Tag Archives: herkimer ny

Lots of Local!

So I thought I could do a kind of a regular post today, giving shout-outs to a couple of local businesses.  Then we went to a third local business, where I had a couple of glasses of Chardonnay, which is not at all a bad thing.  Hmmm… well, let’s begin at the beginning.

I had a prescription to pick up at the Medicine Shoppe.  It has been ready since Tuesday.  Tuesday afternoon, I called Steven from work and said, “I had a kind of a wild thought.  Instead of going and picking up my prescription after work, how about if I come home and shower, you come with me to pick it up, and we go out to dinner.”  Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Steven had already planned on fixing tuna-noodle casserole for dinner and was not inclined to go out.  I say “fortunately” because the casserole was quite tasty.

Fast forward through Wednesday (which I only vaguely remember anyways), and I made the same suggestion.  I had an additional reason for doing this:  I finished the salad I made for my lunch, and if we went to dinner I could get a salad and perhaps have some left over for tomorrow’s lunch.  Steven was non-committal, so I thought it would be a good idea to pick up my prescription before coming home.

So I knew I could give a shout-out to the Medicine Shoppe in Ilion.  They are really nice there.  If you do not have a regular pharmacist that you like, I highly recommend the Medicine Shoppe.

Whenever I stop at the Medicine Shoppe, I often go right across the parking lot to Ilion Wine and Spirits.  They are very nice there too.  I purchased a bottle of my favorite champagne,  Great Western Extra Dry.  It is a New York State wine, from the Finger Lakes.  It is yummy, if you like that sort of thing, which I do.

When I arrived home, I found that Steven was quite willing to go out to dinner, especially since he had turned me down earlier in the week.  I felt it was a good day for Steven to go out, because he was looking quite handsome.  Earlier today, he got his hair cut and beard trimmed at the Hot Shot Salon and Spa in Herkimer.   Ooh, another local businesses to give a shout-out to!

We went to Salvatore’s in Herkimer, one of our favorite places.  I could write a whole post just about our dinner.  Perhaps I will, but not tonight.  For one reason, I am over 400 words.  That’s pretty good for me.  I may drink some more Chardonnay.  Happy Thursday, everybody!

 

Monday Mail Meanderings

This is not a Monday Mental Meanderings but a Pedestrian Post.  I walked to the Post Office to mail the post cards I usually send out on Saturday.  I took my Tablet along to take a few pictures, thinking to make a change from my usual Monday Monsters (don’t worry, monster lovers; no doubt I will resort to my frightening friends later in the week).  I thought of this alliterative title as I walked home.

I put the Tablet into a soft bag I got at Paca Gardens in Little Falls (just for a little more local color).  I did not trust myself to carry it the whole way, especially not in its case.  I was only a little worried I would not be able to see the screen properly, because it was quite sunny.  I put my prescription sunglasses in the bag, thinking I might need them.  Not neglecting to also put in the post cards, I set out.

Right away I saw what I considered a cool-looking tree.  I love the look of bare branches against the sky. I got the Tablet out of the bag and tried to log in without the stylus.  That didn’t work, because I was wearing gloves.  So I got out the stylus and promptly dropped in in the snow.  It is a combination pen/stylus given to me by Herkimer County Historical Society after Shattered Angel, the play they put on at Ilion Little Theatre last fall.  It says “Shattered Angel/Ilion Little Theatre” on it (see? more local color!).  It is a very cool thing.  I brushed it off as best as I could, logged into the Tablet, and could not get the picture. I include the story of me trying, because it is just so typical me.  I walked on.

As I approached St. Francis de Sales Church, I thought I would get a shot of the statue of St. Francis wearing a red scarf, as he does this time of year.  I worried it would be back-lit, but it did not turn out too bad.

He looks saintly, does he not?

After I crossed the street, I tried to get a shot of the whole church.  That one turned out too shadowy, so I do not include it here.  I walked on into Meyers Park, where I knew I could take a picture of the statue of General Herkimer.  First, however, I saw the stone bench I have often admired but never sat on.

I was hoping the inscription would be legible.

Beyond the bench is a statue, only I do not know who it is. However, according to the inscription, he was instrumental in having women work for the government. I’m all about good jobs for women!  I was worried I had cut his head off, but I see now that I did not.

It seems they engraved his signature but did not print out the name.

I also got a shot of the pavilion, which is always a pivotal location when the park hosts community events.

It may not look like such a much now, but the potential is there.

I think my picture of General Herkimer is just a little back-lit, but in a blog about a walk in Herkimer, I feel I should include the General.  Here he is, in the iconic pose, directing the battle though morally wounded.

I see he has a similar scarf to St. Francis’.

On the other side of the park, I walked by the Methodist Church and decided to get a shot of that.  It turned out better that the one of St. Francis, so I include it.

Perhaps I should learn how to photoshop out power lines.

I was happy to get a shot of the post office.  I think I had a post card of it but already sent it to someone.  I do love sending local post cards.  In fact, I am not sure if the post card was of this post office or Little Falls’.  They are similar buildings.

My weekly destination. I do love post offices.

I had meant to talk more about the actual walk, over the ice and through the snow.  However, I see I am approaching 700 words.   Do my readers want to read over 700 words on a Monday? I hate to try people’s patience.  Additionally, Dateline is on OWN as I type.  So I say Happy Monday, and stay tuned for monsters later in the week.

 

Scattering before the Storm

Scattered Saturday it is!  For one reason, I can type this in quickly (I hope) and get back to the relaxing portion of the day.  Just a note of background:  today is supposed to be a major winter storm.  The weather people have been talking about it for days now.  Right now is the part of the day we are supposed to be hunkered down, waiting till it is time to go out and do some major shoveling tomorrow.  I suppose I can make a blog post while I hunker, but I would rather be watching a movie or true crime television.  On with the blog post, so I can get back to it!

We got up early today, having gone to bed early last night.  I felt rather ill-used to have a headache first thing in the morning.  I hadn’t even had a Friday night libation!  I wondered if too much sleep was to blame.  YES, I slept a lot on Friday.  I had a migraine, remember?  At least, regular readers will remember.  For sporadic tuners-in who missed yesterday’s lame post,  I had a migraine yesterday.  I sought exercise as a cure:  first I drank two large glasses of Gatorade, then I ran in place on the mini-tramp.  The headache wasn’t gone, but I could live with it.

After my usual call to Mom and Dad, I wrote a few post cards.  I was puttering around getting my act together when Steven went out to brush off the cars.  We feared the winter storm had started early, but it was merely a dusting overnight.  I got outside in time to help with the brushing, then I was off to Ilion.

My mission in Ilion was to get my work shoes for the year from Melfe’s.  I will no doubt write a blog post about that; I usually do.  My plan after that was to go to Moose River Coffee for a cup of the BEST coffee.  I could sit and write while I drank it.  Alas, they were not open.  A sign in the door said they were doing a tasting at Little Falls Food Co-op.  Well, I love Little Falls Food Co-op but was not into driving to Little Falls.

As I pulled into the parking lot for Ilion Wine and Spirits, I remembered Honey Brook Hobbies.  Maybe they had coffee!  Alas (again), they did not.  I bought a few cookies, though, because they looked really good (they were; I ate one right away).  Then I went to the liquor store and got a couple of bottles.

Back home I thought I was in for the day.  After all, it was already snowing.  However, my friend Kim needed to go to the liquor store and get something to see her through the storm.  Naturally I went with her to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  After all, I still had my bra on (do NOT say TMI!) (you know who you are).  We tasted some wine and purchased some as well (oh, don’t shake your head or your finger at me!) (or even your booty, although that would be less of a problem) (it’s not like I’m going to drink it all TONIGHT!).

I cooked a pretty good dinner (not early enough to call it supper) while we looked at a Dateline I had DVR’d a while ago (judging from the taped commercials).  Now it is over so I must find something else to watch.  I see I am over 500 words, which I call more than respectable.  If you are in the path of the storm, I hope you are hunkered down.  For all others, Happy Saturday!

 

Remembering Adventures Past

I want to do a Throwback Thursday today, only instead of revisiting theatre pictures, I thought I would look for pictures of Mohawk Valley adventures.  I’m afraid this blog has been short on Mohawk Valley adventures lately.  I hope to correct that soon, but in the meantime, let’s look back.

My theatre costumes should look this good!

Here is one of the first pictures I used in the blog, from October 2016.  It was a display of Hollywood costumes at Sangertown Mall.  It takes something that good to get me to the mall any more.

Steven at the jail. How appropriate.

This is the famous 1834 Jail at Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners.  It has been the site of many adventures, for me and others, but this shot is from a walk I took with my husband Steven in July of 2017.

Mmmmm… garlic…

Here is one of our all-time favorite events:  the Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival at Canal Place in Little Falls.

I hope this is not a preview of coming attractions.

Ah, here is a Mohawk Valley adventure I hope not to repeat, although the weather reports are threatening.  Of course this area can get a lot of snow.  Well, I’m tough.  I can shovel it, I can drive in it.  I can even write another blog post about it.

For today, this will have to do.  Happy Thursday, everyone.

 

Remembering Saturday on Monday

In lieu of my usual Monstrous Monday, I thought I would make the Scattered Saturday post I did not make on Saturday.  We did a few things before we tasted wine (that is what I made my blog post about on Saturday, in case you did not tune in) and, anyways, I don’t have any new monster pictures (note to self:  find some new monster pictures).

It was quite cold in the morning, so I opted not to run outdoors.  After considering going to the Mohawk YMCA when it opened at eight, I decided to run in place on the mini-tramp.  I watched a Snapped On Demand while I did (regular readers may recall I also did that on Sunday. That may be my weekend thing for the winter).  After a shower and calling my Mom and Dad (I have called them on Saturday morning for many years now), I wrote a few post cards to my regular people.  Steven and I spent a good amount of time discussing our plans for the day but it took a while to come to any conclusions.

Steven wanted to get his beard trimmed and decided to try Custom Cutz in Herkimer (where we live).  They took him as a walk-in, although we had to wait a few minutes.   I used the time to make a few notes on the murder mystery I am writing for Morning Star Methodist Church in April (preview of coming attractions).  We were also amused by two little boys getting hair cuts. The first sat very still with a solemn look on his face.  The second seemed a little more ticklish.  He kept scrunching up his face and trying to brush off little pieces of hair.  I can certainly identify with that!

When we left the barber shop, I suggested we stop into Pete’s Tavern for a beer.  After all, it was after noon and Pete’s is only a couple doors down from Custom Cutz.  We enjoyed a draft.  I did a scratch off lottery ticket but did not win anything.  We only stayed for one, because we were headed for the wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor, which I wrote about on Saturday.   I guess I already mentioned that.  What do you want from me on a Monday?

 

 

 

I Should be Aged in Bourbon Barrels

It’s been a while since I did a post on a wine tasting, although I have been to a few. Today my husband, Steven, and I went to a nice one at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I took notes, so I will try to write a few words.  Full disclosure:  one reason I am doing it is that Lana, the lady pouring, said she was going to check out my blog (it came up in a conversation).

Beringer Wines were featured in the tasting.  I have tasted them and liked them before.  Additionally, the Facebook event promised dry wines, my favorite!  The tasting started at noon, and we made it there by one.  Lana was pouring for a lady but she happily included us in what she was pouring, Bourbon Barrel Chardonnay.  I tend to like Chardonnays that are aged in stainless not oak (I don’t really have that much wine knowledge, but I retained that tidbit after I discovered that I liked some Chardonnays way more than others), but this Bourbon Barrel stuff is something different. I liked it.

We went on to a Bourbon Barrel Red Blend, which I liked but was not particularly struck by.  I liked the Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon better.  It was different from your usual Cab Sauv.  I say “Cab Sauv” not because I am trying to sound like a real oenophile (I pronounce it oh-nee-oh-file) but because I am too lazy to say all the syllables.  The Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was even nicer.  I did not make a note of what that was aged in.

My favorite of the day was The Waymaker, a red blend from Pasa Robles.  It contained Malbec, Syrah and Petit Syrah.  We bought a bottle of that and may even save it for a special occasion.  No promises, though.

Lana noticed I was taking notes.  I said I always did.  Steven said it was because I have a blog (I told you in came up in a conversation).  Lana was pleased to hear this and said she had one too.  She made a note of mine.  I stupidly did not make a note of hers.  However, if she reads mine and hits “Like,”  I can easily find her.  Oh dear, now if she reads this she will feel obligated to hit “Like” even if she didn’t like it.  Oh well, maybe she will Like it.  I like to think I have a fairly likable blog.

Valley Wine and Liquor, located at 326 S. Caroline St. in Herkimer, NY, has tastings almost every weekend.  You can Like them on Facebook to keep informed.

 

Wrist to Forehead But Fun

This may be an unusual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post in that I do not feel particularly wrist-to-foreheady (yes, computer, I know that is not a word, yet I do not believe I shall confuse any of my readers).  The obvious reason for that is that I do not have to go to work tomorrow. Yay, me.  Please don’t hate on me, those of you who do.

Since I do not have to work tomorrow, Steven and I went out to have drinks and appetizers at a local watering hole.  I took my Tablet with me, hoping to take some pictures for blog and other purposes.  Unfortunately the first place we tried has been closing on Sundays as of late.  The second place was too busy and crowded. How’s that for opposites?

Finally we went to Lombardo’s Pizzeria in Ilion, NY, where we had a couple glasses of wine and some food.  It was a fun interlude.  Next we went to Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer, where we had another drink and a pleasant conversation with another couple at the bar. Alas I did not take any pictures.  Here is where I fall far short in comparison with other bloggers. Judge me if you will.

Now we are home for what I like to call the bra off, sweats on, movie watching portion of the day.  Or we may watch an episode or two of Snapped.  In any case, I have kept my post-Christmas letdown at bay for yet another day.  Happy Sunday, everyone!

 

Running Out of 2018

Exercise is a potent but woefully underused anti-depressant.  It has an excellent effect on a post-Christmas letdown as well.  Today I try for a return of Saturday Running Commentary, even though my run was some hours ago.  I think I can remember parts of it.

I have been running at least somewhat since the Reindeer Run 5K.  Then the week before Christmas, I returned to the YMCA in Mohawk, NY.  I don’t know if I mentioned when I was going there before (OF COURSE I am too lazy to go back and check), but last winter I was going a few times a week, doing a little weight training and spending some time on the elliptical.  I have only been a few times recently and have only done the elliptical so far.  I hope to get to the weights and machines in January.  Anyways, my real love is to run outdoors.

It was raining in the night and although it got unseasonably warm yesterday, I knew it had cooled off overnight.  That could mean ice.  Still, it was above freezing by 7:30.  I decided to take a chance.

It felt warm!  Relatively speaking.  I ran in the road, noting copious icy patches on the sidewalk.  A runner in a bright orange jacket turned off German onto my street.  I was ready to say, “Good morning,” but he beat me to it.  I happily returned the greeting.  As I reached German, a lady was turning onto Bellinger.  It was my friend, whom I have seen several times running on weekend mornings.  We wished each other a Happy New Year.

“Look at us! Running in December!” she added.

“It’s awesome! I love it!” I called after her.

I headed toward the hill by Valley Health, since I have not been doing as much outdoor running as earlier in the year.  Still, I have been doing 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I thought I could run 30 minutes.  But even if I only did 20 minutes, my 10-minute cool-down walk would give me 30 minutes of exercise.  This would be great.

And it was pretty great.  I ran around in the residential area behind Valley Health.  I only saw one dog and his person, far ahead of me.  I did not think I could catch them so did not try.  For one reason, they were going up a big hill and I was not pushing myself too hard.  I did keep going for 30 minutes, though, so I’ll call it a win.

I got to pet one nice dog on my cool-down walk.  I was walking down Prospect when a young man and a lovely white dog were walking across Church Street.

“Good morning!” I called.  “That’s a beautiful dog!”  The dog immediately changed direction to walk toward me.  “Can I pet him, her?”

The young man graciously gave me permission.  “I’ve had her a year and a half,” he said.  “Every time she hears ‘beautiful’ or ‘pretty,’ she heads right over.”

“She says, ‘I know you’re talking about me,’ ” I said.  I wished him a pleasant day and we went our separate ways.

As usual when I get to the end of my blog post, I remember at least four or five things I noticed on my run that might have been fun to mention.  Then again, I am over 500 words.  Perhaps you have better things to do than to read my blog post.  So I say thank you for tuning in, and I hope to see you again on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

Seasonal Scattered Saturday

I pause in my Christmas gyrations to make this week’s Scattered Saturday post. Full Disclosure:  I sat down to make this post earlier and just did not want to do it.  I felt down, I felt stupid, I felt completely disinclined to make a blog post just for the sake of making a blog post.  Remembering that doing something, anything often helps (if you can get yourself to do it), I did the dishes (there were not that many) and started another batch of Chex Party Mix (although I used the store brand version of Chex cereal) (I guess that is another Full Disclosure).  I have one, maybe two more goodies to make (however, I have found that it does not pay to get too ambitious), then I can start packaging and wrapping.

The packaging is often the most fun.  My husband Steven likes to put a present in a present, so we pick up various size tins and decorative boxes whenever we see them for a good price.  For another reason, I am a terrible wrapper, completely unable to fold the corners in anywhere close to a neat fashion.  However, I am thinking I will wrap the presents for my great nephew and niece, who are four and one.  I think they will like to tear the paper.

I had been hoping for a return of Saturday Running Commentary today, but the early weather report warned of possible icy roads early on, when I would have liked to go.  I am clumsy enough on my feet without adding slippery into the mix.  Additionally, I wanted to run to Hannaford for just a couple more things.  I felt like an independent, take-charge kind of woman when I went to Hannaford shortly after they opened, thus beating the crowd (although I kept walking into people; I did mention I was clumsy, did I not?), then drove to the Mohawk YMCA, arriving shortly after they opened.  Half an hour on the elliptical made me feel even better about myself.

Steven got a little ambitious himself, scoring a same-day appointment appointment at the Hot Shot Salon and Spa in Herkimer to have his beard and hair trimmed.  I admired his handsomeness before starting my first batch of Party Mix.

Later on, I went to Ilion with my friend Kim, to visit the New 2 You Consignments.  We mostly went to visit our friend Robbi, the proprietress.  We also got to see her lovely daughter, Megan.  Megan is ultra-talented and is studying musical theatre in New York.  Kim and I worked on a couple of shows with her when she was still local.  We looked around at the merchandise, but the only thing I bought was a pair of Christmas socks.  I love Christmas socks, and I do not have enough of them.  I know, this is the time of year I should be purchasing things for other people, but, hey, Christmas socks.  There could be no possible objection.

Before leaving Ilion, we stopped by Ilion Wine and Spirits, where I picked up a bottle of my favorite champagne, Great Western Extra Dry, made in New York State.  Wine purists will point out that technically it is not champagne if it is not made in a specific part of France, but I do not care at all.  Call it whatever you like, I like to drink it!

Making Chex Party Mix is a relaxing activity, because once it is in the oven you have 45 minutes to wait, needing only to stir it every 15.  That part is sometimes a little stressful for me when I start to think I did not set the timer this time after stirring.  Then I go to check, thinking I will set the timer for less than 15 if I have indeed forgotten.  Then I have not forgotten, and much more time has passed than I realized, so it is good I remembered to set it.  But other than that, a perfectly relaxing treat to make, and so tasty.

So this is my Scattered Saturday post.  Only two more days till Christmas!  Yikes!  Well, I will be ready or I won’t.  My family will not mind if I am not. They will not even be surprised.  They have known me for a while.

 

Another Pre-Holiday Post

My pre-holiday weekend continued today with a few indoor chores and a couple of outside stops.  Full disclosure:  I was going to have a Lame Post Friday, even though technically Wednesday was my Friday this week, and I make no promises about how lame this post will be.  Then again, do I ever?

It was pouring rain this morning, so I did not go running.  I know, some people run no matter what the weather, but I sometimes let myself off the hook.  Later on I went for a walk, which was nice.  It is much easier to dodge around the puddles and not get sopping wet from the thighs down if one moves at a slower pace.  So at least I got some exercise.

Before my walk, I got out to a couple of non-local non-distinctive stores, hoping to beat the crowds.  I guess I did to some extent, although I kept getting in people’s way.  They were all very nice about it, which I chalked up to the time of year, although I have observed that many people in this area are nice at all points in the year.  At home I did a load of laundry and made a couple of Christmas treats  Further full disclosure:  many indoor chores remain to be accomplished.

Later on, Steven and I went to the Herkimer County Historical Society, one of our favorite places, for further Christmas shopping.  From there we drove down Main Street and parked in a handy space to go to three cool places:  Rose Quartz Stand, the European Deli, and Click’s Cakes.  I’ll have to write better blog posts about all four of those places (preview of coming attractions).  Then we drove to Asteroga Ale House, because we were hungry and wanted food.

After re-fueling we went to Valley Wine and Liquor for a wine tasting.  I do like to try new things. After that, we were ready for the bra off (me) sweats on (both of us), TV watching portion of the evening. We are looking at an obscure offering called Stalking Santa  (2006).   We found it when one of the local movie rental places went out of business (oh how I miss movie rental places!).  I highly recommend it.

I guess this blog is about to become All Christmas All The Time, but is that such a bad thing?  If so, comment, please, and let’s have a discussion. In the meantime, Happy Friday.