Tag Archives: weather

Running Away From My Health Problems

Posted on February 2, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I think it is an impressive structure.

As I approached Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners on my run this afternoon, I remembered I had pictures in my Media Library I could include in today’s Running Commentary.  Lacking a really catchy lead, I decided to open with the Courthouse.

Yes, after almost two months, I returned to running today.  My tiresome health problems continue to dog me, but I figured taking it easy was not helping me, I might as well try a little exertion.  For another reason, I miss running, and I thought I saw a 10K going on somewhere nearby in April.  I can be ready to run a 10K in April.  Or I can run it anyways, if I’m not ready for it.  But I could be partially ready for it if I started running today.

It was 39 degrees according to my thermostat.  Not too warm for leggings and long sleeves.  I wore a new sports bra I bought some weeks ago.  Ooh, it was soft.  I must purchase more new sports bras.  I put a sweatshirt and bottle of water on the deck rail, ready for my cool-down walk, and got started.

Regular readers know I prefer to run on the sidewalk.  It is safer, and I find it more pleasant.  However, winter sidewalks, especially when things have been thawing and re-freezing, can be treacherous.  I chose the road, left side facing traffic, as we are supposed to do but many do not.  I regretted my choice when I turned onto German Street.  Too much traffic!  And mud puddles.  I decided to only go one block and turn down Henry, a quieter street.

Ah, much better.  I noticed the sidewalk did not look too bad and decided to try it.  Long stretches were bare and dry, some were merely wet.  I shuffled carefully over some icy patches.  There were sections of the road that looked worse than the sidewalk, but you’ll have that.  I alternated sidewalk and road, avoiding ice and icy puddles whenever possible.  I ran up Main Street, which in the downtown area had lovely stretches of bare, dry sidewalk.

I used to go to this church.

It was as I ran by Christ Episcopal Church, narrating in my head, that I remembered about the pictures.  There is nothing like pictures to pep up a blog post.  I was able to stay on the sidewalk till the 1834 Jail.

Is the picture less effective because you can see green lawn and leaves? Sorry if I have ruined the mood.

Continuing up Main Street in the road got a little scary, because traffic picked up and I had to go around parked cars.  Still, every time I looked at the sidewalk, I felt no inclination to go there.  German Street was no better, and traffic there was worse.  Yikes!  I only went one block on German then turned down Prospect.  Phew!

I had planned to run for 20 minutes, my usual goal when I have not been running in a while.  However, I made it for 26 minutes.  As I walked my cool-down, my legs felt TERRIFIC!  I kept repeating to myself, I must run or walk every day.  We’ll see how that goes tomorrow, when the temperature is supposed to drop, abruptly and considerably.  At least it will be Friday!

 

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Teeny Tiny Steps

Posted on January 14, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

It was another crappy day weather-wise in the Mohawk Valley.  We were relieved that Steven did not work till 11:30 this morning.  I should have taken some pictures when the sun was still up, but I can’t think of everything.  I did walk to the post office, since the mailman (yes, ours is a man) did not see the post cards and letter I had attached to our mailbox, so I will attempt a short pedestrian post.

Sidewalks were not consistently plowed, and I was soon out on the road, left side facing traffic, OF COURSE.  There was glare ice under the snow, so I walked very slowly, taking teeny-tiny steps.  Earlier I had seen on Facebook a post from Rock City Runners asking if anybody was braving the weather to run.  A few were.  I, alas, was not.  As my feet slipped out from under me, I realized this was the right decision.  If I had been running, I would not have remained upright.

A neighbor stopped at a stop sign offered me a ride, but I told her I was good.

“I need the exercise,” I said, which was quite true.

“You’re a brave woman!”

I was flattered.  The paths through Meyers Park were not plowed, what a surprise, but the road around it was.  I could see the ice shining at points.  I laughed at myself for the teeny-tiny steps I was taking.  I had been singing “I Will Survive” while Steven and I had shoveled the driveway (aided by a kind neighbor with a snow-blower, by the way).  I kept singing it, teeny-tiny stepping in time to the music.  It did my heart good to sing about being a strong woman, although I assure you my husband has NOT tried to break me with good-bye.

I purchased more post-card stamps after I mailed my stuff, enjoying a brief chat with the fellow behind the counter.  I did not realize or had forgotten that post-card stamps are now Forever, like first-class, so I felt happy to purchase a hundred.  Lots of postcards!

I walked up Main Street to get home.  I confess, I did not enjoy my walk as much a I usually do, because of the ice.  However, I did not land on my ass.  I’ll call that a win. Maybe I can start running again soon. Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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I Did Not Mean Pea Soup

Posted on January 13, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

What a perfectly dreadful day and I am not going to apologize for bitching about it!

But at least I will try not to continue bitching.  I had plans for after work, namely getting some Mohawk Valley adventures in before the bad weather starts, both for blogging purposes and to write something for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  First I had a dreadful headache all afternoon, which got even worse as it got closer to quitting time.  Well, my head doesn’t feel quite so bad now, but the weather!  Yikes!  There is flooding in various places, a fog you can hardly see through, and it is still raining.  It seemed quite irresponsible to go anywhere.

Full disclosure:  I went somewhere.  I went to a big box store that needs no plug from Mohawk Valley Girl.  I needed yarn.  Let’s be reasonable:  if I am going to be stuck inside for the weekend, I have to do SOMETHING.  Clean my house, you say?  I SAID BE REASONABLE!!!  I intend to watch either true crime shows or monster movies and crochet.  I might bake something if it gets too cold in here.  It may not be a weekend worth blogging about, but I expect to enjoy it.

As I left the store, I said to two different people, “This fog is as thick as peanut butter!” Imagine my disappointment when neither responded properly with, “You mean pea soup.”  Of course I would have said, “You eat what you like, I’ll eat what I like!”  Luckily, I was not on an iceberg about to crash, but if I was I would certainly have yelled, “LAAAAND HOOOOOOO!”

Anyways, this will have to do for my Friday Lame Post.  If you are a local reader, stay off the roads if you can.  If you cannot, PLEASE be careful!

 

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Early or Late, Here I Go!

Posted on January 12, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So posting at 4:30 a.m. on Friday (my time; I don’t know what my WordPress timestamp will do) makes this a real Non-Sequitur Thursday, doesn’t it?  Now if only I can think of anything to say on half a cup of coffee.  Maybe another sip or two is in order.

We are in the midst of a January thaw (colder temperatures on the way, according to my Local on the Ones that I hear in the background as I type this).  Do the changing temperatures have anything to do with the sick days I’ve been taking?  Blogger’s Sick Days, that is.  I’ve been going to work.  That means if I have some sort of contagious bug, I have been sharing my germs.  I say to my co-workers, don’t say I never gave you nothin’!  Just kidding.  I have been trying to keep to myself.  Anyways, I don’t think I am contagious.

So here I go talking about my health woes, which I realize is tiresome and boring to many.  Well, I intend to have some Mohawk Valley adventures this weekend, so I hope for better blog posts soon (probably not today, though; it is Lame Post Friday, after all).

One writing note:  I have been working on a new novel every day for thirteen days now (today is Day Fourteen).   I had decided to work on it every day for 100 days and see what good it did me.  So far, pretty good.  I even opened up my notebook and wrote some on it last night with a bad headache.  Isn’t that exciting?

Oh, one other writing note:  I have a murder mystery to finish.  I will definitely write more about that.  For one thing, I will want to publicize the event for the benefit of my local readers.

In the meantime, I have coffee to drink and a day to prepare for.  I hope to write another blog post later.  A late Happy Thursday and early Happy Friday to all.

 

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Saturday Supper

Posted on January 7, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a cooking post today? Quite frankly, I kept my happy ass home today.  It was cold and, as I said yesterday, nothing I have to do was so damn important after all.  I wrote a little, I watched a monster movie (which I may also write about), I took a nap.  Judge me if you like (some of you will anyways) (you know who you are). As Popeye said, I yam what I yam (although I am not cooking yams).

Steven was due home in, I hoped, less than a half hour, so I went out to the kitchen to see what I could do.  I like to cook with wine so poured myself a glass of Chardonnay.  I had taken boneless, skinless chicken thighs out of the freezer this morning. I had also mentioned the possibility of baked macaroni and cheese to Steven.  I had a tentative plan.

I put on water to boil for mini shells and pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees.  I put some spices on the chicken:  garlic powder, onion powder, and Salt-Free All Purpose from the So Sweet Candy Cafe (just to give them another shout-out).  Judge me if you like for not using fresh garlic and onions, but only if you are quite finished judging me for the nap (I would not want anyone to pull a muscle on my account).  I have some mozzarella I grated yesterday but did not use all of for flat-break pizzas (which would have made a dandy post, I suppose).  I also grated some extra sharp cheddar and Monterrey Jack.  Then I came back into the living room to write my blog post.

When the chicken is cooked, I will chop it up to put in the macaroni and cheese.  I have some leftover garlic dip and a can of mushrooms I will add to the mix.  I shall throw in a little milk and/or butter if it seems like a good idea at the time.

I believe it will be a delightful dinner.  I make bold to hit Publish without assuring that it is.  That is the kind of cooking post I make.  Happy Saturday, everybody, and if you live in Central New York or someplace equally cold: try to keep warm!

P.S.  Steven is due home in another five or so minutes. Yay!

 

 

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It’s a Lame Story

Posted on January 6, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, sitting at work, determined not to indulge in Lame Post Friday. I’ve had a week of stupid posts!  I was going to have a Mohawk Valley adventure and do a REAL post!  There were all kinds of things I could do.

For example, I could make my annual trip to Melfe’s Shoe Service for my work shoes.  That would be right on the way home.  Or I could go the other way but still in Ilion, and have a cup of Moose River Coffee.  Mmmm… hot coffee would set me up for the evening.  Or, right next to Moose River Coffee is Beer Belly Bob’s.  I could go with a different beverage, although I would have to go home to drink it.  If I wanted to drive a little further, I could go to Original Herkimer Cheese and get some Chudder (tastes like cheddar, spreads like butter).  Yum!  I could also see if the Ilion Farmer’s Market at Clapsaddle Farm is still open.  It is under new ownership.

Perhaps I could go home first and change my clothes.  Then I could take a drive to Little Falls.  I have been wanting to go to Huckleberry Letterpress again.  I could probably write about them for Mohawk Valley Living magazine (I think my deadline is soon).  There are several other shopping destinations in Little Falls:  Prima Donna’s Boutique, Rochette, the Selective Eye at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, Little Falls Antique Center and the Shops at 25 West.  Hmm… maybe I was getting a little too ambitious.

I was still undecided as I left my place of employment.  To make a long story short (I know: too late), I went home and posted the following on Facebook:

So I sit at work thinking, “It’s going to be even colder tomorrow. I should do my shit today and stay home tomorrow.” Then I leave work, and it’s face-hurting cold and the roads suck, and I think, “What have I got to do that is so goddam important, anyways?”

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We’ll Call This Wuss-out Wednesday

Posted on January 4, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

“Oh shame! Oh degradation!”

I open with this picture from Dirty Work at the Crossroads, the melodrama that my husband ,Steven, directed at Ilion Little Theatre some years ago, because I am, as I was on stage, hanging my head in shame.  In the play, it was because the villainess in yellow was about to expose my deep, dark secret.  Right now it is because I am making yet another foolish blog post.

In my defense, it is too cold for any Mohawk Valley adventures!  Actually, that is not strictly true today.  It was supposed to get up to 21 degrees.  That is practically a heat wave.  I could have gone for a nice walk or even a run, if only I had had enough oomph.  And here we come to the ugly truth about me.

Too cold for adventures, I tell you!

I had meant to write something while at work today.  I thought I might wax eloquent about things I MIGHT do.  Kind of a Preview of Coming Attractions.  Instead I worked on a letter to a friend, wrote a few more notes on my new novel, and worked on cryptogram and crossword puzzles.  Um, I did all this while on breaks, so any co-workers reading this don’t need to go squealing on me to the bosses.

Do you suppose that I am getting old?  SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!  Of course I am older than I was yesterday; everybody is, that’s how it works.  The fact is, although I spent most of today feeling less tired than I felt yesterday, I am once again VERY TIRED NOW.  Dammit.

This is what I feel like doing.

It is early January.  I declare it not too late for New Year’s Resolutions (oh don’t go snootily telling me you don’t DO New Year’s Resolutions; I am not up for an argument).  I shall make one now.  Better blog posts!

Incidentally, the above photo is our dearly departed doggy, Spunky.  I included it because he looks so relaxed and happy to be resting.  It makes me think of another change I’d like to make in 2018.  I want to find another doggy friend.  Now that would be something to blog about!

 

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I Don’t Feel Abominable, Just Tired

Posted on December 13, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I just can’t get away from Tired Tuesday.  But what do you want from me?  I worked all day, got my boobs squished (see yesterday’s post), then shoveled my drive way.

Yes, winter returned to the Mohawk Valley today, and I guess it could have been worse.  Roads were pretty bad when I drove into work shortly before 6 a.m., although I know the plows had been around.  I enjoyed that weird personality quirk of mine that I laugh at bad weather.  I chuckled all the way from my car to the building, being careful not to slip on the slush. I just kept looking up and marveling at the sheer amount of snow coming down.  It did make me laugh.  Luckily it did not keep up at that great rate all day.

There was not a massive amount of white stuff on the driveway, and it was still coming down, but I got out to at least take off a layer.  I TOLD Steven not to come with me, because his back is bothering him, but he joined me anyways.  I guess most spouses don’t do what the other one tells them to do, do they?  I almost never do myself.

What I am really looking forward to now is that first cup of coffee tomorrow morning (again, see yesterday’s post).  I told all my friends at work that I would probably show up with a BIG smile on my face.  So that will be two days I show up at work smiling: laughing at the snow, then giddy over the coffee. Perhaps the giddiness will carry over and I will write a better blog post.

I think this is one of my co-workers.

I thought I would just throw in the Abominable Snowman for good measure.  I think he is kind of cute.

 

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I Jingle All the Way

Posted on December 10, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ran the Reindeer Run 5K in Little Falls this morning.  Slowly, of course.  At least I didn’t walk, and I was out there doing it.  And I retained enough breath to shout out silly remarks to fellow runners, volunteers, and people along the course watching.  I like to think I amused a few people.  Steven took a picture of me before I left, because we both rather liked my outfit.

Ready to rock and roll!

Yes, the jingle bells on my reindeer antlers chimed the whole way.  At one place in the course, we ran out a road to a truck, then turned around and ran back.  I shouted encouragement to all the runners ahead of me (which was most of them) as they ran by me after they turned around.  I said things like, “Looking good!”  “You got this!”  “Good job!”  “See you at the party!”  and, my own personal favorite, “Jingle all the way!”

The party afterwards was at Ed and Bud’s Bar and Grill on Main Street in Little Falls. I had been by Ed and Bud’s many times but never stopped in.  I must make that a priority now.  For one reason, the race director and volunteers were drinking Tom and Jerry’s, a traditional Christmas drink.  It looked so good, but of course I did not have my wallet on me.

After the race, I walked back to the YMCA, where the race had started.  I was feeling the cold by now, but walking up a couple of hills stretched my leg muscles out pretty good.

A highlight of the race was the Moose on the Loose.  The Moose was at many events associated with Christmas in Little Falls, and people were encouraged to take selfies with her and post them on social media.  Those who did so could win prizes.  When I confessed to the Moose that I could not do so, she whipped out her phone and took one.

We were all in high spirits at the beginning of the run.

The Moose met me near the end and ran in with me.  Alas, I started my sprint too soon, thinking the ending was closer than it was.  Then I panicked.

“I’m not going to make it,” I whined.

“Yes you are!” said the Moose and another runner who was just a little ahead of me.  Of course I did make it.  As usual, I felt terrific once the run was over.  I’m looking forward to the next Little Falls run.  And to the run I intend to take by myself tomorrow.  Or the next day.  But soon.  I like to run.

 

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Cold Hands, Good Run

Posted on November 30, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I don’t think this blog will go All Reindeer Run All The Time.  I am not running enough to warrant such a thing.  However, I did run today and will attempt to make a Running Commentary post instead of my usual Wuss-out Wednesday.

I had thought it was supposed to still be kind of warm today, and sure enough, when I got home from work my thermostat said it was 45 degrees out.  That is my cut-off for shorts and short sleeves, but it was a bit windy, so I thought I would go for the leggings and long.  Leggings were easy to find (actually they were polyester long johns I like to wear instead of pantyhose), but by the time I found a long sleeved shirt I was hot flashing.  I had worn my t-shirt from the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K (remember that?)  to work today, and that is such a lovely soft cotton, I decided to run in it too.

Thus hybridly attired (what, isn’t “hybridly” a word?  It should be), I set out.  Ooh, that wind was fierce.  I was already regretting the t-shirt, but no matter.  I thought about how good it would feel to put on my sweatshirt for my cool-down walk.  I was thinking I should run a long (for me right now) time, at least 30 minutes.  My last longest run was 36 minutes.  I will increase that to 40 this weekend, which will put me right where I want to be for the 5K.   I hope.

I let myself off the hook for hills, because I hate trying to cross a busy street in the late afternoon.  In fact, traffic was so bad, I turned left instead of right at the end of my street so I would not have to run in front of the cars stopped at the STOP sign.  I made it to Caroline Street before I didn’t want to cross again, but that was OK.  This was one of my go-to runs:  German to Caroline, then down Caroline, up Margaret, down Henry…

My run was enlivened by some Christmas decorations on some houses.  I tried to make a note of where houses were that had lights, in case we go for a walk after dark one night, which I hope we will.  My legs pumped along steadily, not giving me much problem.  My breathing wasn’t too bad.  My hands were turning to stiff icy claws, but what could I do?  I just wouldn’t try to write anything as soon as I got home.  I hoped my hands would be able to turn on the faucets for my shower.  Ah, hot water would be great.  Maybe I would even have hot chocolate instead of cold chocolate milk for my recovery beverage.

By the end of my run, I was feeling quite tired, but I persevered.  I ended up running for 35 minutes instead of 36.  Sorry, folks, I was at my house and I just did not have the mental or physical wherewithal to go past the house again (I had already gone past it once, running down the opposite sidewalk, then to the corner and crossing the street).  It did feel wonderful to put my sweatshirt on.

I think I will be just fine for next Saturday’s 5K.  My only sticky widget, as I just realized, is that I don’t have anybody to meet me at the end of the race and sing “We Are the Champions” while I walk around with my fists in the air.  After a race, I like to walk around with my fists in the air while somebody sings “We Are the Champions.”

 

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