Tag Archives: walking

Unwelcoming Weather

Posted on April 7, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did mention this would be Wrist to Forehead Sunday. In fact, I don’t feel particularly wrist-to-foreheady (yes, computer, I know that’s not a word, but it should be). I feel happy to be home.

I traveled from the Mohawk Valley into Liverpool, NY and thence to the Finger Lakes (have you ever used the word “thence” in a sentence? I have not) (till now). It was a lovely if tiring weekend. I drove by myself, to and from Liverpool. This was a big deal. I rarely go anywhere by myself. But once in a while I try to be an independent, take charge kind of woman.

When I got home and Steven had returned home from work, we took our schnoodle, Tabby for a walk. She was so happy to have both her peeps home. It was a beautifully sunny day. Who could resist going for a walk on a Sunday in springtime?

Well, the Mohawk Valley weather was not exactly welcoming me or springtime back, it seems. That wind was mean! It was cold! I was happy I had the foresight to wear a windbreaker and my toque. Still, I felt a little ill-used. What a ridiculous difference between the way the day looked and the way the day felt.

Still, it was a nice walk and I was happy to be with Steven and Tabby. And I guess we’re all getting tired of hearing complaints about the weather (although few of us are going so far as to actually shut up about it) (that’s a whole other blog post: we’re rarely tired of complaining, just of hearing others do so). Well, I’ll stop complaining now, and go back to enjoying my Sunday. I hope you all are doing the same.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Nickel at a Time

Posted on March 29, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Lame Post Friday. Actually it is not a real Friday for me, because I have to work tomorrow. But I must make a ridiculous post, because I didn’t write a thing all day and I want to get this posted quickly so I can relax myself before going to bed early. At least I will try to avoid the topic of Why I Can’t Write a Post.

I took a walk earlier with my beloved schnoodle, Tabby. As well as two poop bags (I like to carry a spare), I carried a grocery sack in case I found any deposit bottles or cans. Earlier this week, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was going to the laundromat. Regular readers may recall that our washer and drier perished in last summer’s flood (I think I mentioned it in a post; too lazy to go back and check).

“I wouldn’t go to the laundromat,” she declared. “I’d be saving my pennies and picking up bottles and cans from the side of the road!”

“These things take time,” I told her. As I walked, I reflected on how much time it would take, if I financed a washer and drier entirely with deposits. Or even if I wanted to buy a candy bar. I’m afraid my little dog would wear out long before I gathered enough bottles and cans. Not to mention my patience.

Ooh, look, I’m over 200 words. I say that’s good. Tomorrow I only work six hours, so I will have plenty of time to come up with something a little more blogworthy. But I hope you are all having a lovely Friday.

Leave a comment

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

Come On, Spring!

Posted on March 25, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I begin my week with a Pedestrian Post (we all know the week begins Monday not Sunday, right?) rather than a Middle-aged Musings Monday. I did write something earlier, but it’s not ready yet. I want it to marinade in my brain before I edit further.

And can I just say, dammit, it’s the last week of March. Is 50 degrees too much to ask? Apparently so. Still, the sun was out, sporadically at least. I thought, hat, gloves, a scarf in case the wind picks up. I’d be fine.

Of course I forgot to put on the gloves and scarf. What can I say, it’s been a long day and I had an anxious schnoodle barking at me to hurry up. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands (my coats are all too big on me) and hoped for the best.

It wasn’t too bad on my hands. When the wind picked up, however, my face got to feeling quite uncomfortable. Oh well, these things happen. Dogs must be walked, after all, and I needed the exercise myself. At least there weren’t as many puddles or treacherous patches of ice. Enough to keep me on my toes but not enough to land me on my ass. Luckily.

We walked down Bellinger Street, sometimes on bare sidewalk, sometimes on muddy grass. We saw some workers from National NiMo working on something in a hole in the street. Tabby looked interested, but I didn’t let her go investigate. She probably thought the workers wanted to pet her.

Continuing down one street I saw three houses posted as uninhabitable. Oh dear. I suppose these things happen in every town. I looked around for something more cheerful to observe. I saw a free-standing porch swing in somebody’s yard. That made me think fondly of sitting outside, which I’m sure will be possible around here one day soon. March is too early for that even at more seasonable temperatures, I reminded myself.

I saw a beer can in the street and realized I had forgotten to bring a bag to put it in. No matter, I had two poop bags. One could just as easily be a can bag. I found two more cans as the walk continued. I laughed at myself for being pleased over fifteen cents. Then again, it didn’t cost me anything but a little effort to pick them up. I was taking the walk anyways. It will cost a little more effort and some gas to take the cans to the redemption center, but I can wait till I’ve collected a few more before I do that.

Soon I hope to be seeing crocuses when we take these walks. Then I can admire other people’s gardens, comparing them favorably or otherwise with mine. Ooh, and I can write blog posts about my gardening adventures. Come on, spring!

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Pedestrain Post, personal, walking and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Best Laid Plans

Posted on March 19, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought the time had returned when I would come home from work, go running, and write a blog post about it. I put out running clothes last night when I put out my work clothes. I spent the day questioning my choice of running clothes and deciding what I would wear instead (because of how warm it was, not because I’m a running clothes horse).

And then my back betrayed me.

I guess us middle-aged ladies need to treat our bodies differently from how we treated them when we were in our resilient twenties (as if I remember that far back!). In any case, it seemed like a really dumb idea to spend the latter half of the afternoon at work complaining about my back pain, then go home and do something that would probably make it worse.

And any smug people sitting there smirking at me like I’m making up some lame excuse (they won’t openly accuse me of it, they’ll just sit there giving me that look — oh I HATE that look!) (you know who you are)… well, if you ever feel a fraction of my pain, just remember not to take pain relievers on an empty stomach.

Be that as it may, I took a walk instead, with my wonderful husband, Steven, and my delightful schnoodle, Tabby. I wore my flood boots, because some of those puddles are pretty deep. You know, where the snow banks on either side of the sidewalk act as dams (those damn snowbanks!) (get it? I thought it was clever). Steven did not wear his and had to do some fancy stepping to not get his feet soaked. I walked carefully through each one. Less twisting and maneuvering was better for my back.

Unfortunately, the walk was short and not very eventful. Then again, it’s a Tired Tuesday. Let’s see what I can come up with for Wuss-out Wednesday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Leave a comment

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

Hey, It’s a Nickel

Posted on March 17, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I will tell you about the nice walk I took with my schnoodle, Tabby, yesterday.

I was, of course, delighted that the temperature was warm enough to make a walk comfortable. I put on my flood boots to be prepared for all the puddles we were sure to find. Can I just interject here that that is one good thing to come out of my basement being flooded: these rubber boots. They are awesome for walking through puddles. I encourage anybody who likes walking in the springtime to provide themselves with a pair. Don’t wait till you have a basement full of soggy junk to clean out.

In addition to a couple of poo bags (I re-purpose produce bags, newspaper bags, etc.), I provided myself with a plastic grocery bag. Sometimes I use these for poo, although I prefer a smaller bag for my size hound. However, in this case, I had another purpose in mind. You see, money is tight for Mohawk Valley Girl these days, as I suppose it is for almost everybody. I can’t help noticing deposit bottles and cans just lying around sometimes and I think, “That’s a nickel.” I don’t always see them, but I thought I would be prepared.

Yesterday I got lucky a block and a half from home. When Tabby stopped to sniff, I saw a bottle sticking out of the snow. I had to unbury it, then turn it over to make sure it was deposit. It was. Tabby had finished sniffing by this time. I heard somebody laughing from across the street.

“Hey, it’s a nickel,” I told him.

“Oh, no, I was laughing at the dog standing there looking at you. I’d’ve picked it up myself.”

In fact, Tabby was politely waiting for me. We continued our walk. It was a pleasant walk. In addition to exercise for me and my dog, I found five cans. I had to dump Budweiser out of one, and another spilled a little Rolling Rock on my hand. I washed my hand in the snow, being sure to use soap when I got home. Two cans I had to dig out of a bush. Two cans I left lay, because they were crushed.

I had to laugh at myself, especially when I started to do the math. Do you know how many walks we’ll have to take before I have enough nickels to pay for, say, a pedicure? Luckily I love taking my dog for walks. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, walking, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Running (in place) Commentary

Posted on March 16, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

My Boilermaker ambitions suffered a setback on Thursday when it was too dreadfully cold to run outdoors. It had also precipitated quite a bit on Wednesday, so there was more ice than I wanted to deal with. So I ran in place on the mini-tramp.

Running in place on the mini-tramp is not as easy as running outdoors on the sidewalk. My knees go higher and the pace is less leisurely. I did not run for as long as I did outdoors. I thought that would be OK, because I intended to run on Friday as well. This would work.

Then Friday I had the most horrendous headache. Perhaps you read my extremely lame blog post. That was a result of the pain. Sorry about that.

Today (Saturday) I woke up with the same headache, only not as bad. I had some coffee, ate breakfast and took some OTC migraine medicine. It seemed to help, but I was a little lightheaded. I decided to take my schnoodle, Tabby for a walk. It was not delightfully warm, but warm enough for walking. I wore my flood boots so I could navigate the puddles with impunity. Tabby doesn’t care if she gets her feet wet.

It was a nice, long walk, but when I got home I was all lightheaded again. I piddled and puttered around for a while, not wanting to run and feeling dreadfully guilty about not running. For one thing, how can I POSSIBLY run the Boilermaker if I don’t train properly? Registration is in one week. I must make an irrevocable decision soon.

On our walk earlier, I had observed myriad puddles, many of them lined with ice. I thought the mini-tramp was safer. It had the added advantage that if the exertion was just too much for me, I would already be home. “Just try,” I told myself (go ahead and quote Yoda at me; just try works for me!).

I actually did pretty good. The DVD I had been looking at while I ran Thursday was still in the machine, so I could continue my viewing of Nosferatu (the old, silent version, possibly the scariest movie ever made). I didn’t feel lightheaded any more. I ran a little further than I did on Thursday. Woohoo!

Of course I felt lightheaded as soon as I stopped running in place. No, I am not capable of running in place indefinitely to avoid feelings of lightheadedness. But I did what I could. Maybe this Boilermaker thing will work out for me.

Tune in tomorrow, when I might tell you all about the walk I took with Tabby.

Leave a comment

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

World’s Dumbest Obsession

Posted on March 14, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t really have anything except that title, which I thought of several days ago, not really intending to use it. I mean, is there any reason to do an entire post about “World’s Dumbest” on TruTV and how I can’t seem to live without it? On the other hand, someone might observe that there is little discernible reason for me to be writing this blog at all. To that person I say, questions of why run into half-baked philosophy, suitable for Lame Post Friday, not Non-Sequitur Thursday (which is today). In other words, nice try, but I’m not stopping.

Where was I? Ah yes, nowhere. I’m sitting in my living room, netbook (I think that’s what it’s called; it was given to me) on my lap, dinner in the oven and “World’s Dumbest” on TV in front of me. I’ve seen this episode before. I’ve seen most episodes before (see headline about obsession).

Tabby got a little miffed at me earlier, when I “ran” on the mini-tramp instead of taking her for a walk. I deemed it too cold out for cute little doggies. It was definitely too cold for me. I walked to a doctor’s appointment this morning from work. That was the longest ten-minute walk I have taken in a long time. On the brighter side, it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.

Paragraph #3 was the non-sequitur of the post, in case you were wondering.

Leave a comment

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

Just Saying

Posted on March 7, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Earlier today I wrote the title of a blog post. Then I drew a line under it and wrote a paragraph of a different blog post. Then I turned the page and wrote pretty much an entire other blog post.

And here I am, typing off the cuff. Yes, I am taking another Blogger’s Sick Day. I have had a dreadful headache for most of the day. I know, other people have debilitating headaches and manage to write decent blog posts, or at least not to complain to all and sundry about them. Well, you may have noticed previously, in most cases, I am not other people.

The sad thing is that last Friday I had a much worse headache and actually managed a not bad blog post. Or do I flatter myself? Probably. In my defense, I had that post already written and had merely to copy it.

Ah, my astute reader asks, what about the entire other blog post you mentioned in paragraph one? Can’t you just type that one in? Somehow, I just don’t feel I can. You see, I wrote about how I MIGHT run the Boilermaker. Only, you see, I wrote the post, but I did not come home and run. How hypocritical is that? A whole post about running the Boilermaker from a person who did NOT run? I can’t do it.

I did take my dog Tabby for a walk. As I walked, I reflected on a saying I made up earlier in the week:

Standing burns more calories than sitting, walking burns more calories than standing, running burns more calories than walking, and walking your dog is just always a good thing to do.

I will now try to come up with a silly headline and wish you all a pleasant Non-Sequitur Thursday.

Leave a comment

Posted in blogging, humor, Non Sequitur Thursday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Birthday Walk

Posted on March 2, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I like to start my Saturday with a run or a walk. Unfortunately my difficulties running continue. Barring a run, I like to walk with my schnoodle, Tabby, to the post office and mail postcards to a few people. Accordingly, I wrote five postcards and stamped them.

Then noticed it was eleven degrees out. Yes, I know, at least it was double digits. I can be thankful for small favors and still stay inside. We drove to the post office. By this afternoon, the temperature had risen into the upper twenties. That sounded good to me. Steven graciously agreed to accompany us on our walk.

I should perhaps mention that Steven is usually working on Saturday. This weekend we both have a glorious three days off to celebrate his birthday. Well, to celebrate yet another anniversary of his 29th birthday. So I suppose this was along the lines of a birthday walk (his actual birthday is Monday, in case anybody was wondering).

It was one of those hazy sunny days, where the light scatters and the snow doesn’t help. I was glad of my prescription sunglasses. They are brown polarized, perfect for such a day. I hope nobody thinks I am a spoiled, rich brat that I have polarized prescription sunglasses. I got them several years ago, when I worked in the optical industry. They were free.

(Reminder for next Lame Post Friday: philosophize half-bakedly on why I felt the need to point out that I do not spend infinite dollars on eyewear.)

We walked past Tabby’s beloved Historic Four Corners and down Main Street in Herkimer, NY. Steven stopped into Smoker’s Friendly to purchase lottery tickets. By this time tomorrow, we may be millionaires. That might be worth a blog post. We continued down Main Street.

We once again realize we have not gone to the new pizza place, whose name escapes me. We also noticed that Burrito Jones is now open. All kinds of meals yet to have. Oh, and we smelled something good coming from Brian’s Roast Beef Deli, where we have eaten many times and will no doubt eat again. We also saw that Exclusive Barbershop has a new awning, nicely painted. I need a haircut, but I usually go to the Hot Spot Salon and Spa, where I can also get a pedicure.

It was not too bad walking. The temperatures were not as glorious as last weekend, but at least it didn’t make our faces hurt. The sidewalks were pretty good, except for a few patches of ice which I warned Steven about. Usually my warning Steven comes right before I land on my own butt, but today I avoided such an eventuality.

We had a few other Mohawk Valley adventures today, and plan a couple more before the weekend is over. However, I like Running Commentary or a Pedestrian Post on Saturday. I enjoyed our walk, and I do like writing about them. I hope my dear readers are enjoying their Saturday as much.

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Pedestrain Post, personal, walking and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Still Strolling

Posted on February 24, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I can’t, I positively can’t do another pedestrian post. Is walking the only thing I have to do in the Mohawk Valley? Well, truth be told, when the temperature finally goes above 40 degrees, walking is about the most satisfying thing to do.

I do want to start running again. Today I went so far as to bring my mother’s mini-tram down from the extra bedroom. I had the plan to run on it while I looked at a silent movie on DVD. I felt quite clever for thinking of this plan. You see, I rarely watch silent movies, because I like to knit or crochet while I watch. For a silent movie, you miss too much if you are not glued to the screen. I figured I could run on a mini-tramp and stay pretty glued to the screen.

The movie I chose was Nosferatu (1922), possibly the scariest movie ever made. I first saw part of Nosferatu in sixth grade. My elementary school got movies from the library (real movies on a reel; this was the 1970s) and showed them on Friday nights. My mom and Mrs. Lombino were among the ladies in charge of picking the movies. One October they got “a silent version of Dracula.” They thought it would be great. Aren’t silent movies always hilarious?

Um, no. Little kids were crying. They didn’t show the whole movie, although some of us would have liked to see it. I never encountered the movie again till years later. Now I have it on not one but two DVD collections of horror movies. Sweet.

OK, that whole stroll down memory lane was just to pad out the post. I can’t write about the movie, because I only watched about two minutes of it. I was thinking of how warm it probably was outside, and my dog was looking at me sadly.

So I got off the tramp, stopped the movie and walked the dog. I could always get back on the tramp later, but I am more likely to see if Tabby wants to go for another walk. I know, it is not as good exercise, taking a strolling walk and pausing to let a cute little dog sniff the snow. I don’t care. It is better for my soul.

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Pedestrain Post, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →