Tag Archives: local business

Wrist to Forehead But Fun

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

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

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

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

 

I’m Not Tired of Santa Claus

I felt free to have a Monstrous Monday on Christmas Eve, so nobody need be surprised that I am having a Tired Tuesday on Christmas Day.  Hey, being merry can take a toll on an old broad like me!  At least I will try to refrain from whining about my oncoming post-Christmas letdown.  But no promises.

I had meant to take some pictures of my mother’s lovely Christmas decorations, which would have livened things up a bit.  Oh well, I fell down on the job. How about instead I visit Christmas Past and see what kind of photos I have in my Media Library.

Just popping in to say, “Merry Christmas!”

Here is one of my favorite decorations from 2016.  The fireplace screen was given to us by my parents the previous year (I think).  The Santa Claus, which is in fact only a partial one, was found by the ladies at Herkimer County Historical Society, after he blew from his rightful home during a wind storm.  They posted his picture on Facebook, but when the owner was not found, gave the Santa to the good home they knew Steven and I would provide.

Two very nice people wishing each other merry.

This is my dear husband Steven and our friend Margaret, who owns the So Sweet Candy Cafe in Utica.  We did not make it there before Christmas but I hope to pay them a visit in the next few days.  For one reason, my sister Cheryl brought some of Margaret’s treats to my parents, and I have two words for you:  Sugar. Plums.  I thought I had had them before and liked them, but I hadn’t tasted anything yet.  Go to the So Sweet and buy some!  And if they’re all gone by the time I get there, it serves me right!  I’ll be more beforehand next Christmas!

Hmmm…. it seems like Steven got me more presents in previous years.

I end with a Cavalcade of Claus, just in inject a bit of alliteration (I’m almost never too tired to alliterate).  We got these Santa’s at different times, and we love them all.  I also do not rule out acquiring more versions of the man in the red suit.  But that is for Christmas Yet to Come.

 

Lionel Barrymore on Lame Post Friday

Which is the devil and which is the doll?

I pause in our viewing of Devil Doll (1936) starring Lionel Barrymore for this week’s Lame Post Friday.  I LOVE Lionel Barrymore!  This movie is sad as well as creepy, but that adds to its charm.  I have seen the movie before and DVR’d from TCM again, because I thought Steven would like it.  Perhaps I will do one of my movie write-ups on it eventually.

In the meantime, I have a lame post to make.  As a slight break in the lame,  I will give a brief shout-out to one of our favorite local eateries, Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer, NY.  We sent out for wings, Bosco sticks, and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  The wings were what they call Sicilian:  medium sauce plus garlic butter and bleu cheese.  We had never tried them before. YUM!  Bosco sticks we have had before: fat bread sticks filled with mozzarella.  Another YUM!  The cookies had LOTS of chocolate in them.  TRIPLE YUM!  I can feel myself getting fatter as it digests.  I’ll try to eat salad tomorrow.

Full disclosure: I have not howled in a long time.

For now, I am anxious to get back to enjoying my Friday night.  Crochet, a movie, my husband, and a glass of wine.  I may be old and boring, but I like it. Happy Beginning of the Weekend, everybody!

 

A Place in Scattered Saturday

“No, I don’t know what she should write a blog post about, do you?”

 

We are currently watching A Place in the Sun after our Scattered Saturday gyrations, and it is high time I made my blog post.  Why, oh why, did I not post earlier?  Well, I’ve been busy.  I got up early enough, just prior to 6 a.m.  After some coffee, I went for a run. What a great run! I could have made an awesome Saturday Running Commentary, but that ship sailed away fast.  What can I say?

Later in the morning, we drove to New Hartford, NY, where we ordered new glasses at Eye Q of CNY.  We had gotten out eyes examined a few weeks ago, but I had too bad of a headache that day to decide on glasses.  I was happy we waited, though, because I chose a rather fabulous pair of frames.  Perhaps I will post a picture of the finished product.

Later on we went to an early dinner at Salvatore’s in Herkimer, NY, with some of the folks who were supposed to be part of A Trivial Murder, the interactive murder mystery that was  to have been tonight.  It has been rescheduled to March 23.  I will have more information on that as the date approaches.

So I guess we have not scattered ourselves as widely as on other Saturdays.  No matter.  We are watching a movie.  I have made a blog post. I hope you are all having as pleasant a Saturday evening.

 

Beginning the Weekend at Asteroga Ale House

Yes, I am sipping and typing yet again.  It has been so stinking hot and humid here lately that when Steven suggested going out to eat, I said yes!  Where to go?  How about the highly air conditioned and handily located Asteroga Ale House?  Of course I could have gotten a glass of water or soda with my food instead of Chardonnay.  In fact, I did ask for a glass of water after I started hiccuping, but that was later.

We got down to the place early, because we figured Friday night would be busy.  We sure did beat the crowd!  For the first few minutes, we were the only people in the place besides the bartender!  It was filling by the time we left.  We both got a glass of Chardonnay and perused the menus.  Everything looked good!  What did I want?

Eventually I settled on the Italian Chicken Wrap while Steven got a bowl of clam chowder and a dozen steamed clams.  I helped him eat the clams.  Yum!  I took half my wrap sandwich home, as I expected would happen.  I do like to get two meals for the price of one.

As we sat and drank and ate, we reminisced about Happy Hours past.  I have always enjoyed a Friday Happy Hour.  I certainly enjoyed today’s.  And I think it makes a fine Lame Post Friday.  Happy Beginning to the Weekend, everybody!

 

A Lame Apology

How embarrassing is it to not post on Lame Post Friday?  For heaven’s sake, all I have to do is type in some nonsense and hit Publish (YES, that is what I do every day, what an obvious joke, you should be ashamed of yourself) (you know who you are).  Well, I just didn’t have time.

You see, I had to be in Little Falls early for the Canal Days Parade, and of course I did not have my costume together in advance (it’s been a bad week) (or I guess you could say I’ve been bad this week, but I would point out that that is an unkind remark).  No problem; I could post afterward.  Well, afterward, my friend Kim and I went to Asteroga Ale House, then to the End Zone Pub via Papaleo’s Wise Guys Pizzeria.  Yes, that is one community event and three local businesses I can write blog posts about.  However,  I am unlikely to do any such thing at 5:37 on Saturday morning (that is the time on the bottom of my computer as I type that sentence; no doubt it will be later by the time I hit Publish, but I can’t help that).

I know I have sipped and posted, and even sipped, eaten pizza, and posted, but last night I did not.  My only lame excuse is we had a kind of a domestic crisis when we got home.  The screws in our back door hinges are perpetually loose and this time we have neglected too long to tighten them.  We at least managed to get the damn thing closed and locked, but I just imagine our efforts to fix it will make another, possibly humorous blog post.

Anyways, sorry my post is late and lame, but there it is.  We’ll see what I can come up with later today.

 

Mmm… Coffee

In lieu of a Mental Meanderings or Middle-aged Musings Monday, I thought I would give a belated shout-out to Utica Roasting Company, where Steven and I enjoyed breakfast during his Fabulous Four Day Birthday Weekend.  We had business in New Hartford, NY, and we just don’t like to do these things on an empty stomach.  After much debate, I suggested Utica Roasting Company as being right on our way, if we went that way (there are a few ways to get to where we wanted to go).

For the uninitiated, Utica is the city closest to Herkimer, and there are several surrounding communities that all run into each other.  I guess you would call it the Greater Utica Area, which I rather like the sound of.  I paused just now to Google (an even sillier verb that “blog”) “greater Utica area,” and I only got the magazine of that name, not a listing of the actual communities that comprise said area.  But I am no hand at computer searches.

Be that as it may, I drove, being more familiar with the area that Steven.  We went straight into Utica on 5S and with a little finagling, got to 92 Genesee St.  We easily found a parking space and walked right into the coffee shop.  I have been there a few times, and even wrote about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I knew Steven would like it, although he may be a little too mellow for a place whose motto is, “Wake the Hell Up!”

We ordered coffee and everything bagels (regular readers may remember that is my favorite), and sat down.  There was a tall table I would have liked to sit at, but the stools did not have backs, which Steven really prefers.  We sat at a regular table, once again eschewing the comfy-looking couch, as we did at Moose River Coffee in Ilion (perhaps you read my blog post about that fine establishment).

The two coffee places have good coffee, comfy couches, and everything Bagels in common.  However, Utica Roasting has a much more urban feel.  The walls are unfinished, the tables are metal, and it altogether looks like a hip, happening joint.  Oh dear, those are old slang terms.  There is some retro decor:  an antique scale, an old street map of Utica, so maybe old slang is OK.

We enjoyed our breakfast there, and the coffee did help us wake the hell up.  For more information about Utica Coffee Roasting Company, you can visit their website at www.wakethehellup.com.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

 

About that Wine…

The first stop my friend Kim and I made on our Scattered Saturday adventures was Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer for a wine tasting of Swedish Hill Winery.  I had promised Kim some sweet wines, because I have been to Swedish Hill in Romulus and tasted sweet wines there.  Well, what a surprise to me, they were sampling two dry, one sweet and one semi.

We tried the Mooscato first, which was sweet.  I absolutely love the name, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone.  I liked the wine too, even though I don’t usually drink the sweet ones.  I liked the Vidal Blanc, the semi dry, better.  I am not real familiar with the vidal blanc grape, so I may have to try a few more.  I bought a bottle of Swedish Hill’s to start with.  I did not take any tasting notes on the Dry Riesling or Dry Rose, but I remember liking them.

After tasting, Kim and I walked around looking at other wines.  I  love to look at the different labels.  Yes, I confess sometimes I choose a wine based on the cool label.  I’ve found some good wines that way.  And if you don’t like them to drink, you can always cook with them.  Waste not want not.

So, how was this for a blog post on a Monday?  I bet you thought I was going to do a Monday Mental Meanderings and never mention again the cool stuff I did on Saturday.  Oh, OK, I’m the one that thought that.  Only now I can’t come up with a good conclusion.  It’s Monday.

 

Slacker Saturday, But Let’s Have Some Champagne.

Well, no Saturday Running Commentary, because I didn’t run; no Scattered Saturday, because I didn’t do a whole lot; no Slacker Saturday, because I at least did a little something; no Saturday Supper, because, oh I just don’t feel like retailing that whole thing I put together for our evening meal.  I guess maybe it is a Slacker Saturday, though, at least blog-wise.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I did a little something but it was certainly little enough to make a Slacker Saturday post perfectly eligible.

The weather was supposed to be a whole lot worse than it actually was. It was bad enough to keep me close to home.  I did venture out to do some grocery shopping, but I did not patronize a distinctive local store such as I love to highlight in this space.

I also ventured out to Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer for a Korbel and Chambord tasting.  That is, Korbel Champagne and Chambord Raspberry Liquor, mixed together.  I also tasted the champagne by itself.  It was Brut, which is dry, which is what I like.  I bought some.  Steven and I may mimose tomorrow.  We already have some orange juice in the fridge.  Or I may just sip it from a flute.  I love sipping champagne from a champagne flute.

We are currently watching Deadly Women, an ID (Investigation Discover) original series, On Demand.  It is sufficiently cheesy to be appropriate for a Slacker Saturday.  I would like to watch a movie next. I wonder if we could find something suitable to write tomorrow’s blog post about.  Time will tell.  In the meantime, I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

 

 

Speaking of Blog Posts

I ponder another post before scooting off to rehearsal for A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, the murder mystery we are doing this Saturday for the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I shall not add more information about that, though, because I believe they are sold out (Yay!).  That morning (Oct. 14, by the way), I am registered to run in the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K.  I bet there are spaces available for that fun event, so come join me if you’re into it.

It is what to do in between the two events that concerns me.  I have so many choices!

Earlier this week, I wrote about The Old Barn Marketplace in Little Falls, a very fun place to browse.  Well, this Saturday they are having a Grand Opening and Fall Festival.  There will be food, music, raffles and more, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Ingham Mills Farm will be onsite with their alpacas.  I love alpacas!  They are so soft and beautiful.

And speaking of Grand Openings, there is also one at Prima Donna’s Boutique, a new business I have yet to write about but mean to soon.  It is a gift shop with jewelry, art, vintage clothing and more.  I stopped in last Saturday and was charmed.  Their Grand Opening starts at 10:30 a.m.  The boutique is located at 411 Canal Place, Little Fall.

And speaking of Canal Place, while I’m in Little Falls, I could stop by Rochette, a curated hive (I got that phrase from their business card) located where The Mustard Seed used to be at 410 Canal Place.  That is another place I need to write more about.  So many blog posts!  So little brain!

So I guess this post is more of a Preview of Coming Attractions than anything else.  However, for Wuss-out Wednesday, we’ll call it a win.