I finished the book my husband and I have been reading, Philip Johnson's Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law, and Education. What an excellent book! Philip Johnson is a law professor at "Beserkeley" College in California. He's taken on the Darwinists for years. This book goes beyond the "just so" stories of how the bat got it's wings, and looks into how Darwinism has affected law and education (and it's not good news).

Here's a portion of an interview about the book:

One audience is certainly Christian thinking people, including particularly college and graduate school students as well as faculty. Christians (and other theists) in higher education are often discouraged because the academic world is based on naturalism. I think they should be excited because a great intellectual project is ahead of us as the 20th century comes to an end.

This has been a century dominated by scientific atheism, in which the most influential minds have been enchanted by the technological achievements and promises of science. This has led to a materialistic understanding of reality and consequent moral vacuum that leaves out the essential starting point, which is God.

Because there is a growing awareness that modernism is ending in intellectual chaos, I hope that many intelligent people who are not Christians, but who are dissatisfied with materialism and relativism, will soon be ready to consider a better way of thinking.

Highly recommended by the Mecombers.

We got snow overnight, about five inches here in town. I was up at dawn and snapped some photos.

It looks like the Norway Spruce have been dusted with confectioner's sugar.

We drove the short distance to visit the Utica Zoo. The Utica Zoo charges no admission fees from November to March. If you can brave the snowy pathways, it's a terrific time to visit.



The Zoo is home to the world's largest watering can!

You can read much more about our visit to this wonderful zoo at my travel blog, New York Traveler.net.

I live near the Upstate New York city of Utica. It's a peculiar city, I think. It's not the "mega-opolis" like Syracuse; Utica has a small town mentality, which is unusual for a city. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just peculiar. Cities are usually snobbish-- the bigger they are, the more snobby they are. Utica is not snobbish. If anything, Utica is the lowliest of Upstate cities.

It's a nice city, a comfortable city. But there's a lot of gossip that flows through Utica streets. For such a "city," I'm surprised how much everyone seems to know everyone else's business. There are a lot of old families that remain in the cities (although New York's property taxes and business policies are driving out the young blood), and these families are very close knit. I also find it amazingly odd that there is but one newspaper here. There used to be a few others, but they folded or were gobbled up by the big guy.

Events and festivals in other cities are usually regaled for a distinctive section of the city (say, the Irish, or the Polish). Not in Utica! Everyone goes to everybodies' parties! I suppose this has something to do with the remarkable spread of intercity gossip.

Upstate New York used to be called the Manufacturing Belt--a region of manufacturing businesses and manufacturing employees. I'd read that this area is now called the "Rust Belt," but there's no rust here, just empty buildings and ex-employees. And now comes the NYRI powerline project to take away what's left-- our land.

When I travel, I notice "For Sale" signs as I drive through communities. It helps me to get an idea of how the community is doing, and I'm interested in property values across the state. Some Upstate towns that were not heavily reliant on the manufacturing business are still doing OK-- not as well as it once was, but the property values haven't plummeted. In Utica, you can see dozens of realty signs. Property values have dropped but taxes are skyrocketing. It is a sad testament to the power of politicians and their ruinous policies.

Over the decades, flashy businessmen have sailed into the city, promising riches and fame in exchange for tax breaks and perks. Most Upstate cities have learned the lesson to ignore these snake-oil con-artists, but not Utica. Utica still falls for it. Hopefully, things are changing with the prospect of future responsible leadership. As it stands, Utica still has its political problems.

If there's anything that is keeping Utica from falling off the map, it's the phenomenal influx of immigrants. Most come from Bosnia, but I see Chinese, Indian, and Latinos more frequently; but the Bosnians make up more than 10% of the city's population now! They are changing the face of the city. Many are buying property, fixing old places up, and contributing to the community. It is a very good change.

As an Upstate city-- and a Central New York city placed between Syracuse and Albany-- Utica has its opportunity to really shine. She hasn't taken the ball yet; let's hope she does.

Interesting facts about Utica:

The city was named when a group of men picked "Utica" from a hat.
Dick Clark was born and raised here, and got his start at a local radio station.
Charles Finney led an amazing series of religious revivals here in the 1830s.
James Schoolcraft Sherman, vice-president to President Taft, was born and is buried here.
The first Woolworth's store opened here. It failed within a year.
The first psychatric center in the state was built in Utica.
Famous pollster John Zogby was born and lives in Utica.
Utica's nickname in the mid 20th century was "Sin City," due to the mafia establishment here.

Pictures of Utica
Utica Links
City of Utica Website
Utica's Newspaper
Utica TV
Utica Real Estate
Utica Tourism
Experience Utica, NY
Utica Jobs
Utica Public Library
Historical Photos of Utica and area
Utica Landmarks
History of Utica
Utica: Remember When

Good Resources:
Fault Lines
Empire Center for New York State Policy

Places in Utica that I've Visited:
Fountain Elms
Utica Zoo
Utica Downtown (coming soon)
Hotel Utica (coming soon)

FYI: The Utica Zoo is open all winter. Admission is free right now! With the warmer weather and a lot of the snow melted, this would probably be a good time to go. Of course, a lot of the mammals will be hiding in their holes, but the sea lions might be out! And there are some cool critters in the indoor areas. I'm going to try to get things organized and take the kids, if the weather holds up.

I've discovered a new photo blog, Pictures of Moscow. I love looking at photos of other places, especially Russia. The architecture is so unusual and appealing.

The author of the blog got a short video of some odd lights moving above the clouds. Interesting!

Here is New York, we have a history of seeing UFOs. I believe that these UFOs are military skycraft. There's a lot of military experimentation and mechanical innovation that goes on in Upstate New York. I think a lot of the UFO sightings are actually new, secretive types of aircraft.

I found this interesting video clip of 500 eyewitnesses sighting a bright skycraft in Upstate New York in the 80s. It's a clip from "Unsolved Mysteries" so it's high on hype and the music is hilariously silly, intended to provoke a feeling of creepiness. But it is a notable event, because of the large number of eyewitnesses.



In high school, I had a science teacher who liked to scare the heebie-jeebies out of the faint-hearted by reminding us that if there was a nuclear invasion in the U.S., Syracuse would be the first to go. This would be because of our proximity to Rome, NY, home of (now closed) Grifiss Air Force Base, Rome Laboratory, and NEADS. That was in the nervous 70s and 80s during the tensions of the Cold War. I am not as concerned about nuclear attack. But we all know there is a lot of military development in weapons, skycraft, and intelligence in Upstate. I believe this accounts for all the UFO sightings. Plus, Hillary flies in from time to time on her broomstick.

We took a trip last week to Chittenango and Oneida. On Route 5 is a Toyota vehicle dealership that we drive by every time we travel toward Syracuse. The massive sales building is surrounded by two acres of new and used vehicles.

We call it the First Church of the Toyota. Can you understand why?

Well, I'm not anywhere on her level yet. But I was perusing my stats and saw that someone had come to this blog from Wikipedia. I did a little investigating, and lo and behold-- someone at Wikipedia has posted my Chicken Riggies recipe and listed me as the reference!

It's true! Check it out for yourself right here!

Chicken Riggies are native to the Central New York region, specifically the Utica area. It is a delicious concoction consisting of a variety of hearty ingredients. Chicken Riggies, which is essentially chicken, rigatoni, peppers, onions, in a spicy, cream and tomato sauce is unique to this region. Since this dish is so popular, there is always a debate as to who has the best Riggies. Well, in 2005 a Riggiefest event was first held, and each year continues to be held, to decide who has the best Riggies and who wins the Riggie Cup.

Talk to anyone who is from the Utica, NY area and you will hear that there is a variety of places that have "the best Riggies". Whether you make them at home or venture out to one of the Riggie Cup winners' restaurants, this dish will definitely keep you warm during those blustery, Central New York winters.

That's why we looove those Riggies!

In these winter months, when travel trips are few and far between, I do a lot of thinking and planning about the trips for the future. Recently I've been mulling over the philosophy behind the travel itself, at least for our family.

You see, I've been finding all these great blog articles on traveling with kids, and the articles are very good. But I am a "niched" blogger that views traveling on a totally different level.

We are not destination travelers.

Our goal with traveling is not to "get to" to place to which we are traveling. Am I making sense? You know that old phrase, "Half the journey is getting there"? This applies to us a great deal.

I'll let my post at New York Traveler.net take it from here. I'll quote the very beginning to give you a taste of my thoughts:

I recently blogged about our visit to a boulder. I am astonished at how wildly popular it has been. It’s even been Stumbled and linked. It was just a visit to a boulder! I was marveling to my family about it. During the course of our discussion, it occurred to me that we are rather unique travelers.

At the dinner table this evening, I was asking the children (I have four, ranging in ages from 11 to 17) what they liked best about traveling. I was thinking of writing a blog article about how to travel with kids. But as we talked about our experiences over our baked ziti and bread and butter, it became clear that the children enjoyed our adventures during the car trip more than the distractions to make the trip bearable. In a nutshell, I guess you could say we enjoy the ride.

You can read the entire article here, at Enjoy the Ride. Add your thoughts and tell me what you think. What makes traveling important to you, and why do you do it? I'd love to hear.

This is not a new horror movie. But it should be. Mind if I rant a little?

Since I have been on my own (about 24 years now), I have probably owned approximately 15 or so can openers. I've tried them all, too-- top of the line automatic, middle-class electric, and the human-powered hand-crankers. I've splurged on the hand crankers, too- I once forked out $20 for a really fancy one.

Every single one of them dies within a month or so. Every single one, that is, except my grandmother's old 70's metal hand-cranker. But that gave up the ghost today, in the middle of my can opening carnival. So I have an assortment of cans unopened (right before dinner), a few opened after much effort (turn the cranker three times to cut open an inch), and a few opened, but shedding their paper all over. My cursed can openers-- if they work at all-- also have this habit of shedding all the papers that surround the lip of the can. So, when I have finally opened the can, and when I dump the cans contents into my pot, all the shedded paper plops into the soup as well. And I have to pick it all out.

Does anyone out there, anywhere, know of any reliable brand can opener I can buy? I think I've exhausted the supply at WalMart, K-mart, and the local grocery store. I'm about to go beserk! Grrrrrr!

We've been by it countless times. Every time we zip by it, we grab a fleeting glimpse and wonder aloud to each other what is etched on it, what is it's significance, and why it is there.

I'm talking about the Skenandoah Boulder, on Route 5 outside of Oneida village limits.

Update: That was as close as i could get to the stone. BUT come spring, I did get close and snapped a few photos. Check out the plaque, the photos, and the history I discovered about this intriguing area! I have it posted on my blog, New York Traveler.net.

My daughter, The Historian, is announcing the start of a new blog titled The Historian's Archives. Shs loves history and, naturally, loves to blog. (It must run in the family). The purpose of her venture is to serve as a reference tool for history students, and also encourage history studies. She is quite the scholar. She's been getting some attention from scholars and lawyers for her online essays on early American history and government. Her blog is sure to be filled with excellent dissertations and theses. Check out her blog and say hello!

The area from Canastota to Chittenango has several little canal-based businesses and museums. Since we'd enjoyed our visit to the Canal Town Museum in Canastota, we wanted to see more. We took a very quick trip out to Chittenango, NY, to pay a visit to the Erie Canal Boat Museum and to see the canal.

The Erie Canal of New York State, has been lauded for decades as the nation's "first major transportation system" and the "engineering marvel of the 19th century," and the unauspicious title "Eighth Wonder of the World." Indeed, the Erie Canal put Upstate New York on the map. It was a major route for the transport of people and goods from the Atlantic Ocean (up the Hudson, across the central part of New York State) to the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley.

New York schools have lauded (and still do) the concept and construction of the Erie Canal for generations. It was certainly an engineering marvel. However, I'm rethinking all those glorious schoolgirl lessons of the grandeur and economic gain from the canal. You see, I am one of those excess weeds of Upstate property owners, who must acquiesce to Big Business, that they may confiscate my land for the "greater good." I'm talking about NYRI, that huge power line company that wants to take over a large swath of Upstate land for electrical energy transmission.

Isn't it similar to the Erie Canal? After all, who owned the land that the state took for the canal? Wasn't it private property owners? And the tragic thing about the Erie Canal is that it was replaced by the steamboat and the railroad in a few short years! Today, only bare remnants of the Erie Canal remain, as well as it's exaggerated benefit to New York State.

But it makes good history lessons.

Today, much of what is left of the canal is state parks and trails. Central New York has many museums dedicated to the Erie Canal. There's the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, the Canal Town Museum in Canastota, the Erie Canal Village in Rome, and various little museums, trails, and visitors centers along the locks. We stopped to see the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.

Most tourist places in Upstate New York close for the winter. The Boat Museum was no exception. But we got to wander around the grounds (covered in places with almost 2 feet of snow! we are dedicated travelers) and snap photos and wonder about the way of life back then.


Here's a photo of the icy trail of water. Doesn't it just make you shiver to look at it?


Actually, it wasn't too cold outside when I snapped the photo-- it was almost 25 degrees! Balmy!

Here's another photo of a small creek that flows in or out of the canal (the water did not move, so I couldn't determine its position).


The old Erie Canal always froze over in the winter. It became a popular area for the locals to intermingle and ice skate. The original canal was built to a depth of 4 feet-- perfect for skating because the water froze solid, and if a skater did happen to fall in, the water was not very deep. Later, the canal was dredged to hold 7 feet of water.

Here's an arresting picture of the canals' dry locks. You can learn more about it here at this site, and also some good pictures here. On that site are photos of the canal in the spring, depicting all the lushness of summer in New York. I noticed that some of my shots are similar to those on the site. Check them out for a good comparison between the seasons.


The Chittenango Museum looked much larger than what I had imagined. I admit it, I imagined a hoky little worn-down shack with a few implements and lots of pamphlets. But this site has several out-buildings and a full-sized display of a packet boat. Come spring, I think we'll return!

I've been rehashing my recipes again. I have found that I tend to rotate about thirteen or fourteen entrees for a period of a few months, and then we tire of them. At this point, I have to come up with thirteen or fourteen new recipes (or recipes resurrected from past months). Here's a list of our entrees on their way out- what better way to post them than to incorporate them into a Thursday Thirteen. It's also a good glimpse into what the average family in Upstate NY eats during the early winter months (that is, vegetable-less). We eat vegetable dishes all summer, but winter's scarcity and high food prices usually mean more pasta and chicken in the winter.

1. Chicken Florentine
Chicken breasts in alfredo sauce and spinach. With parmesan cheese.

2. Chicken Riggies
A family favorite and a Utica invention. See my recipe here.

3. Vegetable stew with beek or pork (depending on meat prices)
Has lots of potatoes, carrots, and turnips.

4. Baked Ziti
This is my own unique version (recipe coming soon).

5. Chicken and Shrimp Pasta
This is so easy yet so yummy. I'll try to get the recipe up.

6. Manhattan Clam Chowder

7. Homemade pizza
Dough from the bread machine makes it easy as pie.

8. Spaghetti and meatballs

9. Tacos

10. Chinese Stir-Fry with basmati rice
Cooking this meal is like making a work of art.

11. Chicken Adobo with basmati rice

12. Stuffed Eggplant with rigatoni

13. Spicy chili stew

Be on the lookout for some recipes. I'll try to get them up promptly.

I've been putzing around the internet today, and found some real gems in the travel blog arena. As usual, I'm interested in New York blogs, but I've found some real nice global blogs with some stunning pictures, and other with helpful tips. Perfect for the armchair traveler. Since it is nice to share, I thought I would. :)

I'm a big fan of travelogue blogs. I found another good one called Dual Sport Diary, about a group of student traveling around the world by bicycle. The pictures are graphic-heavy but very picturesque. And I have to give them credit-- visiting fifteen countries on a bike, on a students' budgets! Another travelogue-- a bit closer to home-- is the entertaining Road Trip USA. I love it when trekkies post their road maps!

Unique National Parks is a terrific website. The Adirondacks didn't make it on their list, so they have that against them. However, they have some glorious photos of Skaftafell Park. If I could go there I would-- in a second. The terrain is so rugged and pristine. I am reading a book on the history of the British Isles, too, so that only inspires me more! There's a nice video at the site, too. Another website featuring travel in Scotland is so beautiful. Someday we are going to Scotland. Aye, the clan!

I've been noticing of late that more families are traveling together. Serious travel used to be within the realm of childless couples or older "empty-nesters." I think this is still most predominantly the case; but I also notice that more and more couples are bringing along their children when they travel, even with global travel. I found some very informative (and cute) websites for travelers with children. Even if you have no children, even if you don't travel, visit Mom's Minivan for a chuckle. Are those her own kids posing for all those pictures? Some good tips, she has. There's also the simple Travel for Kids and the very basic Activities for Kids. And don't forget the Games to Keep Kids Entertained. I remember the old License Plate game! And my brothers and I had a small version of Battleship we loved!

It is inspiring to see these websites; I've been desiring to offer tips and travel advice here on this blog, for some time. We have had our own share of interesting experiences! Now that I have beem so inspired, I may get a round tuit very soon!

Whoa! I was shocked to read this in my local online news:

ALBANY - State environmental officials say the recent snowstorm has increased the risk of avalanches in parts of the Adirondack Mountains.

The Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner is warning anyone who plans to visit the Adirondack back country to be prepared for avalanche conditions, especially in the High Peaks region.

Avalanche danger increases during and immediately after major snowfalls. Parts of the Adirondacks received more than a foot of snow over the weekend.

Visitors are being urged to take necessary precautions, including knowing rescue techniques and avoiding traveling alone.

More information on avalanche safety can be found on the DEC Web site at www.dec.ny.gov.

If you're traveling up that way, please take care. We are a little short on St. Bernard dogs in Upstate at the moment.

They go to websites like What Chefs Do When They Are Bored.

The kids and I-- and even hubby-- giggled over it. My husband, with his usual dry sense of humor, remarked that these chefs were never told they couldn't "play with their food."

I absolutely love the eggplants! Check out the site and tell me what your favorite veggie is. Some of the creations are pretty creative!

Big deal. So the big snow event, the "Nor'Easter of December 2007" as some weathermen were calling it, wasn't.

The storm, originally predicted as a snowmaker of 12 inches in one day for the Mohawk Valley, was downgraded to 6 to 8 inches total over three days' time. What makes it disappointing is that this is a major sleet event. No one-- and I mean no one-- likes sleet. Snow, we can handle. Sleet is awful. There's nothing like winter's equivalent of heavy rain soaking you to the bone, then cold temperatures freezing you solid. It makes the snow too heavy to shovel and the roads too slippery for travel.

I'm still holding out for some better snow this winter.

It's an honor for our most beloved historic park, Fort Stanwix, in Rome. An ornament, designed and painted by a local artist, has been chosen to adorn the White House Christmas tree. This from the Rome Sentinel Online:

The ornament was painted by Pat Besl of Vienna, a retired art teacher and the vice president of the Rome Art Association. Her design was selected by local fort officials as part of a process that began last summer when the White House invited park service locations to submit the handmade decorations. The ornament that Besl embellished was directly provided by the White House, as a gold-color, plastic-style ball about 6 inches in diameter, said Fort Stanwix Superintendent Debbie Conway.

Conway said the fort initially received a letter from First Lady Laura Bush about the project, which was part of the "Holiday in the National Parks" theme for this year’s White House decorations. The blank ornament then was sent by the chief White House florist, Nancy Clarke, and arrived at the fort by early August, she added.

The ornament is one of a kind, Conway said, based on White House stipulations that it could not be reproduced or offered for sale. The ornament will not be returned to the fort, and will become part of national park archives, she added.

You can view all the ornaments displayed on the White House tree here.

I'm not traveling today, but someone else is. She's slowly chugging her way up through the Mississippi Valley right now. She'll make a swing for the Atlantic Ocean, get a good long drink of its chilly waters, and come over to New England for a long visit and chat.

Subject URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

Type Winter Storm Alerts; Expires 12/17/2007 7:00:00 AM; Updated 12/15/2007 4:22:11 AM; First Received 12/13/2007 9:12:10 PM

Severity Watch:
Counties Northern Oneida (New York), Yates (New York), Seneca (New York), Southern Cayuga (New York), Onondaga (New York), Steuben (New York), Schuyler (New York), Chemung (New York), Tompkins (New York), Madison (New York), Southern Oneida (New York), Cortland (New York), Chenango (New York), Otsego (New York), Tioga (New York), Broome (New York), Delaware (New York), Bradford (Pennsylvania), Susquehanna (Pennsylvania)

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY

NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN-
SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA-CORTLAND-
CHENANGO-OTSEGO-TIOGA-BROOME-DELAWARE-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA-
418 AM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING
TO 7 AM EST MONDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING
TO 7 AM EST MONDAY.

LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE OHIO
VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON...THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN
PENNSYLVANIA TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON SUNDAY.

THIS COMPLEX STORM WILL SPREAD SNOW ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY
NIGHT...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE BY DAYBREAK
SUNDAY. THE SNOW WILL MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET ACROSS MUCH OF
THE AREA ON SUNDAY, AND MAY EVEN MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO FREEZING
RAIN AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF PENNSYLVANIA,
THE SOUTHERN TIER OF NEW YORK AND THE CATSKILLS.

THE MIX OF PRECIPITATION WILL HELP TO HOLD DOWN SNOWFALL TOTALS. (Nuts!)

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE FINGER LAKES, WESTERN
MOHAWK VALLEY AND THE SOUTHERN TUG HILL PLATEAU, WHERE LESS OF A
MIX IS EXPECTED.

SNOW TOTALS HERE WILL RANGE FROM 10 TO 16 INCHES.

ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PART OF NEW YORK, THE NORTHERN TIER OF
PENNSYLVANIA AND THE CATSKILLS, SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12
INCHES ARE EXPECTED. THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH TO
SNOW SHOWERS OVER MOST OF THE REGION LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND
MONDAY...

HOWEVER THE FAVORED LAKE EFFECT SNOW AREAS MAY RECEIVE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS FROM DEVELOPING LAKE SNOW BANDS.
THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM
AND PRECIPITATION TYPES.

The North Country (Adirondacks) is expected to get 2 feet or so.

I'll have a pie, baked bread, and a simmering stew ready for her when she comes.

The local weathermen are so happy, they're breathlessly running around in circles in the newsrooms.

Me, too.

I just found the neatest New York travel blog. It's about Manhattan, but it's still good. ;)

It is about this guy who spent two years walking down every street on the island of Manhattan. He took pictures and wrote short narratives. It's fun! The pictures are wonderful and give you a taste of the incredible diversity and beauty of old (and modern) Manhattan. I was excited to see photos of my old neighborhood, the brownstones of Grammercy Park area. And his story of discovering the Little Church Around the Corner is parallel to my experience years ago!

You can take your own little virtual walk with a cute online Virtual NYC Tour. It moved a little skow for me, but the pictures are very high quality.

Don't like to walk? I found a site that has handy bike maps for the more adventurous NYC traveler.

Want real photos in real time? Check out the deluxe Webcam New York. You can watch the Adirondacks, Bryant Park, and even Utica.

I StumbledUpon this really fun geography game, the Traveler IQ Challenge. The kids and I had a blast. I was surprised how well I did (I never had much education in world geography in school but have learned a lot since homeschooling). I was pleased and surprised how well my kids did, even the youngest! It's a very enjoyable game. Check it out!

I found this remarkable post at Slums Along the Mohawk: "Howe Caverns Sabotages Tourism Promotion Program." Well, my attention was riveted when I read that.

Some internal bickering within the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce has made some waves. The new owners of Howe Caverns are threatening to withdraw from the Chamber's "I Love NY" program.

However, it is clear what is really going on: Howe Caverns’ new ownership is seeking to sabotage efforts to promote the Caverns. Why would Howe Caverns want to sabotage itself? The answer is simple. Last year, the world-famous tourist site was purchased by Emil Galasso, President of Cobleskill Stone Products. This company owns most of the land surrounding Howe Caverns and operates a large-scale quarry on this very land. Within the caverns is something more valuable than a tourist attraction. The caves are filled with extremely valuable pharmaceutical-grade limestone.

This is shocking news, to me. With the tourist industry in New York at an all time low (due mainly to taxes, high gas costs, and high costs of running a business), the last thing we need is for a major Upstate attraction to shut down. Howe Caverns has a shaky history, to be sure, but I thought we were over that. It would be criminal to close the caverns and make the place a pharmaceutical mine.

I have yet to get my kids to the caverns, as they have never been. I'd better not delay much longer lest our experience of the Caverns is confined to calcium tablets or bath soaps.

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as the world's largest snow globe. Good picture of it here.

It's in Bryant Park, one of my favorite parks when I lived in Manhattan. Bryant Park is unsurpassed for its quiet beauty. It's a haven for ice skaters every winter. I can't ice skate (never tried), but when I lived near the park, I used to spend evenings under the twinkling lights, sipping hot cocoa with my friends as we watched the colorful festivities on ice.

NewYorkology has the schedule for the snow globe and other winter wonders.

Reasons Why I Am Not Writing a Good Thursday Thirteen Post:

1. I'm exhausted. Lots of chores, lots of blogging, too much laundry lately; one kid had to finish a whopper research report, another one is starting a research project, and another a book report.

2. I've got writer's block, overload.

3. My eyes are sore from staring at the laptop screen. The LCD monitor must be going or something. It seems dimmer and my eyes are strained. Hmm.

4. Template problems with my other blog. Header problems with another one.

5. I've had a stomacheache for the past two days. yuk.

6. My basement has been flooding again. It's winter now?!

7. I'm preoccupied learning more about SEOs, social networking, and the skills of blog writing.

8. My house is very dusty.

9. We haven't been out for a trip in a month.

10. I found another gray hair. A long one.

11. My kids don't like to use the dictionary. So guess what they do all day.

12. I'm surfing the recipe blogs, looking for new recipes.

13. I'm still trying finish my books Reason in the Balance by Philip Johnson and New Testament History by F.F. Bruce-- riveting books.

Maybe next week I'll feel more motivated.

I know I have a few Little House on the Prairie fans who read this blog. Here's an interesting little video I found over at FamilyTravel. They visited the one-room cabin the Ingalls lived in during their brief stint in Kansas.

The size of the cabin is stunning. It's not much bigger than the FamilyTravel crew's minivan. The cabin housed a family of five!

I made a big deal about the bloated behemoths we call houses these days, over on my home improvement blog. We've still got a lot of work to do in the home construction business, but the new shift in home building is building smaller. I am glad to see it. I'm all for thrift and efficiency. Although, tiny cabins like the Ingalls had is so efficient it must have been stifling.

I recently blogged about the latest Google innovation-- a GPS tracking system that detects your position on the earth and can guide you to any other place you desire, just by entering keywords through search engine results. I can't say I'm too keen on it; I prefer my paper maps, my sense of adventure (getting lost can be fun), and my privacy (although they say your position is not traced to you personally).

I am quite surprised at the leap toward GPS in the travel-- and everyday-- world. Yet I do wonder if all this GPS hype and talk of its popularity is a false perception, because most of the hooplah I hear is with marketing of GPS. Even my tech news emails are stocked full of GPS news and GPS gadgets you can buy.

Some folks are fed up with the GPS idea, even in its embryonic stage. A small town in Britain wants to take itself off the GPS maps. They are having terrible problems with shipping trucks rambling through their narrow streets. The truck companies, wanting to avoid tolls, fees, and long routes, are directed via GPS through these small villages. Unfortunately, GPS does not detect narrow byways or sharp turns, and the trucks get stuck. Not to mention that these tiny towns have to foot the bill of increased wear and tear on their roads from the increase in traffic.

"They have no idea where they are," said Wayne Hahn, a local store owner who watches a daily parade of vehicles come to grief - hitting fences, shearing mirrors from cars and becoming stuck at the bottom of Wedmore's lone hill. Once, he saw an enormous tractor-trailer speeding by, unaware that in its wake it was dragging a passenger car, complete with distraught passenger.

With villagers at their wits' end, John Sanderson, chairman of the parish council, has proposed a seemingly simple remedy: getting the route through Wedmore removed from the GPS navigation systems used by large vehicles.

This peculiar incidence is not particular to Britain. Here in Upstate, we are seeing an exponential increase in delivery traffic through our smaller towns and cities. This is in part due to GPS, but that is in part due to increases in tolls for New York highways. Naturally, trucking companies will alter their routes if it means saving money. New York seems adamant with their toll hikes, and reluctant to consider the consequences. Therefore, the government is essentially forcing higher traffic to towns with small roads and even smaller budget accounts.

A fellow Upstate blogger, Strikeslip, is raging over these unfair tax hikes for using NY roads, says:

This time truckers say they will be avoiding the Thruway and using secondary roads if the hike goes through. Just what we need on our secondary roads ... more traffic. And, of course, those big rigs will mean more wear and tear on the roads that local municipalities may have to raise taxes to fix.

But those trucks will only be those that HAVE to be on NY roads because they serve a NY clientèle. Trucks that have origins and destinations out of NY will try to avoid the state all together. But worse, BUSINESSES for whom Upstate NY might be a convenient location will avoid coming here to keep the costs of their products low. Others that may be here now may leave.

Without this 500 mile highway, a huge swath of Upstate NY becomes a backwater. If it is priced so that it is not used, it's like not having it at all.

I do recall that decades ago, New Yorkers were promised that once the Thruway construction was paid for, tolls would end. When was that, 1965?

Strikeslip is right. Forcing or encouraging heavy trucks across roads unsuitable for such heavy traffic is a problem in the making. Don't we already have a decaying infrastructure in this country? Time to rethink these transportation methods before these small communtities are mowed down.

Watch this. Would you go for this?

When I was a very little girl, I always wanted a nesting doll. I probably would have become bored with it after a day or so, as I was an energetic child. But they were so colorful and so delicate and so.... organized. I love organization. :)

I am thinking of nesting dolls right now because I viewed an exquisite display of them in a lovely photo over at Exposed Planet. This is a really neat website! I've been spending the better part of an hour going over the multitudes of incredible photos. I especially love the touching series of photos of modern Russia.

I was very impressed with the moody shots of Russian cathedrals. We'd visited the Russian Orthodox monastery in Jordanville, NY, a few moths ago, and the architecture is striking. Check out this photo and this photo and this photo. Gorgeous!

This is a good site to bookmark and visit from time to time!

In a previous post, I blogged about a fellow blogger's lamentation of the lack of quality travel blogs. I uncovered a new website feature that will search keywords on travel blogs! It's a new little search engine powered by Kango Travel Search and it looks great. Get the code for your own blog here. I'm placing it in my sidebar.

Hat tip Les Explorers for the heads up.

I took a look at this coming week's weather, since we're going out toward Syracuse this week. The weathermen were confident enough to do some long-term forecasting, and are predicting a Nor'Easter for the weekend. Woo!

I love snowstorms. I'm not afraid to drive in them either, except when it's dark out. Nor'Easters are the North's equivalent of a hurricane, but it consists of heavy snow. Usually, our weather comes from the West. All those tornado storms, ice storms, and such that hit the MidWest invariably make it to New York and Massachusetts. Most of the time, the storms have emptied themselves of their rage and intensity by the time they reach us.

A Nor'Easter is different. A Nor'Easter comes from the East-- from the Atlantic. It swirls up in a hurricane-shaped circle as it picks up energy and moisture from the ocean and frigid air and moisture from Canada and the Great Lakes. They are very notable storms. I'll try to get some photos, if we really get dumped. A few years ago we had a big Nor'easter swipe by. It left my neighborhood with 28 inches in 24 hours on Christmas Day (it was a surprise storm-- it grew bigger than weathermen expected). My neighborhood wasn't even the hardest hit-- surrounding areas got 3 or 4 feet in one day.

Snow is fun. There is usually plenty of warning, and people here are alert to storms and drive carefully (or don't drive at all). Snowstorms are much better than hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Our natural disasters in New York are only the politicians.

Someone once asked me if I would ever fly to my travel destinations. I answered with a resounding no. When asked why, I responded, "my arms would get tired."

Yuk yuk yuk!! OK, seriously...

Here's a great reason why. This poor lad with a video camera, stuck for seven hours on a grounded Delta flight at JFK in New York City, did what any enterprising Internet-saavy young man would do: he filmed his tribulations. The video is boring, dull, long, and agonzing. Imagine seven hours of it.

Delta Airlines gave excuse after excuse, refused the passengers food and refused to let them off the plane. His video, posted on YouTube, was voted one of the top twenty on the Internet.

A picture may be worth a thousand words; a video is worth a million.

Is anyone else having a problem with Verizon email today? I've been unable to access my email in Outlook Express this morning. When I go to my Verizon account page, I can view it there. For some reason, the mail isn't downloading into my email client anymore. Well, my free webmail is downloading, but not anything from Verizon. I don't think it's an Outlook Express error.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has the same problem.

And is it me, or has the Internet slowed to a crawl since Friday?

Update: I guess it was a Verizon issue. My mail is now back to normal. Boy, what a relief to see all that spam come in!

Stephanie over at Make the Great Escape has a great post bewailing her StumbleUpon adventures... or rather, the lack of. (Thanks, Happy Hotelier, for the link). It's a great post, and amazingly, I was just thinking the exact same thing last week as I, too, perused StumbleUpon's travel posts.

The travel blog content of StumbleUpon... isn't. It really isn't there. Instead there're a lot of ads and marketing businesses sites. Airline fares? Hotel reservations? Concert tickets? Where are all the travel blogs??? This is pitiful.

As for me, for a good year I kept this blog strictly on our travels. But being a New York traveler meant that for 6 months out of the year, I could not really travel (in case you haven’t heard, we get tons of snow around here). So I’ve branched out, and can get quite chatty. But I still blog about our travels, whenever and wherever we take them.

I don’t think it’s time to bemoan the “death” of the travel blog yet… not yet. For thousands of years, people have always loved a good story. I am confident that people always will. Travel blogs– though they be rare and though they be obscure– will remain, because they tell a good story.

I know there ARE travel blogs out there. Why aren’t they being Stumbled, for pete’s sake?

Now here's a shameless plug: I have a StumbleUpon button at the end of every post. If you read a good article here, please "Stumble" me. I shall do the same for yours and for other blogs. StumbleUpon was created to be a port to find really great weblogs and websites, not a haven for full-blown marketing schemes and advertisements. Let's resuscitate the travel blogs, and other great blogs out there! (I've written a quick tutorial on adding StumbleUpon to your blog at Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook).

P.S. For all your travelers or travel bloggers out there, Happy Hotelier has an interesting chart of the T-List. I have the entire T-List in my sidebar, in an expandable widget. Feel free, anyone, to steal it and use it.

As a few of you have discovered, I am currently in the process of building a few more blogs. They are rather niche-y. I write better when I have more focus. I wanted to make a more formal announcement than just hinting around. I invite you to take a look and participate in the discussions!

New York Renovator. This is a home improvement blog that I've had going since May. I haven't promoted it a great deal. It's all about our challenges (and failures, and successes) of renovating our 1855 home in Upstate New York. It's no easy task. I try to make the posts entertaining, but also informative, as I share tips and information that I have learned along the way. It is, surprisingly, a bit hit in the UK.

Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook. I actually began this project years ago under a different name. I'm starting it from scratch again with a streamlined new look. It's on it's own domain (which is a refreshing change). It's a blog about computers, software, gadgets, tips, tweaks, and downloads for the average computer user. I have found that so many techhie-type blogs are very good, but they have a strong appeal to bona fide geeks. I haven't seen too many helpful geeky blogs for the moms and pops of the Internet, have you? Hopefully this blog will help fill in the gaps.

New York Traveler.Net. This is brand-new, begun on my own domain. It's a Wordpress blog, and I am learning lots. Eventually, I will send the contents of this blog to that one. That's still a good six months+ away, though. But I do blog at the new domain. A lot of it is about my Wordpress woes and victories, lol. When I start my traveling again (expect more movement in the spring), I will journal my travels here as I have always done, but I'll offer additional stories, photos, and anecdotes on the .Net blog. I am not sure how long it wil be until I move everything over there, but I know it will be within a year's time!

So I am one busy camper. Please visit my blogs and please feel free to offer input or ask questions. And if there is anything geeky I can help you with at the Scrapbook, be sure to leave a comment.

Thanks for visiting!

I had been doing some studying and discovered a fantastic story of streets being filled in a modern-day catastrophe: the Great Boston Molasses Massacre of 1919. On the Internet, it is regaled with "urban legend" status, but it did indeed happen.

I've written about it and placed the post on my blog, New York Traveler.net. Check it out- it's amazing!

Winter is here. Up go the bills, especially the heating bills. I've been thinking of ways to be more thrifty with energy use and other things around the house. I hadn't thought of organizing these thoughts until now. I'll put them in a Thursday Thirteen format! Maybe some of these ideas can help you, and maybe you can come up with some ideas yourself! Please share them, if you do.

1. Eliminate vampire appliances. Vampire appliances are those appliances that eat up electricity even when they are off or not being used. Examples are the newer televisions (if you have a remote that will turn the TV on, then your TV is a vampire), VCR and DVD players, computers, coffee makers, cell phone battery chargers). If you have vampires, unplug them when not in use. I know, it sounds menial, but you'd be amazed at all the energy you save. I have asked my kids to be the pluggers and unpluggers, so I don't need to worry about it.

2. Draft doggies. You know what they are? Those serpentine cloth things filled with silicon pellets. Some people make them into very cute critters. These draft doggies lay in front of your closed doors, to block drafts that come in at the bottom. My doors are very old and have gaps, so I need to quit procrastinating and make some doggies!

3. Turn down the water heater. During the summer, I keep the water heater as low as the family will let me. I am inclined to turn it up in the winter, because it gets so cold here. But 120 degress is the recommended temperature. I think that is too high, even for winter. Ten-degrees less will save money.

4. Make stews and soups and homemade breads. These kinds of foods are very economical, and cooking them all day helps keep the house warm. Running a crockpot uses less energy than an oven, too. Stews and soups are often the repositories for our leftovers, so we are frugal in an extra way, too.

5. Buy clothes at the Thirft Store. I almost never buy new clothing. The children just go through their clothes too fast. My son is shooting up like a weed and grew out of three sizes this summer. I had just bought him new pants, too! So much for that. Thrift stores are also great places to find things like snowsuits and winter coats. These things are usually in good shape, and you are saving untold hundreds because they are so expensive brand new. I do buy new shoes and underclothes for the kids, but for outerwear and play, the Thrift Store is the way to go!

6. Sew insulated curtains for your windows. I've seen those infra-red photos, have you? They show with their brilliant colors all the heat escaping from the house. The biggest heat escapes are the windows and the eaves area. That is certainly the case here. I have heavy lined curtains for my windows. Brand-new curtains are terribly expensive. Since curtains are so easy to sew, it makes sense to exercise thrift with window treatments. Oftentimes, places like the fabric center at WalMart have discounted fabric.

7. Insulate your walls. This is no quickie fix. When I gutted and restored my Living Room over the summer, I bit the bullet and paid extra to insulate the room. The rest of the house in uninsulated. :S Not good. But a little at a time is better than nothing. Insulating the walls is probably the best thing you can do to save on the heating bills.

8. Hang heavy drapes in the doorways. OK, Martha Stewart I'm not. But I don't have Martha Stewart's six-figure income, either. I close off the upstairs and half of the downstairs during the winter. This way, we really only have to heat the downstairs half that we live in during the day. Still, our heating bills are pretty high (it is a 150-year old house, after all), but any little bit helps.

9. Dress warmly. Duh.

10. Buy slippers for all the children, and make them wear them. Most children seem allergic to slippers. Mine do, anyway. Then they complain how cold they are! But I got good, solid slippers for them and this is a key component in keeping them warm! I also got them all "snugglies," which are a type of blanket/sleeping bag that buttons from the bottom to the top and into wide sleeves. While the kids do their lessons, they are curled up in their snugglies. Wearing their slippers.

11. Put perishables outside. Here in New York, it can get quite cold for extended periods of time. I sometimes stuff extra loaves of bread, frozen veggies, and other frozen foods in a cooler in my garage. The garage is not heated and temperatures are very similar to the outdoors in there. Some people even haul their refrigerators out to their garage and shut them off. I don't know if I'd go that far. For one, if the weather suddenly turned balmy, I couldn't just hoist up the fridge and drag it back in. Moving that behemoth is a major project. And two, my garage is quite a ways from my kitchen. So everytime I'd need something from the fridge, I'd have to go on a trip to get it.

12. Replace the air filter in your furnace. "Experts" say to do this every three months for "phenomenal savings"! I change it twice a year. Every six months. That's not too bad. At least I change it!

13. Go to bed early and rise early. Of course, this kind of thrift depends largely on your lifestyle. But if you can do this, it does save energy! Energy rates are at their highest after 5pm. That's why energy companies urge homemakers to do all their laundry, dishes, etc during the day. This saves energy which saves the green stuff!

If you have any tips that have worked for you, be sure to leave them. I am always open to new ideas.

For you non-New Yorkers, this is not a post about toilets!

Flushing is a city in New York, in the borough of Queens. It is another Dutch transliteration name (from the word "Vlissingen").

A news story caught my eye concerning Flushing:

NEW YORK (AP) — The Flushing Remonstrance (ri MON struhns), a 350-year-old document demanding religious tolerance, is being displayed in a month-long exhibition in Queens.

The document, signed by Flushing freeholders in December 1657, went on display Wednesday at the Flushing Library on the 350th anniversary of its declaration.

This display is an important one for New Yorkers and Americans alike. Some historians believe that the Flushing Remonstrance was:

...considered by many to be in some ways a precursor to the United States Constitution's provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights, was signed on December 27, 1657 in Flushing, at the time part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland (now part of Queens, New York) by a group of English citizens who were affronted by persecution of Quakers and the religious policies of the Governor of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant.

Stuyvesant had formally banned all other religions outside of the Dutch Reformed Church from being practised in the colony, in accordance with the laws of the Dutch Republic.

I wonder about the Remonstrance as a "precursor" to the First Amendment, because Roger Williams of Providence, Rhode Island, beat them to the punch when he established religious freedom for his colony in 1647.

Nonetheless, the Flushing Remonstrance is a significant document of early American history and American rights. It's worth seeing if you're in New York!

I was surfing travel blogs this evening, and came across one called The Most Dangerous Roads in the World. Now that's a catchy title, lol. Also, bad roads were on my mind because I was driving around on them today, and had to rescue my husband who got stuck in snow today. We chained our vans together and I hauled his out of a snowy, icy rut.

Anyway, I thought Utica had lousy roads... some of these are incredible. The Russian Siberian Road to Yakutsk makes Number 2 on the list.

...it is full of clay from mountains. Trucks and vehicles can stuck in mud. This road in only 30 km long, but fatal accidents are reported very often. Some experts speak about underground gas seepage, it can cause people (especially motorists) feel sleepy. These stories seem to be true because of car accidents survivors, they do not remember how it happened.

It also happens to be the only official federal government road to the town. *snicker* Talk about government ineptitude...

Another wild road is the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang mountains. The village had been almost entirely isolated by mountains. In the 70's, a tunnel was dug in the rocky mountainside. Looks amazing. Don't look down, though!

In other travel blogs, this site has some photos of houses along a canal in Venice, Italy. Now, why are American homes so drab and dull?

And this Russian site has some cool photos of Russian night life. I don't know Russian, so the blog didn't mean much to me. I've always been interested in Russia, though. (My step-dad was of Russian heritage). When I lived in Manhattan, a young lady in my apartment complex had worked as a publicity agent for the Russian Ballet. She said the strained politics and the Soviet's tight rein on the ballet (this was during the 80's) made the job excruciatingly stressful. She quit to work at Christie's. We used to have such interesting discussions. I do like to meet new people, especially people from other lands. Now, even though I live in Upstate, I can "meet" all sorts of people through their blogs. Love it.

Speaking of Manhattan, I also found a really great website with beautiful photos of New York City architecture (warning-- dial-up alert-- large photos). It brought back such memories! The photos of the Chrysler Building are very impressive. I used to live near it. On December nights, the usual white lights at the crown of the building were changed to red and green lights, in celebration of the holiday. I wonder if they still do that?

On that site, scroll down to the bottom of the page and there you will see links of places all around New York State. The pictures are very large, but it is quite enjoyable. I see the photographer made it to Fort Ticonderoga and even to Mount Defiance! I am jealous.

Well, it's begun! The time of year when a healthy half of Upstate blogs are filled with all sorts of creative stories about Upstate snow. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study or counted statistics on how frequently we Upstate bloggers blog about snow from November to April? Even NYCO has gotten into the snow meme post-- and I've never seen a meme at that blog (unless I've missed one).

Never one to miss an opportunity to blog about something, especially snow, I shall take up the torch handed down from Northview Diary and present my ideas. I was just out driving in this stuff so it's all terribly fresh on my mind (and on my boots, and on my coat, and on my floor).

1. What’s the winter tool you can’t do without?

A: My oven. I need it running, almost all day. Not to merely bake things, which I do almost all day anyway... but it lends warmth and comfort in the winter (I grill outside all summer long). The oven helps keep the rest of the house warm as I bake. Besides, the smell of cinnamon apple pies and pot roasts and roasting chicken and fresh biscuits is the ultimate comfort when you are stuck in the house all day. Second choice: my furnace. Wish I had a woodstove, though.

2. The winter tool you could do without (i.e., find unnecessary or silly)

A: Where is that tube of lock de-icer stuff that sits in my utility drawer all these years? Does that stuff even work?

3. Your favorite music to listen to when stuck in the house in a snowstorm?

A: Are You Ready For Some Football? I love the sound of football playing in the background as I work in the kitchen. I don't watch the game-- I dislike football-- I just like hearing it. For some reason, it reminds me of those happy childhood days when we were off from school, my mother was baking pies, and my dad watched football all afternoon. It was so cozy.

4. The winter sound you least like to hear?

A: The ferocious wind that clatters past the house. My house is 150 years old, and not terribly sturdy. We had all the old, dead Maples removed that used to surround the house, so I feel a little safer. But how the house shakes and wheezes when that wind blows! The 100-year old windows rattle and sometimes I can hear the chinks of plaster tumble down the interior walls between the studs. Most unsettling. A close second: the snow plow roaring down the driveway. My driveway is 2 feet from my house wall, and I am terrified that the plow will strike my furnace-vent pipe that juts out on the side. Let's not talk about why my Furnace Guy let his son install the vent there...

5. Your driveway shoveling pattern: vertical (up and down)? horizontal (pushing from side to side)? Or any which way?

A: Shoveling pattern, huh? "Kids! Time to go out!" :D Since damaging my back several years ago, I can no longer shovel. My neighbor plows our driveway most of the time, though. He does it as a favor, and we let him dump his snow from his narrow lot onto a portion of our land. It's a nice arrangement. I haven't answered the question, directly. My old shoveling pattern used to be: start a path in the center of the driveway, essentially slicing the driveway in half. Then, go at each side at a time, pushing the snow on the right side of the driveway to the right bank, and the same for the left side. Quite organized.

My husband is not a blogger. This is his idea of a great html code line:

Ha!

We are in a funny mood tonight. I found this hilarious video. It's in German, but I'm sure you'll get the idea.

Have I mentioned how much I love winter, lol? It's my favorite season! Everything settles down during winter (except crazy drivers) and the snow muffles everything. It's the time for baking pies and cookies, stewing soups and pot meals, and baking bread and biscuits. The kids are indoors and it is very cozy with them cuddled together in the living room working on their lessons.

It's snowing now. From time to time, great big bursts of white fluff fall down as if angels are shaking out their pillows. Here's my arbor under ice today.

I feel sorry for the mailmen, though. My husband has asked me not to go out today, not even to get milk. The van's snow tires aren't installed yet, and he says the roads are slick today. Once in a while the wind really picks up and you can't see past twenty feet.

So if you are out driving in this, please go cautiously. And please slow down for your mailman. :)
P.S. It helps that you shovel out your mailbox for them.

I am so very glad I no longer work at a certain radio station that I once did. The weather forecast is calling for "every possible type of winter weather" tonight and tomorrow.

I used to work at a radio station out near Cobleskill. It was really out in the wilds of New York, high atop a mountain. Driving up and down this mountain late at night (my shift was midnight to 6am before I was promoted to days) was horrific in this kind of "middle-ground" weather of snow, ice, snow, ice. I had nightmares for years after I stopped working there.

The road to the station was a narrow, sometimes unplowed, switchback mountain road. It was two miles all the way up to the station. Winters with heavy snow weren't too bad. The wind blew the snow in one- or two-feet high drifts, but it wasn't unnavigable. It was late autumn and early spring that were the worst.

Late autumn had weather like this: some snow, then freezing rain on top. Down in the valley, the precipitation might be rain, but going up the mountain it might be raining sheets of ice. Impossible to get through. But the show must go on.

I'll never forget the one Sunday I drove up. I was heading for the part of the road that has a very steep incline, the kind of road where you plant your foot on that gas pedal to give your car an extra boost of momentum. So I laid on the gas, pushing my car to go as fast as it could up the steep incline. Up, up, up, I went until, halfway up, my car started to slow down. A lot. Even though I had my foot on the gas pedal, I wasn't getting any traction. At the steepest part of the incline, my car sighed heavily and started to skid backwards. The road was coated with black ice!

I panicked and touched the brakes, and my car started to spin a little. I released the brakes, and instead applied the hand/emergency brake, hoping this could control my speed down the hill (it was a very steep incline going backwards). The hand brake didn't even slow the car down. For a fleeting moment I wondered if I could thrash the car around so I could turn and go forward down the incline. At least then I could see where I was headed. But I didn't think I could turn around that fast.

Down, down, I went-- coasting backwards and I had no idea where I was going. Everything moved in slow motion-- it was a very weird experience.

Close to the bottom of the incline, the car suddenly veered to the right and the back end solidly hit a snowbank on the side of the road. The car had stopped, finally. I very timidly crawled out of the car to survey the damage. The car was not damaged, but it's back end was resting down in a ditch into a snowbank, and the front wheels were dangling slightly over the edge. There was no way I was going anywhere with the car. I had to hike the rest of the way up the mountain to the station. It was quite an experience.

Another time, in very early spring, a greenish dense fog had coated the area. Of course I had to go to work that night. Street lights illuminated the early portion of the road as I chugged up the first few yards of the hill, but beyond that it was pitch black. As I drove up the mountain, the fog dissipated and I happily believed I had made it through the worst!

I must have passed only through the "eye of the storm" because as I continued, the fog returned even more severely than before. Not only was visibility down to zero, I'd say it was negative five. I was terrified. I could see nothing but the greeny-thick fog shining all around me due to my bright car headlights. I could see nothing. I had to stop. But I couldn't just sit there in the middle of the road! What if another car-- or truck-- would come? How far could I move over before my car ran off the shoulder of the road and tumbled into the ditch?

Then it struck me. How do bats get around? I switched off my headlights and put on my orange flashers. I rolled down my windows and drove slowly (about 1 or 2 mph). I was using my own "sonar" by listening to the sound of my car's engine bounce off the mountain "walls"--those high banks of soil along the sides of the road. With careful listening, I could tell when I was getting too close to the side of the road. I managed to stay on the road the entire time. It took me a very long time to get to work, but I made it safe and sound. It was a fearsome experience.

I was only 19, 20 years old-- and a new driver at that-- but these experiences taught me how to be a winter driver. I've learned how to manage a car on ice, how to drive through heavy drifts of snow (never accelerate or brake when hitting a drift-- stay constant), and how to get a car out of a rut. I also learned that you should always keep a blanket and a pair of good boots in the trunk!

Yes sir, I am glad I don't work at that radio station anymore. I'm glad I don't have to go out tonight! There's no place like home during an Upstate NY winter.

We got our first real snowfall of the season last night. Just in time for December, my favorite month!