The view from my road, looking toward my driveway. I think that's Tess, though she doesn't usually walk in the road. She likes to walk on top of snowbanks, maybe so she can look me straight in the eye. No, I think she just likes the novelty.
I'm leaving work early today so I can meet my stove cleaner. I'm on his "will call in Feb." list because when he last cleaned up he decided I needed the extra help of twice a year cleaning. How embarrassing. I'm hoping it's no too bad but I have my suspicions. I'm fearful of burning the house down so I seldom burn the fire hot enough. My mother suffers from the same malady. Anyway, if you don't burn it hot enough creosote builds up. I'm the Creosote Queen.
Because he's coming to clean it, I couldn't have a fire for the previous 24 hours. Of course it would be subzero temps then, -11 yesterday and -4 today. The house was 41 degrees when I got up at 6. Luckily the sun is shining this morining--we built the house at the right angle for good solar heat. One of the few things we actually planned ahead for. The dogs and cat will survive, I'll be home soon. The fish are the warmest beings in the house, there's a heater in the tank.
All is going well these days--had Monday off and did some cleaning. Cleaned the upstairs bathroom, which I don't use (except for the shower). It was dusty and dirty. Now it's sparkling and inviting. I even washed the floor. Now I have to work on the "guest" bedroom. The master bedroom is now my storage facility, so there's only one bedroom upstairs that can accomodate company. My friends the Nadals said they might come in March so I invited them to stay with me. I told them they should be flattered beyond belief because I let NO ONE stay in my house. I barely let people visit. Not because I like to be alone (though that's part of it) but because it's so disorganized and cluttered.
I was hanging out on Sunday, wearing my baggy red Santa pants and a scuzzy top I'd slept in, when a couple of friends showed up. Yegads I guess I should always dress for company. People stop by to visit more often than people are invited. These two have a camp up the lake from ours. She's British, so always a joy to listen to. I was either lonely or nervous because I couldn't shut up, just talked and talked. They like that, though, spared them from having to make conversation and made them feel I was happy to see them. Which I was (sort of).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2011 feb mtn 005
Hawkeye's favorite mountain. Silver Lake Mtn, by which we all measure height, location, weather and time of day. This is the view from the end of my driveway. There's somethig to be said for clear cutting.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Ferry to Vermont
To get to Burlington, where lots of us do lots of things (me, mostly doctorly stuff) we take a ferry from north of Plattsburgh across Lake Champlain to Vermont. Three ferry crossings, and this one runs all year, 24-hours a day. Very handy. The bridges are at either end of the lake, and one of them was demolished last year anyway. The shortest distance between Hawkeye and B'ton involves this ferry.
Sooooo I went to B'ton this week. Here's what the ferry looks like. Mostly the trip is uneventful and calm, but sometimes there are huge waves that break over the bow and onto the cars. That's a combination of terrifying and way cool.
One time in March I took the ferry to trade in my car & buy a new one. I was with my friend Julie and the wind and waves were so bad that the ferry couldn't go straight across. It went way up the lake, into the wind, rocking and rolling. It sat in one place for a really long time, then finally, slowly, turned toward the Vt. shore. I've never been afraid on the ferry except for that one time. When I got to the dealership my car was encased in ice. Very dramatic, and did we want to take the ferry home? That ride was much better. While we were sitting there, bobbing in the waves, Julie and I said nothing, not a word. Except I said "Maybe they should call the Coast Guard."
Sooooo I went to B'ton this week. Here's what the ferry looks like. Mostly the trip is uneventful and calm, but sometimes there are huge waves that break over the bow and onto the cars. That's a combination of terrifying and way cool.
One time in March I took the ferry to trade in my car & buy a new one. I was with my friend Julie and the wind and waves were so bad that the ferry couldn't go straight across. It went way up the lake, into the wind, rocking and rolling. It sat in one place for a really long time, then finally, slowly, turned toward the Vt. shore. I've never been afraid on the ferry except for that one time. When I got to the dealership my car was encased in ice. Very dramatic, and did we want to take the ferry home? That ride was much better. While we were sitting there, bobbing in the waves, Julie and I said nothing, not a word. Except I said "Maybe they should call the Coast Guard."
ferry 2011 004
And coming back we played icebreaker and were outside of the channel. It's way cool when that happens--you can hear the ice chunks hitting the bottom of the boat as you go along, and the momentary channel closes right up behind the ferry. Sometimes the ice chunks are a foot thick and make a really lound THUNK. This year the ice isn't that thick I guess.
ferry 2011 002
That's Mount Mansfield in the distance. Although our view of Vermont is pretty, they have a much better view looking across the lake at the Adirondacks.
ferry 2011 006
Not even close to how beautiful it was. Sometimes the sunrises in Hawkeye are just amazing, and I get to see them from my house.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
ice palace 2011 007
I went to Tupper Lake yesterday--I'm (slowly) cataloging their local history/special collection. It's intense and a lot of work. It's a long-term project. I leave from home in the morning--it takes about an hour to get there from my house (45 miles). Yesterday it was raining when I left but snowing like hell all the way home. Roads weren't great, got behind a plow at one point, took forever to get home. But I don't mind winter driving--I have no choice.
I stopped in Saranac Lake to see this year's ice palace. Every year there's a winter carnival and the 2 main events are the parade and the building of the ice palace. I love the ice palaces. There's no picture that really does justice to just how grand it is. Blocks of ice are cut from the water near the site and they're mortared together with snow. A huge amount of work, all done by volunteers. They used to have inmates help with it but they've closed that prison (it was minimum security so the inmates could work on civic projects). We always thought it was funny that these inmates were being rehabilitated by building ice palaces and doing trail mantenance. Very handy skills for NYC residents.
I stopped in Saranac Lake to see this year's ice palace. Every year there's a winter carnival and the 2 main events are the parade and the building of the ice palace. I love the ice palaces. There's no picture that really does justice to just how grand it is. Blocks of ice are cut from the water near the site and they're mortared together with snow. A huge amount of work, all done by volunteers. They used to have inmates help with it but they've closed that prison (it was minimum security so the inmates could work on civic projects). We always thought it was funny that these inmates were being rehabilitated by building ice palaces and doing trail mantenance. Very handy skills for NYC residents.
ice palace 2011 012
This is the fireplace--the firewood is birch logs. The carving in the foreground is of a roast pig. Very impressive and artistic.
ice palace 2011 014
Here's the view from the top of the stairs. It's the "court", the whole inside of the palace.
ice palace 2011 003
Run! Run for your lives! This is a very impressive sheet of ice that's getting ready to be released from the roof. No one is allowed to stand under this.
Yesterday the ice fell off. I wasn't home for it, but was sure pleased to find out no damage was done. Twice I've had icicles land on my electric meter and bust it. Mr. Electric Man said I should build a roof or covering over the meter. I don't think there's a substance that would survive being hit by my 4' iciciles. So I've done nothing.
Yesterday the ice fell off. I wasn't home for it, but was sure pleased to find out no damage was done. Twice I've had icicles land on my electric meter and bust it. Mr. Electric Man said I should build a roof or covering over the meter. I don't think there's a substance that would survive being hit by my 4' iciciles. So I've done nothing.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Moving along in Feb.
Everyone seems to be enthused because we're almost halfway through February. Almost halfway. February. It sure doesn't sound good, but I'm one of the few who thinks winter sort of ends at the end of February. Meanwhile, January and Feb. have been a little unkind here. I can't complain much about snow because my Midwesterners may have more than we do. It just snows every day in Hawkeye--2" last night, another inch or so during the day. Someone could have told me that it would be 0 this morning. We've had our share of sub-zero temps, the coldest at my house was around -20, which isn't really that extreme.
I have a lot of snow. I'm sick of it. I have to tromp through waist-deep snow to get to the firewood. I have to tromp through snow to get into the house. My deck stairs are like a bobsled run that you can just slide right down. Except you land hard on your butt when that happens. I forget to warn people, and sometimes friends will slip on a stair and away they go. Not very hospitable, is it. Will I complain this much when mud season comes? Not in the beginning, but that gets tiresome too. Oh whine. This is where I chose to live and this is what it's like. I love it here. It is what it is. I'm lucky to have a wonderful life.
I watched some interesting stuff about animals last night. Those of you who find reports of television shows boring should skip this part.
There is a border collie named Chaser who knows 1000 words. Well, I'm not so impressed because the words are the names of her toys. She has Seal, Octopus, Ice, etc. and can pick them out when asked to get a specific one. OK, that's good, but my dog has Teddy, Pony, Roadkill, etc., and she can pick out the one you ask for (sort of). The word she loves most is SOCKS. Anyone who knows her can recognize her obsession with socks. My dogs, like most domestic dogs, know phrases and words. Mine are even multi-lingual about dog biscuits. Biscuits in RI. Milk Bones at home. Treats at a friend's house. They perk right up when you say one of those words. It's true, though, that mostly that works in the context of the location.
And of course they know Let's go for a WALK, Get in the CAR, Get in your CAGE, MOVE!!!, and even LEAVE ME ALONE.
Another part of the show (this was Nova) had great information about dolphins. We all know how smart and trainable dolphins are, but this showed how really remarkable they are. The trainer signalled them to make up a new trick, and they did. They figured out how to make a task simpler: there was a box with a fish in it, and when a certain number of weights were put in the cage the door would open and the dolphin was rewarded with the fish. At first the dolphins put weights in one at a time, but they figured out that if they put all the weights in the cage at once they'd get their reward. I think this is really great.
There was a segment about an octopus that's been trained to open a jar with a treat in it. That was way cool. Lots of footage of an octopus' ability to change colors to blend in with its environment, as camouflage.
OK, enough about smart and trainable animals. But really--who knew you could train an octopus? And what made someone think of doing it?
Ah, the wonders of life.
I have a lot of snow. I'm sick of it. I have to tromp through waist-deep snow to get to the firewood. I have to tromp through snow to get into the house. My deck stairs are like a bobsled run that you can just slide right down. Except you land hard on your butt when that happens. I forget to warn people, and sometimes friends will slip on a stair and away they go. Not very hospitable, is it. Will I complain this much when mud season comes? Not in the beginning, but that gets tiresome too. Oh whine. This is where I chose to live and this is what it's like. I love it here. It is what it is. I'm lucky to have a wonderful life.
I watched some interesting stuff about animals last night. Those of you who find reports of television shows boring should skip this part.
There is a border collie named Chaser who knows 1000 words. Well, I'm not so impressed because the words are the names of her toys. She has Seal, Octopus, Ice, etc. and can pick them out when asked to get a specific one. OK, that's good, but my dog has Teddy, Pony, Roadkill, etc., and she can pick out the one you ask for (sort of). The word she loves most is SOCKS. Anyone who knows her can recognize her obsession with socks. My dogs, like most domestic dogs, know phrases and words. Mine are even multi-lingual about dog biscuits. Biscuits in RI. Milk Bones at home. Treats at a friend's house. They perk right up when you say one of those words. It's true, though, that mostly that works in the context of the location.
And of course they know Let's go for a WALK, Get in the CAR, Get in your CAGE, MOVE!!!, and even LEAVE ME ALONE.
Another part of the show (this was Nova) had great information about dolphins. We all know how smart and trainable dolphins are, but this showed how really remarkable they are. The trainer signalled them to make up a new trick, and they did. They figured out how to make a task simpler: there was a box with a fish in it, and when a certain number of weights were put in the cage the door would open and the dolphin was rewarded with the fish. At first the dolphins put weights in one at a time, but they figured out that if they put all the weights in the cage at once they'd get their reward. I think this is really great.
There was a segment about an octopus that's been trained to open a jar with a treat in it. That was way cool. Lots of footage of an octopus' ability to change colors to blend in with its environment, as camouflage.
OK, enough about smart and trainable animals. But really--who knew you could train an octopus? And what made someone think of doing it?
Ah, the wonders of life.
2011 feb snow2 007
This is my cabin. It's a small cabin on my property that was used long, long ago to house the riding instructor for the girls' camp. We called him Mr. John and he was wonderful to us when we were kids. It wasn't until we were adults that we realized how gay he was.
The girls had riding classes and John brought about 8 horses with him each summer. I don't know how he got them here, I can just imagine hauling that many horses from Cazenovia to Hawkeye. Anyway, every day my sister and I would walk to the riding ring, or the stable, to watch and learn how to ride. We had our favorite horses, of course. We were sooooo envious of those girls, who knew they weren't terribly happy at camp and probably didn't want to take riding lessons at all.
John couldn't let us ride because of liability issues, I guess, but his last day of his last year he let us ride. It was the most exciting thing we could imagine. He took us to the riding ring and turned us loose. We got to practice everything we'd learned. He sat in the center of the ring with his partner and ignored us. I thought it odd that one man was sitting on another's lap, but what did I know?
The girls had riding classes and John brought about 8 horses with him each summer. I don't know how he got them here, I can just imagine hauling that many horses from Cazenovia to Hawkeye. Anyway, every day my sister and I would walk to the riding ring, or the stable, to watch and learn how to ride. We had our favorite horses, of course. We were sooooo envious of those girls, who knew they weren't terribly happy at camp and probably didn't want to take riding lessons at all.
John couldn't let us ride because of liability issues, I guess, but his last day of his last year he let us ride. It was the most exciting thing we could imagine. He took us to the riding ring and turned us loose. We got to practice everything we'd learned. He sat in the center of the ring with his partner and ignored us. I thought it odd that one man was sitting on another's lap, but what did I know?
2011 feb snow2 002
It probably doesn't show, but these were about 4' long. A perfect way to commit murder--stab someone with an icicile.
Home sweet home
It's even different NOW. Iciciles fell off & now there's a huge chunk of ice that slid down the roof & is suspended. Don't go under that, anyone. I don't have to shovel my roof because it's metal. Or so I like to think. Much activity in the neighborhood of people having their roofs shoveled. It's a huge amount of work.
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