Fall Friday

It's 55 degrees.

• Today: Increasing clouds. Quite breezy and mild. Showers and thunderstorms arriving late in the afternoon. Some storms could contain heavy downpours and strong, gusty winds. High in the upper 70s.
• Tonight: Rain likely, locally heavy at times. Chance of a thunderstorm early. Low in the mid 50s.
• Saturday: Morning showers, then afternoon clearing. Breezy and chilly. High: 59, Low: 36
• Sunday: A mix of sun and clouds and cool. High: 62, Low: 41

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Subway opened yesterday!

Now - with umbrellas and "fence" - Stinkers sets a new scene on Main Street.

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This evening at the Kirkland Art Center Coffeehouse - the four pretty Johnson sisters from Scotland - "Give Way".

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There will be a
Music Boosters
CAR WASH
at the High School
TOMORROW MORNING

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Down in Brookfield, tomorrow, there will be an auction to raise funds to insulate the First & Seventh Day Baptist Church. That starts at 1:00, but the Pie Eating Contest is at noon!

Click to enlarge!

You can get a glimpse of lunchtime life at the high school on this O-D video!

Then go to Fauxharmonic and click on "play now" to listen to a beautiful composition called "Paige Road" by Matt Quayle, who wrote: "I'm writing to share some good news, in case some of your readers might be interested. A string orchestra piece of mine was recently selected as one of three finalists in the 2007 Adagio Composition Competition of the Fauxharmonic Orchestra. The piece, 'Gridley Paige Road,' was inspired in part by memories of growing up on that rural road in Deansboro. You can visit this website to read a bit about the piece, hear
a recording, and participate in the People's Choice."

Matt has his own website, but I'm not able to make a good link to it, so - just "google" Matthew Quayle and it will take you there!

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The Alexander Hamilton Inn in Clinton has a new future, but it might not be the one you were hoping for.

Summer on Babbott Avenue S.

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But there are signs of Fall ..........

... and Scarecrows are coming!

(These - l. - are on Buell Avenue and - r.- on Stafford.)

Photo: Iowa State University.

The search is on for that Fall Delicacy - Puffballs!

(If you should happen to find one and don't want it, you might let me know!)

Others will search for "Artists' Conks."

This wolf is by Cabin Creations of Maine and was drawn with woodburning tools. But you don't need those: the trick is to remove the conk from its host without leaving a single mark on the under - white - side (and that's hard to do!) Then, just "draw" with a pointy twig.

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It's starts tonight!

Oh! to be in Boston!

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Have a great weekend!

Thursday

It's Garbage Day!

47.5 degrees and bright.

• Thursday: Mostly sunny and mild. High around 70.
• Thursday night: Increasing clouds. Milder. Low in the low 50s.
• Friday: A mix of clouds and sun. Afternoon and evening storms possible. High: 79, Low: 53

Scattered frost had been forecast for the North Country and WKTV has begun showing their Foliage Report Maps!

Nothing like that in our forecast: we - apparently - just need more rain!


Even though it poured Tuesday evening and rained again yesterday morning, the little pond at the foot of Grant Hill (my favorite rain gauge) had only a tiny bit of water in it!


The little waterfall on Gridley Paige Road, however, was burbling away quite nicely and looking particularly picturesque because someone has been doing a grand job of clearing brush. That property has been for sale - perhaps there's a new log home tucked away in the woods!


When did that pop up? It, too, is on Gridley Paige Road.

Just within the past few days this modular appeared on its Route 315 foundation.

(And no sooner had I posted these pictures, this morning, than Bridgett Welsh sent me this: " The one on Gridley Paige is being built by my uncle, Richard Weaver (my mom's brother) and the one on 315 belongs to my cousin, Gene Sinardo, Jr. (my dad's nephew). " Thanks, Bridgett!

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Mary Crowe sent me some pictures of her Tower Street Morning Glories. They really ARE "Glory-ous!"

There was a big Surprise Party at the Harding Nursing Home on Tuesday afternoon celebrating Lea Helmes' 50th anniversary as a nurse! There is a press release, but I don't have it, so I don't know all the details. Katie Landers did send me these two photographs, however, and I want to blog them, right away, for you to enjoy.

From left: Judy Staelens, Director of Nursing, Lea Helmes, and Eileen DeMasi, Asst. Director of Nursing.

Lea and an RN Cake!

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And speaking of cake - deluxe cheesecake in particular - I recalled seeing an article in the O-D a few days ago that read: "Esche not wasting his time waiting for a new job"
and can't agree more: his new restaurant, Aqua Vino, at the former "Kitty's" on the canal is lovely! "Elegant" might be a more apt description: I don't know whether it's the wine-colored leather chairs and ceiling tiles that "make it" or the black and white table settings. I had lunch there, yesterday, with the "birthday person," and if you can't decide what you want to eat, may I suggest the seafood bisque with crabcake crostini and cherry cheesecake?

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Closer to home, in Sports: the Boys' Varsity Socccer went 2 - 0 over Sherburne and Boys' Varsity Football gained a win against Richfield Springs when Richfield forfeited the game for lack of players.

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Wednesday

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It's also Recyclables Day!

It's 50.7 degrees: not raining!

• Today: Showers north of Utica. Otherwise, sun, clouds, windy, and cool. Highs in the mid to upper 60s.
• Tonight: Gradual clearing and chilly. Diminishing wind. Low in the low 40s.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 70, Low: 49

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Out on Hanover Road - it could be Kansas!

Yesterday morning the little pond at the bottom of Grant Hill was - even after the weekend's rain - looking as if it needed more: and late yesterday afternoon it got it!

On Sanger Avenue... looking just right!

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Sorry that I'm late, this morning,
but there's ALOT of "stuff" going on having to do with the upcoming event on September 22nd!
(More about that as a schedule is defined.)

And even more when it comes to

............

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And there's always BASEBALL!

Have a great day!

Tuesday

It's 9-11.


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62 degrees; not raining.

• Today: Scattered showers and perhaps a gusty thunderstorm developing. Some strong winds in any storms north and east of Utica. Highs in the low 70s.
• Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms this evening. A chance of showers late, especially north. Becoming chilly and windy. Low in the low 50s.
• Wednesday: Clouds, some sun and windy. Cool with a few lake effect rain showers north. High: 65, Low: 40

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WCS Girls' Varsity Soccer meets Sauquoit at SV at 7:00.
WCS Girls' Varsity Tennis meets Herkimer, today, at 4:30 at the WCS Tennis Courts.

The 2007 Season has ended at the Utica-Rome Speedway. The post-season weekend will be highlighted with a $10,000-to-win, 200-lap contest for the track's premier division of the 358 Modifieds and will be the final event of the year at the Route 5 speedplant. The two-day event is expected to draw several of the Northeast's top dirt 358 Modified race teams to Central New York in search of the large prize.

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The weekend rains did more good than not to the flowers on S. Babbott and throughout the rest of the village.


They won't be using the watering can for a few days!
It's really too dark to see the pretty decorations on the porch at the Ruane residence on White Street, but the new "old" sidwalk - made with bricks from the old mill - is being admired by many.

On the brick pavers at "Stinkers" on Main Street - new outdoor seating!

Another newly-painted house - #18 on Bill Vetter's Summer List - is Mrs. Gibbons' residence on Osborn Avenue which now has deep teal-green shutters and a lovely pale green (almost pistachio-colored!) door!

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Last week a reader mentioned the inaccuracies in the Wikipedia entry on "Waterville" and another reader, made a quick addition and has now added a link to "At Home in the Huddle 2"! (Thanks loads, Cathy!)

(Photo from Audubon)

It's that time of year!

The Truth about Wooly Bears!

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Monday

GARBAGE DAY!
65 degrees and very drippy!

It's been raining since Saturday morning! We certainly needed it, and I'll be interested to see if any of the small ponds look any more watery than they did three or four days ago.

• Monday: Cloudy, damp conditions in the morning. Some sunshine possible later in the day. High 72
• Monday night: Decreasing clouds. Low 55
• Tuesday: Some morning sunshine, followed by clouds and afternoon and evening rain. High 69 Low 53

I heard geese, last night!
I think that they were flying North!

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If you don't drive down Genesee Street in Utica, often, you may not realize that lots of renovations are ongoing at the Stanley Theater. There's a status report in today's issue of the O-D.

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I spent just about the entire weekend glued to my computer, but the one time when I broke away from the project I was working on I had a marvelous time because there were so many people having an equally grand time - and we all had Mr. Martin Cleary to thank for it!

Actually - that's not completely accurate: it was the Cleary "children" who were responsible! They gave Marty a super party in the Parish Hall at St. Bernard's Catholic Church as an 80th Birthday Celebration and there were lots more than eighty friends there! (Probably 120 or more, according to Steve!) I could never seem to take a picture of Marty - he's in this shot, just a bit to the right of center - beause there were always so many people mobbed around him!

There is sure to be mention in this week's issue of The Waterville Times about the event, but it will not be the first time that Marty's birthday has been noticed by any writers:.

Kate Loftus Welch, in her column "Along Willona Creek," said it this way: "Yes sir, that's my baby"; Born to Francis P. and Blanche R. Quillman Cleary, On September 8, a son, who has been named Martin Francis to whom Willona Creek folk extend a welcome. May joy abide at 'The House in Green Pastures.' "

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I received this nice letter from Brad Cowen, a few days ago:

"Thanks for posting the pictures of the old mill. It brought back a ton of memories since I lived right next door for 16 years. I remember as a little kid going up to the windows along the back section and getting candy and gum from the ladies who worked there. I have printed the pictures and articles and will give to my parents Pat and Clem Cowen, I am sure they will appreciate it.

Also, it was fun seeing my aunt Dottie Ruane in one of your shots!"

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And I know I had a letter concerning Sign-ups for Cub Scouts: it's in my Home in the Huddle Mailbox, but I can't get the mailbox to let me read what the letter says! A note to ALL of you: please forget that I ever had that Email address and just use the one indicated right at the top of the post - where it says, "E-mail the writer." Thanks loads!

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