This is what the view looked like outside my window yesterday.
And this morning,
Here’s another one of the car. Good thing I’m not going anywhere this morning.
I spoke to someone who lives about 20 minutes away and they didn’t get any snow. The big difference is that we live on a mountain, in fact, from the end of my road, I can look down on the top of a sky slope across the valley.
We just received a call that tonight’s New Lebanon Board of Education meeting has been canceled.
Let us know if you hear of any other closings and we will post here. Just email them to
jeff@columbiacountycurrent.com
Taken Tuesday, January 15, 2008 in East Chatham, NY
Winter Explorations is a series of walks exploring nature in our local surroundings during the winter months. The walks are conducted by Conrad and Claudia Vispo of the Farmscape Ecology Program and focus on winter botany (woody and herbaceous plants), observing evidence of active winter animals, and exploring the visible interactions of human and natural history.
The group plans to visit several areas over the course of three walks this winter. The first walk was to have happened last month, however, the second is this Sunday (January 13, 2008) and the third is scheduled for Sunday, February 3, 2008.
Sunday’s walk is planned to happen at New Forge state forest, however, the final decision on that location will be made tomorrow (Saturday).
DETAILS:
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Ages: All
Location: New Forge state forest (New Forge Rd #2, off Rt 82, Taghkanic)
Price: Free
Registration: Registering in advance is recommended so that you can be notified of changes in location. To register, please contact Conrad and Claudia at 518.781.0243 or fep@taconic.net
Additional details can be found at www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org
Given the long warm fall we are finally seeing come to an end, it’s difficult to imagine that the Northeast is facing a chilling reality as we head into winter. However, according to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal Online, the cost of heating-oil is surging to record numbers and the result will be people who can’t afford to heat their homes and smaller oil dealers who have sold heating oil under fixed-price contracts could face bankruptcy.
Lawmakers across New England are scurrying to enact legislature that would help the neediest of people but what can we do ourselves?
For starters, make sure you have enough insulation in your attic and walls if possible.
Caulking drafty windows can also affect how much oil you need to heat your home.
Make sure your furnace is working properly and if you have one, give your wood-burning stove a good cleaning.
Don’t turn your thermostat up above the desired temperature. Or better yet, invest in a programmable thermostat.
Keep the curtains and blinds of any south facing windows open during the day to capture the sun’s warmth and closed at night to keep it.
Check out this page on About.com for more ideas on how you can save money on your home heating costs this winter.
Columbia County Current 