Another week goes by

Well,  for a couple of days it was near 60 degrees and the evidence of spring was popping out all over my front lawn. I was able to start some of the trimming and clearing of winter debris from my garden. I was a happy camper.  Tom literally was a happy camper, spending another weekend in the woods with a hiking group from Ohio.

And then we woke up to this the other morning.

That was actually the worst of it (it was actually beautiful!)--central NY got more than we did--and the sun has melted away most of that by now. It isn't warm, though. We're back to daytime highs in the 20's and overnight lows in the teens (maybe even single digits tonight), and I'm back under my blanket, reading books. Let me know when it hits 40 again!

The calendar says spring, so we know winter has to let go  in the near future. I'm narrowing down my choices for the veggie garden and deciding whether I have enough windowsill space to start some plants from seed after all (and wondering if the cat will leave them alone if I do). We went out for yoga on Wednesday morning (Tom is taking this series of classes with me), stopped at Labyrinth for a delicious bowl of soup for lunch, and then picked up some more reading material from the library. Yep, that was our big day this week. Winter isn't our social season.

The world has been such a hellish place lately that I've been thinking we need to address our personal preparation for disaster. We won't have a devastating earthquake or nuclear meltdown here, but tornadoes and other severe storms are not unheard of in this area. Nearby towns were struck last summer, and our next door neighbor in Cleveland lost five trees in her back yard. (Fortunately, they missed her house.) At the very least we should be prepared for a power outage. Water. Food that requires no refrigeration and very little cooking. Matches and candles. We experienced some of this during the blackout in the summer of 2003, and for a couple of days, it wasn't too terrible. What if it was longer? What if the ATM's stopped dispensing cash and the gasoline pumps stopped operating? How well would you cope?

Here comes the sun, but...

I've been getting outdoors a little bit more now that temps are rising above freezing and the snow is shrinking (slinking?) away.  It's very springlike today. I can see the tips of my crocuses and daffodils peeking above the soil as if to ask, is it time yet? Of course the back yard is still a great sucking pit of mud.

The disaster in Japan continues to be frightening and overwhelming, but as always, life goes on.


ACTION ALERT!  The latest assaults on our environment and attempts to poison us (aside from the radioactive chemicals from Japan that will be making their way into fish, farm animals, and farming soil, and therefore, plants) come locally from Sealand Waste with a typically shortsighted plan to greatly expand their landfill in the Frewsburg area for disposal of construction debris. Never mind that there is already a landfill  in Ellery that can handle this kind of waste.  Never mind that runoff from the proposed site is likely to contaminate the Conewango Watershed with chemicals like arsenic. What's a little arsenic in your fish and drinking water?


The NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation will soon decide whether to issue a permit to Sealand for the landfill, and they need to hear from many of us why this is a very bad idea (and there are many reasons) before the deadline of MARCH 25.   Send letters to David Denk, Regional Permit Administrator, NY DEC, 270 Michigan Ave., Buffalo NY 14203-2915 or phone 716-851-7165.   More information for making your case is available on the Carroll Concerned Citizens website.



I filled my bird feeders the other day and the word got around quickly. The feeders were soon emptied.
The herd was moving away from the house by the time Tom got the camera, but they were close to knocking on the back door when we first saw them.  (Maybe they wanted to say thank you..)  Today I'm refilling with a different blend, safflower seeds with hot chili peppers--which birds are supposed to love, other animals not so much. We'll see if this reaches its intended recipients this time.

I'm thinking more about this year's garden, which I'm going to have to buy plants for because I don't have room right now to start seedlings indoors. I'm wondering if I'll be able to get heirloom plants--certainly not from the "big box" stores--the kinds that produce seeds that will in turn produce plants like the parent plants. It's something I feel I have to learn to do (seed saving) in order to save "real food" in the age of Monsanto. There is definitely a cold frame in my future, maybe even a small greenhouse.

Mother Nature speaks

And boy, is she pissed.

How tenuous are the intricately built  trappings of our modern civilization.  We believe that we can tame and control the forces of nature at our own peril.

The news and footage from Japan is stunning, overwhelming. I don't know what else to say.

Truth to power, baby

I hate when I have to sully myself with anything political these days, because I've been so disappointed, disillusioned, and disgusted with politics in the past. And I really used to believe that involvement could make a difference.

But it's hard not to notice, unless you live under a rock, the horrific toll being inflicted upon average ordinary people worldwide by those who deem themselves the Masters of the Universe, those privileged elite who are looting and pillaging the earth for wealth and power at the expense of everyone else.

Well, their megalomania is finally taking the whole damned planet down. They, Dick Cheney and his oil and gas industry spawn, are poisoning a critical necessity for life on Earth, our water supply. In the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to release natural gas deposits,  presumably to deliver us from Middle Eastern oil and meet our energy needs with domestic resources (that's the cover story), they are causing catastrophic collateral damage and then absolving themselves of any responsibility for the consequences. Oh, they make a self-righteous show of claiming that they compensate people for damages by magnanimously replacing their undrinkable well water with a brand new hauled in supply. But it misses the bigger picture--that all of the water on Earth is connected, from groundwater to streams, rivers, lakes, and the oceans,  and if they keep adding toxic chemicals to the system, they are going to poison us all.  That toxicity doesn't go away. Livestock need water, plants need water...there are so many ways for the toxins to spread that we might as well be injected with a chemical cocktail of glycol ethers, benzene, hydrochloric acid, strontium, etc and speed up the process.


Or we can make it stop. But our government officials even at the most local level need to hear from their constituents about this issue--in fact, the local level may be the only place a citizen can expect any real action to take place anymore-- and those constituents need to be well informed.

There is plenty of information available on the internet, and anti-fracking groups are springing up in our area. An Anti-Frack organizing meeting will be on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at the Barker Library in downtown Fredonia, N.Y. from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.

You can sign the petition to Gov. Cuomo for a statewide ban on fracking in New York here, but don't stop at that. This IS a matter of life and death, much more important to any of us than the latest news on Charlie Sheen.  (I do wish the media would stop exploiting this man's mental health crisis.)

The documentary GASLAND is a good introduction to what has been happening under the media radar for years. You may have seen this last year on HBO, but if not, it is available on DVD now (we got it from Netflix) and should be seen by everyone who cares about human well-being.  Some groups hold screenings followed by discussion. I understand that the filmmaker is available for talks as well. There is lots of information at the film website if you click on the link.

On a related subject (related in that people have to stop lying down and letting themselves be stomped into the ground by the rapacious psychopaths who are in charge these days), it really lifted my spirits to see Michael Moore in this YouTube video speaking truth to power in support of the Wisconsin protesters over the weekend. He can be outrageous, but, dear GAWD,  these were things that NEEDED to be said. If you all haven't figured out by now that we the ordinary peeps are never going to be part of the charmed inner circle that the rules don't apply to, then I don't know what to say to you, except...get over it.

Waiting for spring

I went into hibernation this week, more or less. We had two more snowstorms. I like snow (it's pretty to look at),  but I don't have a burning desire to spend a lot of time outdoors playing in it like Tom does.  He spent last weekend backpacking (with snowshoes) on the westside overland trail with a friend from Cleveland, two overnights in the tent. He enjoyed it. I stayed home and painted the bedroom and did some cross stitch.

Going anywhere is almost too much trouble.  I'm weary of boots and gloves and long underwear. It must be great to be an all-weather dog. This is the part of winter that is l-o-n-g, the part when you want to wake up and find yourself in the Caribbean and walk freely between indoors and out in your sandals. Alas.

We went to church this morning and I'm glad I dragged myself out.  There is an amazingly interesting and intelligent group of people to be found in that small congregation. Following the service today,there was a potluck lunch, and I had forgotten how fun those can be. We held them monthly at our small church in Erie, 25 years ago,  but when we moved to Cleveland, the church there was too big for those kinds of gatherings to work well.  I am a huge fan of potlucks, however, and recommend them to everybody.   Sharing food and conversation with others does so much to foster a sense of community and deepen friendships.  I would love to try this with my neighbors, but will have to wait till summer when we can eat outdoors because this house really has no space for entertaining company. Alas.

The news about neighborhood revitalization planning in Jamestown is kind of interesting. Although it is primarily focused on the physical aspects of neighborhoods--improving appearances and maintaining property values--some really good ideas are being discussed, such as establishing a central tool-lending library to facilitate residents' DIY projects, and exploring ways to make renters (as well as homeowners)  feel integrated into their neighborhoods. It's good to know that someone is taking this on.

Back to the cross stitch.

As winter drags on...

I watched my yard turn to mud yesterday as water streamed toward the low spot in back. Two days of 55 degrees inevitably wreaked havoc on the snow base that's been in place for the past two months.

Now comes that point in the season when we've had enough. Our sparkling Dr. Zhivago winter wonderland morphs into a bleak and dirty setting fit for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror flick. We can't wait for winter to leave, but Mother Nature doesn't take the hint.

The thaw took its toll on the Mayville Ice festival's ice block castle, too. They were unable to hold their lighting ceremony last night.

Maybe they'll have more luck today. The wind howled all night as a clipper came roaring in from the north. It's back in the 20's today and there a bit of new snow blowing around. That seems to have salvaged the weekend for Tom's snowshoe outing on the overland trail. It should help stabilize the castle. We'll be back to single digits in a couple of days. Mother Nature is stubborn.

The dog and I are quite cozy indoors by the fire and I have a nice stack of books to read. Bring it on.

Spring is coming...

The calendar says so, even if it doesn't feel that way at the moment. I'm holding on to that promise as I eagerly peruse the seed catalogs and garden books in anticipation of a new gardening season.

(By the way, we were out of town again this week, and I didn't have an opportunity to write a blog entry until now.)

Last weekend, with so many local activities to choose from, we did indeed have to choose, as we are no longer infatigable young'uns who can be on the go from sunup till sundown and then pull an all-nighter too.  In fact, we seem to be solar-powered these days. Anyway, we opted for the Snowflake Festival at the Audubon center, and a great choice it was. We went early, before the wind and "wintry mix" arrived later in the day--can you believe we had above-freezing temps just a week ago?  The warming and refreezing had left the snow crusty and crunchy, but the trail was still beautiful (if somewhat loud) for snowshoeing, and we had a good outing. We went on our own, but there were also guided outings for groups wanting to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Also sleigh rides.

Inside the nature center, bursting at the seams with families escaping their cabin fever, there were many interesting displays (both the normal displays and those by vendors at the event), including live animals of both the warm and cold blooded varieties. Rescue organizations for reptiles/amphibians and dogs were there to promote their organizations. (Outdoors, there were dog-sledding demonstrations with teams of huskies From Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, who seemed absolutely thrilled with the snow.) Talented artisans (including our friend Joyce Rose) demonstrated weaving and yarn spinning, with some beautiful results. Master Gardeners offered their growing expertise. We enjoyed some chili and hot spiced cider and spread the rest of our tickets around at the Chinese auction.

Because we spent a lot of time out on the trails, we didn't get around to all of the festival's activities. We missed the bird presentations.  We didn't have our faces painted, or see the outdoor cooking demos (with samples) by the Boy Scouts, or join the folks making bluebird houses. But we got out of the house and enjoyed a great day of simple pleasures, in the middle of winter, at little cost. What more can you ask for?

I've learned a couple of new things that you might also find useful:


There are many healthy choices for yard and garden pest control.  Audubon has a brochure that lists such things as applying corn gluten meal to your grass in early sping and fall to prevent germination of dandelions, crabgrass, and other common weeds.  You can kill weeds in driveway cracks with boiling water or a propane torch.  Aphids and whiteflies can be trapped with sticky yellow cards, because they are attracted by the color. Yellowjackets can be lured into narrow-necked bottles containing apple juice. There are numerous oil sprays, insecticidal soaps, and microbial agents that can be targeted to certain pests without poisoning birds, your pets and your family. Many garden centers and hardware stores now carry a good selection of eco-friendly products, so check them out before you reach for the Raid.


The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers free and reduced cost energy audits to homeowners to show you how to improve your home's efficiency. A participating contractor will make recommendations, and if you choose to proceed with any of these measures, there are low-interest financing options available. For more information, including a downloadable PDF energy audit application, visit the residential section of the NYSERDA website, or (locally) contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County at 716-664-9502 ext. 221 OR 716-652-5400 ext. 136.

Finally, Northside PRIDE, the organization working for neighborhood revitalization, is holding their fifth annual Chocolate and Champagne Celebration fundraiser at Sheldon House tomorrow evening from 7-10 pm. Although they are focused on a nine-block area on the city's north side, they invite everyone to join them for this event and perhaps catch some inspiration for your own neighborhood. Tickets at the door are $30 apiece/$40 per couple.