Tag Archives: Ilion NY

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Posted on October 26, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

In scrolling down Facebook this morning, I noticed a posting from Parker’s Historic Cider Mill and Farmer’s Market that today is Jim Parker’s birthday.  The post invited us to come down and wish him well, they would be open till 5:30.  Now, my friend Tracy and I had been to the Farmer’s Market yesterday to purchase cider for the Halloweddinganniversaweenary festivities. However, to wish a nice man a happy birthday is an excellent reason for another quick trip to Ilion, NY.

Jim Parker is a local folk artist of some note.  He draws lovely, detailed pictures of local, historical scenes.  Steven and I both have t-shirts of his prints, I gave Steven a print for Christmas one year, and I periodically purchase cards of his prints for when I need to write a short note.  We love his stuff.  Additionally, Jim is a friendly, interesting man.  Many times when we have gone to the Farmer’s Market we have found ourselves having an absorbing conversation about arts, the Amish, history and other things.

I was happy we were taking a short drive, because there are still a lot of fall colors to enjoy.  We pulled over the wooden bridge to Clapsaddle Farm on Otsego Street and made our way back to the Cider Mill.  I paused to take a picture of the front of the mill, because I had brought with me one of the disposable cameras purchased for last night’s party (yes, I still live in the 20th century; you knew that about me).  A lady came from a nearby woodpile to help us.

“We came to wish Jim a happy birthday,” I said.  “But, of course we’re going to buy something, too.”  We didn’t need any cider.  There was maple syrup, but Steven had purchased some of that on a recent trip to Vermont.  “How about some fresh donuts?  Shall we each get one for $1 or should we do six for $5?”  Steven suggested six for $5.  When the lady helping us noticed there were only seven left in the box, she generously gave us seven for $5.

“We also need cheese,” I reminded Steven.  All our cheese had gotten eaten at the party.  There were several different flavors from Stoltzfus Family Dairy in Vernon Center.  Steven picked garlic and dill.

Jim was out by the woodpile, getting his exercise, he told us.  We wished him a very happy birthday and got a nice picture of the three of us.

We each ate one of the donuts as we drove away.  It was a nice little visit.  I think I’ll eat some of the cheese now.  For more information on Parker’s Historic Cider Mill and Farmer’s Market, you can Like them on Facebook.  Or go visit, and you can like them in person.

 

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It’s a Blog Post, Not a Miracle

Posted on October 24, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Saturday morning, and I am flustered.  Today is the date of my (wait for it) Halloweddinganniversaweenary Party.  I have to shop!  I have to cook!  I have to finish cleaning!  I have to figure out my costume!  I HAVE TO MAKE MY BLOG POST!!!

Today is going to be an all-day event, with out of town friends arriving and much fun planned.  I really wanted to make my blog post later, since the aforementioned shopping may take me to various Mohawk Valley spots.  However, later I might be visiting with friends. I remember trying to type in a blog post on the deck with two friends and Steve present.  I felt I was missing all the jokes then.  What will it be like later today?

So I guess this is kind of a pre-Scattered Saturday post.  Perhaps in typing out my plans I can consolidate exactly what I intend to do and I will end up by feeling less flustered.  But I’m not counting on it. For heavens’ sake, Cindy, it’s a blog, not a miracle!

I need a few more veggies for my veggie tray, so I intend to stop by T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables in Herkimer, NY.  Just as a side note, I was greviously disappointed when I learned that crudites were nothing more than chopped up raw vegetables.  To this day, I refuse to say I am serving my guests crudites.  I have a veggie tray.

A fall favorite I felt I must have is apple cider.  I intend to go to Parker’s Cider Mill in Ilion for that.  I may check out the Farmer’s Market while I’m there.  I have not been to the Ilion Farmer’s Market at Clapsaddle Farm on Otsego Street (just to sneak in the address in case anybody needed it) all summer.  I used to go with Tabby, my late beloved schnoodle.  She loved it there.  I felt a little too sad to go without her but always knew I would go sooner or later.

OK, I guess those were the only two real local places I had thought to visit.  I also might go to the dollar store for paper plates and the grocery store for stuff not available at T & J’s or the Farmer’s Market, but those places don’t have the Mohawk Valley cachet I crave.

On the brighter side, I’m over 350 words.  That’s pretty respectable for a flustered kind of post.  And I don’t think I did a whole lot of  whining.  Not an excessive amount. If you think this was an excessive amount, well, I just might whine about that too.  I’ll save it for Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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What I Did with my Oomph

Posted on September 6, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, OK, time to do the blog post.  I don’t know what it is about me on Saturdays.  I have no ambition to do ANYTHING!  I had a minimal amount of oomph this morning, though, so I will write a Scattered Saturday post telling what I did to use it up.

I knew I wanted to write a couple of postcards and walk them to the post office, as I usually do on a Saturday morning, but I had also started a letter to a friend I wanted to mail.  For one reason, in the letter I mentioned a fabulous party Steven and I are planning for October, and I am hoping this friend will attend.  I have been writing the letter on breaks at work, rather than working on my novel or better blog posts. Don’t judge.

I thought the letter was nearly done. Imagine my chagrin, therefore, on pulling out the letter and discovering that the fourth page only had part of one sentence written on it.  I can’t send out a letter with the last page most blank!  What a waste of a stamp!  What a disappointment for the recipient who thinks it’s a four-page letter and it’s only a three-page-and-one-half-sentence letter!  I finished the letter then wrote only two postcards.  Time was passing and I had several errands I was hoping to run.

It was a very pleasant walk to the post office, a beautiful day: not too hot yet, a little cloudy with a lovely breeze blowing.  I had considered not walking to the post office, because I wanted to get my running around (by that I’m afraid I mean errands; I’m still not back to running yet), but decided to not get what little exercise I had planned was not the best use of my time.  I continued on from the post office toward Main Street, thinking to make it a longer walk.  However, as I headed up Main Street the sun came out from behind the clouds and it started to get warmer.  I decided to compromise on a medium-length walk.

Then it was on to the errands! After gassing up my vehicle, my first stop was at Melfe’s Shoes in Ilion, NY (stand by for the obligatory Roxy reference).  I had found a pair of shoes that would work for my character in Roxy (that play I may have mentioned a few times).  It is a pair I have had for a number of years but never wore much.  The costume designer said they would be perfect.  It was fairly traumatic for me when the heel broke as I was taking them off after the first rehearsal I wore them at.

My own attempt at repair had failed, but I had great hopes of Melfe’s. You may have read about Melfe’s Shoes in this blog, as I go there once a year for my work shoes.  They are very helpful.  Today the young man was both helpful and kind as he explained to me how no repair was possible and that if they took my ten bucks to try I might possibly get two wears out of them but surely no more.

After Melfe’s I went to K-Mart, where I was able to find everything I wanted, including bobby pins for my hair for Roxy (ha ha, got two mentions of it in!) and allergy pills.  I got the kind I like to take every day but decided to wait on the kind that is good for sinus headache.  After all, I have not had a sinus headache in a long time (under the heading Should Have Seen That Coming, guess what I’m fighting as I type this).

My next two stops were to the Goodwill store and to Linda’s Consignments in Herkimer.  I mean to write a whole post about Linda’s, because I had a wonderful conversation with Linda and bought a marvelous hat.  Perhaps I could work on that tonight and thus avoid having Wrist to Forehead Sunday tomorrow.  In the meantime, I see I am over 600 words.  I don’t like to tax my readers’ patience and writing this has given me just a little bit more ambition.  Let’s see how far this dose of oomph takes me.

 

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Ups, Downs and Team Uncle Leo

Posted on July 19, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Does anybody know what happens when a blogger gets up at 3:30 in the morning to work Saturday overtime, works said overtime, goes to an outdoor craft show to help a friend with a fundraiser, leaves for about an hour for a very sad reason, returns and attempts to help, and during this time takes a few walks across parking lots in the heat, one of which in dress shoes?  As I say, when all this happens, do you know what you get?  Anybody?  Bueller?

You get a silly blog post is what you get.

The fundraiser booth was to benefit Sitrin’s Stars and Strips Run/Walk for veteran’s rehabilitation programs. I am part of  Team Uncle Leo.  We had a booth at the Craft Fair which was part of Ilion Days.  We sold cold drinks, snacks and baked goods, and we had a Chinese auction type of raffle.  The drawing for the raffle will take place in August, after a couple more  fundraising tables at different events.

I was tired and hungry.  After walking across a couple of parking lots to find a place to change out of my work clothes, I purchased some chips and two cookies from Team Uncle Leo.   Then I got a Gator Ade.  Must stay hydrated after all.  We sold a few baked goods and raffle tickets. I am not what you would call a persuasive salesperson, but I tried.  Then again, when you offer yummy cookies and tempting raffle items (several local businesses were generous with gift cards) for a good cause, people will often make a purchase.

Oh dear, I had not meant to write about all this.  I had meant to mention it briefly in the first paragraph and go on to a cooking post (cooking with wine, of course).  After second guessing myself that far, I am now third guessing myself and wondering if I ought to include the previous two sentences at all.  This is what happens when I have a busy day that includes spending a lot of time outdoors in the heat and humidity.

Where was I?  Ah yes, wondering if I ought to mention the sad reason that took me away from the fundraiser and into a dress and the closest I get to high heels.  It was calling hours for the father of a friend.  It was a very sad occasion.  I never met him but felt I knew him from hearing my friend’s stories about him and seeing pictures on Facebook.  He was a wonderful, inspirational man who overcame many obstacles and loved his family very much.

It was in a somber mood, then, that I returned to the fundraiser.  I walked across different parking lots looking for a place to change this time.  It seems I am not as familiar with that section of  Ilion as I thought I was, because the business I was going for was further away than I had envisioned.  Thank heaven I wore my wedge-heeled clogs instead of my patent leather pumps (I almost never wear those pumps).

I think we raised some good money for Uncle Leo and veteran’s rehabilitation, although I don’t have a total.  I know my friend was happy I had made it to the calling hours, as of course was I.  I was grateful that the fundraising table was in the shade of a canvas cover plus a few trees.   All in all, more good things today than bad.

Except, I guess, for my blog post.

Sorry, friends.  Amongst the heat, humidity and everything, my brain is a mushy lump of I don’t know what (and it was that way BEFORE I started cooking with wine, so just wipe that superior smirk off your face!) (you know who you are).  Then again, I’m not feeling too bad for a Scattered Saturday.  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

 

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Did Somebody Say Non-Sequitur Thursday?

Posted on July 17, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, hands up, who’s going to the Ilion Days Craft Fair?

Full disclosure:  I have never fully taken advantage of Ilion Days, a celebration that lasts for over a week and includes village wide garage sales, the delightfully named Doo-Dah Parade, a Craft Fair, and more.  I’ve gone to the garage sales in years past.  This year’s were last weekend, when I was busy hydrating for the Boilermaker.

Further full disclosure:  I don’t know that much about the “and more.”  OK, I don’t know anything about “and more.”  I don’t even know much about the Craft Fair, but I’m going to be there.

I may have mentioned that I am a member of  Team Uncle Leo for Sitrin’s Stars and Strips Run/Walk to benefit veterans’ rehabilitation programs.   On Saturday, July 18 beginning at 10 a.m. at Ilion’s Central Plaza, Team Leo will have a table at the craft fair.  We plan to sell water, soda, chips, candy and baked goods.  We are also offering several desirable items in a raffle (including an afghan in camouflage colors made by me).

As it turns out, I may not personally be there at the crack of 10, because I may have to work, but somebody will be there.  I hope to be there at some point.

Right now, I’ve got to go finish my contribution to the baked goods portion of our table.  I’m a little disappointed that I shall once again miss the Doo-Dah Parade.

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Low-Key and Gracious

Posted on March 24, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Before going to the Ilion Little Theatre on Friday to see The Psychic, Steven and I met a couple of our theatre friends at Sorrento’s in Ilion, NY for a bite to eat and some good conversation.

The front part of Sorrento’s looks like a regular, low-key pizzeria, while the back room is what I call gracious dining surroundings. We sat in gracious dining surroundings. I had been a little worried about getting a table at six o’clock on a Friday night, but it was no problem. We were soon sipping wine and perusing menus.

I wanted something light and non-meat (Friday during Lent), so I chose linguini with oil and garlic, Italian dressing on my salad. Steven got a fish sandwich with french fries. The others in our party got fried calimari and spinach ravioli, respectively. The dinner also came with garlic bread, which was delicious.

While we ate, we talked about Ilion Little Theatre (ILT). Steven and I had missed the last dinner meeting, but we were told my name had come up. Some people had read my article in Mohawk Valley Living magazine, which was about ILT and the casting of our last production, Busybody.

It was a very good dinner. We’ve been to Sorrento’s many times before but not in a while, so it was good to eat there again, and a delightful start to our Friday night adventures. Sorrento’s is located at 86 Central Ave. in Ilion, phone number 315-894-9991. For more information you can visit their website at www.sorrento-ilion.com and you can Like them on Facebook.

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Coming Soon?

Posted on March 19, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today’s post is either an unsubstantiated rumor or a news scoop. I’m a little hesitant to share, but the people involved did not say it was a secret…

My husband and I were in the Colonial Laundromat in Ilion, NY, doing our laundry. Next door to the laundromat, in the same building, is a storefront. It used to house the Crave Bakeshop but lately has been empty. Today a gentleman came to look at it. The gentleman works for Jreck Subs.

I LOVE Jreck Subs! I used to eat at Jreck Subs in Potsdam and Massena, NY years ago when I lived up north. Yum! I expressed great enthusiasm at the idea of a Jreck’s in Ilion, especially one I can so easily get to while I am doing laundry. How much better would that make my laundry experience!

Full disclosure: I did not ask the gentleman for any particulars. I did not even ask him if it was OK if I mentioned it in my blog. I wondered if I should put it in my blog. Would I get in trouble? Would the unexpected publicity sour the deal? I thought if that was the case, surely the guy would have been more circumspect, especially when I was expressing my love of Jreck’s.

What really convinced me to go with this topic, though, was that I had not written anything for the blog all day (I was still working on the banana play I mentioned yesterday). I thought, this will work. I don’t think I even have to call it a Wuss-out Wednesday.

But let’s all keep good thoughts for Jreck Subs coming to a storefront near me.

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Bad Attituesday

Posted on February 25, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve coined a new phrase: Bad Attituesday. It’s when you have a bad attitude on a Tuesday. I think it may replace Tired Tuesday as a feature in this blog.

I thought of Bad Attituesday while I was at work today. I was not having a bad day really. But, as will sometimes happen to the best of us (I know I’m not) at the best of jobs (it may not be the BEST of jobs, but it really is OK), by the end of the day I just did not want to be there. At least 45 minutes left on my shift and I did not want to do any more work.

Of course I continued to work anyways. I did not want to lose my job after all (see previous parenthetical comment about it being OK). But I reflected on my attitude and thought of Bad Attituesday. I like it. Thinking of it made me feel better (the irony is not lost on me).

That is what I wrote earlier, as I sat at Colonial Laundromat in Ilion, NY (note shout-out to local business), watching my clothes tumble around in the drier. And then I realized that it is a Tired Tuesday after all.

However, I did not write this post merely to whine about my tiredness nor yet my bad attitude. I wrote it because, well, I like to post every day. I rather hoped my newly coined phrase would be of enough interest to carry the post, but perhaps I flatter myself. In any case, I’m over 200 words and, as regular readers know, I consider that sufficient. Hope to see you Wednesday.

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The Last Pre-Show Post

Posted on February 9, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Under the best of circumstances I often have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday. Today I do not have the best of circumstances. I have pretty damn good circumstances, I will admit. But they are not ideal for writing a wonderful blog post. For this I have my dithery self to blame (the computer seems to think “dithery” is not a word, but I believe it describes me accurately).

At 2 p.m. begins the closing performance of Busybody, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre. It’s always bittersweet when a play ends. How could it not be? For better or worse, this script and these people have been a huge part of your life for, in this case, over two months. For “Busybody” it has been for better. Delightful cast, humorous script, wonderful audiences, great director and awesome light/sound guy.

And I will admit, it is not just my appreciation of the others involved. It is my own petty ego gratification, because I have a big part and, dammit, I am doing a good job. OK, not a perfect job. Last night there was a (to me) painful pause in which I suddenly remembered that the next line was mine.

“Ow, I know!” I burst out, in my Cockney accent (that’s why it’s “Ow” instead of “Oh”), pretending that my character had just now had a clever thought. The moment passed. Nobody seemed to care.

Lame Post Friday is the day for half-baked philosophy, or I would ask myself why it is I feel quite sheepish in saying, “I’m doing a good job.” Can I not appreciate my own success? I think I have been pretty clear that it is part of a group effort and not my own wonderfulness carrying along everyone else willy-nilly. These are questions for another day.

For now I will continue to dither and panic (well, maybe not panic, but certainly get butterflies) about getting to the theatre, remembering props and costumes, not to mention lines. Oh yes, and once again I’ve forgotten to eat. That I can fix. Have a nice Sunday, everyone. I’m off to break a couple of legs.

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Another Scattered Saturday

Posted on February 8, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said last week that I thought Saturday Misadventures ought to become a feature, but on reflection, I think Scattered Saturday would be better. Two Saturdays ago I had a Scattered Saturday and I thought it made a pretty good blog post (although perhaps I flatter myself). At that time I was preparing for the busy, stressful week of Production Week for the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre. At this time I am preparing for that play’s penultimate performance (love that word, penultimate). Next Saturday I will probably remain scattered merely because it is in my nature to do so.

Yesterday I said I planned to have a Mohawk Valley adventure without having a Mohawk Valley adventure planned. I woke up with morning with a plan. Yay me. Naturally I had coffee with my husband before implementing the plan.

The weather cooperated by being not too frigid, since the first part of my plan involved walking to the post office with my nice dog, Tabby. I had written my usual postcards. I love to write postcards. A light snow was falling, but the breeze was not bad. My thermometer said 23 degrees, which sounded about right. I could rock 23 degrees, I told myself. I could even run in 23 degrees, if I so chose. I thought with a play this evening a walk would be better. Tabby liked it, too.

Next I went to Heidelberg Bakery for breakfast (full blog post to follow). Then I went consignment store shopping (again, full blog posts to be written). I hit Cornerstone Consignments in Ilion, NY, and Gypsy’s Closet and Valley Exchange in Herkimer. Then I was tired, so I went home. Must recruit my energies, after all.

I guess Scattered Saturdays are actually Previews of Coming Attractions. With the play closing tomorrow afternoon, I may actually have time to write them. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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