Tag Archives: walking

Some Random Blog Post

Posted on April 24, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was about to type in a whiny-ass excuse about how I am doing a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday blog post when I remembered:  Today is THURSDAY!  What a maroon!  Well, I already transferred my random pictures from my phone to WordPress, so I am going to make some kind of blog post using them.

The blooms last such a short time.

I LOVE blooming trees!  I want to take down what is left of Frankentree in front of my house and put in one that will look all pretty for a short time in the spring, like this one.  When I was younger, I dreamed of getting married in an apple orchard.  I forgot all about that when the actual time came, which is just as well, because I would have probably tripped on a fallen branch or had a bird poop on me.

Another random tree. 

As I took this picture, I thought, “And I’ll take a picture of this random tree,” because I liked it.  I was walking around the path at Town of Herkimer Park on Pine Grove Road in East Herkimer, taking a few pictures to accompany my article on the Herkimer Town Board Meeting for Sentinel Media.  It is a very nice little park.  I may go walk or run that trail again soon.

In case you get tired of walking and want to read a book.

This Little Free Library is along the trail, too.  I love these things.  I always look if there is a book I want to read but so far I have not brought any books to leave.  However, many of them are quite full already so perhaps I will need to wait for a good chance.

I have been enjoying the nice weather, getting out walking and running a lot, in addition to just being outside when I can, for example when getting pictures for my news writing endeavors.  I know I had promised some more Mohawk Valley Adventures, and I hope to get to those soon.  In the meantime, thank you for staying tuned.

 

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IT Is a Blog Post

Posted on April 20, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

The tree of existential angst.

I need to get a better picture of this tree, because it really speaks to me.  Two of its branches are posed in the universal position of “Wha-at?”  I took the picture on a recent long walk.  I had meant to make a Pedestrian Post with Pictures but am really only up to a Monday Mental Meanderings today.  Maybe I should have had coffee instead of tea.

A less evocative tree.

I have kind of a thing for dead trees.  I had walked up into Brookwood Park, which I used to refer to as The Unknown Park till somebody told me what it was called.  It ended up being a very good walk, because I took the path through the woods, and it is no myth that being near nature helps.

And still no Tim Curry!

Before I got up into the park, I saw a sewer and looked for an evil clown.  Full disclosure:  I have neither read the book  IT nor watched any of the movies (how many times has it been dramatized?).  I always associate it with Tim Curry, because I am madly in love with Tim Curry.  I hear he recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Pretty!

I have been seeing a lot of hyacinths lately.  I must plant some in my yard for next year.  I love the smell.  This particular patch was in a kind of a weird place: on a down-slope into a parking lot.  I wondered if they had been planted or if some critter had moved the bulbs. In either case, I liked to see them.

And now I am over 250 without having said a whole lot.  The second cup of tea was not the miracle I was hoping for, but one must make do.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Pre-Crawl Post

Posted on April 18, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

No, not a Pub Crawl, although anybody who knows me might be forgiven for thinking so.  I am about to embark on Herkimer’s Spring Shop Crawl.  We get to go around to participating businesses and check them out.  Many are running specials for the day. In any case, I will get to say hello to my favorites and hopefully discover some new places for shopping and blogging purposes.

Can’t wait to stop here!

The event is hosted by To Niche Their Own and Renewed and Rescued. Renewed and Rescued is a long-time favorite of mine, and To Niche Their Own has been a favorite since I discovered them.

And if I get hungry along the way.

I just scrolled down the Facebook Event’s Discussion and looked for other participants whose picture I might have in my Media Library, and here is Paradise Eatery.  I am charging my phone in hopes of taking pictures at each stop. This may be good for days and days of blog posts!

I see Herkimer College (known to locals as HCCC or “H-trip-C”) is also sponsoring a vendor fair.  I intend to walk during my initial foray into the Crawl, but I may return home for my car to check out what’s up the hill (YES, I try to run up the hill on a regular basis, but that is not the same thing, surely you can see that) (and I will call you Shirley if I decide to).

Well, time, as they say, is a-wasting.  I need to get crawling and shopping.  I encourage any local readers to check out the Spring Shop Crawl.  All others may tune in later for blog posts about same.

 

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It All Started with the Spider

Posted on April 15, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having a Tired Tuesday Post.  It may even be construed as a Terrible Tuesday Post, but let us not become too dramatic.  Then again, drama is my life!  (Said with a dramatic gesture).

This morning there was a spider in my coffee.  Ew!  This is what happens when you do not examine your mug before adding coffee.  I have only myself to blame.  Full disclosure:  I drank the rest of the coffee, spider germs be damned.  I had to finish my story about the Ilion Village Board Meeting for Sentinel Media.  Caffeine helped.

As my day progressed, I needed to go to Ilion again to drop off a flier of my latest murder mystery, A Revolutionary Murder, at Morning Star Methodist Church.  While there I shopped at their Pay It Forward Thrift Store.  Alas, I did not take any pictures.

Later in the day, I walked to the post office to mail a note and post card, then on to the Herkimer Elks Lodge to reserve two tickets to the previously mentioned murder mystery.  Then I walked on to The End Zone Pub.  Just to say hello.

You can’t really see the new light.

While I was there, Brock, the owner, was placing a new light in the front display.  I took a picture, but as you see, not a very successful one.  What can one expect on a day which began with a spider in one’s coffee?

 

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Too Lame for a Running Commentary

Posted on April 11, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had meant to make a Running Commentary Post today, but these are best made soon after the run.  It was some hours ago that I ran (by a very generous definition of the word) up the hill to Herkimer College (affectionately known as HCCC or H-trip-C).  It is a pretty good hill.  I would like to say I ran it triumphantly, but feelings of triumph were to follow.  At the time I felt pretty damn miserable.  But here I am runningly commenting when I decided to do a Lame Post Friday post after all.

Non-sequitur illustration.

I took this picture yesterday, I think.  I was delighted to see buds on the tree, and it looked so pretty against the blue sky.  I have not been running enough, but I manage to get in at least a short to medium walk almost every day.

Pretty!

I paused on my cool-down walk to take a picture of these crocuses.  Some people may roll their eyes and say, “We KNOW what a crocus looks like!”  I explain to them, “Shut up.”  (That is a line from S.J. Perelman, ” ‘Shut up,’ the policeman explained.”)

I zoomed in a little closer.

I confess I stepped a few feet onto these people’s front yard.  Nobody came out and yelled at me nor fired a shotgun.  You never know around here.

One white crocus to make me happy.

I was across the street from my house at the end of my cool down when I saw a couple patches of white.  A crocus?  Don’t get your hopes up, I told myself;  it is probably garbage.  Well, one of the white spots was, but the other was a crocus.  Yay!

So this is my blog post today.  Not quite a Running Commentary, and a little bit of spring.  I hope you are all having a lovely Friday.

 

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Not Too Lame to Walk

Posted on April 4, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, I made it to Lame Post Friday and, yes, I am feeling lame.  I’m still waste-not-want-notting with a few pictures I took on a recent walk.  I’m sure I mentioned that I try to walk almost every day.  I actually went for a run this morning, and it was pretty great.  I was thinking of doing a Running Commentary post, but the day kind of got away from me.  Let us see what I can come up with before heading to Valley Wine and Liquor for a wine tasting and perhaps to Herkimer Elks Lodge for Fish Fry (preview of coming attractions).

Look how many purple flowers!

I still have not found out what these little purple flowers are called, but I love them.  When I find out, I will get some seeds and scatter them all over my yard.  I love looking around for growth as I walk.  As I type this, I am a little sorry I do not intend to walk to the liquid store (as a four-year-old niece once called it).  However, I plan to purchase some wine, and those bottle get heavy!

I love fire fighters!

This is a new sign in front of the fire station.  I do not always walk by  the station, so I am not sure how long it has been there.

Can you read it?

This is the dedication plaque on the rear of the sign.  I did not pause to read it at the time; I just took the picture.

And just like that, I am over 250 words.  Score!  On to the rest of my Friday!  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Has Spring Sprung? Or Is It Lame?

Posted on March 28, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I went for a walk in the 60 degree weather, hoping to make a Pedestrian Post with Pictures.  Not only were there no good photo ops, it started to rain on me!  I guess I could have continued to walk in the rain and changed clothes when I got home, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

I only hope they continue to survive!

Before going inside, I went out back where I had previously seen some daffodils, complete with a couple of buds!  My sister Vicki gave me the bulbs some years ago.  After letting them sit in my garage over the winter (which will not surprise regular readers who know that my act is something that I definitely do NOT have together), I planted them and hoped for the best.  Most years they come up.

Bravely trying to bring joy.

I was delighted to notice some snowdrops nearby (I think they are snowdrops). I never planted these.  I wonder if a squirrel or the wind dropped some seeds at some point.  In any case, they are welcome in my yard.  I did not see any crocuses, alas.  Then again, my yard is covered with the leaves I never raked up last fall.  I read on Facebook it was good for wildlife to leave them set till spring.  I always follow advice that tallies with what I felt like doing anyways (but I am not one of those people who goes around asking advice till I hear some I like) (don’t you hate it when people do that?)

The weather took a turn for the colder overnight and currently hovers in the 30’s.  However, it is bright and sunny, so there’s that.  This is the time of year when Mother Nature gets a little bipolar, so I will just hang on and enjoy the ride (was that mixing a metaphor?).

In the meantime, this is my Lame Post Friday blog post.  I want to take a walk while the sun shines, I have to drop my car off for an oil change and inspection, I hope to get to the wine tasting at Valley Wine and Liquor later.  All kinds of stuff on my plate!  I hope you are all having a lovely Friday.

 

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I Didn’t Waste My Walks

Posted on March 25, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had a kind of a Terrible Tuesday, which is not one of my features, but now I am all set for a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post.  For anybody who didn’t know, this is when I share previously unused pictures from my cell phone.

Spring IS coming!

I saw these snowdrops on my cool-down walk after my run on (going to the calendar to check) Yikes! Friday!  How have I not been running since Friday?  Why the hell am I thinking?  Obviously I am not thinking (that is pretty much always the answer to “What were you thinking?”).  But I digress.

The picture did not turn out as well as I had hoped.

I paused to take a picture of a birds nest in a tree on Mohawk Street in Herkimer, NY (where I live) during a longish walk I took on Saturday.  So I have been getting some exercise if not running.  Incidentally, I took two longish walks in the pouring rain on Sunday (it was not raining when I left the house), which quite wore me out.  Apparently I am less resilient in my old age than I was in my younger days.  Alas!

Apparently not the road less traveled.

I add this picture purely for the sake of having three illustrations.  It is a battered street in Ilion, which I photographed as a possible accompaniment to my article for Sentinel Media about the Ilion Village Board of Trustees Meeting on Monday.  This and several other roads will soon have work done on them, as was discussed in the meeting.

One might say that the road picture is symbolic of my life:  not a smooth path, but it just might take me somewhere.  Also, a bare road will be an encouragement for me to get back to running.  I believe I mentioned that I am registered for the Boilermaker 15K in Utica in July.

 

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It Is Neither Spring Nor Wednesday

Posted on March 17, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last week I was making each of my posts for the day before.  Today I will do the opposite and make my Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post on Tuesday (which is today for me, although my WordPress timestamp may disagree).  For one reason, I took two pictures last night that I can use.

Come on, daffodils!

This is outside the Ilion Municipal Building, where I went last night to cover the Village Board of Trustees meeting.  I was so happy to see some flowers!  I fear my own lawn is not similarly blessed.  For one reason, a bunch of snow fell overnight, and I am covered again.

Since I was early for the meeting I took a walk around the building.  I can always use a little more exercise (although I did run over 2 miles that morning).  I remembered there was something there I would also like a picture of.

I like when things are painted on buildings.

This is the back of a building on Otsego Street which houses at least a couple of businesses.  Alas, Moose River Coffee is no longer there.  Beer Belly Bob’s is under new management and goes by the name Beer Bliss.  I am not sure what else is in the building, but perhaps I could go there and check it out.  My local blog readers may want to know.

However, I will not be going there today.  As I said, snow fell, and I am not inclined to shovel.  I wonder if I could wait it out, like I did with the last snowfall.  I think it is worth a try.

 

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Snowman and St. Patrick’s Saturday

Posted on March 15, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not exactly have a Scattered Saturday, but during my gyrations, I thought I might come up with a blog post.  I did not care to drive anywhere; there was not a lot of snow accumulation, but I didn’t trust the roads since we had started out with rain.  Walking would be all right, I thought. I wanted to get to the post office by two to mail out my usual Saturday post cards.

As I walked, I saw something odd at the side of the road.  I couldn’t tell what it was, till I got up close.  It was a snowman head! Not of actual snow, but one of those lawn decorations of wire and plastic. I looked around but did not see a headless snowman anywhere.  I did not want to leave the head to be run over countless times and ruined, so I picked it up and carried it along.  Then I had the idea to stick it in one of the remaining snowbanks.

He fits right in!

And on I went to the post office, where I realized I had lost the glove I took off to take the picture.  Well, I needed the exercise of more walking so retraced my steps till I found the glove.  Phew!  It was cold out, so gloves and hat were needed.

I went on to get some money out of the ATM at Cliff’s (to plug a local business) (yes, Cliff’s has many locations throughout the region, but it is a family-owned business based locally).  Then I was right across from Valley Wine and Liquor (another local business), so I went in for the Saturday wine tasting, which ran from one to four.  I did not purchase any wine, since I was walking and wine bottles can get pretty heavy, but I made notes of what to purchase later.

Regular readers know I like to drink wine.

This picture was actually taken at a previous date.  I wanted to show off my new bracelet from One Of A Kind Designs Handcrafted Jewelry by Debora Bruce.  It is a Facebook based business, run by a friend I have known since elementary school.  She makes some lovely pieces.  I must purchase more.

I did some more walking in the cold and ended up at the Elks Lodge, where I enjoyed a glass of wine.  I took a picture of a fellow Elk who was nicely dressed for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

I think he had been golfing.

I myself was wearing a little green but failed to take a selfie.  Maybe today when I am out and about.  Since we all seem to be celebrating St. Patrick’s day all weekend.  Or I could wear a toga, because today is the Ides of March.  You know, Julius Caesar? In any case, I have gotten a lengthy (for me) blog post out of my Saturday activities.  If you read the whole thing, I thank you.

 

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