Tag Archives: sister Cheryl

Messy House, Many Adventures

I had an adventure filled day yesterday but foolishly did not take any pictures along the way.  Well, I will recount my activities and trust to my Media Library to provide some illustration.

I started with breakfast with friends at Top of the Morning Cafe in North Utica, NY.  I had never been there before and wish I had taken pictures.  However, the parking lot was quite icy so I did not want to pause and try to aim my camera at their sign.  It was a very good breakfast, though.  I am sure we will return.

Back home, I was planning the best way to go about cleaning my messy house when my sister Cheryl called and asked did I want to go out to lunch.  She needed to get a calendar as well.  I told her I knew a place where she could get a swell calendar free: Basloe Library in Herkimer had a stack of canal calendars.  I told her to take her time coming over, since I was still full from breakfast.

We went first to the library where Cheryl got the calendar and found a couple of books at the book sale.  From there we went to Little Falls and Athenix Books and Brews, where I found a book. I introduced Cheryl to the owner as my sister that did not write novels.  I don’t know if he recognized me as the person who said her sister wrote novels, but it amused me.

A very welcoming sign.

Next we walked up Main Street to Chickweed Boutique, where Cheryl found a couple of things she wanted.  I noticed that the sleigh out front was gone.  The owner told me it had been sold to a man with three kids, so it would get a lot of use.

The sleigh.

I told Cheryl about the sleigh that had been there in December, handmade and beautiful.  I would have loved to buy it myself!

By then I was hungry too, so we went back to Herkimer for lunch at Paradise Eatery.  I had gotten appetizers there but never lunch.  The waitress remembered me, which was flattering.  The food was yummy.  We will certainly go there again.  For one reason, I need to take a better picture.

From a post titled, “Bad Pictures, Good Eatery.”

It was a delightful day.  I was glad I had met my friends, and that Cheryl had called me.  My messy house was waiting for me when I got home.  Full disclosure:  I did not clean it today either.

 

Blog of Christmas Past

How convenient that Christmas falls on a Thursday, so I can do a Throwback Thursday Post.  All I need do is consult my Media Library.

A great place for Christmas goodies!

Of course I must include my late, dearly missed husband Steven.  Holidays are difficult when you have lost somebody so important to you and with whom you have shared so much.  But I must keep my spirits up.  My family and friends help a great deal.  Anyways, this is the So Sweet Candy Shoppe, which used to be on Varick Street but has relocated to a nice spot in Clinton.  Check it out; it’s a great place to shop any time of year.

 

Random Christmas picture to denote passage of time while I scroll my Media Library indecisively.

This is not going well. I keep looking at different Decembers and not seeing anything that I feel like sharing.  Come on, me!  Grow a brain!

I haven’t a ghost of a chance of making a good blog post today!

I thought at first this was the Ghost of Christmas Past, which would have been SO appropriate for a Throwback Thursday. However, we must make do with Jacob Marley.  I have not seen any Christmas movies in the past few years, largely because Steven was the one who was always popping them in.  For another reason, I disconnected my DVD player when I got a new table for my television and have never hooked it back up.  I only have RokuTV and have not figured out where the free movies are.

Yeah, I’m a ding dong.  But not a rama-lama ding dong.

I close with a Christmas Cowbell, gifted to me by my sister Cheryl back in 2020, just because.  I see I am approaching 300 words.  Score!  Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, Happy Holidays to others, and Happy Thursday just to be all inclusive.

 

A Fun Visit to Newport Marketplace

Thursday morning my sister Cheryl called me and said it was such a dull, rainy day, why didn’t we take a drive to Newport and wander around Newport Marketplace for a while.  I readily agreed.  I had not been there in a while but enjoy following them on Facebook.  For one thing, the guy often makes a pun about the picture he’s sharing.  I fancy myself quite the pundit (see what I did there?).

It’s a great place!

We took a long time wandering around.  There is so much to see, and it is one of those places where there is always something new. I saw lots of stuff that would make great Christmas presents.  Cheryl and I talked about how it is not worth gift-giving if it causes you more stress than joy. I get a great deal of joy from giving presents.  My only problem is my desire to give people presents they really want and/or can use.  I see so many beautiful antiques and decorations, but one only has so much room in the house.

I ended up purchasing a very small snow globe, maybe an inch high, of a little Christmas tree.   It would be a good present; almost anybody could find a space in their home for it.  However, I just might have to keep it for myself.  It is so cute!

I could make one!

Outside the Marketplace, we noticed a sweet decoration made with a pallet.   I even have some old Christmas balls like that!  I wonder if I could find a space in my home for such a thing.

Newport Marketplace is located at 7583 Main St., Newport, NY, phone number 315-845-8822.

 

The Rest of my Pixley Pics

I guess I can call this a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and share the last three pictures I took at Pixley Falls, which I visited last Friday with my sister Cheryl.  As I mentioned a few Pixley posts ago, they are actually the first three pictures I took, since I felt I could keep track of them better if I shared them in backwards order.  The way my mind is (not) working lately, I have to make things easy on myself. OK, maybe it has always been that way; let us not dwell on the past.

A little stream at least!

As I mentioned, there was not as much water as we have seen previously.  I wonder if Monday’s rain made things any better.

That’s a big rock.

I like the rocks as well as the trees and waterfalls.  I’d like to have a rock garden in my back yard but do not know where I would find the rocks and am quite certain I lack the strength to transport them.

And there they are!

I close with a picture of the big falls themselves.  It would be awesome to stand under the water on a really hot day, I thought.  Last Friday I did not care to try.

Regular readers may remember that I had planned to clean my house on Friday when my sister Cheryl called and invited me to join her in a trip to Pixley Falls.  Full disclosure:  My house is still a mess but I have made some progress.  I wonder if Cheryl will interrupt my cleaning for another adventure soon.  Maybe I need to come up with something to interrupt her housework.

 

Oh Yeah, We Tasted Wine

I just realized I neglected to make a blog post about my sister Cheryl’s and my stop at Montezuma Winery in Old Forge two weeks ago.  Me, neglect wine? Say it ain’t so!

Wine? Yes, please!

We have been to the original Montezuma Winery in the Finger Lakes, and I visited their tasting room in Cooperstown with my friend Kim.  I did not realize they were in Old Forge till Cheryl suggested we stop there.

I started with the Duck Duck Lam Goose Co.  It was just too cute a name to resist!  It is a red sparkling wine.  I do love a few bubbles!  I felt it smelled New Yorky, which to me is a great compliment.  Then I foolishly asked what grape it was.  Hello!  Lam Goose Co/Lambrusco?  Silly me!  (I even wrote “silly me” in my tasting notes).

I love a wine with a goose on the label!

I took tasting notes on the other wines I tried, but none of them are very descriptive.  Regular readers know that I rarely taste “notes” of anything, nor can I describe the “finish,” but I do like to come up with something a little more interesting than “good”  and “I like this one.”  My favorite was the V0luer 2023 Pinot Noir.  Cheryl tasted all different ones from me, because she likes sweet wines better. Of course we made the usual jokes about how she is sweet and I am not.

We finished up with Judd’s Grape Pie, a grape liqueur.  It was indeed grapey and very sweet.

I do love tasting wine.  I wonder if I can get anybody to go with me to the Finger Lakes any time soon.

 

More Pixley Pics

Here are a few more pictures from Pixley Falls, my Friday adventure with my sister Cheryl.  We were happy to commune with nature.

Cheryl agreed to pose a couple of times.

There were several wooden bridges, some of them not actually over streams, due to the dry weather I suppose.

Lovely!

We were happy whenever we saw water flowing.  At least when the water is down to a trickle, you can see the rocks better.  Under the heading, Make a Virtue out of Necessity.

More water, different rocks.

 

With the bright sun shining through green leaves, I could almost believe it was summer.  However, the cool temperature and lack of bugs reminded me it was October.  I did not mind the temperature and I was quite happy about the lack of bugs.

A more dramatic pose.

I should have zoomed in more on Cheryl in this shot.  She took a dramatic shot of me but has not texted it to me or shared it on Facebook, so I cannot include it in the blog.  I feel it is just as well; I am far less photogenic.

I was really happy I had forsaken housecleaning for nature walking.  Being out in the woods is good for you on so many levels.  And I am sure it makes a better blog post.

 

Pause for a Peek at Pixley

I pause in my Scattered Saturday gyrations to make a fast blog post about Friday’s adventure.  Fair Warning:  I took lots of pictures so will probably make multiple posts about Pixley Falls.

I had meant to spend Friday usefully employed in cleaning my house, but when my sister Cheryl called and invited me to join her in a trip to Pixley Falls, I changed my plans.  I hadn’t been there in years.  As we feared, the falls were less spectacular and the leaves less glorious due to the dry weather which has inflicted the Mohawk Valley this year.  However, we enjoyed being out in nature and had a lovely time.

I love the rocks.

I should perhaps mention that I put the pictures from my phone into WordPress in backward order, so today’s pictures are from the end of the walk.  You see, I am in kind of a hurry (more adventuring to be done and I am not properly dressed) and I am quite tired from this morning’s East Herkimer Fire Department 5K, and I just could not make myself sort through the pictures to pick the best ones.

Here’s a stairway to Heaven!

There were several upslopes on the path we walked, many of which had stairs put in with wood or stones.  We appreciated them, as well as nearby trees to grab onto.

A little falls!

I really enjoyed our walk/hike through the woods. I suppose a real hiker would call it a mere walk, but an old lady like me who is used to sidewalks will flatter myself by calling it a hike.

Stay tuned for more about Pixley Falls, and more pictures. I am hurrying back to my Saturday adventures.  Wish me luck on finding something to wear!

 

More Old Forge Photos

I’ll just share a few more pictures from my day at Old Forge with my sister Cheryl.  We had a great time at the top of McCauley mountain, even hiking a short trail, which my old body found challenging.  Mostly I enjoyed the views.

Too bad about the colors this year.

There were a few good vantage points.  I would like to go back one year when the colors are brighter, but I certainly enjoyed what I saw.

Cheryl is the one in yellow.

Cheryl doesn’t usually like to pose for pictures, but she agreed to this one, because she is partially hiding behind the rock.  It is one of the rocks we encountered on the trail we walked.  A sign said it was about a 20 minute loop, but I neglected to look at my watch when we started so do not know how long it took.  There were some pretty good ups and downs, and my legs were feeling they had had a work-out when we finished, which was nice, since I had not gone running that morning.

I did not borrow a stick.

After coming down from the mountain, we walked around Old Forge, checking out a few of the shops. I did not take many pictures but could not resist a shot of a Stick Library.  I can’t help thinking one of those would be useful at the bottom of the trail, only bigger ones you can use while hiking.  Then again, maybe any Stick Library is not such a good idea.  I can get pretty annoying sometimes; somebody might use one to hit me with.

 

Up the Ski Lift!

Wednesday my sister Cheryl and I went to Old Forge, NY and up the ski lift at McCauley Mountain.  It was awesome!  We got there early, and it was not at all crowded. It was sunny, but the wind made it cool.  Luckily we had both worn sweatshirts.

Oh deer.

We saw some deer on the way up.  I was also admiring the rocks.  I confess I enjoyed riding the ski lift almost as much as I enjoyed looking at the views.

Is that Moose Lake? I suppose I should look these things up.

The colors were not as widespread and vivid as we had hoped.  We speculated that the dry summer was to blame.  However, there was still some color to be seen, and I enjoy looking out over a wide vista whatever the time of year.

On the way back down.

Going both ways on the ski lift, I greeted everybody going the other way.  There were more people going up as we went down than coming down as we went up. They all returned my greetings in a friendly fashion.

We spent some time at the top, even hiking a short trail.  I took more pictures, but regular readers know how I like to spread these things out (preview of coming attractions).  We had a lovely time and may make it an annual fall adventure.

 

Is It Halloween Yet?

Yesterday I thought surely I would be able to make a Lame Post Friday Post (I don’t mind it when I call myself Shirley). And here I am, Saturday morning, wondering why I didn’t.  Then again, sometimes “why?” is not a particularly helpful question to ask.  Far better to go ahead and just correct the error to the best of one’s abilities.  At least I have coffee.

A friendly face with a friendly beverage.

I just scrolled through my Media Library till I found a coffee mug.  I am not using this lovely mug today, a favorite of my late husband Steve’s, but I do not scruple to use it year round.  In fact it is almost time to start using Halloween mugs since for me the Halloween season begins immediately after Labor Day.

Speaking of Halloween, I need to start cleaning my house more thoroughly.  My sister Cheryl suggested I throw a Halloween party, as I have been known to do in the past.  That is, Steve and I threw them, but I feel sure I  am capable of hosting a party on my own.

Witchy would be happy to welcome folks to my house.

There are other reasons to get my house cleaned up and my act together. I will not list them here, although they may constitute some half-baked philosophy suitable for a Lame Post Friday post.  However, I see I am over 200 words.  I feel a Lame Post is best kept brief.  I shall strive for Some Sort of a Saturday post later.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.