Now that spring is FINALLY here, New York State ihas geared up for another great maple syrup season. New York's maple syrup industry is big, big business, both for larger companies and small farms. The I Love NY website has a page of some larger maple syrup events going on, including:

Cornell Cooperative Extenstion of St. Lawrence County - Canton, NY

Moore’s Maple Shack & Pancake House - Freedom, NY

The American Maple Museum - Croghan, NY

Maple Glen Sugar House - Gowanda, NY

Their list is not extensive by any means. If you go to the I Love NY page, and do a search on "maple syrup," you'll find a larger listing of farms and businesses that are having events and tastings for the season. I was hoping to take the kids to a local farm around here... don't know if we'll make it this year, though.

In other news, I found this incredible piece of information that there is a "maple syrup and baking soda" cure for cancer! I have no idea if it's true. I discovered this information while doing a search. Has anyone heard of this? Is this something for all kinds of cancers, or just, for example, Mesothelioma cancer, or something? It sounds really wild. You can read about it here and here and here. I like to learn about natural remedies, so it was interesting to me.

It's finally SPRING SPRING SPRING! No leaves on the trees yet, no flowers showing except the snowdrops and crocus, but it IS spring! It came early this year, and we are pleased as punch. For some reason, this winter was loathesome. It wasn't particularly snowy or cold (although we did have a few subzero cold snaps), just ugly, dull, and boring. I am thrilled to see my lawn starting to fill in.

We took a short trip to the Utica Zoo a week ago. The zoo charges no admission during the winter. It was a fun visit, and we got a healthy, long walk out of it. I have no idea how far we must have walked that day, but several hours of brisk walking was better than any best diet supplements. It was GREAT to be active and outside again.

This was our first time walking up the nature trail behind the zoo.



Utica sits in a low valley, and it is a lovely sight from the zoo at the top of a hill.





I spotted my first robin of the spring here. I'd been hearing them around for a few days previously, but this was my first sighting. Can you click on the photo, enlarge it, and find him?



And for the first time, the tigers were active. Every other time I've been here, they've either been skulking behind the trees in the back, or sitting like lumps on a big stone. They were chasing each other and having a grand old time.



I'll have more photos and story snippets later. Hurray, spring is here!

I've been showcasing our trip to the Madison County Historical Society, Cottage Lawn, at my travel blog. You can read Part 1 and Part 2. And the previous post here with loads of photos is here.

I took so many photos of many interesting things! Back in the early to mid-1800s, America experienced an explosion in prosperity and invention. The house was filled with numerous, amazing little gadgets.

This is a "gasoliere." It was once a natural gas-fueled chandelier, but was semi-converted when electricity came to Oneida, NY, in 1888 or so. Click the photo to choose a larger view; the detail is magnificent.

What is so unique about this fixture is that, back then, electricity was limited in availability. Town residents had 2 hours of electricity per day. The rest of the day (or night) was lit using gas. Which means... that this fixture was designed to run with natural gas half of the time, and electricity at other times. Which means... that the electrical wiring is installed in the same tube that filled with natural gas for firing up the lamps. YOW!!!!! That would NEVER pass any kind of electrical inspection today, for good reason.

This is quite the curiosity.



It's a cheese curd spoon. The mouse is a quirky touch. I wonder exactly how they used the spoon? Did they fish curds out of the liquid?

Mice were no doubt a very common site to the everyday home-dweller. Oneida, NY, was built on a swamp, so I assume the residents had more than their share of the critters. I'll bet they spent a lot of their time trying to rid themselves of such pests, and utilizing mold killers to keep the swampy, moist air from ruining everything. I would think that a figure of a mouse would be the last thing they'd want on their spoons, though!

And this is a "nanny bench." It's half-crib, half-bench. The nanny would lay the baby in the cribbed section, and sit on the bench. She could be close to the baby, rock the baby, and have her hands free for mending.



I hope you liked seeing the photos of all these quirky things from the 1800s as much as I enjoyed showing you! I'll have one more post up at New York Traveler.net, so be sure to look for it!

I posted an article about our trip to Oneida, NY, to see Cottage Lawn, a lovely home that houses the Madison County Historical Society and also serves as a museum. I took about 100 photos! I couldn't possibly place them all into one or even two posts, so I snapped some photos specifically to share here. 



The home was built by the Higinbothams of Oneida. It was once a four-acre lot, with fruit trees and a small stream flowing through the property. The home now sits on an acre-lot, with many houses nearby. The place was built in 1849, and it's like walking back in time! It has these two stone lions at the stairs that we found perfect fodder for an amusing photo.



The house is "English Cottage" style. Kind of cozy but it has a Gothic flair. The Tudor-ish windows give it the English feel.





One of the daughters of the family, Julia, was a musician. She played piano. Her parents had this miniature piano made for her, to fit over her lap in bed.



Upstairs is a delightful (and HUGE) collection of stuffed animals-- an eagle, all sorts of birds, and this amazing pufferfish (or is it a porcupine fish?!).



That's a 150-year old fish in there!

Here's a beautiful old sewing machine, a treadle one. My mom had one of these-- they are simply constructed and work wonderfully. No button-holing with these things, though.



In the bedrooms are displays of everyday living. These bloomers were in Grandma's room. The family were friends with Amelia Bloomer, of Smithfield. Elizabeth Smith Miller (daughter of Gerrit Smith who was a close friend of the Higinbotham's here), made the bloomer fashion. We visited Smithfield and snapped a photo of the historical marker about the advent of Bloomerism here.





And here is a folded-up hoopskirt in a hold trunk. UGH. Imagine wearing those! I am grateful for sweatpants!



I'll have more photos to come!

I went out for a nice drive in the heart of Central NY recently. AND I remembered to bring the camera! Wooo! This is what rural Upstate NY looks like in early March. Most of the snow is gone-- although more can be expected here. We don't consider ourselves safe until about mid-April! So the landcspae has a gloomy, muddy brown look to it right now. The gray clouds also lend a "Walton's" feel to it (remember that old TV show?).

This is an old salvage barn store in Madison, NY. I've passed by this place for almost twenty years, and have yet to stop by and take a peek inside. Someday, I'm going to.





The stuff isn't exactly gold rings, but to a renovator of old homes or an antique collector, these items can be valuable. They do make great rustic subjects for photos!



My son thought the name on this little wagon was funny.



This is a photo of a house taken in Bouckville, the antiques capital of the U.S., so it is claimed. I couldn't tell if anyone exactly lived here-- I thought I saw a light in the window but didn't want to poke around.



And here is a fine old house in Waterville, NY. I like the style, it's very quirky. Like a lot of other Victorian behemoths of New York, this home has been converted into an apartment building.  



And for no other reason than I think it's interesting, here's a photo of a cliff area in Hamilton, NY. The road used to run right beneath that area, with a sign that said "Falling Rock Zone" on it. I guess motorists saw one too many falling rocks, and the state changed the road to be a further distance from the cliff. I liek the way the tree roots are barely clinging to the edge.



I also wrote a post about Colgate University, which is in Hamilton, NY. Feel free to peruse that, here.