Saturday

29.9 degrees! Yea!

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After a sub-zero start, yesterday turned out to be beautiful: the sun shone, and 'tho snowmobilers were out enjoying a fine Winter day on the trails, back in the village puddles formed everywhere and bits of grass appeared next to our sidewalk!
(Not really GREEN, green grass, but grass all the same!)

Spring and Soft Ice Cream go together,
and Tim Francisco celebrates both at "Roc's."

(I used my telephone to take Tim's picture: not an exceptional photograph , but - to me - an amazement that such a thing is possible!)

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Dale Meszler used his telephone to take this picture of the WCS Jazz Band warming up before the Oneida Jazz Festival, yesterday morning. (Better telephone = better picture!)

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Saturday Morning: Clouds continuing to increase. A few breaks of sun likely.

Saturday Afternoon: Cloudy with rain showers arriving. Some icy patches are possible north and east of Utica at the onset of the rain. Highs reaching around 40 degrees.

St. Patrick's Day Decorations are appearing and today, for sure, runners and joggers will be out! Join them!!! and check out this Boilermaker Training program at the High School.

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"The Nose!"

Apparently it's as I thought: John Cornelius and Carol Aldridge simply aren't OLD enough to remember "The Pope's Nose!"

A gentleman of sixty-some years whose ancestors were among the early settlers wrote that he always called it "The Pope's Nose" because that's what his mother called it and she probably learned that from her parents. (That would take it back at least 100 years.) He added that he was, in fact, surprised to learn that the name had been changed to "Daniel's Nose!"

I imagine that when Daniel Madden began driving the schoolbus he was well-aware of the long-time localized name for the "nose" but may have felt that it was degrading to the Pope to credit his profile with the likeness and so he just referred to that curve as "the nose."

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Friday morning

This isn't too bad:

it's only minus 6.5 degrees!

Not a smidgen of snow

- and look at this great forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny.
Temps warming up quickly through the morning.
By noon, in the low 20s, with highs in the upper 20s.

Saturday:
Mostly cloudy. Rain or snow showers likely by late afternoon.
High: 41, Low: 29

Sunday:
A mix of sun and clouds. A flurry is possible up north.
High: 42, Low: 22

Monday: Mostly sunny and pleasant.
High: 43, Low: 26

It was pretty chilly, yesterday, but the groomer gassed
up at Fallon's and snowmobilers took to the trails.

*******

Blog-readers may be getting tired of this sort of view -
so aren't all the drivers!


This was in my morning mail:

"Greetings from Florida"
from Missy Brouillette and the children!

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The "Nose"!

Just whose was it? The writer may have erred in referring to a particular bump in the landscape and curve in the road between here and Deansboro as "the Pope's Nose." John Cornelius recalled: "any of us kids from Deansboro (knew) that that was Daniel's nose. When we started to ride the bus to WCS - and that was 1940 - we had a bus driver named Dan Madden. His wife was Nellie I believe. He was a good bus driver and he said when he gets past the nose we will have good sailing, so we kids always aquaint it with Daniel's nose."

Carol Aldridge called it "Daniel's Knoll."

*********

Perhaps, when Mr. Madden was himself a boy, it was called "the Pope's Nose"
and he didn't feel the need to explain that to his passengers.

???

Perhaps someone from WCS could add "Footloose" to this list?

Thursday morning

It's Garbage Day!

14.4 degrees and it's been snowing, off and on, but it doesn't look as if there's been any significant accumulation.

From WKTV:

• Today: Snow showers and flurries shift south and west and diminish. Partly sunny late this morning and afternoon. Colder and windy with temperatures remaining in the mid teens.
• Tonight: Clear and bitterly cold. Low 5 to 15 below zero, with even colder readings possible in deeper valleys of the North Country.
• Friday: Mostly sunny and more tolerable. High: 25, Low: 14

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For the moment, even though I've read the online issues of WKTV Channel 2 News and the Utica Observer-Dispatch, I found no worthwhile local news to link to!

Here, instead, are the Page 1 Headlines from

this week's issue of the

WATERVILLE TIMES.

"Bank Building Sold at Auction" - John Brouillette's bid of $187,500 was top price offered for the vacant bank building. (photo)

"Hoping for a New Bank" - John Brouillette told the Village Board that he hopes to rent to a bank or credit union.

"Well Spoken" - photo of top prize-winners in the Memorial Park Prize Speaking Contest.

"Meeting Set to Discuss Library Use" - Mayor Younes asks community groups interested in using the old library as a community center to meet with him on March 14 at 7:00 at Municipal Hall.

"Search for Area Woman Steps Up" - more on the disappearance of and search for Michelle Hutchings.

"Search on For Trophy" - Limestone Ridge Historical Society is looking for the Curtis LaTraille Trophy for an exhibit.

"Madison Adjusts for Snow Days" - Madison Central School has used its five allotted snow days.

"Mom Asks WCS for Help" - Mother of Middle School students asks School Board how to get help from teachers.

"Gotta Cut Loose, See 'Footloose' " - High school musical will take place next week.

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Perhaps you'll be as amazed as I
to see how many things happened

Today in History

Wednesday afternoon

Hilltop tree near the "Pope's Nose" in Forge Hollow.

Bright and sunny, today, and a balmy 18.9 degrees!

At the old Lumbard Homestead there is a
bright bouquet of
forsythia in the upstairs window!

The little waterfall from the Gridley Ponds is just about frozen over.

Did you know that building lots around the ponds are all for sale?

"Field View Development"

Also, click on "Harvey Farms."

(Not everyone's pleased!)

The snowbanks are really high, now, on Hanover Road.

But just think: a month from now I'll be poking around the base of this tree on Fuess-Cleary Road looking for Hepaticas.



In the meantime ..............

WKTV's forecast: " Tonight: Variable cloudiness with a few flurries and snow showers. Local accumulations of up to an inch or two. Low near zero.

Thursday: Breezy with snow showers in the morning, but becoming partly sunny and less windy by afternoon. Very cold. High: 13, Low: -10"

Wednesday morning

It's 1.9 degrees, aiming for a scorching 17!

There's nothing on the doppler, right now, but WKTV's forecast calls for some snow showers or flurries later on:

• Wednesday: Occasional light snow or flurries, especially south of Route 20. Accumulation of an inch or less in most spots. High in the mid to upper teens.
• Wednesday night: Becoming breezy and cold again, with occasional snow showers, some locally heavy late. Conditions may be treacherous, but should not be as bad as we saw Monday. Low in the low single digits above zero."

*****

I have E-mail, this morning, from Edie Eastman who lives on Route 315 and "recognized" the photo taken between whiteouts:


"I think the photo of the blizzard conditions on Route 315 must have been close to my house as that's the way it looked most of Monday."

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Wasn't it most fortunate that the weather was much better for last Saturday's Heart Run & Walk?
I got this E-note, yesterday, from Becky Maggio, who was there:


"We had a great time Sat. at the Heart Walk … What a beautiful day that we had. We ended up with 8 members on our Team- Rebecca & Dave Maggio, Tina Ondrako, Kathy Pare’, Stephanie & Ryan Tabolt, Jackie Amacher & Ben Knox."

" All together our Post #92 Members & Our Team Walkers raised $1,005.00!!!! I am already planning for next year!"

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Many in this part of New York State continue to be fascinated with the story of Grace Brown's murder at Big Moose Lake in 1906. In this morning's issue of the Observer-Dispatch, there is an article about the diary that was kept by her killer, Chester Gillette, while he was in proson. That diary has just been given to Hamilton College.



It was the story of the murder, of course, that inspired first a book and then a movie - "A Place in the Sun," starring Elizabeth Taylor, who (can this be true?) celebrated her 75th birthday just a week ago!

Tuesday, later on

A magnificent, bright sunny day!

Brisk and breezy, too,

with a HIGH of either 3 or 4 degrees,
depending on the source of measurement.

Route 12 either was or was not CLOSED - again, depending on the source.

The sign remained in place, and that was probably just as well.

Now and then the wind died down and it was a perfect
Winter day, but ............

Osborn Avenue

...when it picked up, driving became challenging once more.

Rt. 12 south of the Car Wash.

It's going to be bitterly cold again tonight, and just a bit warmer tomorrow.

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

Perhaps this Springy thought will help:

Daylight Savings Time?
Yes - this weekend!

Tuesday morning

At 6:30 it's minus 5.3 degrees.

Waterville Schools are on a TWO-HOUR DELAY.

***RE-OPENED***

--Rt. 12 from New Hartford to Waterville

--Rt. 26 to Rt. 5, Vernon

--Rt. 28 from Mohawk to Richfield

--Rt. 5S, Dyke Road to the Village of Ilion

--Rt. 51 from Forks Road intersection to the Village of West Winfield

--Rt. 167, Murphy Road and Rt. 5 to Village of Dolgeville line

--Skyline Drive in Kirkland is closed from Roberts Road to Bogusville Hill Road.

Click HERE for a complete list of road and school closings, delays.

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NWS Wind Chill Chart

*****

The ROAD CLOSED sign went up late yesterday morning.

It certainly didn't look bad, right there on Main Street;

maybe a little blowy in open spots.....

but it was a different world out in the country.

"The Flats," on Rt. 315.

I took this picture between "white-outs!"

It isn't snowing, now, nor do I hear the wind blowing. It's just going to be a very cold day and tonight will be super-cold, again.

Dress snuggly and have a safe day.

Monday morning

VILLAGE BOARD MEETING

this evening at 7:00
at the Municipal Hall.

********

It's Garbage Day!

Starting out at 22.8 degrees at the top of the slide.

from WKTV: "Today: Turning windy and becoming colder with showers and squalls. Accumulations of 2"-4" except lesser amounts southeast of the Mohawk Valley. Watch for slippery roadways. Temperatures 25-30 for the drive to work...and falling to 15-20 for the ride home from work."

and then ..........

"Tonight: Snow showers, especially west. Frigid. Low 0 to 10 below northeast of Utica and 0 to 5 above south and west of Utica. Snow accumulations of a trace to 2", except 2"-4" southwest of Utica, into Madison and Otsego counties. Continued windy with blowing snow in open areas and on the high terrain.

Tuesday: Basically January 6th got lost and decided to crash the party two months late. Frigid and partly sunny with a few harmless flakes. High 5-15."


Yesterday afternoon's weather was quite a surprise: was it supposed to do this?
A "Lake Effect" snow squall hit New Hartford around 1:30. I was southbound toward Waterville, and although I had my camera with me, by the time I'd reached Meadow Street in Clinton conditions were so bad that I don't think any picture would have looked any different than this:



I pulled over in to Hannaford's parkinglot - thinking that it was not a bad place to be, if the storm continued for hours, or days - but the whole thing ceased as dramatically as it had begun and total accumulation was probably no more than two inches.

It's snowing just a little bit now; pictures later, perhaps.

Drive safely, and Have a good day!

Sunday morning

It's 26 degrees. There's a little snow up north; a few flakes in the air, here, but sunshine may break through this afternoon.

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Nearly 8,000 people raised $1,147,338 Saturday during America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk. If you weren't right there in the middle of the crowd, you can read all about it in the O-D or watch lots of video views on WKTV.

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It's was particularly Spring-like, yesterday afternoon, so I took a "Sunday Ride in the Country" a day early, and went southward to Hubbardsville to check on my favorite pussy willow bush, and slowed down to take a few pictures.

Several deer were out in their field on Frog Park Road.



Unless you were looking, you'd miss the little old Cemetery in Stockwell where some stones date back to the very early 1800s.


Horseback riders were out, just north of Hubbardsville,


and several mallard ducks strolled on the ice next to the Sangerfield River at the "orange bridge."


There's something special about those windows at Charlotte Blanchard's!

*****

As for the pussy willow bush - not quite time. I'll have to go back next week!