Tag Archives: Utica NY

Merely Monday Memories

Posted on August 8, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Feeling in a sentimental, not to say maudlin mood, I thought to make a Monday Memories Post.  For one reason, a fun picture showed up on my Facebook On This Day.

I am the one in green.

This was Much Ado About Nothing,  presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company at the Utica Zoo in 2016.  The picture was shared by my late, dearly missed friend Phyllis.  I think I have a really good picture of her somewhere.

Cheers to friendship!

Here we are the following summer at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica, NY.  I must make my way back there again.

Three fine gentlemen.

Here are my late, beloved husband Steven, Phyllis’ husband Jim, and our bartender Larry.  Fun times!

I was just wearing those pants yesterday.

Here is one more shot of Much Ado at the Zoo, as we called it in the publicity.  I also played Friar Francis but, alas, have no pictures. Or do I?

 

There I am, not front but center!

This one is also courtesy of Phyllis via Facebook.

Just a note regarding my opening paragraph:  regular readers will understand my quandary.  With my great love for alliteration, it was a little difficult for me to say I was not maudlin.  But maudlin is really not a great way to be.  So we’ll just say Monday Memories and leave it at that.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Monday Memories, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Post Boilermaker II

Posted on July 11, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

When we last left our heroine (that is me; I suppose I could have said blogger, to be clear), she was huffing and puffing towards the finish line of the Boilermaker 15K.  As I  got closer, I pushed myself to go faster and faster.  At least it felt faster to me.  I daresay to the outside observer it was not so impressive.

I crossed the finish line making terrible noises as I tried to breathe.  The Boilermaker volunteers were right there.  Two women were on either side of me, guiding me to a wheelchair. I was grateful to sit down.

“Lift your feet,” they told me, and I was surprised to find that I could.  They wheeled me into the first aid tent to a cot.  How embarrassing!  I leaned on the nice man that  helped me from the wheelchair onto the cot.

Then I was surrounded by people, taking my vitals, bringing me water, preparing me for IV fluids. I felt them take my sneakers and socks off an putting cool cloths on my feet.  They too my headband off.  I asked for a cloth for my eyes since the sweat was irritating them.

They found my blood pressure high, asked me about dizziness and chest pain, and tried to put in an IV.  My veins are usually pretty prominent, but I was a bit dehydrated at the time and it took them a couple of tries.  I laid back and let them do what they wanted, although I was a bit embarrassed.

I started to feel better soon.  After the contents of the IV were in my veins, they took my vitals and found them better.  They let me sit up and sip some water before allowing me to put my socks and shoes back on and proceed to the after party.  They were a little concerned that I had safe transport home.  I tlod them tjat if I got to my car and felt iffy that I would call someone.  I did not foresee such an eventuality and indeed it was not necessary.

I’m thinking this post is not as interesting as yesterday’s, but these things happen.  I am still recovering from my Boilermaker experience, so I will use that as an excuse.  As always, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

4 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Post-Boilermaker Post

Posted on July 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ran the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY this morning.  Very slowly.  In fact,  I got slower every mile, except for the last little bit, which I inadvisedly tried to sprint.  I had to do it, although it was kind of the nail in the coffin (I do enjoy macabre imagery).

Anybody who is hoping for a cheery overview of a premiere event, this is not it.  The Boilermaker is a great, a wonderful, a unique event (and I do not use the term unique lightly).  I had fun, chatted with some nice people, and was glad to be a part of it.  But I had a little trouble. Since this is my blog about me, and I am going to tell it as I experienced it.

Things went pretty well for the first four miles.  Breathing was a little difficult due to humidity.  However, the temperature was not too hot; the overcast skies helped.  We felt a few sprinkles of rain before the race started, but that went away, and no thunder rumbled.

A couple of times I got a little stitch in my right side.  I lifted that arm over my head in a stretch and tried to breathe more deeply.  So far so good.  Then my left knee and my left hip started in on me.  The hip was more of a problem.  It hurt!  I kept saying, “Oh crap!”  Nobody paid me any mind to which I took no offense.  We all have our problems.

The last three miles were bad.  I had been saying to myself, “Just run your own pace, run your own race”  almost since we started.  Eventually I started saying to myself, “Just keep going.”  The spectators cheering us on helped.  My fellow runners, too encouraged me.

For a while I ran next to an older gentleman.  His walk was the pace of my run.  He told me how he had broken his foot one year but did not go to the doctor till after the Boilermaker, because the doctor would have told him not to run.  Wow!  At least all my bones were intact!

The last 1.3 miles took forever!  “You’re almost there!” they kept telling me, to which I replied, “Promises, promises!”  Then I figured if I had enough breath to be a wise-ass, I must be doing better than I thought.

In these races, be they 5K or 15, I try to keep myself from starting my final sprint too soon.  I have done that at the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls more than once, and it is not pretty (not that I am especially pretty by that point in a race anyways).  Today I questioned my ability to sprint or even speed up at all, but I firmly told myself not to worry about it.  Just finish!  That was my goal.

As I said in the first paragraph, I somehow found it in myself to sprint at the end.  Go faster, go faster, I urged myself, and my poor old body responded as best it could.  For one reason, I was so close to end I wanted to get there as soon as possible!

And it was not pretty.  However, I see I am over 500 words.  That is a long post for me.  I will stop blogging now.  I may tell the rest of my tale tomorrow.  But no promises.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Pre-Boilermaker Slacking

Posted on July 9, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had my last pre-Boilermaker run this morning.  A little over a mile and a half, 22 minutes (incidentally, my favorite number).  Then I pretty much slacked for the rest of the day.  Eventually I wrote a few post cards and walked them to the post office, taking the long way back for a 22 minute walk, a little over one mile.  I did a load of laundry, surprisingly not during either the run or the walk (as regular readers know, my favorite multi-task).  I did the dishes.

Now I sit, lounged on my couch, drinking more water (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, they say) and wondering if it really is essential to eat pasta the night before a big race.  I know it is traditional to “carb up” at such times, but is it science?  Or is it merely psychological?  You see, it is very warm for me to think about cooking something to eat.  Additionally, I do not want to dirty more dishes.

Me, pondering the worth of effort in the heat.

I thought a picture would pep things up. This is me in Love’s Labour’s Lost last summer with LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company.  It was pretty hot then, too.  My costume was supposed to have another layer, but there was no way I could stand it.  It was impractical anyways, since I played two roles and had to change.  But I digress.

Getting back to the Boilermaker 15K in Utica tomorrow, I am looking forward to it, despite my usual trepidations of parking, timing, and should I really be eating spaghetti tonight.  I hope to have fun and write a blog post about it.  In the meantime I am going to bill this as a Slacker Saturday (although my digression into theatre may make a Non-Sequitur Saturday eligible) and drive on.  Happy Saturday,  everyone!

 

Leave a comment

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

Thirty Minute Thursday

Posted on June 16, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had originally thought to follow Two-Mile Tuesday with Three-Mile Thursday, but I was skeptical of my ability to pull it off.  True, I ran four miles last weekend, but that was first thing in the morning not last thing after an eight hour day at work.  Then I thought, Thirty-Minute Thursday.  It sounds even better, it is still longer than what I ran Tuesday, and I could totally do it.  At least, I could probably do it.

I usually let myself off the hook on these week-day runs.  I feel they are really just to keep my hand in (feet, really).  Weekends are the time for improvement.  However, I feel I will improve moreso on the weekends if I do a little better during the week.  That Boilermaker 15K is getting closer!

After a little puttering around the house, I got into running clothes and set out.  It was warm and sunny.  Maybe I should run some hills.  But I also had to worry about traffic.  German Street in Herkimer, NY is pretty busy in the late afternoon.  I ran down the sidewalk looking for a place to cross the street.  I thought maybe the hill by Valley Health Services would be a good goal.

The three-way stop at Caroline Street provided my opportunity to cross the street.  I soon decided to run into Brookwood Park.  For one reason, there would be plenty of shade.  I could run along the path through the woods that comes out on the back way to Herkimer College.  I assured myself that I was in no way obligated to run the rest of the way uphill to the college.

As I ran, I tried to keep myself from looking at my Garmin too often.  When I did, I would do the math and figure out what fraction of 30 minutes I had done.  Six minutes was one fifth.  How much was a quarter? A third?  Thus I keep my mind occupied so I don’t think too much about how I would really rather stop running.

The path through the woods was nice.  I like looking at the trees, and the ground is somewhat soft under my feet.  I just have to be careful of uneven surfaces and things I could trip over.  I am pretty clumsy.

The uphill portions almost defeated me, but I persevered.  Eventually I was running on pavement again, and running down hill.  Phew!  It was an effort to get to 30 minutes, but I made the effort and was glad I did.

I don’t know if my effort at a blog post is equally successful, but I can hope at least some readers found it reasonably entertaining.  In another couple of weeks, this blog may become All Boilermaker All The Time.  I fear I am already making myself a little tiresome at work by talking about it.  Oh well, at my age, I need all the encouragement I can get.

 

3 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Ran, I Blogged, I Celebrate?

Posted on May 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went for a run earlier so thought I might try a Running Commentary Post.  The Utica Boilermaker 15K is two months from today.  Yikes!  This means I will be doing more Running Commentary Posts as my training intensifies, eventually going All Boilermaker All The Time.

I had it in mind to  run today since I did not run yesterday.  As my bones began to creak more and more throughout the day, I still kept it in mind. A couple of times I did ask, “What the hell, body?  I’m not even 60 yet!”  When I got home I was TIRED.  I said to myself, “Just try.  Just do the best you can.”

So I got into running clothes and started out.  Oh, was I running thunkily!  Stupid autocorrect seems to think “thunkily” is not a word, but I assure you that is how I was running.  However, one thing I have learned is to Just Keep Going.

As I Just Kept Going, I reminded myself that I have often said that I can put up with almost any amount of suck for just about as long as I decide to.  Of course this started me thinking about a few other things that suck in my life these days.  I reminded myself that I could put up with those, too.  I guess I need a lot of reminders.

The highlight of the run was when I stopped to pet a dog.  No, not because I got to stop!  I like to pet dogs! Sheesh! This was about halfway through my run, when I began to think it wasn’t such a bad run and maybe I would make it after all.

Still, I was counting the minutes.  I had decided to run for 22 minutes.  I plan to run 44 minutes this weekend, so I went for half that.  Additionally, 22 is my lucky number.  As I approached my house I wondered if I shouldn’t try for a little longer.  My body said, “No! Don’t!”  I had to run past the house to make it the full 22 minutes, but I made it.

On my cool-down walk I paused to sniff a neighbor’s lilacs.   That was the second highlight of my run.  I was glad I had run, however thunkily.   And I have made my Tuesday blog post on Tuesday.  I have to celebrate every win, however small.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, running commentary and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

April Lame!

Posted on April 15, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

OK, I said I was going to make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday and here I am.  Unfortunately,  I got nuthin’.  That should not matter on Lame Post Friday, but somehow it does.

Remarkably similar, yes?

I thought a picture might spark more words and found this one from April 2021.  I confess it does not look a whole lot different from more recent pictures of crocuses,  yet I cannot stop from taking pictures of what they look like this year.

J’accuse!

Here is a different April shot.  I just SEARCHED through my posts from April 2019 to find that the title of this murder mystery was Murder by the Book.  I am not inclined to also do a Google (or even a Duck Duck Go) search to see if “J’accuse” is the proper French spelling.

Earlier today I went to a wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  I also spent some time sitting on my front porch, enjoying the weather. I sipped a little wine while I did so.  I also spent some time planning my Mohawk Valley Adventures for tomorrow.

I need to get such a short ‘do again!

Just to give another picture from April, here are my friend Kim and I at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica in April 2017 for their Prohibition Party.  I love to dress up!

Ooh look, I have gotten myself over 200 words.  Not bad for a Lame Post Friday post,  I say.  Thank you for tuning in.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

More Memories

Posted on February 10, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I said posts were going to be sporadic, but I did mean to make a few.  This morning I noticed that a Facebook friend had commented (I almost always share my posts to Facebook) that she enjoyed seeing the memories and would like to see more.  For anyone just tuning in, I lost my husband, Steve, recently.  I draw great comfort from my memories.

Which one is the silliest?

One of Steve’s great legacies is his humor.  My best memories are of the laughs we shared.  The above was taken at the HALO Hoedown, a fundraiser for the cat rescue operation based in Little Falls, NY.

Cheers!

Steve was also a great partner in my Mohawk Valley Adventures.  Here we are at Woodland Farm Brewery in Marcy.

A fun bunch, indeed.

There he is, in the back with me.  This is a pre-show ussie from Leading Ladies, the show I directed at Ilion Little Theatre.  Steve was such a good actor.  He was a pleasure to work with.

Handsome men!

One more memory:  a memorable lunch at Gerber’s 1933 Tavern in Utica, with our dear friends Phyllis and Jim.  Phyllis left us in 2021 and I will never be done missing her.

Here’s all four of us.

I know there will be more good times with friends and family.  Right now I just have to feel sad until I start to feel a different way.  Thank you for letting me share.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, memories, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Sweet Halloween Spirits on Throwback Thursday

Posted on October 21, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

We can call yesterday either a real Wuss-out Wednesday or a real Blogger’s Sick Day; the result is the same, and the least said, soonest mended.  Already I have said too much.  I continue to say too much by complaining that headaches continue plague me.  I daresay I do not lead a healthy enough lifestyle.  I must work on that, but in the meantime,  let me attempt another Throwback Thursday Post.

That is a good quote.

I went back to October 2016 for a shot of one of my favorite places, the So Sweet Candy Shoppe in Utica, NY.  I have not been there recently so cannot report on their current Halloween decor.

Must have spirits on Halloween.

I looked in my Media Library in October 2017 and found this shot from Dikin Durt Distillery in Herkimer,  NY.  I do not know that it is overtly Halloweeny, but it does involve spirits.  I say that counts.

Those are some big pumpkins!

Skipping ahead to October 2019, here is a more Halloweeny shot from Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY.  I have been there once this year (perhaps you read my blog post about it) and hope to go again.

I think my concluding paragraph will bring me to 200 words, my admittedly arbitrary blog standard (it did).  I will provide the headache and healthy lifestyle update in a future post.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

No Ambition, But a Couple of Shout-Outs

Posted on September 9, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

My only ambition right now is to NOT be making my Thursday blog post on Friday morning.  I can just hear one of you say, “So your ambition is to make your blog post now.”  However, that is not strictly accurate.  Let us not quibble over semantics.  Let us see what kind of a blog post I can make with this very low amount of ambition.

Give that skeleton a cup of coffee!

I threw in a picture to pep things up.  It is from October 2016, the month I started putting pictures in the blog (I have been blogging since 2011) (Wow! Has it been that long?).  It is from the So Sweet Candy Shoppe, originally called the So Sweet Candy Cafe, at 531 Varick St. in Utica, NY.  I have not been there in a while.  I must make my way to Utica one day soon (preview of coming attractions).

My favorite shirt!

Continuing the theme of throwback, and shout-out to local businesses, here is a shot from December 2016:  Original Herkimer Cheese, 2745 State Route 51 in Ilion, NY.  I bought that shirt and wear it a lot.  I need to go to the outlet soon and get some Chutter: cheese that spreads like butter.

Ooh, look, I got myself over 200 words. Score! Let’s see if tomorrow I can make my Lame Post Friday post on Friday.  No promises.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →