Saturday morning

It's 56 degrees and gray.

We had some rumbly thunder, last evening, but - as far as I can tell - that's as close as we came to getting any rain. Showers TODAY would be nice.

WKTV's forecast:

• Saturday: Mix of sun & clouds. High 76
• Saturday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms developing. Low 51
• Sunday: Cloudy with rain and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may be strong, especially Sunday evening. High 73 Low 56
• Memorial Day: Morning showers giving way to mostly sunny skies by afternoon. Turning cooler. High 71 Low 47

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(Click to enlarge.)
Mary Beth VanDenbergh sent me this wonderful picture that was taken at the "Honor Our Veterans" Day ceremony at Memorial Park School, last Wednesday.

A Garden on West Main Street

Picnic in the Park.

The 1906 Watering Trough overflowing with petunias and purple fountain grass.

The Hop Yard at St. Bernard's Catholic Church.

A new paint job brings out details on this West Bacon Street House that I never noticed, before.

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Friday

It's nearly 60 degrees and I've opened windows to let in the wonderful aroma of the lilacs!

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• Friday: Partly sunny, warm and humid with afternoon thunderstorms. High 86
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms ending after midnight. Low 54
• Saturday: Mix of sun & clouds. High 76 Low 51
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy with rain and thunderstorms. High 73 Low 56
• Memorial Day: Mostly cloudy with morning showers and thunderstorms.

In this morning's Observer-Dispatch appears the obituary of Lucille Emory, a longtime resident of this community and friend to many, and also a brief notice of the death of Valerie Chapman, of Newport. Her husband, Bill, is a well-known naturalist with whom I've slogged through the soggiest parts of Nine Mile Swamp and who has written several field guides which I've had the pleasure of illustrating.

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In yesterday's mail was this nice E-note from someone named Greg:

"I am a 1982 graduate of Hamilton College and sometimes forget how
beautiful Root Glen is! My 25 Year reunion is next weekend, but living
in Minnesota, I will not be able to make it back. It was a nice
reminder to have your blog posting pop up on my Hamilton search engine
this morning and allow me the good memories of upstate NY. Thank you!"

And thank you for writing! I'm continually amazed at how far this little blog travels!

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I forgot to take my camera with me on my rounds of the village, yesterday, and so I can only tell you that you can take special pleasure in seeing that hanging basket planters - prepared by Alcott's - are now suspended from telephone poles along Main Street and that the members of the Garden Club have been planting the "tubs" - even those in Sangerfield!

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One of those plantings has answered the question:

"When are they going to pipe the 1906 watering trough in the Park?"

(That was a Village part of the reconstruction project, wasn't it?)

Not now! Shirley Kellogg, of the Garden Club, happily told me that the Village provided the soil and she has planted the super-large container with purple fountain grass (chuckle!) pink petunias, purple argeratum and pale pink begonias. (She has done this planting for quite a number of years. It's always different; always lovely!)

I'll make a point of taking my camera with me, today, and will find an unobstructed view of the "planter."

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Click to get a better view.

Have a great day!

Thursday morning - correction and add-on

It's Garbage Day!

55.4 degrees, and warming up!

There is some rain in the forecast, but we do need it.

A cloud of dust followed a tractor in a field out on Madison Street.

A few showers would be nice - we just don't want any on Monday Morning between 9:00 and 10:00, during the Memorial Day Parade and Exercises. I have not been told the parade route, but I have heard that last evening the entire Marching Band and Color Guard turned out for a photo op and rehearsal resplendant in their brand new uniforms!

You'll see them on Monday!

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In this morning's O-D: Local Graduates Christine Campbell, daughter of Joel and Mary Campbell, received her Doctor (not Masters) of Physical Therapy degree from Duke University.

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New on West Main Street: four invitingly-umbrellaed tables in front of "Michael's"!

Now blooming on White Street and in many other locations around the village, "Bleeding Heart" - Dicentra spectabilis.

Also on White Street - rocks and phlox!

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Missing from Putnam Street - a tree planted around twenty years ago by the then-children of the street as a tangible reminder of their affection for "Uncle Charles" Brainard.

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I didn't realize, when I saw this photograph of Emily Plourde, that her prom dress had been made of Duct Tape! Her date, Kyle Nasypany, had constructed his red and black tuxedo of the same material, and they'll be entering a national contest with the hope of winning scholarships.

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Wednesday

It's Recyclables Day!

44.1 degrees and blue sky.

• Wednesday: Mostly sunny and warm. High near 80.
• Wednesday Night: Mainly clear. Low in the mid 50s.
• Thursday: Sun and clouds, warm and a bit humid. An isolated storm with locally heavy rainfall is possible. High: 84, Low: 60
• Friday: Sun and clouds with more widespread showers and thunderstorms likely. High: 80, Low: 52

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I have much more work to do in my own yard where flowerbeds are full of weeds, but I gave myself a sunny-day break from weed-pulling, yesterday, and went to The Root Glen at Hamilton College. I'm not sure that you even need to like flowers to enjoy that special place. Just drive up College Hill Road 'til you're nearly at the top; turn left into the driveway of the Admissions Building and park in the parkinglot between there and the Alumni Center.

Look for this yellow azalea and then head for the small white gazebo. You'll find maps, there, as well as a guestbook to sign when you leave.

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You can just walk on the gravel pathways down into the glen and follow little bridges across a stream and then come back up the hill, or ..........

.......... just go and sit on a bench inside the Hemlock Enclosure.

Right next to the "Hemlock Enclosure" is the Grant Garden which is home to several dozen more varieties of Tree Peonies, like these. Just a few are blooming, now, but in about two weeks they should make a wonderful display. Blossoms are as large as plates and come in all shades of white to yellow, peach, pink and some reds that are nearly black!

You can read the history of The Root Glen and also find a link to download more material on the Hamilton College website.

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The final game in the three-day series starts at 7:05 this evening.

Tuesday

It's 34 degrees; no sign of frost on the lawn.
Perhaps it didn't get as cold as forecasters had warned.

There is a new development in the Oneida Indian Nation Land Claim
reported in this morning's Observer-Dispatch. It puts to rest the notion that the Oneidas can place thousands of acres of land into trust as payback for wrongs done them by New York State back in the late 1700's, but does NOT say that the State doesn't owe them about half a billion dollars!

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I've had a couple of very nice E-notes from David O'Dowd. With his permission, here's part of one:

"While it was a difficult, awful week for me and my family, it was actually wonderful, too. So many kind and thoughtful gestures, wonderful stories and heartfelt tears from so many people. It is so great to know that there are so many people who loved my Mom as we did. It’s also tremendously reassuring that there is such a strong network to watch out for my Dad and help him along in creating his new life."

(I know just what he's talking about!)

Work has begun at the site of the new Belfield Insurance Agency, in the former Agway Gas Station lot on West Main Street.

Wood Betony, the only "brown" wildflower, is blooming along the banks of the Oriskany Creek, south of Oriskany Falls.

The uncommonly complex "Dent-de-Lion"

On my way to New Hartford, yesterday, I saw some people out in a golden field of dandelions and knew right away what they were doing.......

They were going to make Dandelion Wine. I can remember the late "Pete" Peterson and Syd Erickson making some, one year back in the 1970's, and bringing me a bottle to sample. So sweet; so smooth; and so surprisingly powerful!

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Sort-of like the Yankees.

It's going to be another nice day. Enjoy it!!

Monday morning

It's 43 degrees and GARBAGE DAY!

Monday: Increasing sunshine. High 62
Monday night: Clear & chilly. Low 36
Tuesday: Sunny. High 73 Low 45
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High 82 Low 54
Thursday: Mostly sunny and warm. High 84 Low 56

The Apple Trees and Flowering Crabapples are Grand!

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Also Grand: the Royal Court at the WCS Prom

Mary Campbell was good enough to send this picture with the promise that more photographs would soon be posted on the Waterville Schools website.

The Coronation took place at the high school followed by the dinner and dance at the White Eagle in Hamilton. The two little crown bearers are the twin son and daughter of Guidance Counselor Julie Tangorra. (Click to enlarge photos!)

• Front row: Jesse B. (prince), Ryan S. (king), Sarah B. (queen), Melissa E. (princess.)
• Back row: Matthew K. (attendant to the prince), Ian K. (attendant to the king), Kyle F. (attendant to the queen), Emily P. (attendant to the princess.)

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Dana Nasypany, President of the Board of Education, has asked me to post the following Special Announcement and Invitation!

"The WCS BOE is having a community forum on substance abuse as part of our regular meeting this coming Tuesday, May 22 at 7:00 pm in the MS/HS Library. Many rumors have been in the community this year regarding this issue. We have invited a panel of experts who will discuss such things as prevention, signs of addiction and available resources in our community. We will also discuss District Policies and Procedures. It should be an interesting and informative forum. All are invited!"

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And, from another Royal Court ..........

Here are some pictures taken at Bill and Irene Lew's Eightieth Brithday Party at the American Legion Post 92 on Saturday.

The Royalty

"The second photo (above) is of Bill--our son from MN and his family. From the upper left (back row, moving clockwise): our grandsons Jeremy, Ian, Nathanael, son Bill, granddaughter Rachel, Bill's wife Rita, and our grandson Joshua. Not pictured are our daughter Diane Lew Snider, her husband Kevin and their two children Caitlin and Patrick. Also not pictured are our daughter Karen Angotti and husband Joe.

I think you will recognize the picture of Bill and me with Patrick Meszler and Stephanie Bancroft, (below) who stopped in on their way to the Prom at the High School."

Also present were the Lew's grandson Joshua, his wife Lan, and their little boy Julian, age five, the great-grandson whom the Lews had never before seen!

Happy Birthdays, to Both of You!

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Sunday morning

Not as chilly, this morning. Gray sky, early, but 43.8 degrees

and the forecast for the week looks nice!

And you can wish Bill and Irene Lew

"Happy Birthday"

when you see them - along with their three children, several grandchildren and one great- grandchild - all at St. Bernard's Church, this morning! They had a really great party at the Legion, last night, and I hope to have pictures, later on!

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Yesterday morning I took a "ride in the country," just to look at all the greenery.

I like the view on Lewis Road - it reminds me of Kansas, where we lived for eight years in the sixties: all that open sky!

But, continuing westward on Sally Road, I discovered that someone has cut down a whole row of old maple trees, and the view looked strange and almost too-open without them.

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On Hanover Road, I passed the old farmhouse at "Turtle Cove" that's being renovated just as the new owner was coming out the door: Miles and Diane Cornish have bought the property and are going to make it their home! Wonderful!

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Back in town, on Madison Street, I had stopped to watch some Canada Geese on the little pond beyond Jack Prior's when along came that gentleman, himself. I asked about the rising level of the water and he said, "Well, come and see for yourself!" And I did! and, yes - it IS a construction site!

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The sky clouded over, around noon, and as I headed home I realized that I was seeing cloud formations that I hadn't seen since Kansas ---- the land of open sky and also of Dorothy and Toto and tornadoes! A quick dash homeward and rapid search of the internet provided me with plenty of information about Mammatus Clouds. They're NOT as dangerous as I'd thought!

"Sometimes very ominous in appearance, mammatus clouds are harmless and do not mean that a tornado is about to form; a commonly held misconception. In fact, mammatus are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed."

I took the picture on Osborn Avenue looking ESE - perhaps there had been a thunderstorm in Bridgewater or Leonardsville, earlier.

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Although we havn't had a great deal of rain, lately, hop vines need to be tied or trained to their poles and the weeds are thriving! I did find one morel, while I was weeding, but some small critter had found it, first! I'll continue searching, today.

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Have a great Day, everyone!