Jesus Christ Sculpture by Veronica Terrillion, Easter 2024

Jesus sculpture by Veronica Terrillion, Croghan, NY.  photo by Gary Walts

 It is Easter Sunday 2024. A couple months ago I snapped this photo of Jesus as sculpted by the late folk artist Veronica Terrillion, Croghan, NY. It its part of her "Woman Made Garden" that has fallen into a certain amount of neglect. Many years ago I met with her a number of times. Once was to photograph Her and her artwork for Adirondack Life Magazine.  Much of her work is now gone and what remains is overgrown and showing the wear of time and weather. However, it still remains inspiring and memorable. 

Cold Palm Sunday, Auto Inspection, Water Heater Replacement

Palm Sunday morning was 7 degrees.

I had an easy Palm Sunday. Got up and the temperature was 7 degrees. That's pretty cold. So I stayed close to home. Monday morning I dropped the Better Half's car off at Main Auto Parts, Watertown, for annual NY State inspection and an oil change. Then I got a call from daughter S telling me the tenant above her on Franklin St had no hot water. Checked it out and the water heater was in tough shape. leaking.  Brother Al assisted me and we went to Home Depot to buy electric water heater. Oddly, the 40 gallon size was $60 cheaper than the 30 gallon. 

40 gallon water heat, some supply lines
and a gallon of paint total was $567.36

Then the garage calls and says we need new front brake pads and rotors. So they do that. 

I set to work on the water heater. Wrapped that up about 7:00pm. Drove home to get the Better Half and drive her  into town to pick up her car. 

Wintery Weather Returns: Snow and Cold in March

 

March 19 we had a picturesque snowfall here in Chaumont NY. This is our backyard.

Wintery weather has returned to us here in Northern New York. The first couple of weeks this month we had temperatures in the 50's and 60's, I believe some areas set new records for warm temps. Yesterday we awoke to 14 degrees here in the village of Chaumont.  A few days earlier we had a classic, Currier and Ives picture snowfall. Slow falling, large fluffy snow.  This morning (Saturday 23rd) we have about 3 or 4 inches of snow and temp of 23. Chilly, chilly.

Yesterday's temp was a cool 14. Today it's 23. 

Dogs in Stores: They Don't Belong There

 

A unattended dog in a Price Chopper grocery store. 

In recent years I have noticed a growing trend of people taking their dogs into stores. I find this disturbing and inconsiderate and potentially dangerous.They do not belong there. One dog in a Lowe's store set his eyes on me and growled menacingly while I was checking out.  Another time I saw two different dogs engage in a fight in a Home Depot. Their owners quickly brought it under control. A few months ago a supposed service dog was stretched out on the floor at a grocery store I frequent. Yesterday in Was-Mart a customer had a dog on one of those long, extendable lashes. That leash does nothing to keep the dog in his owner's "space."

Clearly the leash is too long and creates a potential hazard. This dog ran across the aisle in front of another shopper to check me out. It could have been a disaster.

New Door on Franklin St and a Bat In Our House June 1, 2023

This entry is from a draft I saved back on August 10, 2023. The events took place on May 31 and June 1, 2023. 

Bat on a glue board captured I our home in Chaumont, NY.

 Yesterday I spent most of the day installing a new back entrance door on our lower rental unit at 807 Franklin St, Watertown, NY.  I began about 10:00, had some unexpected assistance by Rick Seymour (my daughter's ex). He saved me hours of work. It was about 80+ degrees. That evening I grilled some hotdogs and the Better Half made a delicious macaroni salad. 

It was good day. I went to bed about 11:00. Three hours later (2:00am) the Better Half woke me and said there was a bat roosting on the bathroom door. WOW! This is the 3rd bat in our house in course of 7 or 8 years. I slammed the bathroom door shut, sealed it up with tape and forgot about it util today.

With bat locked in bathroom I went back to Franklin St house and did some finish work on new door install. At 1:00 picked up a grocery order at Hannaford's. At 3:00 I went upstairs to check on the bat. The animal was roosting on a mirror. I walked up to it with a glue board (designed to catch rat & mice) stuck it on him and it was successfully trapped. 

Jesus Sculpture by Veronica Terrillion Croghan NY

I present here a photo I snapped on March 7, 2024. It is a cement sculpture of Jesus Christ created by Veronica Terrillion. t is at the home she built in Croghan, NY. Trrillion did in 2003. Not a lot remains of her "woman made garden". What is left is weathered but still vibrant and beautiful. 

Jesus and some animals. Cement sculpture created by Veronica Terrillion on an island in a pond at here home in Croghan, NY.  photo by Gary Walts

On this particular day I was doing some work in one of our apartments at Clay St, Watertown. It was sun shiny and nice outside. At 1:00 I contacted the better half and suggested I drop what I was doing and we take a drive. So we went to Lowville to O'Brien's Farm to buy some cheese curd. Then we drove to Croghan and bought some Croghan Bologna at the Croghan Meat Market. Then we drove by Terrillion's place. Years ago I did a couple of photo stories about her and her art for the Post-Standard newspaper. I later photographed her for Adirondack Life Magazine.