Tag Archives: walking

Tired from Trolls, But Waste Not Want Not!

Posted on October 8, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here I am, making my Wuss-out Wednesday post on Thursday morning, and I feel as if it is still Tired Tuesday, because, damn.  In my defense, I went with my sister Cheryl yesterday to see the Trolls in Tupper Lake, NY. It was quite a long drive and we walked and walked through the nature trail looking for those trolls.  I foolishly did not wear my Garmin, so I do not know how many miles we walked, but there were a lot of hills.

The sleeping troll shows how I feel, and a little bit how I look.

I will do a longer post about the trolls and the Wild Center, where they are displayed till the end of the month.  Right now I am too tired and only waiting till I meet my friends for breakfast in a couple of hours to have some of that magic elixir, coffee (I know, the magic does not work for all, please let the rest of us enjoy it).

Somebody playing a sad song, to be sarcastically sorry for me for being so tired?

I actually would not be surprised if the tune was a bit from Wicked or its sequel, whose name escapes me (I never saw either, nor read the book).  This is, of course, another Herkimer High School Senior parking space.  Perhaps that makes this a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.

Mel Brooks, what a genius.

I was pleased to see one of the younger generation looking forward to Spaceballs: The New One, due sometime in 2027.  I admire Mel Brooks tremendously.  If you don’t know what I am talking about, I encourage you to look it up.  And watch the first Spaceballs, as well as Young Frankenstein and any other Mel Brooks movies you can find.

Well now I have babbled on for some 300 words and am marginally closer to breakfast.  I do not know why I feel I must drag myself out of bed so early when breakfast is not till eight, but so it is.  I guess I mostly wanted to make this blog post.  Therefore, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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The Seniors Are At It Again

Posted on October 5, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well I am back to my old bad habits of posting early(ish) the next morning for the previous day’s post.  I had such good intentions yesterday (Sunday).  I sat down to make a poopy Wrist to Forehead Sunday post when I thought of taking a walk to pep myself up and make a Pedestrian Post.  Then I remembered the Herkimer High School senior had once again painted their parking spaces.  I could take pictures of that!  I set out in high spirits.

Maybe I’ll come back and take better pictures., especially of that one-eyed blob.

It felt so good to walk. This was a great idea!  Then I thought I should walk for two miles.  For one reason, my sister Cheryl wants to go see some trolls in Tupper Lake (cue jokes about dating prospects in Tupper Lake), and it is about a two mile walk.  I should be sure I can walk two miles.

A little better view of these two.

I went to the high school first, which my Garmin told me was about a third of a mile.  I tried to get pictures of all the painted spaces, but there was a car parked in one.  Also, as I tried to get more than one space in a shot, I don’t think I did justice to them.

Well, one does what one can after all.

My two mile goal had not sounded so bad, but my hip started hurting after one.  Oh dear.  It was such a difference from when I started out and it felt so good!  I decided to just go home.  But that little voice in my head kept nagging at me to go two miles.  As I got closer to home, I kept looking at my Garmin and pondering.  I went around an extra block.  And then I walked past my house.  I made it for two miles!  Yay me!

And then I felt too tired to make a blog post about it.  So I read a book, fooled around on Facebook, did a couple of puzzles in a puzzle book… And put off my blog post till just now.  On the brighter side, I am over 350 words and the post is more than just me whining about not making a post.  Additionally, I have several more pictures to share.  Will I make my Monday blog post on Monday?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my day.

 

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I Haven’t Had Any Chardonnay

Posted on October 2, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh I cannot think of anything to make my Thursday blog post about. I had breakfast at the Java Shop, just to give  a shout-out to a local business.  It seems I went to another local business recently, but of course I cannot remember it at this point.

Always a good idea to start with a good breakfast!

I walked to breakfast, walking a little longer than needed to stop by the ATM, and took an even longer walk back, just because it felt so good.  One might say I appreciate walking more after spending most of June on my couch, and that is true, but I have always enjoyed walking.

Something I might have seen while walking.

I quite frankly do not know why I took this picture.  I found it in my Media Library while looking for a picture of something I saw on my walk.  I’m pretty sure this is my street, so I saw it this morning and again this afternoon when I was walking.

Just a little color.

I close with a picture of fall colors, because I have been noticing some of those on my walks and drives (alas no runs yet!).  I do love fall.

I guess this will have to do for my blog post for today.  If only I can think of a punchy headline, I can get away with calling this a Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Intrepidly Tripping Through Tuesday

Posted on September 30, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve had something of a stressful Tuesday, although that does not have the charm of alliteration.  That is my quite own fault; I am a victim of my own incompetence.  Never mind.  Let me make some semblance of a blog post.

I haven’t used this one in a while.

In fact, I was relieved this morning to wake up and remember that it was Tuesday instead of Monday.  Then I remembered I had yet to write my story about Monday’s Ilion Village Board meeting for the Daily Sentinel.  The meeting had been preceded by a Public Hearing on a proposed moratorium which is rather controversial.  A great number of Ilion residents attended, many of them voicing opinions.  It was a difficult story to write, but I managed it.

The controversy is over use of the former factory, but it is too complicated to cover here, in addition to not being totally fun.

I spent some time driving around Ilion getting pictures to go with the story about the regular board meeting, in which they talked about some abandoned properties they hope to refer to Herkimer County Landbank.  Back home, I attempted a little housework.  Eventually I took a walk.  It was a lovely day for a walk.  I made two stops along the way, to pay my school taxes and deposit a check in the bank (my payment for August stories for the Sentinel, by the way).

Right now I am trying to get my blog post done before I’m off to another meeting to cover for the paper.  This one is an informational meeting about a feasibility study for a road in East Herkimer.  I think it will not be controversial.

I don’t have many good Herkimer pictures in the Media Library.

I really feel like an intrepid girl reporter this week (older readers know what I am talking about: from a 1940s screwball comedy or cheesy horror movie).  I also have a budget hearing in Frankfort to cover on Thursday.  Will I have time for any Mohawk Valley Adventures amidst all this reporting?  Will I have time for more housework?  For the answers to these and other intriguing questions, stay tuned to Mohawk Valley Girl!

 

 

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What’s a Ghoul to Do?

Posted on September 23, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday blog post.  I was hoping to make this post when I was driving away from Ann Street Deli on Sunday and had occasion to wonder if I am not too obsessed with all things Halloween.  Specifically, do I see decorations where none are intended?  Looking at the picture, I think I could be excused for thinking this is some sort of ghoul.

Is he scary or just unhappy?

If I ever fix my outdoor spigot and get a hose, I am going to look for this sort of doodah to wrap it around.  I wish I could have a whole blog post of things that unintendedly look like spooks, but alas, this was the only one I found.

While taking a walk yesterday, I found only one thing worthy of stopping and taking a picture of, and it is not all that great of a picture.  I saw they had planted grass where they recently tore down a building next to Pete’s Tavern.

I peeked my phone through the chain link fence for the shot.

It is always nice to have more green space in the village.  I made myself take the walk, because I was feeling rather down yesterday.  I think I have mentioned that my depression is really kicking my butt these days.  However, one must persevere (one being me in this case, but I encourage perseverance in others as well).  With that in mind, I shall take myself off to swim this morning: exercise and sociability.  Stand up against that, depression!

In the meantime, I shall keep an eye out for more Halloween-like pictures.

 

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Pre-Swim Post

Posted on September 21, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have shared various parts of my fitness journey here, my walks and runs, and years ago when I went to the Mohawk YMCA I seem to recall making a couple of elliptical remarks (a play on words when I was on the elliptical machine).  I thought my well-wishers would like to know I had gotten a year’s membership at the Y which allows me use the facilities in Little Falls and Mohawk, NY (I feel I should specify the state for the benefit of anybody just now tuning in).  So far I have only been swimming in Little Falls, but I have enjoyed that quite a bit.

I finally remembered to take a picture of the building.

What, you didn’t think I was going to take a selfie of me in a bathing suit, did you?  Well, it may come to that eventually.  I had been tempted to join for quite some time now.  One of my Elks friends swims almost every morning, and it is not only good exercise, apparently it is also a very sociable thing to do.  Some of them meet for lunch sometimes, and even for dinner at Christmas.  Regular readers know how I live to be sociable.

It turned out to be quite affordable (at least I could afford it) to purchase a year’s membership, and I can also take advantage of weight rooms, exercise machines, and various classes.  So far all I have done is swim.  We are not supposed to swim laps, unfortunately, so I mostly walk back and forth, swish around, and do some of the exercise I learned in Physical Therapy.  And chat with my fellow swimmers.  I was delighted to find that I was already acquainted with a number of them.  And I have made new friends.  Of course I swim without my glasses on, so it is not guaranteed that I will recognize my new friends when I see them outside the pool, but hopefully they will recognize me and help me out.  It is amazing to me how often you do not recognize people when you see them in a different setting anyways, or is that just me?

Anyways, this is my Monday blog post, a shout-out to the local Y.  I encourage everybody to get what exercise they can, according to their abilities and the facilities available.  We’ll call this my Public Service Announcement for the day.

 

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Only 485 Miles To Go!

Posted on September 8, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

My well wishers will be pleased to hear I am walking again and attempting to do so on a regular basis. I keep meeting with setbacks, like having a cold or digestive upsets, and you know how these things are: you miss a day and it is so easy to miss two or three.  I have walked for the last six days in a row, so I will make bold to do a Pedestrian Post in lieu of my usual Monstrous Monday.

I had meant to do a Pedestrian Post with Pictures so took my phone with me, but I was soon so absorbed in walking that I was disinclined to stop and take pictures.  I do enjoy the act of walking, and when I can look around and enjoy the scenery and weather, it is even better.  I suppose it would make a better blog post if I could share the scenery with you, but we can’t have everything.  I will, however, explain my headline.

Earlier this summer, when I put aside my crutches, I started to think I could go back to walking.  As I pondered the idea, the song started playing in my head, “And I will walk 500 miles, and I will walk 500 more!”  Regular readers know my love of keeping journals.  I could keep a 500 mile walking journal!  Considering I would not even be able to walk a mile to begin with, this journal would no doubt last me a long time.  I found a large notebook I had not written anything in yet.

Oh dear, this does not seem to go with the preceding paragraphs, does it?

I started to get uncomfortable looking at all the prose with no pictures so threw in the one I did take on my walk.  I was walking with a bottle of water and in the direction of the spring, so when I finished the bottle I was all set to get a refill.  So I guess this is a Pedestrian Post with One Picture.

Regarding my grandiose dream of 500 miles, I hate to have to tell you when I started towards it, because the miles sure are adding up slowly.  In my defense, I point to the aforementioned setbacks.  Also, I do not count all my walking, for example when I walk to the post office or the Elks Lodge.  This is because I have a tendency to forget to turn off my Garmin on these walks, so they do not get counted correctly anyways.  The beauty part about that is, my body still benefits from the walk.

I petted one sweet dog on this morning’s walk.  I want to start taking my walks as soon as I get out of bed.  Maybe I will be watching the sun rise soon.  I wonder if I can get a good picture of the sunrise.

 

 

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Thanks, Lisa and Valley!

Posted on August 29, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have not been going to as many tastings at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY as previously, but yesterday, I noticed that Adirondack Winery was there, so I had to make the trip down and see my friend Lisa, who I knew would be pouring.  It was a warm walk, but I needed the exercise.  I may have mentioned how grateful I am to be able to walk again.  I bet you thought I was going to whine about the heat (you know who you are).

She’s awesome!

Even though I am quite familiar with the product, I was happy to sample again.  There were also a couple of new wines to try!  I started with the Cabernet Sauvignon, one of my favorite flavors.  This one rated my ultimate accolade of “yummy.”  As regular readers know, I am not a sophisticated oenophile (I pronounce it “oh-nee-oh-file”).  I found the Pinot Gris a little sweet for my tastes, but then I tend to like my liquor bone dry.

Pina Colada was a new one for me (the Pina should have a tilda over the n, but I do not know how to do that on my Chromebook, or anywhere else for that matter) (as regular readers know, technology eludes me).  It tastes just like a Pina Colada!  It was amazing!  Sweet or not, that is a great summer drink!  I found the Strawberry very strawberry-y. Hey, my Chromebook is not underlining “strawberry-y.”  I guess it agrees that should be a word!

As always I found the Lavender delightful, the wine and the story behind it.  The owner of the winery invented it, because his wife so loved all things lavender.  I told Lisa of a conversation I had with a charming 12-year-old girl once where we were talking about lavender and rolling the “r.”  It sounds better when you say it than when you type it.  The Blueberry was also yummy: fruity but not too sweet.  I mentioned that 1,000 Islands Winery also makes a Blueberry wine.  I will have to get a bottle of both sometime and have a taste-off.  Perhaps sometime when I have another W(h)ine and Cheesey Party.

The last thing I tried was the Lavender Lemonade, two parts wine and one part lemonade.  I decided I liked the straight wine better, but for a summer party this would be OK.  I took a recipe for Serenity Lavender Lemonade, which is a little more complicated.  I also took a flier about the winery in Lake George and the Queensbury Tasting Room.  I would like to get a group together to visit one or both!  With a designated driver, of course.

Valley Wine and Liquor is located at 326 South Caroline St., Herkimer, phone number 315-867-5800.  They have tastings almost every weekend.  You can follow them on Facebook or check out their website at shopvalleywine.com.

 

 

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A Walk of Some Lame

Posted on August 28, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would do a kind of a combination Lame Post Friday and Pedestrian Post this morning.  When I discovered I had left my Garmin plugged in overnight, I took that as my sign I should walk right away.  It was prior to 8 a.m., an excellent time for a stroll.

Regular readers know I have not been walking as much as previously and I have not been running at all.  I recently started to get back into a routine of walking every morning, only to come down with a nasty cold or sinus thing that sidelined me, followed by a stomach thing more recently.  Yes, I am whining a lot, stop playing that miniature violin (you know who you are)!

The wreckage of my running dreams?

I felt delightful this morning, and moreso as I began to walk.  I decided to walk downtown and try to check the progress of the demolition of a building on Main Street.  The above picture was taken a week or more ago, when the building had just come down.  They are hard at work clearing away all the debris.  There is another condemned structure, but apparently the village lacks the funds for more demolition.

Another view.

I did not bring my phone with me so did not take a picture of what is currently there.  Perhaps later when I go to have a drink at Pete’s Tavern or the End Zone.  Uh, I mean when I go down to shop at Collis Hardware or Mohawk Valley Community Market (see how I slide in plugs for local businesses?).

I walked for a mile and a quarter and it felt great.  Now I have blogged for over 250 words, and that doesn’t feel too bad either.  Time to get on with my Friday!

 

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Still Tired, But It’s Not Tuesday

Posted on August 19, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

I suppose nobody is surprised to see me making my Tired Tuesday post on Wednesday morning.  I was tired on Tuesday, but more to the point I inadvisedly opened a fiction book I had picked up earlier that day at one of those Little Free Libraries, Celebrity In Death by J.D. Robb.  It is one of those murder thrillers, heavy on the procedure without skimping on the characters and with a large dose of Hollywood glamour.  I think, “Why can’t I write shit like that?” while being completely caught up in the ride.  This is why I must not read fiction very often.  I cannot put it down.

There’s the culprit!

I happened to be at the Little Free Library at Town of Herkimer Park because I went to said Park to take a picture to go with my story about Monday’s Herkimer Town Board meeting.  That picture is still in my phone, which is across the room charging.  I may use it later today in a Waste Not Wednesday post (preview of coming attractions) (you see how optimistic I am about making Wednesday’s post ON Wednesday).  I had a couple of books I did not plan on reading so thought to put them in the “library.”

After placing the books and getting the picture, I took advantage of the walking trail, putting in a half mile.  I had stopped walking entirely while I suffered that bad cold or whatever it was I was whining about so annoyingly last week.  I must build myself back up.

And now I am over 250 words.  Woohoo!  Almost caught back up in blogging!  Now to drink tea and read fiction.

 

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