Merry Christmas To All

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all those who celebrate Christmas in the valley a very merry one indeed! I know that I just posted a bunch of photos of Maya Wolf but after I put them up James sent me this one and I thought it would be perfect for today! Who doesn't love a baby dressed up for the season! Have a great holiday!!

Happy Hanukkah!!

This year Hanukkah will be celebrated from December 20-28. I want to wish everyone in Woodland Valley (and anywhere else for that matter) who celebrates a happy holiday. May your Hanukkah be as warm and bright as the light on the Menorah!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even in a year as difficult as this last one, there are always things for which we can be grateful. The beautiful animals that roam freely through the forest around us are among them. Below are some great images of Tom Turkey strutting his stuff. He is a magnificent animal indeed! I am grateful that such a beautiful creature lives right here in our valley and once in a while puts on a beautiful show!

I am also grateful to Dennis Havel for taking these wonderful photos and sharing them with everyone on the blog. He has sent a lot of fantastic images over the past year and I want take this opportunity to thank him for sharing his talent with his neighbors!

Whether you are spending your holiday in Woodland Valley or going to visit loved ones in the big, wide world, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Merry Christmas from the Morehouses

Here are some good wishes from Dakin & Doris Morehouse.

"On this very auspicious day, we just wanted to wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS with GOOD HEALTH and HAPPINESS in 2011. We would like to especially dedicate those good wishes to Elisabeth, and Ken Nakamoto of Bethkins and to Charlotte Jacobsen."

With love from
Dakin and Doris Morehouse

Happy New Year!!

2010 arrived in the valley with a bit of flurries. It has been snowing lightly on and off for several days. Total accumulation is only about two inches. (I am so jaded that 2 inches sounds like almost nothing to me these days.) There is a lot of snow lying around from all the different storms we have had since winter began in earnest. Except for the first storm, the snow totals have been pretty minor but all the flurry activity mounts up when we don't have much warm weather to melt it.

The one thing I have consistently noticed is that the weather channels have been predicting much warmer temperatures than we are actually having. Tonight, for instance, was supposed to be in the teens, but I just looked at my thermometer and it said 6 degrees. That seems to be happening a lot lately. So if you are coming here soon pack your long johns because baby it's cold outside!!!

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the valley health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year!! Shalom to all!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to everyone in Woodland Valley! I hope this holiday season finds you safe, warm and sharing joy with family and friends. May peace prevail in our valley, our town and on our earth!!

Merry Christmas from the Morehouses

Just a last minute animation to wish you a
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Deer:
http://www.glenn.tapley.us/MC.swf

Have fun with my silly Reindeer
~ ~ ~

~ Peace in 2010 ~
Dakin & Doris Morehouse

Holiday Greetings from Lam & James Wolf

Dear all families and friends,
We wish for you to know we are thinking about you during Christmas and the New Year Celebrations. We hope and pray that Christmas is filled with the most joyful moments and the New Year is spectacular.

Lam & James

Holiday Greetings

Happy Holidays from Paul Misko leader of the Woodland Valley Hikers!

A Belated Holiday Greeting

Here is a belated holiday greeting from Max, Linda and Cash Nova. I felt a lot better after receiving this because I am still writing my own holiday cards. Thanks to all the Novas for the cute and funny photo!

Happy New Year - Cold Temps and Lost Power

Happy New Year to all the residents of Woodland Valley (even those of you who slipped off to warmer climates to avoid the winter weather). I wish everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous 2009!

We got about 4 inches of new snow here yesterday. Fortunately, it is the light and fluffy kind and it is easy to shovel. Most of the snow from the last storm (the 18 inches we had before Christmas) had melted before this storm arrived so there is no big pileup. The temperatures have dropped down into the single digits. Right now, by my thermometer, it is 8 degrees....Brrrrrrr. It was even colder last night. But it is sunny and quite beautiful in that "Winter in the Catskills" way. The temps are supposed to rise in a day or two.

The upper part of the valley had a power outage on Tuesday. Early that morning a huge, double trunk pine split in two and half fell across Woodland Valley road bringing down the power lines with it. NYSEG, Time Warner and the Shandaken Highway Department were all here quickly. The tree was removed and the power and cable were restored by 1:00 pm. I think everything was only out for about 4-5 hours. That is a miracle considering the size of the tree. I am not sure which houses lost service and which did not but it was definitely from my house to the end of the road.

Well, that's it for now, I am going to put on a couple of layers and go out and enjoy the sunny winter weather!

Happy Hanukkah - Blessed Solstice

Tonight is the start of Hanukkah. I would like to extend warm holiday greetings to all the Jewish members of our community on this first day of the festival of lights. May you be blessed with everything warm and bright.

And for those in the community who celebrate the solstice, may your lives be filled with happiness and joy as you celebrate the return of the light.

Happy Father's Day

Here is a wonderful poem for Father's Day sent to us by Mike O'Neil aka Boreegard. Happy Father's Day to all!!

FATHER’S DAY

Hey nonnie nonnie,
There’s fish in the bay,
It’s Father’s Day,
It’s Father’s Day!

And for the while,
They’ll be scraping and bowing,
Oh hidey-ho,
They’ll be kowtowing.

But comes the morrow,
When Daddy Day’s done,
There’s no more cake,
And no more fun.

Oh, no more fondle,
No more fawn,
It’s “Get out there,
And mow the lawn!”

- Boreegard

Happy Memorial Day Weekend - Drive with Care

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!! I just wanted to remind everyone to drive slowly and cautiously on Woodland Valley Road this weekend. The WV Campground is open for business and, as usual on a holiday weekend, filled to capacity. Driving in and out of the valley today I saw walkers, runners, bikers, hikers, fisherman, rollerbladers, dogs, and kids on the road. In other words, everyone is out and about. So proceed with caution and let's all have a happy, fun and safe holiday!!

Happy Easter!

A woman opened her refrigerator and saw a bunny sitting on the shelf.
She asked, "What are you doing there?"
The bunny said, "This is a Westinghouse isn't it? "
The woman replied, "Yes, it is."
The bunny said...........
"I was westing."

Okay, so it's not actually an Easter story .... but there was a bunny in it!
Happy Easter to All!!

- Bunny joke courtesy of Dakin Morehouse

Icy Beauty

Here is a photo and message from WCA member Paul Misko -

"Just sending a photo I took after ice storm, which was tweeked slightly toward Easter colors, along with Easter Greetings to all."
-Paul Misko

If anyone else has a Easter greeting they would like me to post just email it to me.

Happy Valentine´s Day

When I was younger Valentine's Day was always a challenge for me. If there was someone in my life there was always the pressure to make the day something special, plan the perfect dinner and gift. Sometimes it was more successful than others but my expectations were high and many times I was disappointed. If there was no one special, that presented a whole different sent of difficulties. And, in those years of loss (a death in the family, a breakup) Valentine's Day could make me miserable. Since I am not a conventional person, it was then that I decided that Valentine's Day, in it's universally accepted form, didn't work for me. So I made my own rules and decided to turn it into a day of gratitude and gratefulness for all things good and beautiful in my life, not just a celebration of romantic love. I try to spend the day thinking of everything and everyone that I love, and, if possible, I express that love and gratitude directly. I email friends and family and I count my blessings. Its funny, when I do this I am filled with the love and joy that I never got going to fancy restaurants or getting boxes of chocolate. So, today, among other things, I am grateful for this wonderful place we all love and call home and all the fantastic people who live here. Happy Valentine's Day!!

PS - I did not Photoshop the above image. The rock was actually drying in the sun and I noticed the shape in the middle. A message from the universe?

Holiday Greetings from the Holz Farm

Best Wishes from Carol Seitz and Harry Jameson

Ho! Ho! Ho! - Merry Christmas!

May You Have the Spirit of Christmas
Which is Peace
The Gladness of Christmas
Which is Hope
The Heart of Christmas
Which is Love

Merry Christmas to All and May Peace Prevail on Earth!