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Make no mistake. I LLLLLLLLLLLOVE Winter!! Love it, Love it, Love it! I love the fresh crisp air. I love the beautiful white snow. I don't even really mind driving in it when necessary. The best days are the ones that are cold AND sunny, though rare. It's also very enjoyable when it's warm enough to run outside. My threshold for running is about 9 degrees, give or take a couple depending on the day. This is due to my asthma and not the fact that it's cold out.

Today was a great day for a run. I run on the sidewalks when they are clear, but in the winter I run in the roads. I try to stay on side streets, but since I live on a main street that is impossible 100% of the time. Running on the black top is much easier on the body than running on the cement, but I still go for the sidewalks when possible.

It felt good to get out today. Last week was a killer and I didn't get out at all. I was so excited to get out today! It was even worth getting soaked by the slop.

Thank you to all of the drivers who moved over when they saw me coming. It is greatly appreciated by both me and my family. It was wonderfully kind and considerate of you!

The snow will eventually leave until next season. The temperatures will warm above 40. Then you will see me out on my bike too!!!!! I saw someone on a bike on Friday. What a sincerely brave and amazing soul.

Isn't it awesome to share the roads with everyone?!

Have a wonderful day!

Wow what a day! I’m a planner. I never planned for this, though.

While at work my husband texted me that the kids had been evacuated from the elementary school. I was on the phone with a very understanding client. I listened to my voicemail and learned that the school had followed the procedures they had outlined for emergencies and my children were at the Church of the Living Waters’. This was somewhat comforting because I’m somewhat familiar with the building and I knew that their teachers and school staff were looking out for them and I was sure they had plans for this.

What I didn’t know was whether or not my son or his staff had an Epi-Pen with them. I was certain there would be food as it was lunch time and how better to pass the time and keep people calm than to feed them. You see for us safety has an entirely different meaning than it does for most. Shelter and caring, competent staff are awesome, but then there’s the food thing. As a child with an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts and tree nuts he was in danger of being exposed to a deadly, yes deadly, allergen in this environment and I had no control over it. So began my nightmare. My in-laws aren’t on the robo-call list, so they were completely unaware. The chief of police, who I am lucky to know, was busy, of course. What was the point in calling the school, after all it was evacuated? I could try the church, but wouldn’t all of the parents be doing that? I tried the village clerk, thank goodness, and Java’s. It made me feel better to know that someone with authority knew that I was a little panic stricken by the thought of my son in a potentially uncontrolled, hazardous environment and let’s face it, if you want to know anything you contact the local coffee shop, no matter where you live. I also tried the one teacher’s cell number I had just-in-case. Of course she didn’t answer; it was probably in her purse locked in the drawer of her desk, because who goes to work thinking they need to carry everything with them in anticipation of evacuation.

Fortunately for me, the school nurse had my cell number. She called. She had an Epi-Pen with her, but there was going to be food and we could come get him if we wanted to. Of course! Fortunately, having called my in-laws first they were waiting and ready to go when I called to pick him up. I thought I was breathing then, but when my father-in-law called to say he was in their car I suddenly realized that I still hadn’t been breathing; not even after the nurse’s call. In my mind, even though there was an Epi-Pen and competent people taking care of him, it was still a tenuous situation because there was going to be peanut butter, but once he was in his grandparents’ car that threat was gone and suddenly I really was breathing again.

Before I even got back to Le Roy I received the robo-call stating that the school was clear. There was no longer a threat and they had returned the children back to school for the day. Wow! Wow, because until that moment it had never really occurred to me that there could actually be a bomb there. I thought it was likely a hoax by a disturbed child who didn’t really realize what it meant. All of a sudden it occurred to me that precautionary measures have roots in reality. It could have been a true threat. It suddenly seemed more real. Wow, because the person who apparently put forth this hoax really did not have a true understanding of the depths, the varying levels at which this threat could go. Wow, because apparently with all of the planning we have done to make school safe for my son I realized I had no clue what the plan was for evacuation in regards to him. But mostly, Wow, because we are fortunate enough to live in a society that so proactively plans and is able to mobilize in such a quick fashion to ensure the safety of our most precious resources. We have staff at our school and in our village who know how to take care of business quickly and who do so without thought of harm to themselves. After all, whoever investigated this was taking a personal risk; there really could have been a bomb and it really could have gone off causing serious injury or worse…

When I arrived at my in-laws to pick up my children one was without backpack and hat and the other was without everything. That was probably the happiest I have ever been to see my children on a cold March day without proper outside attire. Will they end up with colds? Probably. Will those colds be a pain? Undoubtedly. Do I care? NOPE, because they are alive and colds are temporary!

So, what was the purpose of today’s rambling blog? Selfishly, I had to just kind of have diarrhea of the fingertips and get it all out because I don’t seem to be able to wrap my head around this entirely, even with all of my professional experience to back me up. Also, I hope that it made someone laugh because we all have our breaking point and I definitely know mine! I also hope it puts everything in perspective for everyone involved; it has for me.

Finally, I write this to thank everyone involved with keeping our children safe and for understanding the concerns of all of us panic stricken parents. What a truly hard, but worthwhile job you have, that I’m sure is not yet complete as I write this. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! We are all indebted to you!

I’m so grateful for living in such an advanced society!

What if we didn’t have cell phones? Or even worse, evacuation plans? Sure I would still be at work enjoying my ignorant bliss, but what if he was exposed to peanut butter? In hindsight, I’ll take today’s chaos over ignorant bliss any day!

As always, thanks for reading!

  1)  Did you ever wonder why they call the letter "w" a double "u", when its really a double "v" ?

  2)  Did you ever wonder why they call ground beef "hamburger", when there's no ham in it?

  3)  Did you know that the United States Mint has never minted or issued a coin called a "penny"? However, to this day, people still refer to the one cent piece as a penny. Do you know why?

  4)  If the term terrestrial refers to "of or relating to the earth or its living things" (as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary), then why is the possibility of allien life refered to as "extra" terrestrial? If they are allien and not of this earth, shouldn't the term be "non" terrestrial? 

  5)  Why do they call a grapefruit a grapefruit? It doesn't look like a grape to me, what about you?

  6)  Why do people say "God bless you" when you sneeze? Do they think you're possessed by the devil?

  7)  Why do they refer to distilled alcohol as "sprits"? Have you ever been haunted by it? (maybe the next morning, many of us can attest to !) 

  8)  Why is a quarter (25¢) still refered to as 2 bits?

  9)  Why do people refer to a "hot water heater" as such? If its allready hot, why would you be heating it?

  10)  Are you spending your precious time trying to find the answers to these silly questions? Are they driving you nuts? Good luck on your search.

1. BONUS: What are the following ?     è     æ     þ     ð     How and what are they used for?
2. We'll see if you're all as nuts as I am. I welcome your comments. 

Is this your kitty?

He showed up at our house on Christmas Day and is still here - safe, snug, fed, watered and happily using a litter box.  I don't think he had eaten in a few days, and he seemed genuinely freaked out by being outside in the cold.

Now, he's a great guy, but he can't stay.   We've got five existing adoptees and a baby; it's already Crazy Town here and we're playing musical rooms to keep everybody separated.

He's super affectionate and well-behaved.  He's clean, no ear mites or eye junk or apparent respiratory problems.  It's clear that he is a well-socialized and loving house cat.

If you are one of my neighbors in northeast Pembroke, you will have already gotten a flier about this.  If his home is further abroad than the exotic confines of Mogadore/Phelps Road, please contact me at fromtheboonies at gmail dot com.

If you dumped him, well, who am I to judge you.  He provided me the opportunity to take in a stranger in need on Christmas Day, and I'm grateful for the experience.  In any case the good folks at the Genesee County Animal Shelter (Volunteers 4 Animals) have 'room at the inn' for him, and he'll be taken there tomorrow unless his humans claim him sooner.

I'd also like to plug an organization I discovered while researching my his options: Spay Our Strays.   They rehabilitate feral cat colonies.  They run monthly clinics and the general idea is Trap, Spay/Neuter, and Release (or placement on a farm as a barn cat).

In this case their services aren't really appropriate since I think this guy lives in a house.  However, we get feral cats turning up out of the fields all the time and they drive our house cats absolutely nuts.  In one case there was a physical altercation that left us with a $250 vet bill.  I had no idea there was such an organization, but wow am I all for what they do and hope to assist their efforts going forward.

Thanks for reading!

Contact info again:  fromtheboonies at gmail dot com

 this country's is in dire need of help. the problem is nobody wants to give up qnything of their own. it is take it away from the other guy and leave me to live my life as i am now doing. wake up people we all have to make a sacrifice

Are you elderly, on a fixed income, and having a hard time making ends meet? Do you have to choose between eating or taking your medicine? Do you have to choose between paying the heat bill or freezing to death? Are you alone with nobody to watch over you or properly care for you? Are you tired of those ridiculous letters from the City of Batavia telling you that you have to paint your house, install a new roof, mow your lawn, etc.? (They don't care, they don't have to pay for it). Are you tired of paying ridiculous taxes that never stop increasing? Are you tired of seeing your tax dollars being spent on supporting the bums that are to lazy to work, or know how to manipulate the system to receive free public assistance? Is your head ready to explode because of the injustice?

                    I HAVE THE SOLUTION, COMMIT A CRIME AND GO TO PRISON

                Everything is free compliments of the happy tax payers! You get 3 squares a day, you never have to buy groceries or prepare your own meals; its done by others, and its free.You get all the eye care, dental, medical, and medicine you need; and its free, no limit. No more co-pays or generic drugs. Prisons only dispense the expensive brand name good stuff, they're not allowed to give out generic drugs like the rest of us have to take. You don't have to pay any utility bills, its all free. You don't have to pay any room & board, its free. Need an education? Didn't graduate or go to college? No problem, you can get your GED and a college degree, and its free. You get all the TV , radio, and computer  you want for free. You don't have to worry about paying taxes any more. You don't have to worry about a mortgage or fear of losing your home or losing your job, let the goverment house you and support you, its free. Feeling a little horny while in prison? No problem, you get conjugal visits for free (the rest of us have to pay for it, one way or another). Still don't like the way you're being treated? No problem, you can sue the state; and guess what, all the legal expenses and court fees are free. The state appointed prosecution and defence lawyers will drag it out for an appropriate period of time to put money in their pockets, and then settle out of court, with several thousand dollars of tax payer's money being awarded to the prisoner; and its all free! How can things possibly get much better? It sounds like the perfect retirement to me. Better yet, what's the sense in waiting for retirement age? You can join now, you don't have to wait. Its all free, you don't have to pay a single penny! That's right, you too can become a bum. 

     As for the rest of us law abiding hard working men and women that actually contribute to society, doesn't it give you a warm feeling all over when you pay your taxes? Doesn't it make you feel good when you look at your pay stub and see the deductions? Don't you just wish you could contribute more to the cause?

               I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had enough and I'm mad as hell ! But I'm just a peon unable to do anything about it.             

It's Friday morning. "Black Friday" is a display of idiocy that has been created and perpetuated by the media. It got me to thinking about our society. It is truly sad that more and more retailers stayed open on Thanksgiving this year. My own sister was unable to enjoy any kind of time with friends and family, and I know personally several other folks that had to work yesterday. Really? Have we as a people forgotten what is really important in life? My fear is, yes.

I can't remember the days of the blue laws. I can only rely on the information shared with me from older generations. No stores open on Sundays or holidays, unless you were a corner store or a mom and pop. I don't know your thoughts, but I believe that break in the week is a wonderful concept. A day to slow down, unwind, reflect and recharge. The 24/7 multitude we have become is, well, unbecoming. No stores needed to be open on Thanksgiving. Was it convenient? I guess it depends who you ask. For the moron that didn't properly plan(me), it was great. For the poor people working ALL DAY LONG, it was ridiculous. I felt genuinely bad that these workers, who aren't paid a great deal, had to forego what is truly important so I could buy a can of black olives. If I didn't have the option of going there, it wouldn't have been the end of the world.

Our corporate culture needs to re-evaluate what's what. While the bottom line is important, it shouldn't come at the expense of morale and tradition.

Saturday morning the wife and I went to Miss Batavia for a late breakfast.  This was our second time at the restaurant.  It has become our favorite spot for a sit down breakfast.

We walked in and its was empty but for a few tables.  We came in after the the morning rush and had our choice of seats.  The waitress came right over and handed us menus and took our drink order.  The drinks were at our table in under 2 minutes (which was great because I was still very thirsty from hockey earlier that morning).

Chelsea ordered a ham and cheese omelette with home fries and white toast, and an apple juice.  I had french toast and two eggs, over hard, with an orange juice. The food was terrific.  But the surprising thing was how fast it came out.  It couldn't have taken more than 7 minutes.  I know what we ordered doesn't take long to cook but it was still surprisingly fast.  The french toast was cooked to perfectly.  It was not the best I've had but it was very good.  The eggs (though admittedly hard to screw up) we also cooked perfect.  Chelsea's omelette looked very good and I know that her home fries were.  Her toast came out toasted.  I know that sounds dumb but I have had lots of experience eating slightly browned.  Miss Batavia's toast was fully toasted but not burned, just the way it should be.

The service we received was among the best we have ever had.  Sometimes when I got into a restaurant and am as thirsty as I was on Saturday, I have a drained glass on the table longer then a glass with amount of fluid in it.  That did not occur.  My glass was empty for maybe a minute before it was filled again.

The check came soon after we were finished (as the lunch customers came in).  it came to $16 and change.  I was surprised at how low the price was.  Both our plates were covered in food.  It certainly seemed well worth the price for what we got.

 Stop Wasting Money, NY. And Stop Wasting Your Vote on the same-o same-o lame-o Demicans and Republocrats, they never change

I consider myself a Patriot. I am a Federal Contractor working side by side daily with Federal officers and respect everything that they do and stand for.

I have proudly flown my American Flag every day for years and understand the "rules to flying an American flag".

For about the past year (after some misgivings on my part), because my girlfriend is from Canada and out of respect for her, I agreed to fly an American/Canadian flag that we found in Canada. Because nothing like it is available in America, the Canadian half of the flag is at the upper half and the US Flag is on the lower half.

We have had a lot of compliments on the flag and have also had a neighbor, who was born in Canada, ask us to find one for him.

Today I get a call mid day from my girlfriend telling me that we received an anonymous letter in the mail with a copy of an article telling us how to fly the American Flag with International flags. The sender probably didn't know how to structure a sentence properly to explain themselves.

So, because of this person I came home to find the flag taken down. If it were me, because of the cowardice way this was done, I would put it back up. My girlfriend, however, refuses to put it back up. No wonder some countries dislike Americans.

I realize that everyone has their own opinion and respect that, but........

DON'T BE A COWARD!

- Greg Siedlecki

An estimated 40 million small businesses and non-profits will face stiff penalties for failing to comply.  This massive increase in filing requirements breaches computerized accounting; 1099 paperwork requires hand-generated reporting.  Business offices will be forced to reprogram and overhaul their accounting procedures to comply.

A company that currently generates a dozen 1099s per year could file 600 reports when the system goes into effect in 2012.  Although big business will see little change under the new law, small businesses, particularly those that farm out tax preparation at $74 per hour will feel more pain at tax time.

The new regulation was under advisement during the Bush administration.  In preparation of the 2008 budget, discussions of a 'tax gap' - businesses not paying their fair share set the ball in motion.  Tom Henschke, president of the Pennsylvania-based SMC Business Councils, one of the first organizations to offer analysis of the 2010 health care amendment noted, “…two administrations can claim credit for this."

CPAs are recommending clients begin handing out W-9 forms in advance of the new law. W-9s document tax identification data for withholding purposes. Many small businesses are behind the curve in preparation for the change.  Although a tax gap surely exists- under-payment of $300 billion in federal taxes; penalizing small businesses, non-profits and local government with unreasonable cost and paperwork is onerous.  Honest business people shouldn’t be punished to enable the IRS to ferret out tax evaders. 

Congressman Scott Murphy who represents the Washington County region of New York authored H.R. 5982, the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2010. His bill would have eliminated the 1099 reporting requirement for small businesses. H. R. 5982 would have also closed tax loopholes for corporations who ship jobs overseas. 5982 came to a vote in July, but failed to garner the two-thirds majority required to pass.  Those concerned with the impact of expanded 1099 filings on our communities should contact their member of Congress and refer to H. R. 5982.

Fareed Zakaria writing for Newsweek:

While it (Al Qaeda) has inspired a few much smaller attacks by local jihadis, it has been unable to execute a single one itself. Today, Al Qaeda’s best hope is to find a troubled young man who has been radicalized over the Internet, and teach him to stuff his underwear with explosives.

I do not minimize Al Qaeda’s intentions, which are barbaric. I question its capabilities.

...

Five miles southeast of the White House, the largest government site in 50 years is being built—at a cost of $3.4 billion—to house the largest bureaucracy after the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs: the Department of Homeland Security, which has a workforce of 230,000 people.

This new system produces 50,000 reports a year—136 a day!—which of course means few ever get read. Those senior officials who have read them describe most as banal; one tells me, “Many could be produced in an hour using Google.” Fifty-one separate bureaucracies operating in 15 states track the flow of money to and from terrorist organizations, with little information-sharing.

Read the whole thing.

Last night the wife and I chose Larry's  as our destination to celebrate our one month-iversery.   We arrived at about 5:30.  We were greeted right away and led to table.  Service was terrific all night.

We both ordered the everyday special; a fourteen ounce New York strip steak with choice of side, soup, and a salad for $17.99. She chose the twice baked potato and I selected the regular baked potato.  I chose chili and she chose the cheddar broccoli soup.  For our salads I got the grape seed vinegarette and Chelsea chose ranch.

The soups came first.  The three bean chili came in a ceramic crock and was covered in shredded cheddar.  It was very hearty and delicious.  My only complaint was that it was not very spicy.   Chelsea's cheddar broccoli was a bit of a let down.  It didn't have quite enough flavor for me and Chelsea said it was lacking something.

The salads soon arrived after that and were terrific.  They were very fresh with several different types of lettuce.  Larry's is the only place I know of to get a grape flavored vinegarette.  It was tremendous.  Chelsea's ranch was also good, though to me ranch is kinda plain.

Next the steaks came.  I also ordered mushrooms for mine.  They arrived hot and juicy.  They cooked exactly to the temperature we ordered.  The top of my steak was covered in quartered mushroom caps as well.  The steaks were as tasty as you would expect from Steakhouse.

We really enjoyed our experience at Larry's and we are looking forward to going again.

My son and I fished Lake Erie yesterday. It amazes me that people don't recognize what a great smallmouth fishery Erie has.  Dang I look good.

A lot of people think, "Oh, it's capitalism -- if Walmart or Target can sell stuff cheaper than the local small business, well, that's just capitalism."

But what if those big businesses are getting advantages not available to the locally owned shop -- is it really fair competition?

The New Rules Project says that American corporations are sheltering profits in overseas locations, saving themselves as much as $34 billion in annual taxes.

Those are tax dodges not available to the mom-and-pop shop.

As it has always done in the past, Olde Tyme Days provided a day of fun and entertainment reminiscent of yesteryear. This year saw a record number of people turn out  to enjoy the event and I thought Batavian readers might enjoy these photos.

Always a high point at Olde Tyme Days is the town meeting - here being called to order.

Who and what is the subject of this years meeting? Why its none other than Cornelius!

The doc and the marshall listen as Cornelius is accused.

The tension builds as the charges are brought....

The marshall prepares to confront Cornelius...

as local townfolk add a bit of fuel to the fire.

Others, however, find the proceedings amusing!

Though Cornelius "skates" as always, a sense of justice - or humor - prevails. 

the maestro directs his charges!

a 21st century rendezvous man.

the little ones enjoyed themselves as the ponies earned their keep on this day!

The doc helps samples some of the homemade jam.

A West Jackson Corners side street.

what are these youngsters aiming at?

None other than Goliath.....

under the watchful eyes of this fellow, who also managed to keep an eye on a couple of roving explorers....those are his grandsons in photo below.

it was a great day at West Jackson Corners, with a good time had by all and by days end,

most were a bit spent.

 As soon as I turned 18, I registered to vote and looked forward to casting my first presidential ballot. Now, several presidential elections later, I find myself a bit disinfranchised with the process.

I can't recall the last time a Presidential candidate made any attempt to solicit my New York vote. Not that I expect them to knock on my door, but some attempt to make me feel that my vote is important to them would be nice. We, New Yorkers, seem to be ignored by one party (if they feel they can't win NY) and taken for granted by the other (if they feel they can't lose NY).

I'm sure that if I lived in a battleground state, such as Ohio or Florida, Presidential candidates would battle for my vote using tv spots, mailings and even public appearances. But NY is not a battleground state. It is now sadly referred to as a "Spectator State" - we get to sit on the sidelines and watch others elect our President. When it comes to electing our highest public official, every state should be a battlestate...there should be no "gimmees"!

I know I am not alone. I hear many people say that they don't even bother to vote in a Presidential election because they feel that their vote doesn't count. Oftentimes, I don't get to the polls until the very end. By that time, the news and various pollsters have already called the results for NY, making my vote, virtually unnecessary and unimportant. Meanwhile, they all wait with anticipation to see what happens in Ohio or Florida, etc. Why should my geography make my vote any less important?

The Constitution gives the states exclusive and complete control over the way they award their electoral votes. The current winner-take-all method of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the statewide winner is not in the Constitution.

A nationwide effort is underway to change the method by which we elect our President to one that reflects the nationwide choice of the people - by popular vote.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee a majority of the Electoral College to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The bill would reform the Electoral College so that the electoral vote in the Electoral College reflects the choice of the nation's voters for President of the United States

The National Popular Vote Bill (A1580B/S2286A) came one step closer to becoming law by overwhelmingly passing in the NY Senate on June 7, 2010 by a vote of 52-7. It will now go on to the Assembly. I am glad that my Assemblyman, Steve Hawley, "wholeheartedly" supports this legislation.

Hopefully, one day, all votes will be created equal.

Check out www.NationalPopularVote.com for more information.