Painting it Red

The adults took a walk at Five Rivers this morning.  Two slipped on the ice, but no real harm was done - but seriously, you could have used skates on some sections of the trails today.

The Boy had a late lunch out with his grandparents at the "shiny diner". 

The Girl, who had been unwell this morning, rallied enough to make a trip to Lowes with her dad to buy red paint.  She was also well enough to spend the next hour out in the freezing three (not including this one) seasons room painting an old set of shelves we bought in the summer at a yard sale.  Very fine it now looks.  Very red.

And as the New Year approaches...my mum and I are trying to finish a fiendish jigsaw, truly the puzzle from Hell.  We keep thinking we're getting to the point when it will suddenly all come together, but no... 

Wishing everyone all the best for 2014.

An ice hike

The Man and my parents started the day with a wintery hike (we had a dusting of snow last night) at Pine Hollow Arboretum. 

Later in the day, while my parents took the Girl book-shopping and the Boy hung out with his buddy, the Man and I hiked around Five Rivers, which was very cold and icy, but lovely in a windswept way. 

 In other news: the Girl made it onto the TV yesterday!  A friend set me the link this morning.  Here you go.

Winter Ice Show

The main event of the day was the annual Albany Figure Skating Club Winter Ice Show, in which our Girl took part.  She has skated to the theme tune to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before, but this time it was with a more complicated routine.  She carried it off well.

It was a two hour show with a whole range of talent, from experienced, strong skaters to one tiny tottering four year-old.  The music also covered all tastes and styles: Jingle Bells, Ave Maria, Chicago, Super Mario...you name it, really.  Something for everyone.

The crowd was rightly appreciative of each performer - it's a big deal to go out onto that big expanse of ice and do your best in front of an audience.  The biggest applause always goes to the skaters who fall over - and then get right up again and carry on to the finish.  If I was of a teacherly disposition, I'd say there's probably a life lesson in that.

Falls rushin'

The Man writes...blue skies and relative warmth had us heading up to Cohoes to view the falls, although sadly only from their distant winter viewpoint.

From there we crossed the Hudson to enjoy the lively Troy Farmers Market. We also took in some book shops and coffee at Spill'n' the Beans, which was pleasantly busy.

The afternoon saw trips to Thacher Park and more waterfalls. There was plenty of ice on the escarpment but not much evidence of snow anymore. Today it felt a more like March rather than December, but no doubt Winter will return soon.

We saw one ship come sailing in

Today featured a visit to Henry Hudson Park. Even though the temperature was above freezing, it felt bitterly cold there.  We lingered long enough to watch a big vessel glide by on its way, I suppose, to the Port of Albany.  Its wake caused ice sheets at the edges of the river to shatter and crash into the water.

The Man then drove us into Albany itself, to view the Hudson from the Corning Preserve.  This part of the river often freezes at this time of year, and though it wasn't solid across there was plenty of ice bobbing around out there.  As ever, visiting the riverside in Albany, we bemoaned the eyesore that is the interstate 787, cutting off downtown from the riverfront. 

Out of the box

There's no such thing as Boxing Day over here, so although the kids are off school they still had their usual out-of-school Thursday activities (skating/drumming) today.  But the rest of us had a more-or-less quiet time - until tonight, which has just ended in a raucous game of Apples to Apples (most of the noise provided by the Boy, on top theatrical form).

Freezy Christmas

 

So, the end of another Christmas.  It was merry.  Some of us went for a very cold but sunny walk at Five Rivers.  All of us opened some presents and were pleased.  We skyped, ate, skyped some more, did a jigsaw, played a fiendish game.  Computery stuff happened.  Some of us are now watching The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy on DVD, while others struggle to stay awake.

Wherever you are, we hope you had a good day too.

Seasons greetings

Town was comfortably busy but not heaving with crowds as we did our last last minute shopping today - obviously other people are more organised than we are.

Still, we're all set now, too.

Have a very merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and a very merry day anyway if you don't.

Wool I never

It's Christmas Eve Eve, as the Boy pointed out today.

We've spent it relatively quietly.  The Boy had his best buddy round.  The Girl was taken out for lunch (Japanese) by her grandparents.  I got some odds and ends done. My Mum finished knitting a zebra (like you do).  The Man has been at work, but he is now done for the holidays, and as I write he is out shopping with his children.

Although the grass is starting to show through, the snow is just about hanging on at our shady end of the street. Temperatures are due to drop again, so it might just be a white-ish Christmas after all.

Fox and geese

The town of Bethlehem (NY - not the O Little one) has just opened a new park, so this afternoon the Man and I went to check it out.

The Moh-He-Con-Nuck Preserve is a small parcel of wooded land, with a path leading to the grandly named Frothingham Lake.

 We could perhaps have chosen a better day for our visit - it was weirdly warm today, with mist rising off the melting snow and soggy patches to paddle across in every dip in the trail.  The trees were bare and it was all a bit bleak, but I think it could be very pretty in the summer, or even in the deeper winter.  Fast as the snow was melting, it still held plenty of signs of wildlife, including these prints which I'm pretty sure tell the tale of a fox and some geese.

This evening the Girl put on her ghillies and performed with her Irish dance class in their second annual Holiday show.  She did well in her jigs and reels and deserved a cookie (or two) at the end.

Pizza and quiet

Today was the last day of the season for our local Farmers' Market - that's it until next June.  So we stocked up well on nuts and coffee and veggies and cheese and...on and on.  And we bought pizza from Jimmy Makes Pizza's portable wood-fired oven.

The kids went out for lunch with their grandparents.  The Man and I ventured down to Five Rivers, where it was misty and moisty and the snow was melting, but still rather beautiful.

Both children are out at separate sleepovers tonight, so the adults are having a quiet night in.  We just ate the pizza, heated up - delicious.

Dreaming of a wet Christmas?

My parents and I "did town" this morning, before it got too busy, but other than that we haven't been very adventurous.  School's out, as of this afternoon.  Unusually, this year the kids are having a full two weeks off for their winter break.  The Man had his annual office party today, which involved bowling.

The snow is melting, and with rain and warm temperatures in the weekend forecast there is some concern that we might not have a white Christmas after all...

Perfect end

Coffee in the morning at Delmar's very lovely Perfect Blend, with Mum and my friend J. Then in the afternoon my parents took themselves off to Five Rivers for some intrepid snow hiking, while I got on with odds and ends of projects at home.

This evening (even though it's always a busy one, Thursday, what with the skating and drumming, and tonight the Man running, too) we managed to have dinner all together for the first time this week.  The Man has finally reached the end of a long spell of having to work late (not to mention on weekends and holidays) - so, hooray!

Deep and crisp and not even winter

The snow had stopped, so I drove out with my parents - to Altamont (to buy some yarn from the Spinning Room) and to Indian Ladder Farms (to eat lunch in the Yellow Rock Cafe).  Everything was looking clean and sparkling and bright, and really quite wintry considering that officially it is still autumn (if you insist that winter doesn't begin until the solstice).

The Boy wanted to make a trip to Barnes & Noble to buy a book (shh, it's a secret) for his sister, so we braved the rush-hour/Christmas-shopping traffic and packed parking lots and did that, and got back in time for dinner and for me to get to a meeting.

Snow and ice

The promised snow didn't start soon enough to prevent the kids from getting to school, but it did fall pretty much all day, adding another four or more inches to the stuff that came down at the weekend. So my parents had a very good excuse just to stay at home in the warm for the day.

I had a meeting to attend at Five Rivers in the afternoon, and set off walking along the uncleared road - only to get a call halfway to say the meeting had been cancelled.  So I trudged home and shovelled the drive instead.

The snow I don't mind as it is pretty, but as of last night it's cold enough outside to have frozen the hot-water pipe in the kitchen, and that is quite annoying.

Arrivals

My parents arrived safely this evening after an extremely long day of travel using multiple forms of transport.  There's a slight chance of being snowed in tomorrow morning, and they seem to be pleased by the possibility of not being able to go anywhere.

Dashing through the snow

Ten inches in all, we reckon.  The snow had stopped by lunchtime, leaving the Man with a nice lot of shovel-work.

The afternoon was hectic.  The Man had to be taken to work, the Girl had to be picked up from her sleepover and transferred to a Girl Scout meeting, and in the meantime 36 homemade cookies had to materialize from somewhere for a Girl Scout project.  Then I had to get myself into Albany (and find a parking place in the snow) because my refugee friends were once again celebrating all their four kids' birthdays at once. Then after that I rushed (carefully, on slushy roads) back to collect the Girl, and then I was straight into preparing dinner for a friend who is here on business from England...

With the dinner made, though...phew...the evening was much more relaxed and very enjoyable.

Yo, snow

There has been talk for a few days of a winter storm for our area - the first real one of the season, so it's had a big build up.  It has indeed been snowing (lightly) all day, and is set to get heavy overnight.  We'll know once it ends tomorrow if it's a 6 or a 12-incher.

Today the snow hasn't stopped us doing things we wanted to do, such as getting the Girl to a dance class and getting ourselves to the Farmers' Market for minor shopping and lots of chatting.  The Boy's buddy has been round, and the Man managed to drive his daughter to an out-of-town sleepover before the roads started getting really bad.

9:00PM.  The Man and I just had a little trudge around the block to check out the latest conditions. Yep, there's definitely some snow out there...

Cool pool

 

A while ago I visited a community store in Albany that provides free stuff for people in need. Yesterday I called by again at its new location, 274 Washington Ave, Albany - a former YMCA building.

It is a much bigger premises - big enough for two swimming pools.  In fact essentially it is two swimming pools, now drained and given a new function.  The pool with a level floor is being converted into a free clothing and books store and information centre.  The other pool, with an alarmingly steep slide down into the deep-end, is being used for storage and sorting.

The shower room is already in use as a household goods area, where people moving into accommodation after a period of homelessness can pick up all they need to get started in their own new home.

The former swimming pool complex is under the care of Grassroot Givers (one of my favourite local organizations).  Although they have the place rent-free, they are currently fundraising to heat the pool that they are converting into a store - at the moment it is a very cool space in one too many ways.

For local readers:  you can arrange to make your own tour of the coolest pools in town! Contact info in this link. Donations of clothes, housewares and gently used recent books are always welcomed, in particular children's books and men's clothing.

Farewell to my walking buddy

It is COLD here - quite below freezing.  However, that didn't stop me hiking at Five Rivers again this morning.  Alas, it was for the last time with my friend, who is all set to move this weekend. I'm sure she will soon find new stamping grounds in Philly - but we'll both have to find new people to stamp with.

Luckily for me, a couple of Five Rivers fans are flying in early next week from across the pond, to tide me over with company at least into the New Year...

Beautiful morning

Five Rivers was looking very lovely this morning:

Tune at noon

On the second Tuesday of each month, October-May, Troy Savings Bank and Music Hall lays on a free lunchtime concert: Music at Noon.  This being the second Tuesday in December, I went along to hear the Helderberg Madrigal Singers. 

I have had a soft spot for madrigal singers ever since a friend told me that someone she knew had signed up to join a college madrigal group thinking it was a dance troupe in the style of '70s Top of the Pops icons, Pan's People.  She though it was pronounced Mad Wriggle.

The only mad wriggling going on today was by a group of quite young children sitting to my right - and actually they sat pretty nicely through a whole hour of ancient music.  The singing was very pure and beautiful, enhanced by the Music Hall's famously excellent accoustics.

The singers stuck firmly to the pre-Classics - the most modern song was an 18th Century Shaker hymn.  When it came to the encore I did wonder if they were suddenly going to break out and sing an a capella version of Jingle Bell Rock - they even had a triangle at the ready... But no, they went for a rousing rendition of Gaudete instead.

I'd driven over to Troy in light snow.  By the time I came out of the theatre everything had a coating of white.  It hasn't really lasted, but it was pretty while it did.

Mind reading

I spent much of the day engaged with seasonal business, but I can't write about that here.

This evening I might have written some Christmas cards, but had to put it off because I was reading an enjoyable psychology book called You Are Not So Smart and I'd just reached a chapter about procrastination...

Tree Up, two to go

We put the Christmas tree up, and very fine it is, too - though perhaps a little over-crowded with decorations.  I may have to start doing some subtle culling.

Tonight the Man and I went out to a farewell party for the friends who came to dinner a few weeks ago - barring upsets, they hope to move to Philadelphia at the end of the week.  The party guests were a mixture of physicists and social activists, plus some football (soccer) enthusiasts - so there was much to talk about. 

Indian Ladder Tree

Friends of Five Rivers were selling t-shirts at the Farmers' Market this morning.  I spent a jolly couple of hours with last night's owl (today looking more like her normal self), not shifting huge amounts of stock but enjoying being there anyway.

In the afternoon our family went out in search of a tree.  I'd seen some lovely ones up at Indian Ladder Farms earlier in the week, so we decided to buy one from there this year.  After the usual amount of dithering, we picked one out and had it loaded onto the car.  Then we changed our minds and swapped it for another...  Anyway, we now have a tree out on the porch, waiting to come in and be decorated.  The Girl was pleased to see a couple of her farm friends (the human sort, rather than goats) while we were out.

I cooked kale (from the market) with garlic and mushrooms for dinner.  Oo, yum.  Have you discovered kale yet?  It is a wonder veg.

A winter tradition continues

It's the first Friday in December, which in these parts can only mean one thing - the annual world's-shortest Holiday Parade!

Like last year, I was coordinating two groups:  Friends of Five Rivers and Fair Trade.  Up until the last minute the latter looked like it was going to be a group of one (or at best, one plus a rather grudging Girl). But then a sixth grader showed up, more than willing to dress as a banana, and since she also had her mother and sister with her we made a respectable team.

Meanwhile, Friends of Five Rivers were well represented with banner bearers and two mascots.  One of my colleagues from the FFR Board managed to carry off the owl costume with a surprising and enviable degree of style.  The otter was in one of its shorter incarnations, animated by a member of my family.  I didn't get to see it (I had to race ahead to keep up with my banana) but apparently the otter had fun hamming it up to the large audience at the end of the parade who were waiting for Santa to arrive and light the Christmas tree.  But he was exhausted and about ready to faint after all that.

Like last year, the worst of the weather held off for the duration of the event, and icy sleet didn't start coming down until we were safely in the warm church hall tucking into cocoa and cookies.

Accent on harmony

We went to see the Boy performing with the 6th Grade band tonight.  103 young musicians, making a great sound - it was a real step up from elementary school performances.  Our Boy did a good job way at the back on percussion (triangle, xylophone and snare drum).  He also looked pretty smart, with his hair combed, his white shirt tucked in and sporting his dad's old school tie.

Earlier in the day I was in a bookshop and managed to delight some elderly ladies with my "lovely accent".  "We could listen to you all day!"  they claimed.  The owner of the shop knows the kids, and commented that they "don't have an accent at all."  So I had to remind her that actually the Girl still sounds thoroughly British, and that the Boy does have an accent - an American one.

It comes but once a year, but it somehow feels like it's more often

A quiet day for me, a chance to sit back and think...Blimey!  Only three weeks until Christmas!  How did that happen - again?

Is anyone sending actual Christmas cards this year, or has that become a quaint old fashionedy thing? 

Eats, shops and fundraises

There was a Friends of Five Rivers fundraiser tonight, held at two local businesses - Mangia Restaurant and Ben's Jammin' Treasures.  Both were donating 20% of what customers spent to fund environmental education programs, which was very nice of them.  We should know tomorrow how much money was raised.  There wasn't a huge turnout, but not too bad for a first-time event.

The guy who runs Ben's Jammin' Treasures (a gift shop with an art-space at the back - where tonight people could make paper-bag owls if they felt like it) is eager to build a community garden behind the building, and I was able to put him in touch with a couple of keen gardeners who were supporting the event.  So maybe something good will come of that, too - you never know.

Bags of fun

I'm involved with a fundraising event for Friends of Five Rivers taking place tomorrow that requires a crafting element.  So I spent the afternoon with paper and scissors making these.  Not my own inspiration:  Google "owl crafts" and you, too, may end up spending happy hours trawling through photos on Pinterest.

Joy to the world

The Man was up and out early with the Girl, who had a skating test in Troy (she passed).  I got to take it easy for the morning.  There was a quick scoot round town in the middle of the day to pick up lawn signs, then I got to take it easy in the afternoon, too, while the Man took the Boy and a friend to the cinema.

Tonight at dinner the Boy had one of his moments of bizarre verbal brilliance.  A propos of I-can't-remember-what, he decided to share some marketing advice.  "You see," he said, putting an arm round his sister's shoulder and flashing his best salesman's smile, "You have to imagine that you're selling joy!"

Whole careers have been based on less, I'm sure.

Fair enough

Usually after the Fair Trade Market I feel exhausted but exhilarated.  This year - more just exhausted, really.  Although the event was reasonably well attended, numbers and overall takings were down somewhat on last year, which was disappointing after so much hard work.

However, it was still a good event - the tables of crafts looked enticing, I met some new people, and interesting conversations went on around the room.  We could all have spent the day at home or at the mall, in which case we'd have raised no money for girls' scholarships in Guatemala, or for kids saved from the sex trade in Vietnam; nothing for women's projects in Kenya, for refugees in Thailand or for the families of Bosnian war widows...the list goes on and on.  So, although I wish we'd been even more successful, I'm still proud of what we achieved today.

I'm also looking forward to a meeting in the New Year with some of the key players at the market to discuss how we can get the numbers up again for next year - a chance to play with ideas and learn some new marketing skills...should be fun!

Market Friday

I had a busy and long day at the much-anticipated Fair Trade Market.  A few panics right at the start - one vendor didn't show up and a couple were late, and then a vendor we weren't expecting did show up... We had to do a bit of judicious table-shuffling, but it all worked out fine.

We had busy hours and slower periods, but there was a steady flow of visitors and people were spending enthusiastically - there were plenty of very lovely things to buy.  Mid-morning our caterers baked muffins in the kitchen, which made the hall smell as well as look particularly welcoming on a very cold day.

This evening I've been out for Japanese dinner with my husband and daughter (the Boy is at a sleepover).  Tonight, early to bed I think.  Tomorrow morning we start all over again with Market: day 2.

Cold turkey

Though of course, NOT a turkey - it's an OWL costume...  Oh, but what's the point?  On Thanksgiving Day, turkey it is.

I was the envy of the other walkers at the Turkey Trot this morning - no, seriously.  It was really cold, below freezing, and a big fat turkey/owl suit was just the ticket.  People asked to take my picture, which was novel for me.  The Man ran his 3 miles in good time, and I walked mine at a brisk pace. The children declined to join either of us.

Unfortunately, the Man then had to go off and spend the rest of the day at work dealing with a machine, so it was a quiet Thanksgiving at home for me and the kids.  But this evening I cooked a vegetarian feast, and then we all played a noisy game of Cranium, and we appreciated each other's company which I think is possibly the point of this day.

Frozen fireworks

It was setting-up day for the Fair Trade Market, which is always fun.  Several vendors will be coming in early on Friday with their stock, but what we have so far is already looking good.

Meanwhile, outside we had all sorts of freezy, rainy, sleety weather.  This evening Man, Boy and I dashed down to Bethlehem Middle School to watch fireworks in the snow - a "warm-up" (ha ha) event ahead of a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot tomorrow morning.  It was a sedately-paced fireworks display...one rocket at a time...until the very end when apparently someone thought, "Oh, what the heck - I'm just going to chuck a match in this box and see what happens..."  And voila, a dramatic finale.

I don't know if this has had any impact in the UK or not, but to Jewish friends celebrating Thanksgiving AND the first day of Chanukkah tomorrow - happy Thanksgivukkah! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this exact convergence of celebratory dates isn't due to happen again until the year 79811.

In the night...

...snow!

It's beginning to look a lot like...nah, not Christmas. We haven't had Thanksgiving yet...