Winter came back

Woke up to snow covered grass, spitting Snow, Temps are about 34 degrees,  One thing about the weather in "Northern New York" , If you don't like just wait, it will change,  so we went from Snow and 32 degrees and headed to Church and after Church and Lunch that means a  BBQ Tonight !
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We both clean up pretty good for Church !  

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Out side this afternoon was not too bad, was able to go outside without a coat as long as you were sitting in the Sun which we have not had much of !

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My Honey waiting for the Prime Rib Steaks to be done for dinner, The snow is gone almost everywhere !   

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We sure do know how to eat, glad I am smart enough to cut down,   Steak was delicious and so were peas and taters !   Nice Sunday Dinner !

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When ever it gets this time of year I look back at this Picture of my Buddy,  Mark Fuhrken, We are in Mikes Dodge and this picture in 1977 taken in front of my house in Watertown !  Just a Good Old Fashioned Winter and yes, across the street is Fred Goslin the Mail Man shoveling off his porch roof !

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Hopefully it warms up !     Don't forget, Remember our Vets !

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Summer Soon !

Well, is summer coming, right now it is raining a little, temp is 71 and nice out,  this weather brings out the critters !!!   We had "Ants" come inside, not uncommon in a 50 unit Apartment Building but a pain in the butt, we call them Sugar Ants.  
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My Honey makes Whole Wheat Bran Muffins, she set them off to cool and when she went back to put them away with the rest of the dozen the Ants showed up !

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We keep TARO in the house, We Threw the Muffins way and I wiped the counter top with a Paper towel soaked in Taro !  Ant's Gone !

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Now that the weather is getting nicer we are expecting the Humming Birds !   We usually get them around the first of May but we have seen 2 of them already, One flew up and looked in the living room window of our apartment.

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We have the Ruby Throated Male and Green Females who come to our feeders,  we enjoy watching them !

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Anna Mae went out and rehung the feeder for the first time this year and we will see what happens.

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My Honey makes her own sweet water for the Birds !

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Hopefully we will see more Humming Birds come in to feed soon !

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Don't Forget, Honor our Vets !

Easter Eggs !

Well, tomorrow it is Easter  We are going to "Sun Rise Service at 6:10AM, then we will go to the Church of the Nazarene where the men of the Church cook a full Breakfast for anyone who comes in !  Then our 10AM Service !
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We have been doing Easter Eggs for years, usually with the Grand Children, well, as it is just me and My Honey we did them by ourselves.
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We had fun and enjoyed ourselves !

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I didn't even make a mess with the Colored Dyes we used !

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We got a pretty good start on the 6 eggs, we used to do a couple dozen !

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My Honey adding some "Sparkles to her egg !

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We had a good time,  Eggs done for another day !

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God Bless and Happy Easter !

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Don't forget our Veterans !

Bang, Spring

Woke up to temps at 59 degrees,   Packed up and we went FISHING! It got up to about 65 degrees and we enjoyed a ride on the back roads !
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We hit Croghan and fished the falls !  There was just a little overcast sky and a few peeks of sunshine but it was nice being outside !

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It was just right for me with a Flannel Shirt, water is cold, Trout hide in the shallows, we Enjoyed Croghan and the Creek !

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We took off and drove on up into Lewis County and into Belfort, NY,  We fished the Setbacks and relaxed.

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We are fishing the Belfort Reserve area which is usually full of trout !

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Lucky or just a "Good Friday" but we had no Black Flies or "No-see-ums !!!!  It got up to 71 Degrees, even rode around with window down part way !

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Nice couple of fish but we let them go back to grow bigger !!!!!

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It is "Good Friday",  We were thank-ful we were able to get outside today !    Wednesday Night we had  Tenebrae Last Night I played the Music and Hymns for the "Maundy Thursday" Service at Church.

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Easter is Coming and we will be at "Sunrise Service" !

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Don't forget, Remember our Vets !

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What happened to Spring

WoW, It was nice, 68 degrees, sunny and we actually walked outside several times instead of walking in the Hallways !
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I went to the meat market and bought 2 nice Steaks, fixins for a tossed salad and I went outside and "Grilled" us a couple steaks for supper.
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I went from a T Shirt to a flannel shirt as it got cooler,  First cook out of the new season and they were delicious !!!!

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Now it is "Snowing out" it is 34 degrees, cold and there is patches of ice !!
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Hopefully it is going to warm up !
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Don't forget our Veterans !

Sister

I have 2 sisters, Beverly and Janice,  Beverly lives in Arizona and Janice used to live in Philadelphia, NY,   Janice lost her Husband some years ago, then suddenly she lost her second oldest child, My Nephew Rod Brown to a Heart Attack at an early age.
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My Sister Janice was living in Senior Citizen Housing, she started a downward spiral and found to have Dementia !!!!
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My Niece, Her Daughter Gina took her home with her, it was very hard on both my sister Janice and her Daughter, My Niece Gina.  So the Oldest son KR could not take his Mother to live with him,  her son Rory who lives in Jupiter Florida could not take her with him, SO Gina took her mother home with her. 
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My 2 sisters, Bev and Janice a few years ago !

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Went to Hospital and the Nursing Home and visited for a while with my sister Janice,  , "How she gets confuses, I don't think she really knows who I am nor does she know Anna Mae !  When I talk to her I always state "How is my Sister Janice?" or I say; : you know your Brother Gary Loves You"!

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This was at Summit Village before Janice had to be Moved to a more secure residence.

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Janice is 85, I feel so bad for her BUT this s a horrible disease and we visit as often as possible. There are a couple family members mad that Janice is in a Nursing home but not mad enough to take her home with them because she needs 24/7 care.

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Oh Well,  God has it all in is control. We will just play it out the way God decides !

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Right now I have to find out what is going on as I just lost one of my 1st cousins. My Cousin Fran Damon passed away, she was 89 years old !

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ENJOY TODAY !!!!!!!!!

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Don't forget our Veterans !!!!

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Birthday Celebrations

Time sure flies,  Hard to believe that it was 18 years ago when our Grandson came into this world,  I remember it all so well,  He was named after me and my Son In Laws Father, Brent Julias Cummins !
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Here is Brent, Edmund Julias Cummins and me.    RIP in Ed, we lost Ed to Cancer .

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Here is Brent and his Mother, Brent was in JROTC and had just turned 16 and was 6 feet 4 !

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Here is Brent and Gramp and Grandma at 17 years old !

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We celebrated his 18th Birthday at Olive Garden last night !   Missing was Son in Law Ed but newest addition is Aiden, the Great Grandson !

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Great Granny Anna Mae and Aiden Andrew Kaklick !!!!    Aiden has to wear the "Helmet" to correct proper shape and growth of his skull !  We used to just hold them and rub their head and stroke their heads years ago,  I could not tell there was an issue but he only has it on for 3 more months !

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. This is Brent our Grandson and Aiden our Great Grandson !.

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Our Son Jonathan and his Honey, Keri, They live out in Oregon, He I doubt will ever move back to New York State.

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My 4 Generations-  Aiden, Great Grandson, Shannon Granddaughter, Daughter Sabrina and me.

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It was a great Birthday Party !!!

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DON'T FORGET, HONOR OUR VETS !!!!!!

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Is Spring here

Got up this morning late, I slept in till 10AM,  Nice light rain, temp is 52 degrees, snow is slowly going away.   My Honey is at Church preparing 50 Easter Baskets for the children ager 3 to 5 at the Community Center who might not  get an Easter Basket an some of whom have never gotten an Easter Basket.
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Starting with empty Baskets and some Ladies to help !  United Community Church tries to find areas where we are useful !

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Putting together Eggs, chalk, crayons, Peeps, coloring books,  Teachers wanted Chalk and Crayons as these 3 to 5 year Olds could not print or do numbers or their ABC's.

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Baskets done, a new small stuffed toy, candy, and each child gets a small cross .

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Sunday I traveled up to Lowville Trinity Episcopal Church to do the Music for Sunday Service, I met retired Music Teacher Dan Mosher and we enjoyed playing the Music for the Children's Sunday Program ! 

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Bird Feeders are cleaned, suet is up and Birds are back, the last several days we had awful winds that removed all the seed from the feeders. 

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Wonder if Jack has found "Stormy D. and her Brood over at Shipslog" ?     http://shipslog-jack.blogspot.com/

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 Well, hoping the snow goes away with this rain and 55 degree temps this morning !    Have a Good Day !

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Don't Forget, Remember our Vets !

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Warming up !

Today got all the ay up to 55 degrees and sunshine !!!   We are losing snow !!!!   Today I went outside and refilled the Bird Feeders, we had several days of high winds and rain and the feed got knocked out of the feeders .
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Yellow feeders full of Thistle and Sunflower seed, Ground Corn, mullet scattered on ground,  The suet feeders back by tree was re filled.  Had birds in about 10 minutes,   Juncos, Sparrows, Nut Hatches, Cardinals and Cow Birds and "Squirrels" !!!!.

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Right now it is 43 degrees, cool but still have  "Daylight in the Swamps" !

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Have to go tune Guitar and Mandolin and practice tomorrows songs, Playing up at an Episcopal Church in Lowville in the Morning !

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Don't forget, Remember our Vets !

April Fool

Mother Nature gave us an April Fool's Joke last night, she sent down a good 4 to 6 inches of snow,  We used to call it "Sugar Snow" as Maple Trees need warm days, freezing cold nights and some moisture on the tree to make the sap used to make syrup !

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The "Sugar Shanty" where the Maple Sap is boiled,  I remember this all too well, it is hard work!

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These were the Team of horses used to sugar, they were named "Jude and Joan" !   I was able to harness and use them from about 12 years old up !

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This would be about 1952,  Nice part was sitting down, smelling sap boil and Maple Syrup being made !

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This is my Grandmother Wood and Grandpa Wood with my Aunt Marion, and the Team of Horses and dog standing in front of the "Sugar Shanty" on the Wood Farm !

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"Jude and Joan" hitched up and ready !

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A lot of work when you boil down 8 to 10 gallons of "Sap" to make a gallon of Maple Syrup! 

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April is when usually our trees start to bud, when the trees start to bud that is the end of making Syrup, usually 1/2 way thru the month !

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This is how Mother Nature says, "APRIL FOOLS DAY" !    AND, Today is opening day of "TROUS SEASON" and we are NOT going fishing !!!!!!!

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Don't Forget our Vets !

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