SPECIAL SHORTS (12/12/2008)
By Gerlind Dubey

Yearly I watch the annual Christmas Stroll in amazement; the wonderful pageant brings community and visitors together in the celebration of Christmas. Santa was smiles as he rode in on a John Deer tractor to sit in wait at the 1887 building. The wait was short for soon there were children galore scampering on his lap, and whispering in his ear their wishes for Christmas. This year, before and after the Stroll I wandered throughout the village. First visiting one of my favorite haunts, The Barn which was magically transformed into Mrs. Clause’s Kitchen, where tiny and not so tiny tots were treated to cocoa and cookies. Mrs. Clause and Auntie Clause were assisted by many elves, many of which in real life are our local volunteer group, the Alley Cats; This group deserves a five star rating, not only do they bring their green thumbs into the village every Tuesday in the summer to tend the beautiful flowers they bestow on the village, the Alley Cats rally in winter to decorate our Village focal point; the Gazebo.

Joey D has a grandson- in the midst of the Christmas Stroll Jim Carls, with two angels in tow, was informed that his wife, Dina was in labor. All is not so calm, however ALL IS WELL!

RISING STAR …I had the pleasure of watching and listening to Meg Johnston sing at Tips Up last Saturday night. What a spectacular voice this girl has, to listen to her sing a rendition of My Funny Valentine- visit Meg Johnston's You Tube page.

DOES TEXTING AND TYPING IN COMPLETE CAPITALS MEAN YOU ARE SHOUTING? I was informed about some Email etiquette, why, because when I am in a hurry I tend to type in all caps; I hadn’t a clue that- as a rule, typing in capitals is generally viewed as the internet equivalent of shouting. COLOR ME SURPRISED

DON’T FORGET… tomorrow night, Saturday the 13th of December; ASK DESIGN JEWELERS invite you to a night of Jewelry, Champagne & Gifts; Couples welcome! Browse this wonderful new addition to Washington Street; it’s not just the unique jewelry that speaks of artistically crafted beauty!
CALL FOR ARTISTS … The Southern Tier Biennial (STB) is a juried art competition and exhibition open to artists of the eight counties of New York State’s Southern Tier. The 2005 and 2007 shows were tremendous successes, with hundreds of artists entering, creating shows that showcased the vitality and diversity of contemporary art in the region. This project is collaboration among the Cattaraugus County Arts Council, Olean Public Library, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, and now, Jamestown Community College. The deadline to enter is February 14, 2009.

SNOW AND MORE SNOW: The Farmers Almanac was certainly wrong about their November prediction’ it states the following for our area; “After a mostly mild November!” What planet where they on when they made this prediction? We got more snow in November of this year than in we’ve had in years. Holiday Valley Resort reports a record snowfall of 89 inches. A friend who lives on top of Bryant Hill on the Franklinville side reported that as of Dec.5, 2008 he has measured snowfall accumulations of 100 inches plus. And it isn’t even officially considered the winter yet!

Beyond skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing....   there are some unique projects you can do with ice and snow. Photographing snowflakes in the wild is a wonderful adventure or simply watch snowflakes fall; If you look closely at falling snow, you can see a great many different crystal shapes.  There’s a lot more to see than you might think! All it takes is a little imagination, patience, and some interest in observing Nature’s art. A small pocket magnifier comes in handy to view snowflakes. You may be amazed by what you find falling out of the sky on a cold winter’s day! 

BABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE; FEED THE BIRDS… Birds provide a terrific doorway into nature, they engage in fascinating behavior that never ceases to interest me. Step up your feeding to help garden birds through these cold months; providing shelter, water and food for our feathered friends are an enjoyable way to bird watch. For me there is something special and soothing about feeding birds, and watching their antics as they dine on my special treats.