Daily Archives: March 24, 2011

Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

Bluebird of happiness sighting brings hope of spring’s arrival

Normally on the first day of Spring—or maybe April Fools Day—my Mom would try to get us by saying there was a Robin out in the yard. I haven’t seen one in this area yet, but John Levi saw one by Sixth Lake last week.

I heard one as I was going through Otter Lake Saturday morning (3/19) and by the time I got to Holland Patent I had seen hundreds of them.

Further along my route to Cicero I saw a few hundred Blackbirds and Grackles, a couple Killdeer, thousands of Canada Geese, only a couple Snow Geese and several big flocks of Turkeys.

They all thought it was spring but this week may change their minds as snow is predicted for three days.

I’ve only had one Red-winged Blackbird at the feeder and many of my Redpolls have moved north.

Lots of Geese have been flying both west and north, whichever way the wind blows.

While snowshoeing along the outlet of Limekiln Lake I stepped right on a Woodcock which flew out from under a spruce bow.

It landed on two feet of snow and looked a little out of place. I think he might bend his beak if he tries to probe for worms in this area.

While at the New York State Big Buck Club meeting at Borio’s Restaurant (overlooking Oneida Lake) a beautiful adult Bald Eagle sailed right by our window.

Ten years ago seeing an Eagle would have been considered a rarity, but now it’s commonplace.

Many who were at the meeting were not terribly excited about it, but I thought it was neat. I always will.

Just as I looked out the window I saw bunch of Redwings move into the feeder. Then an odd looking bird was sitting just above the feeders. At first I thought it was a Junco but it was a little too fat.

Then it flew down and snatched something off the snow. It was a Bluebird—a sure sign of spring.

It was snowing like crazy yet there was a beautiful Bluebird in the yard. I’m more hopeful about the arrival of spring now!

Five Black-capped Chickadees were having a territorial battle over one of the Bluebird boxes.

The males have been giving their two-note calls for a couple weeks now hoping to impress a mate.

They nested in one of the boxes last year and had six young.

They make a neat moss nest that looks like a round cup for their pure white eggs.

A few of my crocuses have bloomed right out of the snow bank.

I saw a whole side yard of purple crocuses down by Bridgeport Saturday which brightened my day.

Some of my Daffodils were showing their buds but that 10 degrees yesterday might set them back.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Forge was very nice. Several parade watchers said it was their first time seeing it.

I don’t know if they were impressed or not but I’m sure they had fun, and a couple of beers to boot.

The people along the parade route are sometimes more colorful than the folks coming down the street. It was a beautiful day for a parade.

I hope you all got to see the super Moon on Saturday night. It sure was beautiful as it rose at the far end of Seventh Lake, looking more like a sunrise.

I got some nice refraction pictures from the Sixth Lake Bridge.

Using the steel frame of that old bridge to set the camera helped to make a nice shot, though the bridge does wiggle when a car or truck passes by.

A few other people were there taking shots with their little i-Phones, flashing the Moon which was the closest to earth in 14 years.

I know some of these phones take nice shots when up close, but I’m not so sure about that moon shot.

The Arts Center has a new exhibition opening Saturday, March 26. The theme show, H2O, will feature both visual art and written works.

Accompanying exhibits include a display of paintings by Steven Fletcher called Scenery and Solitude.

Fletcher’s work depicts spirited scenes that often feature mountain people. Also on display will be Pointilism: Something Different, an exhibit by Nancy LaSalle.

The opening will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. There will be refreshments and live music by Yesterday’s News of Little Falls.

Come see the new building and the works of art that will be on exhibit.

“Becoming an Outdoors-woman” is the theme of a workshop that will be coming in June, but that’s another story. See ya.

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Nourished Living by Dietician Kelly Hamlin MA, RD, CDN

Celiac sufferers: Make sure to plan before dining at restaurants

From previous articles, you can see how tough it might be to eat gluten free at home with all those sources of hidden gluten.

But how do you think that translates when eating out?

I would imagine that gluten is hidden all over the place.

If you have a favorite restaurant you may want to talk to the manager/chef and educate them to your situation—and the situation of many for that matter!

You may want to follow some guidelines if you plan on dining out.

If possible, review the menu beforehand, or call ahead and ask the chef/manager if they can provide you with safe selections.

Remember, it takes more time and care for a restaurant to prevent cross contamination so avoid dining at its busiest times.

Bring a copy of the gluten free (GF) dining sheet to help make it easier for the chef to provide you with safe selections.

Explain to the server that you may become ill if there is not particular care taken with your food.

When it is obvious, send food back that has been contaminated. You may have to educate your server on the disease and why simply scraping off the problem food will not make it safe to consume.

There is no need to be obnoxious about it. Most people may have heard of the term “gluten free” but do not necessarily understand it. (Some good information can be found on the website: glutenfreerestaurants.org)

Hopefully you have found the last three articles on celiac disease and gluten free diets to be informational.

—

Update: Upon going through my email I found some more products that MAY have “hidden sources” of gluten. Pickles; tea (may contain barley malt); soy milk (may contain barley malt); salsa (may contain barley under the guise of smoke flavor); seasoning BLENDS (may contain wheat as an anti-caking agent).

The best advice I can give is to always READ LABELS!

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Growing up Adirondack by Mitch Lee

Returning geese interrupt impending Indian attack

It was a late March day in 1970. I was sitting on my bed trying to balance some plastic cowboys on a stiff wool blanket.

I made a crease in the blanket to form a valley where my plastic Indians would descend in an assault.

I was irritated. Every time I made a move to set one of the toys upright, two would fall down. I finally got the soldiers into a good upright circle as a host of rich sunlight flooded into the room.

Just then, my dog “Dog” came in the room and rubbed her body against the side of the bed. The sudden earthquake sent the bed quivering and the soldiers plopped on their sides.

Frustrated, I just crossed my legs and reached over and gave her ears a scratch. She placed her chin into my hand so I itched her there too.

Her ears suddenly perked and she snuck her head forward over the edge of the bed so she could get a look out the window. Her eyes blinked in the spray of full sunlight.

I took a look outside too but saw no sign of anything that could have spooked her.

I turned to her and asked her what was wrong. Before she had a chance to respond, I heard something overhead. It was a faint sound of honking geese echoing over Limekiln Lake.

I pulled myself across the bed and strained my neck to look up into the sky.

“I don’t see them, but from the sounds of it there must be hundreds, maybe thousands of them,” I said looking back at Dog.

She whimpered a bit as if she was answering me. Then she rubbed herself against the bed again.

I had previously heard geese as they flew South in the fall but never before had I heard them on their return flight North.

I wondered where they were going, and which one was in charge of this group. Just a day earlier I was down by the Lake and noticed it was still frozen solid. There were no spots for a goose to land.

I thought to myself that the flock would never again follow that goose in the lead because they were going to have to just turn around and come back in a month or so when the lakes were thawed.

As I turned from the window I noticed that half a toy Indian was hanging out of Dog’s mouth. “Hey, don’t eat that!” I shouted.

I jumped up and wrestled it from her. I was glad to see it was not one of my favorites and that it had only sustained a little bit of damage.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com

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Talkin’ Code with Andrew Getty

How do you measure the value of state & local building codes?

Value of Codes

It is true that compliance with all the different Building and Fire Safety Codes can sometimes seem to involve a high cost.

And contractors and building owners alike seem to spend more time and energy to find a “loop hole” or some way to get around certain requirements.

This is even more typical for the alteration, renovation, expansion and repair of existing buildings.

Trying to avoid Handicap Accessibility, sprinklers, additional exits, fire alarms, increased insulation, structural requirements, proper sewage control, exit signs, or an array of various standards and codes—all of which have been put in place to increase the level of personal and public safety, structural integrity and life safety—should not be a primary focus.

However, the perception that avoiding those requirements will save money drives way too many decisions.

A recent email received from the International Code Council helps to portray the benefit of code compliance.

And how it not only increases the level of life safety, but saves money…

ICC Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland says Japan quake is sobering reminder

“The intensity of the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami off the coast of Japan is a sobering reminder of how building codes can save lives.

“The losses in Japan are tragic, yet much more was avoided due to their foresight in constructing resilient buildings.

“In our own country, as we near the bicentennial of the New Madrid quake in the south-central U.S., we must resist efforts to reduce seismic safety practices in our own country and make sure we share our tools with vulnerable nations around the world.

“The stark contrast between Haiti versus Chile and now Japan in the seismic arena shows that codes save money and lives over the entire life cycle of a building.

“As all of us continue to deal with the impacts of a challenged economy, let’s not forget that one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

“Study after study tells us that for every dollar spent before a disaster we save four to eight dollars in response and recovery costs.

“The world can ill-afford a short-sighted approach to new construction and the retrofitting of existing structures that places our families, our businesses and our communities in harm’s way.

“The Code Council is proud to offer the state-of-the-art model codes including adaptable provisions for local hazards in all areas including seismic, wind, flood and fire.

“Across the U.S. and increasingly around the world, our codes are establishing safe and sustainable communities which recognize rather than avoid the hazards that can threaten our well-being.”

—

The development and implementation of codes of all kinds are founded on experience.

This has been the case for years…even thousands of years when some of the most basic codes said “if my structure [or house, cathedral, temple, castle] falls down we will knock down yours…if my family dies because the structure falls down, your family dies.”

That’s a pretty strong code, and explains why many old structures are just simply solid marble!

Watching the horrifying events in Japan is moving, to say the least.

In one video on TV, it showed tall high-rise buildings in a major city actually swaying, back and forth, which looked like a hundred feet or more.

Imagine being in that structure???

Those structures were intended and designed to meet certain code standards relative to seismic vibrations.

Whatever the cost of that seismic code compliant construction, not only were lives saved, but the cost of replacement, response, repair and damage to other structures and properties was substantially reduced or even avoided.

Yes, codes can be a pain-in-the-butt. However, they are there for many reasons.

All of which are based on the needs of society, as in energy conservation codes, or because of unfortunate experiences in structural failures or catastrophic fires.

One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Jake’s Pack Basket Blues by Sue Lemery (Adult)

Limp grey fox shawl,

Mothballs, glossy hatboxes,

Tossed on musty attic floor,

Cover the sun burnt wicker.

 

Jake lifts her gently,

Sets her on hickory workbench,

Wipes off fine attic dust,

Quietly talks to her.

 

She held all a man needed,

Thick red wool socks,

Brown knit deer sweater,

Quart of tomato beef stew.

 

Cold November, mid ‘50’s –

Jake, chilled and beaten,

Set her by campfire. Weary eyes,

Moist, saw her charred wicker.

 

April, 1958, he was old then,

A slick rock edge betrayed,

Stone bit man, pack—and wounded,

Her side, now feathered and torn.

 

Brown and frail, inside,

Woven into aged basket,

Autumn leaves remind him –

Forest trails that whispered.

 

Jake inhales longingly. He is there now,

Evergreens, morning rain,

Fiddleheads and cinnamon ferns,

Wood sorrel, evening campfire.

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Gentle as a Child by Sarah Lynn Beck (Grade 3)

It is gray and huge

sounds like a trumpet and has

legs like a tree trunk

(An Elephant)

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Just Because I’m Short by Kevin Albert (Grade 6)

When I was seven this really happened

 

Just because I’m short, doesn’t mean you

can pick on me.

Just because I have a cat and you have a

dog doesn’t mean you can yell at me.

Just because I have a sled and you don’t

doesn’t mean you have to frown at me

every time you see me.

Just because my dad owns a restaurant

and your dad owns a bowling alley,

doesn’t mean you can break stuff at my

dad’s restaurant

Just because you have a bowling ball and

I don’t, doesn’t mean you can push me.

Just because my poem is better than

yours doesn’t mean you can hit me.

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