From the Land of Ice and Snow

While our friend Tom has been in Hawaii, we have been having winter in upstate NY. I hope he is not too terribly disappointed to find a land of ice and snow on his return home. I have been doing my best to follow his advice and take my camera with me wherever I go. I had it along on my way to work Wednesday morning when a red light made this photo possible. I'd stopped at Lowe's along the way and found these snow laden trees and traffic signs on Five Mile Line over Rt 104 interesting. Thankfully, unlike the commuters on Tuesday morning, I found crossing the Bay Bridge rather uneventful.

The truth is, everything about the snowy weather on Wednesday was interesting. This week's snow took me back in time to the days of pulling on extra socks, piling on the layers, and putting on two pairs of mittens. We could hardly move when we to traipsed out into the winter wonderland. Trees laden with snow, banks as high as our heads, and snow up past our knees. We played follow the leader, walked the frozen creek, and hid beneath the lower branches of evergreen trees. We went out without parents, stayed out too long, and came home to thaw our red and itchy toes and fingers in cold water. I wanted to be a little girl again. I wanted to find a friend and hike off through the snow and into the woods. Of course, that didn't happen. I had to work and most of my friends aren't much into playing in the snow.

Yesterday the sun was bright, and my furred and feather friends came out to play. I stayed in and pointed my camera out the window. Please forgive the plethora of pictures.

The Naughties ate sporting bells on their collars once again, this time attached by little wire rings. They managed to remove the bells when attached with anything else. Hopefully they will keep the collars on and my bird and squirrel populations will stay safe.

3X Thursday

Here we are again. Thank you so much for your suggestions for questions to post.


1. If you were a comic strip character, who would you be and why?
2. What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie?
3. If you had to give up a favorite food, which would be the most difficult to give up?

F is for Freezing

F is for freezing. Our mild winter has turned into a wild winter. Temperatures plummeted this past weekend. Saturday wind chills were well below zero degrees Fahrenheit, too cold to be outside for more than a few minutes.

A tale of heroism arose from the frigid cold when an early morning snowplow run turned into a daring rescue. He was  making his first pass on Jay Street, traveling north toward Lake Ontario, but when he got to Lake Rd. an unusual sight caught his eyes, a pair of tail lights in the lake. Thanks to an observant snowplow driver and a willing passerby, a young man was rescued from an icy death. He escaped with a serious leg injury when he was temporarily pinned between his car, tossed about by angry lake waters, and the frozen blocks of ice collecting on the shore.

I watched a video of the car being slowly and steadily lashed by the icy waves of Lake Ontario and shuddered to think that this young man could easily have been encased, along with his car, in the icy Lake Ontario shore. Yesterday the temperatures were warmer, but nearly two feet of snow fell on the region. We could have made a grim discovery come spring. Instead we have reason to rejoice.

More ABC Wednesday here.

PS. Photos (not mine) were taken on Saturday morning while the car was visible and the following day after it was totally encased in the shoreline.

Tuesday's Treasures

Two blogs because two-day is twos-day.
:0)

I have some treasures at my house. I bring them out for small children. This afternoon my small grandson needed a playmate while his mommy was cooking dinner. I figure if she is going to cook dinner, the least I can do is play with Spencer. Down from upstairs came a Fisher Price school bus and a few Little People. Down from the high-up shelf came the old Fisher Price Ferris-wheel. And then we had some fun.

Do you have any treasures to share? Tom is collecting treasures here.

Snowstorm 2016

Winter caught up with us this week. If the subzero wind chills over the weekend weren't enough, we got walloped with 2 feet of snow today. My boss sent a text to let me know it was okay if I preferred not to drive today. The wise choice seemed to be staying put, so I did. It turned out to be one of my wiser decisions.

My fur and feather friends outside were hungry so I ventured out into the deep to bring them some seeds and nuts.  Then, being a tad on the nutty side myself, I took  my own portrait in the mirror inside Hannah's Place.

The snow came down like powdered sugar from a sifter early this morning. Too cold to make snowballs but fluffy and deep. Then the precipitation turned to rain for a short while before making the switch to a heavy wet snow. Traffic on the Irondequoit Bay bridge was at a standstill around 9:30am. No going forward, no going around, and no backtracking either. No way it would have been passable by the time I'd have needed to get through.(Borrowed the photo from a FB friend who was there.)

It's stormed all day in the way of snowfall. It's a mess out there with a ton of accidents, cancellations, and delays but we can be thankful that the bitter temperatures and wind chills didn't coincide with the snow.

I took the opportunity to catch my bird friends on camera when they stopped for a late afternoon breakfast or early lunch. My poor red bellied woodpecker was having a bad hair day. ha ha!My have gotten caught out in the rain.

Mrs. Cardinal was looking splendid and sat so nice for a photograph. Her mate was there too, guarding the food supply, as if there wasn't enough to share. The blue jays were out today along with juncos, a titmouse, a gray squirrel, and even Little Red. I'm having a tough time keeping bells on The Naughties so I hope my bird friends are watching each other's back as well as their own.

One Fine Winter

One fine winter back in the 1970's my brother and his buddies built a snowman. It was the biggest snowman I'd ever seen and the only one I'd known my brother to build. Perhaps it was the fact that the guy in the parka on the far right was from Florida. I can't remember what he was doing so far from home, maybe he'd run away to the land of ice and snow for a little excitement. I remember he was young, about 17. It was 1976.

Little sisters are easily impressed by the feats of older brothers and we were quite impressed. Even Mom was impressed. She came outside to take a picture of us and that was really cool. Shoot! Even the creators look pleased with their accomplishment.

PS. That's me with the red mittens.
:0)

The Barn Collective

Frigid temperatures discourage orchard walks. No leisurely stroll through the apple trees today, but things were different last Sunday when Cabinet Maker and I decided to take a walk between morning church and the Superbowl. We walked across the street and back through the trees, skipping over mud puddles and following the road that skirts a ramshackle barn where the farmer stores his apple crates. We met a shy dog along the way and on the way back stopped to talk to the farmer's wife who was out counting trees.

Couldn't resist posting the forklift parked in front of the stack of apple crates. Life in the orchard is interesting.

Come join Tom in The Barn Collective.

Going Batty Over Here

Tuesday evening was a little exciting around here when one of the Naughties brought a bird in the house, but things very quickly got lively again last night when we saw another flying circles in our living room. Two birds in one week? And both of them at night? Almost unbelievable!

This bird, like the other, seem genuinely confused at his circumstances and surroundings. Round and round the living room he flew, silently, stealthily, and not once perching on shelf or window transom. We quickly realized there was a unique quality to this silent, circling creature. It wasn't a bird at all. It was a bat, and boy were the Naughties excited!

I have to be honest. I wasn't sure whether to get up and do something about it or duck. All I could think of was the girl from Jumanji. Nathan, seated  on the couch, took a swing at the poor confused thing with the cutting board which flew out of his hand and broke upon hitting the floor. James jumped up and down and waved his arms in an attempt to keep the restless creature confined to one side of the room. (He wanted me to help him... ha ha!). Keeping my head low, I got up and opened the window, hoping the bat might decide to fly out into the night. It didn't  James started waving Spencer's removable highchair tray and accidentally knocked the helpless creature senseless onto the living room floor. We popped a Rubbermaid container over the top of him and scooped him into an empty Triscuit box. James took it out into the darkness.

I'd originally thought one of the cats must have brought the little guy into the house, but this morning I remembered Josiah last night saying that the cats were going under the floorboards in the bedroom closet above the wood stove. Not only that but a year or two ago Hannah insisted there had been a bat circling her room in the middle of one dark night. She'd closed the door and gone downstairs to sleep on the couch and we never saw or heard from a bat again until last night. I almost feel sorry for the poor thing.


* Use your imagination with the pictures. I didn't think to grab my camera until the fiasco was over last night. And Spencer is just concerned about the Beanie Baby bat now hanging from my ceiling fan.

Tea for Two, Twice

Winter has finally arrived. No school for kids in town yesterday. Blowing snow and subzero wind chills kept most folks home. I was thankful not to be scheduled to work.

Today, while we have a break in the cold (it was all the way up to 25 degrees F today), I opted to drive to Webster and pick up my laptop again. I stayed to visit Rachel and we each had a cup of tea. From Rachel's house I headed to Wegmans and on the way in caught up with my beautiful youngest daughter. We not only went into the store at the same time, but I also followed her out. She invited me over to visit and I had my second tea party of the day. (Double the love.)

Old Man Winter is set to blow in some icy cold air this evening. I think I just might do a bit of baking tomorrow. Can't go wrong warming the house with the smell of cookies baking.

3X Thursday

Here we go.
I'm a little on the sleepy side of things today so I'll be back to answer my own questions later.
:0)

1. If you could write a message to your younger self, what would you say?

2. Do you still possess any toys from your childhood? If so, what are they?

3. Are you good at coming up with questions to ask your friends? If so, would you be willing to share a few for future 3rd Thursdays?

E is for Excitement

There was bit of excitement here last night when one of The Naughties brought a live bird into the house. It was close to 9 pm and dark outside. We tried to chase the cat and his prize, which we assumed to be a mouse, back out the cat door, but in his excitement he dropped it instead.

Although I love feeding the bird's in the park, I do not love them flying about my house. The poor creature flew back and forth across the living room searching for an escape but found none. His oppressors followed, nipping at his "heels" and reaching out in hopes of getting him in their clutches.

After one desperate flight from window transom to the opposite corner of the room, the frightened  and now exhausted little bird landed on my bookcase. Quicker than the cats, but ever so gently, I wrapped my hands around the tiny thing, scooped him up, and took him outside. Then I did the only thing I could   and tossed him into the darkness   where I   heard him flutter away.

For a time after the bird's rescue the silly cats walked about the house looking at shelves and window transoms desperately seeking the escaped prize. I even caught one checking out the ticking clock hanging on the wall.

Come visit ABC Wednesday here.

Antique Gnome and Fairy Homes

When my sisters and I were little girls our parents often took us camping. Money was tight for a while so for several years in a row our vacation destination was a little campground near Lake Ontario. Webster Park became our "home not so very far away from home." In those days parents weren't expected to keep their children in sight every minute and we spent hours on the campground playground.

When we got a little older we were allowed to play under the old pine tree woods that boarded the outer circle of campsites. One year some of the other kids showed us how to build little houses of sticks, pine cones, and dried needles from the forest floor. In no time at all I was hooked. Building one little hut was not enough. Instead we constructed entire villages.

Mom and Dad didn't take many photos back then so I count this particular picture a treasure. One visual reminder of a week one summer many years ago.

Priscilla also posted a camping memory. You can find it here (scillyspot.blogspot.com or on my sidebar), and if I can figure out how Mr.Linky works we can hook up for Monday Memories.

The Barn Collective

I hope I'm not too late for this week's barn collective. My own computer is on the fritz so the photos of our own barns will have to wait. I didn't lose them, I just don't have the time to collect, edit, and resize them all over again right now. However, my sister and I went to visit our nonverbal, autistic brother on Friday afternoon and took our customary drive through the drumlin farmland of Newark, Arcadia, and Sodus, NY. (I once asked my 4th grade son what a drumlin was and he responded, "Long, low laying hills running north and south.") Ski slopes and farmland. It was a beautiful day.

This barn is on Heidenreich Rd just up the hill from the south end of the Zurich Bog.

Old Number 6 and his pals were watching from across the road. 

Our brother was fairly patient as we stuck our cameras out the window and clicked away. He was rewarded with a small chocolate Frosty not long after.

More of The Barn Collective with Tom.

A Fairy Forest

I have found my first Fairy Dwelling. Across the driveway is a tree that the Cabinet Maker so graciously clobbered with his van on a slippery, snowy Sunday several years ago. A big hunk of bark was removed in the collision and it is now looking like the perfect spot for some imaginary friends to live. (I am almost way too excited.) Now if only it was warm enough to paint. (I know ya'll think I'm a little titched in the head, but I still love you.)

Thursday's Walk

Yesterday was fun. Bethany and I went out to lunch and then took Jake and Jilly to a nature center. We saw a herd of deer in the swamp, and a grove of Fairies in the woods. So cool and so much fun. Makes me want to be a kid all over again and now I am looking for spots for Fairy Houses to manifest in my own yard. (I've wanted to do this for years...)

3X Thursday

It is good we have two computers otherwise there would be no 3X Thursday today...

Beth and I went on a field trip to Tinker Nature Center. We walked the trails and found an enchanted forest full of Fairies. I am sharing 3 photos from our walk this afternoon. There were so many cute little dwellings that it was hard to choose just three.




1. Is there still a child living within and do you ever let it out?

2. Do you consider yourself more athletic or more artsy?

3. Did you play in the woods as a child?


We cut our walk a little short and turned around after the little grove of Fairy Houses. Perhaps there were more around the bend, I don't know, but "Nature" was calling loud and clear, so we headed back toward the Nature Center Building (a cute little museum where you can rent cross country skis or snowshoes, providing there is snow...) and the potties. It was a wonderful afternoon and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

D is for Death

My laptop is sporting the red screen of death. I'm not sure exactly what that means but I'm guessing it's not good. Thankfully, all my photos are on camera cards.

D is for Drive and Destination

Three days a week I drive down Rte 104, across the Irondequoit Bay bridge and into the city of Rochester to the Friendly Home. Someone told me I should always take my camera along, so this week I did. No looking through a view finder when driving, just point and shoot, hope for the best, and straighten the photos later. Take a ride with me...

And here I am on East Avenue. The Friendly Home is technically in Brighton and has been around for over a hundred years. It is my weekly destination although my not so friendly lady is making me second guess this companion job... (Yesterday she called me a "piss pot." Why, you ask? Because it wasn't time to leave the dining room. Funny and not so funny all rolled into one.)

More ABC Wednesday here.

Tuesday Treasures

My sister Priscilla reminded me of the photograph that hung on the wall in our great grandmother's house in Angelica. For a moment I thought she was thinking of the huge old photos behind the door in the hallway, but those were of our great and great great grandfathers. She was referring to the photo of great grandma herself.

Several years ago, in 2007, I had an email from a distant cousin whose great great grandmother was a sister of our great grandma. He had read one of my blogs and found a bit on his own grandmother. Shawn sent me piece of research regarding the sisters. It read "Tillie and my mother Maude as they grew up were the Belles of Allegany County, my mother a beauty with golden hair and her sister, Tillie, a lovely dark haired, brown eyed beauty." I asked Shawn if he might have a photo of Maude, but he didn't.

Fast forward to 2015 and an email from another distant cousin whose name is Cindy. CIndy had also read one of my blogs and was kind enough to send me a photo of her great grandmother. Her grandmother, Maude, is on the left, and ours, Tillie, with the fancy hat, is on the right. Aren't they beautiful? And the photos, perhaps not displayed together for over a hundred years, are now side by side. I think they count as a treasure.
  
Visit Tuesday Treasures here.

Totally Humbled

I'm not sure how old I was, maybe 3 1/2 or 4 years old. My Uncle Chuck was building his own house and work had progressed far enough that the family was able to move in. Mom and Dad, along with Aunt Margie and Uncle Stan, decided to go visit.

I don't know what was required to get a C of O back in the mid to late sixties, but I do know that not everything was totally finished. The town had come along and found the family "camping" on their own property just about the time they were ready to move into the house. No finished flooring had been laid and it seemed like years to me before any linoleum was put down. The basement door had not yet been put in place and a curtain hung over the empty space.

I remember it almost like it was yesterday, seeing the curtain hanging there, and then for some reason known only to a four year old, I leaned on it. The immediate trip to the bottom of the steps is a bit of a blur, but I suppose it was back then too. Mostly I recall the sudden stop at the basement floor and how completely and utterly foolish I felt. It must have hurt at least a little, and was certainly frightening, I know I cried, and for a time had the attention of every adult in the house, which only made matters  worse.

My Uncle Stan tried to comfort and distract me with a bag of Hershey's Kisses but the still childlike introvert inside couldn't stand all the attention. (And just like we would do today, someone thought to grab the camera and record the moment.) Poor Uncle Chuck must have been terribly embarrassed too, and I'm sure he felt responsible, but  I never blamed him. I may have been silly enough to lean on a curtain, but I was old enough to know it too.