Tag Archives: walking

A Spring-ish Post

Hello and welcome to another Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  I still have no Mohawk Valley Adventures to blog about, but I have a few spring-ish pictures that I can share.

First spring-ish picture.

I have been taking walks almost every day, in addition to my runs, and I have been appreciating the return of bare sidewalks.  I was even more delighted when I looked down and saw these blossoms.  I don’t know what they are; I don’t think they are crocuses, usually the first blooms we see.  This was yesterday afternoon.  Today I wondered if any of my crocuses were up.  I ventured out to see.

They look a little sad.

There was nothing but last year’s grass out front.  Out back I saw these white flowers, but I think I saw them too late for a good picture.  I don’t know what these are either; I didn’t plant them, they just showed up (kind of like me at the Elks Club).  Then I saw some green poking through last year’s leaves.  I left all my leaves, because I read somewhere it was a helpful thing to do for certain bugs and critters.  Any excuse for me to be lazy!  However, this was where I had planted some daffodils a few years ago, and they usually come up.

Yay! Daffodils!

I pulled away the leaves and was delighted to see green and yellow.  I walked around the yard, looking for any other bits of green trying to poke up but did not find any. However, I am encouraged by what I saw.  Oh, I KNOW it will get cold and probably snow a couple more times, so you can just stop shaking your head at me with that superior smirk (you know who you are).  I am enjoying the here and now.

And I am enjoying the fact that I am over 300 words with this blog post.  I think that makes seven days in a row.  I wonder what else I can accomplish.

 

Walking into the Weekend Once Again

I’m pretty sure I’ve used that headline before, but perhaps my readers will forgive me.  If not, well that is a silly thing to hold a grudge over, isn’t it?  Oh I know, you’re not mad, only disappointed.  Now I’m getting silly.  I had coffee instead of tea this morning.

Do Not Enter into silliness? Say it ain’t so!

I have been getting out walking almost every day this week, so I thought a brief Pedestrian Post would keep me in the daily blogging habit for another day.  I actually took this picture some days ago.  I was on my way to the Herkimer Elks Lodge.  I joined recently and have met some very nice people.  I hope to participate in some of their projects.  If nothing else, it will make for some good blog posts.

Not as clear as I had hoped.

On another walk, I noticed some bird prints and paused to take a picture.  That extended my walk, because I dropped a glove and did not notice it till I was two or three blocks away and had to go back.

Some guys from the press conference.

Just to show you I have not only been taking walks and hanging out with the Elks, I share a picture from a press conference I covered for Sentinel Media Company.  Regular readers may recall I cover a couple of village and town board meetings for them.  I like to pretend I am an intrepid girl reporter from a 1930s or ’40s movie, although I am really none of the three.

I do not know what the rest of my weekend will bring, but I hope something blogworthy.  In the meantime, I approach 300 words and hope I have been at least mildly entertaining.  I wonder if there is any more coffee…

By the way, I fixed the headline.  It originally read, “Walking into the Weekend,” which I had indeed used before.

 

Will It Be Spring? Lame Will Tell

What is with this posting every other day, me?  Will I ever get my act together?  For the answers to these and other burning questions, stay tuned. I do not promise to answer them, but you may be able to draw your own conclusions.  In any case, it is Lame Post Friday, this hot tea is not the miracle I was hoping for, and I am sitting ten-finger typing on my Chromebook and thought I could manage at least a silly post before trying to get on with my day.

Random picture to denote passage of time while I make myself a second cup of tea.

We had a couple of days where it got kind of sort of warm.  Yesterday was not one of them, as I learned after I had inadvisedly left the house without hat or gloves.  It was the bitter wind.  I guess that makes the picture a little less random, because that is what I felt like walking, although of course not as skinny.  Perhaps after a few weeks on the South Beach Diet.

Preview of Coming Attractions?

Searching for another picture to pep things up, I came across this one of me in the garden at Raindrops on Roses Bed and Breakfast in Herkimer, NY.  I have been to their wine tasting room a few times and enjoyed it very much.  I would like to take some wine loving family and friends there sometime this spring or summer.  It is easy walking distance from my house.  We could walk there, taste a few wines, walk back to my house, then sit out on my deck drinking more wine, which I will provide.  Ah, more motivation to get my house clean!

But for right now…

Unfortunately, quite a bit of snow has to melt before I start thinking about gardens and deck parties.  In fact, there is more snow outside than is shown in this picture, but I did not feel like scrolling through my Media Library all morning.

I see I have rattled on for over 300 words.  I will try for a more Mohawk Valley related post later today, striving once again to become a daily blogger.  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

The Blog Marches On

How about a nice Slacker Saturday post to start my Sunday off right?  I know, several things wrong with that statement.  To begin with, I have been up for hours. Went to bed early, got up early, haven’t had coffee or tea yet… I think this might turn out to be a Slacker Sunday as well.  Last weekend I was down with a cold, this weekend, I am just… down.  Not severely down, just…

Sign of the times? Or just of my life?

I quick threw in a picture to pep things up, as I like to do, and this gem from last March caught my eye.  I remind myself not to dwell on being down.  For one reason it makes a dull blog post.

Well, why not slack once in a while?

I took this picture in March 2021.  A March day when it was warm enough to sit on the front porch!  Oh do I miss porch sitting!  I have been cheering myself up lately with plans for spring.  Oh yeah, I did that in my last blog post, didn’t I?  That seems like a long time ago. Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped the morning coffee.

Doesn’t she notice the crazy eyes?

I go a different way with my third picture, because weekends are also a good time for black and white movies, especially the cheesy kind.  Many people do not consider The Bad Seed an especially cheesy movie, but I find moments of lovely melodrama, and I agree with what my late husband Steve always said, how can anybody be surprised to find out that brat murders people?

So now I have rattled on for over 250 words and said not much.  Well I will try for a Mohawk Valley Adventure sometime today to make a blog post about, or at least a Pedestrian Post with Pictures.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Pre-Rehearsal Waste Not Want Not

I am going to attempt a nice little Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post before my rehearsal for Prescription: Murder, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.  I have looked over my lines, but I have just a bit of a headache (can’t get through a post without whining at least a little, can I?), so that didn’t go too well.  Sipping hot tea, which I am currently doing, may help.

Do you know this guy?

I burst right in with the most striking picture I have.  I noticed this guy when I was on my way to the read-through for Prescription: Murder.  I drove around the block to take a closer a look, then came back the next day when the sun was up so I could take a picture.  It is outside the now defunct Remington Arms factory in Ilion, NY.  A developer may be purchasing the site to, you know, develop it, so I hear.  I hope this fellow doesn’t put them off.

This was last week; there is more snow now.

Back to the subject on many people’s minds these days:  All that damn snow.  I got this shot walking by Meyers Park in Herkimer.   I tried to zoom in on the pavilion to get the pretty lights but was unsuccessful.  I was also interested in the partially buried branch.  Under the heading It Takes So Little To Please Some People.  That is a saying my brother and sisters and I used to have, when we wanted to feel superior.  I could write a whole blog post about that, come to think of it.  What is wrong with being easily pleased? It means you get to feel pleased more often!

Another attempt at the buried branch.

I do enjoy winter scenes, especially the bare branches of the trees.  I will try for a Pedestrian Post with Pictures later this week (preview of coming attractions).  For one reason, I need the exercise!

 

Spice on the Snow?

Lame Post Friday has always been the place for random observations, and today I have one!  As I was taking a walk this afternoon, I looked ahead saw something red on the snow.  Was it blood (obviously the first thought of one obsessed with true crime as I am)?   Had somebody gotten sick on their way home (obviously these things happen sometimes)?  What else could it be? As I got up to it, I saw that it was red powder on a freshly plowed snowy sidewalk.  I have never heard of paprika being used as an ice melt or means of friction.  Who knew?

Alas that I did not pause to take a picture.

Unrelated snow picture.

I just scrolled through my Media Library looking for a picture of snow, since I really have nothing else for this blog post.  I took a long-ish walk today, but I did a Pedestrian Post yesterday.  I stopped at the Herkimer County Historical Society, so I can give a shout-out to them.

The Suiter House.

I will no doubt have more to blog about the Historical Society as time goes on.  For one reason, I am hoping to to a murder mystery for them this spring.  I may do some other volunteer work for them, just to keep myself busy.  I will no doubt get some blog posts about from these endeavors.

In the meantime, this must do for my Lame Post Friday post.  Happy beginning of the weekend to you all!

 

Oh, the Snow!

I have not been going on my usual walks lately, largely because of the dreadful winter weather.  Yes, yes, lots of places are having worse weather, and worse things than weather.  I did not mean to complain; I was merely pointing out cause and effect.  Today I did a bit of walking to run some errands.  Alas, I did not take pictures as I went, so you will just have to picture in your head the blowy snow I walked through, and imagine the fluff to be plowed through and the treacherous ice beneath.  But maybe I can find a few appropriate  pictures in my Media Library so my post will not be completely without illustration.

Random snow picture. 

This picture is from March 2017.  I was actually looking for a picture of Basloe Library, which was my first stop today.  I could not even find an un-snowy picture.  The snow is, in fact, not this deep, especially in my driveway.  For one reason, I have been out shoveling almost every day, so as not to let it pile up, which I have been guilty of doing before.

I could not help feeling that the weather was pretty crappy as I walked to Basloe.  It was cold, especially with the wind chill.  The sidewalks were not cleared, although some had been cleared previously.  I walked where there was some semblance of a sidewalk, especially where somebody had left footprints I could walk in.  Sometimes, however, I had to resort to the road.  Left side, facing traffic!  Most cars were considerate, slowing down and moving over when possible.

My other stops involved crossing Route 5.  Yikes!  But I managed that without too much trouble.  Only I didn’t dare hurry much.  I was afraid if I slipped on the slush and ended up flat on my back, I was more likely to get run over than if I stayed upright.

Another old snow illustration.

I prefer walking over driving when the roads are bad, because I feel more in control.  However, by the time I was headed for home after finishing my errands, I was wishing I was in my nice heated car.  It is funny how much longer walking seems to take when there is wind chill, whether or not you are walking with or against the wind.  But here I am whining again.

Another fairly unrelated picture.

Once I got home, I recklessly decided to shovel the driveway, which I had not done before I left.  I did not go into the house first, for fear I would just stay there and say to hell with it.  I put my purse on the porch, got the shovel, and dug in as fast as I could get away with.  I felt fairly pleased with myself that I had done it, especially clearing a shovel-width on the front walk (I really don’t feel I can manage more than that).  Since I am grateful to people who clear their walks, I try to return the favor.

Perhaps tomorrow I can take a picture of this year’s snow, so we can do a little compare/contrast with previous years, although I fear the similarities will be striking.

 

Blogger’s Snow Day?

Why am I so tired so early in the evening?  That is a rhetorical question; I do not really need any speculation or suggestions.  What I need is to make a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, since once again I have gone a few days blogless.  What the hell, me?

I have not walked up this hill lately.

This is a random picture of snow from my Media Library.  The Mohawk Valley has been experiencing a Snow Event since Friday.  I have not taken any pictures of said snow, but it looks remarkably similar to other times it has snowed around here.  Herkimer has not been as hard hit as other places, but we have gotten plenty, and I have done my share of shoveling.  I have also taken some effortful walks, plowing through marginally plowed spaces and being careful of underlying ice.  Perhaps that is why I am so tired.  It is winter, and my body feels it should be hibernating.

My car has looked like this three days in a row.

Here is a shot from last January, but it shows about what I have been dealing with.  However, I have been shoveling busily and not letting the snow pile up.  For one reason, warmer weather is not predicted.  If I wanted to wait it out, I would have a while.

The winding road ahead.

This is another picture from last year, included for the symbolism. I do not see a straight path ahead of me, perhaps because my current goals are too ambiguous.  I suppose January is a good time to work on that.  Then again, any time is a good time to set goals and make a plan.

In the meantime, I have blathered on for over 250 words.  I guess this is under the heading of At Least I Made A Blog Post.  As always, I shall try for something better tomorrow, and I thank you for tuning in.

 

I Guess I Was a Non-Sequitur

I meant to make my Thursday blog post on Thursday.  In fact, I went out in hopes of finding something to blog about.  It did not work out so well.  You see, I had this weird headache and I could not seem to quite do anything.  Don’t tell my mother; I don’t want her to worry.  Oh dear, she might read this post.  Never mind; I’ll think of something good to tell her.

Anyways, the headache was as much light-headedness as pain, and it kind of came and went, so during one of the times it went, I ventured out of the house.  I had an idea to check out a new store in Ilion, BB Music Center at 141 Central Ave., then have lunch at the new Jessie’s Grill at 200 Otsego St. (that cool wedge-shaped building). Unfortunately I found out Jessie’s was not to open till later, so I decided to go to Little Falls.

I hadn’t been here in a while.

I had not realized how cold it was till I walked from my car to the Little falls Antique Center at Canal Place. It was nice to look at all the beautiful wares again. Ooh I was loving the vintage jazz they were playing!  But these were not the Christmas presents I was thinking of purchasing for my loved ones.  Still, I know some of my siblings would love to accompany me there for another shopping trip one day.  I thought it might be a good idea to have lunch before going on.  For one reason, my headache was starting to come back.

Unfortunately I could not make up my mind to go into any of the eateries at Canal Place.  Perhaps I could find something on Main Street that would work.  Accordingly, I drove there and parked.  Ooh, there was Chickweed Boutique.  I love that place.  But… food.  I locked my car and started down the street.  I had parked close to one end of Main so I had a good ways to walk, and a few good eating places to walk by and choose from.

The wind had died down a little, so with my shawl, hat and gloves, I was not too cold at all.  It felt good to walk.  I walked by several places and ended up turning right and continuing to walk up a hill.  My headache was feeling much better.  There are not enough hills to walk up in Herkimer.  I was enjoying this.  I walked up the hill till there was no outlet then turned around and walked back to Main Street.

I decided to walk back up to my car and go home.  I had not consulted my watch when I parked, but I thought I had been walking for at least 20 minutes.  As I turned up Main Street, I wondered what if I ran into somebody I knew and they asked what I was doing.  I would have to say something like, “Well I don’t really know,” or, “It’s kind of hard to explain.”  I am a little sorry I did not run into anybody.

The beauty part was I noticed CVS Pharmacy before I got to my car and remembered I needed some supplements I have been taking for my migraines.  Alas that I forgot I also meant to purchase some hair gel.  I did amuse myself at CVS.  While waiting at the Pharmacy to pay for the B2 (I do not know why that should be a controlled substance) I saw myself on a television overhead, and it kept saying “recording.”  It made me nervous, but I reminded myself I was not buying poison.  It took a few minutes as the clerk needed to look up the price, so I thought to turn the image of me to good use by adjusting my headband.  When the clerk returned to complete the transaction, I told her the recording could be my alibi if I was accused of murder.  Do you suppose I watch too much Dateline?

I was a little annoyed with myself for not paying for the magnesium (oh dear is it a HIPAA violation that I told you both supplements I am on?) at the same time as the riboflavin (that’s another word for B2) when I couldn’t find anything else to buy (remember, I forgot about needing the hair gel).  Then I had a pleasant conversation with a man waiting to pay and with the clerk, so I felt happy about that.

Holy crap, I have blathered on for over 750 words about what was, so I thought, a rather uneventful interlude. If anybody has read till the end, thank you!  I hope you had a lovely Thursday and have a wonderful Friday.

 

A Shout-out and a Snowman

I thought I could manage a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday Post.  I have a couple of seasonal photos, including a shout-out to a local business.

There’s no place like Yetty’s for the holidays!

Yetty’s Pizza and Pasta is one of my favorite places to stop for a snack, lunch, or dinner.  On a recent visit there, I admired their latest decoration, painted by the owner and chef.  I must do a full post about Yetty’s soon.  That will be a good excuse to treat myself to dinner there again.

I’m sure he or she has melted now.

I got a picture of this snowman on a walk I took on the first of December.  I am not sure if those are teddy bear ears or frog eyes on the head, but I like it.  Most of the snow is gone now, with the rain that has been pounding down all day.  Oh well, at least I don’t have to shovel rain.  I would probably be too lazy to make a snowman anyways.

The sad thing is that I only have two photos to waste not.  Then again, a short blog post is better than no blog post at all.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

Yetty’s  Pizza and Pasta is located at  109 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-866-4201.