Thursday, October 13, 2011

RECYCLABLES DAY

52 degrees and rain at 5:30 a.m.

From WKTV: "Unsettled weather dominates the remainder of the week. Another wave of low pressure arrives on Friday with another round of steady rain. Cooler weather, with lake effect rain possible Saturday. Breezy and cool this weekend, with highs in the upper 50s."


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Here & There



Starting up Craigfoot Hill



Sumac and Wild Grapevine at the Locust copse on Sally Road.


Soy beans, corn and more bright color in Sangerfield
as seen from Newberry Road.



Every year, someone makes a pretty Fall arrangement near the entrance to Terry Meadows!



The same thing happens at the doorway of the Manion Farm, on the way to Hanover............



............. and at Mary's place on Newberry Road.



Jack o' Lanterns have appeared at the Conways' on white Street ......



............. and there are new, fun inflatables on Babbott Avenue.


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Spooky!



A plague of grackles perched in a dead tree next to Fuess-Cleary Road.

(Yes - that IS what a group of grackles is called!)


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AT THE LIBRARY


Friday Family Movie Night * Friday, October 14th




6:30pm | Free Movie. Free Popcorn. | Movie: Judy Moody

PLANNING AHEAD

Creative Writing * October 17th & October 24th
3:30pm | Ages 8-12 | Sign Up | Enjoy crazy prompts & writing games with Jill.

Paranormal Investigator * Thursday, October 20th
7pm
As part of the Ghost Hunters family, this group was established in Syracuse NY with a dedication to finding scientific answers to unexplained phenomena. Hear their thoughts on the paranormal, some of their cases, and the types of things they have classified as paranormal.

COMPLETE LIBRARY SCHEDULE


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FOR THE RECORD

The problem that I had early this morning, re: the "lightbox" image effect has been resolved: my daughter went poking around in the blogger settings department and found a little yes/no box to check. I clicked "no!" and everything's back to normal.

Yay Allison!
Thank you!

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Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 6th


HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND, EVERYONE!









Wednesday, October 12, 2011

It's Wednesday, but ..................

TOMORROW is "recycling day" - not today!

And - another reminder -

please rake leaves onto the terrace / tree belt:
NOT into the road!

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It's 56 degrees and dry at 5:30.

The WKTV forecast: "Our long stretch of warm October weather is finished thanks to an approaching area of low pressure. Today's forecast calls for cloudy conditions with a few rain showers later in the day. Despite the mild start, temperatures will only climb into the low 60s this afternoon.

A steady rain develops tonight. Period of rain, with accumulations less than 1" regionwide. This is not enough to cause flooding. Overnight lows in the low 50s.

Unsettled weather dominates the remainder of the week. Another wave of low pressure arrives on Friday with another round of steady rain. Cooler weather, with lake effect rain possible Saturday. Breezy and cool this weekend, with highs in the upper 50s. "




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LOCAL NEWS

for lack of any legitimate headline from the usual sources!


Annual Flight Ends in Disaster

Waterville, N.Y. - Once again, an eastbound witch, piloting an antique broom, has flown headlong into a tree in front if the Ruane residence on Sanger Avenue. Similar crashes have taken place in previous years, and relatives of the aviatrix maintain that neither pilot- nor mechanical-error but, rather, the tree, itself, is to blame for having leapt directly into the path of the eastbound flight. Considerable damage was caused to the witch's old, yet trusty, aircraft and lawyers for the BPA (Broom Pilots' Association) are accusing the maple and HTCA (Hallowe'en Traffic Controllers' Association) of unauthorized obstruction of airspace. The NTSB will investigate.


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SEASONAL SIGHTS



At the Landis Farm on Shanley Road.



View from the "top" of Shanley Road, in Paris, looking southwest over Ford Road.



Leaves have fallen from many trees, leaving just the "skeletons" that so many of us pause to admire. Denise Jaquays Tarbox sent this beautiful picture of one of her favorites - on Route 12B - at sunset. (Thank you, Denise!)


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Milkweed. One of my favorites.

Such awkward-looking seed pods. Who would guess that such shining, silky "parachutes" were waiting inside.



In World War II, children in the United States were encouraged to collect milkweed pods and turn them in to the government, where the fluffy silk was used to stuff life vests and flying suits. The silk was especially good because of its exceptional buoyancy and lightweight. Also in World War II, because of the shortage of natural rubber, scientists in the United States tried to turn common milkweed’s latex into a rubber-like substitute.


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Canada Geese gathered on the pond at Lyon's Mills.

Lyon's Pond is on Valley Road, between Oriskany Falls and Solsville. Parts of the fallen-down Mill remain. I don't really know what was manufactured, there, but recall being told by the late Harry Northrop that it had something to do with either wagon wheels or milk wagons. Can anyone clarify that?



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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

On September 23rd, when two industrial trucks collided on Route 12 in North Brookfield, the North Brookfield Fire Department rushed to the scene. During the ensuing rescue and cleanup of the resulting "spill" a great deal of Fire Department equipment was either damaged or completely destroyed. Now, eleven-year-old Colton Fox, who lives on Route 12 south of N. Brookfield and is a member of Boy Scout Troop 108 - is setting out to raise money to help the Fire Department replace lost items. Please click the poster image to enlarge.



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WCS SPORTS

Lots of Activity, today!

Click that link for a complete list.

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FOR THE RECORD


Whoa!


(It's that Yo-yo effect, again!)

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Have good day, everyone!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011



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It's Garbage Day

52 degrees and dry at 6:00 a.m.


The Columbus Day Weekend was simply perfect!
The sun shone and it was warm for three whole days in a row!
Marvelous!




Main Street, Monday afternoon.



Foliage and fun on Barton Avenue.



This is not the best "foliage year," here, but there are some pockets of brilliant color: this patch of swamp maples is on Brothertown Road.



The leaves are still mostly green around the little pond above the waterfall on Gridley-Paige Road where several Canada Geese drifted and a Great Blue Heron fished.

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In my morning mail were several photographs taken by Jody Hildreth on his travels to several waterfalls over the weekend.


"Turkey Falls"


"Owen's Falls" - south of Brookfield.



Bright leaves caught in an eddy at "Owen's Falls."



Black Earth Tongue fungus.



Another view of "Dry Pond."

(I think that's the "Dead Pond" of local lore: "George Washington Slept Here.")


Excerpted from Amos O. Osborn’s address to the Oneida Historical Society in 1886:


THE ONEIDA PATH


The Oneida Path was a sort of highroad, and as Indians always travel in single file, was scarcely more than 12 or 15 inches wide, and deeply trodden. It was the only path used between the settlements at Oneida and their friends, the Oneidas and Tuscaroras on the Susquehanna. It passed entirely through Sangerfield (township), entering about three miles east of the northwest corner, and leaving it about a mile north of the southeast corner, crossed the Unadilla near Leonardsville, and thence pursued a pretty distinct course to Otsego lake. It must have been this path that General Washington traversed when returning from his visit to the Oneidas in October, 1783. In his letter written to the Marquis de Chattelux, after his return, he says: "I proceeded up the Mohawk river to Fort Schuler, formerly Fort Stanwix, crossed over to Wood creek, which empties into Oneida lake, and affords the water communication with lake Ontario. I then traversed the country to the head of the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, viewed the Lake Otsego and the portage between that lake and Canajoharie."

As there was every reason why he should prefer a route known to be direct and feasible, there can be no doubt that he took this path. It is also according to the evidence of an Indian taken in Albany early in its settlement, in an inquiry before the Dutch justices, as to the location of the Susquehanna "a day and a half journey" from Oneida to the kill, which falls into that river, and this kill being the Unadilla and the crossing near Leonardsville, the distance between that place and Oneida, on the line of the path, would be then as now about 30 miles, and between Oneida, and this town just a day's journey or 20 miles. Washington's first day's travel would therefore end in Sangerfield; and as there was near this path on the land afterwards taken up by Nathaniel Ford, a spring of water and near by an Indian shanty used by the Indians on like occasions, it is reasonably certain that the General and his party stayed over night at this place. This path had been a well worn trail more than a hundred years before the settlement of this town; and although the Indians soon afterwards ceased to use it, parts of it were distinctly visible as late as the year 1849 when the late Aaron Stafford, who had known it as a boy, pointed out to the writer 40 or 50 rods of it in the woods north of the dead pond."


(Thanks for the wonderful pictures, Jody!)

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LOOKING AHEAD


"Hunter" or "Harvest" Moon




WKTV's forecast: "One last warm weather day today. Some high clouds will cause a bit of faded sun today, but it is expected to be dry. Highs once again above 70 degrees.

Increasing clouds tonight as a storm system approaches from the south. Some sprinkles are possible before daybreak. Overnight lows in the 50s.

Clouds and rain showers in the forecast for Wednesday. A steadier rain develops Wednesday afternoon and night. Cooler, with highs in the 60s.

Clouds and showers are in the forecast later in the week, with high temperatures falling into the 60s.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

The hours for "Trick or Treating" in the Village

have been changed to
5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on October 31st.

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Also note that the Rotary Club Hallowe'en Party will take place
on Thursday, October 27th.


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AT THE LIBRARY

This week's entire


Calendar of Events.

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NOTEWORTHY

of Local Interest

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Have a great day, everyone!