Tag Archives: wine

Fun at the Waterfront

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I believe I mentioned Steven and I were visited by our good friend Tracy in the last few days.  We began our delightful visit with a trip to the Waterfront Grille at Gems Along the Mohawk  in Herkimer, NY.  It is one of my favorite Sunday afternoon things to do (and one I rarely get to indulge in), to sit at the bar and order drinks and appetizers.  We were happy to find seats at the bar.  Steven and I ordered some Chardonnay, but Tracy needed to put a little more thought into her drink order.  She is not as huge a wine-o-phile (oenophile, but I mispronounce that word) as I am.

Two of my favorite people, yes.

Here is a shot of Steven and Tracy enjoying themselves.  I was enjoying myself, too.  For one reason, the bartender, Meghan, asked me how my blog was going.  She remembered me and that I wrote a blog!  I felt famous.

Our delightful bartender, with a shot of the bar (no pun intended).

Meghan was making a joke with another patron as I took this picture.  I also wanted to include the slogan, “Life’s too short to drink the house wine.”  Actually, I find many house wines are perfectly potable as well as being within my price range.  I think life is too short not to drink wine.  That is, if you like wine.  To each his own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow.

We ordered bacon wrapped scallops and steamed clams.  We split two appetizers among the three of us in order to save room for dessert.  Steven and I do not always order dessert, but Tracy is something of a bad influence on us.  That is another reason we like it when she comes to visit.

Steven enjoys being out with two beautiful women.

Steven insisted on taking a picture of Tracy and me.  I confess, I do not always enjoy looking at pictures of myself.  However, some people seem to think I am somewhat good-looking.  Why should I call them liars?

I thought I ought to get at least one shot of the brown water. It is still showing the effects of the recent flooding the area has experienced.

 

Another outdoor shot.

After eating and drinking, we wandered into the Retail Stores.  I especially like looking at the Herkimer Diamond jewelry.  I also picked up a few postcards to send to the folks I send postcards to.

Gems Along the Mohawk is located at 800 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY.  The Waterfront Grille’s phone number is 315-717-0700. The number for the retail stores  is 315-717-0077.

 

 

 

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Did I Mention I’m On Vacation?

Posted on July 4, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Monday, Monday…  I have at least two “real” posts to make, with photos taken by me on my Tablet.  However, earlier today, when I was frantically trying to make my post prior to rehearsal (for The Tempest with LiFT Theatre Company, as I have mentioned that I am in), I felt incapable of doing such a post.  I thought I would do a Movie Monster Monday, especially since I have discovered a couple of new Facebook pages for movies, but I find my laptop is still not allowing me to download (after I THOUGHT my husband Steven had fixed it.  Damn!).

Where was I?

Well, you see, I did not make my post before rehearsal.  Rehearsal went well and was fun.  We got an Antonia!  Um, did I mention we were trying to fill a part?  Well, we were and we did.  At the end of rehearsal, the woman thus recruited was saying if some other superstar wanted to part, she would graciously step aside — basically to the effect, if we could find somebody better…  I said, “You’ll do great!”  That thought was echoed by all present at the time.  Oh, it is wonderful to have a full cast!

Have I mentioned that Steven’s and my good friend Tracy is visiting?  Well, she is, and I have a couple of posts yet to write of the adventures we have had.  Today, well, this is what I can manage.  You see, after rehearsal, Steven, Tracy and I went to Asteroga Ale House in Herkimer.  I’ve had wine.  I am SO into the relaxing, enjoying my company portion of the evening.

We’re going to call this a Monday Mental Meanderings and drive on.  I hope to see you all on Tired Tuesday (what? I can’t get tired on vacation?).

 

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Lame Me! I Guess.

Posted on April 22, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have mentioned this before but I repeat it now for reasons which will become obvious:  in one of the Georgette Heyer Regency Romances I adore, the heroine, during a time of great stress and exertion, has a glass of wine with dinner and feels “fresh as a nosegay.”  I feel sure it will be obvious to even new readers that I am currently sipping a glass of wine in hopes of experiencing a similar rejuvenation.  It seems to be working, which I can only suppose is placebo effect, which I do not scorn.

I got the bottle at Ilion Wine and Spirits.  I had stopped in to The Medicine Shoppe to pick up a prescription, and the two businesses are located very close to each other.  Additionally, I wanted to support Ilion Wine and Spirits, because they are a supporter of Ilion Little Theatre AND they are a sponsor of Who Shot JS? the murder mystery benefit for Herkimer County Historical Society.

This was not my only stop before going home.  I also had to go get certain feminine supplies, a couple of props for the murder mystery, and milk.  I thought with all this running around, it would be OK to not go running.

And then I went running.  Yay, me!  I guess.  It was not a great run or even a particularly good run, but it was a run.  On my cool-down walk, I met up with the doggy Mama of a couple of neighborhood dogs, and we walked a block or so together.  I had not talked to her in a while, so I told her about the sad passing of Spunky.  She shared with me the equally sad news that Nicky, another of my doggy friends, had died over the winter.  I was devastated.  I love Nicky!  I pretty sure I have mentioned stopping to pet him while running.

So now I am trying to finish my Friday Lame Post before Steven gets home.  Thank goodness for Lame Post Friday when I am so tired!  The nosegay effect only lasted for the first couple of paragraphs.  No matter.  I am over 350 words and my self-imposed word-count for a respectable post is 200.  Once again, Yay me!  I guess.

 

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Stirring the Blog

Posted on March 20, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

Why do I persist in thinking I am going to get anything done on a Sunday? I am clearly not, and then I just feel bad about myself. Can’t I just embrace the uselessness and enjoy the day?

I interrupt my Sunday festivities to make my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, and I lead off with my Facebook post from earlier.  I did not quite embrace my uselessness, unfortunately, but I am striving to enjoy the day.

Regarding usefulness, I did one load of laundry, the dishes (there were not that many, for which I was grateful), grocery shopped, chopped vegetables and made a salad for the upcoming week’s lunches, and I am in the midst of cooking what promises to be a delicious dinner (if I do say so myself).  I am cooking with wine, by the way, and have not put any in the food.

As a matter of fact, I need to go out to the kitchen, stir and add other ingredients, so I’d better blog quickly. I must confess, I do enjoy these off the cuff posts.  It is fun to sit here, typing away, and know that I will probably amuse somebody somewhere (OK, I suppose sometimes it is only myself; you don’t have to disillusion me) (you know who you are).   It doesn’t always work, you know.  Sometimes I start typing, then I erase it, then I say to hell with it, I’ll blog later (I think “blog” is a funny verb, don’t you?) (oh, YOU probably never have) (once again, you know who you are).

OK, what do we have here so far?  Some silliness, a couple of parenthetical comments, over 200 words.  I’d say that’s about par for the course for me.  I’m going to hit publish and call it a day.  For one reason, Steven just stirred dinner and it is time to add more ingredients. Happy Sunday, everyone.

 

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Scattered, then Snapped on Saturday

Posted on January 15, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

No, I didn’t suddenly snap and murder somebody, although that would have made quite the blog post, I suppose. How much internet access do they grant you in jail? I’m figuring if I murdered anybody I would get caught.  It’s all very well to trash talk that I know how to commit a murder, but in fact, any murderer I’ve written about has gotten caught.  But I digress.

This was hands-down a better Saturday than last one, because I didn’t have a headache.  I didn’t even have to take any medication to make it happen; I just got lucky.  Or blessed, I suppose.  However, I can’t say it was any better of a Saturday in the category of getting stuff done.  No, that, not so much.  But I shall attempt to make a blog post about what I did do, so I can get back to watching Snapped (you know, from the headline?).

Steven and I got up at the delightful time of 6:30 a.m.  That is SO much better than getting up at three! No, I’m not whining about getting up at 3 a.m.; I do it for a reason and I do not repine.  However, I LOVE getting to sleep in a little!  Even when I can’t exactly sleep (I am a long-time insomniac, but don’t worry about me).  I had no plan for the day, but I knew there were several things it would behoove me to get done.  Go to Melfe’s for work shoes, study my lines for Steel Magnolias, finish writing the various murder mysteries I have committed to, clean the house, do laundry, go running… the list went on and on.

I crossed out the first item mentioned by strategically postponing it till Wednesday, Steven’s next day off.  He wants to go to Melfe’s to see if they have any shoes that might be good for his work.  Having good shoes makes your work day SO much easier to get through!  After chatting on the phone with my Dad and Mom (that was not on the list, but it is something I almost always do on Saturday), I wrote a few postcards to the folks I usually write postcards to (that was not on my list, either, but it is something I usually do).

After Steven left for work, I felt kind of like a lump pondering what to do.  When Tabby was our dog, she loved to walk with me to the post office.  However, Spunky does not like to take long walks.  I took him for a short business meeting, after which he contentedly snoozed on the couch.  I went upstairs to take a shower.  After I was naked but before I was actually in the shower, I noticed what I had been noticing all week, that the bathroom really needed cleaning.  I have heard about women cleaning naked, to keep from messing up their clothes.  I tried it.  It was no problem, except when Spunky started barking and I wondered if someone was at the door.  I put on a bathrobe and ventured down.  False alarm.  I finished cleaning and showered.  Now what to do?

Finally I sat down and started working on my lines for Steel Magnolias.  I do the trick that was taught to me by my fourth grade church school teacher, Sister Mary Christina.  It was how she taught us the Act of Contrition (fourth grade is when you make your First Confession, or Reconciliation as I guess it is called now).  I include the trick for any possible benefit others may derive from it:  Take it one or two sentences at a time.  Say it out loud ten times, looking at it, say if five times not looking at it.  I still have to study the lines after that, but the trick really helps.

You know, it is kind of boring to say a line out loud over and over, not to mention hard on your throat when you have a little post-nasal drip, which I often do.  I persevered as best I could.  Finally I decided to take a break and walk to the post office.  I even thought of doing a Pedestrian Post and just writing about the walk, because I took a rather long way back and stretched it to almost a half hour.  I need the exercise and I really wasn’t up to running.  If only it were not face-hurting cold out, my life would have been perfect.

Back home, I studied my lines some more, spent some time looking at Facebook, read the newspapers I had been neglecting all week (this could be construed as a cleaning chore, since I put them in the recycling box when I had finished with them), waited for Steve to come home for lunch.  The only other remotely useful thing I did was go to the liquid store (as it is sometimes known) and purchase some white wine, a glass of which I am currently enjoying.  Oh, and I took Spunky for two more business meetings.  Good dog.

Ooh, look at me, over 800 words.  I wonder if anybody will read to the end?  If you did, thanks!  I hope I wasn’t boring.  And I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  Peace out.

 

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A Beer or Wine with Joan?

Posted on January 12, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

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I am  learning more about including pictures in the blog.  It is very exciting for me.  This picture was in our laptop’s downloads. I think my husband, Steven, may have used it for a profile picture last October.  It appeals to me, because I love skellingtons and I love beer.  In fact, it has not been a bad day at all.  But I am quite tired and cannot think of anything to make a blog post about.  Let’s see if there are any more fun pictures in the downloads, to make this a kind of a Wordless Wednesday post (I think we’ve already discussed that I am almost never entirely wordless) (and “Wordless Wednesday” sounds SO much more respectable than “Wuss-out Wednesday”).

 

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This is my current Facebook profile picture.  I was having a Lizzie Borden kind of a day (another profile I’ve used is a plaque that says, “I’m having a Lizzie Borden kind of a day”).  The picture is Joan Crawford in Straitjacket, a William Castle flick and one of my favorites.  I wonder if I’ve ever written a blog post about it.  I believe I mentioned it once on Severed Head Sunday (one of my favorite days).

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For our last photo of the day (I think three is a good number, don’t you?), I show you my Facebook cover photo.  It is a lovely welcome mat which was given to Steven and me by our dear friend, Bruce.  Bruce’s most frequent comment on any of my Facebook posts is, “It’s WINE TIME!!!”  I like the way he thinks.  Happy Wednesday, everybody.

 

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Red Wine, Red Blood, Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, ready to get this New Year’s Eve party started.  I only lacked my husband Steven (the only other guest expected since Spunky the dog was already here) and all the food I said I was going to fix.  I thought it would be a good idea to open a bottle of wine, so I could sip a little while I chopped and mixed.  And then things got ugly.  A short time later, I was posting the following on Facebook:

“So I open a bottle of wine, so I can enjoy a libation while I fix the snacks. Somehow a chip gets broken off the rim of the bottle, and I cut my thumb! It’s bleeding big red drops (although a very pretty color)! I get a Band-aid on it and go to cry on Facebook, and it’s STILL bleeding! I fortunately do not bleed on my laptop. I employ pressure and elevation for a short time and it seems to have done the trick. Then I see my thumb is bleeding from two places. Two Band-aids later, I wonder if I can be trusted with a knife.”

It really does seem OK, but you know what a drama queen I am (it’s a little awkward to hit the space bar with the band-aids on my thumb)  (it is my right hand, by the way).  I thought it might be a good idea to make my blog post before attempting any further culinary adventures.  I’m even thinking in a vague sort of way of sending out for pizza and making all the fun party snacks I planned tomorrow instead.

In the meantime, I had meant to write my blog post about quite a different thing.  I was going to talk about resolutions vs goals and strive for some profound thoughts about improving myself.  Or I was going to get all introspective about the passage of time and change and our own perceptions of what makes a good year.  I even had some vague notion of musing on these artificial milestones we invent for ourselves:  Why is one revolution around the sun called a year?  Who even figured out how we got back to the same place in the planetary ellipse?

And here I am, doing what once got a professor really annoyed with me:  writing about what I’m not going to write about (in my defense, he only wanted a two page paper; how much could I say in that?).  My thumb is fine; my wine glass is almost empty.  However, I feel disinclined to begin cooking or refill the glass, because a little dog (above-mentioned third guest at the party) is snuggled up next to me so cozily, I hate to disturb him.  Happy New Year, everyone.

 

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It Took a While to Get to the Wine

Posted on December 18, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I posted a Facebook status that read, “That moment on a day off when you have not accomplished nearly what you expected to, yet you want to begin the wine drinking portion of the evening.  Then you realize you have not eaten nearly enough to begin drinking without dire consequences.”

This by way of introduction to this week’s Scattered Saturday post.

I had declared to all and sundry that today would be Cookie Day.  I sort of hoped that if I said it enough, it would be true.  I did make one batch of cookies.  Oh dear, should I have included a spoiler alert before that?  No matter.  I am sitting at my keyboard, typing off the top of my head, as I usually do these days.  Yes, I am drinking wine.  Well, I cooked dinner, and you know how I love to cook with wine (should have included another spoiler alert).

The first thing I had to do this morning was call my mother, to get the cookie recipe I could not find in the messy cabinet that holds all my recipes and cookbooks.  One of my projects for 2017 is to clean out and organize that cabinet.  Maybe I will cook some of the recipes.  I could start a whole new blog about that, stealing the idea from Julie and Julia, adding my own twist (that falls under the Fair Use Doctrine, doesn’t it?).

It was quite wintry this morning.   However, I still had to pick up a few things at the store for my baking plans.  More importantly, I had to go by the post office and mail my postcards.   The people who get my post cards like to get them.  I am supposed to be sending out Christmas cards right along here, but one card at a time.  I brushed off my SUV with a push broom, an excellent way to quickly clear a large vehicle.  As soon as I set out, I realized I had not been as effective as I had hoped.  My visibility was just good enough to get to Hannaford, where I purchased a few more things than were on my list.  In my defense, they were all on sale “This Week Only,” according to the signage, and they were all highly nutritious, delicious food.

Back home I decided to wash the dishes before baking.  Soon I was ready to start.  And quickly realized I did not have sufficient sugar for my first recipe.  Oh don’t shake your finger at me for being unorganized.  I knew I had sugar. Steven puts sugar in his coffee; we always have sugar on hand.  However, this recipe calls for a bowl of sugar (it’s an old Italian recipe; the size of the bowl determines how many cookies you get.  I wanted a lot of cookies).  Moreover, the sugar that was there had gotten some moisture in it and was lumpy.

Back I went to the store.  This time I went to Rite Aid.  I wanted to get some beer for my pains.   Domino sugar was on sale, buy one get one 50% off.  Score!  Now we have plenty of sugar.

The cookies took a long time.  Maybe I used too big of a bowl.  Steven came home for lunch while I was baking.  I asked  him to taste test a cookie from the first batch.  He liked it.  I finished the cookies after he went back to work.  Then I took a nap.  In my defense, I had a LOT of hot flashes last night, with the accompanying insomnia.

After getting up from my nap and having a cup of hot tea for its revivifying qualities, I took Spunky for a business meeting and washed the dishes I had gotten dirty baking the cookies.  I took some butter out of the refrigerator to soften for the second batch of cookies I intended to make.  It was sometime during these activities that I made that Facebook post.  I snacked on a couple of things, planning ahead.

Steven came home before I got to the cookies, so I put the butter back in the refrigerator.  He poured us some wine, and we discussed dinner.  I felt quite proud of us for fixing something at home instead of succumbing to the temptation of ordering delivery.  Perhaps I could do a cooking post on what I fixed.

In the meantime, I see I am over 700 words.  That is almost unprecedented for a Scattered Saturday!  I hope people have read me to the end.  Well, anybody who did not will miss my wish for a very happy Saturday.  Hope to see you all on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

 

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Some Saturday Stuff

Posted on November 13, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

We can call this a Scattered Saturday or a Slacker Saturday, but I am composing this at the keyboard while I sip red wine, half look at a Vincent Price movie I DVR’d last month, and wait for Steven to get home.

I am paying very slack attention to this movie, because it is not one of his best.  It was made in the ’70s, when horror movies were becoming more gross, nasty and, well, mean.  They were more about dispatching as many victims as possible in the most disgusting fashions that could be devised.  Soon after came the slasher flicks, with more blood and less imagination. Oh, I know, many people adore such things. I live for the cheese factor and try to avoid anything that will turn my stomach.  I may watch this one again sometime and write about it, though, so I shall say no more at present.

In my quest to return to normalcy  (as normal as I can get, at any rate), I wanted to go running this morning.  It was some 30 degrees out, so I ran in place on the mini-tramp, while watching Phantom of the Opera,  the original, silent version.  For me, this is the best way to watch a silent movie.  When I’m sitting crocheting or knitting, I take my eyes off the screen too often.  I did not get through the entire movie, but I hope to run again tomorrow.

Later in the morning, I took a drive to Little Falls.  I went to the Winter Farmer’s Market, which is not yet in full swing.  Still, I chatted up the vendors that were there and took a few pictures, so perhaps I can do a full post on that tomorrow, in lieu of Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I also walked through Paca Gardens. I would really like to purchase some of their socks, among other things.  I wanted to stop at Fall Hill Bead and Gems, but they were not yet open.

Coming back to Herkimer, I hung out at my house till Steven came home from lunch.  I like to have even a short visit with my honey.  I did not mention that I had taken Spunky for a walk before heading to Little Falls. Well, I did, and I took him out again shortly after Steven returned.  Then I drove to Ilion.  Before leaving Herkimer, I stopped in at Valley Wine and Liquors, because I thought they were having a wine tasting.  After sampling three red wines, I bought a dry blend.

In Ilion, I visited Earthly Matters, where I bought myself a pair of earrings.  I just couldn’t resist them.  Then I went to Cornerstone Consignments, where I chatted with the clerk about how some of the books were categorized “Male.”  From there, I stopped in at New 2 You Consignments, where I found two Taylor Caldwell paperbacks.  Score!  At least, I think it’s a score.  I know my mom used to read Taylor Caldwell.  I can’t remember if I read anything by her or if I liked it if I did.  I’ll soon find out.

I made a quick stop at Ilion Wine & Spirits before heading home.  After some indecision I got a bottle of champagne.  It is an inexpensive but tasty brand I have had before.  I put it in the refrigerator to chill when I got home.

And now I am sipping a glass of the red I got at Valley and have only a vague idea of what is happening in this movie.  I think it is the dramatic conclusion. Ooh, yeah, that was pretty dramatic.  I won’t tell you about it, though, because I did not include a spoiler alert.  I hope you are all having a grand Saturday.

 

 

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W(h)ine on Wuss-out Wednesday

Posted on September 15, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought an iced coffee would help, I really did. Sometimes eating ice cream helps.  Sometimes eating dinner helps.  Sometimes nothing will help but yet I must just sit down and make my goddam blog post.

Welcome to Wuss-out Wednesday.

Sorry, folks, but the bad posts continue.  I typed the above before I had to go pick up Steven at work.  Actually, I still had to shower and get dressed.  It took me a LONG time to get dressed (that is, almost ten minutes, I think), because I have a lousy wardrobe.  I have a lot of clothes but most of them don’t fit, don’t go together or are unwearable at the moment for all sorts of stupid reasons.  I put together a not unreasonable outfit and thought that would make a good blog post.  Unfortunately, I had not time.

And isn’t that ironic?  I did something I thought I could write a blog post about, but because I did it, I did not have time to make the blog post.  Am I the only one who finds that striking?  Perhaps I am.

So why am I not writing that blog post now?  Did I not mention this is Wuss-out Wednesday?  In fact, when I picked up Steven, I pointed out my fun little outfit and said if he wanted to go get something to eat, we could.  I fully expected him to say he just wanted to go home and relax, but dinner sounded good to him.  We ended up at Jamo’s, where they had a Date Night special going on which included a carafe of wine.

Yes, I have sipped and typed before (a carafe is only two glasses apiece; I did not tie one one, so stop making that unbearably superior smirk at me) (you know who you are).  Today I am tired.  That is three days in a row of being tired!  I think I need a different approach.  I’ll work on it tomorrow, on Non-Sequitur Thursday, when I will try not to wine so much.

 

 

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