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Tag Archives: friend Kim

I Wine a Little

Friday nights I often go to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer for a wine tasting.  It is a nice start to my weekend.  I have been remiss about making blog posts about them, but this past Friday’s was so memorable, I shall make the effort.

The tasting was of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards in the Finger Lakes.  I love New York State wines!  Additionally,  I have been to Hazlitt.  My late husband, Steve, and I went there on our first Finger Lakes wine tasting tour in 2003.  I subsequently visited with my sisters and Mom on other tours.  I naturally told all this to Brian, the gentleman pouring.

Brian was very personable.  He said he used to have a whole spiel about the wines he poured but found people would rather tell him what they tasted rather than having him tell them what to taste.

“I like to hear about the grapes,” I said, “or hear the story of the wine.” Brian was able to supply this information as well.

He was a little reluctant to have his picture taken, but I think it turned out OK.

I tried several wines, taking my usual sophisticated notes such as, “I like this one.”  I was having a great time chatting with Brian and the other people tasting.  I only wished my friend Kim was there to enjoy the sweet wines.  Hazlitt makes Red Cat, one of her favorites.  Brian promised to return for another tasting, so Kim could be there.

He was giving out koozies of different colors.  He gave me a pink one then added a Red Cat koozie for Kim.  He said to tell her he said hello and thanks for being a Red Cat fan.

I see I have not talked about any of the wines.  There was a variety, ranging from dry to sweet. Perhaps I can talk more specifically when Hazlitt returns for another tasting.

Wine does out a smile on my face!

 

Since I had taken Brian’s picture, he thought he should take mine.  I feel I am not photogenic, but perhaps my readers will be amused by my goofy grin.

 

 

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Fun Saturday, Late Post

Once again I went to bed last night before making my Scattered Saturday Post. In my defense… I have no defense.  It was a pretty good Saturday, beginning with a run and ending with movies.  In between, friends, fun, and a little bit of wine.

It doesn’t look so steep in the picture.

I mentioned in my late Lame Post Friday post that I ran up College Hill.  I share this picture taken in April 2020 to add interest to the post.

One of my favorite places.

How serendipitous! This picture of Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer was also in April 2020.  I met my friends Jim and Kim there for lunch.

Jim gets all the girls.

I did not realize I had two pictures like this.  The lady on the left is Jim’s late, dearly missed wife, Phyllis.  It was a running joke in our group that Kim was Jim’s other wife, because she played his trophy wife in a murder mystery once.  I was looking for a picture of this pose taken at Salvatore’s, but I guess one taken at the End Zone Pub will do.

I haven’t had a good hot bath in a long time.

After lunch, Kim and I visited the Wine Tasting Room at the Raindrops on Roses Bed and Breakfast.  The place used to be known as the Bellinger Rose, hence this tub I took a picture of.

Back home I watched a couple of movies. I would look for pictures and talk about them, but I see I am over 200 words, and I do not want the post to run long.  For one reason, I have to get on with my Sunday.  I hope I don’t make today’s post late, but no promises.

 

Fun Friday

How about a late Friday post that is not lame?  At least it will not be admittedly lame, as it includes two Mohawk Valley Adventures and  couple seasonal pictures.

My friend Kim and I started our evening with a cocktail tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY.  Felicia, one out our favourite pourers, was giving samples of pre-mixed drinks in cans.

I had to get a picture of the Eastery display.

Kim especially liked the sign:  “EVERY HOUR IS HAPPY HOUR.”  I was taken with the bunny butts.  The drinks were made with vodka or tequila with real fruit juice and no added sugar.  They were pretty tasty, but not really my thing.

From the liquor store we went to Yetty’s for supper.  We were happy to find seats at the bar.  We had not been there in a while, but the bartender remembered us and greeted us warmly.  The first thing I noticed was that the head that graces the shelf behind the bar was dressed for the holiday.

It was perhaps a little dark, but you can see the bunny ears.

We both had fish and chips.  Kim had mayonnaise with hers; I got tartar sauce.  It was quite yummy.  We had a very fun evening, and I got a real blog post out of it (or do I flatter myself?).

Valley Wine and Liquor is located at  326 S. Caroline St.  Yetty’s is at 109 Mohawk St.  Both are in Herkimer, NY.  For more information,  you can visit their Facebook pages.

 

Monday Mosey

I think I have used that title before.  However, I took a few pictures while walking earlier so I thought a Pedestrian Post with Pictures would be nice.  Just a little change from Monstrous Monday.

The main reason I wanted to walk was to mail a letter I forgot to take with me when I left the house this morning.  I thought if I brought it to the post office by five it would still go out today.  Additionally, I was going to meet my friend Kim for a libation.  We both had kind of a rough day and wanted to commiserate.

After some commiseration and conversation at the End Zone Pub in Herkimer, she went on to a meeting, and I walked home.  When I had first set out, I had thought I might take a couple of pictures but encountered no photo ops.  On the way home, however, I noticed some snowdroos.

Pretty!

I think there are some white violets in the shot as well.  I do love flowers.

Preview of Coming Attractions.

When I passed Basloe Library I noticed some green poking up.  I look forward to seeing them grow and bloom.

Two handsome buildings.

As I continued up Main Street, I was struck by the Episcopal Church  (now sadly closed) and the Herkimer County Court House.  The latter is part of my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners.  The picture does not quite do them justice, but I tried.

It was a pleasant little walk.  I took a slightly longer walk before work this morning, but the lighting was not so good for pictures then.  I do enjoy a walk, and I hope my reader’s enjoy reading about it.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

 

Help from Pizza and a Friend

I was going to just give up and declare this week Late Post Week when I noticed how low the battery on my phone is. Will I have time to plug it in and get it to 100 percent in AND be able to make a blog post in the morning? I suppose a little suspense will add interest to my day.

Regular readers (I think I still have some) may be wondering why I did not go to the library and make my blog post, as I spoke of doing this morning (when I made yesterday’s post). It is too long and whiny a story for me to share. Also, I don’t come out of it looking very good.

So I guess this is a true Wuss-out Wednesday Post. Hmm… Maybe I could yet salvage something.

At one point earlier this evening I texted my friend Kim and told her I was having a HORRIBLE day (I daresay I was indulging in hyperbole). She suggested ordering food and watching a movie. Brilliant!

While she got ready to come over, I called Salvatore’s Pizzeria in Herkimer and ordered a cheese pizza and chicken wings Siciliano. When Kim arrived, we popped in “Clue: The Movie” (I put it in quotation marks because I do not know how to do italics on my phone). I craved the silliness factor of the movie.

I’ll be honest: The evening was not a miraculous cure-all. Why can’t I have a miraculous cure-all? No matter. I can’t and that’s all. I was feeling better after good food, a few laughs, and most of all time with a friend.

Full disclosure:. Kim was not the only one I reached out to. I also called my parents for some good advice and got it as usual. Additionally I called the Veteran’s Crisis Hotline and am on my way to getting more help. I mention the last to add my little bit to erasing the stigma attached to needing help with our mental health.

And I guess the stigma does exist, because I am quite hesitant now to publish this post. People I know may read it! Then again, why worry? In the first place, my blog is probably not as widely read as all that. In the second place, a lot of my friends and family would probably say, “Oh Cindy, we knew you needed help!”

The Post Is Certainly Scattered

I was all set to do a Scattered Saturday Post, but I guess I was too scatterbrained to actually do it on Saturday.  My bad.

It was not a super good day for me.  I started out having problems with my cable.  Instead of going on a run, I got some exercise by attempting to shovel my driveway.  In this I was helped by an anonymous neighbor who snowblew the end, a path to the front steps, and the walk in front of the house.  So that was a very nice thing.

The cable problem wasn’t complete frustration, either.  They were actually able to send a tech on a Saturday morning, he showed up when they said he was, and he was very nice and helpful.  I only have trouble feeling grateful for it now, though, because I got up this morning to the same damn problem!  It must be operator error, because the guy gave me a new cable box and replaced some outside wire.  I talked to a guy on the phone this morning who concluded that an inside wire is to blame.  He is sending me a replacement, but I can also drive to New Hartford, NY, and pick one up for free.  That way I will not have to wait and will have a spare in case it happens again.

I Don’t Know About My Saturday, But This Post Is Certainly Scattered.

I just typed that into the title bar then realized it was far too long for a title.  Under the heading Waste Not Want Not, I copied and pasted it here.  Now I am too lazy to change the capital letters to lowercase (but apparently not too lazy to spell out “capital letters” when the rest of the world just says “caps”).

Anyways, the rest of my Saturday was spent with my friend, Kim. She met me at the End Zone Pub, where I had gone after  I walked my post cards to the post office (that makes it sound like the post cards walked too, like they were my pets that needed exersise).  We enjoyed a libation, and I took a picture, since I had it in mind to do a Scattered Saturday Post.

They posed and approved the shot.

Next Kim took me to my house to pick up an afghan to donate to the HALO Chinese Auction, which was being set up at the Mohawk American Legion.  We stopped on the way to the Legion at Mohawk Antiques Mall to pick up a copy of Mohawk Valley Living magazine.

Lots of good prizes to try for!

Local readers, if you see this in time, I encourage you to go to the auction.  It is today, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

 

Easier the trying to type in the info. Did I mention I was lazy?

It’s the Best I Can Do on Tired Tuesday

It occurred to me that it might be interesting to some readers if I share my journey through grief.  It might help me to write about it.  Or this might be nothing more than a rationalization to continue blogging.  Then again, for me, anything that will keep me writing, I will use.

This by means of an introduction to a Tired Tuesday Post.  I did not sleep so well last night.  Regular readers know I suffer from chronic insomnia, but last night I had the added problem of an intense cough.  It was quite distressing.  I did get a little sleep, though, so don’t mind me.

I thought it might be good to get out of the house.  I have, in fact, left the house almost every day.  I went to the funeral home, Mohawk Valley Funerals and Cremations in Little Falls.  On my way home from there, I stopped by Ann Street Liquors for some brandy for a hot toddy (a beautiful thing for a cold).  I went grocery shopping, to the bank, and to the drug store.  And I went running twice.  This was all over the course of Saturday through Tuesday.

Most recently I met my friend Kim for lunch at Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer.  We both had calzones and a glass of wine.  Yum!  And we took home leftovers.  Next we stopped at a big box store which needs no plug from Mohawk Valley Girl.  We had a fun time shopping for various needs and wants.

Hmm… This is kind of a dull post.  However, I am going to hit Publish and, as usual, hope for the post.  I crave my readers’ indulgence on Tired Tuesday.

And a Tired one at that!

 

Two Skeletons and a Glass of Wine

Monday through Friday workers know: sometimes the best you can hope for on a Monday is to Just Get Through It. Workers of other schedules know that feeling applies on other days as well. Oh, I know, I have very little to complain about. Why should I let that stop me? It seems to not slow others down. Never mind, let’s just get on with the blog post.

A handsome couple indeed.

This is our skeleton Bonita with her friend Bonaparte. She is wearing her last summer’s outfit. We have yet to dress her in this summer’s togs (Preview of Coming Attractions), but I am sure she will look equally alluring. At least Bonaparte will look equally as admiring.

He would probably like to meet Bonita.

I took a picture of this handsome fellow last Fourth of July, when my friend Kim and I visited our good friends Phyllis and Jim. Phyllis passed away the following August, and I still feel the shock of grief when I remember she is gone.

Full Disclosure: I already drank the wine.

Having interjected that sad note into my post, I feel free to point out that sometimes, for some of us, a glass of wine is a beautiful thing. I certainly enjoyed many glasses with Phyllis.

So I guess this is my Monstrous Monday Post: a couple of skeletons and a sad note. But I also smile when I remember my friend Phyllis. That makes this a not bad Monday. Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

Sluggish, Stupid Saturday

I pick up my Tablet to make a Scattered Saturday Post, purely because I do not want to go a day without posting (counting the post I made this morning as yesterday’s), and I log on to WordPress to find that my last post got NO blogger love. I am such a Like junky, I find this rather devastating. But I tell myself it is a First World Problem and drive on.

There is not a whole lot to tell about my Saturday anyways. I mentioned earlier that I did not run. I had a headache so took a pill with a decongestant and pain reliever, and it made me feel rather sluggish. I was about to add that it made me feel stupid, but I have been feeling that pretty much all the time. Make whatever unkind remarks you like about me being stupid. There may be a joke there somewhere, but I am too tired to find it.

I did see my friend, Kim. We had lunch at Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer, NY. We went on to Pete’s Tavern for a drink but only stayed for one. Back home, my headache went away (finally) but I fear it is coming back. The sluggish, stupid feeling never left.

On the brighter side, I see I am over 200 words. I’m going to call that a win and go for a better blog tomorrow. As always, I hope you’ll tune in.

Throwback and Shout-out

Time for another Throwback Thursday post. Full disclosure: It is early Friday morning. I had a rather frantic time after work yesterday, trying to get a few things done before rehearsal. Fuller disclosure: I did not get many things done; I sat and watched a rerun of Mom to relax myself. It’s called Self Care.

They are nice, and their product is good.

This is a shout-out to a local business, but the picture is from 2017. That counts, right? It is DikinDurt Distillery of Herkimer. I am more into wine than booze, but their product is yummy, and comes in several flavors: something for everyone. Almost everyone. I know not everyone drinks.

Not equipment currently in use.

I might as well go ahead and give them a thorough shout-out. You can sometimes find their product in local bars and liquor stores. They also attend many area vendor fairs. Or you can visit the distillery at 115 Smith Rd. in Herkimer. You can see the distilling equipment through a window and hear all about the business.

The distilling room.

I visited the tasting room once with my friend Kim. We have been meaning to go again. In the meantime, I hope this counts as my Throwback Thursday post.

My friend Kim.

I thought it would be a good idea to include the picture of the beautiful blonde.