Protecting Animals

Town Clerk Joyce Grant posted an important reminder about Ulster County's Anti-Tethering Law on the town Facebook page yesterday. I thought I would pass along to you. Joyce's message is below. Let's all help keep every animal in Ulster County safe in this harsh weather!


Remember - Ulster County enacted the Anti Tethering Law. If you see it - Report it. The law requires a minimum ten foot tether; access to food, water (if it is freezing - they don't have water), and appropriate shelter; the use of a buckle type collar instead of a choke collar; the dog to be at least 6 months old and in good health; a maximum tethered time of 12 hours in a 24 hour period; and, no tethering during a weather alert event. Penalties provided for under the law range from a $100 fine and up to a $2,000 fine, 150 hours of community service and surrender of the animal for a third offense.

Free Computer Classes

Free computer classes for Beginner's
- Who have little or no knowledge of computer use!
- Need help using their electronic devices (computer/laptop/tablet/cell phone)
- Need help using email - Photo uploads and more

Bring your own device or use our computer

When: Thursdays, March 19 - April 2 - 6:00 - 7:30pm
Where: The Phoenicia Library - Main Street Phoenicia

You must pre-register by March 14th to join!

To register contact Town Clerk Joyce Grant at (845) 688-5004
or Liz at the Phoenicia Library (845) 688-7811

Loon-acy At Town Hall

Here is an interesting thing that happened yesterday.  Several people came to work at Town Hall only to find a loon flapping around the parking lot (see photo below). They captured it and put him/her in a box with a cushion and then called a wildlife rehabilitator to come and get the bird so it could be examined and given the proper medical attention if necessary. When the rehabilitator arrived she said that it actually didn't look injured. She thought it might have just been tired or it had a hard time taking off due to the ice in the creek. But she took it to inspect it further and ultimately release it.

I learned several things about loons when I looked up information on the internet last night. They can't walk well on land. And they need a long stretch of water to take off properly. They are excellent divers and sometimes they are mistaken for cormorants. They have summer plumage and winter plumage which is dramatically different. The feathers on young birds and mature birds in their winter plumage look very much alike (the rehabber thought this might be a young bird). I read that they are so similar that even the experts have a hard time telling them apart during the cold months.

I had never seen a loon up close before. His/her red eyes were amazing. Seeing the bird was a really cool way to start my day yesterday. Hopefully, it wasn't hurt and has been released by now. Bon voyage little loon!

Bright And Sunny Day

After a gorgeous day yesterday, the weather today is cold (10 degrees as I type) but at least the skies are bright blue. There is a bit of wind but nothing too crazy. The temps got into the 30's yesterday and it felt warm(ish). That sounds funny but I guess everything is relative. It was really nice to be outside while I was cleaning up.

But with all the shoveling (and trying to get other work done), I never got a chance to post about the final snow totals. Basically, we didn't get much more than I originally posted, somewhere around 3 inches (remember these are the totals at the far end of the valley, so the amount may vary at your house).  For this part of the world 3 inches really isn't that much. But given the cold temps not much has melted off so it did add to the mounting, knee deep snow that is lying around.

The forecasts predict another really, really cold night tonight. But after that it looks like the temperatures may rise slightly. And right now there doesn't look like there is snow in the forecast until next Sunday. Whoooo Hooooo! Let's hope that remains true. I am as sick of blogging about the weather as you probably are about reading about it. So that's all for now. I promise I will make my next post about anything but weather!

And Winter Goes On, And On, And On…...

It has been EXTRA COLD here in the valley this week. Temps got as low -13 last night! People all around town have been having problems with frozen pipes. I myself had a problem with the main line from the outside to my pump tank freezing up. But putting a small heater on facing the pipe solved that issue. And my water is running just fine now. Life in the mountains has been very challenging indeed!

Today it is snowing again. A quick 2 inches fell starting at about 1pm then it tapered off. I just looked at the radar and we seem to be in a bit of a hole in the storm. It looks like we are going to get more through the night. I will update you on totals in the morning.

There has also been several fires in town. The Key Bank fire reignited on Thursday night (it was quickly extinguished). There was a trailer fire out behind what was once a feed store on Old Rt 28 just west of The Phoenicia Lodge.  There was also a fire in a barn somewhere in Mt Pleasant (never heard exactly where). Luckily, I don't think there was anyone hurt in any of these fires. At least that is a good thing.

So right now everyone seems to be tucking in and waiting for this latest round of snow to pass (I seem to be typing that sentence a lot lately). Anyway, I hope wherever you are you stay safe and warm. I will report back when I can.

Fire Damages Key Bank In Phoenicia

The Key Bank in Phoenicia was gutted by fire last night. The sub-zero overnight temperatures made fighting the blaze especially hard for the fire fighters. So sad to hear this. We just got our Main Street put back together again after the Phoenicia Library fire 3 years ago. Here is the article in the Watershed Post about the fire.

http://www.watershedpost.com/2015/key-bank-phoenicia-gutted-fire

Also, Phoenicia is experiencing a water emergency caused by frozen pipes. The temperatures in the last few nights have been BRUTAL. The night before last it was -15 at my house in the valley. Last night was below zero but not quite as bad. It is a couple of degrees warmer in town but the cold is causing big problems with the water system. This has been a very challenging winter!

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20150216/frozen-water-main-cuts-service-to-some-in-phoenicia

Snow So Far

Even though there is still another band of snow on the radar headed our way, I figured that you all would be waiting for a weather update. It has been snowing for most of the day today with accumulations of about 3-4 inches. It is very, very cold so the snow is light and fluffy and not hard to move at all. There are heavy winds forecasted but we haven't gotten them just yet. Check back with me in the morning and I will give you another update. But for now it is not too bad here in the valley.

PS - Because of President's Weekend there are a lot more people than usual driving on Rt 28 and Woodland Valley Road. I would remind everyone that with all the extra people around, and the snow making the roads more slippery and narrower in places, please remember to drive slowly and carefully!

Free Tax Prep In Ulster County

Assistance for low and moderate income taxpayers is available to Ulster County residents of all ages, with special attention to those over the age of 60. Volunteers trained as Tax Counselors will prepare and e-file your Federal & NYS tax returns at various sites around Ulster County. The AARP and IRS provide this program, with assistance from Ulster County Community Action, Woodland Pond CCRC and CornerStone Tel.

Please call (845) 255-0791 Monday through Thursday between 10am and 3:30pm for more information and an appointment.

Another 2 Inches

Well that was a fake out. It stopped snowing for a while last night (that's when I wrote the last blog post) but started up about an hour later. And we got another 2 inches overnight on top of the 8-9 inches that had already fallen. That brings the total to about 10-11 inches. This snow is annoying because I had already cleaned everything up but now it looks like I have to make another pass. Grrrrrrr……..winter is tiresome!

The Latest Round

It looks like this storm is finally finished. It was a long one. Like the last one though, it was not a scary (no high winds, no heavy wet snow to bring down the tree boughs). And for a lot of the time it actually was only flurries. The bulk of the storm moved into our area about 3:00 or 4:00pm yesterday and it snowed on and off through the night. But I would say the majority of what fell came down between about 9am and 4pm. It only completely finished about a half hour ago. Our final total was in the neighborhood of 8 to 9 inches (at least in my yard).

It was light and fluffy just like the last storm so it was fairly easy to move. There have been no power outages. And the plow trucks have been up and down the road a few times already so I think driving is OK, but I myself haven't been out yet.

Looks like there is more snow on the way for later in the week but we will just have to wait and see how that develops. For now I can take a nice hot shower and rest after all the snow moving. There may even be a nice hot chocolate in my future. Ah, the rewards of a long day of snow removal!

PS - After I posted this it started to snow lightly again and it continues coming down as I type. I don't think there will be too much more accumulation but if there is I will post again in the morning. Have a good evening everyone!

The Peanut Passes

The Peanut, beloved fur baby of Ricarda O'Conner and Mike Ottavi passed this Saturday at home. Ricarda sent me the sad news yesterday. Peanut was a small but wonderful girl and I will miss her terribly. Here is Ricarda's message:

"Small but mighty, wise and courageous, she moved through the last days of her life with dignity and grace. When death came, she faced it fearlessly, and passed swiftly and quietly at home. 

R.I.P., our beloved friend. "

Town Hall Offices Closed Today

Due to the ongoing snow the town hall offices are closed today.

Betty Newman Nakamoto Passes

The news reached me a couple of days ago that Betty Nakamoto (many of you know her as the co-owener with her husband Ken of Bethken Antique Shop in Woodland Valley) died on December 8th. The passing is especially sad because Betty and her family have been in the valley for many, many years.

One of Woodland Valley's historians, Linda McDonald furnished me with some history about Betty and her family. Here is what Linda had to say:

"Betty's sister Charlotte Newman Jacobsen also lived in Woodland Valley until a few years ago. Their parents were Cornelius and Charlotte (Lottie) Newman both who had lived in the house Betty and her husband later turned into the antique store. Betty's Grandparents, William & Lizzie Newman owned the house next door (the house her husband Ken stills lives in) from at least 1879, in fact, her dad was born in it. Her parents also built a home in the Woodland Park Association at the end of WV Road. It was the last house in the WPA on the "road" side of association (the other side is often referred to as the "field" side). Her father's older brother, Howard, was one of the founders of the Woodland Park Association. As you can see, her family has been in the valley a long time, first as summer people then year round. They were originally from Flat Bush, NY and then lived in Hackensack, NJ. Her father, Cornelius, was a projector operator for the YMCA and served in France doing r&r movies for the soldiers. "

Thanks Linda for that information. I myself was particularly sad to hear of Betty's passing. One of the first things that Helen McGowan told me when I bought my house from her was to make sure I stopped at Bethken. Since it wasn't a normal store with regular hours I felt a bit shy about ringing the bell and waiting for someone to come out and open up the shop. Somehow, this felt like an intrusion. But sooner or later I was able to get my nerve up and was I ever glad I did! And, at some point, I realized that ringing the bell and waiting for Betty to arrive was an integral part of the ritual of shopping there. 

As those of you who have been inside Bethken can attest, the place was FILLED with all kinds of great stuff. Over the years I got many wonderful things there. And in the midst of the trinkets and the treasures was Betty herself, who was a gem. She was extremely smart and funny and had great stories about the valley and the people in it. We would chat as I hunted through the piles for another thingamabob to acquire (not like I needed anything else but who could resist). It was always a wonderful experience and part of the fabric of valley life for me and many others. So farewell, Betty, we will always remember you. May you rest in peace.

Done For The Day

I just came in from a long day of clean-up and wanted to give you the update on the weather here in the valley. It is still snowing very lightly but the bulk of the storm is over at this point. It was not a particularly scary storm (no high winds, no heavy snow to break tree limbs) but there was a lot of accumulation and the clean-up takes a while. There is about 14 inches here in my yard but I am sure that total will vary depending on where you are in the valley. We never got any of the wet snow that they got down further south of us and that was really a blessing because the lighter snow is so much easier to move when it is that deep.

There have been no power outages that I am aware of in the valley. And the town plows have been up and down several times. I went down near town this afternoon for a little while and followed the town truck back up. Driving on Woodland Valley Road was fine.

So, that's all for now folks. But Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today and that means six more weeks of winter. Ugh! We better all keep our snow shovels handy!

PS - Just to show you how deep the snow got around here scroll down to the third photo below. There is a car under there somewhere. A small car, but a car none the less.