of several days ago, not really intending to use it. I mean, is there any reason to do an entire post about “World’s Dumbest” on TruTV and how I can’t seem to live without it? On the other hand, someone might observe that there is little discernible reason for me to be writing this blog at all. To that person I say, questions of why run into half-baked philosophy, suitable for Lame Post Friday, not Non-Sequitur Thursday (which is today). In other words, nice try, but I’m not stopping.

Where was I? Ah yes, nowhere. I’m sitting in my living room, netbook (I think that’s what it’s called; it was given to me) on my lap, dinner in the oven and “World’s Dumbest” on TV in front of me. I’ve seen this episode before. I’ve seen most episodes before (see headline about obsession).

Tabby got a little miffed at me earlier, when I “ran” on the mini-tramp instead of taking her for a walk. I deemed it too cold out for cute little doggies. It was definitely too cold for me. I walked to a doctor’s appointment this morning from work. That was the longest ten-minute walk I have taken in a long time. On the brighter side, it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.

Paragraph #3 was the non-sequitur of the post, in case you were wondering.

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Birthday Walk

Posted on March 2, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I like to start my Saturday with a run or a walk. Unfortunately my difficulties running continue. Barring a run, I like to walk with my schnoodle, Tabby, to the post office and mail postcards to a few people. Accordingly, I wrote five postcards and stamped them.

Then noticed it was eleven degrees out. Yes, I know, at least it was double digits. I can be thankful for small favors and still stay inside. We drove to the post office. By this afternoon, the temperature had risen into the upper twenties. That sounded good to me. Steven graciously agreed to accompany us on our walk.

I should perhaps mention that Steven is usually working on Saturday. This weekend we both have a glorious three days off to celebrate his birthday. Well, to celebrate yet another anniversary of his 29th birthday. So I suppose this was along the lines of a birthday walk (his actual birthday is Monday, in case anybody was wondering).

It was one of those hazy sunny days, where the light scatters and the snow doesn’t help. I was glad of my prescription sunglasses. They are brown polarized, perfect for such a day. I hope nobody thinks I am a spoiled, rich brat that I have polarized prescription sunglasses. I got them several years ago, when I worked in the optical industry. They were free.

(Reminder for next Lame Post Friday: philosophize half-bakedly on why I felt the need to point out that I do not spend infinite dollars on eyewear.)

We walked past Tabby’s beloved Historic Four Corners and down Main Street in Herkimer, NY. Steven stopped into Smoker’s Friendly to purchase lottery tickets. By this time tomorrow, we may be millionaires. That might be worth a blog post. We continued down Main Street.

We once again realize we have not gone to the new pizza place, whose name escapes me. We also noticed that Burrito Jones is now open. All kinds of meals yet to have. Oh, and we smelled something good coming from Brian’s Roast Beef Deli, where we have eaten many times and will no doubt eat again. We also saw that Exclusive Barbershop has a new awning, nicely painted. I need a haircut, but I usually go to the Hot Spot Salon and Spa, where I can also get a pedicure.

It was not too bad walking. The temperatures were not as glorious as last weekend, but at least it didn’t make our faces hurt. The sidewalks were pretty good, except for a few patches of ice which I warned Steven about. Usually my warning Steven comes right before I land on my own butt, but today I avoided such an eventuality.

We had a few other Mohawk Valley adventures today, and plan a couple more before the weekend is over. However, I like Running Commentary or a Pedestrian Post on Saturday. I enjoyed our walk, and I do like writing about them. I hope my dear readers are enjoying their Saturday as much.

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A Treat for Tabby

Posted on February 25, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Saturday between my scary walk that I didn’t finish and my awesome walk that I wrote a blog post about, I took my schnoodle Tabby the the Ilion Farmer’s Market at Clapsaddle Farm, on Otsego Street in Ilion, NY.

The Ilion Farmer’s Market is one of Tabby’s favorite places. Since I had deprived her of her full walk earlier, I thought she deserved a treat.

Things were still frozen. My SUV jolted over some frozen tire tracks in the parking lot. The walk into the barn was a little hazardous, but we made it without mishap.

Tabby was very happy, sniffing everywhere and greeting people. I greeted people, too and looked around for something to buy. I studied the jars of pickles but remembered I still have pickles at home, and I don’t eat as many pickles as I used to anyways. I thought about getting some note cards with a Jim Parker print. However, with a bouncy dog pulling on my arm, I did not feel I could make a leisurely selection. The lady I’ve bought earrings from was not there.

“Where’s the jewelry lady?” I asked. Apparently she has left the area, I think to join her mother in Illinois. Oh well, my jewelry box is full of earrings anyways.

It was a short visit but enjoyable. And it was the first Mohawk Valley thing I’ve done other than take a walk in at least a week. Alas, the cold weather continues. But perhaps as the week progresses, more Mohawk Valley adventures will ensue.

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Still Strolling

Posted on February 24, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I can’t, I positively can’t do another pedestrian post. Is walking the only thing I have to do in the Mohawk Valley? Well, truth be told, when the temperature finally goes above 40 degrees, walking is about the most satisfying thing to do.

I do want to start running again. Today I went so far as to bring my mother’s mini-tram down from the extra bedroom. I had the plan to run on it while I looked at a silent movie on DVD. I felt quite clever for thinking of this plan. You see, I rarely watch silent movies, because I like to knit or crochet while I watch. For a silent movie, you miss too much if you are not glued to the screen. I figured I could run on a mini-tramp and stay pretty glued to the screen.

The movie I chose was Nosferatu (1922), possibly the scariest movie ever made. I first saw part of Nosferatu in sixth grade. My elementary school got movies from the library (real movies on a reel; this was the 1970s) and showed them on Friday nights. My mom and Mrs. Lombino were among the ladies in charge of picking the movies. One October they got “a silent version of Dracula.” They thought it would be great. Aren’t silent movies always hilarious?

Um, no. Little kids were crying. They didn’t show the whole movie, although some of us would have liked to see it. I never encountered the movie again till years later. Now I have it on not one but two DVD collections of horror movies. Sweet.

OK, that whole stroll down memory lane was just to pad out the post. I can’t write about the movie, because I only watched about two minutes of it. I was thinking of how warm it probably was outside, and my dog was looking at me sadly.

So I got off the tramp, stopped the movie and walked the dog. I could always get back on the tramp later, but I am more likely to see if Tabby wants to go for another walk. I know, it is not as good exercise, taking a strolling walk and pausing to let a cute little dog sniff the snow. I don’t care. It is better for my soul.

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Yay, Flood Boots!

Posted on February 23, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Looking back, I see I have done a number of pedestrian posts lately. Could it be that my life is so boring all I do is work, sleep and walk my dog? Well, sometimes I eat and read books. Perhaps I can write blog posts about those subjects next week.

Today I TRIED to walk my schnoodle Tabby first thing in the morning. And by “first thing,” I mean, when my husband Steven left for work. I’d been up a good four or five hours by that time but hadn’t done must noteworthy or blogworthy. Well, I did finish two letters and write five postcards. That was why I wanted to walk to the post office.

Yesterday the sidewalks had been quite wet. It was supposed to continue warm today, although it had been cold overnight. I thought my winter combat boots (army issue, of course) would be good. I was picturing more ice than puddles and the combat boots offer some traction.

Um, not enough. All that water had frozen into a lovely, glare surface. Maybe cleats would have offered enough traction. Maybe ice skates would have been a better choice (mine perished in last summer’s flood, although I confess I had not worn them in years). It was scary! I don’t think I’m old enough to worry about breaking a hip, but even my fat butt doesn’t offer enough padding to make me view with complacence a fall on hard ice.

We made it two blocks. Mostly we walked in the road, which was still pretty icy, because 9 a.m. traffic in my neighborhood is not bad. Finally the thought that every step I took TO the post office I would have to repeat BACK from the post office overcame me. We went back home and drove to the post office.

I felt humiliated, because the weather had driven me back inside on the prettiest sunny day you could ask for. I had on my sunglasses, dammit! I had on my insulated sweatshirt instead of a coat! But the story has a happy ending, because the sun stayed out. About two o’clock, we tried again. This time I wore my flood boots, anticipating puddles not ice.

Oh, you can’t believe what a wonderful walk it was! The ice we encountered was melting. There were a few patches of bare pavement. Most of the sidewalks had lovely, safe, wet puddles. Not even very muddy. And can I just say, let’s hear it for flood boots. The air was warm. The sun was bright. A little voice in my head sang, “I’m in heaven! I’m in heaven!”

The only problem blog-post-wise is that I had to keep my eyes pretty much on my feet, for when we went over the ice that hadn’t all melted yet. I did not look around and appreciate the scenery as I like to do.

However, to make this a Mohawk Valley adventure, I can tell you where we walked to: The Herkimer Police Department to purchase tickets for the Beer and Wine Tasting Event on Saturday, March 8 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Francesca’s Banquet Hall, East Main Street, Ilion, NY. In addition to beer and wine tasting, hor d’oevres will be served. A 50/50 raffle and silent auction will take place. Participants will have a chance to meet officers and team members who responded to the tragic events in Herkimer and Mohawk March 13 and 14, 2013. Proceeds will be split between the Herkimer/Mohawk Special Response Team and K-9 Ape memorial.

While I bought our tickets, I took the opportunity to ask the officer if they had a stupid question department. I may have a few questions about police work for the novel I keep working on instead of writing blog posts all week. He was very gracious and said I could stop in with my questions when I was ready. That might be another blog post.

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My Dog the Blues Singer

Posted on February 21, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Could relief be on the way? I mean from the cold weather, not from me writing silly blog posts. Today it was in the 40s. Woohoo! It felt like spring! Steven and I celebrated with a walk with our schnoodle Tabby.

I put on old sneakers, because I feared it would be wet and muddy. We did not encounter much mud, but our feet were soaked by the time we’d gone a block. No matter. As I always say, I ain’t sugar; I won’t melt (but it might be nice in the hip and stomach area if I did) (just saying).

It was, unfortunately, an uneventful and short walk. The only thing of real interest were the two cop cars we saw blocking off a portion of Church Street we probably would have walked on otherwise. Their lights were flashing. I’ll be watching Facebook to see if Herkimer Police Department posts anything about it. Maybe that’s what I can write tomorrow’s post about, although this is not exactly a news or a crime blog.

The only sad thing about the wet walk was that Tabby had just been to the groomer’s today. We take her to the Velvet Dog on South Main Street in Herkimer. Since she is part poodle, she needs to be trimmed regularly. It’s also nice to have a professional clip her toenails. Tabby did not get too dirty on our walk, though. Just some muddy paws (doesn’t that sound like a blues singer, Muddy Paws?).

I’m afraid this has been a rather boring post, even for a Non-Sequitur Thursday. In my defense… OK, I won’t say anything in my defense, because that might be construed as whining. Instead, let’s all look forward to Lame Post Friday.

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Short Stroll, Scratch n Sniff

Posted on February 19, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is really difficult to have Mohawk Valley adventures during the winter. Another difficult thing: making a blog post when a cute little dog expects you to keep petting her. Naturally I do my best to oblige.

Yesterday we went for a walk. I thought for sure it would be warmer today so we might go for a longer one. Well, it may be warmer, but the snow is coming down in copious amounts and has been doing so all day. Tabby may enjoy plowing through the drifts up to her chest, but she does not seem to like being out while it is actually precipitating. Perhaps we could have a rousing game of That’s My Toy later on.

In the meantime, I will attempt a short pedestrian post about yesterday’s stroll. Once again I forgot to put my scarf back on (I had it when I got home from work), so my face got cold. I had not put Tabby’s coat on her, but she seemed OK with that. She certainly enjoyed sniffing many places. I don’t think the snow is conducive to dogs’ sense of smell, because Tabby kept digging and sniffing. I kept checking to make sure she wasn’t unburying some other dog’s poo.

“You don’t need to smell that dog’s poo,” I tell her. “You know what poo smells like.”

Her head perked up as we walked down Henry Street, because she saw people. One adult and three children were in front of a house. The man and little boy seemed to be shoveling. Two little girls were in a fort. I haven’t built a snow fort in a long time! We exchanged greetings. Tabby seemed inclined to go right up to them.

“My dog is so friendly,” I said.

Tabby seemed quite happy that our walk was short. She ran right for the door instead of out into the back yard when I took her off the leash. I was happy to get back into the warm house, too.

I see that as a blogger, I should have taken up some winter sports, so I would have more to write about this time of year. Hmmmm…. perhaps I could patronize some local businesses instead. Or watch another cheesy movie. Still, I’ve come up with over 1,000 posts. I can’t quit now.

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Tabby, the Snow-Faced Dog

Posted on February 16, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of this title as I was walking with Tabby around the blog yesterday. I did not use it then, because I wrote some lame thing (it was Lame Post Friday after all), but when I walked with Tabby to the post office this morning, I thought it might be a good post to write today.

We did not make it to the post office last Saturday (sorry, post card friends) and I had a new person to sent a post card to, so I wanted to make sure I wrote and sent some cards. After Steven left for work, shortly before 10 a.m., we set out.

Steven and I had been out shoveling earlier, so I knew it was not too cold (incidentally, BIG thank you to our across the street neighbor, who came over with his snowblower and helped us). I did put on my warmest coat, because it has nice deep pockets, gloves but no scarf. I wore Steven’s fancy earmuffs, so as not to mess up my hair too much, because I had plans for later in the day.

Some sidewalks had been nicely shoveled, plowed or snowblowed. Others not so much. We jaywalked twice to get on the side of the street with the best sidewalk (which in some cases was not saying much). I guess I didn’t really have to jaywalk, but plowing through the snow that was there was getting to be quite the effort. Yes, even the parts that were nicely cleared were not completely clear. And many parts were not even nicely cleared.

And here is my rant of the post: It is not nice to completely clear a path from your door to your driveway and leave completely uncleared the rest of the sidewalk in front of your house. Yes, corner houses have more to clear than others, and, yes, some people have to make great effort to clear anything at all. But I think, and I stand by it, that when you have a wide, beautifully cleared path where you need it, it would not be unreasonable to at least make an effort where pedestrians (including middle-aged ladies and cute little doggies) have to walk.

I’m not asking for miracles! Well, I suppose I am, because I am asking some people to be considerate of other people. To expound further upon this theme would require some half-baked philosophy worthy of Lame Post Friday. We have another six days to wait for that.

In spite of our uncleared sidewalk woes (to be fair, many Herkimer residents made an effort and I am quite grateful to them all), we enjoyed our walk. Tabby, as usual, wanted to stop and sniff every few feet. Also as usual, I tried to strike a balance between indulging my pooch and not taking till spring for one walk to the post office.

It seems to take Tabby longer to sniff at each stop this time of year. Perhaps the cold temperatures make the odors less obvious. Still, she must smell something. She digs at the snow, sometimes burying her face in the drift (hence today’s title). Eventually, she is happy to move on.

I am happy to move on, too. It really is great to get out and walk. Sometimes it’s a little too cold for such adventures, but one must endure these things. I also remind myself, plowing through snow takes more effort and hence probably burns more calories. Score! Yes, there are good things about winter in the Mohawk Valley.

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A Cold Walk

Posted on January 30, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been wanting to walk my dog, Tabby (I didn’t name her after a cat) (I told that story, didn’t I?), for some days now, but it has been too cold out for cute little doggies and middle-aged ladies. Today was only marginally better, but I thought I’d give it a try.

One reason I wanted to walk is that my back has been hurting me. I thought maybe I did something to it, but I really think all that I did was live to be fifty. And I haven’t been walking. Walking every day is very good for your back. It is good for your dog, too. How could I stay inside?

My thermostat said it was 18 degrees, which is practically 20. Luckily, my thermostat says nothing about wind chill. I hoped for the best. I put Tabby’s coat on her, bundled myself up, and we were off.

That bright sun ought to help, I thought. If only it hadn’t gone behind the houses. At least there were strips of sunlight. The sidewalks weren’t too bad. In the few places where nobody had shoveled, other pedestrians had worn a path. I don’t mind a little snow. The resistance burns a few more calories.

One patch of sidewalk was completely bare. I wondered if the people living in that house had put a heater under it, like some businesses do. I’d like to do that and not have to shovel. With my luck, I would mis-set the heat, the snow would melt then freeze, somebody would take a header and sue my pants off. Then I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay the heating bill.

When we turned the corner, we had full sun on our backs. Aaahhh. Well, I guess it was mostly placebo effect, because the air was still cold. My nose was running, but at least I had a handkerchief today.

I decided we would only go around one block. Tabby might have preferred to go farther, but I don’t think little dogs necessarily know what is best for them or me. Around another corner, we were in shade again. I thought how much I would appreciate the shade this summer. Then the wind picked up. Yikes!

I think Tabby enjoyed the walk. At least she stopped and sniffed the usual number of times. I enjoyed it too. I certainly needed the exercise. I needed more than what I got, to be honest, but one does one’s best. Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be in the 20s. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it sure looks different on the way up than it did on the way down!

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