Tag Archives: Rome NY

Does Anybunny Still Read My Blog?

Posted on April 21, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I did my Saturday post Sunday morning and now it is still Monday morning as I attempt to make a Sunday post.  Late morning if you must know (you know who you are).  I hope my readers are still tuned in, and I hope to get into more Mohawk Valley Adventures soon.  I’m afraid I have been hoping that for a long time, but sometimes miracles happen.

Hippity hoppity!

I confess I do not have much to blog about, right now perhaps because yesterday was Easter Sunday.  I drove to Rome, NY to my parents’ house and saw a number of family members.  We had a lovely time.  I took three walks in addition to the short run I took before I left Herkimer.  I’m still fat and out of shape.  Go figure.

Anyways, the cake you see is the bunny cake my mother made.  She has been making bunny cakes for Easter since I was a little girl and she saw how in a magazine.  We do love our bunny cakes.

Luckily not all 40 candles.

This bunny cake doubled as a birthday cake for my nephew-in-law Dan.  I never know when anybody’s birthday is, but my mother happened to mention it to me earlier in the week, so I brought him a Batman duck. He got better presents from closer family, but I thought I would give him a little token.  After all, I rarely give birthday presents at all, and I don’t like to show favoritism.

I am feeling rather tired after my celebrations and numerous walks yesterday, but I do not despair of doing anything blogworthy for Monday’s post.  Will I make it Monday?  Will I make it Tuesday?  Regular readers could probably hazard a guess.

 

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A Few Things That Caught My Eye

Posted on October 3, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would do a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.  It is still Wednesday, so I have that going for me.  I am also looking at a Dateline with my favorite, Keith Morrison.  I have seen it before, but I do not remember whodunnit.

Bonita is buried!

I begin with a Halloweenish picture.  It is our skeleton Bonita, and it gives some idea of the volume of clutter in my house.  I am working on excavation.  Then I may be able to decorate for the holiday.  I would like to put Bonita and Burt the Birt-day Gorilla in Halloween garb.

I think it is cool.

This is a sight I have often wanted to take a picture of and finally did.  I love stuff painted on the side of buildings.  I never did get a picture of  “Mungers” on the side of a building on Main Street.

Too dark? Or can you see it?

Here is a shot taken last weekend, when I was in Rome, NY.  My sister Diane and I took a couple of walks and observed some of the damage from the tornado that happened some weeks ago (too lazy to look up the exact date).  We were sad about a lot of the downed trees.

Can’t see this one too well either. Oh dear.

This one was taken during the daytime, but the cool part is in shadow.  There are two little windows on the side of the stump, like it is a little hobbit house.  Or maybe a house for a troll or faerie.  I am not up on these fantasy creatures.

I love that our phones take pictures, so we can shoot any little thing that catches our eye.  We also get a lot more pictures of people we love. I may share a few of those tomorrow.

 

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When Will I Return to Rome?

Posted on January 26, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had hopes of making my Throwback Thursday (or some other kind of post) Post on Thursday, but it was a true blogger’s sick day.  I left work with a migraine and spent the rest of the day having a headache.  Migraine sufferers know, sometimes that is all you can do.  But never mind my health woes.  It is early Friday morning (woohoo!) and a Throwback Thursday Post is just what I am in the mood for.  Media Library, here I come!

Isn’t she cute?

I thought I would throw back to previous Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Here is a place I would like to visit again: Franca’s Roma on West Dominick Street in Rome, NY.  They play jazz music!  They serve great wine and great food!  What more could Mohawk Valley Girl ask?

Did somebody say books?

Near Franca’s is Keaton and Lloyd Bookstore.  The Franklin Pangborn Parlor hosts readings and other such events.  Who doesn’t love an independent bookstore?  Oh, I suppose some people don’t, but I think they are wrong.

Books and Groucho Marx? Yes, please!

Here is another view of the bookstore.  In case you can’t read the quote, it is, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend.  Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”

Regular readers know I live for the theatre.

I close my Roman memories (memories of roamin’ in Rome?  Nah, too cutesy) with an evocative if a little dark shot of the Capitol Theatre, also in the area.  It is a beautifully restored 1920’s theatre.  I myself performed on the stage and in the orchestra pit roughly a hundred years ago.  But we needn’t throw back that far for this post.

There are other delightful destinations on West Dominick Street in Rome.  I really must plan another trip there soon.

 

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Lots of Fun on Scattered Saturday

Posted on July 30, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh it has been a Saturday!  It has in fact been the sort of Saturday in which I often wait till Sunday to make my blog post.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

I began the day as a pretty much Scattered Saturday.  I went for a run. I had a video appointment with the VA.  I drove to Rome, NY to my parents’ house. I helped my mom and dad with a few lawn and garden chores.  With their help I loaded their bottles and cans into my car.   I returned said bottles and cans with  my friend Kim (plus more of my own and hers).  I had a late lunch with Kim at Yetty’s Pizzeria in Herkimer. We went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor. I came back home, made some popcorn, and started watching cheesy horror movies.  Have I left anything out?

He is so cute!

At Yetty’s in Herkimer, NY, we had Piel, a bartender we have had before and loved.  He is so fun and nice!  We had a delightful time.

I loved her hair!

After our fun time at Yetty’s,  we stopped at Valley Wine and Liquor for a wine tasting of Glenora Winery of the Finger Lakes.  Gabby was the poured.  She graciously agreed to let me take her picture.

I see I have attained 200 words or more.  Score!  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

 

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Make Lunch, Not War!

Posted on May 12, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just got back from Rome, NY, where my family was celebrating my mother’s birthday.  I believe she is 29, same age as my older sister.  OK, I do not really believe that, but I don’t see that it is my business to go blabbing other people’s ages across the internet.  I am just really, really grateful that both my parents are around and in reasonably good health.

After driving to Rome from Ilion (where I work),  having a lovely time with family,  then driving back to Herkimer (where I live), I am tired.  However, I was hoping to make my blog post before I sleep.  I figured I could manage a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.  Hence, the headline which does not appear to have much to do with the post.

To explain:  I said it to myself this morning.  The coffee had not kicked in yet,  and I was trying to get all my stuff done.  “Make your lunch,” I told myself.  Then I thought of “Make lunch, not war.”  I felt it was so clever, I put off making my lunch long enough to post it as a Facebook status.  I daresay I flatter myself.  Driving home from Mom and Dad’s house, I thought it might be a suitable title for a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post.

Agree?  Disagree?  Please feel free to comment, and as always, thank you for tuning in.

 

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Dominick Street Delight

Posted on November 27, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is still Saturday and there is plenty of time for me to make my Scattered Saturday Post.  Full disclosure:  I have already had a few cocktails.  Why not?  It’s the weekend!

At any rate,  I drove into Rome, NY, earlier today to visit family.  My sister Diane and I drove to Dominick Street, which has become quite the artsy area.  We enjoyed a few local businesses.  Not all of my pictures turned out, but I will try to plug a few deserving businesses.

The first place we stopped was The Copper Easel, which includes the Superofficial coffee shop.  My pictures here did not turn out, but we enjoyed looking at some beautiful local art.

From there we went to the Capitol Theatre.  I remember going there when I was a little girl and being so impressed by the ornate decor.  We missed the guided tours, but a young man told us we could explore on our own.  We were delighted to do so.

I just love the look of a curtained stage.

After the Capitol, we went to the Keaton and Lloyd Bookstore.   I love a bookstore!

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx

It is a delightful bookstore. It includes a space for community events, such as author readings or book clubs.

I need to publish a book, so I can do a reading here.

After the bookstore, we went into The Balanced Chef.  Full disclosure: we went in to get a stamp, because they were doing a thing where you could qualify for prizes if you got six stamps.  However, I want to go back there when I am hungry.   It looks like a good place to eat.

Note to self: eat a lighter lunch when about to visit downtown Rome.

Next we went to Franca’s Wine Room, where I also did not get any photos.  I went there before with my friend Kim, and wrote about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  Hannah, the bartender, remembered me.

Hannah, in a previously taken picture,

I greatly enjoyed my Scattered Saturday,  and my sister  Diane was happy to participate in a Mohawk Valley Adventure.

 

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I Forgot the Cow Bell!

Posted on December 29, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

My sister Cheryl gave me the most appropriate present for Mohawk Valley Girl: a basket of local stuff.

I should have taken the picture as soon as I opened it.

Of course I was not surprised to see items from the So Sweet Candy Cafe, our friend Margaret’s wonderful store.  I am surprised the Santa and Mrs. Claus sugar cookies lasted long enough for me to get a picture, and we have not eaten the Egg Nog Fudge, either.

Aren’t they cute?

I was delighted to see a card from local artist Maria Vallese of Retro Sorrento, whose works were recently added to the So Sweet inventory.  However, the item that made me do back flips (figuratively speaking, of course), were the turkey joints.

I must get more to send to my correspondents!

Turkey joints, for non-local readers, are a marvelous confection made in Rome, NY, where I grew up.  Steven had never had one, but now he is a true believer.

Lots of yum!

Other goodies included a big jar of garlic pickles and smaller jars with jellies and honey.  The whole thing was wrapped in a beautiful Christmas dish towel.

Cheryl loves dogs as much as I do.

I immediately made up my mind to take pictures for a blog post but got distracted (hey, it was Christmas morning!).  I luckily remembered to snap before Steven had eaten all the turkey joints.

Cheryl told me the pickles and jellies came from a place in Booneville called Awesome Country.  Sounds like a good place for Mohawk Valley Girl to visit!  The towel and ornament came from Newport Marketplace, another of my favorite places.

Ah yes, the ornament!  I forgot the ornament when I took my pictures, because I had right away placed it among our Christmas display on the mantle.  It is a very adorable cowbell.  I actually remembered it before I wrote this post, but I thought “I Forgot the Cow Bell!”  would be an excellent title.  Now I am wondering if “Cow Bell to Follow” would be more appropriate.  You may notice I am late in making my Monday post.  I dare not delay further for more photography.  Let’s just say I owe you a cow bell!

 

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As October Wears On…

Posted on October 17, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl
So pretty!

I have spent a good deal of time this October admiring the scenery. I feel grateful that whatever else is going on in my life, I have had more opportunity to do this than in previous years. “Whatever else” is really not as heinous as it might be. Merely, I am on furlough from my job and may soon hear I am terminated. I add that for clarification’s sake.

That was not a very good paragraph. I don’t know where I think I am going with this blog post, but I say that is OK on Lame Post Friday.

One of my favorite places.

I have visited Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit twice this year, and I may go again tomorrow. I plan to go adventuring with my friend Kim, and we have not made definite plans yet.

Last week’s adventure.

Last Saturday we went to Iron Rock Brewing in Little Falls. It was so much fun, I wouldn’t mind going again. Or there is always Copper City Brewing in Rome.

I was there in September for the Mini-Maker with Roman Runners.

Or Heelpath Brewing Company in Frankfort.

I totally forgot this bartender’s name.

Scenery, pumpkins, beer, or maybe wine, as Kim is drinking in the photo above. I look forward to a fun Saturday. Now I shall get back to enjoying my Friday. Thank you for tuning in.

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Remember That Mini-Maker?

Posted on September 30, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I never wrote about running the Mini-Maker at Copper City Brewing in Rome.  This was a 15K organized by the Roman Runners as an opportunity to run our Virtual Boilermaker.   I have started this post several times but cannot seem to do the event justice.  Under the heading A Bad Blog Post Is Better Than No Post At All, I will share the pictures I took that day and hope that will give an idea of what a wonderful event it was.

Volunteers Kelly and Kevin at the registration table.

The event took place Sunday, Sept. 13.  I was among the first to arrive.  I had said I would volunteer, since I had already run my official 15K, but when the day came, I definitely wanted to run.  I thought I should accept the invitation to start early, since I could not guarantee how fast I would go.  Kevin helped me out by getting me my own personal bicyclist to make sure I did not get lost.

My bicycle guy Scott was awesome. I’m sure he was a big reason I went as fast as I did.

When I started running, I soon realized I was running faster than I had on any of my training runs.  What the hell, me?  I did peter out the last few miles as my back started to hurt and my breathing got a little ragged.  But I thoroughly enjoyed the run.  It went through some scenic areas along the canal and through Griffiss Air Force Base (I guess it’s not an air force base any more; it’s been a while since I lived in Rome).

Carrie and Steve Klepadlo of Broasters.

Before the race I enjoyed a cup of cold brew courtesy Broasters Coffee Company.  It is single origin and yummy.  They currently operate a wholesale business not open to the public.  However, they do events and farmers’ markets.  I wonder if it was extra caffeine boost that helped me run so fast.  I’ll have to get some more of that coffee!

Christina at the bar.

After the race, everybody had a great time, drinking beer, Bloody Marys and more.  I drank some Fallin’ For Pumpkin Ale, which I enjoyed very much.  I also enjoyed a free hot dog.

I liked the scene behind the bar, too.

 

Our most gracious host.

I had been to Copper City Brewing before.  I hope to go again soon.  Roman Runners are holding a 5K this Saturday.  Do you think I should go?

 

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Busy Day Before 15K

Posted on September 13, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a pretty good Scattered Saturday.  I had to be careful not to overdo it, because I might be running 15K again tomorrow.  I believe I mentioned the mini-maker at Copper City Brewing in Rome, NY Sept. 13.  Even though I ran my official Virtual Boilermaker last Sunday, I am signed up for the run in Rome.  I messaged Copper City and offered to act as a volunteer instead, if they needed another one.  In any case, I will be up early in the morning and off to Rome.

With a possible 15K in mind, I took a short run this morning.  On my cool-down walk, I stopped at a neighbor’s house, where they were setting up a garage sale.  They did not mind me taking a sneak preview.

Before garage saling, however, I had other chores to do.  I put a load of laundry in the wash and wrote a few post cards.  After the laundry was in the drier, I headed to Richfield Springs Community Food Cooperative, where I planned to have a cup of coffee and write.

Note to self: try to get a better picture.

For a picture of the Co-op, this shows a nice view of the opposite side of the street.  After that pleasant interlude, I went back home to Herkimer to consider further options. I went to two neighborhood garage sales, where I made a few fun purchases.  Then I decided to walk to Main Street to the Mohawk Valley Community Market, which includes Renewed and Rescued, and Wakefield Furniture.

Unfortunately,  it was close to their closing time when I got there.  I went across the street to the End Zone Pub and Grub for a beer.  When I was in the army, a drill sergeant said it was a good idea to have one beer the night before a PT test.  YES, I had just one beer!

Now I am home and taking it easy before my big day tomorrow.  I had a bowl of pasta and I am hydrating.  Am I better prepared to run 15K than I was last week at this time?  I don’t know.  However, I had an enjoyable Saturday and I am looking forward to Sunday.

 

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