BY NANCY RACKMYER
July has been busy and with record breaking temperatures it was a hot one! Bill, Jeanette, Leon, Patsy, Ralph and Dottie enjoyed the Forth of July fireworks with Laurie, Fred and Jaclyn, from the porch of the Otesaga.
Jaclyn captured the Cooperstown and Oneonta fireworks on video and showed it to the residents. On July 4, residents Bill, Dottie, Jeanette, Patsy, Ruth, and Maureen went to the Springfield Parade and watched from Cindy Moore’s porch.
On July 6, Sandy gave a presentation on the history of Cooperstown and the next day Hilde, Maureen and Patsy enjoyed a tour, stopping at the Village Cobbler and Schneider’s Bakery with Laurie and Susan. On July 8th Karen Streck treated the residents and staff to a truly wonderful performance of music from The Sound of Music performed by Donna Burdick who was accompanied by Judy Green and narration by Karen Streck.
July birthdays were celebrated by residents Alberta, Ruth, Wally and Bobbie along with staff Chrissy, Jan, Mary, Jameson.
They all celebrated with cake and punch in the living room. We also enjoyed an ice cream social on the porch with the help of Sue Stevens’ daughter Brenda and Bobbie Mook’sdaughter Cleo.
Later in July we were surprised and delighted to have the ice cream truck pullup to our library window and serve ice cream to residents and staff.
July 14, was our staff recognition supper at Three Mile Park. Most of the staff and their families attended while Laurie and Fred Blatt did the cooking and passed other dishes they made along with a heavenly sweet butterscotch dessert. Thank you, Laurie, for all you do for us. Deanna Gable received a 10-year pin.
Darcey Schilling received a beautiful crystal vase for 20 years. Laurie read a list of names of all the staff along with the number of years that they have worked at our Home.
On July 18, we welcomed new resident, Jane Patrick to our Home. Jane is well known the Home, and has many friends. Our Eden Journey staff and residents, family, community and children continue to grow every day. We have casino night once a year, surprise activities, rides in the country, the new Thanksgiving Circle, readings, movies and the list goes on and on.
There is always something going on from husking corn to cutting beans or shucking peas. We cannot forget the talent show that should be on funny home videos. Nancy Rackmyer who has a monthly bird watching day took Art Laidlaw, Bill Bowes, Bobbie Mook and Patsy DeBaun to Betty Wilbur State Park in Middlefield West Ford acre. Mr. and Mrs. Davis generously donated the land that became the 164th State Park in 2000. The couple gifted the land so that the public could enjoy the land and to insure its preservation. It has ponds, 7 cabins, a sunset pavilion for picnics and a playground. On July 28th we were invited back by Joe Ritton, head caretaker, for a tour of one of the cabins. Art Laidlaw, Patsy DeBaun, and Nancy enjoyed the breathtaking views. Joe said that in the spring and fall the Delaware Otsego Audubon Society comes up to count the bald eagles and golden eagles that pass during migration times. In June, the 100th birthday of Wilbur Davis was celebrated at the Sunset Pavilion.
On July 27 and 29, Susan Kenyon gave us good information on tortoises followed by a presentation about a pet tortoise attended by Alberta, Fannie, Frank, Hilda, Jeannette, Leon, Maureen, Patsy, Ralph, Deanna, Laurie, and Sean. We cannot forget the big baseball induction weekend attended by Bill Bowes and Fred Blatt.
On July 29, we had a grand farewell party for Maureen Micek. Maureen’s family is moving out of state and taking Maureen with them.
We enjoyed cake and punch. Staff member, Jaclyn took a video of many staff and residents saying their goodbyes so Maureen can watch it on her TV when she gets homesick. Maureen’s daughter Mo and grandchildren, Sarah and Jack were here to say their goodbyes, and there was not a dry eye in the home. A very touching farewell.
Our garden is starting to pay off and the lettuce, beans, peas, radishes, and squash are bountiful. We have so much to be thankful for.
Laurie Blatt gave a seminar for all staff. She had treats and showed videos of many things, but what stood out were the pictures she had put together of our Home, staff and residents playing together, eating together, working together, pictures of our suppers and dinners together. Pictures of staff members’ children who come to the home and interact with the residents, learning from each other and having fun doing it.
If you ever want to see a wonderful home to live in stop by and see our Home, look at our albums of many years, and you will see it is better to live in a garden.
Columns
Home Notes: July has been busy and with record breaking temperatures
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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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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.
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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.
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In These Otsego Hills: Continuing on from 1986 ...
