Tag Archives: family

Family, Food and Fun at Asteroga

Posted on May 9, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Wednesday night I walked down to Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer, NY, to meet some members of my family for dinner.  It was half price burger night. I got there a little early so sat at the bar and sipped a glass of wine while I waited. My sister Cheryl and my parents soon showed up, and we sat at a table.  We were joined by Cheryl’s daughter Kimi, Kimi’s boyfriend, Matt, and his daughter Athena.  We were a merry group, having a lot of laughs while we enjoyed our meal.

Kimi and Athena.

I had a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and red onion, well done.  Athena had the same but no tomato, and added waffle fries to hers.  Mine came with homemade chips and a pickle.  Athena is particularly partial to pickles, as am I.  Kimi opted for a Reuben and regular fries.

Athena and Matt.

I forget what kind of burger Matt got, but it had an onion ring on top.  Cheryl got the bacon-mushroom-Swiss burger.  That sounded yummy.  Mom got the same, and Dad got an Italian burger.

Mom and Dad.

I did not take any pictures of the food.  Quite frankly, I was too interested in eating it.  My dining companions graciously agreed to have their pictures taken for the blog.

Cheryl and Kimi.

I took half my burger and some of the chips home, for future enjoyment.  It started to rain when I walked home. I often say, I ain’t sugar; I won’t melt.  Lately, however, I begin to wonder:  would I melt like the Wicked Witch of the West?  At least this time I survived to make the blog post.

 

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A Little Light in my Life

Posted on December 31, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Now we’ll pretend it’s still Saturday, and I will not apologize for making yet another late post.  Sometimes apologies are appropriate and sometimes they are just tiresome.

I went with my sister Cheryl and her delightful grandchildren, Sheppie and Evie, to drive around the villages and look at Christmas lights.  We began in Frankfort, NY, where there is a lovely display at the Marina.  I pointed out Heelpath Brewing, but we did not go in for a libation.  We got out of the car to get a closer look.

The kids graciously posed for one shot.

This was the best picture I took.  I quickly discovered that my Tablet is not best suited to take pictures at night.

You see what I mean.

I think the kids are in this shot too, but it is hard to tell. In any case, they soon decided it was too cold to get out of the car, and we drove on.

The semi-good shot I got at the Marina.

We drove through Frankfort into Ilion, where I knew a few good places to see some lights.  Alas, I did not get any pictures.  We went on into Mohawk, where we especially admired the street lights, then to Herkimer, where I also knew of a few good displays.

It was a nice little post-Christmas interlude. I confess I have had less of a Post-Christmas Letdown than in previous years, probably because, as regular readers know, this has been a difficult year for me.  I am not whining about this (I hope) but merely making an observation of a small silver lining.  I continue to count my blessings, in which my family ranks high on the list.  Thank you, Cheryl, Sheppie and Evie!

 

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Wrist to Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate it. To all others, Happy Sunday. Things just brightened a little bit for me, because I realized I can do a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.

Please understand that I have had a perfectly delightful day and have no reason to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist my forehead, even if there was a chaise lounge handy, which there is not. Still, I am awfully tired, and while I am thoroughly grateful for the day and my wonderful family I spent it with, sadness will inevitably creep in.

I have been telling myself all month that the first Christmas without my husband Steve would be hard. It is supposed to be hard. That is what happens when you lose someone you love so much

Now I have a reason to swoon, because I am not saying anything new or even entertaining. What the hell, me? I start the post wishing people happy, them go on to moan on a most morose manner (just felt like throwing in a little alliteration).

Most festive, no?

I add a silly picture to lighten things up. This is the lower part of my outfit today. I didn’t get a picture of the rest of it.

I am making this post from my phone, which does not tell me my word count. Still, it feels like a post, so I’m going to go with it. Once again, thank you for tuning in.

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I Hope It’s Not Too Lame

Posted on October 14, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, and welcome to yet another Late Lame Post Friday Post.  Part of my problem is that my Tablet has not been cooperating, so I must sit up at the dining-room-table-top.  At a certain point of the evening, which seems to come distressingly early these days, I am far too tired and lazy to do so.  Well, one must press on, especially if one is me.

So here I sit, ten-finger typing, which seems kind of weird after I had gotten used to pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus.  I still mostly write in cursive, by the way, speaking of things feeling comfortable.  Where was I?  Ah yes, nowhere in particular.  I’d better throw in a picture to pep things up.

The nicest people!

I go for sentiment, with a beautiful picture of my parents and my niece Jenna.  It was the first one to catch my eye as I scrolled down my Media Library.

Schmuck couldn’t have held out one hand to save her!

This was the second picture to catch my eye, a publicity still from Tormented, one of my beloved cheesy horror movies.  I hesitated for a moment between the two pictures before deciding to use both of them.  What does that say about me?  Ah, now we are veering into half-baked philosophy, a staple of the Friday Lame Post.  Two of my great loves:  my family and cheesy horror movies.  If only my family shared my taste in movies, we could have a great cheesy film festival. I would of course serve lots of delicious cheese.  And popcorn, gotta have popcorn.  Maybe a little wine…

Now I am off and planning a party.  This may provide motivation to clean my house, which is beginning to resemble something out of Hoarders.  I’d better have at it, and hope to pause at some point for an on time Saturday blog post.  I do hope you will continue to tune in.

 

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I Slack, But I Blog

Posted on June 4, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

This was one Slacker Saturday.  I don’t know why I am surprised.  I spent all week planning in my head everything I was going to get done today.  Have I not often observed that every time I make a plan, the plan goes to hell?   Still, I did not make a detailed plan.  Surely I could get at least a few things done (in this context, I am calling myself Shirley).

I successfully slept in, which I am not always able to do on a Saturday.  This was not part of the plan, but it felt good.  I had made my Friday blog post on Friday, so I had that going for me.  I had some coffee and eventually went on a long run.

I entered here during my run.

Maybe the run was too long and I wore myself out. Maybe the road trip to Liverpool last weekend followed by a mid-week drive to Rome had a delayed effect.  Maybe it was just a good day to do very little.  Maybe I am just a lazy bum.

Celebrating Dad’s birthday in Liverpool: Dad and Mom with my niece Jenna in between.

In any case, after the run, I managed to do only a very few things else.  At least I got a few post cards written and mailed.   People like to get post cards.

So this is my boring blog post about my not very exciting day.  I am going to call it a Blogger’s Sad Day and drive on.  Maybe I could just go back and add a few pictures to pep things up.

I guess I like it too, Dracula.

I just put in a Hammer Horror movie with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Michael Gough.

 

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Lounging on Lame Post Saturday

Posted on May 27, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is nice when one of the chores on your to do list involves lounging on the couch and drinking coffee.  No, I did not write, “Lounge on the couch and drink coffee,” on my to do list, but now that I think about it, it is not a bad idea.  I encourage any readers to put it on their to do list.  The beverage, of course, is interchangeable.

The item on my to do list, if you haven’t guessed (which I feel sure some clever readers have), is to make my Saturday blog post.  How different is that for me?  Usually I am typing (pecking in one letter at a time on my Tablet) my Lame Post Friday post at this time (early Saturday morning)  and do not get to my Saturday blog post till Sunday if at all.

I am disappointed this image isn’t bigger.

I was inspired to make my blog post when I saw this picture on Dracula’s House of Halloween, one of my favorite Facebook pages.  Regular readers may recall that Dracula also likes Friday.

By the way, I meant to mention, regarding the parenthetical comment in the second paragraph, particularly alert readers my have noticed I did not say I was pecking in one letter at a time with the stylus. Talk about First World Problems:  I can’t seem to find any of my styluses (autocorrect seems to think “styluses” is not a word.  What’s the plural of stylus, autocorrect?  Styli?) so am using one finger.   I keep trying to switch fingers, because my right index finger is sore, but all the other fingers have longish fingernails.  The trials and tribulations!  I have to laugh at myself.

Looks like a fun time to me!

This is a picture from last May about this time, when I drove to my sister Diane’s house for a birthday party for my Dad.  This is the other reason I am making my blog post now: I hope to be in Liverpool later.

So this has been kind of a Saturday Lame Post, but it amused me to write it.  I hope it amused at least some of you.  And, bonus points for me, I made it on Saturday!  Have a great weekend, everybody!

 

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Make Lunch, Not War!

Posted on May 12, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just got back from Rome, NY, where my family was celebrating my mother’s birthday.  I believe she is 29, same age as my older sister.  OK, I do not really believe that, but I don’t see that it is my business to go blabbing other people’s ages across the internet.  I am just really, really grateful that both my parents are around and in reasonably good health.

After driving to Rome from Ilion (where I work),  having a lovely time with family,  then driving back to Herkimer (where I live), I am tired.  However, I was hoping to make my blog post before I sleep.  I figured I could manage a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.  Hence, the headline which does not appear to have much to do with the post.

To explain:  I said it to myself this morning.  The coffee had not kicked in yet,  and I was trying to get all my stuff done.  “Make your lunch,” I told myself.  Then I thought of “Make lunch, not war.”  I felt it was so clever, I put off making my lunch long enough to post it as a Facebook status.  I daresay I flatter myself.  Driving home from Mom and Dad’s house, I thought it might be a suitable title for a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.

Agree?  Disagree?  Please feel free to comment, and as always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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Post Easter Post

Posted on April 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I made Saturday’s blog post on Sunday morning and said Happy Easter, it kind of left me without anywhere to go on Sunday evening.  I had a delightful holiday with some of my family.  As a friend put it, I have a wealth of family, and for that I am truly grateful.

That being the case, I feel I should not go on to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.  I mean, one does not go from having a lovely Easter Sunday to swooning, posed dramatically with the back of one wrist against one’s forehead, dreading Monday.  Does one?

Not exactly a swoon, but notice the placement of the wrist.

Here I am being dramatic in Dirty Work at the Crossroads, presented by Ilion Little Theatre,  directed by my late husband, Steve.  I always wanted him to direct again, but he never did.  This is a problem I am having.  At odd times, it hits me anew:  I will never see him again.

I’m sure anybody who has suffered a loss has these moments too.  I try not to feel that I am the only one to ever shed a tear.  Sometimes I think I am a bigger baby than most, but one does the best one can.

So I am grateful for my nice day with my nice family.  If I start to feel sad when I am home alone, well that is just the way it is.  I forgot where I was going with this.  Ah yes, just trying to make my Sunday blog post on Sunday.  We’ll call it a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post and drive on.

 

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It’s Not Just For Wednesdays Anymore!

Posted on March 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers know about my regular Wednesday thing of going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY for music and food on a Wednesday night. Of course they have music other nights too.  This week I got to go there for some great music and family time on a Thursday.

I had not meant to go out this evening.  For one reason, I had to wait for the cable guy to come hook up my internet (long story, perhaps a little interesting but never mind).  While I was waiting my sister Cheryl messaged me that she was on her way to Frankfort and Fratello’s.  Damn!  That sounded good!

Long story a little short(er), I managed to join Cheryl, her daughter Kimi, and Kimi’s boyfriend, Matt for  a really fun time.  Matt happened to be on the porch making a phone call when I arrived.  He immediately gave me a big hug, which I sorely needed.  Joining Cheryl and Kimi at the bar, he said, “I brought in this lady.  She was just wandering around outside,.”

“You brought that old lady in here?”  my sister scolded. I got some more hugs.

They had already ordered their food, but I quickly got a glass of Pinot Noir and ordered a cheeseburger for myself.  The music had already started.  I took my obligatory shot to share on Facebook and encourage others to come down.

He was pretty awesome.

It was Matt Migliore, who I had heard of but never seen (I don’t think).  He played a wide variety of music and asked for any requests. Someone asked for Guns ‘N Roses, which he did a very good job of.  Some of the requests sounded more recent for my tastes, so I asked for Kansas.  It was the first one I could think of because I have been listening to “Leftoverture” in my car lately.  Then I thought of their orchestral, synthesizer-heavy harmonies and admitted it might be a little hard for a solo artist with a keyboard. He began playing a familiar riff on the keyboard then went into a beautiful verse of “Carry On, My Wayward Son.”  He paused at the chorus.

“I need a lot more voices to sing that!” he said.”At least five!”   But what he did was awesome.

Later I asked for something from the ’70’s, and he obliged with “Brandy.”  Other people asked for Cold Play or people I have never heard of.

It’s not just about the music!

Cheryl suggested I take a picture of her food for my blog post. She got Pasta  Al Forno .  I must try that some time.  I got a cheeseburger while Matt and Kimi split a pizza.

A fun group!

I asked to take a picture of my dining companions for the blog post. Cheryl was not best pleased and suggested I crop her out, but I think she is pretty.

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort,  NY, phone number 315-894-8484.

 

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Post-Wine Post

Posted on February 27, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not had much wine, but I thought the title would be a good follow-up to a Pre-Coffee Post.  This, I fear, will be another post where I just rattle on for 200 words or so.  I am battling depression but trying not to whine too much about it.  After all, everybody has problems.

Not enough gas to outrun Monday!

I guess I can bill this as a Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.  I don’t really feel that horrified by Monday, but it cannot be denied that the weekend is more fun.  This past weekend I drove into Rome, NY, to my parents’ house, where two out of three sisters  were also visiting.

Returning to Herkimer this morning, I made a stop to purchase ice melt then parked on the street while I shoveled some of the snow in my driveway.  I did not make great progress, but I got the car in without any trouble.  Phew!

Scary!

The cold air had given me a bit of a sinus headache, so I heated up my face thing and laid down for a while.  It seemed to help.  This afternoon I watched War of the Gargantuas on Svengoolie.  I have several episodes of Svengoolie on my DVR.  I bet some of you thought that picture was a graphic depiction of my headache.  I can see where one might think that.  While I watched, I heated up some leftovers for dinner.

Bearing in mind that doing something, anything can alleviate depression, I fixed tomorrow’s lunch, did the dishes, and laid out my Monday work outfit.  Now I am kind of sort of looking at Snapped while I make a blog post.

I haven’t reached mine yet.

Since I titled this Post-Wine Post, do you suppose it would be OK if I had some Post-Post Wine?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

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