We note that this Sunday,
Dec. 20 will be the last
opportunity to partake of
the Alternative Market
held at the Presbyterian
Church from noon until 1
p.m.
The market features
Habitat for Humanity,
Heifer International, Blankets
for Church World Services,
Hand Crafts for Justice
and handmade items
including, among other
things, baby quilts, wall
hanging, placemats, table
toppers and aprons.
The Market is open to
the public and is, we think,
a great place to finish up
one’s Christmas shopping.
Although we do from
time to time think e-mail
can be absolutely annoying,
one of the things we
truly enjoy about e-mail is
how successful it is in
keeping us in touch with
people.
So we are always delighted
to discover when
we open our e-mail that
there is a missive from one
of those friends from whom
we have not heard for a
while.
And such was the case
when we found an e-mail
from Bob Hart who, many
years ago, covered for the
Cooperstown Veterinary
Clinic and had occasion to
treat our then dog Boeling.
Bob and his wife, Ronnie,
now reside in Florida
where they still do a lot of
theater work as well as a
lot of writing.
In fact, one of Ronnie’s
novels won first place in
the Florida Writers Association
annual competition
this year and is now in the
hands of an agent.
Plus Bob informed us
that: ``After many publishing
delays I can finally announce
the arrival of
``Hart’s Original Petpourri
Vol 1 Miscellany.’’
The anticipated delivery
date is Dec. 15. It has
been endorsed by Jack
Hanna, Director Emeritus,
Columbus Zoo Host, TV’s
``Into the Wild,’’ and Vic
Digenti, author of the
``Windrusher Trilogy.’’
The book will be available
from Barnes and Noble,
Amazon, and probably
other bookstores as it will
be listed in the principal
wholesale catalogues.’’
The book, which is billed
as ``Fact, Fancy, Trivia,
and Whimsy about Pets,
their Veterinarians, and
their Owners,’’ is also
available from Bob’s website:
Originaldrhart.com. He
further notes: ``We are now
accepting advance orders.
áIf you would like your
book autographed, please
purchase it from my website.’’
We thank Bob for
writing and wish them
both well with the new
book endeavor.
For the past two weekends,
the Ohio Ellsworths
have attended baby classes
in anticipation of Boo’s
January arrival.
The first weekend, the
classes covered labor and
delivery, which they immediately
subtitled ``What
Have We Done?’’
The following weekend
the classes covered the
first three months, which
received the subtitle ``You’ll
Never Sleep Again!’’
We understand the
classes went well and
Christopher even told us
he encountered no difficulty
in getting the diaper on
the practice doll.
We, of course, delighted
in pointing out to him that,
unlike the baby, the doll
didn’t wiggle. But then, we
suspect that Christopher
can always use the technique
that his father used
the few times he actually
changed a diaper.
When Jerry couldn’t get
Christopher to hold still,
he simply yelled at him,
scaring him so that the
only muscles he moved
were the ones needed to
cry.
From Jerry’s point of
view, this worked particularly
well as, not only could
he get the diaper changed,
we moved heaven and
earth to make certain that
Jerry changed a diaper as
infrequently as possible.
Hopefully, it is not a technique
that Christopher
will employ. Annie take
note!
We must admit that we
were forced, much against
our will, to celebrate yet
another birthday recently.
Normally, our birthdays do
not tend to bother us. But
this year seemed to be different
and we really don’t
know why.
We just turned 29 again
as we have for years now.
But, of course, while we
received a number of lovely
cards, we also received several
that we tend to assign
to the ``they know us too
well’’ category.
One such card came
from our friends at the Otsego
County Senior Meal
Site here in Cooperstown.
It read: ``Happy Birthday
to a great Ring Leader
Rabble Rouser!’’
We were stunned. How
on earth could they possibly
imagine that we, sweet
and docile as we are, could
be thought of as a ``Ring
Leader’’ let alone a ``Rabble
Rouser.’’ Of course, we
must admit that the card
we received from the Ohio
Ellsworths was equally
questionable. The
front of that card read:
``I used to live each day as
if it were my last, but people
got tired of me screaming,
`I’m Going to Die!! I’m
Going to Die!!’’’
Inside it said: ``It’s your
birthday. Be as dramatic
as you want.’’ What were
they thinking? When have
we ever been dramatic?
Ah, yes...they all know us
all too well.
This week’s quote, in
light of our recent birthday,
comes from George
Burns who said: ``If you
live to be one hundred,
you’ve got it made. Very
few people die past that
age.’’
We guess this means we
have to be 29 about 38
more times before we will
have it made.
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: Of books and babies and birthdays...
- Columns
-
-
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.]
Continued ... -
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:
Continued ... -
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 ...
-
From Fly Creek: For help with the smug
