Tag Archives: Frankfort NY

But Is It a Sweet Blog Post?

Posted on July 27, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I missed making my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post on Sunday but dare to make it Monday morning.  I guess it is not really so daring after all.  Note to self:  do something daring in the near future.

I really have no excuse for missing my Sunday post, nor do I have much to post about or even much brain to think of anything entertaining to blog about.  I am on my second cup of coffee, so I can’t blame it on that.

 

“I always feel like somebody’s watching me!”

Ah yes, I was at Yetty’s Pizza and Pasta in Herkimer, NY recently and neglected to take a clearer picture of the Yeti.  In fact, I sat at the bar and did not even notice him.

And not just on Saturday!

Speaking of local eateries, I stopped at Saturday Spreads in Frankfort last Tuesday and had a delicious slice of carrot cake.  I had been craving something sweet.

Other businesses are there too.

Speaking of sweet, I stopped by Mohawk Valley Community Market in Herkimer another day and purchased a yummy chocolate chip cookie.  It was new, neither renewed nor rescued, before anybody makes any smart remarks.

My Sunday was less sweet, but that is OK, as I contemplate making my weight loss daydreams more of a reality.  It would probably help my aches and pains.  Will it be worth blogging about?  Time will tell (Time is certainly a blabbermouth) (as my sister Diane says, Time is relative.  Not our relative).

 

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Ryan Quin and Garlic Bread

Posted on July 26, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Thursday after attending the Frankfort Town Board meeting (regular readers may remember my side hustle of covering local meetings for the Daily Sentinel), I stopped by Fratello’s Pizzeria, where I had noticed Ryan Quinn was playing.  In addition to being a thoroughly talented musician, he is a very nice young man.  I thought it would make a good blog post.  Also, the pizzeria was right on may way home.

Maybe not the best picture, but it served its purpose.

As I usually do, I took a picture right away and shared it on Facebook, inviting any of my local friends to come out and enjoy the music.  None of them has ever joined me, but I live in hope.  I did not mind sitting there myself, grooving to the tunes.  The bartender told me appetizers were half price.  I could not resist ordering garlic bread with mozzarella cheese.

YUMMY!

I shared a picture of the bread on Facebook too, just to make the people who were not joining me jealous.  I ended up taking most of it home, but it was just as good cold.  I probably could have re-heated it in the toaster oven, but I was too lazy.

A multi-instrumentalist.

I took another picture of Ryan, then danced my way back to my seat, ignoring my foot, which has been really bothering me lately (you didn’t think I was done whining about my physical woes, did you?).  I sang along to the songs I knew, and clapped and cheered at the end of each one. I have not been going to Fratello’s as frequently as I have previously done, but I am always glad I went there when I do.

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

 

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I’ll Never Get My Phil!

Posted on July 3, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yes, I went to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY last night and enjoyed the musical stylings of Phil Arcuri!  It was great!  I had fun!  Everybody had fun!  I loves me some Phil!

He is the best!

I confess, this is not a picture from last night  I did take a picture as soon as he started and shared it on Facebook, inviting all my Facebook friends to come on over and join me.  Full disclosure:  nobody ever has.  I could feel unloved because of that, but I choose to think they are all busy or perhaps live too far away.  Why give my already low self-esteem another knock?

Phil greeted me right away, when I was gimping out to my car because I had forgotten something.  He immediately expressed concern over my crutches.  I assured him I would dance my way out regardless.  I chair danced pretty much they whole time as soon as he started playing.  Well, barstool danced, if you want to be didactic.  I sang along as well.  Most local musicians like it when you do that.  All the ones I follow are so nice about it.

I had not been to Fratello’s in a while, so I was glad to return.  They are located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY.  You can follow them on Facebook to get the musical lineup.  The food is pretty good, too.

 

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Fiery Weather, Festive Attire, and Phil?

Posted on July 2, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today shall be a Wayback Wednesday post, if not a Wuss-out Wednesday.  I have spend the day lounged in front of a fan, pausing only to take a cool shower, AAAAaaaahhhh! In my defense, WKTV Weather declared it an Alert Day due to severe heat.  At my age, one had to be wary of these things.  For one reason, I have suffered from heat injuries in the past. Once you have suffered from heat injuries, you are all the more susceptible.  Stop playing those miniature violins!  I wasn’t asking for sympathy; I was merely stating a fact.  I encourage everybody out there to stay hydrated and not to overexert.

I usually spell it with a b.

Yes, this is me on many occasions.  However, I hope to revive myself as the afternoon wears on.  I may even try to put on some festive attire and venture from the house.

He is such a wonderful musician and human being!

My thought is to go to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY and hear Phil Arcuri, one of my favorite local musicians.  I used to go to Fratello’s almost every Wednesday for food and music, but I have not been in recent weeks.  What’s that all about, me?  This might be the week I make it back there!  But what to wear?

It is festive attire, yes?

This is the outfit I wore to the Pride Stride 5K in Little Falls in 2021.  Pride should be all year, should it not?  And I do love all the colors of the rainbow!  I think I still have the headband, but the t-shirt is worn out.  I shall have to see what I can come up with.  It should at least be worth another blog post!

 

 

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Another Post from the Couch

Posted on June 14, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

On the brighter side, I am ten-finger typing on my Chromebook.  Yes, there are a lot of brighter sides and I try to concentrate on them.  However, I have not been out on a Mohawk Valley Adventure for a while now.  In the meantime, I see a lot of things I am missing on Facebook.  Have I got the dreaded FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out?  There is no point in being afraid I might miss out; I AM missing out.  But that is OK, because, after all, one can’t do everything.

 

I did have a nice outfit.

This is from June 2021, just before I went to Little Falls, NY to run the Pride Stride 5K.  Midway through May I figured I would have to give it a miss this year, but I hoped to partake of some of the Pride festivities going on in Little Falls this weekend.  Alas, I did not, but I give them a shout-out.  Local readers, you should have been there; if not, watch for it next year!

Local music? Yes, please!

I think I mentioned recently how I miss going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort to hear talented musicians, such as Phil Arcuri, pictured above.

Great little shop!

And then there is shopping.  To Niche Their Own in Herkimer is a delightful place.  I love to stop in there and look at all the stuff by local artisans.  I usually leave with a pair of earrings, a stuffed bat or bear, or a beautiful artificial flower.

So I have many plans for when I am mobile once again.  In the meantime, I hope my blog posts entertain.

 

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Past Views and Maybe a Preview

Posted on June 12, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did say I was going to have a Throwback Thursday Post today, which will make a nice change from whining about how I can’t have any Mohawk Valley Adventures these days.  I guess if I really wanted to give my readers a break, I would not even have mentioned it.  What am I, always fishing for sympathy?  Just ignore me.

Flowers for Cynthia?

A shot from my container garden of 2017.  I do not entirely despair of having a container garden this year, because there is no point in giving in to despair.  We do what we can do, after all.

Play ball!

Now there is something I have not done in years:  Go to a Diamond Dawgs baseball game in Little Falls, NY.  It seems every year I say I am going to go to a game, and every year I wimp out.  I don’t mind doing many things by myself, but it really is more fun to go to a game with a group of friends.

Look at all those blooms!

Here is my rhododendron in 2019.  You can see all the forget-me-nots at the bottom.  At least there are some blossoms in my year, although I am not able to go outside and get any pictures today (oh dear, there I go again, alluding to my stupid problems).

I love music!

Something else I have not done in a long time is go to hear music at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort.  This is Matt Grainger in 2021.

I hope this post turns out to be a Preview of Coming Attractions as well as a Throwback Thursday.  Container gardens, baseball games, local music, these are all things I would like to get back to.  Will I be able to? If so, how soon?  I like to say a little uncertainty adds interest to my Thursday.  In this case, I confess I would prefer to get my interest elsewhere, but I must not get back to whining again.  At least I have made a blog post of over 300 words.  Yay me?

 

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I’m Really Lame This Time!

Posted on June 6, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, and welcome to yet another Lame Post Friday blog post.  My challenge today is to blog for at least 200 words without whining.  Regular readers know how difficult this will be for a big fat baby brat like me. I say it is good to challenge yourself.  I think my Media Library can help me now.

Herman looks a little worried.

Dracula’s House of Halloween is a fun Facebook page I follow.  Full disclosure:  it does not matter too much to me that today is Friday.  I do not intend to go to Happy Hour, and ever since I quit my day job (against all advice) (you know how people love to say, “Don’t quit your day job!”  I hate it when people do that), it does not matter a great deal what day it is.  However, I do have the television on at a mere one in the afternoon.  I usually do not indulge in television till evening.  I feel like a lady of leisure.

Oh, yeah, music!

I believe this is the Play It Again Band at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY.  Last night Matt Grainger was playing there.  I was really sorry I could not take a drive over there and enjoy, but felt unable to do so (long story, not very interesting).  I would really like to get out and take in the local music scene more often, as I used to do (preview of coming attractions?).

The neighbors’ azaleas.

I end with some flowers to cheer myself up.  This bush is located a few houses down from me, where I do not think anybody currently resides.  I hope somebody moves in soon. I do not like to see empty houses.  They might rot, or become zombie properties.  I don’t care for zombies.

I see that I approach 300 words, with a minimum of whining.  I am short on the random observations and half-baked philosophy in which I usually indulge on Lame Post Friday, but I trust my post is sufficiently lame and at least mildly entertaining.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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We Reporters Have to Eat, Too

Posted on May 28, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I decided this morning I would treat myself to breakfast out so I could definitely make a real blog post and plug a local business.  For one reason, I knew I would be out and about, searching for a picture to go with my story about the Ilion Village Board meeting for Sentinel Media (regular readers may recall I have a side hustle covering a few meetings and such in the Valley).  For another reason, an Everything Bagel at Saturday Spreads sounded really, really good.

Great place to stop!

Since I knew I was going to be enjoying a cup of Utica Coffee later (“Wake the Hell Up!”), I sipped a cup of tea while I wrestled with my journalistic endeavors (“Wake the Hell Up” is Utica Coffee’s tag-line; I’m not cussing at you).  Soon I was headed to Ilion in search of illustration.  I failed to get a shot of some soon-to-be-demolished properties, because they were quite overgrown by now.  Also, the neighbor’s dogs started barking at me, and I felt unwelcome.  Finally I got a shot of some re-paving that was also talked about at the meeting.

Central Paving seems to be doing a fine job.

I explained to one of the fellows working that I was not taking pictures for any nefarious purpose.  He told me he thought the mayor was doing a good job, and I agreed.  Of course, it is impossible to please everybody.  Even for Mohawk Valley Girl, if you can believe such a thing.

Finally I was at Saturday Spreads and enjoying my repast.  I got the Utica Grind this time, which I remembered to write down:  Cream Cheese, Heirloom Tomatoes, Lemon Zest, Utica Grind, Flaky Sea Salt.

My writer’s breakfast.

I said to the waitress, “Some people make fun of people for taking pictures of their food, but I’m going to use it in my blog post.”  I really enjoyed it.  I found it quite salty and spice; it make my lips tingle, but they tend to get a little chapped this time of year due to allergies.  I looked longingly at the pastries in the case as I left but resolutely headed out the door.  I need to take off a few pounds for the sake of my knees and back if for no other reason.

Saturday Spreads is located at 264 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY.  You can follow them on Facebook.

 

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A Pause for a Post!

Posted on May 23, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I pause in my gyrations to make a Lame Post Friday blog post.  I have been running around all day trying to be an Intrepid Girl Reporter (you know, like from a 1940’s Screwball Comedy or Cheesy Horror Movie).  I wrote my article about the Frankfort Town Board meeting.  I drove all around Frankfort looking for something to take a picture of that was talked about in the meeting. Then I had a dedication to go to, which I also had to write a story about.  I found where I had to go. Being me, this was not easy (that is some sort of dangling participle, I think).

I pause in the midst of that rather foolish paragraph to mention that I have one of my light-headed whatever it is I occasionally suffer from.  It does not feel fun.  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

Could Gatorade solve my problems?

I wonder if I could just be dehydrated?  I do sometimes forget to drink water.  In the meantime, my article about the dedication is hanging over my head.  I mean, it is written.  These articles are not especially difficult:  I take notes, I write up my notes.  But I also have to look over them and second-guess myself.  Regular readers know that overthinking is kind of a hobby of mine.  Additionally, I took a picture of all the speakers and I have to remember which name goes with which dignitary.

On the brighter side, I am over 200 words.  A dithery post is better than no post at all, I say.  Back to work with my newspaper duties!  The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing when you paused to read this!

 

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I Guess There Was a Race

Posted on May 3, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

There was a little bit of scatter to my Saturday but not enough to make it a Scattered Saturday post.  I got a little silly, so I was going to call this Silly Saturday, but a quick check of past posts showed that I used that headline back in 2012.  I suppose it would be OK to repeat myself after that length of time (it was kind of a dumb post, actually).  Well, let me lead with the silly.

I say it is fabulous and fashionable.

We are supposed to wear fancy hats on Kentucky Derby Day, aren’t we?  This was a hat I have had for some years now.  I found the furry thing earlier Saturday at a rummage sale at a nearby church.  I know, I am supposed to be getting rid of junk at my house, not purchasing more, but I just can’t resist a good rummage sale!  I also found a great pair of shoes for costume purposes, a few pairs of gloves good for running this winter, a bowl for my next Halloween party, the man’s blazer I’m wearing in the picture, and a handy zipper bag.

Yummy place to eat!

Before going to the rummage sale, I had breakfast at Saturday Spreads in Frankfort, NY.  I had an everything bagel with garden toppings, which I had last time I ate there and had been craving ever since.

Attired in my new fancy hat, I did not go to any Kentucky Derby parties or even to Pete’s Tavern, where I could have made a bet on the race.  I did stop by the Elks Lodge so my hat could be seen.  My friends were suitably impressed.

I think I need to start dressing fabulously more often and perhaps with less excuse.  It is fun and at my age, I think such eccentricities are to be encouraged.

 

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