Saturday morning

(I told two ladies, yesterday, that some morning I was going to sleep late: and I did!)

It's 24.4 degrees. Some sunshine this morning, but clouds creeping in and, finally, some showers in the evening.

Walkers, joggers, cyclists were all out, yesterday .........

and snowdrops bloomed on West Bacon Street.

The DPW filled in scores of "potholes," and the street sweeper was cleaning up the sand that accumulated during the Winter.

A "forest" sprang up on the Buell Avenue site of the new "Home Shoppe."

...... and over near Solsville, water fowl of all sorts found open water at Lyon's Mills.

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Shirley Kellogg, who lives just a tad south of Stockwell on Route 12, had an opportunity to observe a "bird of prey" doing what it does so well: catching, plucking and feasting on one less-skilled.

It wasn't just a glimpse: she really had a chance to look at it long enough to make careful note of it's size and coloring and, when she got out her bird book, the only one that looked like what she had seen was the "Peregrine Falcon."

I wonder if anyone else has seen one, in this area, or - if we're out for a Ride in the Country - will we be as fortunate?

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One article in today's Observer-Dispatch addresses Utica's problems with an abandoned building - $4.3 Million Clean-up - and a story on Channel2News refers to yet another costly clean-up at a different location: Abandoned building in Utica.

Both stories caught my eye because we have the same sort of problem here, in Waterville. The condition of the "old mill," originally the elegant "Putnam Hall," is not getting any better!


I know that the municipality has investigated several solutions. I wonder if there are any blog-readers in other parts of the country that might offer practical solutions - other than having the village take full responsibility for the razing and removal of material. I'm sure that your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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Have a great day!