Wells Memorial Library Flood

Irene hit our neck of the woods on Sunday and drenched us with 11 inches of rain. The Ausable River proved it was too much for her to handle and our communities took a beating. Many roads, houses, and businesses have been damaged and destroyed. Our home up on the hill kept us safe and we were very fortunate to not have any damages. Friends and favorite businesses were not as blessed and my heart aches for everyone affected.

Here is a picture taken across the road from the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay during the storm.

Before the river receded it was six feet high touching the top of the speed limit sign. Many tears were shed the next morning when we walked in and saw the main floor covered in inches of mud with the basement completely flooded to its ceiling.

Over the last few days we have shoveled out mud, pumped the water out of the basement and have begun the process of discarding several books and other items that were caked with mud and completely drenched.

The library cannot thank members of the community enough that have been able to help us in the first steps to recovery. This will be a long process of restoration. Now is as good enough time as any to thank you once again for helping me raise over $1300 in my run for reading. The money was placed into our capitol fund and that money will be used to help us get the library back up and running.

However, we are finding out it will take much more. We are getting a tremendous response from those after hearing that we have lost about a half of our books, but we are not ready to take book collections at this time. The library is focusing on the needs of our building and equipment. Financial contributions outweigh our need for books at this time. If you are interested in helping in anyway, please send donations to:

Wells Memorial Library

Post Office Box 57

Upper Jay, NY 12987

Great Blue Heron

I am happy to report that after the recent stoning of a heron down at the Covered Bridge, I was greeted by a new heron sitting by the rapids this morning.

After seeing the other heron on many morning runs, I was so sad to hear that one of my daily pleasures had been taken away from me. This morning's heron filled me with happiness, what a great way to start the day.

Gone Postal

The time has come when I can finally reveal the use of the thingamajig that we purchased at the Adirondack Attic last week. A mailbox post to rest the fabulous mailbox my crafty sister painted for us!

I'll provide you with a close up of her paint job.

Landscape with Covered Bridge, Jay, NY

I have to say, I'm pretty lucky to have her as my big sister. As kids we frequented a mailbox that played music and since she remembered how obsessed I was by it, she took a musical card that played, "Super Freak" and had an engineer at work attach it so when you opened the mailbox, it would burst into song. The postman first opened it this morning and had a surprise tune. I'm guessing the music startled him because he delivered a letter addressed to the wrong person.

After 3 1/2 years of driving to the post office for our mail, we can simply walk down the driveway to retrieve it. Now we'll just have to see how our mailbox does against the snow plow this winter.

Magic

Let me tell you a little story about what happened to me at work today. I was helping a customer and before he left, he asked me what my favorite color was. I said red. He then made me a balloon animal. Super fast. Like, really really fast!

Apparently he is the world's fastest balloon artist. For real. He goes by, Thomas Blacke, Mysteriarch. Oh, and then he showed us his speedy rubik's cube skills. Impressive again. Not only did I get a balloon animal for my desk, but I also got to tie together the hands of the world's fastest magician and escape artist with a leather belt type thing and in less than a blink of an eye his hands were free.

Just last year he escaped from a pair of handcuffs underwater in 8.34 seconds! I can't make this stuff up. How was your day at work?

Adirondack Attic Thingamajig

As a non-tourist in the area, the first thing that got us to stop at the Adirondack Attic in Keene was the Tourists sign out front. We wanted it. It wasn't for sale.

After checking out the thrift store today, we thought we were going to leave empty handed again until my eyes darted over to the barn out back and I saw some sort of wooden accessory for a tractor or some other kind of farm machinery. The first time we looked through the barn's odds and ends, we didn't even notice it. After inquiring about the item, the friendly sales lady called the owner and we were in luck, it was for sale and so we bought it!

So dear readers, what is it and what do you think we are going to do with it? Stay tuned...

little things

"It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having

as little misery, and as much happiness as possible." - Samuel Johnson

take time to enjoy the little things. happy summer!

Lucky Lindy Dog Biscuits

This weekend was the second time I've tasted Lucky Lindy Dog Biscuits. Yes, you read that correctly. With a claim such as, "It's people food that's good for dogs," of course I'd sample them, especially after reading the list of ingredients and seeing no by-products and only "human food" products. After trying both flavors, Sweet Potato, Maple Syrup & Cinnamon and All Natural Cheese Pizza, my taste buds preferred the Pizza.

I did not eat the Big "Bark-A-Licious" Bones, I sampled the petite treats, made for smaller dogs. I must say, I stopped at only one treat because it did leave a strange after taste and found myself picking out doggy biscuit remnants from my teeth, probably something that dogs don't worry about.

Natalie, the doggy chef and owner, makes a variety of biscuit sizes so you can choose the size that is just right for your dog. She can be found at the Lake Placid Farmer's Market on Wednesdays, where you too can sample a treat, but for those of you that I have already convinced that your dog will love her treats, you can order them from her website.