Roller-coaster weather

 Have you been enjoying the roller-coaster weather of late winter?  Warm weather on Tuesday and Wednesday and rain Wednesday and early Thursday melted almost all the snow that we had received earlier in the month. The rain also caused rivers to rise, with the Iroquois cresting late Thursday just below flood stage. I took the picture below on Thursday morning. It shows Weston Pond (the field just to the east of Weston Cemetery). Note the lack of snow.

Later in the morning the rain started and as the temperatures dropped, the precipitation switched to snow. The snow and wind reduced visibility and pretty much shut down everything. Businesses closed early and accidents on the Interstate snarled traffic. The scheduled Improv at the Ritz had its last showing canceled; final score: weather 2, Improv 1. I took the picture below in the early afternoon on Thursday. It also shows Weston Pond.

Earlier this week the City was distributing the new garbage cans. Each has a number and that number is tied to a particular address. The cans remain the property of the City and if a person moves, the can should remain with the house.
 

The Carnegie Center is now showing the work of elementary-school students, those in grades 3 to 5. Saturday will be the last day for the public to view it. Hours are noon to 2:00.

The Jasper County Council met on Tuesday evening. The County Coroner reported that he had had 24 calls in January and two suicides in February and had already spent a quarter of his budget. He noted that mental health is a big issue statewide.
The Sheriff gave an update on his plan to lease several license-plate reading cameras. The cost would be between $2000 and $2500 each month. Councilmen asked what the benefit to the County would be. Judge Bailey was given an additional appropriation for the audio-visual upgrade to both courts that the Commissioners had approved at their meeting. The Council then approved a bunch of additional appropriations and budget reductions that cleaned up various problems in the budget. The Council appointed Paul Norwine as its representative for the Fair Board.

The Council then had a discussion of longevity, PERF and HSAs that I did not understand. Apparently the members of the Council did not understand the issues either because they decided that they needed a joint session with the Commissioners to figure it out. They thought April 19 would be a good date with the discussion beginning an hour and a half before their regular meeting.

Finally, a couple of notes from the distant past. Do you recognize the name Eleanor Stackhouse? This is from the Rensselaer Republican of September 11, 1890.

How about Earl Reynolds? This is from the Rensselaer Republican of October 18, 1890.

Eleanor married and became Eleanor Atkinson Stackhouse. She is buried in Weston Cemetery and was featured on last year's Memories Alive at Weston Cemtery. She wrote a number of books that are available on Amazon. Earle Reynolds was a skater and performer. He also is buried in Weston Cemetery and his second wife, Nellie Donegan, was featured in the 2020 Memories Alive at Weston Cemetery.

Update: Weston Pond taken Friday afternoon. It now has a layer of ice.

Interstate traffic was coming through Rensselaer for at least several hours on Friday.