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BY JUDY POOLER
When I was a young girl in the early 50’s my family would often take rides through Cooperstown and the Cherry Valley area.
I was born in Utica and at that time these areas seemed so far away. Little did I know that someday I would be working in Cooperstown.
In 2004 I moved to Richfield Springs after marrying David Pooler. A friend of mine, Sue Winne, suggested that I go to The Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home for a job. I had always been in the office end of employment and knew nothing of Personal Care. When I went to fill out my application, I was immediately interviewed by Pat Donnelly and my future boss Laura Black. I was hired before I left the building. I started work the Saturday after going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My husband David, my daughter Stephania, Christ my son-inlaw and I attended the parade and all had a wonderful time.
David had never been to New York City before.
November 27, 2004 was the beginning of my life as a Personal Care Aide.
First let me tell you this is the most wonderful and gratifying position I have had in my entire working career.
Monday’s through Sunday’s there is always an activity to be enjoyed by all. Whether it be bird watching with Nancy Rackmyer, fun n’ fit exercises, the weekly movie, Bible Study, Communion of various faiths, shopping downtown, manicures, pedicures, hairdresser, jewelry making that I host, rides with various staff members or gardening with Carol Affourtit, who incidentally harvested our first veggies from the resident garden which were used in a salad. What a wonderful feeling to eat your own veggies.
A picnic was on July 2 in celebration of the 4th of July. Cindy Moore offered her porch as a viewing area for Patsy DeBaun, Bobbie Mook, Wanda Noyes and Vivian Allison to view the parade on the 5th. Thank you Cindy.
After the parade some of the residents shucked corn for their dinner. Laurie Blatt has implemented a Surprise Activity for Wednesdays, which has been a great success and gets everyone over Hump Day. On July 7th Peg Hage’s son Gordie arrived with the Cooperstown Trolley for a ride up the lake.
A good time was had by Art and Bunnie Laidlaw, Maureen Micek, Bobbie Mook, Ralph Veenema, Jeanette Hansen, Sue Stevens, Doris Blomquist, Wanda Noyes, Patsy DeBaun, our newest addition to CWTH, Dudley, our faithful companion, Vivian Allison and Laurie Blatt.
Mary Butler and I hosted a Treasure Trove on Sunday July the 11th, and what a treasure it was. Alberta Bowes brought jewelry and various items from all over the world that she acquired during her travels as a military nurse.
Janet Saporito brought shoe buttons from her great grandmother’s shoes. Can you imagine buttoning your shoes? Mary Butler shared her wedding photo. I shared a civil War Cameo that was a gift from my maternal grandmother. Bunny Laidlaw presented a sterling silver comb and a huge frog pendant.
Jeanette Hansen shared her Battleaxe Cross given to her by her husband after a trip to England. If you run into Jeanette ask her to tell you the story of her cross. She is hardly without it.
I would like to extend congratulations to Dan and Kristin Butler and their entire family for the new addition to the family, a beautiful baby boy. This new addition is resident Ellen Hankin’s great grandchild, and Mary Butler’s grandchild.
I have now come to the end, but before I go I would like to give tribute to Bert Kull- Chapin, a former resident of the Home. A Memorial Service was held for Bert on July 10.
Bert was a wonderful, beautiful and endearing woman who is greatly missed by all who knew and cared for her. Your eyes will shine and sparkle forever. Finally two quotes I would like to share with you:
``Unless life is lived for others it is not worthwhile’’ - Mother Teresa
``Do not confuse the pleasure of pleasing with the happiness of loving’’ - Coco Chanel
Columns
Home Notes: Personal Care is a rewarding occupation
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From Fly Creek: For help with the smug
I’ve been having much fun lately, friends, writing a short book called “Saints for Special Needs,” completely fictional characters whomight get us thinking about humanity—and ourselves, in particular. Here’s a sample. Let me know your reaction. (Oh, and I have a fine cartoonist to illustrate the book!) [Almost every culture has a place for “the wise fool,” the vacant sort of person who, in fact, has a witty and trenchant view of humanity, and may even see into its future.]
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In These Otsego Hills: Still more from 1986
Early August found us asking the question, “Does anyone know when Edgewater was builtand by whom?” The answer, much of which came from Ralph Birdsall’s history of the village, appeared in the Aug. 13 column as follows:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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?”
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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.
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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.]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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From Fly Creek: For help with the smug
