Tuesday afternoon

Oh, what a gray day - and WET, too! But somewhere near Waterville it was white: RfB spotted this car in the Foodking Parkinglot! And there are brightly decorated spots, like this, all over the village ....



............and some fairly scary-but-fun sights, too!



Take a drive 'round town - you'll find plenty more!

Tuesday morning

It's almost 38 degrees, this morning, and it's NOT RAINING! (Yet!)

The Tigers and Cardinals had a day off. Game three of the World Series will take place tonight.

WHAT'S MISSING FROM THESE PICTURES?

East Main Street

West Main Street

Sanger Avenue

Southbound on Route 12

Sangerfield

For the first time - on a weekday - since April 5th, there was not a single construction vehicle or hard-hat to be seen anywhere between the Waterville Fire House and the center of Sangerfield.

If anyone is actually craving another construction job to "supervise," they'll have to drive along East Bacon Street ...........


........... or watch as Mr. Hudson makes progress on the new hotel steps and porch.

(Look at the nice copper-colored leaves on the new pear tree!)

Monday afternoon "Flash!"

In re: the sale of Foodking ........

The DEAL is OFF!!

Details in theWaterville Times.

Murky Monday!

No: I don't know any more - or even as much - as those who have asked me if there's any truth to the rumor that the Foodking deal is NOT going to go through. Something may come "from the horse's mouth," today and, if not, I'm sure that Ms. Louise will give full details in the Waterville Times!

All I'm sure of is that it's

GARBAGE DAY!

41.7 degrees and wet: NOT RAINING, right now, but .......

While there's a dirth in the "news" department, there's no other drought. Our Sunday "Ride in the Country" took us through Westmoreland to Rome and back by way of Oriskany where there would have been photos taken of the Mohawk River at flood stage had it not been pouring so hard!

WKTV News Channel 2's Weather Department puts it differently - not that we have a choice!

Today: Plenty of clouds with scattered showers. Temperatures nearly steady in the mid 40's.

Tonight: Clouds and rain showers...mixing with and changing to snow. Generally a coating to an inch or two of accumulation possible, mainly on the hilltops and north of the thruway...except up to 3" possible in the higher terrain of Lewis County. Lows 30-35.

And now they're tied, 1 - 1.
Click here for complete World Series Coverage

And check back here, later. If something happens, I'll let you know!

"Lo, the Golden Gingko!"

And then Dave Desany's mother, Jean, wrote to the blogger:

"Dave's recollection and the blogger's anticipation prompted me to let you know that it was 11 years ago just about now when, knowing we were going to be moving out of state, I decided on the one thing I could take with me after 23 years at 242 Buell.

The day came when the gingko shed nearly every leaf in the space of 24 hours and I went outside to make careful selections. My choices were carefully pressed between waxed paper and the unabridged dictionary that held them went off to New Hampshire in February of 1996.

Some months later, I had those little nuggets framed (above) and they hang in our home to this day, a constant reminder that we couldn't have picked a better place to call home for all those years."

Jean Desany

Kraig Pritts

Stanley Sambora spotted this article in Tuesday's edition of the Syracuse Post Standard.

Those who remember Kraig, who was the choral director at the high school back in the early 80's and who did so much (along with his wife, the Rev. Deborah Pritts) for Arts in Waterville's Community Chorus, will be interested to know that Kraig is now the Superintendent of Schools in Tully, one of the four schools in the Central New York five-county region in which the school boards have gone "paperless." All the information they need for their school board meetings is sent to them by computer.

In the article, Kraig describes himself as a "techno geek" - something we knew years ago! He started, we recall, by building a data base of scanner frequencies, a printout of which is still somewhere in the house in the Hollow!

Photo R.F. Brown c. 1980 - 1982

Good going, Kraig! Best to both of you!

Sunday morning!

41 degrees; not raining! Yesterday - despite a soggy forecast - turned into quite a nice day. Perhaps today will, too!







I love the COMMENTS that are left at this website:

Dave Desany of Orlando, Florida wrote: "Talk about a childhood flashback!! Thanks for the post about Gingko Biloba trees. The one you pointed out at the Crowe residence on Buell Avenue (formerly the Desany residence), is a tree my brothers and I spent a good deal of time climbing as children. Even though it has been over 15 years since I lived in Waterville, the picture of those leaves brought back lots of memories!" (Thanks, Dave!)


An Anonymous reader wrote:

"I just wanted to say that 'At Home in the Huddle' is wonderful. It is so nice to see a little bit of news of my Home town. I grew up in Waterville and I don't get home much so it is nice to see what everyone is up to and all of the wonderful upgrades the town is making."

And from another "Anonymous:"

"Your little reminiscence of John Zwievel brought me back to my childhood days in Waterville. I had forgotten all about him, but your description brought his image to my mind immediately. Did you ever meet Truman Jones? He used to walk the streets also. Some things never change - and I hope that part of Waterville's friendliness to all never does. "

And the answer to his/her question is Yes! I remember Truman Jones. His favorite expression - when describing what it was like when the dam on Big Creek burst or when the steeple of the Presbyterian Church was struck by lightning and burned, in 1917 - was

"Aye-Yi-Yi-Yi-YI!!"

And it was his and his sister Marjorie's family homestead that we purchased and moved into in 1968, and we've been here, in "Marjorie and Truman Jones' House," ever since!



The one frustrating thing about "Anonymous" COMMENTS is that I can't reply to the writer, so I've put a link to my E-mail address right in the bottom line of the post. You can still remain "anonymous" if you want to - but at least I could thank you directly for taking time to write!

Saturday morning w/ early pix

And then - yesterday afternoon - it SNOWED! Oh, not much, or for very long, but it was exciting while it lasted!

This morning it's a hair over 35 degrees, with a welcome warm-up coming this afternoon.



I made an early run to Clinton to pick up goodies for the BANDSTAND meeting, and stopped a couple of times to take pictures:

Looking across the Oriskany Valley to West Hill.
(Click to enlarge.)

Near the Clinton Rod & Gun Club.

In Forge Hollow.

The Asahel Grant Homestead has a new little side portico and is getting a new roof!

Last night's WCS Football:
Tom Rocker and Jared Marshall each had a touchdown for Oriskany to lead the Redskins to the Class D crossover victory. Karl Durant had 12 tackles and a sack for Waterville.

Oriskany 6 14 0 6 — 26; Waterville 0 0 0 2 — 2 with Waterville now 1 - 7.

Bad weather caused postponement of the West Canada Valley-Sauquoit game which has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. today at Waterville.


And it starts tonight: The WORLD SERIES! with the St. Louis Cardinals meeting the Tigers in Detroit! (You can watch it on FOX TV starting at 7:30.)

Friday afternoon

It's been raining and raining and raining, but the DPW dug a major drainage ditch next to the new Buell Avenue sidewalk, yesterday, and they've also cleaned out drains on village streets so there shouldn't be any flooding!

Down at the Underpass? That may be another matter: drive slowly, just in case!

Have you noticed? The Fryes, Hugheses, Brouillettes and their neighbors - as well as the Municipal Hall - have all moved!



Changing the sign was easy, of course; changing addresses on everything else will take all the residents alot more work!

When the Main Street Committee was investigating Victorian lamp posts, they also looked at antique street sign posts, like this one in Norwich, but found - to their great surprise! - that they cost nearly as much as the lamp posts themselves. It was a nice idea, but..... maybe someday.

(Hint to Garden Club or ???)
Every Fall, corn stalks are tied to ALL the posts and poles in Norwich and it looks very nice!

Friday

54 degrees and it's doing it again: RAINING!

From WKTV Channel 2 News:

***FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL NEW YORK, NORTH OF US ROUTE 20 THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING***
***WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR HERKIMER, HAMILTON, FULTON, MONTGOMERY COUNTIES FROM 4PM TO 11PM TODAY***
Today: Rain, heavy at times, with gusty winds by afternoon. Highs in the low 50s very early, but falling through the 40s during the day.

...and from the Weather Channel:



Many years ago there lived in Waterville a tall, soldierly-looking gentleman named John Zweifel. A native son, wounded - or "shell shocked," some said - in the Second World War, he spent his days working around the Episcopal Church, where he was the sexton, walking country roads with his friend Bill Baldock, or supervising the everyday goings-on in the village. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. I remember meeting him at the Post Office on a cold, rainy day like this and, just as I was about to make what I thought was an appropriate comment on the weather, he stood straight, smiled skyward, and then - looking me right in the eye! - boomed out, "This is the day that the Lord hath made; Rejoice and be glad in it!"

That sure shut me up!

-----------------------

A telephone report from the parent of a Boys' Varsity Soccer player: "after an hour of drenching rain, which would have swamped the old field, there was just one small area of puddling: the astro-turf worked wonderfully!"

And so didn't the team, winning 2 - 0 over Morrisville-Eaton!

Later on Thursday

A nice bright spot at the corner of Stafford Avenue S. and Putnam Street.


Very warm - in the mid-sixties - but grayish-looking and with a feel of rain, coming soon.




Readers living some distance from Waterville wonder - with good reason! - "What's wrong with the sidewalk in front of the MerriRose Florist?" Well - here are two views which, I hope, will help you understand. Just imagine a light coating of snow and a customer coming out of the shop with an armload of flowers, trying to reach the street and their car, safely, without doing a "Tom Stiles Special Flip!" And then there's the matter of the sidewalk plow.......



I spoke with Rick Garrett, this afternoon, and he said that the Mssrs. Tal had been to the store both yesterday and today. Yes! They have asked all of the employees to stay on!


I'm keeping an eye on the two Gingko Biloba trees that I know of: one at the Crowe residence on Buell Avenue and the other at the Zwahlens' in Sangerfield. They're quite rare, and the one ancient one in Clinton even has an Historic Marker!



(from the internet:) The ginkgo is the oldest living tree species, geological records indicate this plant has been growing on earth for 150 - 200 million years. Chinese monks are credited with keeping the tree in existence, as a sacred herb. It was first brought to Europe in the 1700's and it is now a commonly prescribed drug in France and Germany. It is one of the most well-researched herbs in the world.

In the last 30 years, more that 300 studies have given clinical evidence that ginkgo prevents and benefits many problems throughout the entire body. Ginkgo is gaining recognition as a brain tonic that enhances memory because of its positive effects on the vascular system, especially in the cerebellum. It is also used as a treatment for vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and a variety of neurological disorders and circulation problems. Ginkgo may help to counteract the effects of aging, including mental fatigue and lack of energy.

I just think that finding bright gold leaves like these is a pretty good tonic! This is a "stock" photograph from the internet: watch for our two treasure to look like this in a few days!

Thursday morning

49.5 degrees. It's Garbage Day, again!





Don't get distracted! Pedestrain Crossing Signs; Library this way signs; Bike Route signs; new, higher, larger Street Signs.
I know it's all better and safer, but I sort-of want to say "Enough, already! We want to be able to see the new trees and the lamp posts when they get here!"

Remember that tomorrow is the last day to enter the Library's SCARECROW Contest! Judging will take place on Saturday and the winner will be having Pizza from the New York Pizzeria for supper and watching a video from ECCO!

WCS Girls' Varsity Soccer is at Morrisville-Eaton at 4:30 this afternoon.
Boys' Varsity Soccer plays Morrisville-Eaton on Brothertown Field at 7:00.

On Friday - Boys' Varsity Football plays Oriskany at 7:30 at Brothertown Stadium.

Saturday might not be too bad!

In the morning - from 10:00 'til noon - join the Bandstand Committee, the Bandstand Designers, and other folks you know for a lively "brain-storming" session in the Program Room at the new Library. Bring paper, pen/pencil and a calculator. High-calorie Energy Fuel will be provided!

Any time it's wet out...

People who are used to brick paving stones have said, repeatedly, that the pavers can be very slippery when they're wet. (I'll take their word for it; they don't have to show me.) Tom Stiles of Stockwell has gone one step farther, however, in proving that the new TREE GRATES are also slippery! Day before yesterday, rushing out of Morgan's Hardware, he was - all in a split second! - 1. on his feet; 2. in the air; 3. flat on his back! Ouch!! (It's a good thing he's young and bounces easily!)

The new - or would-be-new - owners of Foodking were expected to visit the store, yesterday afternoon. Perhaps there will be something to tell you about, later on!

I'm also waiting for confirmation of a really nice bit of news: watch for an "add-on!"


And here it is!!!


Joseph Falk, President of the Waterville Historical Society, has announced that an Anonymous Benefactor has stepped forward to purchase the Society's home building on White Street from the longtime owner, the Village of Waterville. Used for many years as the Village Hall, and leased to the Society for the past three years, the municipality could not legally GIVE the building away; it could lease it or sell it. The Society has already made several improvements to the property - a handicap accessible restroom (on the main floor!) was installed two years ago and, this past summer, the barn behind the old church building became a museum display area for numerous pieces of antique hop equipment. The benefactor's $15,000 gift to the Society will really be a gift for the entire community: the history of whole Waterville area is as rich in fascinating discoveries as that of any other settlement in this part of New York State and now it will be kept "alive" so that more than just a handful of old folks can know what it was like here in those golden years when Waterville was the center of international hop commerce and called itself "The Hop Capital of the World"!

Wednesday Add-on!

FRONT PAGE HEADLINES
from the Waterville Times

"Grand Day in Waterville" - photos and recap of last Saturday's "Celebration."

"BCS Goes to Single Entry" - Brookfield Central School students have only one way to get in or out.

"Marshall Town Board" - Recap of the September 12 Town Board Meeting.

"WCS Looks at Security System" - details of entry procedures.

"Accident Closes Rt. 315" - two motor vehicles were involved in a head-on collision on Monday evening.

"Sauquoit Teachers Will Picket" - approach 500 days without contract.

Wednesday morning

Just about 53 balmy degrees.

THIS MORNING - Recyclables!

TONIGHT

- at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Waterville Historical Society, the guest speaker will be Gary R. Ford of Deansboro, a retired Social Studies Teacher of the Rome School system. Mr. Ford helped to create and implement: “Capturing Their Pasts: A Veterans’ Oral History Project.” His presentation will include a description of the project and its connection to local history. He will also share some of the veterans’ stories and testimonials. There will be a display of booklets, photographs and memorabilia. Meeting time: 7:30 PM. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.

Will WHS President Joe Falk make an important announcement?

GREAT SMILES!

The six members of the Jr. Midget Pop Warner Cheerleaders deserve our cheers: they've moved farther up the competitive ladder than any previous Waterville squad. Last Saturday, at the Utica Auditorium, they placed 3rd out of 9 teams. This moves them up to the State Level, and they will be competing at "the aud" again this Sunday, October 22. After that? If they do well they they move on to regional competion in New Jersey.
The Waterville cheer as a whole ( all 4 squads) was given the "Best Sportsmanship" Award by their peers in their division: a great honor to be proud of.

Congratulations, girls!

An added note, the Jr. Peewee boys were undefeated this year and also are moving on! Good for them!!!



One of the favorite units in last Saturday's Parade was the contingent of "The Crimson Bonnets." Dick Zirkle took this picture of his wife, Judy, and I have permission to share her smile with you!

You don't know what the "Red Hat Society" is all about? Here's the poem that started it all:

Warning
by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Tuesday afternoon

It's rainy, windy, cold and the leaves are flying: a thoroughly gray day. The mood in Foodking, 'tho not quite as depressing, was certainly subdued and sad.

But down at Jack and Darcy Ruane's, now THERE is an example of real misery! Year after year the old witch runs into the same tree and, after all this time, you'd think she'd learn!



I didn't see any "street signs" going up, but there are LOTS of new, safety-green "Pedestrian Crossing" signs throughout the business district and along Sanger Avenue.



Quite a number of trees were planted, either yesterday afternoon or this morning. It's nice to see that they are all sturdily staked and secured against the wind!

When North Country is just about all done planting, they will have at least one tree or shrub left over and not know where to put it: seen walking through the village one day, recently, a handsome brindle-colored boxer preceeding its owner by a leash-length and proudly carrying a beribboned tree-stake in its mouth!

NEWS FLASH!

And it is MAJOR NEWS!

- but it's been confirmed, and I have it "from the horse's mouth" -
(Rick said that I could say that!) -

that

FOODKING HAS BEEN SOLD.

That's the BAD news, because it's hard to imagine Foodking without Rick Garrett,

but the GOOD NEWS is that it will continue to be a grocery store!

Yea!

The new owners are a father and son from India; the sale will be finalized in six to eight weeks, and the son, Mr. John Tal, will be the manager.

Rick Garrett told the employees, this morning, and word of the sale has no doubt already reached all corners of the community!

Tuesday

It's 47.3 degrees and cloudy. It's just not going to be as grand a day for outdoor work as yesterday was, I'm afraid.



North Country Landscapers dropped off another batch of trees along Sanger Avenue, yesterday - a variety of maple - and the landscapers at the Library were putting sod in place out near the White Street entrance.

It's GREEN WASTE DAY!

....and if you speak with the fellows from the Department of Public Works, today, give them a bit of extra applause: the reason that Main Street - by 6:00 on Saturday afternoon - looked as if absolutely NOTHING had taken place there during the day and was as neat as a pin, was because they and Mayor Younes were there at four o'clock on the dot, picking up trash containers and making sure that not a bit of litter remained!

Yesterday, when I was asking merchants what their reactions were to the Event, RoseMary Broedel's was a bit different: she was most impressed with the shoppers' own impressions - loudly voiced! - of her SIDEWALK! "What are they going to do?" they'd ask her. And her reply: "Apparently, NOTHING!"

Just had a phone call:

STREET SIGNS are going in!

But, in the process. the "STOP" sign at the corner of Park Place and Sanger as been removed. Temporarily, I presume!

Later on Monday

I forgot!(Don't you!) Village Board Meeting tonight at 7:00!

This notice of an AUCTION at the home of the late Alton Hinman, south of Deansboro, was brought to my attention; let me bring it to yours! I'm sure there are enough treasures here for all of us!

I understand that there will be a meeting of merchants, businesspersons and anyone interested, tomorrow night at 7:00 at the Village Hall, to review the Celebration that took place on Saturday.

I spoke, earlier, with JoAnn Treen of the Home Shoppe, RoseMary Broedel at Merri-Rose Florist and Tom Morgan at the Hardware store and although none of them saw a great increase in sales, that day, they all thought the event was a grand success and a wonderful "home town" celebration that deserves to be repeated.

Monday morning!

Back on schedule: it's GARBAGE DAY!

29.3 degrees and clear - and I like the forecast for today!



Miscellaneous observations about Saturday's activities - both solicited and not - lead me to think that Chef Michael would be pleased to know that his elegant al fresco service of "Riggies" and "Greens" seems to have tied the popularity-poll (at least at that end of Main Street) with the Petting Zoo and the Brunswick!

The Women's Club's Pie Sale was a hit; the Garden Club did well, and - off in their corner on the southeastern edge of the village - the Library received many visitors and the Book Sale was a success!

The entire event was, of course, organized by the merchants - perhaps today I'll be able to get some reaction from them.

Sleepy Sunday morning

A chilly 31.5 degrees; the weather observer reports that it was "dark; not raining; nippy!" when he went out for the newspaper.



And there we are - right on the front page of the Utica O-D.! "Waterville - no longer a bump in the road."

We'll be eager to hear the "word around town." Around 5:30, yesterday afternoon, I tried to phone the Home Shoppe and Morgan's for their first reactions: no answer at either place! But Tara Bassett, manning Main Street Liquors, said it had been "a VERY busy day!!"

An on-the-scene report from the Clock Dedication was that just as the ceremony concluded a few drops of rain fell. Up on Sanger Avenue (the altitude's higher?) Mrs. Davis saw something else: SNOW!




Busy-ness here in the Hollow, today, will be cleaning up after the Friday night freeze that "did in" the last of the begonias and impatiens. Time to catch up with all the others in town who have already planted "mums."

On Babbott Avenue.

More to follow.

P.S. I love getting your "comments," but if you want me to answer questions or make any sort of reply, you'll have to include your own E-mail address! Thank You!