January 17 - Greetings to all. It finally feels like January. We have been blessed by a mild winter, with a few exceptions. This is good for our Whitetail deer population. Still not many birds out there, maybe because we still have a lot of winterberry on the bushes.

Some folks have seen some skunks out and about, mating season is upon the skunk population. I haven't seen Rudy the Raccoon since last fall, so he must still be in his winter slumber. Some folks in Bethel have recently seen bear tracks. Bears are not true hibernators and sometimes go on winter strolls and then return to their winter slumber.

I subscribe to the electronical DEC news column that comes out each Friday, about nature life along the Hudson River. I enjoy reading this as I frequently learn something new about wildlife. Last week, Tom Lake, the person responsible for the column wrote about opossums. Here is an excerpt:

A reader of the column first wrote that they spotted an adult opossum meandering over a snow-covered hillside. The reader thought that opossums were entirely nocturnal and wondered if it was rabid. Tom Lake responded: “The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is a marsupial, in that their young are carried in a pouch not unlike kangaroos. The name “opossum” was phonetically translated from an Algonquian word (powhatan) and first recorded by John Smith (1607) in Virginia. Opossums originated in South America and entered meso-America and then North America about 40 million years ago over a Panama land bridge. Since opossums do not hibernate, they can face desperate conditions in winter when the weather can cause frostbite on their tails, paws, and ears. Their dens, where they wait out bad weather, are typically underground beneath brush piles or in hollowed trees. It is not uncommon to see opossums out and about year-round.”

Although I fully support the Town of Bethel Highway department using the sand from the Town of Bethel sand mine to sand our roads, I do wish that we had a car wash in western Bethel. It seems useless to wash my car as it doesn't take too long for it to get coated in sand.

About three weeks ago I learned that one of the two headlights on my car was out. I scheduled an appointment with the ever-witty Marie Fox of Fox's Service Station in White Lake. The appointment was for Friday, January 10th, 9:00 a.m. I am on the Planning Board for the Town of Bethel and the Treasurer for the White Lake Fire District.

On Monday, January 6th, after the meeting, I spied a NYS police car, parked next to Kevin's Cones, as I left the Planning Board meeting. The police car followed me, pulled me over and advised me that my headlight was out. I thanked the officer and told him I had an appointment for Friday to repair the headlight. Fast forward Thursday night, January 9th, 5:30 p.m., I spied a NYS police car by Hurd Road. I was driving East on Route 17B to the White Lake fire house.

The policeman pulled me over near Dr. Duggan Road, wrote me up for the headlight and gave me a document, in case I got pulled over again. I drove less than two miles, pulled into the White Lake Fire House and another NYS police person pulled me over and told me about my headlight. I very politely told him I was just pulled over, two miles back and showed him my paper. He told me he didn't want me to hit a deer. Wow! I do not drive that often on Route 17B after the sun sets. Talk about vigilance. I am happy to report that I have now fixed my headlight and am good to go!

Barbara Hahl, of Barbara's Bunch travel group, will be sponsoring a bus trip to the upcoming Harrisburg Great Outdoor Show. The date of the bus trip is February 4th. $65 per person. Reservations due by January 25th. Go to Facebook, search for Barbara's Bunch of Roscoe or call 914-799-3362 for more information.

Our sympathy to the families of two community members who recently passed away. First to Lee Stackhouse of White Lake and second to Susan DiNatale of Briscoe. Our condolences to both families.

Save the date: Ancient Order of Hibernians Sullivan Brothers fundraiser, Saturday, February 22 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Dutch's Tavern in Rock Hill.

As we celebrate the birthday of the late Rev. Martin Luther King's birthday this weekend, I am reminded of the words of that popular song from the 1970s, “Let There be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me.”