It's ALMOST Christmas!

NORAD is already tracking Santa. He's been to Russia and is now - 6:30 a.m. - leaving the Marshall Islands to go to Fiji.

Just to make sure that Waterville is ready, all of our rooftops have a few new inches of snow that began falling yesterday afternoon.

Although it was pretty ...............

............... it was also messy.


Out on Route 20, flashing lights: never a good sign.



The CVS parking lot was filled with shoppers who were probably hoping that their lists were getting shorter!



Jeannie heads home from Foodking ..........



........... and an industrious fellow shovels the sidewalk in front of the New York Pizzeria.


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THIS MORNING

It's Garbage Day.

19 degrees F. / -7.2 C.

WKTV's forecast is reassuring: "If you are traveling across the northeast on Christmas Eve, the weather is expected to be nice and quiet. High pressure will bring sunshine and warmer temperatures to Central New York, with highs in the low 30s.

A storm system will develop and move into Central New York by Christmas Night and the morning of the 26th. Most of Christmas Day should feature generally quiet weather under considerable cloudiness. Precipitation is expected to initially start out as a mix of snow and ice after dark on Christmas Night, followed by a changeover to freezing rain and rain through Saturday morning. Cooler weather with snow showers heading into early next week."

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Surely Nancy will be playing the bells in the tower of the Masonic Temple sometime this evening or tomorrow: if you're driving through the village, listen for them!


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I couldn't decide which image to use for my own Christmas card, this year, so I used both - Main Street AND the Bandstand which, 'tho it's not totally complete, still looks wonderful!

Both images really are filled with cheer, and send my best wishes to all of you
for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!



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This blog post carries with it not only many Christmas Greetings but also this message to the many young men and women who are serving our Country in faraway lands.

Thank You, and God Bless You.


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About an inch of new snow.

Recyclables Day

13.5 degrees F. / -10.3 C.

O.K. I'm back!
After a very late start having simply overslept!

From WKTV: "Light snow continues for parts of the area this morning. Lake effect bands are making their way into the Mohawk Valley, with a light accumulation of fluffy snow on the roadways. Give yourself a few extra minutes to reach your destination today.

A weak upper level disturbance will give most of us a round of snow showers for today, with some lake enhancement in areas from Utica to the south and west. Snow will fall lightly through most of the day. Here is a look at the snowfall forecast:


If you are traveling across the northeast on Christmas Eve, the weather is expected to be nice and quiet. High pressure will bring sunshine and warmer temperatures to Central New York, with highs in the low 30s.

A storm system will develop and move into Central New York by Christmas Night and the morning of the 26th. Most of Christmas Day should feature generally quiet weather under considerable cloudiness. Precipitation is expected to initially start out as a mix of snow and ice after dark on Christmas Night, followed by a changeover to freezing rain and rain through Saturday morning. Cooler weather with snow showers heading into early next week.

O Tannenbaum

IN THE MAIL

A nice note from Gil Condon (who really likes the blog!) adding that "This fall Les and I got to Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, Ireland. Amazing history lessons, how we / ancestors survived 5000 yrs ago. We stayed in the old village of Trim located on the Boyne River. 1 day turned into 3. Been there 5 times but I never knew that Ireland was that pre-historic...... or caveman-ish..and how we made it back then in "Certain Valleys." Almost a hint of the Global Warning threat!"

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A letter from a gal named Pamme Swan who is a new bartender at "Michael's" and is also a Folk Singer with six CDs. "My latest CD, "Songs From Mountains East And West".... have many story songs about local CNY history, such as the Loomis Gang, Chester Gillette and Grace Brown (The American Tragedy) and songs written about several infamous characters from the Adirondack Mountains.
I'm trying to find out who is in charge of hiring music for the lovely new bandstand in Waterville this summer.
I would love to perform on it!!!
Any information would be great!
Thank you"

You can check out her website and songs by clicking HERE.

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I was surprised that I only received ONE E-note about the New York Times article
which had suggested that ALL New Yorkers are "sad sacks!" Jane Schwartz wrote:

"We disagree..., we're happy!"


(Thank You!)

Any others??


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There are so many things about living in "Upstate" New York that my friends and relatives "Downstate or in more congested areas of Massachusetts or Connecticut will never understand: I'm happy here because - for instance - there are people like Jack Prior who I can 'phone at 9:00 in the morning, wailing, "Help! My stove's dead!" and have him reassure me that he'll save the day (and the cookies) within an hour or two!

(Actually, that's where most of my day went, although I did get some more Christmas cards written! Perhaps today I'll bake!

Yay!)

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Are you following SU Basketball?

"Orange Improve to 12-0 with Win Over Oakland."

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Have a Great Day, Everyone!

I just checked: 4,363 hits to go.

Just overcast and chilly.

It's 13.6 degrees F. / -10.2 C.

WKTV has good news for Santa!

"Good morning Central New York! It's chilly out there this morning, with temperatures in the single digits. Bundle up as you head out to work or the bus stop this morning.
Sunshine is expected to continue today as cold air filters in from the north. High temperatures today are expected to be in the low 20s, but with the wind it will feel more like teens.
A weak upper level disturbance will give most of us a round of snow showers for tonight, with perhaps a coating to an inch of accumulation. Overnight lows in the lower teens.
Snow showers Wednesday, with little daytime accumulation. Temperatures stay chilly, with highs in the low to mid 20s.

If you are traveling across the northeast on Christmas Eve, the weather is expected to be nice and quiet. High pressure will bring sunshine and warmer temperatures to Central New York, with highs in the low 30s.

A storm system will develop and move into Central New York on Christmas. The timing of this storm looks to be late in the day, likely near or after dark. Precipitation is expected to initially start out as a mix of snow and ice, followed by a changeover to freezing rain and rain overnight. If you are traveling late in the day on Christmas or the day after, check back with us for the latest details on the forecast.

Rain will change over to snow on Saturday, followed by cooler temperatures. Some snow showers as we head into the weekend.

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Betty L. Stephenson

1935 - 2009


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IN THE NEWS

Dateline: Waterville. Woman Asking for Donations is Arrested for Fraud.

I enjoyed this article, which appeared in yesterday's New York Times:
"New York Ranks in Last Place in Happiness Rating."
(You have to read to the very end!)

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Contrary to the above article, Waterville is looking like a very happy place! Christmas trees have even appeared on balconies: this is at the Burback residence on Stafford Avenue and there's one on the second floor balcony at the Mowreys', just about across the street, on the bend. (I couldn't get traffic to stop so that I could take a decent photograph!)

I've learned that the best way to photograph lights is to use an ASA setting of 400; turn off the flash and use a delayed shot with the camera either on a tripod or braced on the car windowsill with the engine turned OFF.



The Robert Harding residence on Tower Street.



Next to the Post Office, this Italianate "Villa Style" residence, built by Julius Candee around 1850, has what is described as an "icicle cornice." And now it has "icicle" lights, too!



Just a spotlight makes this Osborn Avenue doorway decoration of fruits and greenery perfect!



This enclosed and lighted nativity scene is next to the First Baptist Church on East Main Street.

FOR THE RECORD

THE BLOG READERS HAVE SPOKEN!

We ARE going to hit the 200,000 hit mark by the end of the year!

Usually, "At Home in the Huddle" receives anywhere from 500 to 700 hits a day.

On Sunday: 1,046
Monday: 1,694

5562 to go! (and ten days to do it in.)

This is turning out to be a really special Christmas present for me, and also assures you that I'll keep blogging my way through 2010. Thank you!

Have a great day, everyone!

A quiet few days ahead ............

......starting with today - the Solstice: the shortest day of the year, celebrated by various civilizations in varying ways throughout history.

But in Waterville this is probably the day when the lists of "Things to Do before Christmas" are the longest!

(This will be a short blog post so that I can assemble yet more cards and packages to take to the Post Office first thing this morning!)

It's Garbage Day

18.5 degrees F. / -7.5 C.

The WKTV forecast: "A gorgeous but cold start to Monday with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures will start off near 10 degrees with a wind chill near 0. Bundle up as you head to work or school.

Even with mostly sunny skies on Monday, temperatures will only climb into the mid 20s. Quiet weather continues into the middle of the week, with partly sunny skies and temperatures slowly climbing into the low 30s on Thursday. All eyes are on a large storm system that will arrive just in time for Christmas. There are still a lot of questions on what type of precipitation we will see but as of the latest data, it looks like light snow to rain late Thursday night into Christmas. Rain continues for Christmas with a cold front bringing snow back into the picture by Saturday."

Click to enlarge.

After a few gray days, the sky filled with "mackerel" clouds, yesterday afternoon ............

"Mackerel in the sky, three days dry"



........and by four o'clock the sun shone brightly on the hills east of the village.



I found a young fellow hard at work hauling chunks of rock-hard snow to part of the island in front of Memorial Park School where he was building an old-fashioned "fort." When I asked him if an attack was imminent he gestured to a similar stronghold, a stone's throw away, but offered the information that the artillery would be soccer balls -----
"They hurt less than ice!"

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IN THE PARK

It looked to me as if there were only fifteen or so Christmas Trees left for sale.

ON SANGER AVENUE

The Sanger Avenue Carolers made their annual rounds, last evening, ending up in the Park where they stood in the Bandstand and "sang their hearts out!"

IN CALIFORNIA

Vicki Merriman's reached the Pacific: "Victoria's Ride"
is done!

(Click on Photos, in the right hand column of her blog, for some great views!)


LOOKING BACK


Just a year ago on the first day of Winter!



LOOKING AHEAD

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George D. Brackett, Jr.

1924 - 2009

Also noted in this morning's Observer-Dispatch, the death of Betty L. VanDeusen Stephenson of Deansboro.

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FOR THE RECORD

If you didn't have a chance to read Saturday's blog post, you might find articles about promised aid for Dairy Farmers very interesting.

Scroll down.

You'll also find out why the blog's "hit meter" suddenly went wild!

Click to enlarge.

It's not me! My computer is configured to NOT register a hit when I check the status --- so it must be someone else.

What can I say, but "Thank You!"

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On another personal note:

I'd like to issue a

PROCLAMATION

that the coveted delights known heretofore as "Mary Conger's Sugar Cookies" shall henceforth be known only as "The Lois Battles Christmas Crisps" and that she alone be given credit for their famously thin and perfectly browned sugary perfection and for the receipt of which her friends are most sincerely and humbly grateful!

Thank you, Lois!


Have a Good Day, Everyone!