Tag Archives: winter

This is Not a More Better Post

Posted on February 22, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today is just not working out for me.

That phrase popped into my head as I finally got changed into my sweats and realized I REALLY want to start my weekend now but have not yet written my blog post. I cheer myself up with the thought, It’s Lame Post Friday. Instead of my usual random observations and half-baked philosophy, I offer the Week in Weather.

Monday I did not drive straight home but had a minor adventure. I don’t know that it was particularly a Mohawk Valley adventure, but then again, maybe it was. Winter was still on. I had to clear a layer of heavy, wet snow off my windshield and hood. It had been snowing for most of the day, so I think the snow was previously on the roof and had worked its way down. That was good, because that meant there was less on the roof to slide down while I drove.

The uneven tire pressure light in my SUV was on, so I stopped at the gas station where they have that groovy tire filler where you just punch in the pressure and it figures it out for you. It is most convenient, but one still must crouch next to one’s tires, sometimes for a long time. I wanted to kneel, but not in an inch of snow and ice. Ugh.

From the tire adventure, I went to Aldi’s to get some canned goods. Their lot was full, so I approached with trepidation. Still, I wanted beans. Apparently all the snow had fallen after they had plowed. The space I found to park in had not even been driven over. Still, a space is a space. I took it. The only adventuresome part came later, when I tried to push a full cart through the snow to get back to my vehicle. Oh well, I comforted myself, it burns more calories.

Winter waned as the week progressed. I believe I wrote about a wet walk we took with Tabby yesterday. Today I took Tabby down the sidewalk in hopes of meeting Steven as he came home from work. This time I sensibly put on my flood boots. My feet stayed dry, if not exactly warm.

I mostly felt happy the rain had stopped. It had been raining like the proverbial sonofabitch earlier (pardon my french). I worried about my basement but since the streets didn’t seem too bad, I cravenly did not go down and check. When Steven came home he informed me that water was indeed coming up into the basement. We went down and sopped with towels and a mop. Once again, my flood boots came in handy.

At last we felt we had done all we could. I may head out somewhere tomorrow and get a more better mop and bucket (more better being the technical term). That will possibly make a more better blog post on Saturday. As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

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Short Stroll, Scratch n Sniff

Posted on February 19, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is really difficult to have Mohawk Valley adventures during the winter. Another difficult thing: making a blog post when a cute little dog expects you to keep petting her. Naturally I do my best to oblige.

Yesterday we went for a walk. I thought for sure it would be warmer today so we might go for a longer one. Well, it may be warmer, but the snow is coming down in copious amounts and has been doing so all day. Tabby may enjoy plowing through the drifts up to her chest, but she does not seem to like being out while it is actually precipitating. Perhaps we could have a rousing game of That’s My Toy later on.

In the meantime, I will attempt a short pedestrian post about yesterday’s stroll. Once again I forgot to put my scarf back on (I had it when I got home from work), so my face got cold. I had not put Tabby’s coat on her, but she seemed OK with that. She certainly enjoyed sniffing many places. I don’t think the snow is conducive to dogs’ sense of smell, because Tabby kept digging and sniffing. I kept checking to make sure she wasn’t unburying some other dog’s poo.

“You don’t need to smell that dog’s poo,” I tell her. “You know what poo smells like.”

Her head perked up as we walked down Henry Street, because she saw people. One adult and three children were in front of a house. The man and little boy seemed to be shoveling. Two little girls were in a fort. I haven’t built a snow fort in a long time! We exchanged greetings. Tabby seemed inclined to go right up to them.

“My dog is so friendly,” I said.

Tabby seemed quite happy that our walk was short. She ran right for the door instead of out into the back yard when I took her off the leash. I was happy to get back into the warm house, too.

I see that as a blogger, I should have taken up some winter sports, so I would have more to write about this time of year. Hmmmm…. perhaps I could patronize some local businesses instead. Or watch another cheesy movie. Still, I’ve come up with over 1,000 posts. I can’t quit now.

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I Didn’t Even Mention the Fog

Posted on October 25, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

It cannot be denied that I am of a perverse disposition. I love bad weather. I drove to work this morning with the words, “I LOVE winter!” ringing in my head. It made me laugh, as did the weather itself, but I believe the sentiment has a legitimate basis.

Recently I came across the phrase, “the more sunshine, the less gumption.” I think it is true and not just a rationalization for those of us who live in a less salubrious climate (but don’t knock rationalization — oh, I’m sure I’ve covered that before). Winter is a challenge. And it can add interest to your morning.

Take this morning, for example. It is the first taste of winter in the Mohawk Valley, with snow in parts and cold temperatures for all. The newscasters on WKTV remarked that they had to scrape their cars. Well, they obviously go to work much earlier than I do. I was sure I would be fine.

When I got out to my vehicle… not so much. I wasn’t too worried, because I always leave extra early (so as to have time to write my blog post, among other reasons), but I could not find a scraper in my Trailblazer. I turned the defrost on full blast and went into the house.

“Scraper!” I called to Steven. “Where is a scraper?”

“In my car!” He grabbed his keys, which just goes to show what a nice husband he is. I could have gone to his car and found the scraper myself, leaving him to enjoy the warm house for as long as possible. I got my toque, which I had forgotten to put on earlier. Bonus!

The scraper was the one we inherited from my grandmother. It has a fur envelope around the handle. Another bonus.

In this short time the defrost had done its work. Not much scraping was required. I kept the scraper in my vehicle, thinking (a) Steven would probably not need one by the time he left for work and (b) he had time to find another one anyways.

So I drove to work feeling absurdly pleased about things. At work I asked my co-worker if she would like motivation to punch me in the face, then told her I like this weather. Luckily for me, she only indulged in a fake punch.

I indulged in a few choruses of “I Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” and sat down to write my blog post (which you are reading).

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Musings or Whinings? You Decide

Posted on March 4, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I watched two movies yesterday in hopes of having Movie Monday. Um, not Monster Movie Monday, unfortunately. Instead, I must resort once again to Middle-aged Musings Monday. Or a Pedestrian Post. I think it will turn out to be a little of both.

I have been remiss lately in writing postcards. This morning (oh, yes, I’m off work today, ah ha ha!) I sat down and wrote out four. My store of postcards is becoming a little depleted, but I found some nice Vermont ones. It has been dreadfully cold lately for March, but I thought I could wear my warm coat and be OK to walk to the post office with Tabby (my schnoodle, I explain for new readers, if any).

And here’s a slight musing about perspective: twenty-some degrees does not feel as warm as it did when temperatures rose to it in January. At that time I mused how 20 degrees felt a lot better when you got up to it than when you first went down to it. Well, now I find the second or third time I go back down to it… I was about to say it increasingly sucks, but I really don’t like to whine too much about the weather. After all, I can wait five minutes and it will probably be different (though not necessarily better). But I must observe: it does seem colder.

I’m thinking (I started a new paragraph, because this is a new musing) that it really truly does make a difference to get older. Dammit, my body does change! And sometimes so does my mind! They say change is good. I say loose change collects in the bottom of my purse, but perhaps I should save that line for Non-Sequitur Thursday.

Where was I? Ah yes, on the way to the post office. A light snow had fallen since the sidewalk plow last went by, but it was the loose kind that blows around, so it did not obstruct our way much. The temperature was not too bad, till later when the wind started blowing. Then, yikes! I had on my warm coat that I don’t often wear for over 20 degrees. My mom gave it to me years ago, when the coat I was wearing met with an unfortunate accident (so did the car I was driving, and my head, but long story, not very interesting). It is a wonderfully warm coat, and it has deep pockets. I had poop bags and tissues enough to ensure a comfortable walk.

If only I had also had a scarf. Now, remind me, what did I say about not liking to whine too much? I guess that was not exactly accurate. Tabby wanted to stop and sniff each yellow patch of snow as well as burying her nose in a few purely white patches. As usual, I tried to strike a balance between letting her enjoy herself and not taking eight years for a simple walk to and from the post office.

The walk actually felt good on my legs. I was glad I had gone. I couldn’t help thinking longingly of spring, though. I only hope we get some nice in between temperatures, and I don’t skip right to Middle-aged Musings in which I whine about how damn hot it has gotten. Oh dear, what a kvetch I have become. I do hope you’ll stay tuned.

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No Spring in My Step

Posted on February 25, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, having Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I had managed to grocery shop, do dishes, put in a load of laundry. Where, I asked myself, was the Mohawk Valley adventure in that? Then my husband Steven came home from work and graciously agreed to go with me and our schnoodle Tabby on a walk. I decree that it is perfectly acceptable to write a blog post about a walk.

It wasn’t bitter cold out; in fact, it was above freezing. This was evidenced by the fact that the snow was melting and making some major puddles. Still, I wished I had remembered my mittens. I compensated by pulling my hands into my sleeves. Unfortunately, I was wearing the coat that fits, not the insulated sweatshirt where the sleeves are way long, so this was not as helpful or as comfortable as one could have wished. Did I mention it was Wrist to Forehead Sunday?

As we walked down the sidewalk (can’t trust the cars around here to be careful of a cute little doggie after all), we saw a major lake of a puddle up ahead.

“Let’s not plow through that,” I said. “Let’s cross the street.”

The other side of the street had been neglected by the sidewalk plow, but there was a beaten path. Mushy snow offered less moisture to penetrate our sneakers. Tabby didn’t care either way: wade through water, plow through snow, she was happy.

We spent the rest of the walk skirting large puddles, crossing the street to avoid larger puddles, and walking through small puddles. It felt good to walk, and I did feel grateful that, after all, melting snow means spring is on the way. As happened on my run, though, I was not able to enjoy the scenery as well while watching where I could put my feet for the least soaking possible.

Then Steven got the bright idea to leap over a puddle. He got a running start. He leaped! He made it!

“I am not going to try that,” I said. And me the athlete of the family. I hang my head in shame as I type.

As we walked down Main Street, we came to a long expanse of bare sidewalk. Awesome! We sadly observed closed businesses. Less awesome. There are some signs of life. Pete’s Tavern still does a business. Collis Hardware is still around. Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner is a going concern. The lady in Hummel’s Office Plus waved at us as we went by. Tabby likes to go in and say hello sometimes, but I thought her muddy paws were best kept outside. Belly Up Pub was open too.

We went through Meyers Park and started up Bellinger Street. I saw a puddle up ahead.

“Are you going to jump that one?” I asked. Then as we got closer, “Oh, no, that one’s bigger now that I look at it.” Steven attempted it anyways. He got a running start! He leaped! He didn’t make it! I should perhaps mention that he had not changed out of his work pants before we started out. “Oh, no, and I already did laundry,” I lamented.

“Water dries,” Steven pointed out.

“Mud doesn’t,” I said. “At least, it does and then it’s dirt.”

I did enjoy our walk, even though I am SO looking forward to warmer temperatures and no snow. For one thing, it gave me a 500 word blog post. Unless I read the draft to Steven and he insists I take out the part about him jumping the puddles. Some of you are probably still thinking I should have attempted it, too (you know who you are).

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A Walk in the Dark

Posted on December 29, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

My plan for today is to get my blog post out of the way early, then spend the rest of the day having Mohawk Valley adventures or watching cheesy horror movies so that I can write more scintillating blog posts (I like to pronounce it “skintillating’). To that end, I took my dog Tabby for a walk this morning.

I’m sure some long time readers (if any) miss my Saturday Running Commentary, and I mean to get back into running. Eventually. Today I enjoyed my walk.

We left shortly after Steven left for work, which was before 6:30. All I could think of was, “It was quarter past dawn, all the Whos still abed…” But I could not think of a good way to transplant that poem to Herkimer. I did write a take-off on The Grinch once, by the way. It was “How the Lynch Stole Christmas,” written for a Sergeant Lynch I used to work with (he’s a Sergeant First Class now, I think). But I digress (wait a minute: Stream of Consciousness Saturday? Something to think about).

It was still dark, but I think the sun was up somewhere, somewhat. Too cloudy to tell. Too bad; I had hoped to catch last night’s full moon. The sidewalks were semi plowed. That is, they had been plowed and were navigable, but still had stuff on them to contend with.

I love walking in the winter. Years ago, when I was young and carless (yes, carless not careless, although I was that, too), I used to hate walking in the winter. At that time I was walking to get somewhere and that slight delay when your foot slides back a little in the snow used to weigh on me disproportionately. Now I walk for health and entertainment, and the extra effort needed clearly burns more calories.

So on we walked, enjoying the cold, fresh air and the feeling of not being on any kind of a time schedule. Lots of houses had their Christmas lights on. I like to see that. I even saw a couple of blow up displays, although some were not at full inflation. Santa was leaning out of the outhouse as if he had been partying a little too heartily. Oh well, his job is over for the year. He’s allowed.

One house with lots of decorations was not lit. I admired the hard plastic Santa and snowman they had. They looked old. I purchased my plastic Santa because he looked old-fashioned, but you can somehow tell he was purchased in recent years. This one looked as if he had been in the family for a while.

Tabby wanted to stop and sniff even more often than usual. I suppose it must be more difficult to pick up an odor in the snow (I always scoop up a little snow when I pick up her poops, another reason to love walking in the winter). I tried to keep a look out for poops left behind by other dogs. I don’t need her sticking her nose into poo.

When walking in the dark, I like to see houses with lights on inside. In the morning I like to think of people having coffee and getting ready for the day, you know, in a contented sort of way, not in an “oh crap I have to go to work” sort of way. I was feeling pretty contented myself, and my legs felt as if they had done some work. We’ll see how they feel once I start running again. Stay tuned!

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Winter Walk

Posted on November 26, 2012 by mohawkvalleygirl

It seems every Sunday is now a Wrist to Forehead Sunday. I just couldn’t put pen to paper and write a real post. So I fell back on my old standby: Steven and I took Tabby for a walk and I will write about that.

In the last few days, winter has come to the Mohawk Valley, complete with snow. Yesterday I tried to take Tabby for a longish walk. It was a mere grey and gloomy day when we started out. Before we had gone a block, it was snowing. Before we had gone two, it was blizzard conditions. We made it around the block and were happy.

Today the white stuff has been drifting down off and on. It was on when I took my run, but the temperature wasn’t too bad. Maybe a little bad when the wind chill made itself felt. After Steven got home from work a little after one, I asked would he stroll with me and the schnoodle. Eventually he was ready and we set out.

The snow had stopped but the wind had picked up. I had on my insulated sweatshirt and pulled the sleeves down over my hands. Steven had sensibly worn his coat. Tabby, of course, has her natural fur coat on at all times.

We admired some of the neighbors’ Christmas decorations. Steven has plans for our front porch, but they may not come to fruition till after next week. It was gloomy enough to see people’s lights somewhat but not dark enough for them to really show. I enjoy taking Tabby out for her last business meeting of the day this time of year.

Tabby as usual wanted to walk to Herkimer’s Historic Four Corners. I liked the way the graveyard in front of the Reformed Church looked in the gloomy light. Steven admired the wreaths on the light posts. Tabby turned up Main Street towards German so we did not see any more of downtown Herkimer this walk.

We went on up Main Street then over to the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal (which looked more like a nasty ditch, but that was a while ago). The cold wind was getting to my sinuses by this time, but my legs were enjoying the exercise. Tabby seemed happy about it, too.

As we finished the walk, I said, “And now I’ll make my blog post, without apologies!” Then I said, “Who am I kidding? I’m going to apologize! I always apologize!” It seems Lame Post Friday is taking over my week. But I shall persevere! Just last night we watched a Boris Karloff movie I’d like to write about. And I expect to do some Christmas shopping at some interesting local businesses. Please, please, stay tuned.

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