Tag Archives: herkimer ny

I Just Have to Chat

Posted on March 9, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m having something of a Wrist to Forehead Saturday, but I will attempt to write a post about What I’ve Done So Far Today. Instead of the post on Why I Can’t POSSIBLY Write a Post Today, which is what my meager brain seems to want to dish out.

We got up fairly early. Tabby woke us up, which is unusual, because she usually waits until we are stirring, in a manner unusually polite for a cute little dog. This was good, because I had to go get some blood drawn for a medical appointment next week. I got to Centrex in Herkimer, NY about two minutes after seven, their advertised opening time. There was a line of people waiting at the door.

“It looks like we’re lined up to buy tickets for a rock star,” I said. You know me; I just can’t help but chat. “Those guys have been here since 3 a.m.” A man at the head of the line assured me he had not. A few minutes later I said, “I just saw a light go on. Which is not the same thing as a light going on over my head, which hardly ever happens.” The lady in line ahead of me rewarded that silly joke with a chuckle. When we had all signed in and the first man in line got called I said, “You see, it paid off, getting here at 3 a.m.”

This is how I amuse myself when I have to get stuck with a needle on a Saturday morning.

You know, I was going to continue my post including a visit to the post office, a stop at the ATM, putting air in my tires… but I’m approaching 300 words. That is quite respectable for a post when I started out without anything to say. I just love writing a blog.

I hope to see you all (figuratively speaking, of course), on Sunday, when I will strive to keep my wrist off my forehead.

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Not Lame Hair

Posted on March 8, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

In lieu of my usual Friday Lame Post, I would like to give a brief shout-out to the Hot Spot Salon and Spa in Herkimer, NY. I just got a really cool haircut there.

The cut was important, because Steven and I have an event to attend on Saturday, March 8 (um, that’s tomorrow). It is the HPD/MPD SRT Tasting Event from 6 to 10 p.m. at Francesca’s Banquet Hall in Ilion. Proceeds will be split between the Herkimer/Mohawk Special Response Team and K9 Ape Memorial. K9 Ape, you may recall, was killed last March during the shootings which shook Mohawk and Herkimer.

The evening promises to be fun, with several wineries, a brewery and a distillery offering tastings. Hors d’oeuvres will be served. Some of the members of the Special Response Team involved in last March’s terrible events will attend.

So naturally I want to look my best. I’ve been agonizing over what to wear, but I knew my hair would be OK if I could get an appointment at the Hot Spot. I was lucky enough to get in with Claire right after work on Friday.

Clair remembered what she did with my hair last time, which I liked. I told her she could go even shorter on top this time. I do like my hair short. While she clipped, we talked about the tasting event. It turns out Clair and Amy both plan to attend.

“What are you wearing?” I asked. She was undecided, so we discussed options.

My hair turned out fabulous. While I was paying for it, I chatted up Amy on what she was going to wear. We are all excited about the different wineries who plan to be there.

“I’ve been to some of them,” I said. Amy has been wine tasting in the Finger Lakes, too, so we talked about some of our favorites.

“My sisters, cousin and Mom are going again on April 5,” I said. “I was undecided on if I was going with them, but now…”

“You’re going,” Amy said.

So I had a fun time, and I got a good cut. The Hot Spot is located at 121 Albany St. in Herkimer, 315-866-9113. Their website is www.hotspotsalonandspa.com.

If you’re all interested in going to the tasting event, contact the Mohawk or Herkimer police departments. But if you do, better hurry. Last I heard, they were selling out.

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Steve’s Birthday Dinner

Posted on March 6, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

As part of Steven’s Birthday Weekend, we enjoyed dinner out at PK’s Pub in Herkimer, NY. I’ve given PK’s shout-outs before, but I always like to give another, because it is always a good time and a great meal.

We arrived shortly after 4:30. Pete escorted us to the room with the fireplace. We chose a table by the window. I debated what kind of wine to order, because I wasn’t sure yet what I wanted for food. Then again, I am not that knowledgeable about food and wine pairings. I don’t think my palate is sophisticated enough to notice a less than ideal combination. I finally settled on Cabernet Sauvignon. Steven had Merlot.

For food I got Chicken Riggies while Steven chose Chicken Marsala. Yes, we both had red wine with chicken. Wasn’t that bold of us? I said I don’t know much about wine and food, but I know the most basic rule of white wine with chicken, red wine with beef. Perhaps real oenophiles are horrified (I don’t even know how to pronounce oenophile), but I thought it tasted pretty good.

I did not eat all my entree, because I was saving room for dessert. That worked out pretty well, because I was able to heat up the leftovers as part of our dinner on Tuesday, when I was tired.

Desserts are always a highlight at PKs. I got chocolate chip cheesecake. I completely cannot remember what Steven’s dessert was called. I know, if I was a real blogger, I would have made a note of it at the time. Let’s not open that can of worms. It was a kind of cream pie with chocolate and nuts and other stuff. I know it was yummy, because he nicely gave me a bite.

PK’s Pub is located at 221 King St. in Herkimer, phone (315) 866-3494. They are open Tues. to Fri. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat. 4:30 to 9 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday. You can Like them on Facebook. I did.

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No Wonder I’m Tired

Posted on March 5, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Tired Tuesday entry, I will give a brief summary of some of Steven’s and my movements last Saturday. Regular readers will recall that this was Steven’s Birthday Weekend. He and I took three days off to celebrate. I went back to work today. It should surprise no one that I am tired.

Our first stop Saturday morning was a certain big box store which shall here remain nameless, because I don’t think they need a plug from Mohawk Valley Girl. Of course I prefer to shop at a distinctive local retailer, but alas, the Mohawk Valley does not boast one that sells the kind of yarn I like.

After purchasing our yarn and bread (we are nothing if not eclectic), we went to breakfast, which formed the subject of yesterday’s post (perhaps you read it). From there we went to the post office. I wanted to mail some postcards I had written and purchase some postcard stamps for future postcards. While there, we noticed a couple of fliers for future events.

After that, we wanted to visit the Herkimer Community Museum, but we were too early. However, the museum is handily located next to Basloe Library, so we moseyed over there. In the library, we enjoyed looking at a display of old pictures of Herkimer. What a bustling Main Street our village used to have. Perhaps one day it will bustle again. I will certainly write about it here when it does. Of course I also found a couple of books to check out, one of which I had finished by Monday.

The museum still was not open, so we went home to regroup before continuing our Birthday Weekend adventures.

NOTE: Looking back at that headline, I perceive that some readers may still wonder why I am tired. I mean, store, breakfast, post office, library. Run of the mill errands. However, I am too tired to think of a more appropriate headline, so I’ll let it stand. Please join me on Wednesday, when I will strive not to wuss out.

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Going Green for the Purple Dress

Posted on March 1, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m on a mission for style. I mentioned purchasing tickets for next week’s Wine and Beer Tasting sponsored by the Herkimer and Mohawk Police Departments to benefit K-9 Ape memorial and the Special Response Team officers and team members who responded to the tragic events of March 13-14, 2013. Naturally I am concerned about what to wear.

I have a fabulous purple dress I have never worn. It is my sister’s fault that I have it. We went to Dress Barn almost three years ago (eek! has it been three years?) to get me a good dress for her daughter’s wedding. I had not purchased clothes since my major weight loss, so it was quite fun (I wonder if I wrote a blog post about it? I’ll have to check). I got a little carried away and bought two dresses. I wore one dress once, to the wedding, of course. Both have been hanging in my closet since.

Could it be that I need to get out more?

Both dresses are sleeveless. Early March is probably not the best time of year to go sleeveless in the Mohawk Valley. However, I thought that with a jacket or a shawl, the purple dress just might do for next week’s event.

To that end, I began my search at the Salvation Army, sometimes known as Salvation Armani, in Ilion, NY. I found not one shawl and I stared at many jackets, quite unable to picture any of them with the dress in question.

I have a few other possibilities. In Herkimer, there is the HARC Goodwill store and a consignment store whose name escapes me. There is the New 2 You consignment store in Ilion, if it’s still open, as well as Cornerstone Consignments (I think that’s what it’s called), which I’m pretty sure is still open. Oh, and a consignment store in Frankfort whose name also escapes me. Will I have time to check out all these possibilities?

Side note: I wrote the above paragraph on my lunch break at work, fully intending to find out the names of the unknown consignment stores before typing in and publishing this. However, I was unable to do this due to a dreadful headache which I quite thought would be gone by now. Therefore, in the spirit of Lame Post Friday (which is today), I let the paragraph stand and hope to supply the information in a later post.

In addition to the sources mentioned, I THINK a dear friend of mine MIGHT have a shawl I could borrow. I’ll have to ask.

Retail minded readers may be asking, why don’t I just go to the mall or any number of respectable first-run clothing stores in the area? Well, I’m trying to be frugal. Since the dress (purchased new) has hung in my closet unworn for three years, I’m not sure how many clothing investments it is really practical for me to make. Besides, reduce, reuse, recycle. The dress is purple, but I always like to go green.

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Yay, Flood Boots!

Posted on February 23, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Looking back, I see I have done a number of pedestrian posts lately. Could it be that my life is so boring all I do is work, sleep and walk my dog? Well, sometimes I eat and read books. Perhaps I can write blog posts about those subjects next week.

Today I TRIED to walk my schnoodle Tabby first thing in the morning. And by “first thing,” I mean, when my husband Steven left for work. I’d been up a good four or five hours by that time but hadn’t done must noteworthy or blogworthy. Well, I did finish two letters and write five postcards. That was why I wanted to walk to the post office.

Yesterday the sidewalks had been quite wet. It was supposed to continue warm today, although it had been cold overnight. I thought my winter combat boots (army issue, of course) would be good. I was picturing more ice than puddles and the combat boots offer some traction.

Um, not enough. All that water had frozen into a lovely, glare surface. Maybe cleats would have offered enough traction. Maybe ice skates would have been a better choice (mine perished in last summer’s flood, although I confess I had not worn them in years). It was scary! I don’t think I’m old enough to worry about breaking a hip, but even my fat butt doesn’t offer enough padding to make me view with complacence a fall on hard ice.

We made it two blocks. Mostly we walked in the road, which was still pretty icy, because 9 a.m. traffic in my neighborhood is not bad. Finally the thought that every step I took TO the post office I would have to repeat BACK from the post office overcame me. We went back home and drove to the post office.

I felt humiliated, because the weather had driven me back inside on the prettiest sunny day you could ask for. I had on my sunglasses, dammit! I had on my insulated sweatshirt instead of a coat! But the story has a happy ending, because the sun stayed out. About two o’clock, we tried again. This time I wore my flood boots, anticipating puddles not ice.

Oh, you can’t believe what a wonderful walk it was! The ice we encountered was melting. There were a few patches of bare pavement. Most of the sidewalks had lovely, safe, wet puddles. Not even very muddy. And can I just say, let’s hear it for flood boots. The air was warm. The sun was bright. A little voice in my head sang, “I’m in heaven! I’m in heaven!”

The only problem blog-post-wise is that I had to keep my eyes pretty much on my feet, for when we went over the ice that hadn’t all melted yet. I did not look around and appreciate the scenery as I like to do.

However, to make this a Mohawk Valley adventure, I can tell you where we walked to: The Herkimer Police Department to purchase tickets for the Beer and Wine Tasting Event on Saturday, March 8 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Francesca’s Banquet Hall, East Main Street, Ilion, NY. In addition to beer and wine tasting, hor d’oevres will be served. A 50/50 raffle and silent auction will take place. Participants will have a chance to meet officers and team members who responded to the tragic events in Herkimer and Mohawk March 13 and 14, 2013. Proceeds will be split between the Herkimer/Mohawk Special Response Team and K-9 Ape memorial.

While I bought our tickets, I took the opportunity to ask the officer if they had a stupid question department. I may have a few questions about police work for the novel I keep working on instead of writing blog posts all week. He was very gracious and said I could stop in with my questions when I was ready. That might be another blog post.

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Tabby, the Snow-Faced Dog

Posted on February 16, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of this title as I was walking with Tabby around the blog yesterday. I did not use it then, because I wrote some lame thing (it was Lame Post Friday after all), but when I walked with Tabby to the post office this morning, I thought it might be a good post to write today.

We did not make it to the post office last Saturday (sorry, post card friends) and I had a new person to sent a post card to, so I wanted to make sure I wrote and sent some cards. After Steven left for work, shortly before 10 a.m., we set out.

Steven and I had been out shoveling earlier, so I knew it was not too cold (incidentally, BIG thank you to our across the street neighbor, who came over with his snowblower and helped us). I did put on my warmest coat, because it has nice deep pockets, gloves but no scarf. I wore Steven’s fancy earmuffs, so as not to mess up my hair too much, because I had plans for later in the day.

Some sidewalks had been nicely shoveled, plowed or snowblowed. Others not so much. We jaywalked twice to get on the side of the street with the best sidewalk (which in some cases was not saying much). I guess I didn’t really have to jaywalk, but plowing through the snow that was there was getting to be quite the effort. Yes, even the parts that were nicely cleared were not completely clear. And many parts were not even nicely cleared.

And here is my rant of the post: It is not nice to completely clear a path from your door to your driveway and leave completely uncleared the rest of the sidewalk in front of your house. Yes, corner houses have more to clear than others, and, yes, some people have to make great effort to clear anything at all. But I think, and I stand by it, that when you have a wide, beautifully cleared path where you need it, it would not be unreasonable to at least make an effort where pedestrians (including middle-aged ladies and cute little doggies) have to walk.

I’m not asking for miracles! Well, I suppose I am, because I am asking some people to be considerate of other people. To expound further upon this theme would require some half-baked philosophy worthy of Lame Post Friday. We have another six days to wait for that.

In spite of our uncleared sidewalk woes (to be fair, many Herkimer residents made an effort and I am quite grateful to them all), we enjoyed our walk. Tabby, as usual, wanted to stop and sniff every few feet. Also as usual, I tried to strike a balance between indulging my pooch and not taking till spring for one walk to the post office.

It seems to take Tabby longer to sniff at each stop this time of year. Perhaps the cold temperatures make the odors less obvious. Still, she must smell something. She digs at the snow, sometimes burying her face in the drift (hence today’s title). Eventually, she is happy to move on.

I am happy to move on, too. It really is great to get out and walk. Sometimes it’s a little too cold for such adventures, but one must endure these things. I also remind myself, plowing through snow takes more effort and hence probably burns more calories. Score! Yes, there are good things about winter in the Mohawk Valley.

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Get Off the Road!

Posted on February 6, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Wuss-out Wednesday and you bet I am wussing out. In my defense, it’s been a long day and I need it to end early. My original plan had been to write about yesterday’s run. Come to think about it, it was kind of a wussy run. Maybe this will work.

I ran in the road, which I rarely do. However, portions of Herkimer’s sidewalks are treacherous. I did not want to go flying.

I put on the reflective vest my sister gave me for my birthday. Safety first. This had the added advantage of covering me up a little more. I was wearing an actual winter running shirt, and it is form fitting. On the brighter side, my form is looking marginally better than I thought it was.

My plan was to stick to the least busy streets I could find. As I ran down Bellinger, left side facing traffic as recommended, I realized another caveat: it is better to run on the side of the road with no parking. I dodged around cars in between oncoming traffic. I wondered if my reflective vest was doing me much good since it was still daylight.

Soon I noticed a couple with a stroller on the opposite side of the road. I suppose I can’t really fault them for walking in the road with the sidewalks what they were, even with a baby carriage. At least they were on the left side facing traffic. But I had to feel silly: There I was with a reflective vest on, and their baby carriage didn’t have any safety devices. What kind of a wimp was I?

When I finally got off Bellinger I made the rest of my run based on which streets I could be left-side-facing-traffic on the No Parking side of the street. That worked a little better.

Not great, mind you. Just a little better. There were plenty of puddles on the side of the road, too, some of them frozen. Well, all I can do is my best. I managed to run 20 minutes. Less than I had run on the weekend, but longer than I had thought I would make. I did stick to the sidewalks for my cool-down walk with Tabby. At least, mostly sidewalks and some snow right next to the sidewalks.

On the brighter side, it’s February. Spring can’t be far. And I must admit, the weather does add interest to my runs. My next running post may feature me plowing through all the fluffy snow that fell today. I hope it will at least be on the sidewalk.

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And My Feet Are Wet, Too

Posted on February 3, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I dare to make Running Commentary posts two days in a row (I bet you thought I was going to say “two days running”), because today’s run was different. And not in a good way.

The weather report called for falling temperatures as the day wore on. Therefore, I thought an early run would be a good idea. Then too there is the get-it-out-of-the-way-before-I-talk-myself-out-of-it aspect of an early run. My thermostat said the temperature was 36. A perfectly respectable temperature to run in.

I put on a pair of leggings and searched out one of my long-sleeved ARMY t-shirts. It was grey and gloomy out, and these shirts have a reflective emblem on the back. Safety first. I decided to go without hooded sweatshirt and mittens but wore my toque. Tabby sulked on the couch, but I knew all would be forgiven later when I took her with me on my cool-down walk.

I quickly made the discover that four degrees above freezing is really not that many. One effect that became immediately apparent was melt-then-freeze-again. Those sidewalks were icy. I figured my middle-aged shuffle would help me here, and the sidewalks couldn’t all be icy. Could they? They could not. For one thing, stretches that had never been shoveled were still covered with snow. God bless the snow!

Yesterday’s run had gone so well, I turned left down German Street with the intention of running up the hill by Valley Health. Of course my real goal is to run the hill up to Herkimer County Community College again, but one must start somewhere, especially after a long layoff.

It was not much fun searching for non-icy patches to run on. I reflected that it’s always something: during the summer months I seek out patches of shade. Ah summer, it won’t be here any time soon, but it will get here.

Going up the hill on icy sidewalks, I discovered, was even less fun. Progress was slow, but I didn’t slip and fall all the way back to the bottom, so that was all right. How could I have forgotten that the upslope continues around the corner?

Then I thought about the hill back down and got a little worried. That could be even more dangerous than the way up. Luckily, that sidewalk is bordered by grass. God bless grass! I liked the sound of the frozen blades crunching. It was the sound of me not falling on my ass.

I almost took a header running into the Herkimer High School parking lot so got back on some grass for as long as it lasted. By the time I got over the little footbridge, I had decided to just head back home by the nearest route. This wasn’t fun. Don’t shake your finger at me and tell me work-outs are not supposed to be fun! They are too! I go to work forty hours a week if I want to not have fun! (actually, my job is kind of fun, but I don’t blog about work)

Oh, it seemed a long way home. My legs were tense, my body was tense. I ran on snow when I could find it, which was more effortful, but I didn’t feel the least bit pleased with myself for making the effort. I was tired. Would I ever make it home? I told myself I could stop and walk if I wanted to, but that would have taken longer.

I ran for longer than I had expected to when I decided to go straight home, probably because of the stiffness and snow. When I reached the end of my driveway I had gone just over 24 minutes. I like to stop on a full minute, so I thought I would run up and down the driveway for 50 or so seconds. Then I hit a patch of ice, went into a lunge, and stopped running. 24 minutes was good enough for me.

Tabby was indeed happy to walk my cool-down with me. I felt ill-used. I usually enjoy running. Then again, it is Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I guess there is nothing for it but to persevere till Monday.

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Better than Running the Vacuum

Posted on February 2, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have awaited this day with impatience (but apparently not enough impatience to make it come sooner): the return of running commentary! All week, as I watched the predictions of the end of the cold snap, I planned to run on Saturday. I was psyched, I was ready, I was going to do it.

I got up extra early, because Steven had to be to work at six. I thought it would be a good idea to wait till the sun was up. Running in the dark is all very well during the hot weather, but today I felt I should give myself every advantage. When I noticed it was light out, I checked my thermostat. 24 degrees. That didn’t sound very warm.

Well, I had all day. I went upstairs and started some housecleaning, till we gained a few more degrees. Naturally, this put me in an “I’d better run NOW” mood. Remember that, people, if you are ever disinclined to exercise, just start doing a distasteful chore. Your desire for good health will become paramount.

I put on the long-sleeved running shirt my sister gave me for my last birthday. I decided to keep on the fat old lady pants I had put on earlier (for a trip to Wal-Mart, just to give you a mental image; they were most appropriate). After all, they provided freedom of movement, they didn’t look unlike exercise pants. I have a limited running wardrobe, after all.

I need new running shoes, but figured I could make do with that I had. I found my one good pair of winter running socks. Ah, I will definitely buy more of those the next time I’m at The Sneaker Store in New Hartford, NY (that’s where I get my running shoes; great store). They felt great. A hooded sweatshirt, my toque, mittens, I was off.

The sidewalks were not bare. That would be OK. For one thing, running on the snow would be more effort. I could burn more calories. I just had to watch out for ice.

I saw another runner going down German Street. He or she was shuffling along at about the pace I usually manage. That made me feel better, but I still ran in the opposite direction. For one thing, that person was running in the road. I always feel self-conscious running on the sidewalk while “real” runners run on the road. Like I’m the little kid doing what my mom told me to do.

Oh, but it felt good to run. Why didn’t I do this much sooner? Oh yeah, icy sidewalks and below zero temperatures. Well, that was a thing of the past. I was a runner again! Woohoo!

When I started I thought I would be happy with a 15 minute run, considering the temperature and how long it had been since I ran. However, I ended up doing 23 minutes, due to my failure to turn around in a timely fashion. It didn’t matter. My body was OK with it. Just by the end, my throat and lungs were getting a little tired of breathing in the cold air. I know, I know, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Sorry, my sinuses render that method ineligible.

My legs enjoyed the cool-down walk even more than the run. I guess that’s no surprise. I enjoyed the run. I spent the whole time narrating in my head. This would be one damn long blog post if I used all the good stuff I was coming up with. Then again, they might have sounded better in my head than they would look on the screen.

No matter, I ran, I was happy, I wrote a blog post about it. I hope to run again soon. In the meantime, off to more Mohawk Valley adventures. Or perhaps to the housecleaning I put off in order to run.

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