Tuesday afternoon

Cold and snowy - just like Winter! But not cold enough to stop the electrical contractors.





They put up eleven of the new lamp posts, today - starting from across from CVS as far as the Price residence. If they continue at that rate, all 80 could be in place by the end of next week!

A Streetlamp is UP!! w/ pix

At exactly 8:08, this morning, Mr. Roc Langone phoned to say that, as he watched, a Victorian lamp post was being erected "across from CVS." "And it looks good!"

I'll put on some shoes and make a photo dash!

And now........ (drumm roll!)..........

Only 79 more lamps to go!

And then there was another "photo op" - Roc and the awesomely special "Baklava" dessert that he makes. You know: the phyllo (pronounced FEE-lo) shell, ground walnuts, honey and, of course, Roc's Ice Cream.

But if you want any, you'll have to go to Symeon's - it's an exclusive!

Tuesday morning

It's GARBAGE Day!

20.8 degrees at 6 o'clock, with just a frosting of light snow falling.

WKTV's Amanda Gabler predicts:
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy and cold with light snow. Breezy. Light accumulations possible south & west of Utica. Total snow accumulation by 5 PM: 2-4" for most of CNY, with 4-6" possible in extreme western Oneida and Madison Counties. High 17
Tuesday night: Partly cloudy and very cold. Low -1

(from the Weather Channel.)

There is some snow in the forecast but nothing like this - just four years ago!

*********

WCS Girls' Varsity Basketball will meet Mt. Markham TOMORROW night at 7:30 at WCS.

*****

And, in just two months, "Footloose" opens on the WCS Stage! It's a musical set in the 80's --- remember leg warmers? break dancing? huge hair? --- with some memorable songs ("Almost Paradise," "Let's Hear it for the Boy!") and super choreography! The basic plot?

Ren McCormick, (Alex Mowrey) a high school student who is uprooted from his Chicago home after his parents' divorce and moved to the tiny town of Beaumont. To his horror, he learns there is no dancing permitted in the town, due to the city council being overly concerned about the safety of its youth. That was because several teens had once died on their way home from a dance -- ergo, dancing is bad, according to Rev. Shaw Moore (Rusty Ritzel) who rules Beaumont with an iron, Bible-clutching fist.

Ms. Loomis has an excellent cast - already in rehearsals - and experienced, inventive and energetic technical crews: it's going to be good!

Monday morning add-on

It's 34 degrees at 10:00 and still raining. The breeze is picking up and icy twigs are hitting windows. I've been out and around the community, driving - and walking upright! - without any difficulty. Here in "the hollow," as well as in Sangerfield at Nice 'n Easy (French-Vanilla Cappuccino's a requirment for such mornings!) there is no ice on the pavement. I drove eastward on Upper White Street as far as Sheepskin Hollow, and the road was very slushy out there.

Along Bogan Road S., hedgerows were white with ice.

I was tempted to drive up to the old "Tyler Barn" to look
at the view, but just didn't quite dare.

In Sangerfield, Mrs. Tonetti's birch trees are bent and, in the process of leaning groundward, have torn a wire.
At the Sweeneys' on White Street, their birch is similarly ice-laden.

My grandfather loved to recite the first few lines of Robert Frost's poem, "Birches."

When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the line of straighter, darker trees
I like to think that some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay. Ice storms do that."

Weather forecasters are uncertain what will come next but, unfortunately, bright sunshine on all of the ice isn't even a possibility, I'm afraid!

Monday morning

It's 30.9 degrees, out, and it's definitely rain that's coming down - FREEZING RAIN!

It must have been icing for quite a while for, although cars are traveling at a normal rate of speed, when their headlights hit the hedge in front of the house, it's like looking at Tiffany's windows.

I didn't really step outside our front door. Just peeked out to take this picture of the winged euonymus next to the front steps. (Click to enlarge.)

The WKTV Weather Map shows icing taking place all over this part of the state.

I read through the more recent "comments" that follow the WKTV Weather Blog. This was posted by meteorologist Adam Musyt at just about 6 o.clock: "Good morning! It looks like we'll see mostly freezing rain this morning instead of sleet or snow. be very careful driving to work today!"

At 6:29 - scanner reports a tree down and blocking the road (315.)

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

This is, of course, a national holiday celebrating the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. .

*******

There's also an article in today's O-D about

Samuel Morse

and his memorable connection to Utica.

I don't think that I'll venture out until it's light, but then I'll let you know what conditions are like in Whiskey Hollow at 1142' above sea level.

REALLY Slippy Sunday

By mid-afternoon there was a coating of ice on just about everything, and it just wasn't nice outdoors.

It's pretty on trees and grasses, but darned dangerous on wooden stairs and vehicular running-boards!

Rumored at Foodking, but later confirmed: one of this morning's ambulance responses was to the Cooper residence in Sangerfield where Adele had fallen while going for her morning newspaper. She has suffered a broken hip and will be in St. Luke's Hospital for several days. Forest, in the meantime, is at his son's home in Norwich.

In all the years that I've known her, I don't think that Adele has ever had so much as a hangnail! If you see her, tell her Flip said to "Hang in There!" (It'll make her smile!)

********

I've been spending more and more time reading the WKTV Weather Blog and am finding it more interesting and much more informative than I did, at first. If you've ever wondered "How do they do that?" you might like it, too.



(Suddenly, Blogspot.com is accepting photographic uploads! I DO hope it lasts!)

Slippy Sunday

It's just 30 degrees, at 7 o'clock, but cold enough to make a few things - like the cocoa-matting on our front porch steps - really slippy! And it's going to get worse! You can see from the Doppler snap, below, that there's a mixture creeping in.



The WKTV Forecast reads:

Sunday: Snow, sleet and freezing rain in the morning. Some light ice and snow accumulation possible. In the afternoon, chance for rain showers. Highs in the mid 30s.

Sunday night: Snow and sleet developing. Accumulations likely before daybreak. Lows in the mid 20s.

Monday: Snow, possibly mixed in with a period of sleet and freezing rain. Significant accumulations possible. High around 30. Low in the low teens."

The WeatherChannel forecast is less colorful, but more detailed:

There have already (at 8:45) been THREE
ambulance calls
resulting from "falls."
I don't know whether they resulted from
falls on ICE or not,
but
don't make it four!

I'd been hoping to find a photograph of sunny Hawaii, waiting for me this morning. Sarah Sexton and Cathy Burbules are en route - after a six-hour layover in Newark and fourteen-hour flight to Honolulu - and are taking lots of us along with them via a BLOG! If I can have their permission, I'll share some pix with you as soon as they start coming!

In the meantime, why don't you just click on this link - HERE - and enjoy some Summertime sights, as seen just six months ago.

And REMEMBER that

tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day.

• The Post Office will be closed;
• GARBAGE Collection will take place on TUESDAY,
• The Village Board will meet on Wednesday evening,
• RECYCLABLES will be collected on Thursday,
• and GARBAGE again on Friday.