The winter of 2015 is proving to be a cold and snowy one in East Aurora and the rest of western NY - if not all of the Northeast - but until today, we weren't approaching the temps of 1934 when East Aurora was 38 degrees BELOW ZERO, and that's not a wind chill figure. Today Jamestown got close to that at 30 below zero. Find your WNY town in this 1934 news clipping.
- Sue
It's that time of year when western New Yorkers begin to wonder how bad the coming winter will be and seek telltale signs from wooly bears. Not the four-footed kind, but the ten-footed kind, wooly bear caterpillars. This method from European folklore is an amusing way to attempt to forecast the winter season.
This fuzzy guy that curls into a ball as soon as you touch him is usually divided into three colored bands that “predict” how severe the winter will be and what part of the winter will be the worst. If the brown band in the middle is large, it will be a mild winter. If the black bands on the ends are bigger, it will be a rough winter. And depending on the length of the black bands at the head or tail end of the caterpillar, either the beginning of the winter or the end will be difficult - more black being colder and snowier.
Most of the wooly bears I have seen this October have a wide brown band, but this little guy in the photo also has a wide black band at his head. So a rough start, but then milder. And if you don't like this prediction, keep looking for another wooly bear.
Just remember, regardless what the winter brings, there are cozy fireplaces on Campus to welcome you and keep the winter at bay, in the Copper Shop and the Inn.
In Falls past, I have written about the Wooly Bear Caterpillars - our creeping winter weather predictor. Well, this year I came across a marvelous Cecropia larvae. What a wonderful wriggling creature! So colorful! A great color combination for an Arts & Crafts inspired interior.
I called my discovery "Cecil" and "he" was about 4-5 inches long fully stretched out and the diameter of my thumb (click on the photo to fully appreciate his amazing colors). Awesome! I sent him on his way up a tree to spin his cocoon and eventually metamorphose into a gigantic moth.
Nature is the best inspiration - as A&C artisans know. I haven't seen my first "Wooly Bear" yet this year, so I don't yet know what winter holds, but go out and see what inspiration you can find...
- Sue
I thought that one winter back in western NY (from Maryland) would acclimate me to the snow and cold, but last winter was a mild one. We are presently at the end of our 3rd month with snow and no January thaw is in sight. The white ground is definitely prettier to look at than brown grass, but the cold snap we just had was brutal. It makes me thankful that I live today and not in Elbert Hubbard's time. Luckily we have insulated houses, good heating systems and well equipped road crews to plow the highways. Chopping wood and riding horseback in this weather would not be fun.
It is said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. 
As featured in the book, Head, Heart and Hand by Marie Via and Marjorie Searl, the painter Alexis Fournier actually did see spring lambs. The Roycroft Campus was a favorite grazing site for the little lambs as seen in this photograph.
Fournier used the lovely view as his inspiration for Peace, one of his most famous paintings at the Roycroft. The blossoms and birds are bathed in spring light, while the flock soaks up the warm sun.
When you come to see the Campus this spring, stop by the Copper Shop Gallery. You can pick up a copy of the newly reprinted Head, Heart and Hand book these pictures are from and many other Arts and Crafts titles.
(No, I haven't seen any references yet to lions on the Roycroft Campus...)
-Amanda
Elbert Hubbard's American Arts & Crafts enterprise which produced hand crafted books, copper ware, furniture, lighting, periodicals and controversy.
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