Saturday, February 17, 2007

Shivery Saturday Morning





"No rest for the Weary"

I just got these photographs and letter from Jan Kelley! (Thank You!)

"The DPW went to work Friday at midnite through Saturday morning to clear the snowbanks from the downtown business area. At 2 a.m. the temperature dipped to 2 degrees. There was tons of fog in the air as well as a very light snow falling and it was tough getting a clear picture. Only 2 of 12 pictures turned out clear enough. I imagine by daylight, downtown will be without snowbanks!"

THANK YOU, DPW!!

State crews must have been out, elsewhere:
apparently Rt. 12 is open, 'tho other roads are not.

Rt. 825 (Rome) Rt. 29 to Buckley Road - CLOSED
Rt. 29 from Middleville to Salisbury - CLOSED
Rt. 26 from Augusta to Vernon Ctr. - CLOSED
Rt. 170 from Rt. 29 and the City of Little Falls - CLOSED
Rt. 170-A from Rt. 29 and the City of Little Falls - CLOSED

An article in this morning's Utica Observer-Dispatch announces that Utica Broke the "100-year record for February Snowfall" - and there are still twelve days left in the month!

There will be no problem getting to Oriskany Falls for the John Albert Memorial Antique and Classic Snowmobile Celebration, there!

It's nippy out: either -1.5 degrees or +2.5, dependoing on which thermometer I look at, but the sky's clear, the sun's shining, and it's going to be a pretty
Winter Day!

WKTV predicts: "We'll have a dry day Saturday, but by Saturday night, we could be talking about widespread light snow overspreading the region from the west, as a weak clipper type system approaches. In general snow amounts would be 1-3" for CNY, with most places checking in on the low end. Then we'll watch lake effect for Sunday. More details in the (WKTV) Blog and the extended forecast."

************

Also in my morning mail,

A note from Karen Fox, the "Boxtops Coordinator" for the Memorial Park School PTA,
who writes:

"The deadline for the submission of General Mills Boxtops for Education is Feb. 28.
Any one who saves General Mills Boxtops for Memorial Park School,
please drop them off at Food King, or the Waterville Public Library.
There are collection envelopes on the bulletin boards at both locations.
Thank-you!"

************


Now bundle up good and enjoy the day!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Friday afternoon


For the third day in a row............. "Road Closed"

and

"No School!"







Although snowbanks are taller, everywhere,
than they were day-before-yesterday,
the main roads are in quite good shape.







The DPW is busy keeping side street and intersections and ...


all 96 Fire Hydrants cleared.


The prettiest picture, today: the Caves in Forge Hollow
wearing a veil.

Snow tapering off to showers.


WKTV has posted a "final" list of "Nor'easter" Snow Totals. Are Waterville and North Brookfield the only places that don't have any semi-official weather-watchers? That's too bad: I wish someone (or some family) would step forward! I'm sure that a great many people would be very appreciative of your efforts!

Friday morning

It's 10 degrees, and there appears to have been an inch or so of snow, overnight.


The "crawl" on WKTV Channel 2 reads:

"WATERVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL CLOSED."

(this must be a record!)


More "Lake Effect" with blowing and drifting, today.

*******
Last year everyone worried that there wouldn't be enough snow:
no such problem this year!


Hosted By: Oriskany Falls Fire Dept. Route 12B, Oriskany Falls, NY

Schedule of Events
All you can eat pancake breakfast: 7am -10am
Registration: 8am -11am (one class per sled)
$5 per sled - $15 total for 3 or more
Judging: 11am-1pm (ballots must be turned in by 1:30)
Chicken BBQ: 12:00pm - ?
Swap Meet: All Day (vendor space $15.00)
BIG 50/50 DRAWING & Door Prizes: 2:30
TROPHIES AWARDED AFTER PRIZES!



You'll be hungry for pancakes, again, by next Tuesday!

They'll be ready for you at Grace Episcopal Church in Waterville
at the Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

(More information and enticements will follow!)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday Afternoon



The wind has been blowing for most of the day, making it hard to tell whether or not it's snowing some more or just relocating yesterday's snowfall! Out in the countryside the "whiteouts" were bad; even in the village snow swirled.

Route 12 remained closed, and a portion of Skyline Drive
- between Roberts Road and Bogusville Hill Road -
was closed, as well.


In the village, snowbanks grow higher and higher,



twelve-foot lamp posts seem shorter and shorter
and snowplows work harder and harder trying to
keep roads, sidewalks and fire hydrants cleared.




A few things may be lost, for a while:
Gary Allen's mailbox, for one ....






and the "specials" sign in front
of Roc's, for another!









There are many people who are still trying to shovel their way out from their driveways - and not having any fun at all -



but even the chore of climbing back to the
top of the hill doesn't dull the enthusiasm of
these youngsters, enjoying one of the best
things about
Winter.


A six-month-old malamute, perched on
an Elmwood snowbank watching the children,
seemed to beg his mistress,
"Can I go and play, too?"

(If malamutes are usually trained as sled dogs,
couldn't they be trained to pull plastic sliding
devices and passengers UP a hill, too?)

************

Forecasters call for a few inches of "lake effect," tonight,
but nothing in the extreme.


Thursday morning

It's Garbage Day

and

Another

"SNOW DAY"


Some schools in Oneida County are on a one- or two-hour delay, but Waterville is listed as "CLOSED."

From the WKTV Weather Staff: "Winds sustained 10-20mph with gusts over 30mph will cause blowing and drifing snow along with very cold wind chills. Bundle up going outside today because we are only forecasting highs to be near 10 degrees today."

It's a tiny bit above zero, now, and the wind is blowing - even here in the Hollow.
New snow in our front sidewalk is just a few inches, but where the plows have pushed the banks back - that's alot of snow!


There will be more of this, today!


For the most recent map, go to the DOT site and then click on "Travel Advisory."

The picture above is not the most recent. Now, however, I cannot "zoom in" to see if anything's changed - probably because so many people are doing the same thing - but it certainly looks as if Rt. 12's still closed and Rt. 20's not good.

One other thing that people may be wondering about: "Was the old Bank Building auctioned off, yesterday?" No - that action has been postponed until February 27th due to "inclement weather."

More later.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Wednesday afternoon

The birds are always some of the first creatures to know when it's going to storm, and these eighty Goldfinches aimed right for a feeder filled with Niger Seed on Sangerhill Road.


(Photo by Connie Bocko.)


"Well, WE're wondering when's it going to start snowing!" grumbled one of three fellows who were sitting down at Nice 'n Easy having an afternoon coffee, today. (After all - we could see all the way across Rt. 20 to Fallon's.) One said, "Why, I remember back during the blizzard of '66 when it must have been three days when we couldn't see from the house to the barn!" and one of his companions recalled that during the same storm he'd been driving for Agway and it took him seven hours to get from Deansboro to Waterville!"

They were right! It really doesn't SEEM to have been snowing that hard, today, but it's been steady, and here are the results......

Route 12 has been closed all day, and the snowbanks on East Main Street are getting quite high!










But not as high as those in Stockwell, Tom Stiles said.


Snow removal devices of all sorts were at work around the village, this afternoon: a major piece of equipment was making fast work of digging out the driveway at the Swanberg Home;









a brightly-cabbed lawn tractor turned snowplow was at work
farther up on Stafford Avenue...........






and a plume of snow marked the progress of a snowblower on Barton Avenue.









Bryan Briggs applied the "old-fashioned" method - called shovelling - to the "old-fashioned" snow.










He and this young lady on Babbott Avenue, 'though they were certainly working the hardest were also smiling the broadest - apparently enjoying themselves almost as much as these lads who knew that there were lots of better things to do with the snow:





it was there just for them to climb and slide on, right?

"Remember the time that....?"

Natives are wondering what the excitement's all about!


Why, I remember the time that I sent our six- or seven-year-old daughter out onto the back porch with a yardstick to measure new snow and she came back in asking, "Do we have a longer yardstick!" (Now THAT was snow!)

What's your favorite snow story?

Wednesday morning - 8:00 update & more

10:00 A.M.

Missy Brouillette sent these pictures!

(I havn't been uptown, yet, so am glad to have anyone who has JPEGS send them so we can all - and that includes the "snow birds" who are m issing out on the excitement - see what's going on, here!)



The back yard at the Brouillettes' home on Barton Avenue.



Now that's a snowblower!

Wayne attacks snow across from the Municipal Hall.


It's Recyclables Day, and Big Orange is on the job!

School's closed!

WKTV has the whole list.
at 8:00 - EVERYTHING'S CLOSED
except for Hartwick and Colgate.

It began snowing around 10, last night, and -
looking at out picnic table and the
"snow stake" -
it looks as if we've had a little over a foot of snow.

I just went out (8:00) for the newspaper (before the newspaper box gets buried in the rapidly-growing snowbank) and found myself wallowing KNEE-DEEP snow.

RT. 12
between New Hartford and Waterville
IS CLOSED.

******

Tim Francisco just phoned:

PROACTIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY
WILL BE CLOSED, TODAY.

*****

Sharon Stiles is, however, at Totally-U!
If nothing else, you can get your nails done.


(more soon.)

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Later - Tuesday afternoon.


All weather forecasters are telling us
the same thing:

"Get Ready!"

-and we are.



The village's "Bobcat" has been out, making sidewalks just a bit wider;


....... and State and Township crews have been pushing snowbanks away from roads - especially at intersections like this one, at the corner of Daytonville and Lewis Roads.

At one point, around 3:30 this afternoon, the Foodking parkinglot was full and there was a line of cars out on Babbott Avenue just waiting for a chance to get in!



Inside Foodking, three checkout lanes were open and, at Stewart's on West Main Street all the gas pumps were busy.






There are at least two special events taking place around town this evening:

one is the "France in February Wine Dinner" at Michael's Fine Food & Spirits on Main Street to which upwards of fifty people have reservations.

******************

The other is a very important Flag Presentation that will take place at the Clifford J. Fulmer Post #92 of the American Legion at 7:00 P.M. when SPC James Dawes, who attended Waterville and Madison Schools and is home on leave from Iraq, will present to the Legion a Flag that was flown on a combat mission, there.

Dawes is a member of the troop that was "Adopted" by the Legion Auxiliary. Before he returns to Iraq, he will also visit the ActiveDay Program at the Lutheran Home to express his and the troop's Thanks to the members who helped to bake cookies and make cards for the Troop at Christmastime.

*******

I received an E-mail from Stephanie Sabolt, yesterday, explaining that she and her husband, Ryan, would be walking in "America's Greatest Heart Run and Walk" in Utica on March 3rd with the team from the American Legion Post #92 Ladies Auxiliary and asking if I would be willing to post a link to her website so that anyone who would be willing to make a donation could easily do so online. (Of course I am!) You'll find another link, there, to the team page where you'll learn that the other members of the team are Becky Maggio, Jackie Amacher, and Kathy Peré.

Cheers, to all of you!

Tuesday morning

It's 0.0 degrees at 6:30.

There is a water advisory for residents in North Brookfield and
they are asked NOT to drink the water.

Bottled water will be available at the North Brookfield Fire Department, 91199 Main Street from 7:30am until 8pm Tuesday.

Both WKTV and the Utica Observer Dispatch have stories about the exploding well and the subsequent lack of drinkable tap water at several homes in east North Brookfield.



WKTV's 4:30 A.M. Short Term Forecast starts off like this: "Good Morning! A MAJOR winter storm is on the way! Make plans to finish errands and travelling during the day today as this one has the potential to be a doozy." and this morning's predictions include "Tonight: Widespread snow, developing from south to north between 8 PM and midnight and accumulating 3"-6" by daybreak. Low 0-10.

Wednesday: Heavy snow. Blowing and drifting snow. Whiteout conditions possible, especially over high terrain and in open areas. Total storm accumulation 1 to 2 feet. Temperatures in the teens."

(Meteorologists are having a grand time; children of all ages are hopeful, and Punxutawney Phil's forecasting ability is being is questioned.)




***********

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*******




Waterville Public Library Director Jeff Reynolds was on hand for all of the excitement at the Ice Harvest in Millers Mills, on Sunday, and took some wonderful pictures which he shares with us!

Here he is, with his "cousin-in-law," newly-appointed NYS Commissioner of Agriculture, Pat Hooker, from Miller's Mills.





How thick is the ice? Plenty thick enough!

Jeff's sister, Jennifer Brickley from Gilbertsville, takes her turn.


Hoisting blocks onto the sled.

Off to the ice house,



and then back for another load......



looking just like a Budweiser commercial

or a scene from Currier & Ives!

************

Among early settlers in "The Huddle" there were many Welsh families and I imagine that there are quite a few Watervillians who claim at least some Welsh Ancestry. They would be the first of us to want to see the current exhibit, "Keeping up with the Jonses," now on display in the Library at Utica College.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Monday morning

It's Garbage Day!


It's 21.7 degrees. There was no snow during the night, but WKTV's forecast says that it's coming along with another chill and a chance for yet more snow:




"An arctic cold front is situated across Northern New York. This front will make a move to the south and affect the viewing area throughout the morning. A heavy snow squall will herald the arrival of some frigid air, and with it will come the chance for a couple of inches of snow accumulation. The snow will make for some slippery conditions on the morning commute, so plan accordingly!

By this afternoon, just some lighter snow showers and flurries are expected...along with a biting wind and falling temperatures. We'll be in the mid teens by dinnertime. Readings will plummet overnight under partly cloudy skies and wind up anywhere from 5 to 20 below zero to start the day tomorrow. A big snowstorm is possible for tomorrow night and Wednesday with several inches of snow likely. More on this later today."

***************

We got this very interesting letter (with link to WSYR site) from Kevin Ford, yesterday afternoon:

"WSYR - 9 in Syracuse has a page of pictures that viewers have submitted from the storm that has dumped so much snow on Oswego County. "



(Here's one of those pictures.)

He also said, "I went up to Oswego on Friday and stayed until this morning. The amount of snow is impressive, it reminded me of the January 2004 event that occurred while I was a junior at SUNY Oswego. I ended up doing a case study on the storm for my senior thesis in meteorology. During that event the highest total was 86 inches in Parish. This event however has the more impressive snowfall totals. The roads through Fulton and Oswego were clear through out the weekend. The road crews are working around the clock to keep them clean. Intersections are still a little tricky to get through due to the high snow banks."
(Thanks, Kevin!)

*********


Millers Mills country


Millers Mills. Population 29. The "Business District" consists of one farm (#37). There's a pretty white church up on a hill behind which is a cemetery - larger and older than expected - a Grange Hall, several tidy dwellings and - down in the hollow, the Mill Pond. I wished that I'd taken pictures of all of these last weekend, when we were there, because yesterday it was as crowded as our Firemen's Field on Field Days! I just put my camera away and enjoyed the result of "advertising!" Hundreds of people; all ages, all smiling and pink-cheeked, many crowding in to the church or Grange Hall for hot refreshments, and others looking as surprised as I at the full parking area and line of cars parked along the edge of the road for a quarter-of-a-mile or more. I didn't see anyone that I knew - but you could have been twenty feet away and hidden in the mob! The event certainly was a fine success, for sure!





I came back to Waterville over "Babcock Hill,"
where the view towards Tassel Hill
is stupendous.





One fisherman had Bailey Lake all to himself.


Deer stoked up in a sunny hillside on Frog Park Road,


...... and more snowmobiles than cars were
being fueled at the pumps in Sangerfield.

******

Have a great day!