Tag Archives: weather

I Stumble in my Blogging Journey

So I started my November of posting every day by, you guessed it, not posting on November 2 (today is Nov. 3 by my calendar, although my WordPress Timestamp may say Nov. 4; I don’t properly understand these things).  However, it is only a little after 5 a.m. (ah, the miracle of Fall Back).  I had quite a stretch of making my posts late, in the morning, before I left for work.  We’ll pretend this is one of those days.

As it happens, I no longer work.  Except for almost every night when I am asleep, I dream I am at work at various places.  I must find a book on dream interpretation and see what it means, although I might scare myself.  Who wants to be inside my head?

A little fall color, at least.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  I have fallen off the running wagon for one reason and another (explanations are tiresome), but I have tried to at least walk.  This shot was from a walk I took while staying at my sister Diane’s house last weekend.  I liked the look of the dark green against the bright yellow.

The road less traveled?

This is a picture I took in Ilion last week to possibly go with my story for Sentinel Media about the Ilion Town Board meeting.  It is one of the entrances to Russell Park, a good place to take a walk.  I may go there for a walk one day before it gets too cold.

So I guess this is another nothing post, but one does what one can.  I shall try to continue with a better blog post later today.

 

The Rest of my Pixley Pics

I guess I can call this a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and share the last three pictures I took at Pixley Falls, which I visited last Friday with my sister Cheryl.  As I mentioned a few Pixley posts ago, they are actually the first three pictures I took, since I felt I could keep track of them better if I shared them in backwards order.  The way my mind is (not) working lately, I have to make things easy on myself. OK, maybe it has always been that way; let us not dwell on the past.

A little stream at least!

As I mentioned, there was not as much water as we have seen previously.  I wonder if Monday’s rain made things any better.

That’s a big rock.

I like the rocks as well as the trees and waterfalls.  I’d like to have a rock garden in my back yard but do not know where I would find the rocks and am quite certain I lack the strength to transport them.

And there they are!

I close with a picture of the big falls themselves.  It would be awesome to stand under the water on a really hot day, I thought.  Last Friday I did not care to try.

Regular readers may remember that I had planned to clean my house on Friday when my sister Cheryl called and invited me to join her in a trip to Pixley Falls.  Full disclosure:  My house is still a mess but I have made some progress.  I wonder if Cheryl will interrupt my cleaning for another adventure soon.  Maybe I need to come up with something to interrupt her housework.

 

More Pixley Pics

Here are a few more pictures from Pixley Falls, my Friday adventure with my sister Cheryl.  We were happy to commune with nature.

Cheryl agreed to pose a couple of times.

There were several wooden bridges, some of them not actually over streams, due to the dry weather I suppose.

Lovely!

We were happy whenever we saw water flowing.  At least when the water is down to a trickle, you can see the rocks better.  Under the heading, Make a Virtue out of Necessity.

More water, different rocks.

 

With the bright sun shining through green leaves, I could almost believe it was summer.  However, the cool temperature and lack of bugs reminded me it was October.  I did not mind the temperature and I was quite happy about the lack of bugs.

A more dramatic pose.

I should have zoomed in more on Cheryl in this shot.  She took a dramatic shot of me but has not texted it to me or shared it on Facebook, so I cannot include it in the blog.  I feel it is just as well; I am far less photogenic.

I was really happy I had forsaken housecleaning for nature walking.  Being out in the woods is good for you on so many levels.  And I am sure it makes a better blog post.

 

Pause for a Peek at Pixley

I pause in my Scattered Saturday gyrations to make a fast blog post about Friday’s adventure.  Fair Warning:  I took lots of pictures so will probably make multiple posts about Pixley Falls.

I had meant to spend Friday usefully employed in cleaning my house, but when my sister Cheryl called and invited me to join her in a trip to Pixley Falls, I changed my plans.  I hadn’t been there in years.  As we feared, the falls were less spectacular and the leaves less glorious due to the dry weather which has inflicted the Mohawk Valley this year.  However, we enjoyed being out in nature and had a lovely time.

I love the rocks.

I should perhaps mention that I put the pictures from my phone into WordPress in backward order, so today’s pictures are from the end of the walk.  You see, I am in kind of a hurry (more adventuring to be done and I am not properly dressed) and I am quite tired from this morning’s East Herkimer Fire Department 5K, and I just could not make myself sort through the pictures to pick the best ones.

Here’s a stairway to Heaven!

There were several upslopes on the path we walked, many of which had stairs put in with wood or stones.  We appreciated them, as well as nearby trees to grab onto.

A little falls!

I really enjoyed our walk/hike through the woods. I suppose a real hiker would call it a mere walk, but an old lady like me who is used to sidewalks will flatter myself by calling it a hike.

Stay tuned for more about Pixley Falls, and more pictures. I am hurrying back to my Saturday adventures.  Wish me luck on finding something to wear!

 

It’s My Parasol

Is anybody surprised I did it again?  I posted yesterday for the day before, and here I am today posting for yesterday.  These things happen, especially to me.  Right now my only question is was it the right morning to substitute tea for coffee?  I’m on my second cup.

Yesterday I could not make up my mind what to do.  I wrote a letter to an aunt, finished a letter to a friend, and wrote my regular Saturday post cards.  The post cards I sent were of different states; my friend Kim sent me a set of 50 from the thrift store she works at.  I wrote on one, “I am in a state of indecision.”  Eventually I decided to walk to the post office.  It was quite sunny, so I took an umbrella.  I have found that an umbrella makes a nice little bit of portable shade.

As I walked, I thought of things I could say to people who remarked on my umbrella:  “It’s my parasol.”  “I am protecting my dewy completion from the sun’s ravages.”  Nobody said anything.  After mailing the letters, I decided to walk to Mohawk Antiques Mall.  For one reason, it was Customer Appreciation Day and they were serving hot dogs.  Also, it is a very fun place to walk around, as there are lots of vendors.

One thing they definitely have is post cards!

I was so glad I went!  I found three packs of 40 different post cards each for a very good price.  I enjoyed a nice burnt hot dog, too, while listening to a lady play old tunes on the piano.  I did not spend much time walking all around, though, because I found the post cards right away.

Back out on the sidewalk, it was even warmer.  The wind made it more comfortable but wasn’t so good with the umbrella.  I have not spent a great deal of time out in the sun this summer, and yesterday I was reminded why.  I start to feel a little ill.  Additionally, I had neglected to put on good sneakers, and the walk to the Antiques Mall was lengthier than I had realized.

Still, a walk is a walk.  I enjoyed looking at houses I passed and the canal as I walked over the bridge.  I went by a friend’s house and petted his dog (I didn’t know he lived there; he just happened to be sitting on the front porch with his dog at the time).  I felt rather tired at the end, and my feet hurt.  I fear I do not treat them very well.  I neglect my blog, I neglect my feet, what a bum!

In the meantime, I have gotten to over 450 words.  Will I make a Sunday post on Sunday?  My hopes are not high.

A Run to the Moon?

Oops, I missed posting on Saturday (yes, I am back to calling attention to my deficiencies).  I went for a run this morning, though, so how about a Running Commentary Post.  I don’t know if I ran by anything I have pictures of in my Media Library, but I may throw in a few random shots to pep the post up.  We shall see.

I seem to remember making a post about a run I took after a two week hiatus (that’s a fun word to say; try it!) (too lazy to go back and check, as usual).  Then I went two days without running.  At least I walked.  I was determined to run this morning. After a reheated cup of coffee (waste not want not), I suited up and set off.

The temperature was nice, the humidity was not bad.  I thought to turn right at German Street but noticed the full moon which I had not seen last night.  I love the full moon!  I turned left and ran towards it.

Not the same full moon.

It was lighter out when I ran this morning.  I look forward to starting my runs in the dark and finishing them in full daylight.  I do not rise early enough for such shenanigans these days, but Mother Nature will catch up with me eventually.

I went up one minor hill on Maple Grove and went on to the residential area behind Valley Health, which I refer to in my head as The Suburbs.  I was figuring in my head how long I wanted to run and how I would increase my times to be ready for the East Herkimer Fire Department 5K in October.  I think I will be in pretty good shape (remembering that round and puffy is still a shape).

Running felt pretty darn good.  I had to remind myself not to get too ambitious and overdo.  I pointed out metaphors for life as I ran:  you notice and lament a 10% uphill but barely feel the same percent going down.  Also, a hill looks less intimidating the closer you get to it.  At least it did today.

One weird thing:  as I ran by a sewer grate, I thought I felt a little warmth emanating from it.  Tim Curry?  He was smoking hot in some of his movie roles!  For readers who did not get the reference, Tim Curry was a clown in the sewer in an adaptation of a Stephen King novel.  Or was it a novella or short story?  How embarrassing that I do not know (I even had to check to make sure he spells his name with a “ph”).

I plan to start running more often again so may be inflicting more running commentary posts on my readers.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

A Short Walk, A Short Post

Oh it is a bad blogging week.  I keep missing days.  There is no point in blaming it on anything, because I have blogged under adverse conditions before.  Today I took a walk, despite being a little concerned about the wildfire smoke, which WKTV Weather tells me will dissipate slowly.  I did not run or walk yesterday, after feeling quite headachey on Wednesday.  Whine, whine whine!  Sorry about that.  But I am sensitive to these atmospheric conditions.  Really, I am quite the delicate flower.  What are you laughing at? (You know who you are.)

Like this tree, I have fallen down on the job.

When I took a walk earlier in the week, I was rather taken by a fallen tree but did not photograph it.  I decided to walk by it again today. I have a kind of a fascination with dead trees.

Another angle.

My plan was not to go for a very long walk.  Maybe one mile; about 20 some minutes.  I do like to walk, and I feel it helps with my depression.

I must up my lawn decoration game.

I had to take a picture of the cute little horse, being careful not to include anything identifying about the house it was in front of.  I try to respect other people’s privacy, although I’m not sure how much of that any of us really has.  I can’t worry about these things when I have a headache.

I did get some blooms!

Returning home, I went into the backyard to get a picture of my Black-Eyed Susans, which managed to bloom after I had mowed them down earlier this summer.

Pretty!

I zoomed in on a few.  I guess this is not such a much as a post, but it wasn’t such a much as a walk either.  However, I enjoyed the walk, and I believe it is possible some readers will enjoy my blog post.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

Walking, Sharon, Walking, Snowball, Walking, Books, Walking…

I went for a walk instead of a run this morning so took my phone in hopes of making a Pedestrian Post with Pictures. I met with some success.

Lots of blooms!

I was interested to note a Rose of Sharon with a lot of blossoms.  Yesterday I spent some time trying to rescue my own Rose of Sharon from the encroachments of  the wild grape vine which has been taking over my lawn (there may be a good horror story there).  I noticed a few blooms but could not stop to admire them amidst my clipping and pulling.  I must spend more time waging the battle against the grape vines.  Why, oh why, could they not be grapes which could produce wine?

Another healthy bush!

A block or so later, I admired this snowball bush.  I would like one of those myself.  I love how the blossoms turn brown in the fall.  Also you can clip the white ones and put them in food coloring to make colors.

Alas, nothing I wanted to read.

I walked for a while with no more photo ops before seeing this Little Free Library on the road that is really a parking lot between Park Avenue and Church Street near the school.  I continued my walk looking more for shade than picture opportunities.  It was becoming warm, although I thought I had gotten out early enough.  I suppose I am more sensitive to the heat than some.  Back home I went into my own backyard to take a picture of my own Rose of Sharon.

I do love flowers!

I zoomed in.  I tried zooming out to show how tall the bush has gotten, but I had nothing to show perspective.  Another opportunity to miss my wonderful husband, Steve, who would have been happy to stand there looking cute.  But I do not mean to introduce a sad note.  My walks and runs are for my mental health as much as my physical well-being.  Being able to use them for blog posts is merely a welcome side effect.

 

Sometimes I Do Run Backwards

It really has not been all that hot and humid lately.  I mean, no heat advisories that I heard of, and it was only in the 80s, not the 90s.  Why, then do I feel so sluggish and that my brain has been steamed?  Why, oh why, am I making another blog post about it?  This cannot be interesting!  Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

Anybody remember when I did that?

I participated in this race back in 2017 but not again thereafter.  I do not know why not.  However, I saw a post about it on Facebook the other day and said, “I’m doing it this year!”  Of course I forgot to write down the date or any other information about it.  However, I think I have time to find these things out.  And I am still in 5K shape from the Pride Stride 5K in June.  The beauty part is, this should be good for several blog posts.

Can you tell it’s uphill?

I think this is the back way to Herkimer College (previously known as HCCC).  I recently ran up the front way for the first time in a while.  I have not run up the back way recently but I suppose it would be a good idea to.  I feel I do not run enough hills.

On the brighter side, using the two pictures from the past entitles me to bill this as a Throwback Thursday.  Once again, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow, and I thank you for tuning in.

 

Alas, Another Tired Tuesday Post

Oh dear.  I am as dreadfully overheated as I was yesterday, and I only feel up to a Tired Tuesday blog post.  I don’t have much to blog about anyways; I have done very little with my Tuesday. There was a moment as I was driving towards the grocery store when I felt an impulse to drive someplace more interesting, Little Falls Food Co-op, for example, but I couldn’t quite think what I might buy there.  I had rehearsal for Four Old Broads on the High Seas, but I need to sort through some pictures before I make another post about that (preview of coming attractions).

The Brain I Don’t Have.

I quick threw in a picture to pep things up.  This, of course, is The Brain from Planet Arous.  Looking through my Media Library distracted me from continuing the list of things I was NOT going to make a blog post about.  I once had a college professor get all mad at me because I spent a lot of a paper saying what I wasn’t going to get into about the topic at hand.  I don’t know what he wanted in a two page paper.  Anyways, he still gave me an A.  No wonder I got an exaggerated notion of myself as a writer.

For the record, I no longer have that exaggerated notion.  I am a writer who does not write enough. I keep hoping to change that.  I’ll let you know if I ever succeed.