Greetings faithful readers of the Kenoza Lake news!  Happy New Year! This is my first column since late December 2023. Since early January, I have been very busy at Town Hall of Bethel collecting property taxes. In addition, I have my income tax practice and Monday was April 15th. So, I am now back in the saddle and am very happy to have the opportunity to write this Kenoza Lake news column.

If you are a frequent traveler of Route 17B, through the Town of Bethel, you will of course have noticed that after years of teasing, the famous Pucky Huddle “toll house” (our own Leaning Tower of Pisa) recently fell. I have taken hundreds of photos of this family building, as I live on Pucky Huddle Road.  In the past few months, I took a photo of the “toll house” almost every time I drove down the road, as I wanted to try and take the final photo of the building.  Sunday, March 31st was Easter Sunday. I am the organist at the Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church. On Easter morning, we had our traditional 8:00 am Easter Service, followed by breakfast at the firehouse. I had a huge platter of fresh fruit that I needed to get to the firehouse before the start of the Easter Service. Being the organist, I couldn’t be late for the service. It was 7:15 am, I drove north on Pucky Huddle Road and stopped at the stop sign, by Route 17B. I was running a few minutes late and decided NOT to snap a photo of our famous leaning house. The Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church had a beautiful and joyful Easter service followed by a delicious Easter breakfast.  At 9:53 am, I was motoring East on Route 17B, getting ready to turn onto Pucky Huddle Road and alas, between 7:15 AM and 9:52 AM, the famous Pucky Huddle House fell. I found it very meaningful that this happened on Easter Sunday. RIP, RIP.

The hummingbirds are on their way! They are now in the US and are enroute to Sullivan County. It is time to get your feeders out, also, old oranges and grape jelly. The rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles always arrive at about the same day that the hummingbirds arrive, normally the first week of May. So, nectar for the hummingbirds and oranges and grape jelly for the rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles. Normally Eastern wrens are here and busy making nests. I haven’t heard any Eastern wrens yet.  Seems like it is a little late for them. My Carolina wrens seem to have moved away. Bears are out there tossing bird feeders at night. 

Earth Day is Monday, April 22nd. I wish that the folks in Albany would double the five cents recycling fee to ten cents.  Also, all plastic bottles would be covered by the recycling rules. For example, Vitamin Water plastic bottles are not covered by the recycling rules. If Albany wants to make us greener, why not double the five cents fee to ten cents to encourage recycling, expand this to all beverage containers and have the state keep one or two cents of the ten cents? I am happy to see that diet Coke plastic bottles are now made one hundred percent out of recycled plastic. 

The Jeffersonville Presbyterian Church will be holding their annual chicken barbeque on Saturday, May 11th from 4 pm until 6:30 pm. You have to pre-buy your tickets as this barbeque always sells out. $15.00 a ticket. Call Kathy at 845-482-4504 or Ruth at 845-701-3884.