By CAROL BRODIE
The calendar says summer
arrives on June 21, but
with this heat (84 degrees, as
I write this column on June
7) and humidity, I believe it’s
already here! Now this is
weird — I have one calendar
that says summer begins on
June 21, but in looking at another
calendar, that one says
June 20! So which one is
right?!
Anyway, I do know that
this Saturday, June 14, is
Flag Day, so be sure to
proudly display your flag
that day.
I don’t know about anyone
else around the area, but
we’ve been invaded by the
caterpillar worms! One day
early last week, I killed a
couple of them on our front
porch. By the middle of the
week, we were killing up to
40 a day or more. They are
very annoying, to say the
least.
A much cheerier subject is
our birds! I finally spotted
what I thought I had heard
weeks ago — a house wren.
He/she seems to have built a
home in the purple martin
house, which is fine with me,
because maybe he will keep
those pesky starlings out of
there.
I spoke to Marion Holmes
last week, and despite the
fact that she, too, has house
wrens, she said her pair of
bluebirds finally came back
and have built their nest in
the usual place across from
her house in the nest box.
Marion was also excited to
share that she’d seen a female
blue grosbeak in a bush
by her house. She said it was
just there for a brief time but
she was glad to have been
able to spot it.
My girlfriend, Janette
Reynolds, emailed to say that
she and her husband, Gary,
had the pleasure of seeing a
male indigo bunting and a
bluebird last week near their
North Blenheim home. Apparently,
both birds were
just passing through as they
haven’t seen either one
since.
Dad, Mom and I had one
of the grandest surprises we
ever could have had last
Monday, June 2, when Rev.
Tom and Jeanne Briggs
stopped in to visit us. They
were en route home following
a weekend getaway and
went out of their way just to
come see us. We had a terrific,
though short, visit and
caught up on each other’s
families. They asked about
some of the people from the
South Valley First Christian
Church who were so good to
them when Rev. Briggs pastored
here from 1989 to 1990.
He was one of the best pastors
we’d ever had in South
Valley, and we miss their
family as much as they miss
us.
We feel very fortunate, indeed,
to have been able to
keep in touch with them over
the years, just as we have
with other former pastors
and their families, who’ve all
become like family to us. One
thing I will always remember
Pastor Briggs for was his
love and concern for the elderly
who are in the nursing
homes. He visited them
weekly and enjoyed reading
the Bible and singing to
them. Sadly, today many
churches can’t even make
time to visit the nursing
homes in December to sing
Christmas carols to the residents,
to say nothing of the
rest of the year.
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Birthday wishes go out to
Kelly Sweeney-Brent who
turns 30 years old, Eric
Kruppenbacher, Diane Mollen,
Jessica Mollen, Nicholis
Brodie who will be 15, Bill
Mabie, Edith Riemer, Dana
Tripp, Ted Coleman, Gabrielle
Card who turns eight,
Alissa Lundgren who will be
12, and Jeremy Brodie.
Anniversary wishes go to
Joe and Jane Dent, Jeff and
Yvonne White, Mike and
Sara Kineke, Dan and Nellie
Moore, Tom and Laurie Laymon,
and Jason and Jamilynne
Myers.
Coming Events
The Cooperstown Area
Christian Women’s Club will
be hosting their monthly luncheon,
“Love Is in the Air,” at
the Tally Ho, in Richfield
Springs, on Monday, June
16. The meal will be served
at 11:30 a.m., with the program
to follow at noon.
The guest speaker will be
Kathy Bump, from Johnstown,
who tells how “I was
trying to find something to
fill my emptiness.” The special
feature will be Carmel’s
Bridal Shop & Formal Wear
with Carmela Chiodo of Richfield
Springs. Special music
will be “HappyTunes” by Diane
Ducey of Cooperstown.
For questions or to make
reservations, please call
Nancy at (607) 264-3402,
Dotty at (315) 822-6391 or
Peg at (315) 858-0525.
Bits and Pieces
Carolyn Sweeney reports
that “Charlie,” the missing
dog from the Bear Swamp
area, has been found! Carolyn
was talking to his owner,
who is a pharmacist at Bassett
in Cooperstown, and she
was thrilled to have him back
home again. Since he is part
beagle, he followed his nose
too far from home and ended
up on Hoose Road, in Roseboom,
where someone spotted
him from the notices left
in the area. Ricki said she
was going to put him on a
long lead so she can keep an
eye on him from now on.
Jim and Carolyn Sweeney
attended the funeral of Carolyn’s
cousin, Donna Jones-
Werner, of Amsterdam, on
Friday, May 9. Donna had
been a resident in a nursing
home for a number of years
and became ill.
On Saturday, May 10, Jim
and Carolyn Sweeney were
all packed and headed for
Boston for a long weekend
with their daughter, Kimberly,
and her family. They
were stopped for traffic on
Route 7, outside of Cobleskill,
by the car dealerships, when
they were hit from behind by
another driver. Their Ford
Explorer held up rather well,
so after some time doing the
paper work, with a dented
bumper and a couple of sore
necks, they started out again
for Boston, and the rest of
the trip was fine. Carolyn
jokingly told Jim, “Since this
was the second rear-ended
accident they’ve had on a
Boston-related trip now,
maybe it’s time he changed
his baseball team from the
New York Yankees to the
Boston Red Socks, if that
would help!” Despite the accident
and all, they had a fun
weekend with Kim and her
family, and they were surprised
at how big the grandchildren
had grown in just
two months’ time.
Jim and Carolyn Sweeney
went to Poland, N.Y., on
Sunday, May 25, Memorial
Day weekend, to visit Herb
and Brenda Belfiore for a
holiday cookout with family.
Brenda’s daughter, Cheryl
Sweeney and her family,
from Clinton, and her son,
James Sweeney, from Springfield,
Mass., were also there.
They also saw the Belfiore’s
new camping trailer they
just purchased for the family
camping trips.
Diane Mollen and Brian
Gibbs hosted a family picnic
and barbecue at their home
on Memorial Day, May 26.
Enjoying the day with them
were Marilyn Mollen, Jessica
Mollen and son, Grayson,
Damian Gibbs and his girlfriend,
Alysia Eibe, and their
friend, John, all three of Albany.
Renee Brant, Marilyn
Mollen, Ruthie Hendricks,
Jackie Hadden, Lisa Parietti,
Londa Webster, Veronica
White, and Margie Gould attended
the Ladies Seminar
at Baptist Bible College, in
Clarks Summit, Pa., from
Thursday through Saturday,
May 29 through 31. Marilyn
reports that they enjoyed a
musical concert on Thursday
night, followed by comedian
Martha Bolton, whom she
said was really funny. The
ladies stayed in the college
dorm rooms and attended
workshops over the next two
days. Marilyn says that 500
ladies attended the event.
She also mentioned that
Vickie Myers and Teena
VanDewerker-Finch attended
the same seminar the
week before.
Joslyn Mabie spent Saturday
through Sunday, May
31 through June 1, visiting
her grandparents, Leland
and Pat Mabie. On Saturday,
Pat and Joslyn went to the
Cobleskill Diner for lunch
where they happened to run
into Raymond and Sandy
Sutton, of Decatur. The Suttons
treated Joslyn to lunch
because she’s done so well in
track.
David and Sharon Thompson
visited Keith and Daphne
Thompson and daughter,
Elizabeth, in Morris, on Sunday,
June 1, and the five of
them enjoyed dinner at the
Morris home of Robert and
Maureen Joy.
Pat Mabie began working
at the Cherry Valley Museum
on Monday, June 2, and
Marilyn Mollen started on
Wednesday, June 4.
Town of Roseboom committee-
people Frank Brodie
and Marilyn Mollen attended
the Otsego County Republican
Committee meeting at
the Cooperstown Courthouse
on Tuesday night, June 3.
The Roseboom Area Senior
Citizen Club meeting
and covered dish luncheon
was held at the Roseboom
Methodist Church on
Wednesday, June 4, with 13
members attending.
The South Valley Women’s
Club meeting was held
at the Community Hall on
Thursday afternoon, June 5,
with President Jackie Hadden,
Marilyn Mollen, Linda
Buzzutto, Lucy Proper, Helen
Holmes, Allegra Schecter,
Jean Roy, Thelma Coleman,
and Sharon Volpe attending.
The ladies planned their
monthly dinner, which will
be pot roast, for Saturday,
June 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at
the Community Hall.
Thanks to all of you for
sharing your news happenings
with me! I had so much
this week, in fact, that there
are a couple of items I will
have to hold over until next
week. I look forward to sharing
all your news, so keep
calling me at (607) 264-
3225.
Columns
South Valley
- Columns
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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: Waiting for spring to have sprung ...
Difficult as it to believe, both January and February seem to have flown by and we find ourselves turning the calendar over to the month of March, which we have long thought is one of the more dreary months of the year. Of course, as in the pastthere are signs of spring as reflected by the tapping of the maple trees. For many years, the trees sprouted buckets to capture their all important sap. However, we now know to look for the sap collection lines that are strung from tree to tree.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Kennedy: a unique individual
It’s been almost 50 years since the Kennedy assassination shocked the nation. Since then much has been written about President John F. Kennedy and whether he would have achieved his destiny (whatever that may have been) if he had lived. It is said he inspired young people in a way that has never been equaled. And there is the notion of Camelot, espoused by his widow Jackie, that there will never be a time of hope and promise like that again.
Continued ...
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From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
