Saturday morning

It's 19.6 degrees - almost TWENTY!
Light snow continues and we have about 6" of new "fluff" on the front porch.

AccuWeather forecasts more snow, today, with periods of sunshine or clouds and a high temperature of 25 degrees.

That means it'll be warm enough to wash cars!

According to one of our local automotive experts, the new and improved road salt that the State is using - the stuff that almost looks like sparkly blue-green hydroseed! - really does "eat" cars. It cakes right on to the undercarriage and starts eating right away!

The advantage to the highways? It melts at a lower temperature than untreated road salt.

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Route 12 was reopened to traffic last evening, but the resident weather observer remarks that when the sun comes up the wind will no doubt pick up, too, and the "Road Closed" signs may reappear.

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This photo answers the question that was

first was asked 'way back last Summer:

"Who's going to plow the new sidewalk all the way to Sangerfield?"

- and a more recent one:

"Is he lost?"

No!

The two municipalities - the Village of Waterville and the Town of Sangerfield - have come to a nice agreement and are swapping "in-kind" snow removal services.

Trivia for the Day: "How many miles of sidewalk are there in Waterville?" According to Superintendent Ostrander, it's just about fifteen - "the same as driving to North Utica!" That doesn't count the mile or so to Sangerfield.

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The days are definitely getting longer - it's most noticable in the afternoon - but if you're outdoors after it gets dark, take a minute or two to look at the sky!
Saturn and Venus are both putting on fine displays!

Friday afternoon

From WKTV:

Route 12 between New Hartford and Waterville has been closed due to weather conditions. Blowing and drifting snow has caused whiteout conditions in the area.

If you didn't click on the comment left on this morning's "travel note," a lady from Sanger Avenue in Waterville wrote that "Our intrepid Curves exercisers made it from Waterville to Clinton at 6:30 this morning as we do every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There was a long line of cars travelling at 20 MPH the whole way. It was much improved when we came home at 8 - we got up to 30 MPH."

It's been off-and-on "lake effect" for most of the day: bright one minute and dark and squally the next. If the Street Lamps had been on this afternoon they'd have shown up wonderfully!

The State and township plows have been keeping main roads bare.........

....but side roads have needed ffrequent attention from smaller plows, which seem to be everywhere.

This little white puppy - barely tall enough to see over the snowbanks - was having a fine walk on White Street,

..and, in the large corn field across Rt. 20 from the old Mayflower Motel, scores
of wild turkeys were feasting.

Travel Note!

A young lady driving to Cooperstown to work said it was just "too hairy!" and turned around and came home!

Friday morning Add-on

For those of you who are taking a little extra time to get out and about, this morning, here's some extra reading material:

"In Timely Manner" has received an E-letter from Sylvia Person, and I'm going to post a little bit of it here -

"As you know, Phil & I live in "The Villages", in one of them called Mallory Square. In the early hours of Feb 2nd, we were awakened by the thundering roar that sounded like a freight train coming through followed by the sound of flying glasss. We would never have had time to make it to a closet or bathroom , as it was over in seconds. I investigated to find some the front windows blown in, with broken glassthroughout. Upon opening the front door, I was confronted with a mound of plywood, shingles and debris. Immediately, neighbors congregated out in the street, checking to see if anyone was hurt and comparing damages. Never until daylight, did anyone realize the devastation........"

- and save the rest for next week's column in the Waterville Times.

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Here are the headlines from page 1 of this week's issue of the Waterville Times.

"Six Arrested in Paris Break-in" - five men and a woman charged with the Jan. 23 home invasion that occurred on Brennan Road in the Town of Paris.

"Celebrating 50 Years" - photo of Fr. Vincent Kelley of Oriskany Falls with his brother , Monsignor William Kelley, and their nephew, Fr. Robert Kelly.

"Candidates Chosen" - Results of village caucuses: Republican candidates include incumbents Jim Younes for Mayor; Bruce Treen for Trustee and also Karl Buschor. Democrat Tom McNamara seeks a two-year seat as Trustee.

"New Ordinance Urged" - Waterville Historical Society asks the Village Board to adopt measures to control the appearance of the Historic Triangle District and Main Street by reconsidering a proposed Historic Preservation Ordinance that was turned down by the Board in 1989.

"Winter Weekend" - Photo of five WCS students who reigned as members of the Royal Court at last weekend's festivities.

"Jesse Learns to Speak His Mind" - Lengthy interview and photo of Jesse Dombrowski of California Road, who attends the New York State School for the Deaf in Rome.

"Woman Still Missing" - Michelle Hutchings of Shanley Rd. was last seen six months ago.

"Meeting Set" - The NYSDOT will hold public information meeting to discuss proposed work on State Rt. 12B in Hamilton and Madison.

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A friend, driving to work in Utica, has phoned to say that Route 12 IS open, but that there are areas - the usual ones! - of complete "whiteouts" and drifting.

If YOU go out, do drive carefully!

Friday morning

It's 13 degrees and snowing at 6:45.

There's a great deal of traffic on Route 315 which means either that Route 12 is closed OR that everyone's gotten smart!

A schoolbus just went past the house in the Hollow.

Waterville does not appear on WKTV's latest list of school delays and cancellations. You'll find a list of snow totals: the little community of Redfield now tops the list at 97"!

Come back later on!

Lights, Action, & Lake Effect!

JoAnn Treen and Crystal Langone phoned,
nearly simultaneously, just before 1 o'clock:
"The Lamps are On!"

First one section of lamps was tested and then the other.
There were a few that didn't light, but those that did
looked lovely!

You'd never have guessed that, out in
the countryside, it was storming hard!

Whiteout on Fuess Cleary Road

The old barns on Fuess Cleary Road.

Coming back into the village
on Hanover Road.

It doesn't seem to be actually snowing, right now - at 3:00 P.M. - but I can hear the wind roaring up on the hills and driving is probably still tricky.

The Utica O-D's home page has links for closings, cancellations, road conditions, etc.

Thursday smile-maker!

It may not be the biggest Flower Show,
but it's our favorite because it's in our "home town."

(Click to enlarge!)

It happens every year - a treat to the community from the college.

See it this year
March 3rd through the 18th
at the Talcott Greenhouse on the
Campus of Mount Holyoke College
in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Thursday morning

It's Garbage Day!

12.6 degrees, at a little after 6:00 with a light snow falling. AccuWeather forecasts a high of 22 degrees with some snow and WKTV shows us where that's going to fall.

We can look forward to - Partly sunny with lake effect snow showers and squalls. Snow will be north of the Thruway until afternoon, where additional accumulations are likely. Lake effect snow will shift southward into the Mohawk Valley by mid afternoon. Snow may be heavy at times in the Mohawk Valley during the afternoon and evening. 4"-8" possible. High 20

The usual spot.........

........ for the usual effect!

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Great News!

Whether or not you know the Zirkles of Sanger Avenue, you'll be able to imagine the joy that there is in their family: their son Todd is back "Stateside" after spending several months in the "Middle East."

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I had two nice chats, yesterday, with the O'Dowds! We had a brief meeting in the waiting room at the Barton Medical Center and then found each other again at Nice 'n Easy where hot chocolate and cappucino were our rewards! It was grand to see Peg!

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Yesterday was the day that prospective buyers could preview the Bank of America Building. Some cars were seen parked near the front door, but we learned (from someone who knows) that representatives of First Niagara were not there and they do not intend to bid on the property.

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I did go to the highschool, a few days ago, to take pictures of the Winter Weekend Snow Sculptures, but fresh snow had covered the details. If anyone has any photographs to share, I'd appreciate it!

There seems to be a dearth (insufficiency) and/or paucity (small number) of bloggable activities, and the writer hopes that others are more well- informed than she!

Wednesday

It must be the weather: there's nothing to tell you about, this morning, except that perhaps there will be something exciting going on later on! (There's a chance for prospective buyers to view the old bank building this morning, from 9 - 11:00.)

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Zero degrees, but only a trace of new accumulation. The WKTV forecast doesn't predict that any appreciable amounts will fall on Waterville in the next day or so - it's still all falling up North!

Travel seems to be quite normal, around town, and those who have tickets will be able to get to the Stanley Theater in Utica for the second performance of URBAN COWBOY. which was nominated for Best Original Score Tony Award and is based on the movie of the same name that starred John Travolta. And tomorrow evening at 8:00 Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance".

SCHOOL's CLOSED!!!

A reader alerted me to this ------ All of the schools in Oneida Co. are closed!

Tuesday morning

9.7 degrees at 6 o'clock, and according to AccuWeather we'll see some sunshine and then have some more snow.

WKTV offers a list of all of the schools in this area and what their open/closed status is. Waterville is OPEN.

There was some snow, yesterday, but the wind didn't allow it to stay where it fell, and "whiteouts" occurred at the usual places:

near Allen Acres,

and on Osborn Avenue.

The wind chill made it unpleasant to stay outdoors,
and even the Carolina Wrens and Red-bellied Woodpecker
looked awfully uncomfortable.

An item in yesterday's O-D assured readers that when it's time for the Ice Harvest at Millers Mills - next Sunday - there will be signs to get you there.
Just to get you going - drive E. on Route 20 past Winfield and take Route 51 N.
Watch for a right-hand turn onto Millers Mills Road.

This is the important part:

When you get to a crossroads, make sure you turn left!
(We didn't, and spent an hour or more
getting back to where we wanted to be!
But it's very pretty countryside - not time wasted
at all!

AccuWeather predicts that it will be around 20 degrees and the sun will be shining.)

"Memories; memories..."

(Click on this link!)
96.1 in the shade!

Another Monday with add-on at 8

More COLD! It's just about 2 degrees above zero.

It's still snowing, up North, and Adirondack Central School is closed.

Check the WKTV News site for the latest list of school closings as of 7:45.

No - Waterville is not on it.

The WKTV forecast for today:

Monday: Cold with lake effect snow. By tomorrow evening: 6"-12" for most of Northern Oneida County, 1-3" for the Mohawk Valley and most of southern Herkimer and Madison County. High 9 Low -1

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In other numbers, it was the Colts over the Bears, 28 - 17 at the Super Bowl in Miami: the Colts' biggest victory since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, and it gave them the distinction of being the first dome team to win a Super Bowl outdoors. And then there was MVP Peyton Manning, who took about one quarter to figure out the Bears' defense. Then he carved it up. He moved Indianapolis by masterfully finding open receivers, calling runs and converting third downs, and his 53-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne came with a Chicago defender draped around his waist.

If watching the Super Bowl wasn't your "thing," you can still start your day/week with lots of good laughs by watching some of the really wonderful Commercials!

An article in this morning's O-D quotes a Domino's Pizza owner as saying it was the "biggest day of the year!" I wonder how many pies were made at the New York Pizzeria here in Waterville. Lots, I bet!

It was a nice, sunny day here, yesterday, and we did go for a "Ride in the Country."

Actually, we set out to find the most direct route to Millers Mills, where the Annual Ice Harvest will take place next Sunday. (It was cancelled, last year, because there was no ice!)

We've been to Millers Mills, before; it shouldn't have been that hard to find our way back there - and we DID, finally - but we need to refine our mapping process before we lead too many of you astray!

Closer to home .............

Our friends in "the city" like these views.
You can see that there's not much snow cover
on these fields next to Tormey Road.

(Click to enlarge photos.)

This reminds me of storm waves at sea,
but it's snow, over near Paris Station.

If I had a snowmobile, I'd head right for these hedgerow drifts!

More about the

Millers' Mills Ice Harvest
later!

Sunday morning

It's 7.3 degrees, with a "real feel" of minus 10: bbbrrrrrrrr!
AccuWeather forecasts partly cloudy; a few peeks of sunshine, and a high of about 13 degrees.

WKTV's forecast for Sunday: Mostly cloudy with heavy lake effect snow across the north country. Accumulations in Lewis, N Herkimer counties in excess of one foot. Very cold and breezy. Wind chill values between -10 and -20 in the morning. High 11 Low -4.

It's clear, here, and the moon is bright. Owls were hunting, coyotes singing and - on Friday night, at least - several deer foraged for apples under the old trees near the creek in Whiskey Hollow while dedicated sky-watchers (elsewhere!) were braving the cold to enjoy the sight of
Saturn at its brightest.

There were fewer-than-usual snowmobiles seen and heard, yesterday and last night. Presumably, many local riders were in Boonville at the Adirondack Cup Races, which will continue today.

The next major snowmobiling event will be the John Albert Antique & Vintage Classic & Barbeque in
Oriskany Falls, two weeks from now.

Later today, perhaps a "ride in the country" -in a Chevy Tahoe (with heater and wheels!)