Daylight Savings Time and It's Dark Out!

(Click for "mouse-eye" view, and then keep reading!)

It's Garbage Day!

29 degrees and gray at 7:30

From WKTV: "A flood warning continues for the Mohawk River.

Another cloudy, cool day across Central New York with a few flurries this morning. Some peaks of sunshine later today, with highs in the 30s.

Decreasing clouds tonight as high pressure takes control. Temperatures will fall into the teens to single digits.

Sunshine Tuesday, with much warmer weather. Highs will climb well into the 40s. Some rain showers on Wednesday, with drier weather returning on Thursday. A significant warm up is in the forecasted for later this week with the potential for temperatures to reach the 50s."

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JUST IN - JODY HILDRETH'S PHOTOGRAPHS

" I was driving with my girls through Clinton when I saw something along the road. My many years of picking up road kill for our school's nature museum has honed my eyesight to spot avian creatures on asphalt. I quicly stopped and turned around. Aubrey asked "What are you doing, Dad?". I said I saw something that didn't look right. When we drove by it, she said it looked like a can. We did another U turn and came drove right up to a Northern Saw-whet Owl. It was sitting on the white line on the right side of the road. It was obviously in shock - not moving, and it let me pick it up without any problems. Tessa emptied her cloth bag and we put the little owl in there. (Birds immediately calm down when in a darkened space). When we arrived home we took him out and he was already doing better. He was able to fly, but not land perfectly, and his left eye seemed like it had something wrong - it just moved a bit differently than the other eye.

We snapped some photos and studied the little guy. He made a few more flights around the house and showed us that he was able to fly and, most importantly, land well. We took him outside and let him go. He immediately took off into the darkness. Hope he is doing well tonight. While some of these birds migrate through our area, many are permanent residents. Whichever this one is, I am sure it will be able to readjust to its new surroundings."

Northern Saw-whet owl



Owl and friends!

Tessa, Jody and Aubrey Hildreth

Free!

(Last two photographs by Kelly Hildreth.)

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George D. Bracket, III

1949 - 2011

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IN THE NEWS

"Decline of Farms has Ripple Effect" - the Observer-Dispatch.

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Dave and Pam Williams

2011 Madison County SWCD Conservation Farm of the Year

"The Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District welcomes all area farmers, friends and conservation enthusiasts to a complimentary luncheon in celebration of Endless Trails Farm, LLC owned by David and Pam Williams for being awarded the prestigious 2011 Conservation Farm of the Year for Madison County. This special day will take place on Thursday March 24th from 11am to 2pm at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, N.Y. which will highlight local grass-fed meat from Sunnybrook Farm, owned by Dan and Melissa Williams.

To join us for the luncheon to honor the Williams Family, please call the Madison Co. SWCD office at (315) 824-9849 to secure your reservation."

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OUT AND AROUND



More and more wildlife are taking to open spaces. Here, deer and turkeys share the buffet in a corn field next to Bogan Road.

While residents up toward Clinton tend to use old-fashioned sap buckets,
scores of maples around Paris Station have been tapped and have
long, blue "intravenous tubes" attached, leading to large collection containers.

Although CLOSED signs were still in place, yesterday, and there was no longer any water flowing across Loomis Road, the boat launch area in Hubbardsville, on Wickwire Road, was flooded.......

........... and the Sangerfield River, below the "orange bridge," would have given a paddler too swift a ride! (I know: it's not orange, anymore, but everyone still calls it that!)

At Kling's Mills!

A bit of High Water History

When the very first settlers came to Sangerfield, in March of 1792, there was plenty of snow still left on the ground. It was cold, too, and the three couples - the Hales, Gurneys and Phelpses - all went to live in the only house available - a one-room cabin owned by Mr. Phelps and located - according to historian Pomroy Jones, 1851 - "about twenty rods south-easterly from the present residence of Jesse O. Mills, and about one mile in the same direction from the "Centre".

The Jesse O. Mills residence that Jones refers to is now the home of Jody and Brian Barnes, on Beaver Creek Road.

This is probably about where the Phelps cabin was located, about twenty rods - or 330 feet - from Jody and Brian's home. "Beaver Creek" is in the background.

"In the month of April (or during a thaw such as we've had in the past several days) when the heavy body of snow on the ground began to melt, their proximity to the creek became a source of considerable annoyance. After a very warm day and night, for the season, upon awaking in the morning they found a portion of the creek had formed a current directly through the house. A sort of cellar had been dug, large enough for present purposes, under the floor in the centre of the room, of which the water had taken possession, and the pork barrel was merrily waltzing in the eddy. The women remained in bed while the men waded out and cut large logs, on which to make a fire. During the remainder of the day, and until the water subsided, the women performed all their house work while upon their beds."

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IN THE MAIL

For all of you Loomis Gang fans:

this link to a story about

"Grove Loomis: His New Horse and Buggy"

from the Madison County Courier.


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FOR THE RECORD

My Thanks to the many blog readers who Emailed and phoned to wished me well, before my cataract surgery last Wednesday, and who have now welcomed me (and the blog!) back, again!

(Someone left me a completely unmarked "tupperware" container of extraordinarily delicious tuna-noodle casserole: who was it??)


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This special "Thank You" to many of you

was in my mail

from Ione Barney.

"I just read Mark (Masca's) request for neighbors in Waterville to remember each other during this winter weather and I just have to share how grateful we are to live in Waterville and the wonderful way people do care about each other ...my Dave had to be rushed to ER January 29th and had to have gallbladder surgery which caused Pancreatitis , he was in there for a week and we had a storm and I and my granddaughter and I were struggling to get the end of my driveway open to go to hospital and our neighbor Roger stopped and cleaned it out with his plow and when he heard Dave was in hospital has kept it clean for us...Dave is still trying to get well and the Dr said 3-4 months ...so of course when that big storm and all that snow came I was over whelmed ..I have been shoveling around steps and path to bird feeder, but this was more than I could do !! our good Samaritan Roger cleaned out our driveway and a neighbor on Sanger Ave Jeff called to see if we needed him to come shovel, and when I was at Morgans buying 40 lb bags of salt for our softener and Tom heard about Dave he delivered the salt for me right here to the house ..I can not lift those bags ! So i must tell you Waterville takes care of their people in need when they know there is a need !!! We are so glad we live here and so grateful for all the help...when I went to get my hair done at Karens she knew about Dave and said Louie had come over to do our driveway, but it had been done and if we ever needed him just call !!! AMAZING PEOPLE !!!! and a BIG THANK YOU TO THEM ALL :):)
Ione and Dave Barney"

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SPECIAL EVENTS


AT THE LIBRARY
315 841 4651

Internet Basics * Tuesday, March 15th
6pm | Sign Up
Come learn how to browse the internet and set up an email account.
Basic computer knowledge is needed.


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Evening Story Hour * Thursday, March 17th
6:30pm | Ages 2-6 | Sign Up

Animal Sleepover.

Let your stuffed friend spend the night in the library. What silliness will the animals get into in the library at night? Find out when you pick them up the next day.

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St. Patrick's Day Dinner

C.J. Fulmer Post #92 American Legion, Waterville.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19TH

4:30 - 7:30 P.M.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, and all the Fixin's!

$9.00 per person.
Route 20, Waterville. 841-4987

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Have a great Pi Day, everyone!