October

It's early October in my neck of the woods.  So far the weather has been pleasant, minus two windy cold days when we had to run the wood stove during the day.  What few pretty leaves had fallen to the ground ready for children to collect, were blown around making them crumpled at the edges and dried out in spots and rendering them noncollectable.  We did salvage some and pressed them in between sheets of wax paper.  The smell of pressing fall leaves is one that sticks with me and brings me back to my childhood.   We will have to wait another week for the more vivid colors to pop and alas... fall to the ground.  It's a fun, yet somber tradition as we admit to ourselves that these leaves will never live again and we'll have to winter over to see the new green leaves in the spring.  

Harvest Season

It's September, one of my favorite months in the North Country.  It's still warm during the day yet cool at night and gradens are still producing quite a bit of veggies.  I've tried my hand at growing purple tomoatoes this year and it was successful.  The low acid variety look like plums more than anything but have a great earthy tomatoe taste.  My snap pes are still coming and the cabages are almost ready to harvest too, on top of a bunch of beefsteak tomatoes and cherries. 

Dannemora inmates escaped

Being fairly near the region of the Dannemora Prison has got me a bit nervous.  Just days ago two violent criminals escaped and still have not been found.  Chances are slim that they have come this way but, it does make you look at people suspiciously.  Yesterday I thought the mailman even looked like one of these guys.  I blinked and realized no, my mailman is a woman who looks nothing like a hardened murderer, just relax. ok, maybe I'm more nervous than I realized.    

Back to the NC

After returning home a few years ago, I encountered many others who came back to this area after being in  another state.  Why is it that natives always find their way back to the North Country?  The summers? It's got to be.  These summers are gorgeous, though fleeting.  Fresh air, green everywhere.  I love this time of year, the beginning of June when the days are long and bright and the mornings are alive with the sound of birds.  I'll take the poverty if it means this.

Herb

Herb was a man who had lived many years
He had laughed many laughs but cried even more tears
Only he knew the sights he had seen and he kept them locked tight in his mind
He’d met many people along the way and had yet to find anyone kind
Until one day in the month of May when a warm air blew in from the west
‘Ol Herb you see didn’t know it but he was in for a test
In a dream, a man appeared at his door, dressed quite ragged and seemingly poor
He said I’ve come a long way and lost track of the day but decided to take this detour
My friend is looking for me, and it is very necessary that he knows I am here and I hold him dear to my heart and always will, He’s feeling alone and abandoned, he’s got an emptiness to fill.
Herb didn’t know what to do but he knew who was at his door
A man he had heard about in church, a man whom God had adored
It was God’s son in the flesh you see , who had appeared to Herb in his dream
It was Jesus Christ almighty the holder of love supreme
Herb awoke with a smile on his face a feeling of happiness was set deep in place
Memories of his tears, his worries and his fears were all but a blink of a eye
He realized life had always been wonderful it’s just took his best friend stopping by…

This website inspired me to write the above poem. www.Ageless-Sages.com

Red Cross Scam

Wow, who knew that humanity could sink so low... A friend of mine just recently received a phone call from some woman claiming she was from the red cross and my friends son had been injured in Iraq. The unidentified woman asked my friend to confirm personal information about her son. Turns out it was all a scam. It's horrible! She went through hell thinking her son had been seriously injured. She hadn't heard from him in a month as it was and then to receive a call like that! It was confirmed by her son's unit that he was safe and sound thank God. The people doing this need to be severely punished.

Read what th Red Cross has to say about this:

http://www.redcross.org/pressrelease/0,1077,0_314_6732,00.html

Ghost Stories

Well since I've been housebound from all this snow it's getting to my brain. I hear strange noises and freak out. This was my grandfathers house and he passed away almost two years ago now. I have to wonder if he is still here watching over. It doesn't help that I am now watching the discovery channel and ghost stories are on. I think though this place is peaceful overall. When I was younger, I was convinced the house I lived in was haunted. The lights went out in my bedroom once and there was no one there to turn them off, the breaker had not been triggered, my radio had stayed on, it was weird. Other things happened that were unexplained. We had a drawer in our bathroom that always had hairbrushes, fingernail clippers, hair ties and stuff like that just thrown in it. At night I would hear someone rustling through it. Sometimes we would find pieces of costume jewelry in the drawer that we had never seen before. I love that book Haunted Northern New York, it has a few places near by and it's just interesting history. Just before Christmas I went to clairvoyant who was doing a group reading. I went with my aunt and she was picked as having two spirits around her. It was pretty accurate.

Getting older

Not that I am any authority on what it is like to be considered "elderly" but I do know that our culture needs to show more respect for the older and wiser. We have so much knowledge to gain from their experiences and more times than not, it seems we let that knowledge pass us by. My grandmother is in a nursing home and she has Alzheimer's. I know she is not the same person I remember her as and it's hard to deal with that. I have learned though that she is a new person who still needs love and support. I bring my infant son to the nursing home to see her and she along with all of the residents perks up at the sight of him. It's amazing to see the transformation that takes place when people decide to share love, and take a little time to talk to these people. One very important thing to do with an elderly loved one is to read to them! I think it is sooo important, and talk about perking up! Finally there is a publishing company that is specializing in books and stories for the elderly. It's about time. I'm going to be mentioning them a lot because this is a very great thing! Ageless-Sages is the name. They have just started up and have their first publication coming out soon. Click the link above to see what I'm talking about.

In there

Dew dripped down the cold yellow leaf and into the mud on the ground
a squirrel scurried under a safe warm rock without making a sound
my breath can be seen and my hands cannot
they are covered by mittens with holes in the tops
and my feet sink into the mud on the ground
and my boots are now dirty and cold
I'm walking the distance from out here to in there
and I'll go home thinking about getting old.

Forest Dwellers

It's now October and a warm one overall. There is more talk of a mountain lion in this part of St. Lawrence county and my husband has seen a big bobcat and not to many deer yet. Is there something or things in the woods? Are there fewer deer this year because of it? I dunno. What are your thoughts?

Summer

Not much rain this summer... I wonder if it will take until mid January to snow again like it did this past winter?

Help Needed

I am in desperate need of financial help. The problem is, in this neck of the woods, everyone is in need of financial help. Our combined income is too much to receive any services, but our debts are too high to obtain a loan or mortgage. What do we do? Not to mention, Iraq Veteran status means nothing. It's disgraceful. No help for those who work their asses off. Declaring bankruptcy is looking more like the option but there has got to be another way. We moved up here three years ago hoping to build a house on the land we bought. The land was raw though, and remains that way to this day. We work day in and day out just to get by. It's no kind of life. We've also got a baby on the way in June, and a looming eviction from my grandmothers house which we've been living in virtually rent free to get caught up on things but now, grandma is in a nursing home and the state will be involved soon. We can't buy the house through a first time home buyers program or a low income housing program because 1. Either our income is over the bracket or 2. Our debts are too high as I mentioned in the beginning. I don't suggest any young couples ever relocate to the North Country. It's rare that anyone succeeds up here. You've got to have quite a lot of money saved in order to survive. This area has chewed us up and spit us out. Canada isn't too far away... I'll try to be positive.

Hush

The wind hushed through the tall pale grass and I felt at once I was free
The wind hushed through the wings of a crow curoius to watch me
The blue ice and snow were frozen in time
And time was frozen still too
Tufts of field straw poked up through the snow and the glitter of snow stuck like glue
Everything seemed to be waiting for something, that something seemed ever so near
It was there but gone in the blink of an eye, the white flash from the tail of a deer.
So hushed was the wind from it's chore to announce
that the message was almost not heard
But it did not escape these cold ears on that day
I listened and breathed it all in.
The crow was then not so curious
For the line between us became thin.

fist posted 4/21/06

Old McCay Chest Freezer

We have an old commercial McCray freezer in our house. It's huge, I'm not sure of the dimensions at this point but I will have a picture posted soon. We want to sell it, just to get it out of the way. It belonged to my grandfather who ran a bar/pizza shop. I've been looking online to see what an approximate price would be, but I can't find much info. If anyone knows about these types of freezers could you please point me in the right direction?

Snow Mobiles

Wow, our strange neighbor across our street was out on his snow mobile until 11:30 last night. I could not sleep. He was driving it up and down the main street (which faces our bedroom window) reving the engine, and just being all out rude. It's one thing if there is a trail near your house, at least you know the snow mobiles will pass on by. This guy was racing back and forth on Main street all night long. He was like a renegade snow mobiler terrorizing the town. What's that all about?! Ugh, I'm tired.

Christmas trees

I just love cutting down my own Christmas tree. There's something victorious about tromping through the snow and chosing the perfect tree from the wilderness that it grew from. Being as though we are not in short supply of evergreens in this area, I don't feel so guilty about cutting them down for selfish, make me feel warm inside beacuse it's Christmas, reasons. I have planted some from the Arbor Day Foundations though, just to keep the balance. Does it help? I don't know. Happy tree hunting!

There's is a tree farm in Kendrew Corners on 812 towards Heuvelton/Ogdensburg that lets you cut your own tree and they serve you warm cider! Went there last year with a friend and we found a great tree.

1844 House

Great restaurant: The 1844 house in Potsdam. All meat is bought from local farmers. They use local veggies when they are in season too. Bread is from the Carriage House Bakery. I'm very excited about it. It's about time. We need to be more responsible with the food we eat. I also know for a fact that the food is mouth watering good. The money stays within the community. It's great! Let me know if you try it out. I like to promote places like that. Click the link. http://www.1844house.com/

originally posted 5/16

Cougar

In Old DeKalb, my brother-in-law claims he encountered a cougar. (Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma- all the same animal) He said he heard his dog barking at about 5:30 a.m. and he went out to investigate. He then heard a loud growling sound, that sounded like a cougar. He shined a flashlight around the property and said he saw the animal in a tree. This was the begining of October and some leaves were still on the tree. He said he didn't get a good look at it but his dog (a Shephard Husky mix) put her tail between her legs and stayed right by his side. He saw a tan body of a big cat and white on it's face. He had his gun with him and he went to load it but when he put the flashlight down, the creature jumped out of the tree and ran off. The year before, the neighbor called and said he saw what looked to be a big cat up on their hill. Are there mountain lions around here? The DEC website says not likely but there is a small chance. My brother in-law is convinced. I have heard other stories too.

Robert Frost

The Sound of the Trees
I WONDER about the trees. Why do we wish to bear Forever the noise of these More than another noise So close to our dwelling place? We suffer them by the day Till we lose all measure of pace, And fixity in our joys, And acquire a listening air. They are that that talks of going But never gets away; And that talks no less for knowing, As it grows wiser and older, That now it means to stay. My feet tug at the floor And my head sways to my shoulder Sometimes when I watch trees sway, From the window or the door. I shall set forth for somewhere, I shall make the reckless choice Some day when they are in voice And tossing so as to scare The white clouds over them on. I shall have less to say, But I shall be gone. -Robert Frost-

Moose everywhere

I can't remember a time when there were this many moose sightings in St. Lawrence County. I would love to see one up close. Heck , Id like to see one far away too. I've only ever seen a moose in pictures. Sad isn't it.