Winter Survival Checklist 2016

Winter Survival Checklist 2016: We like to think of What To Do as The Old Farmer’s Almanac for suburban yuppies. Each season we check in with the OFA to pass on key information that you need to know about everyday stuff like the weather, keeping house and taking care of your livestock. We think that if we asked their editors to curate a What To Do: Winter Survival Checklist for Armonk, Bedford & Chappaqua, that it would go something like this:

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Report

Weather: BRRR! Winter will be colder and snowier than normal on the north Atlantic coast The coldest period will be in mid-January, with cold weather also occurring in late December, most of January, mid-February, and early March. Precipitation will be slightly above normal, with the snowiest periods in mid- and late December, early to mid-January, and late March. (See our guide to back-up power here.)

Astronomy: Full moon days for the winter: January 23, February 10, March 12. (Remember don’t alk about Donald Trump (or Hillary Clinton) to your spouse on these days or you may be lawyering up in the morning.)

Geminid Meteor Shower: The Geminids are the best meteor shower of the year averaging 75 per hour. And this year they arrive on the weekend and will be visible all night long. Sat-Sun, 12/13-14.

Best Fishing Days: According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac the best fishing days are between when the moon is new and full. If you’re planning on winter fishing or heading south with your rod and line, your best fishing days are: December 11-25, January 9-23, February 8-22, March 8-22.

Holidays, Religious Observances, Excuses to throw a party

Christmas Day: December 25 … Slam Dunk Tournament at the County Center: December 26-29 … New Year’s Day: January 1 … National Clean Off Your Desk Day: January 11 … Martin Luther King’s Birthday: January 18: Shelly (“Johnny Angel”) Fabares Birthday: January 19 … Groundhog Day: February 2 Mardi Gras: February 9 … Ash Wednesday: February 10 … National Peppermint Patty Day: February 11 Valentine’s Day: February 14 … Washington’s Birthday: February 15 National Get Over It Day: March 9 … St. Patrick’s Day: March 17

Astrology: Celeste Longacre’s Best Days: According to the OFA’s resident astrologer/radio personality and author Celeste Longacre, here are the best days each month to: Start a project: Jan 11; Feb 9; Mar 10. Finish a project: Jan 9; Feb 7; Mar 8. Cut hay: Jan 15, 16; Feb 11, 12; Mar 10, 11. Can, pickle or make sauerkraut: Jan 4, 5, 31; Feb 1, 26, 17; Mar 26, 27. Start a diet: Jan 5, 27; Feb 1, 23, 28; Mar 27. Start a diet to gain weight: (ha) Jan 13, 18; Feb 10, 14, 18. Mar 12,17. Quit Smoking: Jan 5, 27; Feb 1, 23, 28. Mar 27. Go to the dentist: Jan 26, 27; Feb 23, 24; Mar 2-022. Wean animals or children: Jan 5, 27; Feb 1, 23, 28; Mar 27. Breed animals: Jan 4, 5, 31; Feb 1, 27-29; Mar 26, 27. Best days to hug your kids: everyday.

Let’s Party on Shelly Fabares Birthday: What To Do is always looking for a reason to party and could you think of any better reason than to break out the canapés and pour a glass of Prosecco on January 19 – the day in 1944 that the girl who grew up to be Mary Stone on the Donna Reed Show. Her hit single “Johnny Angel” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 7, 1962. She starred in three films with Elvis Presley including the 1965 spring break romp Girl Happy and later played Hayden Fox’s wife, Christine Armstrong in the sit-com Coach. Wine Geeks Armonk’s sommelier Derek Todd recommends a the Drusian Rosé Mari from the Veneto in Italy. And here’s some elegant canapé recipes from Katonah’s favorite lady of the house, Martha Stewart.

Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate Update: Home sales reached a ten year high across New York City’s northern suburbs in 2015, according to a report from Houlihan Lawrence. We check in with Barry Graziano, Manager of Houlihan Lawrence’s Armonk and Chappaqua brokerages to see how the ABC towns did. Millenials coming of age are fueling demand in the first time buyers market and the recent Federal Reserve interest rate hike, with more expected, is giving buyers a reason to get off the sidelines. The sweet spot for home sales is in the under $1 million market and competition in the luxury home market remains fierce. For a look at the local markets in Armonk, Bedford & Chappaqua read our interview with Barry Graziano of Houlihan Lawrence Realty. Read more.

Katonah Art Center moves to Goldens Bridge: The Katonah Art Center (known by staff and students as KAC) will begin a new chapter on January 9 with a move to the Goldens Bridge Community House located at 65 Old Bedford Rd, about 5 minutes from KAC’s current location (same road as the Goldens Bridge Train Station). Their new digs in the former Goldens Bridge Community House built in 1912 as a schoolhouse offers more space for their visual arts classes that range from clay studio and painting and drawing to Adobe After Effects and 3D Animation and music classes in piano, guitar, drums, bass, violin, voice and Suzuki guitar. Read more.

LSW Chauffeured Limousine City to City Transportation around the world: Love to travel? Hate to travel? The devil is in the details. It’s easy enough to hail a ride to the airport but then what? And what if you’re traveling with the entire sales team or hauling a hundred thirteen year olds to your kid’s Bar/Bat Mitvah? LSW Limousine in White Plains offers a full range of corporate, leisure and group transportation services locally, natoinally and internationally through a network of more than 450 affiliate providers in more than 550 cities around the globe. From luxury sedans to motor coaches, road shows, nights on the town and multiday road shows, LSW can get you there. Read more.

Top Music Schools: As the new semester begins many of you will find yourself shopping for kids after school enrichment programs. For the musically inclined, or for those of you who are just looking to round out your child’s education, we found three local schools and a couple that are worth the trip that stand out from the rest. They all offer private lessons and performance programs for beginners through advanced players. And a number of them provide stellar college prep support for students interested in applying to the country’s top music schools. If you think you have the next Yo Yo Ma, Stevie Ray Vaughn or Thelonious Monk in your family or you just want to give your kid a break from their iPhone here’s a list of schools to start your search. Read more.

Chappaqua’s Scott Kahan: 2016 Investment Outlook: With the recent volatility in the market we thought it would be a good time to chat with Scott Kahan of Financial Asset Management Corporation of Chappaqua to remind us how to take the emotions out of investing. Scott’s financial planning and wealth management company serves over 140 clients and manages over $160 million in assets. If you need a little financial therapy or investment advice read on.

Opus 465 still delivering and catering: Opus 465 closed its doors in Armonk last November but their kitchen is still open. They are still serving up their take out menu and all their catering services are alive and well and will continue to operate. So if you are a fan of UCrazy Chef or Souperman or in need of catering from Wild Westchester BBQ or Three Little Pigs BBQ you can call 914.273.4646 or check them out online at www.opus465.com.

Notable Noshes 2015: A review of our Reviews It was a wild year on the local food scene with a number of notable openings, closings and even some re-openings. Here’s a review of our restaurant reviews from last year in case you missed them. Plus a smattering of random posts of culinary interest we throw in for fun. Read more about Campagna at The Bedford Post Inn, Zanni at Marianis, Bedford 234, Chappaqua Station Farm to Town, The Rye House Port Chester, Jaipore, 251 Lex, The Little Drunken Chef, the New Koku in Armonk and more 2015 local restaurant news here.

From the Archives:

Who Knew? I SKI NY Free for Kids Passport Program Third and fourth graders who have never skied before can ski or ride for free when accompanied by an adult at a majority of New York ski resorts this winter. You can choose a Learn to Ski or Snowboard Package or just ski. First you must apply for a passport and pay a $22 fee (Okay, it’s not totally free.) And there are black out dates during school recess weeks. But, once you have your passport just present it at the ticket window when you are buying an adult lift ticket and you’ll get a booklet with three coupons – good for 3 free ski & ride lift tickets. Last year, there were 31 participating resorts including Thunder Ridge, Belleayre, Hunter and Windham. To get your passport go to http://www.skiandrideny.com.

Teen Substance Abuse – Mt. Kisco Partners in Prevention: How teens get high, lose weight, kill pain, try to raise their test scores and get messed up: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. Why do teens do it and how do they get started? And what is the risk profile for the types of teens who are susceptible to prescription drug abuse? You may be surprised at what Armonk resident, psychotherapist, and social worker Dr. Nan Miller told us. As the coordinator of Mt. Kisco Partners in Prevention, a community alliance operating under a grant from the Federal Drug Free Community Program, Dr. Miller has become a local expert on teen substance abuse. This is the second in a series of ongoing discussions that we are having with Dr. Miller on the topic.  Read more about teen prescription drug abuse.

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