Tag Archives: herkimer ny

Patriotic Run

Posted on July 5, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

In honor of Independence Day, I wore my ARMY t-shirt to go for this morning’s run.

I had originally thought I would be running every day this week, but with the flood… not so much. Monday and Wednesday I had to conserve my physical resources for hauling ruined junk out of the basement. Tuesday I had thought to do the same, but the basement had filled with water again. By the time I realized my little sump pump was not going to empty it in a timely fashion, it was too hot to run. I went to Curves instead, arguably a more strenuous workout.

Thursday (today), my husband is working from eight to 4:30, then from five to ten (five to ten sounds like a prison sentence, which is analogous to many jobs). I thought for what I planned on doing in his absence, I could be a little tired.

It was already warm when I started out, over 70 degrees with humidity. Yet I felt sure I could rock it. Then again, there was nothing wrong with taking a shorter run than planned, especially as the week was not turning into the work-out paradise I had envisioned.

I turned left from North Bellinger onto German Street, going toward where some of the flood damage was pretty bad. That section of German had been closed off all week, so I knew I might have to make a turn before too long.

Oh, it did look bad. A lovely stone fence in front of a beautiful historic-looking brick house is no more. The sidewalk got a little dicey at that point, but I was left side facing traffic as I went out into the road.

Then I saw that I could not loop around German onto Church Street as I had planned, because the bridge was closed. I was about to say I never heard about the bridge being closed, but I bet it did and I just don’t know what that bridge is called. It isn’t a very big bridge. Other than turn around the only thing I could do was go through the high school parking lot and see if their little foot bridge was still in use. It didn’t seem likely. I turned around.

I ran past all the side streets till I was beyond the flood zone. I ran down residential streets, enjoying flower beds that were not a muddy mess and curb sides not covered with people’s ruined stuff. I thought of pictures of New Orleans after Katrina and New Jersey after Sandy, and I felt fortunate.

But running was not getting any easier, because it was damn humid. I was not going to run as far as I had run on Sunday, 34 minutes, in case you wanted to know. I got back on my own street. How long would I run? Well, I would go a little way past the house, just to make it a full number. It seems a little silly to say I ran for 28 minutes 44 seconds.

Then I saw some neighbors talking on a porch, right about the time I wanted to be turning around. We exchanged good mornings and I kept running. I couldn’t very well run up to them, say good morning and run back home. Now that I’m writing this, I can’t quite explain my reluctance, but there it was. I ran around the block.

As I ran I reflected on the number of things people do just to keep from looking foolish. Like when I recently raised almost $600 for St. Baldrick’s Day, so I wouldn’t look silly in front of the other bald people (I don’t think any of them were concerned, but still). Then I thought, whatever makes you do the right thing.

So I made my 34 minutes, and my cold shower felt pretty refreshing (it will be a long while before my hot water heater is replaced and we get the gas turned back on). And I deem it patriotic enough on Independence Day to write about something I learned to love in the army.

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Fanfare for Fire Departments!

Posted on July 4, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would take today’s post to give a brief shout-out to fire departments everywhere.

Of course, I’ve always been a great admirer of firefighters. They have bravery, dedication and physical abilities that are far beyond anything I can muster.

I first started getting a tear in my eye over firefighters in the aftermath of 9-11. I heard about how firefighters far and wide just got in their cars and went to help. Just like that. To this day I get a lump in my throat thinking about it.

I came to greatly admire our Mohawk Valley fire departments a few years ago, when a fire raged on Main Street and onto Albany Street in Herkimer, NY. Several departments from surrounding communities came together and fought the blaze, saving several local businesses.

And now comes the Flood of 2013. Departments from around the state have come to help. My own basement was pumped out twice by two different departments last Saturday.

The second time my husband, Steven, and I were not even home when they started. We had run out to pick up some food, and when we returned a fire truck was in our driveway. Our neighbor had seen through our basement window that we were filling up again and flagged down the truck.

A fireman had crawled through our basement window (the first guys had taken it out, because it doesn’t open properly), turned off our little sump pump and set up their equipment. Go on,picture it: one of those little basement windows into a basement that was crappy before it flooded, and he crawls right in and gets to work.

In conclusion, I repeat: I LOVE FIRE DEPARTMENTS. From now on, whenever I see a fire department fundraiser, I am there. I’ll probably write a blog post about it.

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All in the Same Ark

Posted on June 30, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

One comfort to me is that we — that is, we in the Mohawk Valley — are all going through this. Everybody is pumping out their basements. Nobody in my neighborhood has flood insurance, I don’t think. Many people who already had sump pumps “just happened to have them and have never needed them.

Astute readers may have guessed by now that this blog is segueing over into All Flood All the Time. It is the topic of the moment in the Mohawk Valley, and quite frankly, it makes me feel better to think with each new woe, “At least I can get a blog post out of this!”

It seems to me that others are showing considerably more competence at this pumping out and cleaning up stuff than me, but I’m not sure if that is really true. When I’ve spoken to my neighbors and said, “I’m just so clueless about all this,” the usual response is, “Us, too!”

I was later than others in starting the pumping thing. Others were pumping by Friday afternoon and into Friday night. My husband Steven and I got started on Saturday. A call to a company specializing in this sort of thing got us an appointment on Wednesday. Wednesday! We headed to Aubuchon in Herkimer, NY, to see what we could do right away.

We usually go to Aubuchon for this sort of thing, because they are always so informative and helpful. They did not disappoint. We purchased a sump pump, two sixty-foot garden hoses (a better buy than one hundred-footer, because of a sale) and a heavy duty extension cord. We do own a heavy duty extension cord, but neither of us could remember if it was in the dining room under the buffet or in the basement under water) (it turned out to be the dining room, but I saved the receipt).

We could not figure out how to get a basement window out so we ran the hose up the stairs and out the door. As we were messing with it, a fireman came over and said they were pumping out the neighbor’s basement next door. We were next! Woohoo!

While they were getting set up, Steven left for work. While they were pumping, the plumber showed up.

I forgot to mention that to add to our woes, the toilet was not flushing. I feared it was due to backed up sewage, but after our guy asked Steven a few questions he said he’d be over later to check it out.

One snaking later, our toilet could flush. Yay! If there was one thing that could make me feel better about everything, that was it.

I almost feel I should end today’s narrative here, because it is such a high note. It was in fact as high as my spirits rose before being — I have to say it — damped down considerable, later in the day.

Looking back, yesterday was rather a long day. I spent it alternately buoyed up by hope (oh no, more water metaphors!) and plunged into despair. We’ll end today on hope: toilet flushing, basement being pumped out. What will happen in the afternoon? Stay tuned!

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Running from the Flood

Posted on June 29, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh, I just noticed, I did NOT do a post about Thursday’s run. Therefore I am certain a Saturday Running Commentary will be welcomed by such readers who like to read about a run (you know who you are).

Steven and I were up early, having not slept very well. Steven, because he was obsessing over how we are so clueless about flooded basements and such. Me, because the neighbors were all sump-pumping their basements. Not that it was so loud (and I would NEVER fault my neighbors for making noise for such a reason even if it was), but it got me to obsessing about how I really ought to be doing something about pumping out my own basement.

So we got up early for a Saturday and got some coffee, available to us because I had sensibly boiled some water before our gas got cut off. Oh dear, halfway through the third paragraph and I haven’t gotten to the run yet. Well, I thought I would include some background on my mood and motivations.

In the first place, I thought some endorphins might help. More importantly, we have no hot water since the gas is off. I thought that after a hot, sweaty run, a cold shower would feel pretty good. So off I went.

The sidewalks on North Bellinger are covered with mud. Well, I like to run off-road. I told myself this was just nature’s way of bringing off-road to me. I ran carefully, because mud is slippery. My middle-aged shuffle served me well. No mishaps. Oh, I know, the cold shower would wash off the mud as well as the sweat. I still didn’t want to take a header into a puddle.

Two blocks from my house the sidewalks magically cleared. I had a nice run through residential streets on bare paths. I started to get tired a little over halfway through my intended time, but I persevered.

At last it was time to head in the general direction of Bellinger Street. Oh dear, would it be muddier this way or this way? Having at last attained the bare sidewalks, I was loath to give them up. That actually may have lengthened my run considerably, if I had run around and around looking for bare sidewalks. However, I sternly told myself there was GOING to be mud, just go with it.

A little trickier was the cool-down walk with my schnoodle, Tabby. She is getting to be quite the dirty dog as it is; I didn’t want to make her too much worse. We accomplished it with some back and forth walking, utilizing the apartment building at the corner of our street. It is set up on a little hill and the sidewalks leading to the front doors are bare.

I felt better after my run, and my cold shower was an invigorating blast. As the day progresses, we are slowly dealing with our other flooding woes. At the risk of becoming tiresome, I may write about them in tomorrow’s blog post as well. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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The Flooded Basement Blues

Posted on June 29, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I WAS writing a post all about a cheesy movie I saw, but I’ve been a little distracted.

It has been raining in a ridiculous fashion in the Mohawk Valley. Today, we flooded.

It was one thing when my street looked like a river. A little scary, but I could just stay in the house. It was a little more worrisome when the basement flooded. Well, I’ve been meaning to throw away a lot of that junk anyways. Now I’ll jolly well have to.

But it was a completely different animal when I started to hear a buzzing noise down in the basement.

“What’s that noise?” In a loud voice. “What do I do?” Even more agitated.

I did not, nor even consider for a moment, sloshing through the water for a closer listen. For one thing, the water is over knee deep. I can swim, but still. I have since been told that I was absolutely correct for such restraint.

As usual for a woman with my age, experience and sophistication, I called Mom and Dad. I suppose I am both a Mama’s and a Daddy’s Girl, but it cannot be denied that my parents know many things. I don’t think their basement ever flooded, but they probably know somebody who’s had it happen to them. My sister, for example (oh, wait a minute, I know her, too).

Mom said call Niagara Mohawk, they would send somebody.

“Steven! Get me the number to Niagara Mohawk!”

Of course we meant National Grid. For you younger readers (if any), National Grid used to be called Niagara Mohawk, in my opinion a far superior name. I mean, you can say NiMo, but are you likely to say NaGri? I, for one, am not.

So I called. They are sending someone. I later found out that we are also number 251 on the list for the Herkimer Fire Department (Steven called when I wasn’t looking).

So now I am waiting on my front porch for the NationalNiMo person. To relieve my feelings a little, I write a blog post about it. I don’t mean to treat my readers as unpaid therapists, but I must confess, I do feel a little better.

So that is my Friday Lame Post for the week. I hope you have enjoyed.

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A Gem of a Band

Posted on June 23, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Saturday my husband Steven had an early shift at work. When I mentioned to him a jazz band would be playing at Gems Along the Mohawk and it was free, our plans were made.

Gems Along the Mohawk is located at 800 Mohawk St. in Herkimer, NY. It boasts retail shops, a fancy restaurant (The Waterfront Grille) and Erie Canal cruises. Most recently they added a pavilion. This is where the band, Blues Maneuver, was playing.

We started to hear the band as we walked to the far side of the building, and we were immediately glad we came. They play a mix of music, including jazz, swing, Motown and Cajun (at least, I think it’s called Cajun; I recognized one of the songs from the soundtrack of The Big Easy, a movie that takes place in New Orleans) (yes, showing my musical ignorance; really I’m quite disgraceful).

The band is such fun to watch, because the members are so obviously enjoying what they do. The pavilion area is not too large; we were able to sit fairly close. We luckily found a tiny bit of shade. It was quite a sunny day.

Another improvement on Gems Along the Mohawk was renovations in a second building, located next to the shops and restaurant. We’ve noticed that building before, looking rather disreputable. Now it is in beautiful shape.

When the sunlight started to get to me too much, we went inside and looked at the retail shops. The sign says “Retail Shops,” but it is really one big room with a lot of little areas, representing many local and area attractions. I found some postcards of the Lil Diamond Cruises. Must go on one of those soon.

After that we were a little peckish so went into The Waterfront Grille for a snack. Sitting at the bar we could still hear the band, although we couldn’t see them any more. I made a note of their name and when we got home immediately Liked them on Facebook.

The Blues Maneuver Band (that’s how they’re listed on Facebook) also have a website, http://www.bluesmaneuverband.com/. I hope to hear them play again soon.

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First Summer Run

Posted on June 23, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I hope it’s not too soon for another running post, but after all, Saturday Running Commentary.

The hot weather arrived just barely in time for summer in the Mohawk Valley, so I sensibly got out early. It’s a good time to run anyways, because of less traffic. I hoped it would be an enjoyable run, especially since I spent a good portion of yesterday feeling quite awful. I had high hopes.

It seemed to go pretty well. I almost didn’t run any hills but decided I could handle the one out Main Street. Well, that part wasn’t much fun. At one point I could have stayed sedately on the left side facing traffic, made a 90 degree turn at the proper place and continued on the left side of the street. Instead I cut across the center of the intersection, feeling like quite the rebel. In my defense, there were no cars in sight or hearing.

I passed the house where I’ve seen — and pretended not to see — the lady in her nightgown letting her dog out. Neither she nor the dog were in evidence, so I took the opportunity to admire her black wrought iron lawn furniture. Not so comfy to sit it but oh so decorative, especially with a pot of red flowers on the table.

As I ran down the hill back to civilization, I heard a vehicle behind me. I wasn’t worried, because I was left side facing traffic this time. He would be on the OTHER side of the road. Well, that (insert bad word of your choice) in a pick-up truck (to add insult to injury; I love pick-up trucks) was straddling the center line! What was his excuse for that! Early though it was, I thought it was a little late for him to be still drunk from partying last night. Then again, what do I know?

Back in the village proper I stuck to residential streets with sidewalks. Plenty of four way stops when I had to cross a street, but not much traffic anyways. When I went to cross Prospect, I started to slow down to let a car at the stop sign go, but the lady waved me on. I gave the thank-you wave and hurried across.

“You go, girlfriend!” yelled the lady in the car. I think I recognized the voice as a lady from Curves, but I kept running so did not check.

When I got closer to home I saw Nicky, one of my canine friends, out walking with his person. I picked up the pace and crossed the street.

“I have to pet Nicky,” I said. “He’s such a good dog.”

“How’s your dog?” asked his person.

“Oh, she’s a sweetie. I’ll be taking her for a walk in a bit.”

“Before it gets too hot,” she said.

I agreed and ran on. Tabby was happy to accompany me on my cool-down walk. I felt terrific. I think I sweated out all of yesterday’s light-headedness. If only I don’t get another sinus headache as the day wears on, my life will be perfect.

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Jail Visit

Posted on June 19, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I left the Herkimer County Historical Society and went to the opposite of the Historic Four Corners, the 1834 Jail. The Jail is not open for tours on a regular basis, so one must seize the opportunity when it is available.

I joined a tour already in progress, but I had not missed much. Jim Greiner was the guide. He wrote the book Last Woman Hanged: Roxalana Druse, about one of the Jail’s most famous inmates. I’ve read the book and heard Greiner speak about it. It’s an excellent book, and he is a dynamic speaker. He is an entertaining tour guide as well, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

I toured the Jail last year on Museum Day (and wrote a blog post about it). There was not a huge difference in restoration from last year, although the Friends of the 1834 Jail have accomplished a lot since the time they started. Money, as always, is the problem. They are not eligible for many grants, because the Jail can never be fully handicap accessible.

I enjoyed seeing once again the cell which held Chester Gilette, the Jail’s other famous inmate. I was once again sorry we could not go up to the third floor, where Roxalana Druse was housed.

Everybody on the tour seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. One fellow mentioned a murderer from the 1960s who had probably stayed in the Jail. Apparently the guy shot a girl in the Frankfort Police Station. I hope somebody writes a book about that one, if nobody has already. I highly recommended Last Woman Hanged to a lady, but I did not see whether she purchased it.

I don’t know when the 1834 Jail will hold another event, but I certainly intend to watch for it. I may even join Friends of the 1834 Jail and try to help them raise funds. Maybe eventually I’ll get a look at that mysterious third floor.

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I Guess They’re Not Really Suburbs

Posted on June 15, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I begin my Saturday with many things that I need to or want to do (no point in being overly dramatic and saying I HAVE to do all these things). Running and writing my blog post are near the top of the list. With the newly re-instated Saturday Running Commentary, I saw the chance to multi-task (my computer wants me to not hyphenate that, but I like the hyphen).

Of course, if I had one of them there smart phones, I could truly multi-task and post while I run. I know a fellow who at least makes Facebook posts while he runs. I am unlikely to do any such thing, even if I do ever upgrade my cellular experience. Never mind, I ran, enjoying my in-the-head narration, and now I am sitting at my computer, trying to remember the best parts for your entertainment.

I had a minor crisis before I even left the house of not being able to decide where to run. I’m not running for very long yet, so that limits my choices. I’m trying to run hills, so I can build up. Finally I decided on the hill by Valley Health, then perhaps some minor upgrades in the suburbs beyond.

At least, I call them the suburbs. It is just a purely residential area without sidewalks. None of the houses look very old. That is, not over 50 years old, I guess. That’s young in house years. I don’t really know from houses. Just that there are none of the huge old mansions I enjoy walking by in the village proper.

As soon as I left the house, I was aware of my hips. I felt like my love handles must stick out at least a foot in each direction. It made me think of some rather unsavory PSAs I sometimes hear on WVHC which postulate people’s body parts falling off due to increased exercise. I think they’re really gross. In one traffic is stopped due to somebody’s big old hips (or is it butt?) in the middle of the highway. In another a guy’s double chin falls off into the soup on a first date. That’s nasty! I know from experience that is NOT how weight loss happens. Yes, I KNOW they’re trying to make a point. Their point loses its impact by being anatomically impossible and they make at least me stop listening with these disgusting mental images (or perhaps I suffer from too vivid an imagination).

That was a long paragraph. Oh, there is one of those PSAs that I find completely realistic. A man calls a radio station to dedicate good-bye song to a relationship that didn’t last. It was with his big belly. He started doing things like taking the stairs, and they “started seeing less and less of each other.” THAT’S healthy weight loss! Thank you!

Unfortunately, thinking of all that while I ran only kept me occupied for a couple of blocks. I tried to feel happy about the definite upgrade as I ran out German Street. After all, more effort is a good thing. I ran by the turn to Herkimer County Community College (HCCC), the hill to which I aspire, and thought, maybe in a week or two. The hill by Valley Health posed no problems, and I ran on into the residential area.

I have always thought that many of these areas are laid out based on a plate of spaghetti. None of the roads are straight and they intersect each other in a strange, unpredictable fashion. It makes for an interesting run if you are not familiar with the area. Since I have not run there since last fall, that was me.

Yes, I got a little lost. I turned down a couple of streets that had a slight upgrade then went back in the direction I thought Valley Health was. Of course nothing looked familiar. Then I realized the street I was on came out nowhere near where I thought it did. Oh dear. Try this way. At last I saw Lou Ambers Drive. Yes! I know where that goes! The funny thing was, when I got to it I realized I was on the opposite side of it from what I thought I was. How did that happen? No matter, it was pretty obvious which way to turn now. I headed for home.

I suddenly see that I am over 700 words, and I thought of a lot more things to say about this run. I even left out some stuff about what happened so far! I could make a joke about being pretty long-winded for running out of breath so easily, but I actually have not had a problem breathing when I run for a while now. Instead, I’ll just end with the image of me headed home. Good run, long post. On to the rest of my Saturday!

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Sunday Running Commentary

Posted on June 9, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

Headache gone, no rain, no ideas for a blog post, everything was encouraging me to run this morning. I was alert and ready to find stuff to comment about.

It was good running temperature when I started out, not too warm, not too cold. I wanted to cross German Street and run up the hill out Main Street. Traffic was against me. Well, two trucks, anyways. What was that all about? At quarter after seven on a Sunday morning! No matter, there’s a four way stop at the intersection of Main and German.

Hmmm… no traffic now. Should I cross in the middle of the block or wait for the crosswalk? I decided to wait. Sure enough, a car reached the intersection at the same time I did. The nice lady driving waved me across. I waved “Thank you,” and she waved “You’re welcome!” I thought as I ran on that she probably thought she should encourage a middle-aged bald lady to keep running.

Then I wondered if she had noticed my bald head at all. For anyone just tuning in, last Sunday I participated in a St. Baldrick’s Day event. They shaved my head after I went around asking family and friends to donate to children’s cancer research. My Facebook profile picture is bald now, too. My mom told me that a cousin had noticed it and asked if I was sick. Well, the hair is growing back already, so I probably won’t startle anybody else.

Up the hill at the end of Main Street. The sign says it is a dead end, but a pedestrian can get through. I continued up the hill a little longer but took the second opportunity to turn off. Phew! I am working up to running the hill at Herkimer County Community College (HCCC). That is a major hill, which I used to run on a weekly basis, just to be cool. My friend Phyllis brags on me, “She runs up the hill to HCCC!” So I think I’d better start doing it again.

Oh, downhill is nice. I enjoyed the downhill part. I saw a lady in a nightgown taking her dog out for a business meeting in the yard. She quickly turned back towards the house. I pretended not to see her, being that she was in her nightgown after all. I was distracted by a profusion of peonies in a yard across the street anyways. I love peonies.

I ran on, admiring various porches with decorations. Hanging plants, nice porch furniture, little statues. I saw a very nice carved bear in a front garden. It was chained to the porch. I didn’t blame the people for that. Ooh, there was a big lilac bush. Must get me some lilac shoots. My sister who lives in Marcy has some. It takes a few years, but eventually I, too, can smell the lilacs.

My run did not get too uncomfortable till towards the end. My strength was giving out. Well, sinus medicines often have a detrimental effect on your body, and I did take some stuff yesterday for my headache. I persevered and made the time I had set for myself (ten percent longer than I ran last weekend, per advice from the guys at The Sneaker Store in New Hartford, NY).

Walking my cool-down with my schnoodle Tabby felt great. I had worked up a sweat while running, but the cool breeze through the stubble on my head was nice. We saw some neighbors who Tabby particularly likes setting up for a garage sale. Tabby insisted we stop and chat. At least, the people chatted, the dog got petted.

I was glad I had gone for my run. I looked at my week ahead to plan further runs. That hill up to HCCC is mine!

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