More Snow

[poliphilo]

It's snowing again. Only this time there's no thaw.  We cancelled a medical appointment for fear of getting stranded on the high ground. The snow is firm and crisp. As I walk up the street it makes a sound like bubble-wrap popping.

Comments

[barbarakitten-t.livejournal.com]

The snow is firm and crisp. As I walk up the street it makes a sound like bubble-wrap popping.

what a lovely phrase...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Snow is usually said to "crunch" but I listened hard and tried to think what the noise really reminded me of.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

It's so cold here it squeaks when you step on the snow. We're in for a LOT this week, I guess. If my Holga ever arrives, I'm going to take a day off and take pictures...

And I"ll post them. Or send copies to you or something.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The snow just keeps coming back.

I'm looking forward to seeing your "Holgas".

[morrison-maiden.livejournal.com]

I love that sound from snow. We're supposed to have a small storm here too

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Most of our snow has melted since this morning, but- would you believe it- there's more on the way!

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

The sound I like best from snow? the silence. I live on a busy street - four lanes. When we get snow - the great big flakes from the west that mean lake effect - it starts to get quieter, and quieter. Pretty soon the only sound you can hear are the snowplows.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"lake effect"- I love that phrase.

This is always a quiet network of streets, but today it was even quieter.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

Lake Effect. this part of the state, we are always talking about Lake Effect. The Lake in question is Lake Ontario (MY lake). It is responsible for our rain in summer, and our snow in winter. It ks one of the reasons our part of the country has the climate that it has - the fruit from the Lake Ontario valley, especially the apples, is the best. Yes, better than Washington state. It's because (normally) the cool waters of the Lake keep the trees from blossoming until there is a very small danger of frost, and in the autumn the warmer waters of the lake allow the fruit growers to be able to keep the fruit on the trees until it is truly ripe. We have pears, and apples, and the most delicious peaches in the WORLD.

I'll try to remember the benevolence of the Lake this next week. "They" are threatening us with some of the most winterlike weather we've had yet this season.

And now, I must pack my clothing for tomorrow, for I intend to get to the gym. I made it four days last week, and I'm going to try my hardest to make it four days THIS week.

Hey - my Holga arrived. But I have no film...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This makes me think of the Lassithi plateau in Crete.

Most of Crete is burned up by the sun and the only possible crop is olives, but the Lassithi plateau is high up in the mountains and enjoys a temperate climate and they can grow apples and pears and plums.

According to legend Zeus was born in a mountain cave overlooking Lassithi.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

NYS is one of the few STates that borders on the Great Lakes and the ocean. We have mountains. We have the Finger Lakes where some the best wine in the U.S. comes from (I'm constantly arguing with my friend Derek about this, because he is a snobby Californian...)

As much as I hate the winters, we have beautiful summers. Because of the snowy winters...

sorry. I was suddenly overwhelmed with affection for NY State.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And why not?

One of the reasons I post photos is that I love this place and want other people to know about it.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I must admit, your photos make me want to investigate further. I've always wanted to visit England anyway, to me it seems romantic and much older than *here*.

"Oh to be in England..."

But not during Wimbledon.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Round here nothing is THAT old.

Lancashire was one of the last wildernesses and the earliest buildings are the stone farmhouses dating from c.1700. Oldham town centre is Victorian and 20th century and the oldest building to have survived is an 18th century Methodist chapel.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

Now see, I never would have known that if you hadn't told me...such a typical American, everything in England is older and more historical than what *we* have.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The same goes for Manchester. It's essentially a 19th century city.

Though I have to add that it was founded by the Romans. It's original name was Mamucium.:)

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I live in Liverpool...I have no idea why 'we' were named Liverpool, we certainly are not a shipbuilding port, etc.

I guess I should go check it out. I can tell you about the industries in old Liverpool - willowbasket weaving, and salt. It's what put us on the map.

Such as we are.

some history of willow baskets in CNY

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

In 1852, John Fischer took a day off from his job in the salt industry where he had worked since coming to the United States from Germany. On his way to visit a friend who lived in the small settlement of Euclid, north of the village, he discovered a field of wild willow. The reeds looked like reeds he had used in Germany to weave baskets. Mr. Fischer thought he could use the willow to weave baskets such as those he had crafted back in his native country.

John Fischer cut the willow and took it home. He made the first basket and sold it to a Liverpool woman who paid him 50 cents. Othere people wanted baskets, too. He decided to send a letter to Germany inviting his family and friends to join him in Livepool. Thirty families settled here and supported themselves by making and selling willow baskets.

At first the weavers gathered whips, or reeds, wherever they could find them growing wild. After a while, however, the demand for baskets increased so much that they needed a steady supply of raw material. Around 1968 the first field of cultivated willow was harvested on the Andrews farm near Cicero. Willow was harvested in the fall when the whips had grown to about eight feet high. Men cut the clumps at the root, and the roots would continue to produce more willow each year without re-planting. Swampy or rocky soil which would not support other crops was ideal for willow. Between two and six tons of whips could be gathered from one acre of land.

The baskets were made by entire families working together in shops behind their homes. In early winter, the air around the homes carried a sharp odor of willow bark. Workers steamed the whips which had been gathered in the fall. Steaming loosens the bark so that the whips can be stripped and readied for weaving. Men, women and children helped run the whips through a tool called a "break" or "bark cracker." Then, children peeled the remaining bark off the reeds. This job left hands stained and sore. Families often sang and told stories as they worked. Some children watched their parents and learned the craft of basket weaving from them. Women sometimes made the bottoms of baskets, then set them aside to be completed by the men. Working a 10 hour day, a weaver produced about a dozen baskets.

Basket weaving was primarily a "cottage industry," one which involved small family groups working in their homes. A few ambitious businessmen operated small factories in which they employed up to two dozen non-family workers. Men who worked in the basket shops earned between one and three dollars a day. Women earned only a quarter. The peak production year in the willow industry was 1892 when 360,000 were sold.

From the mid-1800s through the 1920s, Liverpool was known for the production of sturdy, high quality, attractive baskets. The willow industry floundered in the 1930s and competition from Europe and the Far East, where willow and wicker baskets could be produced inexpensively, was too great for local weavers to overcome.

Re: some history of willow baskets in CNY

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

I guess the town must have been settled by people from Liverpool.

I know Liverpool (the original Liverpool) reasonably well. Liverpool and Manchester grew up together and are bitter rivals.