Tag Archives: Ilion NY

Several Shout-outs on a Scattered Saturday

Posted on June 24, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Once again I pause in my gyrations to make a Scattered Saturday post.  Steven and I are waiting for some people to come over tonight.  It is a Thanks for the Mayhem party for people who participated in our murder mysteries in the past couple of years.  Oh dear, I hope I did not neglect to invite somebody who reads my blog.  I do not have the most reliable memory, and I have done quite a few murder mysteries.  Anyways, I have to have another party, because a lot of people can’t make it tonight.

I began my morning earlier than expected on a Saturday, but that was OK, because I had gone to bed earlier with a stomach ache on Friday (perhaps you read my blog post about it).  My stomach felt better, so I had some coffee and listened to the rain fall.  I do not usually go running in the rain.  And right after the rain, there a lot of puddles I do not necessarily enjoy running through.  However, when the rain stopped, I ran anyways and just did not worry about the puddles.  I wore an older pair of running shoes.

Back home, I wrote a few post cards.  I was delighted to have some new ones to send.  My Mom and Dad went on a bus trip with their church and picked me up a bunch.  I rarely travel myself, but I am fortunate to have family and friends that do.  By now it was raining again, making a walk to the post office ineligible.  That was all right, though, because Steven and I had several errands to run.

After a stop by the post office, we went to Cash for Cans on South Washington Street in Herkimer, NY (where we live, in case you didn’t know) and redeemed a LOT of cans and bottles.  Then we went to AmeriCU Credit Union to deposit a check (we like credit unions), then to Hannaford for groceries and party munchies.  Back home, we cleaned industriously, although my coffee table is still quite the mess.  Steven nicely said we would call it a Work in Progress and it could be a topic of conversation. I do like to entertain my guests.

Around 11:30 we went to Route 51 Beer Belly Bob’s Discount Beverage Center in Ilion, to taste and purchase beer.  Brown’s Brewing Company of Troy, NY was there.  We had a great time and bought some yummy beer.  I want to do a whole blog post about it. I also plan to return to Beer Belly Bob’s when Brown’s is back sometime.  Oh, as well as returning when I run out of the beer I bought.  Beer Belly Bob’s is where I get my beer!

Since we also drink wine, we made a quick stop at Ilion Wine and Spirits for a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Noir.  I had a craving for some Barefoot Pinot Noir.  I will be delighted to open it in a few hours (oh, do I have to wait a few hours?  Maybe I can start sipping a little early).

Wow, I did a lot.  I haven’t even talked about the fixing, mixing, and chopping I have done so far.  I will just mention that I enjoyed a cup of iced coffee flavored with just a touch of Mohawk Valley Fire Moonshine from DikinDurt Distillery of Herkimer.  Just to give another shout-out.

So I think this has been a pretty good Scattered Saturday post (or do I flatter myself?).  Now I’ve got to get back to finishing my fixings. I do love to entertain.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Scattered or Slacker, It’s Saturday

Posted on June 17, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve never been so popular the whole town would chase me.

I pause in our viewing of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to make my Scattered Saturday post.  I had been going to do a Saturday Running Commentary, and we took a nice walk, making a Pedestrian Post perfectly eligible.  But I thought waiting till later in the day and posting during a movie would be fun, too.

My run was actually very good, even though I woke up with a headache.  I had coffee, Gatorade, and water before the run.  The headache did not slow me down but neither did it go away during the run.  You’ll have that sometimes.  After writing a few post cards, Steven graciously agreed to go for a walk with me.  We first walked to First Source Federal Credit Union to deposit a check, going by way of some construction at the end of our street, so we could check the progress.  I think it’s going to be a while.

We cut through Meyers Park to get to the post office.  Before I mailed my cards, I noted on the bulletin board a program at the Herkimer County Historical Society to be given by Sue Perkins, society director, on Wednesday, June 20 (preview of coming attractions).  I told Steven I would like to go.

“What’s it about?”  he asked.

“I don’t remember, but Sue Perkins, Historical Society, that’s all I need to know.”  I later noted in the paper it is about how Herkimer used to look vs. how it looks now. I am quite interested.

After the post office, we stopped at Basloe Library, then went home.  A short time later we left again to pick up a prescription of mine at The Medicine Shoppe in Illion, with Steven making a quick foray into Ilion Wine and Liquor.  My headache still had not gone away, so I laid down for a while when we got home again.

I guess we did not do such a lot to make this a really good Scattered Saturday post. Maybe more of a Slacker Saturday?  No matter. There are movies to be watched and wine to be enjoyed.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Scattered Saturday, Slacker Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

May Pizza!

Posted on May 3, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Steven and I celebrated today’s extremely warm weather with a short walk and dinner out.  I had meant to make a Pedestrian Post and took my Tablet on the walk in hopes of finding some of them there May flowers to take pictures of.  That did not work out so well.  I tried to take a picture of two trees starting to get leaves, but all I could see on the Tablet was the reflection of my own stupid face. No, I did not have it in “selfie” mode;  it was the result of the bright sun on the black screen.  I think.  I did not continue to look at it, because the angle was really showing up my middle-age turkey neck.  I don’t mind getting old, but there is no reason to stare at some things.

The sun was bright and hot; shade and breeze were not plentiful, but what we encountered was appreciated.  No, I am NOT complaining.  I would have enjoyed authentic spring weather, but I’ll take summer.  I said we should sit out on the deck with a couple of beers, but we were hungry and going out to eat sounded really, really good.  I suggested Franco’s Pizza in Ilion.  I had been there for the first time on a recent Scattered Saturday, but Steven had never been.

The restaurant was not crowded, but a few people were ahead of us ordering at the counter.  That was OK, since we needed time to peruse the boards and decide what to get.  We were still debating when it was our turn, so the counter person was able to help the person behind us who was picking up an order.  We saw a few people picking up orders they had called in.  Maybe we’ll do that next time.

At last we decided on a small, thin crust garlic pizza with sausage and mushrooms with ten butter-garlic wings.  We split a bottle of Dasani.  We sat at a tall table and enjoyed the retro ’50’s decor as well as the sunshine coming through the large windows.   The food was delicious, and we brought home leftovers.  Pizza for breakfast, my favorite!

Franco’s Pizza is located at 6 Central Plaza, Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-5580.  For more information, you can visit their website at www.francosilion.com.  You can also Like them on Facebook.  I did.

 

7 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

What Weight-Loss Goals?

Posted on April 26, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

In lieu of my usual Wuss-out Wednesday nonsense, I shall give a brief shout-out to one of my stops on Scattered Saturday:  Franco’s Pizza in Ilion, NY.

Kim and I were having great luck finding fashion at New 2 You Consignments, but we were getting hungry.  We were discussing where to go and mentioned that Franco’s was right next door.  Robbi, the proprietor or New 2 You, highly recommended the place, so we went right over.

I was immediately charmed with the retro 1950’s decor.  We looked at entrees and desserts in the case and pondered our options.  Finally I settled on a small antipasto salad, and Kim got a roast beef sub.  We also had a couple of garlic knots. Yum!  We both took leftovers home.

Naturally I am making plans to bring Steven to Franco’s at the earliest opportunity.  I still have to try their pizza and their pasta and their subs and, oh yes, their desserts!  Also, I will want their antipasto and garlic knots again.  No wonder I have such trouble meeting my weight-loss goals.

Franco’s Pizza is located at 6 Central Plaza, Ilion, phone number 315-894-5580.  They are open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.  For more information, visit their website at www.francosilion.com.  You can also Like them on Facebook.  I did.

 

4 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Fast Post on a Sunday

Posted on April 23, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Every Sunday it is the same thing.  I start the day thinking I’ll get all sorts of stuff done. Sometimes I even do a thing or two.  But at some point, I remember, because my body reminds me:  there is no point in trying to get anything done on a Sunday.  I had rehearsal for Spring Into Murder (MUST write an entire blog post about that!).  Steven and I have a dinner date later.  Having gotten a couple of things done but feeling inclined to accomplish nothing further, I thought, “I’ll do my blog post.  Easy, fun, and useful.”  Of course the usefulness can be debated, but you may discuss that among yourselves if you are so inclined.

To make a long story longer (I bet you thought I was going to say, “make a long story short,” and you were taking a breath to say, “Too late!”  Gotcha!), I could not do a blog post earlier. I just sat there scrolling up and down Facebook and watching the clock till it was time to go to rehearsal.

Rehearsal went pretty good, by the way.  We discussed costumes.  I had brought what I intend to wear:  loud purple pants and a louder jacket.  Actually I had two colorful jackets to choose between, and one cast member insisted I must wear the louder one.  I agreed.  Kim had brought every glamorous black dress in her wardrobe for our inspection.  Oh come on, like none of you has more than one glamorous black dress?  I personally have none, but I’m weird. We all know that.  I am unusual among women in that I do not long for the elusive little black dress.  Be that as it may, Kim has some wonderful frocks, and we all enjoyed voicing our opinions.

More importantly, we ran the scripted part of the show a couple of times.  I think it is coming together nicely.  We discussed the black tulips, which are so important to the plot. We discussed the next rehearsal.

The murder mystery, Spring Into Murder, will be presented next Saturday, April 28, at Morning Star Methodist Church, 36 Second St., Ilion, NY, at 5 p.m.  $20 tickets include a roast pork dinner and must be purchased in advance by calling the church at 315-864-4093.

Now I must get changed for our dinner date.  Perhaps I will wear black, but not a little black dress.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Scatter It Good!

Posted on April 22, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is the moment of my Saturday when I pause in my gyrations for a Scattered Saturday post before returning to the bra off, sweats on, wine drinking, TV-watching, husband hanging out with portion of my evening.  And I have scattered it pretty good today!

I did not leave the house till shortly after 10 a.m., when Steven headed out to work. I went to a rummage sale at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Ilion, NY.  It was $1 for three bags day.  Woo-hoo!  I only got two bags worth of stuff but felt I had gotten way more than $1 worth of goods.  Back home, I wrote one more post card (I had written four earlier) and walked to the post office.  I took the long way home, making for a half hour walk.  Remember, if you are too busy to exercise, you are too busy!

After contacting my friend, Kim, via Facebook, and making plans for her to come over, I spent almost a half hour frantically cleaning my living room and bathroom.  There is nothing like somebody coming over to motivate one for housework.  Did I make much progress?  Well, let’s just say that, luckily, Kim is not one to judge.  It was about 12:30 when she came over, which we deemed a good time for a mimosa.  For one reason, I had a bottle of Prosecco which I purchased yesterday when we went to the tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor.

Our first stop was at an estate sale I had noticed while on my walk.  The main thing I like about estate sales is walking through somebody’s house.  This was a really nice house!  Other than that, I find a lot of the stuff is priced higher than I want to spend and some of it is downright depressing.  For example, family photos.  Didn’t these people leave behind any family or friends who would want these pictures?  Perhaps I am over sensitive about these things.

Next we headed to Ilion to search for costumes for Spring Into Murder (you know, the murder mystery we are doing next Saturday at Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion?  Perhaps I will write a blog post about it tomorrow).  First Kim pointed out a shirt she said would be perfect for me for any time.  After trying it on, I had to agree.  She found a gown we liked for her character for the mystery, then I found a shirt I liked for mine (I already have the purple pants).  Then it was on to New 2 Your Consignments, where we almost always have good luck.  And there were the perfect shoes for my character!  I also found a black tux shirt with rhinestones that I totally fell in love with.  Kim found  bunch of stuff as well.

By now we had worked up quite an appetite so went next door to Franco’s Pizza.  I had never been there before.  What a cool place!  Good food and retro ’50’s decor!  I’ll have to write a full blog post about it.  I even took some leftovers home which will be great for my lunch on Monday. Back home, we had another mimosa before Kim headed out.  What a great day!  I even had time for a nap before I had to start supper for Steven.

I have some great plans for tomorrow, too, including rehearsal for Spring Into Murder and Adventures in Housecleaning.  No, the second one is not another play, it is me cleaning my house. I thought if I put it in all caps I could generate a little enthusiasm in myself. I’ll report if it worked when I make my Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I hope your  weekend is turning out as fun as mine.

 

1 Comment

Posted in humor, personal, Scattered Saturday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

More Murder and Mayhem!

Posted on March 23, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I believe I have mentioned that I have another murder mystery to write.  I may also have mentioned (once or twice) that I have been having trouble writing ANYTHING lately.  Well, just now I surprised myself.  I wrote a brief overview of said mystery, to send to the venue for publicity purposes.  The venue is Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, NY, and the performance date is Saturday, April 28, 2018.  They are serving a roast pork dinner, which was quite delicious when we performed there last year and the year before.

So I have been writing this mystery in bits and pieces, and second guessing myself about everything.  I tried writing the overview twice on breaks at work today, to no avail.  Finally I sat down at my laptop and said, “Well, I’ve got to do this now.”  And here is what I wrote:

Spring into Murder takes place at the kick-off dinner for the Tulip Festival sponsored by Two Lips Cosmetics. The founder and CEO of the company loves everything to do with The Netherlands, so much so that she changed her first name to Holland and hired a bodyguard named Dutch. On the agenda for tonight is the unveiling of the spring line of lipstick colors, to be modeled by Holland’s spokesmodel and partner, the beautiful Ariel Angelica. Holland is accompanied by her new husband, Rod. Also on hand are Holland’s nephew Benedict and recently adopted daughter Windy, as well as the designer of this year’s colors, the brilliant if eccentric Giselle Ellison.

Unfortunately, all is not beauty and harmony at Two Lips Cosmetics. Rumor has it that Holland did not want to take on Ariel as a partner, that Benedict wanted Windy to be the spokesmodel, that Giselle feels badly paid for her work, and nobody knows quite what to think of Dutch. Additionally, we don’t know who sent Ariel a bouquet of BLACK tulips!
There may be murder before the night is out! Who will solve the crime?

I was rather pleased with it myself.  The new husband got his name as I wrote it, and Giselle Ellison (my part) changed from a dedicated secretary to a lipstick designer.  I think diva is much more fun than downtrodden.

Having written that much, I feel fired up to get the whole thing done.  I’ll share more information about the performance — times and prices — when I know more.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Community Events, humor, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Could Use a Cup of Coffee Now

Posted on March 8, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been meaning to write blog posts about a couple of places I visited over the weekend (remember, it was Steven’s Fabulous Four Day Birthday Weekend).  Instead I have been tired and not writing much at all.  However, today I will try to get back on track with a well deserved shout-out to Moose River Coffee in Ilion.

We had originally planned to go to Moose River Coffee Friday morning but ended up hunkered down waiting out the winter storm.  I really love that Moose River Coffee, though, so I was happy we went on Saturday. For another reason, I knew they sometimes have bagels and if they don’t, they have sandwiches on Heidelberg Bread.  Yum!  As it happened, they had Everything Bagels, my favorite!  I got mine with cream cheese, while Steven got butter on his.

We found a table to sit down with our coffee and bagels, but we could have lounged on the comfy couch.  One table had a “Reserved” sign on it.  I watched with interest as a group of young people (at least, they were younger than me; I guess that’s an ever widening range) sat at it and began a game of Jenga.  I think it is pretty awesome for a coffee house to promote community like that.  Next to the comfy couch is a bookcase with books and a couple other games, so people are apparently always welcome to linger.

In fact, linger is what I like to do at a coffee house.  In this case, Steven and I did not, because we had other adventures to pursue.  However, I hope to return soon alone with my notebook.  I have a lot more writing to do.

Moose River Coffee is located at 70 Otsego St., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-895-0490.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

New Shoes and New Shirt

Posted on January 21, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ah January, time for the yearly trip to and blog post about Melfe’s Shoes in Ilion, NY.  Every January they offer a free t-shirt with purchase, so every January I get new shoes, which, by the way, my employer pays for.  It is a perk for which my feet and I are grateful.

I like to go first thing Saturday morning, when there is less likely to be a crowd, although I know the staff is good at handling a lot of customers in a short time.  I realize this is not the best time to shop for shoes. After work when my feet are nice and swollen might be better.  However, I had on work socks and figured I could make allowances for morning feet.

When I walked in and announced I was there for my annual work boots, Vicki, who has waited on me before, said, “You get the newbie, David.”

We walked over to the women’s section, and I started trying on shoes.  As I put on shoes and walked around, Vicki asked me how I was and how things have been.  I told her I wanted to get my husband back in for another pair of shoes.  Last year, we purchased him a nice pair, which he really needs, since he works on his feet all day.  I don’t see why I should be the only one in the family that gets new shoes every year.

I quickly made my decision, and got two pair.  I do like to switch off shoes, giving each pair a chance to air out for a day.  I picked a blue t-shirt.  They were also offering hats, but I knew I would get more wear out of a t-shirt.  I was delighted with my visit, and I am happy to give Melfe’s another shout-out.

Melfe’s Shoes is located at 64 Central Ave., Ilion, 315-894-4049.  Their website is http://www.melfes.com/.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Blog DOES Go On!

Posted on November 15, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

“Oh shame! Oh degradation!”

My lovely husband Steven found this picture of me with my wrist actually on my forehead.   Remember, like I was talking about on Sunday?  Perhaps you missed that post.  If so, you did not miss much.  Then again, why should I put myself down?  Habit, I suppose.  Be that as it may (a favorite expression of mine), I thought this would be a good picture to lead with as I am having something of a wrist to forehead evening.

The day as a whole was not too bad.  Steven and I had a nice breakfast at Farm House Restaurant in Ilion, which I could write a nice little post about.  We also took an enjoyable walk, rendering a Pedestrian Post perfectly eligible.  Yet here I sit, laptop on lap, fingers on keyboard, wondering, should I continue to write this blog?

Hmm… that is not strictly accurate.   It was while I was doing dishes a little while ago that I experienced the existential angst of, “Must the blog go on?” Once I found that photo to share and actually began typing, I don’t mind being a silly blogger at all.  Only I can’t go on making these foolish posts about me making foolish posts.  It’s like a snake eating its tail, or some such cliche metaphor (yes, yes, I know, a metaphor does not use the word “like,” stop being so didactic!).

At least I can complete the shout-out I started in the second paragraph:  Farm House Restaurant is located at 9 Central Ave., Ilion, NY, phone number 315-894-3276.  It is a teeny place with country decor and very good food.  We had breakfast there.  It was yummy.

Regarding the walk we took earlier, the sky was gloomy and gray, which is my favorite kind of sky.  I admired some bare trees, especially one with a stark dead branch in the middle of several live ones ending in myriad twigs.  Some trees still had leaves of green, red, orange, yellow and brown.  A few porches still had pumpkins in varying stages of decay.

I’m going to declare this post OK for a Tired Tuesday.  We shall see if my existential angst returns tomorrow  (“existential angst” is such a dramatic expression, I have to laugh at myself for using it).  In the meantime, I will see if I can find an appropriate picture to close with.

I’m thinking he does not read my blog.

I guess Nosferatu does not really have anything to do with this post, but I always say, when in doubt, go for the monster!  Hmm… that may be the title of a future post.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in blogging, humor, personal, Tired Tuesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →