Afternoon wrap-up, just for fun!

-and just because I KNOW that all the "snowbirds" wonder what they're missing!

Well:



- after a nice, sunny morning - as seen in these pictures that Jeff Reynolds took in Chepachet -


.......... and a few that I took on my morning "rounds" - "winter" arrived and it's been snowing!



Heading into the village on Sanger Avenue ......

........... and creeping along Main Street.


Sally Road, in front of Joan King's house.

(Just checking to see how the blog car and her new snow tires managed the hill: just dandy, thank you!)


*********************


I wasn't the only one out on the storm.

Surprised with the gift of a "snow day," Jody Hildreth decided to try to get into the larger of the two Forge Hollow Caves --- just to see what it was like.



Here's a picture that I took yesterday.



And here's something I didn't expect: there's a LOT more ice than I realized. Seeing Jody standing in front of the cave made all the difference!



The Hammer that he had in hand didn't look as if it would do the trick, but he knew that whatever icicles he damaged would grow back in a day or two, so he put plenty of muscle into his work, and .....



............ in abut five minutes he'd opened a hole large enough to gain entrance.


Pausing only long enough to put his jacket on OVER his backpack ......


...... he simply pitched headfirst into the dark!


This is what he saw when he turned around to look back outside!




Those ice formations, "up close ..........



............. and personal!



It was wet in the cave, and it didn't take Jody long to discover

a tiny "faucet" that one of the cave trolls had left dripping (so that it wouldn't freeze tonight, I'm sure!)


Jody did not realize until he had gotten home and was looking at the pictures he'd taken that he was not alone, in the cave.............

(that would finish me, right away!)

*******************************

He did send me some more photo files, so I'll add a couple later on, but not before I say "Thank you, as always, Jody, for sharing your talent, skill and your adventures with us!"

******

Fish Fry at the Legion tonight!

(That sure would taste good!)

Fri. morning add-on

20 degrees and no precipitation at 5:15 a.m.

But Hey: SCHOOL'S CLOSED!!!!!

check WKTV's list of closings.


********************

WCS SCORES

Girls' Basketball

Waterville 55, |Mount Markham 31
Mount Markham 3 13 4 11 — 31
Waterville 17 11 12 15 — 55
Mount Markham: Stacy Collins 2, Jenna Waite 2, Brianne Scanlon 15, Angela Bartlett 7, Tori Roberts 5. Totals: 11-9-31.
Waterville: Jenna Fallon 6, Katrina Jones 2, Katie Buell 7, Dylanne Hodge 5, Siobhan Fitzgerald 8, Kristen Kochanowski 3, Shelby Spencer 2, Jessica Zogby 11, Lauren Homer 4, Kayla Batson 7. Totals: 22-9-55.
3-point goals: Waterville: 2 (Buell, Hodge).

Volleyball

Mount Markham 3, |Waterville 0
Game scores: 25-16, 25-16, 25-10.
Mount Markham (6-5): Katie Curtin 5 kills, 9 aces, 1 assist, 3 digs; Amanda Drake 5 kills, 12 assists, 5 digs; Vanessa Lynk 3 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs; Jessica Van Wieren 4 kills, 2 aces, 1 assist, 2 digs, 1 block.
Waterville (1-12): Phebe Lamont 2 kills, 3 aces, 3 assists, 5 digs, 1 block; Alexis Stetson 6 digs, 2 blocks; Sierra Crowe 1 ace, 3 assists; Anna Ferrucci 1 kill, 1 ace.

Yesterday was a perfectly picturesque sort of winter day.

Old barn on the Barnes Farm.

Snowmobilers coming into town from the direction of Bridges' Hill.

Hey! There was a parking spot right in front of Merri-Rose Florist .......



........... so I went in to see Diane Cornish ........

................... and get a 'fix" for my flower-starved eyes!

(The shop is open daily from 9:00 - 5:00 except for Saturday when the hours are 9:00 - 12:00 and is closed on Sunday.)

******************

FOR THE RECORD

It IS staying lighter later:

4:48 on Main Street!

**********

Have a good weekend, everyone!

*******

It's going to be one of those weekend when we go to bed with cabinet doors open beneth outer-wall sinks and faucets dripping (yes - really! - to keep pipes from freezing!)
Don't forget to make sure feeders are filled and that plenty of suet is hung for all the birds!

PLAN AHEAD

If you haven't already read last evening's post, just keep going!

Thursday evening for Friday

Tomorrow is Garbage Day!

and it's also going to be the start of a real, old-fashioned

"cold snap!"



WCS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY GAMES

Friday, January 21
4:00PM
Boys VARSITY BOWLING

Waterville Central School
@ Canastota Central Schools
Hi-Way Bowl

Friday, January 21
4:00PM
Girls VARSITY BOWLING

Waterville Central School
@ Canastota Central Schools
Hi-Way Bowl

Friday, January 21
6:00PM
Boys JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL

Sherburne Earlville High School
@ Waterville Central School
Waterville H S Gym

Friday, January 21
7:30PM
Boys VARSITY BASKETBALL

Sherburne Earlville High School
@ Waterville Central School
Waterville H S Gym

Saturday, January 22, 2011

9:30AM
Girls MODIFIED BASKETBALL

Waterville Central School
@ Westmoreland High School


9:30AM
Boys MODIFIED BASKETBALL

Westmoreland High School
@ Waterville Central School
Memorial Park Elem. School

STARTING ON SATURDAY:

Getting ready for the Great Annual

CLOTHING GIVE-AWAY
at St. Bernard's Catholic Church.

Collections of gently used CLEAN clothing, toys, household items will begin January 22nd and continue through Wednesday January 26th. Please leave items in the designated area in the basement of the Church. We will not accept any computers, exercise equipment or Televisions.

(or, I gather, grumpy old relatives or spouses!)

"The give-away is sponsored by the Waterville Food Pantry, Waterville Senior Citizens and the Social Action Committee of St. Bernard's Church. The give away is open to the public and there is no limit on the quantity of items people may take away. In addition to clothing there will also be small household items, bedding, kitchen items, shoes and toys.

The give-away opens Friday, January 28, 9-12 & 4-6 and
Saturday January 29th 9-12. "

The giveaway is held in the basement of St. Bernard's Church, 199 Stafford Avenue.
*********


From Grace Church:
"Our monthly Taizé Service for January will be at Grace Church, Waterville on Monday night, January 24 at 7:00 pm.
Bring a friend. We can all benefit from 30 minutes of 'quiet time.' "




Pix and more - early tomorrow


******************************

Early report

Recyclables Day.

It's 21 degrees; no precipitation.


There's nothing in the Mail.

Nothing in the News.

Just a new forecast from WKTV:

"Light lake effect snow continues today north of the Thruway. A coating to 2" is possible across Central Oneida County. Lake effect slowly comes to an end this afternoon as drier weather temporarily arrives. Some breaks of sunshine are possible from the Mohawk Valley and points south.

Another fast moving storm system looks to pass east again Friday. Light snow is expected to start around midnight tonight, with 2-4" of accumulation by noon Friday. More substantial snowfall will be found along the Atlanic Coast.

Even colder weather arrives by the weekend, with temperatures only in the single digits and teens during the day and well below zero at night."

*******************

It seems as if nothing has transpired since yesterday afternoon's blog post, so ........

I'll just say

"Have a great day, everyone!"

P.S. Within an hour of yesterday morning's posting of a request for Girl Scout Cookie information, I had heard from several sources and had ordered enough Thin Mints to keep my friends and family supplied for a year!

Wednesday night for Thursday

It's 25.7 degrees.

There's been some rain, some sleet, and
some snow - off and on - all day long.

Up at the top of Shanley Road, near Paris Green, everything was "frosted," again.

Here and there, some glittery icing, too.

A nice calm, winter scene on Lumbard Road.

On Fuess-Cleary Road, however, this poor old maple tree always seems to have a rather distressed look on her "face" - moreso in winter - when it's plain to see that she's having a "bad hair day" and worries that she'll be mistaken for Medusa!



I don't know where Jeff Reynolds was when he took this picture, but I'm glad he sent it along for everyone to enjoy!

(Thanks, Jeff!)

************************

"Welcome to Waterville"

(I wonder if there were enough "w"s to add "Welcome to Winter!")

A typical Winter day: the Bobcat was on its afternoon route,

.......... sidewalks and driveways were being shoveled on White Street .........

............... Putnam ..............

............ and West Bacon Street, with smiles all around!

Remember when all sleds looked the same and snow shovels only came in two colors?

No wonder we're having so much fun!

*****************

I stopped at "the caves" to see just how much clearance Jody Hildreth had when he climbed up the ice and then crawled into the right-hand cave yesterday, to take pictures ---
not much at all!



He certainly couldn't have gotten into the left-hand, larger opening because that is quite covered with a multi-layered curtain of ice.

*************

In other Sports

WCS GAMES ON THURSDAY


4:00PM
Girls VARSITY BOWLING

Cooperstown Middle-High School
@ Waterville Central School
Waterville Bowling Center

4:00PM
Boys VARSITY BOWLING

Cooperstown Middle-High School
@ Waterville Central School
Oriskany Falls Bowling Center


6:00PM
Girls JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL

Waterville Central School
@ Mount Markham CSD


7:30PM
Girls VARSITY BASKETBALL

Waterville Central School
@ Mount Markham CSD

*********************************

AT THE LIBRARY on THURSDAY

Game On @ Your Library
3:00 P.M. Ages 11-18
Play video games on our 12 foot screen! Bring your own system
and games or you can play our Game Cube or PS2. Bring your friends!
Game ratings must be T or under.

Teen Advisory Group
3:30 Ages 11-18
Be part of the library "Think Tank". Tell us what you want out of your library.
Give input on programs, books, movies and more all for teens.
We will also have free food for everyone who attends!


Starting Tomorrow/Thursday:

Mother Daughter Knitting Class
Every Thursday @ 6:30pm for 6 weeks. Beginning Jan. 20th
Ages 8 & Up with their mothers or grandmothers.
Sign Up
This group is for mothers and daughters who want to learn to
knit or if you already know how to knit but want your daughter to learn with you.

Bring your own supplies. Pick up a supply list at the library when you sign up for the program.

***************************

Tomorrow is Recyclables Day!

From WKTV: "Some weak lake effect snow showers and clouds develop tonight and linger into Thursday.

Another fast moving storm system looks to pass east again Friday giving us another snowfall. Even colder weather arrives by the weekend, with temperatures only in the single digits and teens during the day and sub zero at night."

*************

FOR THE RECORD

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, EVERYONE -


AND

TOMORROW!!

Heat Wave!

33 degrees and melty, but it won't last!

The forecast from YNN: "(Wednesday) will be colder with widespread snow showers diminishing to localized lake snows later in the day. Temperatures will be falling through the 20s for much of the day.

After a quiet start to Thursday, a new storm will arrive late in the day with thickening clouds and snow developing by nightfall. Temperatures will be bitterly cold with highs in the lower 20s. Snow Showers will continue into Friday with highs only near 20 to finish the week."

Four years ago today it was bitterly cold, but the first of the
Victorian Lamp posts was installed.

**********

THE WCS SPORTS SCHEDULE
can be found at

"Digital Sports."

*******************************

TODAY AT THE LIBRARY

"Kids' Club"

Join us every Wednesday at 3pm for crafts, snacks, games,
adventures, friends and more!

Kindergarten - 6th grade
Kids in 2nd - 6th grade can be dropped off

*************


Today's quest: where can I order

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES?

*****

Just for the Record ...

only 72 days until

TROUT SEASON and BASEBALL!

Tuesday night or Wednesday morning

The temperature is 33.4 degrees at 6:45 -- very drippy, outdoors.

I'm not sure that the "Snow Day" was really necessary, but I'm sure that it was enjoyed!

I stayed here, just about ALL DAY because I'd learned how to do something new on the computer, and when that happens it's just as if I had a new toy: I could NOT stop playing with it!

What did I accomplish?

History buffs will enjoy this, I think .............

Lots of New Uploads!

and more to come!

***********

These pictures of old cedar fence posts were left over from a few days ago,
but there was better stuff...........

IN THE MAIL

from Lou Langone, Fire Department Historian,

who sent these three photographs taken during the fire that destroyed
the Titan Homes plant on January 19, 1999.

(Thank you, Lou!)


Titan Homes Fire as reported n the W'ville Times Jan 20, 1999

"Six fire departments were summoned to Titan Homes, manufactured home plant inJ Sangerfield, to fight a pre- dawn fire.Tuesday morning. About 4:45 smoke was re- ported issuing from the northeastern section of the plant.Waterville Fire Depart- ment was the first to respond to the fire.
Firemen were hampered in finding the fire's location in the factory which employs about 180 workers.
At press time, firemen using Clinton's aerial ladder were attacking the fire from the roof of the northeast section of the plant. Waterville Fire Department was assisted, by Cassville, Deansboro, Oriskany Falls, North Brookfield, and Deansboro Fire Departments. Waterville Fire Police at the gates turned away workers coming to start the day's work.
At 6:30 a.m. additional aid was requested through Mutual Aid for an additional tanker from Bridgewater Fire Department as well as a tanker from West Winfield.No assessment of damage was available at presstime. Titan Homes, a division of Champion Home Builders of Auburn Hill, Mich., is a leading manufacturer and seller Of both single and doublewide manufacturedhomes.
The Sangerfield plant is located on a 15.5 acre site near the intersection of Routes 12 and 20, about a mile from Waterville."

The plant, which had opened in 1973 had about 170 workers and although destroyed in the fire, it was rebuilt and reopened in September of 1999cwith 200 employees and remains in full operation in 2010.

During the nine months that it took to rebuild Titan Home, the firm continued to pay its employees and the company received much praise for that action.

**************************

And from Librarian, Photographer and Explorer Jody Hildreth:

...........first, these photographs from his recent adventures at Tinker Falls,
near the Labrador Ski Center.

No longer content to photograph waterfalls from the OUTSIDE, Jody's taken
to climbing INSIDE ................

................. where the colors are more intense!

************

Today,



.......... he went back to Forge Hollow to see if he could get a glimpse of what really was behind the icy curtains on the Caves!

Now we have photographic evidence that



.......... the Loomis Gang is not hiding out, there .........



.............. but other things are! Rock formations I've never seen, before .......



.............. a sleepy millipede ...........




................ and, just above the cold and watery floor, a rock garden of flat-leaved
liverwort and what appears to be a variety of delicate spleenwort.



We're so used to driving past them, over and over again, that it's easy to forget that
"the caves" really are a rare treasure - and they're well-worth trying to protect!

( And Thank you, too, Jody!)


*************************

LOOKING AHEAD

The weather forecast fromWKTV:

"Our storm system will pull away this evening, taking the steady freezing rain and sleet with it. Still, some pockets of freezing drizzle will remain. Road conditions for this evening will be improved over earlier today but there will still be a few slick spots.

As colder air builds into the region in all levels late tonight we'll see some light snow showers and flurries return. Some light snow showers and flurries will be scattered across the area tomorrow, leaving a fresh coating to an inch of accumulation.

Another fast moving storm system looks to pass east again Friday giving us another snowfall. Even colder weather arrives by the weekend, with temperatures only in the teens during the day and sub zero at night."

************************

WCS SPORTS

Today's games were postponed, of course. Here's what's on the schedule for tomorrow:


6:00PM
Girls JUNIOR VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Mount Markham CSD
@ Waterville Central School
Memorial Park Elem. School

7:00PM
Girls VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
Mount Markham CSD
@ Waterville Central School
Memorial Park Elem. School

************

Recyclable Collection will be on Thursday.

Have a good evening, everyone!