There have been a number
of times since 1984
when we wonder why
on earth we keep writing this
column. Most of them, until
now, have been related to
anonymous notes of extreme
dissatisfaction with something
we wrote.
Now, however, we discover
we have been bombarded
for something someone else
wrote. In a recent e-mail we
were accused of ``...whining
about George Bush...’’ and
we should ``Get over it.’’ This
was followed by a long list
of what the federal government
either has or has not
done in the past year which
ended with the statement
``Wow that’s some record of
accomplishment...’’ By the
time we got to ``Your socialist/
progressive/ communist
agenda is so transparent it is
laughable. ``We were quite
positive that the e-mail had
been sent to us in error and
thus we forwarded it on to the
person for whom we assumed
it was intended. However, it
did make us feel we should be
able to apply for combat pay.
Of course we realize that
every time we pen a column
we are opening ourselves up
to reader response. Thus we
were not surprised to discover
that the ink was barely dry
on last week’s column when
we received yet another
e-mail intended to arm us
with even more ammunition
for our discussion of the
upcoming school budget. This
particular e-mail directed us
to a news release from the
Empire Center for NYS Policy
entitled ``School Payrolls
Grew in 2008-09, On-Line
Data Shows.’’ And although we
did not think this was exactly
new news, we nonetheless
dutifully read that ``Total
spending on teaching and
administrative salaries by
districts outside New York City
increased 5 percent statewide
to $14 billion _ a $670 million
annual increase _ in the 2008-
09 school year.’’
And while this information
is indeed interesting, we were
even more fascinated by another
website, SeeThroughNY,
to which we were directed
and where we could ``...
search or sort the database
by name, school district and
salary level.’’ And much to our
astonishment that is indeed
true. We were able without
any difficulty whatsoever to
access not only the current
CCS Faculty Association
Contract, but also the current
superintendent’s contract.
And what we learned from
that is that we made, some
forty years ago, a very tactical
error in only obtaining a
teaching certificate instead of
going for the gold and getting
administrative certification.
As a result we are not, upon
retirement, in the position of
buying back from the school
district sick days at $350/day
up to $30,000, having 100
percent of the insurance premiums
for a $200,000 term
life policy paid forever by the
school district or having 85
percent of retirement health,
dental and prescription
insurance paid by the district.
Obviously we have missed
the boat big time as we have
never been given a sick day,
we do not have life or dental
insurance and we pay 100
percent of our premiums for
health and prescription insurance.
We can but wonder if
it is too late to live our whole
life all over again in hopes of
improving our retirement.
Of course, there is undoubtedly
much about the
job of school superintendent
that we would probably not
enjoy all that much. Decisions
regarding snow days
come instantly to mind. We
have long thought making
such decisions is a completely
thankless job. For example,
just before the February
vacation Cooperstown was
but one of many area schools
which announced a snow day.
And given the weather predictions
it was a decision that
we would have made. In fact,
based on that same weather
report, we cancelled our
planned activities for the day.
Unfortunately, or fortunately
depending on one’s
point of view, the predicted
snow did not materialize for
which the school district, in
our opinion, took a great deal
of undeserved grief. We heard
about negative conversations
carried on in the grocery
stores and read various negative
remarks posted on Facebook.
But the comment that
troubled us the most, and we
heard it from several sources,
was that the school lost state
aid because the snow day was
used. We checked, and as we
originally thought when we
heard the comment, nothing
could be further from the
truth. Snow days are built into
the school year and, one way
or another, they will all be
used by the end of the school
year. So while parents may not
have appreciated the fact that
their children were home from
school, in no way were education
dollars lost as a result.
We note, since this is once
again the first Thursday of the
month when we try to include
information about the Literary
Discussion Group in this column,
that the next meeting of
the Literary Discussion Group,
sponsored by the Women's
Club of Cooperstown, will be
held on Thursday, March 25 at
2:30 p.m. in the Dunn Room
of the Village of Cooperstown
Library. The book for discussion
will be ``American Lion:
Andrew Jackson in the White
House’’ by Jon Meacham. The
meeting is open to the public.
In closing, one of our faithful
readers asked us why there
was no quote in last week’s
column. Our somewhat lame
answer was that we couldn’t
seem to come up with one
that made sense given the
nature of the column. So, to
make up for that oversight,
we are offering two quotes
this week which we hope will
mollify our reader. The first is
a Proverb, namely ``The more
you know, the less you understand.’’
And the second, from
Dr. Seuss, is ``The more that
you read, the more things you
will know. The more that you
learn, the more places you’ll
go,’’ which is fine as long as
the place you go isn’t nuts.
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 email
at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com.
Columns
In These Otsego Hills: Where did we go wrong ?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ...
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In These Otsego Hills: Continuing on from 1986 ...
