Tag Archives: winter weather

Some Semblance of a Sidewalk, Some Semblance of a Blog Post

Posted on November 29, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought of that title while I was running this morning.  More snow had fallen in the night, but I did not want to go yet another day without at least an attempt, so I got my stuff on and off I set.

Photo taken during cool-down walk.

These are my actual footsteps.  I see that it looks more like a walk than a run, but at no time do I claim to run very fast.  I looked at the plowed road askance (I don’t think I have ever used the word “askance” in a sentence.  Cool!).  It looked wet, slushy, and potentially slippery.  Snow, on the other hand, offers a bit of traction.  Additionally, plowing through the snow takes much more effort than running on a bare road.  Extra calories burned is an excellent idea on Thanksgiving weekend.

And then it got deeper.

Some of the sidewalks had been cleared yesterday and been re-covered,  so it wasn’t too bad running.  I prefer sidewalks anyways as being safer than roads.  Sometimes.  After a while I got to some sidewalks that had not been touched since the snow started to fall.  That was a little tougher to plow through.  I saw where the road had not been plowed as thoroughly and moved out, running in shallower snow.  I kept looking for more partially cleared sidewalks.  That was when the expression “some semblance of a sidewalk” occurred to me.

It was not a long run, but I was glad I went.  I thought I would look for a couple of photo ops on my cool-down walk.  When I got to the second picture, I thought I would walk in the road.  Then a snow plow turned onto the street.  Eek!  I walked back the way I came.

I should get a plant like that.

I do like the look of a dried plant with snow on it.  Then I saw that some people still want their yard waste picked up.

Stick ’em up!

I confess to still not feeling 100% from my illness, so I do not know how much I will participate in Shop Small Saturday.  The beauty part about running the morning and then blogging about it is that I can feel that I have at least accomplished something.  I hope you are all having a delightful weekend.

 

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Lame it Snow!

Posted on November 29, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sorry, sports fans, but this will be a Lame Post Friday post.  Winter has once again reached the Mohawk Valley, and I have not ventured out on any adventures.  I did leave the house, to help clear the driveway and  unbury a few vehicles (what, autocorrect, “unbury” is not a word?  And apparently neither is “autocorrect.” I can’t worry about these things now).

Stock photo, is that what they call it?

This is actually a picture from March 2017, but I thought I would like to share some snow pictures.  I really had not planned to go anyplace much today anyways.  I have never been one for Black Friday shopping.  I will be a little disappointed if I miss Shop Small Saturday, but I suppose I can shop small for the rest of December, so that will be OK.

At least it’s pretty!

 

I was disappointed not to go running this morning.  In the early morning hours I dreamed it was raining (I did hear it rain earlier in the night) and I was running in the rain.  I do not usually run in the rain, but with the Reindeer Run 5K approaching (I officially registered this morning!), I thought it would be a good idea.  When I woke up, I told myself to see if it was, indeed raining.  Imagine my surprise to see the world covered in snow.  And it was still snowing.  That was when my head informed me that I am still not over the illness that has been plaguing me.

The three words that best describe me are as follows, and I quote…

I was looking for another snow picture, but I like this one better.  I went out twice to help with shoveling, thus getting a little fresh air (Times Square!) and exercise.  Now I have completed a blog post of some 300 words.  I say score and once again I thank you for tuning in.

 

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It Snow Joke that I’m Tired

Posted on February 19, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I did not make my Tired Tuesday post yesterday, because I was, you guessed it, tired.  I actually did less Tuesday than I did on Monday.  Monday I cleared my driveway twice.  By “cleared my driveway” I mean I took off the top layer of fluffy stuff and cleared the plow pile-up as best I could.  Also I did a shovel-width on my front walk, in consideration of pedestrians, who usually end up walking in the road anyways, but I can’t help that.

For anybody not in the area, I just mention in passing that the Mohawk Valley has been pummeled with snow and ice since… I was about to say Saturday, but it got bad before Saturday.  Things were also bad on Thursday, because my rehearsal was cancelled (regular readers may remember I am in a play at Ilion Little Theatre), but I can’t remember other than that.  Listen to me whine.  I’m in a house with power, sipping hot tea while my furnace works away, and I don’t have to go to work.  Let’s count our blessings, shall we?

This was in March 2017, but you get the picture.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  My deck actually looks different now, because I did not put the things on it away in the fall.  In my defense, my life fall apart in 2023 and I have not yet picked up all the pieces.  The ones I do pick up, I keep dropping.   I do not mean this as more whining; only, I try to cut myself a break sometimes instead of beating myself up, which has ever been my habit.

On the other hand, some might argue I deserve, maybe not a beating, but perhaps a stern talking to sometimes.  For example, Monday and yesterday I toiled mightily trying to get the ice off my front steps, at least for a wide enough space for me and the mailman to get up and down safely.  In my head I kept saying, “2005, Cindy.  You’ve had since 2005!”  2005 was when we moved in and had the porch roof replaced.  Steven and I are (were) big porch sitters.  The roof fellow did not put the gutter back.  I felt sure we could do it.  Perhaps we could have.  Perhaps I still can.  These thoughts did me no good as I managed to clear some for the ice.

I was relieved there was no mail on Monday.  Tuesday when I heard the mailman, I stuck my head out the door, quickly remembered I was in slippers and the porch was covered in snow, craned my neck around the door and asked were the steps OK and assured the mailman I tried, I tried!  He said I did great and it was a losing battle.  I thought that was very nice of him, because I really had not cleared all that wide a space, and his feet are bigger than mine.

Somebody got some fun out of the snow!

I close with a jolly picture, to give us cheerful thoughts.  It has not been warm enough for snowman building, and the wind chill has been prohibitive, but weather changes eventually.  If I manage to build a snowman, I will certainly write a blog post about it.  Once again, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Oh, the Snow!

Posted on January 10, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

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.

 

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Oh, All Right, I Shoveled!

Posted on March 24, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I decided, as I hefted another shovelful of snow onto the growing bank, that when my co-workers taunted me for saying I would not shovel again, I would say in a nonchalant tone of voice, “I was just talking smack as usual.”  They don’t believe me when I say I am going to knock them down and step on their heads; why should they believe I was not going to shovel?

Full disclosure:  I did consider hunkering down in my house and ignoring the white stuff. However, I thought it would be a good idea to at least clear a path for the mailman.  Then I thought I could use said path to take a walk later.  Additionally, I felt it would be a good idea to clear the sidewalk in front of my house as the village requires homeowners to do. At least it would be exercise, I told myself.

First “before” shot.

My next-door neighbor had cleared a path from his half of the double garage up my driveway (the driveway belongs to my house, but he has right of way to use it to get to his half of the garage.  It’s weird).  There has clearly been deeper snow to shovel in Herkimer, NY.  However, I feel we have a right to feel just a little ill-used shoveling in the last week of March.  Oh, don’t lecture me on winter/spring in Central New York; I’ve heard it all my life and read it on Facebook recently (you know who you are).

Hard to tell the depth without the snowblower path.

So I grabbed my shovel off the front porch and went to work.  I tried to lift with my legs not my back and not try to go too fast.  I also tried not to think of all the people I had heard of who dropped dead of heart attacks as a result of shoveling snow.  For heavens’ sake, I am only 60, not severely overweight and try to exercise on a regular basis.  This would be fine.

And it was.  I got the path to the road and the front walk clear.  OK, it was a narrow path. A person could fit along it.  Then I thought there was an off-chance my friend Kim would be able to get out of her driveway and come over.  She would need a place to park.  So I started to clear the driveway behind my snow-covered car.  I was managing it, but then a miracle happened.  A sweet, wonderful neighbor asked if I wanted her to snowblow.  Did I!  I explained how all I wanted was a place for my friend to pull in, and she went to work.  I kept shoveling, feeling I should take responsibility for my own snow, and the work was soon done.

“After” picture.

My neighbor went on to widen the sidewalk path a little.  I got her in one of my “after” shots so asked if I could use it in a blog post.  I further asked the next door neighbor if it was OK that he was in a couple of the pictures.  They were very gracious about it.

Sweet, wonderful neighbor!

The entire process had only taken about 20 minutes, so I felt I had gotten some exercise.  Nevertheless, I did take a walk later.  It was still snowing, alas!  I’m not sure yet if I need to shovel again.  Will I clear off my car and go to the grocery store?  Or will I walk and leave car-clearing chores for tomorrow morning?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my day.

 

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Lame Snowstorm of the Year?

Posted on March 23, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had hopes of making my Lame Post Friday post ON Friday, but alas, they came to naught.  It is not so early Saturday morning (for me), and I am on my second cup of coffee as I contemplate a rather bold statement I have been making recently.  I said if it snowed again, I would NOT shovel.  I would wait it out.  I look out the window and see that Mother Nature has called my bluff.  Oh well, I had planned to have a Stay at Home Saturday.  I do not rule out clearing part of my porch and a path to the road, so the mailman can deliver and so I can get a walk in.  That is for the other side of coffee and breakfast.

I don’t think it is this bad.

This is a picture from March 2017.  I had a husband to help me shovel in those days.  These things are so much better when you do them together.

This picture brings up a topic suitable for Lame Post Friday: pictures of snow.  Some people on Facebook snark, “We all know what snow looks like! You don’t have to show pictures every time it snows!”  I say, “Why the hell not?”  I like to share the everyday lives of my friends.  I don’t mind pictures of food; I like pictures of sandaled feet with a beer nearby (although I admit to being jealous of those shots sometimes); I especially like pictures of people’s pets, even if they are not doing anything particularly noteworthy at the time.

Substitute glass of wine for beer.

That reminds me, I need to get a pedicure soon. Perhaps a call to Hot Spot Salon and Spa is in order (just to give a quick shout-out to a local business) I feel certain sandal weather will soon arrive, and I do so enjoy seeing a little color on my toes.

I see I am over 300 words.  Score!  I do not expect any real Mohawk Valley Adventures this weekend, although I still have a few past ones I have not written about yet.  That is for the future.  A Saturday post on Saturday?  Time will tell.  I always say, Time is certainly a blabbermouth.  But as my sister Diane says, “Time is relative.  Not our relative.”

 

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Still Working on that Daily Thing

Posted on February 19, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Is it time to admit I am no longer a daily blogger?  Say it ain’t so!!! (My Chromebook does not seem to have a caps lock, and it is too much trouble to hold down the button) (I get lazier by the day).  Where was I?  Ah yes, early Monday morning, ten-finger typing (got the Chromebook back on; did I mention I was having trouble with that), and not having much to say.

My crooked path, as a writer and in life.

When in doubt, throw in a picture.  Snow has returned to Herkimer, NY, but I have not gone for a walk so do not know if this wavy path is back.  Foolish of me not to walk.  It can benefit one’s physical and mental health, but one must be regular about these things.

I have not been having many Mohawk Valley Adventures lately.  I drove into Rome on Saturday to visit my parents, but Route 49 is not a big thrill.  A convenience, yes, but nothing to blog about.  After I returned to Herkimer, I got together with my friend Kim, but we merely ran a couple of errands then stopped at Asteroga Ale House for a little food and drink.  I suppose I could have written about that interlude, but I neglected to take any pictures.  I am kind of addicted to pictures since I added them to the blog in 2016.

I just can’t get enough skeletons.

This is one of the first pictures I shared in October 2016, when I first figured out how to do so.

OK, last week’s storm was not that bad.

It was not until the following January that I learned how to download pictures from the internet (usually Facebook) for blogging purposes.  My husband Steve (miss him so much) found this gem.

Ooh, look, I am over 300 words.  That works for a placeholder post, I think.  Once again, thank you for tuning in.

 

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Like the Plague

Posted on January 12, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I did not make my Thursday blog post on Thursday.  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  I had meant to write it “about” something, you know, a Mohawk Valley Adventure or some such, but you know what they say about good intentions.  Something about some road to somewhere being paved with them.  I really should avoid cliches, but sometimes they are oh so tempting (as Oscar Wilde once had a character in a play say, I can resist anything except temptation!).

Where was I?  Nowhere I guess, except perhaps leading into a Throwback Thursday post, and another opportunity to work with my Media Library on this new computer (scrolling issues aside, I do love to ten finger type while lounged on the couch).

I don’ think they have taken the lights down yet this year. Must check.

I first throw back only a year to Janurary 2023 and a shot of the pavilion in Meyers Park in Herkimer, NY.  I walk by or through this park many times and enjoy how the seasons change its appearance.  I believe there is a similar amount of snow there now, as we have had snow then rain.  The rain is dreary, but it clears away some snow so I don’t have to shovel, so I count my blessings.

Look how cute he is!

Now I go back to January 2017 (my Media Library began in November 2016) and a shot of Spunky.  That basket was given to me by my sister Cheryl to put yarn in, but Spunky took one look and claimed it for his bed.  I naturally gave him his way.  One side is still caved down where he used to climb into it.  I think I still have the crumby sneaker I forgot to remove before taking the picture.  This is one reason why I am not a professional photographer.

Scary!

Here is a throw back a bit further, 1963’s The Bird, directed by the late, great Alfred Hitchcock.  The picture was in my Media Library in January 2018.  I mentioned the movie in a Facebook On This Day post, mentioning that Steven (my late, great husband) and I were watching it.  I always thought it strange that there seemed to be no cats in Bodega Bay, where the movie takes place (I add for the benefit of those who have not seen the movie), especially since Annie Hayward clearly should have had a few.  Annie (I also add for the benefit of etc) moved to some dumb little burg with nothing going on just to be near a guy who didn’t want to date her any more.  “That friendship means a hell of a lot to me.”  Yeah, right!  You were hoping he’d change his mind!  But I digress.  Before I finish digressing, though, in the interests of Judge Not, I will confess that I may have done something similar, probably based on mixed signals which I would have interpreted in the best possible light for me.  Many years ago when I was young and stupid(er).  There I go, continuing to digress.

Holy cow, my digressions have gotten me over 500 words!  My blogs never run that long!  Oh well, I guess sometimes.  Is exaggeration (which you have told me 1,000 times not to do) as bad as cliches? Points to ponder.

 

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Ah, Winter!

Posted on January 10, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I mentioned that winter had come to the Mohawk Valley (too lazy to go back and see what I actually said, but I am quite certain I mentioned it).  I had an adventurous drive home this evening.  It could have been worse, of course, and I do not mean to complain.  It was snowing but not yet blowing.  According to this morning’s weather report, the snow will change to rain, and damaging winds are possible.  However, the report said winds would start around 1 p.m., and that did not happen at least where I was.  I personally am hoping the rain clears away some of the snow so I do not have to shovel my driveway in the morning.

Sunday I shoveled my driveway for the first time this winter.  Of course I counted my blessings that January marked my first snow shovel.  I can’t say that made it fun, but one does what one can.

You see, it could have been MUCH deeper.

I remembered to take a “before” picture.  Full disclosure: I only shoveled behind the car, not the whole driveway.  I can only do so much.  I also cleared the sidewalk in front of the house about a shovel’s-width.  I figure that meets the Reasonable Man Standard, which an insurance man once told me about.

I don’t think it really shows how hard I worked.

I did not take an “after” picture of the sidewalk.  Why do I feel that I shoveled a whole lot more than the pictures show?  At any rate, it took me almost 40 minutes, which I think is a pretty good work-out.  I would prefer not to have many of such work-outs this season, but obviously I have no control over that.

I ponder my experience.

I took a selfie before I went inside, thinking to use it in the blog.  In addition to the work-out of shoveling, I took a walk.  The snow is certainly pretty, and walking in it takes more effort than walking on bare sidewalk, so no doubt it burns a few more calories.  Look at me, looking at the bright side.

Instead of another snow picture.

As I have typed this post, I have been listening to the wind pick up.  I hope nobody comes along and drops a house on me.  That happened to a sister of mine once, and then the person who did it stole her shoes!  I loved those red shoes!  But that’s another story.

 

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My Blogging Aspirations Continue

Posted on January 7, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here is one problem I have with going back to being a daily blogger:  lately I do not do enough blog-worthy things.  When I occasionally do something, I neglect to blog about it.  For example, last Wednesday I went to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY with my friend Kathy and enjoyed the music of Max Scialdone along with some good food.  I not only did not write a blog post about it, I did not take any pictures for future blogging purposes.  I did not even take the usual picture with my phone which I immediately post on Facebook and invite others to come out.

Christmas decorations were still up.

I looked in my Media Library for a picture of Max Scialdone but was unsuccessful.  However, I was able to find this picture of Fratello’s.  Those same nutcrackers were there last Wednesday. I will just mention that I am still learning how to navigate my Media Library on this Chromebook.  It is quite a learning curve for me.  But what a joy to ten-finger type while lounged on my couch.

Frankentree is bigger these days.

This is a shot from 2018.  I wanted one of snow, because winter has returned to the Mohawk Valley with a winter storm (I guess; I don’t know from meteorological designations) yesterday evening.  I will need to do some shoveling today.  I hope I can find my shovel.  I wonder how interesting I can make a blog post about my old creaky body trying to clear my driveway and sidewalk.  I imagine it will be at least as interesting as me whining about how I am not blogging and have little to blog about anyways.  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

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