We are most pleased
to announce the
arrival of Abigail
Gilpin Ellsworth, a.k.a. Boo.
Abby arrived on Monday, Jan.
18, 2010 at 8:13 p.m., weighing
in at six pounds, seven
ounces and measuring 19.25
inches in length. On hand for
her arrival were her mother
Annie, something which no
doubt goes without saying,
her father, Christopher, and
her maternal grandmother,
Judy Higby.
Christopher stayed at the
hospital with Annie and Abby
as he told us he just could
not be parted from the baby.
This left Grandmother Higby
to travel from the hospital
in Westerville, Ohio to the
house in Mount Vernon, Ohio
to care for the two dogs,
three cats, two goldfish and
two lizards. She also had to
take the cell phone chargers
from the house to the
hospital as the parents had
forgotten to take them with
them. Needless to say, the
cell phones rather quickly,
given their great use, lost
their charges.
We must admit that we
were delighted to have received
via the e-mail a cell
phone photo of Abby taken
and sent within an hour
of her birth. We have since
received three more photos
via e-mail and have viewed
13 more of the family’s
hospital stay via Facebook.
Plus we feel quite fortunate
that we are able to call Ohio
to arrange for an iChat visit
with Abby. Thus far she has
not had much to say, but
we do know, for her size, she
has a very loud voice and
doesn’t hesitate to use it to
express her displeasure with
something.
For example, during one
iChat visit, Christopher
unwrapped her to show us
her big feet something we
believe she inherited from
our side as many of our great
aunts, plus our mother, sported
a size 11 foot. After we had
admired the feet, Christopher
did not immediately wrap her
back up and it did not take
her long to express her dislike
of the temperature of her
unwrapped self. He immediately
re-wrapped her and she
quickly fell asleep in his arms.
We suspect she has already
figured out how to rule the
roost.
Abby did her first visiting
of friends on her way home
from the hospital by stopping
by Peg and Tom Turgeon’s
home so they could properly
admire her, which we
understand they did. And she
has also received a visit from
her maternal grandfather, Hal
Higby, who we gather, based
on the picture we received,
was more than happy to take
on baby holding duty.
And we were somewhat
relieved to discover that
the dogs, Barnaby and
Bella, seem to be adapting to
Abby’s presence quite well.
We gather they have not
quite figured her out, but
seem to follow her around
no doubt because of all the
attention she receives. And if
there is one thing we know
about Barnaby and Bella, it is
that, if there is attention being
handed out, they would
like to be on the receiving
end of it.
Many people have asked
us when we will be going to
Ohio for a visit and
unfortunately we
have to say that it
will probably not be
anytime soon. At the
moment, we need to
stay in Cooperstown
as we are having a
series of procedures
done on our back
which we need to
complete. And we
would really like to figure out what is going on with our right
hand before we venture forth again. So, for a while at least,
our visits with Abby will be done via iChat. And while we
are anxious to be able to see her in person, we are happy to
avoid the possibility, at least for a while, that we might find
ourselves in the position of having to change a diaper.
In closing, we well remember that when Christopher
arrived some 35 years ago, we could not help but wonder
what the future held for him. And while he has experienced
setbacks along the way, we are indeed most proud of not
only what he has done but also of who he is. Thus, as we
contemplate little Abby’s future we hope she takes to heart
the following quote from Harriet Tubman who said: ``Every
great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you
have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion
to reach for the stars to change the world.’’
PLEASE NOTE: Comments regarding this column may be made by mail at 105 Pioneer
Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by e-mail
at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com.
Columns
In These Otsego Hills: Welcome Boo...
- Columns
-
-
In These Otsego Hills: Continuing on from 1986 ...
We continue this week by answering the question we asked if anyone remembers the old Cooperstown National Bank? On May 13, we wrote: “Martha Dickison, Delaware Street, called to tell us about the Cooperstown National Bank where she worked at her first ‘real job’ after her graduation from school.
Continued ... -
Up On Hawthorn Hill: Spring inventions
The second line of Lawrence Durrell’s novel “Justine” reads as follows: “In the midst of winter you can feel the inventions of Spring.” I first read all four novels of his magnificent Alexandria Quartet during the year I traveled from Saigon to Paris after working in Vietnam for a refugee organization for several years.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
Time to bring you up to date on Fly Creek’s happy clambering into Spring. First, the eatery scene. “Is Jerry’s open yet?” The answer is, “Oh, yes!” The porches are freshly stained; the lawns a uniform green, and the hop vines are already climbing the posts on the covered side deck. Blue and I went up there to lunch earlier this week, and I celebrated spring with my traditional bacon, onion and Swiss cheese hamburger. We two sat on the deck, enjoying the broad view and some spectacular clouds marching across, up toward Schuyler Lake.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: More from 1986 ...
This week we continue with the discussion of telephone service from the pre-dial days. On March 12 we noted that: “No one has yet produced a telephone directory from pre-dial days, but Doug Preston of New Hartford recalls that some business (which one?) in the village had the phone number 7.”
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Celebrations abound at the Thanksgiving Home
April was a month of celebrations and much to appreciate. We had a 90th birthday celebration for Wanda Noyes on April 4 including her family and friends. Personal care staff Dee Bouck worked with residents to hand paint Easter eggs for the tree in the activity room.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: 1986 continues ...
This week we continue our journey through the columns of 1986 with the answer to the question “for whom, according to tradition, was Hannah’s Hill named?”
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Baseball book features local contributors
Baseball is part of the nation’s fabric. Most kids have a memory of the game either from playing Little League, attending a major league contest or meeting a favorite player. In Cooperstown that feeling is magnified since we are the official home of baseball. We get to see firsthand what has made the sport the national pastime.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Ya really wanna know?
SETTING: Fly Creek General Store. CAST: Assorted seated geezers, drinking coffee. [Door opens, enter heavy-set geezer; walking slowly with wide stance, maybe prostatitis.]
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Returning to 1986 ...
For the past several years now we have undertaken sharing some of the area’s oral history we have collected over the years that we have written this column. Therefore, this year, we would like to go back to 1986 to share that rather unusual year. Those who were here then no doubt remember that it was that year that the village celebrated the bicentennial of its founding.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: For reasons unknowable
[Jim’s reached back to 2002 to share one of his favorite columns.] My father was born as the last century began into a river village in tidewater Maryland. He told me once of a man there in his boyhood who, like so many, made a thin living tonging for oysters in the cold months and, in the hot and humid ones, crabbing and raising vegetables.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: CCS balancing act ... side two
Last week we shared a number of activities in which students at CCS can participate. We thought it was an impressive, if not overwhelming, list. And we are indeed pleased that the young people of our area have these opportunities. However, we think it is also important to keep in mind that these undertakings do have a cost associated with them. They are not free. In fact there are, no doubt, those who would say they do not come cheap.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: A graceful crowd
Make of this what you will, friends. I feel I’m really meant to share it with you. Despite good medication for my Parkinsonism, every four or five weeks I can sensethe symptoms building up on me, giving me more than ordinary trouble. Lately it’s been falls, and last week brought a typical one. I’d gone out to get the paper, moving along with penguin steps on the snowcoved ice patches, and usingmy spike-tipped cane the waya climber uses an ice axe. But circumstances overcame me. Parkinson’s wipes out the possibility of multi-tasking.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: This and that and the other side ...
We note that the CCS Class of 2012 is presenting its senior class play, “Snow White” by Tim Kelly, this week with performances 7:30 p.m Thursday and Friday, March 29 and 30, and at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. All performances will be at the Nicolas J. Sterling Auditorium at the Middle/High School.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: That green thing ...
Of late we have noticed that our email inbox has been much busier than usual. In fact, we find ourselves hard pressed to keep up with all the various messages we receive. As a result we suspect we have not answered some in as timely a fashion as might be thought appropriate.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: What you need to know
In their last Sunday’s bulletins, all 84 churches of Otsego County were to have carried announcements of an important meeting; most of them did. But because the announcement is so important, and not just to the churched, here it is again.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Living the magic of ‘Hoosier’
A lot of people consider “Hoosiers” the best sports film of all time. The 1986 classic follows the exploits of a fictional small town Indiana high school basketball team in 1952 as it attempts to achieve the impossible dream of a state championship. The story is inspired by the true life achievement of the 1954 Milan team, who with an enrollment of only 161 students shocked big city power Muncie Central on a last second shot to win the state title. It’s the kind of sports story that represents something that is hard to grasp unless you live in a small town.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: The most perfect village... home to heavy industry?
We suspect we would get a whole lot more accomplished if we spent less time thinking, pondering and musing about things. In fact, there is a good possibility we might actually have completed our goal of cleaning the basement if we only focused on the task at hand, instead of trying to figure out the world around us. It almost makes us wonder if it is possible to think too much about things. We certainly hope not because should that be the case, we are in deep trouble.
Continued ... -
Up On Hawthorn Hill: The past in the present
Clichés abound about the value of photographs. Most are probably true at least to a certain extent. What I do know about an image is that it represents something of the past that is not the pastitself. But that is the power of any image. It represents something that once was. The beauty of an image, revisited, is that it functions as a catalystfor reliving in the present a past experience. My own view, one that I thank the Spanish writer Jorge Luis Borges for, is that all we ever can experience is the present.
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Workshops held for Thanksgiving Home residents
We welcomed Linda Keller, Ph.D. of the Bassett Research Institute and Ida Baker of NYCAMH who presented a six-week workshop for residents and staff.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Late-winter hamlet news
Well, at least I’m “guessing” it’s late winter now — in the winter that wasn’t. But, if not snow, I can provide a flurry of Fly Creek news to share with you, scooping Associated Press, Reuter’s, and United Press International, not to mention all local news services except our General Store.
Continued ...
-
In These Otsego Hills: Continuing on from 1986 ...
