Corrections Officer Academy Graduate and More

 Friday December 20, 2024.

Grandson JJ with his kids at academy graduation where he became an NY State Corrections Officer.

Grandson JJ Walts graduated from the NY State Corrections Officer Academy in Albany, NY.  I got up at 4:00am to drive his mother (my daughter) from Watertown to his place in Adams so she could be there by 5:00. She went with his girlfriend and their 2 kids to the graduation ceremony, a 3 hour drive. 

A great buy at the Runnings store in Watertown. 

The Runnings store on Arsenal had a great sale on 1/2 inch Dewalt battery powered impact wrench. It was $199.00 including case, battery. These tools normally go for $350.00  I've been wanting one for quite some time and at this price I jumped on it. Merry Christmas to me. 

A chicken chimichanga for dinner at Jeb's in Lowville, NY. Absolutely delicious 

At 5:00 pm I drove my son T to Lowville where he needed to pickup his car that had been in the garage for repairs. Celebrity Brother Al went along. There was wet snow roads most of the way. We stopped at Jeb's restaurant in Lowville and had a great dinner. T & I each had chicken chimichangas with side of beans and rice, lettuce. It was most excellent. Al had a fish dinner.  Got back home to Chaumont about 9:00

Snowman Christmas decoration outside Jeb's restaurant in Lowville, NY

Snow, Wind, and Power Outage today in Chaumont, NY

 

Snowy scene in Chaumont, NY today. View of my neighbors place from our backyard. 

Awoke to very high winds today, strong gusts at times. Blowing snow and new lake effect snow carried by the winds. Thought we might have a tree or two blow down, but that didn't happen. However about 8:15 this morning our electric power service went out. It came back on around 10:30. This afternoon we decorated our Christmas tree. 

Our Christmas tree, decorated this afternoon, Thursday December 12, 2024

I Take 11,000+ Steps Shoveling Snow, December 2, 2024

 

Clay St apartment house during lake effect snowstorm.

I shoveled snow at our Watertown apartment houses after the lake effect snowstorm dumped about 4 feet of the white stuff in the city. This would bee the big storm right after Thanksgiving Day. I spent three hours at Clay Street cutting through the snowbank and clearing section of te driveway. Then I went to our Franklin St place where I helped my daughter S shovel section of her driveway. I spent better than an hour there. It was satisfying work, great outdoor exercise. I truly enjoy it. My iPhone recorded that I walked 11,979 steps this day. 

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Our Franklin St. house,  Dec.2, 2024

Daughter S shovels snow, Franklin St., Watertown, NY.

Photos First Snow of Winter 2024-2025 Watertown, New York

 

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

I snapped these photos in Watertown, NY, yesterday which was the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. The weather services have been predicting as much as 5 to 6 feet of lake effect snow could hit parts of Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties. 

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

Lake effect snow hits Watertown, NY on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. photo copyright Gary Walts

Thanksgiving 2024: Turkey Prep and Soap Bubbles

 

Detail of soap bubbles in a coffee cup. Most fascinating. 

It is November 28, 2024, Thanksgiving Day. I thawed our 23 pound frozen turkey by immersing it in  water in cooler. Changing the water every 30 minutes. It worked well. It had already begun thaw in the refrigerator for about 3 days befor finishing it yesterday in the water bath. This morning I dried the bird, rubbed it with olive oil and sprinkled Bells Poultry seasoning all over it. I also put some carrots, onions, and celery chunks in the cavity. During clean up my eye caught the soap bubbles in a coffee cup. Fascinating. 

Soap Bubbles caught my eye during cleanup this morning.

Thawed the turkey in a water bath, changing it every 30 minutes. 

23 pound turkey for this years Thanksgiving dinner.

Halloween 2024 at Our House in Chaumont, NY

Our candy supply for 2024 Halloween Trick or Treaters

Halloween here in Chaumont, NY was exceptionally wrm and nice. A bit breezy and 72 degrees. That resulted in a record number of trick or treaters showing up at our door. We always hand out full size candy bars that we buy at Sam's Club. We had 140 candy bars and had 160 trick or treaters. When we got down to 20 bars grandson N and his girlfriend ran to the Dolar General and picked up a couple of mixed bag  small bars. Thast carried us through to the end. Most years we average 100 to 120 trick or treaters. 

Me enjoying a beer and the warm weather, all set for the Trick or Treaters.

Guitar Gig at Orion Art Gallery

I play guitar at Orion Art Gallery's Halloween party. I love this photo
snapped by artist Alice Elisabeth.

This is photo of me playing guitar at Orion Art Gallery, Mullin St, Watertown, NY. I felt I played well and the music was received well.  Played 6-8:00, enjoyed good food and company. 

It was a beautiful day here in the north Country, temperature hitting 72 degrees, sunny. The Better Half & I had breakfast a a diner/bakery here in the village of Chaumont.  Afterwards I raked some leaves, prepared some food for tomorrow's Halloween party at our house. The gig went well and finished the evening watching the5th game of the World Series between the NY Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won tonights game 7-6, clinching the World Series title. 

First Wood Fire of Season

 

It's been a beautiful Fall this year. This is the view from the driveway of our Clay St Watertown apartment house. It is looking South at Keyes Ave

We lit a fire in our wood stove today, the first of the season. Usually we start using it much earlier than this. The weather has been very mild and warm this Autumn season so we have been using our oil furnace. This morning nephew Tim, the realtor,  came by and talked to us about the ins and outs of selling our Clay St property. In afternoon I raked leaves while the Better Half went to a dental appointment. While raking leaves neighbor kid across the street came over and was selling tickets for a Chicken Bar B Que dinner, $15.00 apiece. It's a fund raiser event for the Lyme Central School class of 2025. I bought four tickets.

It was a beautiful day today, high only reached 50 degrees but it was wonderful for October in the North Country.

Lit first fire of the season today in our Regency model FM2400 wood stove.

Tickets for Chicken BBQ Fundraiser for the Lyme Class of 2025.
My neighbor's son was selling them. I bought four.

Dead Squirrel In Open Live Trap - Very Strange

Look carefully and you can see squirrel in the trap, the trap door wide open at right. The animal was dead. This was most strange to me.

A very strange incident occurred here. I found a dead squirrel in a live animal trap I had set in our backyard. What made it strange was the trap was never sprung. The trap door was open and the squirrel was  laying dead inside. It's incomprehensible to me how the creature enters the trap without tripping the door shut.  With the trap door open it was free to enter and leave the trap at will. How did it die? Did it just walk into the trap and lay down and die? I examined it and could see nothing obvious that caused it's death. It's as if someone placed a dead squirrel in the trap and then set the door open. I can't explain it.

Found this critter laying dead in a live animal trap. The door was open, the animal wasn't trapped. I can find no obvious reason how it died.

Photos Of Red Paint

 

Gilidden exterior house paint separated after sitting for over a year. It caught my eye.

It was a warm day that reached 71 degrees here in Chaumont, NY. I need to paint our garage but today just painted the doors. I open a new can of paint that was in need of stirring as it has been sitting for a year or so. I took the lid off the can and instantly was drawn to photographing it. It "caught my eye" as I like to say. So I present here a few of the snaps I made.  

    It took about half an hour to paint one door. After this job I went to Clay St and fixed the garbage disposal in Apt 2. There was a fragment of metal in itthat was creating huge amount of noise. 

Gilidden exterior house paint separated after sitting for over a year. It caught my eye

Found Art. Paint can lid 

Our garage doors being painted. Will require a 2nd coat. 

Cleaning the paint brush in our "slop" sink. This too caught my eye.

All photos obviously are copyright Gary Walts 2024

I Remove a Deer Tick From My Skin

Deer Tick photo I found in Google search. I have no idea
who or where to credit this photo. It is NOT my photo.

I wake up today and discover a deer tick is embedded in my skin, on my stomach  area. I applied some hand sanitizer on it and it began to move, slowly. I then pulled it out with some tweezers. It's very tiny. I snapped picture of it with a Sony A6600 camera and a Minolta 50mm f2.8 macro lens. I then went to urgent care in Watertown where I waited around for 2 and half hours. Was prescribed an antibiotic as the tick can spread lyme disease as well as a number of other ailments.  I must have picked the creature up in our yard as I was outdoors there for most the day. 

Otherwise the day was warm, mild, partly overcast. iPhone reports I have walked 3,090 steps today. 

Also replaced head light bulb in the Better Half's car today. Those things cost $20.00

Deer tick I removed from my skin. Photo made withSony a6600
camera and Minolta 50mm macro lens.

Deer tick I removed from my skin. Photo made withSony a6600
camera and Minolta 50mm macro lens.

Stayed Home Today; Black Beans, Chuck Roast in Smoker

 

Pot of black beans simmering on the stove

I stayed home today in Chaumont, NY. Took day off from Clay St apartments. It was sunny, mildly windy, high of 64 degrees. A wonderful day weather wise.  Poor nights sleep so I arose at 8:00 am. That's late for me.

I made a pot of black beans. Used 2 cups dry black beans, Jimmy Dean's hot sausage, red bell pepper, 3 white onions, some garlic, all in one pot with 8 cups chicken broth.

I put a well rubbed 3 and 1/2 pound beef chuck roast in the smoker at 12:30. That roast, by the way, cost $4.99 a pound at Hannaford grocery store. Piddled around the yard doing some lawn work. Saw the woodchuck that has been troublesome. Took a shot at it with my air rifle and missed.

Brother Al dropped by for short visit. Just long enough to have a beer. The Better Half n I took a drive to the lake, Wilson's Bay to be exact. Got back at 5:30 at which time we proceeded to eat dinner. 

Along with the beef we had a most excellent macaroni salad prepared by the Better Half. 

Beef chuck roast and potatoes in the smoker. The beef was in there for about 4 hours.

In all it was a wonderful day. My iphone recorded 4,373 steps for the day.