Saturday

and

from this morning's Observer-Dispatch:

Local company honored for sales

WATERVILLE — BusinessWare Consulting has been named a Top 5 partner selling Open Systems software products in the United States.

The Waterville-based company was honored for outstanding sales performance at the 2007 Open Systems Partners in Profit Conference last month in Minneapolis.

The Top 5 Partner award was presented to Bill Strohmeyer, president and owner of BusinessWare Consulting.

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It's 48 degrees and clear.

• Saturday: Party sunny. High 78
• Saturday night: Showers likely with the possibility of a few thunderstorms. Low 59
• Sunday: Morning rain, followed by afternoon showers. High 72 Low 54

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My down-the-street neighbor, Tom McNamara, stopped by the other evening to give me this (above.) He works for "Frontier," but has had occassion to be working over near the Canal Road Station of the Munnsville Wind Project when some of this CABLE was being laid. He knows that lots of folks are watching the construction of the giant wind turbines and, also, that I'd take a picture, right away, so that everyone could see just how power gets from the windmills to the Station, north of Bouckville! (Thanks Tom!)

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Yesterday morning I saw Dan Maine outside the Post Office and he said, "Have you seen those hydrangeas out at my place?" (He meant his woodworking shop on Madison Street.) Yes: I had - four huge bunches of pink something, but I had thought that they were artificial.

Wrong!!!

They're real and they have the biggest blossoms I've ever seen.

(Click for actual size!)

Go see for yourselves!

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You can see some of the new planting at the Library just by swinging around the circle.....

but if you take time to walk out into the gardens you'll see more ......


.... and might even decide to sit down for a few minutes and enjoy the flowers!

Patrons at "Michael's" are enjoying this huge "tub" that has everything from petunias and daisies to tomatoes, peppers and sage!

Elsewhere along Main Street .........

......... the Garden Club planters are getting bigger and brighter!

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I swung out to the Skate Park just to see what was going on. There were three fellows having a grand time on their bikes - swooping up and down, going round and round - but they either suspected me of nefarious intent or were just camera shy and their very entertaining performance came to an all-too-early end!

*****

Drive slowly on West Bacon Street and you'll see how the trim on this newly painted house really stands out!

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My grandson Iain and his parents are coming, today, so I don't know whether or not I'll have time to collect pictures for a Sunday morning post, but - if not - I'll be back on Monday morning, for sure!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Friday morning

DALE MESZLER

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It's a delightful 54 degrees and sunny.

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According to the National Weather Service in Binghamton, the weather generally will be nice, but it could be interrupted by occasional showers and thunderstorms.

Here's the weekend outlook:

• Today: Partly cloudy, with a high near 74.
• Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Saturday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
• Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
• Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.

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But there'll be plenty to do, no matter what the weather's like:

The Madison County Fair in Brookfield opened yesterday.


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is showing at the Marquée Cinemas in New Hartford.

Glimmerglass Opera - Tickets are, apparently, still available for tomorrow evening's performance of Gluck's "Orphee et Euyridce."

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A few days ago, my daughter Allison asked me to E-mail her some hop blossom drawings, saying that she was "noodling" an idea. I've known musicians who "noodled" with tunes and arrangements on an instrument, but Allison "noodles" images on her computer. Yesterday she sent me the results ----- the new Hop Blossom Header at the top of the "blog!"

Thank You, Allison!

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Then I got to tinkering - or noodling - with an idea.
Now if only REAL quilting were this easy!

***

*****

Thanks to all of you who sent notes of appreciation for the photographs posted over the past few days. Readers who grew up in Waterville but now live either in cities or very far away really enjoy seeing pictures of fields and cows and - in general - our beautiful countryside!

Have a Super-good Day!

Add-on of Interest

Sarah Sexton just E-mailed me a link to the Writer's Almanac on NPR, which has this little bit about Waterville!

"It's the birthday of the man who gave us the Kodak camera, George Eastman, born in Waterville, New York. He was working at a bank when he got interested in photography around 1877. He took his first dry plate photograph the next year with the camera that he invented—a view of the building across the street from his window. He developed this little handheld camera, and he called it the Kodak because it was easy to remember, difficult to misspell, and it meant nothing, so it could only be associated with his product."

Thanks, Sarah!

Thursday morning

It's Garbage Day!

It's 56 degrees; fine sleeping weather!
(And that will explain both the tardiness and brevity of this posting!)

• Thursday: Partly sunny. High 76
• Thursday night: Mostly clear. Low 55
• Friday: Partly sunny with a chance for a shower or storm. High 75 Low 56

There was a very sparse gathering in the Park, yesterday, for Farmers Market. Perhaps both vendors and shoppers had been scared off by predictions of strong afternoon storms - which never came.

Edie Eastman, who lives on Route 315, wrote to say that the fields behind her house are planted to RYE.


I had a telephone call from Sally Zweifel who wanted to "confess!"

For years, of course, she has planted little flowerbeds at the four corners of the Hanover-Shanley Road intersection. But she wanted everyone to know that this year her new neighbors in the big white house - Sharron and Myron Mosher - had taken it upon themselves to plant their corner. She wanted to make sure that they - not she - got the credit for it!


*****


Karin and Heath Zwahlen get credit for this ......


.... but Mother Nature probably planted these hollyhocks on Brouillette Road all by herself!

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Now: about Cows in the Countryside.

("Bovine Basics" for newcomers like me.)


Most of the dairy cattle raised around here are the black and white HOLSTEIN .....


... with an occasional JERSEY ....


... or BROWN SWISS.


Steve Cleary's "brown cows" are HERFORDS - beef cattle.

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And to make sure that the grains aren't wasted and cattle never hungry ......
Louis Gale & Son, Richer Feeds and Sangerfield Feed are located nearby.

Wednesday morning

Recycleables Day!
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It's just about 70 degrees and gray - "lowry" or "loury."

WKTV predicts:

• Some morning sun, followed by widespread afternoon showers and storms. Some of these storms could produce some gusty winds and small hail. High 83
• Tomorrow night: Rain, tapering to showers. Much cooler. Low 55
• Thursday: Partly sunny. High 76 Low 55

Let's hope that there's a break in the weather

- like from 1 o'clock 'til 7 - when the

Farmers Market

will be in the Park!

*****

Yesterday, Bill Vetter and his crew were working on Mrs. Zambri's Sanger Avenue home.

Other than that, it seemed very quiet around the village!


Esther Swarthout must have taken just one look at David O'Dowd's photograph of the bright blue Alpine flower: she wrote immediately to say, "Yes, it is gentian--also called 'Enzian' there." (Thank You!)

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Now, perhaps, someone can tell me which of these grains is which!

(It's embarrassing: I've lived here for nearly forty years and I should be able to tell the difference, but I don't!)

I think that the pale blue-green type, shown above, is OATS: is that right?

And this certainly is WHEAT - but is it just plain "wheat" or is it BARLEY or RYE?

And how do you tell which is which?


Potatoes - yes?

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Tomorrow: CATTLE!

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Both the Yankees and the Redsox had a hand in helping the American League win last night's All-Star game 5-4 over the National League. There are no games scheduled for tonight, but regular play resumes tomorrow.

Tuesday

9 YEARS OLD TODAY!

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It's 66 degrees.

• Tuesday: Hazy, hot, and humid. Slight chance of a late day storm. High 92 Low 70
• Wednesday: Hot and humid with afternoon showers and storms. Some have the potential to be strong. High 89 Low 60

There were some very impressive clouds to the North of Waterville, yesterday afternoon, and later on WKTV reported on Power outages and storm damage from what was called, on the Weather Blog, a "supercell" thunderstorm.

Wheat is ripening, and we certainly don't want any heavy storms right now.

Basically, it's going to be another hot one!

Becky Maggio sent me these two photographs of the American Legion Riders and this letter:

"This past Saturday 7/7/07 The American Legions Riders from Clifford J Fulmer had their 2nd Annual Poker Run... What a beautiful day for it too!! The ride started at the Waterville Post and from there went to the following Legions; Munnsville, Oriskany, Richfield Springs and then back to Waterville. The money that was raised will be used for many different charitable events though out the year. There are many more Motorcycle Runs left to go this summer & into fall... The Pediatric Brain Tumor Ride that will start in Deerfield on July 15th, The Make A Wish Ride that will be starting at Utica Harley Davidson on August 4th, The Toy Run that will start from Waterville on September 15th....and many others. The American Legion Riders are a fantastic group and they raise money for so many causes. There are quite a few Legion Riders groups throughout the state and nation. Our community should be very proud to have such a special group right here at the Waterville American Legion."

(Thanks, Becky! and Thanks, Riders!)

Coming home.

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Audrey Welch sent Greetings from North Carolina and this advice: "You will enjoy your predictament with the wrens. We have had the same thing happen in our ferns for several years with finches. The way to water is to carefully tip the basket a little and let the water run under the nest. Usually the mama bird doesnt even fly away. She just stays really still." (Sounds like a very good idea: Thanks!)

Now blooming along roadsides near Waterville:

Daylilies and Wild Sweet Peas.

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David O'Dowd sent me this photograph and note, yesterday. "I just got back from a fantastic trip to Zermatt, Switzerland and Provence (with a quick stay in Paris!). While hiking in Zermatt near the base of the Matterhorn I saw a number of really beautiful alpine flowers."
He didn't know the name of the plant, but I believe that it's a variety of Gentian. Perhaps someone can corroborate that?



Tim Francisco of ProActive Physical Therapy, who returned recently from spending his "vacation" on a Medical Missions trip to Ecuador, sent me a beautiful postcard with a view of this mountain .........

Mt. Chimborazo ~ 21,000 feet elevation.

Was he thinking of climbing it?

Now that's a really "High Peak!"

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Have a great day!