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Vermont Memories

Posted on April 21, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I attempt a Throwback Thursday Post, because I do not wish to be making my Thursday blog post on Friday morning.  I thought that sentence might give me a little spurt of happiness by reminding me that tomorrow is Friday, but alas, not so much.  No matter.  On with the blog post.

Wrong season, so sue me.

This is a picture of the area of Vermont where some of my late husband Steve’s family lives.  I love the covered bridge.  Anyways, this was in my Media Library in April 2017, so I say it is a Throwback photo.

Nice doggies!

This is a really old snapshot, taken at Steve’s sister Ruby’s house, with one of those disposable cameras we used to use all the time.  It is Ruby’s dog Sapphire and our own Tabby.  I put it on a napkin and took a picture of it with the Tablet so Steven could share it on Facebook.  That may have been back in 2011, but I am not at all sure.  We never did learn how to use a scanner, although I think we have one my sister Diane gave us.

Gobble, gobble!

And here are some wild turkeys in Ruby’s backyard.  We had some wonderful afternoons and evenings sitting on Ruby’s deck, enjoying nature.  She had many small animal visitors.   She also had the occasional bear, but not when we were there.

Oh dear, I just remembered, I think there was once when we saw a bear although did not get a picture.  It was dark and we were looking out the kitchen window, as I recall.  If I recall correctly.  This is where it would be so nice to be able to turn to Steve and say, “We saw a bear at Ruby’s, didn’t we?” I am still getting used to widowhood.

There he is, with a friend.

On that note, I end with a picture of Steve.  He is at the So Sweet Candy Shoppe in Utica, NY, with our friend Margaret, the proprietress.  I guess that doesn’t really fit with my headline.  Does that mean I can also bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post?

 

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Fun at the Sugar Shack

Posted on July 16, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

My husband Steven reminded me that I neglected to make a blog post about one of our adventures in Vermont,  a visit to The Sugar Shack.

We almost always hit this place when we are in the vicinity.   I was especially anxious to get there this time because I wanted post cards.  Steven was anxious because we were out of maple syrup (or maple syrple, as I like to call it) ( with a nod to the late, great Roger Miller).

I loves me some real maple syrple!

You can purchase many things at The Sugar Shack: cheese, mustards, jellies, donuts, cookies and other yummy stuff. Also t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other touristy stuff. Steven has previously purchased Vermont shot glasses, and we are the proud owners of a Sugar Shack coffee mug featuring Shack, one of the owner’s yellow labs.

The pooches don’t show up so good in this shot.

We chatted with owner Kim Hawley, and she posed for us with this photo collage of both her dogs.  You can check out many pictures of the pooches on the Sugar Shack Facebook page.

Can you read it? I should have taken more pictures.

The Sugar Shack is also the home of many displays from the Norman Rockwell museum.  We have purchased coffee mugs, prints, and post cards of work by that wonderful American artist.

We didn’t go into this building, but I got a shot of the exterior.

We had a fun if short visit.  I got my post cards and some yummy donuts.  I look forward to our next visit to Vermont,

I prevailed upon Steven to pose for one last shot.

The Sugar Shack is located at 29 Sugar Shack Lane, Arlington,  VT, 05250, phone number 802-375-6747.  They are open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday,  9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  Their website is http://www.sugarshackvt.com.  you can also Like them on Facebook.

 

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Running Update

Posted on July 6, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s a Saturday Running Commentary!  You knew I couldn’t spend all my time whining about the difficulty of making posts.  A great deal of my time, but surely not ALL of my time (and you KNOW I feel free to call you Shirley!).  Do you get the feeling I am in a better mood today?  Maybe a little.

I have been running every day since Wednesday.  None of the runs has been especially long, but I have gone a little longer each day.  And I’ve been running a few hills.  I feel I am maintaining and look forward to improvement at a later date.

Hmm… now that I am sitting here typing (on a real computer at Martha Canfield Library, so there’s that), I find myself disinclined to give an actual blow by blow of today’s run, or indeed any of my last four runs.  How about a highlights reel?  Or perhaps just a few thoughts that have, you should pardon the expression, run across my mind lately.

When I run at home, I have been getting up, having coffee, and talking myself into running.  In Vermont, I have been getting out of bed and onto the road.  That is actually the way I used to do it on the weekends, get out there before I well knew what I was doing and could change my mind.  In the past couple of months, however, I have been waking up with my mind pretty much made up NOT to run.  I need that boost of caffeine to get me going.

During the past few days, I have discovered that in fact I do not need the caffeine before the run, and that cup of coffee tastes pretty darn good after a shower.  It’s nice to know I can do things differently and still meet with success.  At least, some might think I could meet with even greater success, say by running faster and further, but I say, one does what one can at the time.  When I was running on Thursday, I reflected that I truly run for myself.  I go the pace I want, I go how far I want.  I don’t have to worry about meeting any standards, and I don’t.  It’s nice.

OK, go ahead and start the lecture about how we set goals for ourselves, push ourselves to do better than we think we can, and meeting standards is an intelligent way to go about things.  Full disclosure:  I will probably not pay much attention, and I will certainly not change the way I run.  I am enjoying it.

 

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When in Vermont

Posted on June 28, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I promised you a pretty post in the near future , and here it is.  Full disclosure (there’s no colon on this dumb Tablet!  Grrrrr!) I’m typing on Mt Tablet with the stylus.  It is not easy, but I will persevere.

I LOVE libraries!

This is Martha Canfield Library in Arlington, VT, which has saved my blogging bacon on several occasions.  Who knew you could just sit outside a library and get on the Internet, even when it isn’t open?  Oh, you probably knew.

Of course I prefer to be inside the library.  This is a really nice one, too.  I’ll have to take some inside pictures on a future visit.  In the meantime, here are the pictures I took outside.

Isn’t he handsome?

Naturally I wanted to get a shot of my husband, Steven.  We found this spot had the least glare.  It was quite a sunny day.

I don’t know who Jean Woodman is.

This is embarrassing.  I did not get any shots of the flowers, just the plaque.

Not surprisingly, I don’t know what mountain this is either.

When in Vermont, one sees plenty of mountains.  I guess I could have gotten a few more pictures of them.  In my defense, it is not easy taking pictures with a Tablet on a bright sunny day (cue jokes about how the day was bright but I wasn’t).

One last note (again with the no colon!) I have succeeded in typing in this entire post on my Tablet with the stylus.  Once again, I triumph.

 

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Not a Pretty Post on Wrist to Forehead Sunday

Posted on June 25, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Wrist to Forehead Sunday, indeed.  Although, I must admit, my quality of life is improving as I see these words appearing on my laptop screen:  black on white, readable, yes.

I am sitting on the concrete in front of the Martha Canfield Library.  I have been maneuvering myself around trying to get where the sun will not render my screen unreadable.  Oh, how I long for the comforts of home!  Just kidding.  This is not a bad place to be at all.  It is neither too warm nor too cold to be out of doors, and knowing that I am in such close proximity to many books does my heart good.  Yes, the doors are locked so that I do not have actual access to said books.  I just like knowing that they are there.

As you may have guessed this is another one of my Posts For The Sake of Making a Post posts, which is kind of the same thing as a Why I Can’t Make a Post post, but I just now came up with a different way of saying it.  In fact, I am not going to tell you why I can’t make a post today.  I’m not even going to apologize for not making a good post.  However, I will offer this consolation prize:  I might use my Tablet to take a few pictures of Vermont, so a post in the near future might be pretty.  No promises, but I’ll do my best.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

 

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My Wild Weekend

Posted on May 16, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

This past weekend, my husband Steven and I were in Vermont.  I did not say anything about it at the time, because I didn’t want any local readers seizing the opportunity to burglarize my house.  Then again, I’m sure all my lovely readers are honest, upright citizens, who probably have much nicer stuff than I do anyways.  Be that as it may, I thought for today’s post, I would share a few pictures I took of my sister-in-law’s back yard.  She lives at the bottom of a mountain.  It’s really cool.

No, these are NOT my in-laws! What a suggestion!

The wild turkeys came and visited every morning and evening while we were there.  Naturally I grabbed my Tablet and took a few pictures.

You’d think they would have smiled for the camera. Turkeys!

I confess I felt like a lousy nature-lover when the sight of the birds made me crave roast turkey with all the fixings.

Of course I did not try to catch and cook any of these turkeys.

You can’t really see the colors of the feathers in these pictures, but when the sun hit them they became almost iridescent. I was kind of hoping one of them might lose a feather or two that I could find.  Maybe if I would have taken a walk in the woods I could have found one.

On the other hand, there are black bears in those woods. We saw one black bear.  Alas, I did not get a picture, because it was at night.  Additionally, we could only see him through the kitchen window.  When we went out on the deck for a better look, he ran away.  I said he was a scaredy-bear.

So that is my story about my Wildlife Weekend.  I know, it wasn’t like an African Safari or even a camping trip.  But for a Melancholy Monday (my new feature), I think it will do as a blog post.

 

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Getting Some Sugar at the Shack

Posted on May 13, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I usually give shout-outs to Mohawk Valley businesses, but once in a while I like to mention favorite destinations when I travel.  One of the best is The Sugar Shack in Arlington, Vermont.  They are a country store selling Vermont products including maple syrup, cheese, baked goods and more.  You can also buy all sorts of touristy items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, glasses, post cards and other things.

Additionally, the store is home to a Norman Rockwell exhibit which was previously housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Arlington.  When the museum closed, the Sugar Shack gave a home to the displays.  My husband Steven and I were  so happy when this happened.  We used to stop at that museum whenever we were in Vermont and were very disappointed when it closed. We love Norman Rockwell!  We have several framed Rockwell prints on our walls as well as a few coffee mugs featuring his work.

Speaking of coffee mugs, one of our favorites is one from the Sugar Shack featuring the owner’s lovely dog Shack.  They have two dogs now, and the last time Steven and I were at the store, Steven noticed there is now a mug available with both dogs.  Our kitchen cabinet is quite full of coffee mugs.  Still, we might find room for a mug with both Sugar Shack dogs.

We follow the Sugar Shack on Facebook. We don’t need a reminder to visit when we are in the area, but it is nice to hear about fresh cider donuts and see pictures of the dogs.  The Sugar Shack is located at 29 Sugar Shack Lake, Rt. 7A, Arlington, VT, phone number 802-375-6747.  For more information you can visit their website at http://sugarshackvt.com/.  And you should definitely Like them on Facebook.

 

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Covered Bridges on Wuss-out Wednesday

Posted on April 27, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So here I sit on Wuss-out Wednesday, and not a word comes to mind to type.  Now I am sternly resisting the urge to backspace over what I just typed in.  I know it is not very good, but if I start that type-it-in-backspace-it-out I’ll never finish this post.  As I like to do in these situations, I looked for some photos to use.

 

Ah, summer is coming!

This is an old Vermont post card.  It is of special interest to me, because my husband Steven and two of his nephews are in it.  They were swimming beneath the covered bridge as they often did when the photographer came along.

A little blurry, but pretty cool!

Here is a closer view.  My silly computer won’t make this one any bigger.  I daresay you couldn’t see the participants much better anyways.  I wish I could find another shot to include!

Found one!

I don’t know any of these people.

I actually found a different one on Facebook and downloaded it.  Then when I went to upload it into this post, I saw this one in our downloads.  Steven must have downloaded it.  I don’t know from where or when.  It fits in better with the previous two than the other.  Then again, why not buck my usual trend and include four photographs?

Different bridge, different season, but isn’t it pretty?

I’ve driven by this bridge many times on trips to Vermont.   It is in West Arlington.  I can give a credit for this one:  John H. Knox of Vermont Four Seasons Photography.  I do like to give credit where credit is due.

So this is my silly post for today.  Heavy on pictures, light on words.  Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

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Runnin’ and Grinnin’

Posted on October 9, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

If anybody was wondering whether or not I have been running during my fabulous five-day weekend, I have. I did not run on Thursday, because we were not yet packed and anxious to get on the road, but Friday I was up and at ’em, as the saying goes.

Well, I wasn’t up very early.  We slept in till after 7 a.m., an almost unheard of occurrence for us.  Although I felt I had over-packed for the weekend, it soon became clear I had not packed enough, because I only had shorts and short sleeves for running in.  No matter, I was determined to run.

I ran a route I have run before when visiting Arlington, VT.  It took me out Ice Pond Road till it ends on Warm Brook Road.  The former was more appropriate.  Ooh, did a hot shower ever feel good afterwards!

We slept in even a little later today (Saturday)  (goodness, is it Saturday?  I get in such a time warp when I’m not at work!) (for anyone who thinks I’m rubbing it in that I’m not at work, don’t hate).  It was slightly warmer out but still under the 45 degrees which is my usual cut off for shorts.  Still, closer to 45 than yesterday.  I set off.

I ran in the same direction as yesterday but did not turn where I had turned.  I turned later on, up Buck Hill Road.  I thought it might be a dead end or it might loop around and come out on the road I was on.  In any case, it went uphill and I wanted to run more hills.  Up, up, up… this was as steep as some of my best hills back in Herkimer.  Was that the end?  Did it end in a person’s driveway?  No, it curved around.  And kept going up!  This was awesome!

The road got a little less road-y and more country-road-y, if you see what I mean.  How long did it go on?  It could go for MILES!  And end up in the middle of  NOWHERE!  The longest I wanted to run was 36 minutes, which increased my time by the recommended 10 percent from what I ran last week (and what I had run on Friday).  I decided I would look at my watch and turn around when it was 18 minutes.

After a while, I could see road to my left through the trees.  That was no doubt the road I would have been on had I not turned onto Buck Hill.  I felt more confident in my original plan to follow the road to  the end.

It came out on the road I had been on but further down than I had hoped. No matter, I told myself.  This was a good run.  It would make a good blog post.  Then I realized I could not remember the name of the road I had turned on.  That would make a GREAT thing to write about!  At last I passed it:  Buck Hill Road.  I could remember that, I thought.  Just think of Buck Owens.  Pickin’ and grinnin’.  Anybody who didn’t get that reference, sorry you’re young and missed Hee Haw.

I ended up running for 37  minutes, picking up the pace at the end in hopes of making it 36.  I even sprinted at the very end, which made for some not very pleasant breathing.  I felt great about having two good runs in two days.  I can only wonder what tomorrow will bring.

 

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A Little Fuss, A Little Muss, A Lame Blog Post

Posted on October 8, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Who knew you could sit in a library parking lot and get on their Wi-Fi with no fuss no muss?  I know, everybody but me.  In fact, I think I knew it too, because I often see people sitting outside of Basloe Library in Herkimer, NY on various devices.  So here I am, after some amount of fuss and muss, sitting in the parking lot of Cambridge Public Library, on my laptop, making today’s blog post.  Come to think of it, do I ever do anything without a certain amount of fuss and muss?  As they say, I gotta be me.

It seems I did not get any Likes on my Fake Friday Lame Post, so  I shall feel free to have a Friday Lame Post again today, on, you know, actual Friday.  In an age-old tradition of lame fiction, this blog shall be the tale of how I came to write this blog post.

Steven and I are in Vermont, enjoying a lovely long weekend with family.  We are staying with his sisters, who are not online. However, a very nice niece lives close by, and she is (we’re Facebook friends).  With her permission, we went to her house this morning, while she was at work, for blogging and email checking purposes.  I found where she had nicely left the password to her Wi-Fi.  I opened my laptop and clicked.

And soon realized I did not know what I am doing.  I had the password but I could not get the computer to ask for it.  More computer savvy readers (is anyone on the planet LESS computer savvy than I?) are probably shaking their heads and thinking, “What an idiot!  All she had to do was…”  I don’t think that is a very nice thing to say, however accurate it may be.

Moving on to Plan B, Steven and I made our way to the Arlington Public Library.  I knew libraries had Wi-Fi, and even if they don’t, they have computers you can happily get on.  That might be a better thing to do anyways, I thought.  It might have been, too, if the library had been open.  Rats!  You see, I did not know then what I know now, or I forgot that I knew then what I remember that I know now.

In any case, Steven and I drove on to Cambridge, NY to do some touristy-type shopping we had planned to do in any case.  As we made a purchase at Cambridge Food Co-op, I asked the lady if she knew of any place that offered free Wi-Fi.  She said the library but thought it did not open till six — even later than the Arlington library!  However, she said we could park in the parking lot and use their Wi-Fi.  She even told us the best place to park in order to do so.

And that is what we are doing.  And this is my Friday Lame Post about it.  At least I know where I can get Wi-Fi to post on Saturday.

 

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