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June 30 June 30, 2008Good Morning! Just got home from a week of merriment up north. The Colt's Pride Booster Club Bowl-a-thon was a success. Sheila wrote the press release, I took the photo, the piece was printed on the front page of the local weekly ... ABOVE THE FOLD!
We made three Renaissance costumes (photo in family album). We are going to be one good-looking bunch at the Sterling Festival this year. Anybody who wants to join us needs to let me know. I agreed to pay everybody's entrance fees. We're attending in two weeks.
That's it for this morning. I have to get to work. Have a great day. June 13 Relax ... it's a beautiful day.It occurs to me that I should really start putting together some pertinent family stuff for our new cousins. You'd think that would be easy, but where do you start? I guess I'll start with the photo album I put up. I'm not sure why I posted Gary's pic ahead of my own, but that's the way it is, so we'll go with it. My husband and companion for almost 20 years now ... we met in July and married in October of 1988. Now that's a story worth telling, but it is best received in person. Like stand-up comedy, it's funnier that way.
After that comes a photo of me and Sheila at Adam's wedding. That was a really nice party. A lot of these pictures are from that day just because everybody was together then. We adults haven't changed much, but the children ... OMG! Anyway, Sheila and I are very close, much to the dismay of our respective spouses who generally can't stand us when we're together. Too bad, we had each other first. She's my first and always bestest friend and will be until one of us is no longer kickin'.
The next one is obviously me and Gary again with our daughter Amanda on the day she graduated from high school. That pretty gold braid across her shoulders is for graduating with honors. I am extraordinarily proud of her. I guess if you're only going to get one chance to screw up a kid, I didn't do such a bad job. She's smart, caring, organized, and conscientious. Her first year of college ended with a 2.87 GPA which is exactly perfect for her. Right now she's juggling two summer jobs hoping to have enough in her pocket next year to make things a bit less stressful. Since she's very frugal when she has a goal, I'm sure she'll at least be in a single dorm room if she doesn't manage enough to live off-campus.
The next one is Amanda again with Tracy's kids, Brandon and Sabrina. They had spent the day tie-dying the shirts they were wearing so they wanted to show off. They've been very close cousins since Brandon was born simply because we lived close to one another. Tracy is my step-sister (daughter of my father's second wife, Jane), but we really don't make that distinction except on paper. She's my sister and I love her. Her children mean as much to me as any of my nieces and nephews do (and that's a lot). Her husband and mine are very good friends and enjoy a closer bond than some brothers do. There are more pictures of Brandon and Sabrina at the end of the album. I just added them this past weekend as we gathered for a birthday dinner at her house. Sabrina is a year old and Brandon will be 7 in July.
The next picture is my brother Adam holding his then-infant son Gregory. Taken at an anniversary party that Sheila, Tracy and I organized for Clifford and Jane (20th), we managed to have everyone present except for David who had last minute things he needed to attend to. Gregory was Adam's first child, but he and his wife Christina now have three, Gregory, Sarah, and Gabrielle.
The handsome young man in the next picture is our youngest brother C.J. (Clifford James II), sometimes called Cliff or Clifford, but always C.J. to me. He's the son of Clifford and Jane and so, half-brother to all of the rest of us. He is 25 this year and currently attending college in Arizona.
We're back at Adam and Christina's wedding for the next one. This would be Adam and Christina. They had a very cute "cowboy" thing going on as their theme complete with a wagon wheel cake topper! C.J. sang for them as he did for his parents a year later. He has a very nice voice and we press him into performing whenever we can. The next seven pictures are at that wedding. First, C.J., Michael and David (Jane's sons, my step-brothers); then me and Dad (Clifford); my grandparents, Edley and Joyce Brown (Joyce is William's first wife making Edley my step-grandfather); then Jane (my step-mother) and Clifford; my mother Jo (Clifford's first wife); with her sisters, from left to right, Nancy, Jo, Fran, Helen, Kate and Mary; and finally, on the dance floor, Tracy with Clifford ... David is dancing with his mother Jane behind them. This was actually a really nice day. We haven't had a lot of those, so I try to focus on the good when I can.
The next set are at Dad and Jane's anniversary party just over a year later. First up Jane with her grand-babies, Amanda holding Brandon, Sheila's boys, Erick & Jacob, Michael's first son, Kyle, and Jane holding Michael's daughter Cheyenne. I'm not sure if Adam and Chris had left yet or not, but in any case, there weren't enough arms to add Gregory into the shot, but he's the only one missing at that time. Next is Tracy holding Brandon and Todd holding Tracy. There's a lot of love in that household. These pictures showed that for me so I had to include them here. The last one of this set is all of us except David. From left to right, C.J., Sheila, Tracy, Michael, Gina and Adam. It's pretty unlikely we'll ever get another chance to be all together like that, so I cherish this one. We were happy in that moment ... or at least we didn't let on otherwise.
The rest are more recent. Jake and Erick last summer. Those boys are growing up so fast! Brandon and Sabrina last summer. Then Michael and his fiance, Justina. Those were taken last February. I didn't get a picture of Justina's daughters ... they disappeared with the boys to play some video games upstairs. The next picture is Amanda dressed for Junior Prom (when she was a senior). She went with friends to both proms and had a great time. Besides, she loves "costumes" as you can see in the next photo I took at the Sterling Renaissance Festival in 2007. Don Juan and Miguel are her favorite part of the faire.
The last four pictures were taken at Tracy and Todd's Memorial Day Weekend. Sabrina, Brandon, Todd and Sabrina, Tracy and Sabrina. It's hard to believe Brandon is only turning 7 next month. He takes after his dad and is going to be very tall. They're such good kids ... I do miss not being able to see tham more now that we have moved an hour away.
Ok ... That's it for the pics I have up for now. Please direct any questions through email. I'll be happy to answer. Gary and I are headed to Sheila's in a week and I promise recent pics of everybody I can catch. Dad & Jane, too, if I can sneak up on them. They're staying nearby for a while. We'll see more family in July and I'll try to be a shutterbug then, too. Maybe I'll even get to see some of the children of our cousins then or at Michael's wedding in August. It should be a very eventful summer.
BTW ... my hair is now blue ... it's not the just the lighting. Photo to follow. ;)
May 21 Family Photos AddedSince my original purpose for this blog is now back, I have added a family photo album. I will continue to add pictures to the same album as I get them scanned in with the end goal being to show the most up-to-date faces of everyone I can find (or take) pictures of. I have attached first names and years to the photos for chronology, but for details, you'll have to send me a personal email. I know that not everyone wants to create a space just to talk to each other, so here's my e-mail. Feel free to drop me a line anytime.
Please type carefully. Its easy to skip that last "g" or the number 1. If you don't hear from me within a few days, I probably didn't get your message. If you have a different e-mail for me, that's okay. I have lots of them, and I check them all regularly.
If anybody has a problem with having their face posted here, please inform me directly. I will not stop what I'm doing unless I hear from the offended party myself. A lot of what happened before was the result of too many opinions butting into somebody else's issue. If you have anything to say about my motives or the way I choose to bring my goals to fruition, say so. We're all adults here. I can take it.
We are all flawed humans. We all have a past. We also all have a future. I won't make excuses for my own darkness, and I will try to explore without judging anyone else's. The truth is that making the connections to complete this family circle will bring things out that some would like to forget. I don't agree with that. I believe that if these hidden things were known, that knowledge would make us all stronger. I don't want to be divided. I want to know how alcohol affects my genetics so I can stay away from something that might hurt me and mine. I want to know about criminal histories that have repeated so I can deal with those feelings in a more constructive way. I want to know about the artists, the chefs, the businessmen, and the bums. I want to know where I come from so I can find the right path to follow toward my future, and I want my children to know all of that, too.
This is about finding the core of who and what we truly are. Beneath all the crap is a great group of people who know pain and sorrow and loss ... who have grown and learned from the mistakes of others ... who struggle to teach that wisdom to the next generation. We're all just doing the best we can. Can't we please try to do it together? May 06 Amazing ConnectionsToday's the day ... I called my grandmother last night so she'd be the first to know. She is and always has been a pillar in my life. A lot of my "good" can be traced to her. She deserves to be first with me. I needed her to know that before I told the rest of the world.
NOW ... the secret that I've been keeping since Friday last ... I got an unexpected email at GBEES.ORG. For those that don't know, this is the website that we set up years ago to house the family trees. There is a lot of information in those trees, but there are a lot of gaps, too. We have managed to gather enough substantiated evidence to get three of the four lines back to the orginal emigrees. The Meyer line doesn't show this, but that's because the information is housed in another family member's tree program.
The one line that has proved problematic is the Downey line. I know my father and his siblings, their children and most of their children's children. I know who my grandfather was, who his first wife was (my esteemed grandmother) and the name of his second wife. I know that his parents names were Harland and Eunice. The few tidbits available made Harland of Irish descent (I somehow had it in my mind that he was English) and Eunice as Iroquois, possibly Onondaga.
The only other information that I was able to gather was from my Grandmother telling me what her first husband had told her years before I was old enough to ask. He had siblings ... how many and what their names were was mostly "iffy". I wrote it down anyway and included the information in my tree.
I was never able to establish any real contact with my grandfather. He was always just a short, round, cowboy who lived in Arizona and had horses. I can count the visits he made to us on one hand. He brought us silver dollars. I thought it was exotic because they matched his silver belt buckle and the tips of his snakeskin boots. I think I was 11. The last time I tried to contact him was to send him a birth announcement for my daughter. I don't even know if he ever got it. That was 19 years ago. He died in 2003.
The message I got on Friday was from a woman named Wendy who had been internet surfing and found the Downey tree. It turns out that she is the daughter of the one sibling of my grandfather's that I had an erroneous name for. Not Erma, but NORMA. After sending a little information back and forth, we established that we are indeed COUSINS! Actually, she's dad's cousin. Her children are second cousins to me ... well, its all convoluted family stuff, but it's finally a real connection.
I was able to speak to her by phone later on. As thrilled as I am to have this piece of the puzzle, it was a bittersweet call. Admittedly, I had on rose-colored glasses and fervently hoped that other branches of the tree had escaped some of the trials and tribulations that I knew existed in ours. I was wrong. Family is what it is. In a way, though, confirming the demons is also a way to confirm the connection, so in the end, it's good.
Throughout the weekend, we exchanged names and dates, places and circumstances, opinions and truths ... I also recieved messages from Wendy's older sister Becki and Louise's daughter Janet. More facts and tidbits came from those directions and in between, we updated the family tree program with all the new information. I know that one great aunt is still alive. Most of the information that these newfound cousins had about us was from her, so maybe we all have Aunt Georgia (Georgianna) to thank for finally connecting this chain.
Wendy had the name of the town Grandma Eunice came from. Looking it up on Google maps (I love Google maps!), I discovered that there can be no doubt that she was Onondaga. I will attempt to make inroads to her path sometime soon. I learned the name of my grandfather's grandfather, so that gives us one more layer to explore.
Wendy clued me in on a few "why"s, too. Like why my grandfather and his siblings lost track of each other, and why we have troubled paths at times. It doesn't make it any easier to have lived, but in my heart, it makes things easier to accept, and maybe that's the end of the journey anyway. Acceptance. I won't post these things, but will share them privately with family members who are interested.
Finally, as explanation for a lot of things, a quote from Aunt Georgia ... "some things should be spoken but not written down". I understand why you said it, but I respectfully have to disagree. This is why we have searched so long to find our lost pieces and to begin to heal.
Wendy, I hope you write that book. May 05 Revelations of a different sortThis weekend I found out that I'm probably Irish ... really. Not English like I thought, so the whole crest thing is wrong and I'll have to re-do it. I guess the pull toward Druidism has teeth after all. I still favor crop circles over celtic knots, though.
EDIT: I looked it up and the crest is right. No changes necessary. May 03 Ladies & Gentlemen, I have an announcementWhen I wrote what I thought would be my final post last August, I entertained the idea of deleting this site. Today, I'm glad that I didn't. Right now, I am announcing the re-opening of the MSN wing of the Hive because something has happened that I thought never would. Some of you will remember that this was the original theme ... back when I spoke frequently of family and troubles and angst, of desperately trying to work through feelings and hurts, of trying to make sense of the sensleless. I feel like it's the right theme to announce that we're coming back to a family-centered space once more .......... with a twist (to be announced shortly).
I have a few more messages to send first, but I wanted to get this blurb online before I got to busy to do it. The time has come, my friends, for expansion and for healing. Stay tuned. August 21 Happy New YearSeptember has always been my new year, no matter what the calendar says. The trend is clear once more that MSN Spaces is just a serious waste of time. Cas, you know how to reach me ... but I'll read as long as you write. Manda, ditto ... and I'm still following everything like the groupie I've become. Lynn, feel better, please ... missing you and loving you and scared to death for you ... I'll keep checking. Gayle, your endless quest for romance is admirable and I sincerely hope you find it, but your life is full enough without chasing me. I'll be around to see you as often as I can. Tani, the gardens are beautiful, but leave me longing to get down in the dirt when I can't. Tough love with B ... he needs it, but remember to get what you need, too. Y'all know how to reach me if you ever decided you really need me, anyhow.
Peace-Mama, Tracy, and Mary ... I know you read even when I don't hear from you. Family is what it is.
I don't have the motivation to do this anymore. There are too many millions of blogs and too many obligations to take care of. My attention has wandered too far and I don't want to pull it back this time. I want to draw again an read and write fiction. I want to get to know my new surroundings. I want to be in the physical world for a bit.
See me at GBees (which I have plans to merge all other sites under within the year). E-mail me ... call me ... IM me ... hell, even snail mail still works. I want to be part of your lives, but this tired space has finally ... irrevocably ... got to go.
Waste not, want not. Love you all. G
{this space will self-destruct in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...}
August 15 Town DwellersAfter 19 years of living in a lovely rural village where I had to get in a car just to go to the corner store or the post office, we have moved to TOWN. Those closest to me know that I'm in seventh heaven. They may not understand it, but they know it. I have almost always lived in rural settings, but I have always always (yes, I meant to write that twice) been a townie at heart. I know that room to run and play is what children and pets really need, so I did it for as long as I needed to. The child is grown and can live where she likes, the dogs are old and I promise to walk them to the park every day, but I am neither a child nor a dog.
This new town is small, to be sure, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Close communites take care of their inhabitants. I watched a town meeting from last June on TV last night. It was cozy and simple ... they dealt with real issues that touched real people's lives ... people I'm beginning to know. We live literally 2 blocks from restaurants, a grocery store, a couple of car mechanics, the fire department, video store, banks, gyms (yep, more than one), a Best Western, clothing stores, and dry cleaners. I'm LOVING this! I can walk EVERYWHERE. The closer park (the one with ball fields and a pool) is a block away, the hospital is about a half mile away. The movie theater where they still only play one movie at a time is next to a central town park with a pond and benches. And the finishing touch ... it's only 1.25 miles to work. By next Spring, I'll be walking that, too!
This little town is an anomaly in Upstate NY. It has embraced progressive things like Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut without losing it's homey feel. I'm curious as a cat to find out just how they do it. The crime rate is so low that it might as well be non-existent. The population is not incredibly diverse, but that's to be expected in a place that many people don't even stop in as they drive through. The college here is an Ag & Tech school, so the kids who come here are like the people who live here ... rural, hard-working, down-to-earth, and friendly. Guess what? At the Burger King, I saw them serve french toast sticks and coffee to a nice older woman after 1:00 p.m. Last night at the grocery store, the young man (about 12) behind me in line had a cordial conversation with me, commented that "someone is going to be eating well tonight" after looking at the contents of my basket, and he was buying for himself ... are you ready? ... FRUIT. Is that great or what?
The new job is good. There really is a lot to learn, and I'm glad of that. Without that aspect, I might get bored too soon. That would be a shame because I really like the thought of exploring this town a bit, too. I know it's premature, but the vibes are telling me that as soon as I feel I've learned this job, I'll be looking to move on. Actually, as soon as I pass the probationary period of a year, I may be looking to move on. It's not what the King wants to hear, but he should know me by now. I'm either moving forward or unhappy. There is so much more to explore and life is so short ... maybe the hiking trails at the Iroquois Indian Museum will distract me for a while.
Anyway, the internet is up and running, so GBees and all affiliated websites are operational and awaiting orders. The new address has been posted on the home pages of all the sites for anyone wishing to use regular mail to reach us. I apologize once more for the sparse content of the past two newsletters. There are real improvements and additions in the works, I promise!
That's it from the Hive or now. I have loads of boxes left to unpack. Have a great day! August 10 News and ReviewsOkay ... I guess the rest of MSN spaces doesn't love New York, but I still do.
As of yesterday afternoon, we have a closing date. Papers will be signed and keys handed over on Monday at 2:00 p.m. This morning we finished up rental agreements in Cobleskill, rented a PO box for GBees (and the rest of the businesses), gave the dogs a spa treatment (they got a doggie wash at the groomer), arranged to have the electric service turned off and turned on at the appropriate addresses, forwarded the phone number until we can get a new one, called for return boxes for the Dish network stuff, started an account with the cable company, took lots and lots of measurements, and moved in whatever would fit in the car (which weren't much!). Still to go ... pack GBees (all the computer equipment, printers, other machines, mailing supplies, paper, etc.), take care of last minute details with the buyer, and make sure that absolutely everything is in a box except for the bed. I'm not sleeping on the floor any sooner than necessary. The movers will be here bright and early tomorrow morning with a large truck and three strong backs. Sunday we'll do a final cleaning, Monday the new owners can walk through an empty house to see what they're really buying, and by Tuesday my two hours a day behinfd the wheel of a car will finally be OVER!
Life is good ... we'll be busy for a couple of days ... the waiting is over. August 04 Much MORE than New York CityWANTED: Summaries of Central NY including Syracuse, Buffalo/Niagara Falls region, the Southern Tier, Plattsburgh and the northern borderlands, Rochester, the Finger Lakes, and anyone who can fill in the Onondaga Indian Reservations educational gap. Oh yeah, Somebody from NYC chime in, too. I'd love to include the perspective of a city dweller. Everyone I've ever met who's originally from NYC loves it and can't wait to move back.
Cas' blog reminded me that an awful lot of people outside of New York State really do believe that everybody in New York lives in "the city". First, there are a few cities in New York state that, though smaller than the "big apple" are, nonetheless, cities. Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, Utica, Watertown, Plattsburgh, Malone, Potsdam, etc. I'm just posting a quick visual today to illustrate a point ... that popular perception is NOT fact. I've been to New York City a few times, and while it's a great place to visit, I wouldn't want to live there. It is, in fact, a whole separate mindset from the rest of the state. If I had my druthers, it would be it's own state ... sorta like Rhode Island. I have included Cas' location as well as my own and Peace-Mama's. None of us are even remotely close to each other, but we are all part of the collective "upstate" that is the state of New York. Enjoy the map ... ask questions of any of us (we'll answer) ... but please stop thinking that a teeny little pile of land that would, incidentally, fit inside the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, is all there is to this great state.
 Peace-Mama wrote such a glowing review of her neck of the NY woods in my comment box that I feel compelled to add it here. Maybe I can get Cas and some others to do the same and we'll have a spectacular look at the wonderland that is Upstate New York!
Peace-Mama says:
Wow! the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport must be an absolutely stunning sight to see!
Technically, Potsdam is not a city, though I'm pleased that you included my home terf.... St. Lawrence County, the largest county in New York state when speaking in terms of area, has only one city... Ogdensburg, situated on the lovely St. Lawrence River, with a spectacular view of Ontario, Canada, across the international bridge. Some other points of interest certainly include Canton, the county seat, home of SUNY Canton and St. Lawrence University; Potsdam, home of SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University; Gouverneur, home of the lifesaver; and Massena, where you'll find another international bridge spanning the St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Centre Mall, which includes an ice arena. Then just a little further up the road you might also enjoy a visit to the St. Regis-Mohawk Indian Reservation and the Akwesasne Casino. St. Lawrence County is an overwhelmingly rural area, a world away from New York City, with its horse-drawn Amish buggies sharing the roadways with more modern modes of transportation. There are thousands of acres of farmland and many state parks and forest preserves. It is an area known for it's hunting and fishing camps and outdoor opportunities such as skiing, hiking, camping, sailing and white water rafting. It's an area with deep roots and its inhabitants cling to history and tradition, often with young adults settling very near their parents and grandparents, raising their own families the only way they know. It's a great place to live and to raise children, but if that's not for you, perhaps you might still consider visiting someday and experiencing the "other" New York....
I agree that there is so much more to this state than just the city everyone in the world has heard of. We have many secrets and so much more to offer than "the big apple." Use your web browser to explore New York State using search terms like "Thousand Islands," "Finger Lakes." "Great Lakes" (particularly, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, which both border New York), "Niagara Falls," "Catskills," "Adirondacks," "Lake Champlain," "Saratoga" or "harness racing," and auto racing at "Watkin's Glen," "Evans Mills," "Can-Am, LaFargeville" or "Adirondack, New Bremen," "Sterling Renaissance Festival," "Howe Caverns," "Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown," "Erie Canal," and "Buffalo Bills" (the only NY NFL team to actually play their home games in NY state).
Whatever else you do, just try to remember that New York doesn't always mean the "big apple." Those of us from other regions of the state find it terribly offensive to be clumped into that city ... or worse, to be forgotten or omitted completely. New York is a beautiful state, even the parts that don't have much in the way of cities at all.
I'm taking Cas' comment as a declination ... which is perfectly fine. Since Peace-Mama and I grew up in his area, I'll do the two parts of the state that I'm most familiar with. With roughly half of my life spent in each location, I'll do each part separately.
Jefferson county is home to one of the most important military installations in the northeast ... Fort Drum. While people living in the area may have their issues with the symbiotic relationship that this creates, I have always looked at it as a bonus for diversity. There was little racism in my childhood (at least that I remember). The diversity of the soldiers was part of everyday life. My dad was in the National Guard ... and later, my mother and my brother as well. My parents both worked on Fort Drum as did my grandparents. Our large families also instilled in us a belief that there was always room for one more at the table. This is a part of Northern NY culture that remains today ... flourishing as we take care of our own and anybody else who needs it.
The largest city is Watertown, which admittedly isn't that large, but it has everything you need to survive and then some. The Thompson Park/Zoo has become a leading educational center with indigenous animals highlighted in every habitat. The petting zoo where the goose bit me is gone, but the stone "castle" picnic areas and sprinkler playground still exist. Driving over the hill from Rutland to see the stone tower nestled in the trees was the signal that we had arrived in Watertown. Alexandria Bay, Clayton (which is home to the Antique Boat Museum), and Sacketts Harbor are small by comparison, but important in their own ways as ports along the Thousand Island/St. Lawrence Seaway. Summers spent at Wescotts Beach State Park or any one of a dozen other state park beaches along the seaway, playing in the waves were one of the biggest thrills I can remember. I still go back every year to be near Lake Ontario and breathe in the energy of my youth.
Lewis county is my mother's family homestead. The agricultural nature of the county appealed to Swiss and German immigrants in the late 17- and early 1800's. My great-grandfather's father settled here and the house he was born in still stands. Croghan is home to our family's E. M. Marilley's General Store and the famed Croghan Meat Market's Croghan Bologna (which is fantastic if you ever get a chance to try it). The infamous Tug Hill Plateau, home of snowy horror dramas is also a part of the Lewis county legacy. Snowmobilers and skiiers flock to Lewis county every year for miles of uninterrupted fun. Summer visitors come for Enchanted Forest Water Safari, rafting on the Moose and Black Rivers, and scenic Adirondack train tours through gorgeous mountains.
Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren, Columbia & Greene counties ... Oh let's throw in Schoharie, too. I'll be there soon enough.
New York's Capital Region nestled between the Adirondack and Catskill mountain ranges, is one of three hubs in NY state where everything seems to come together (the other two being Syracuse and Buffalo). I've lived here for almost 22 years and I think there's just too much here to summarize in one small piece. From Lake George to Saratoga horse racing to state government to many, many, many colleges and universities ... it's not a question of where to stop, but of where to start. Albany is the summer place to be; Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Saratoga Raceway; Capital Rep; the Times Union Center; the NY State Museum; the Schenectady Museum & Planetarium; the Troy Children's Museum; the Albany Art Institute Museum; Alive @ Five free music on Thursday followed by Pearl St., The Party Continues; Wednesday free concerts at the Empire State Plaza; nightly free plays in Washington Park; The Fourth of July Fireworks; hiking in the Albany Pine Bush Preserves; boat tours on the Hudson River; weekly Farmer's Markets, holiday parades, shopping, eating, dancing ... there is literally no way you can ever be bored here. I can only list a few of the better-known colleges and Universities, but you'll get the point: SUNY Albany, SUNY Nanotech, Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School and Medical Colleges, College of Saint Rose, Russell Sage, Hudson Valley Community College, Empire State College, Union College, Maria College, Sienna, Skidmore, Adirondack Community College, Bryant & Stratton ... see what I mean? I can't begin to relate the historical significance, either ... from Fort Ticonderoga to the Cohoes Mastodon, we're steeped in it. Archaeological digs continue today unearthing treasures from the colonial history of this hub on the Hudson. Greene county leads you to the glorious Catskill mountains where folks from "the city" still come to get away from the hustle and flow. Summertime camping, rafting, and hiking slide into wintertime skiing and snowmobiling. While not as vast as the Majestic Adirondacks, the Catskills boast some of the largest waterfalls in the state. The Kaaterskill, in particular, is not only large, but also one of the most accessible around. My only disappointment during my own visits is the number of people I have to try to get out of my photographs! Until recently, the Catskill Game Farm was one of the biggest attractions around. They were one of my earliest memories and also one of my daughter's. I'm sorry that they had to go out of business. They'll be missed. Anyway, we have wineries, trains, The NY Giants training camp each summer at SUNY ALbany, live entertainment, apple orchards, Zoom Flume, Lark Street, Delmar (top 20 places to live in the US) ... I could go on for days. Can you tell I love it here? I'll stop, though ... and let you find out more on your own.
I said I'd also include Schoharie county because that's where I'm moving to and because it has some pretty spectacular destinations on it's own. I am going to be less than ten minutes by car from Howe Caverns, Secret Caverns (which contains a 100' underground waterfall), the Iroquois Indian Museum, Caverns Creek Grist Mill Museum, and SUNY Cobleskill Agricultural & Technical College. A little bit further, you'll find Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Palatine House, and the Old Stone Fort Museum. Sure it's rural ... most of Upstate New York is ... but that doesn't mean we can be ignored. Even with just a few of NY's many surprises listed here, isn't it easy to see why we might get a little miffed at being lumped in with NY City? I still have buttons and t-shirts proudly proclaiming "I
 NY" because I really, really do ... all of it.Hurry up and waitWell, July has come and gone with no closing date and frustration all around. We have jumped through all the hoops set before us, we are completely packed and living on take-out, we are keeping up with new orders, and trying not to take out the angst on each other. DD is comfortably tucked into my sister's house for the time being. She's enjoying being able to spend some time with her young cousins. At this rate, I may be moving her directly from there to college in a few weeks. I feel like I have wasted the past three weekends waiting for the phone to ring or for someone to come to the door or for emails or faxes ... just waiting. The apartment complex we'd like to move to may have to take the new appliances out for somebody who's actually ready to move in. Seriously, they're being really nice, but they have to fill these apartments ... I know that. We've made another mortgage payment and the buyers have had to come up with another month's rent. I'm sorry for complaining, but how hard is this supposed to be anyway? It all started out so easy ... and the road to hell ... yeah, I know ... I should have known that nothing is as easy as it first appears to be. Thanks for listening. I have to go see Cas for a latte ... to go. July 15 Renaissance WomanDD with Don Juan and Miguel. Always the highlight of the Festival!
If you've never been to the Sterling Renaissance Festival, I highly recommend it. We had a fantastic time.
 July 11 Random updatesIt's been a while ... no more, no less of a reason to do this than anything else. I'm guessing the kiln is destined for the dumpster. That's too bad. I would have liked to try it out.
The kid's grad party was a rousing success despite the water balloons and ensuing pummeling. My nephew is still hiding from DD. Poor kid.
GBees is packed to the essentials, but still running. 200 candy bar wrappers deliver this week and 10 bookmarks. With one web-design in the second half of construction and a possible on the horizon, things look good for the transition to another town.
We have a tentative new address, but have yet to close on the house. I'm still hoping that nothing goes wrong with the contract. It's hard to sit and wait.
On an up note ... {insert sarcasm} we lost power two nights ago. The temp was mid-90s and the humidity was almost that high. We had no fans to move the air, no water, no electric, no facilities ... you get the picture. It's normally better to lose power in the summer than the winter, but I imagine that people were dehydrating by the dozens in Albany County over the last 2 days. Yesterday we put the dogs in the car and drove around with the A/C on high. They refused to get out of the car when we came home. Thankfully the power was restored before bedtime.
A good night's sleep was overdue ... too bad I left the King with the task of cleaning out the fridge. Sorry, honey!
June 28 FREE: Kiln circa mid-1980sUpdate: 7/15/07
Congratulations Amy from Ohio! I hope you get a lot of use from your new kiln. I am glad to see it go to a good home. Enjoy! My apologies to anyone else who looked, but the KILN is officially gone! I have a kiln that I can't take with me when I move. Though it's dated, I am told it works fine (I never got the chance to test it). With it I will add 3 new, never-read books on pottery making, many little stilts and spacers, and several unfinished poured ceramic pieces.
First truck in my driveway gets the goods. Contact me:
photo of similar product: June 25 GraduationThe babies aren't babies anymore. DD and her 5-weeks-older cousin have been sprung from high school and onto an unsuspecting wider world. Seems like yesterday they were building lego towers and racing scooters, having squirt guns fights and belching contests ...
... wait, that was yesterday. ;)
June 21 Weekly BuzzWe have a contract! If all goes as planned (prayers, crossed fingers, candles ... whatever you got) the Hive will officially have a new physical address as of August 1, 2007. Sign up for "Inside the Hive" so you'll be sure to get the August issue with our new contact information. Remember ... our websites and e-mails will remain active throughout the whole process. I don't anticipate any delays if you should need to place an order, so don't let OUR changes affect your plans.
On the home front ... I have word that a favorite aunt is about to enter retirement. Congratulations. You are a role model worthy of the moniker. I'm grateful for all the times you were there for me, for the times you pulled my head out of my *ss and put my feet back on the ground. I love you. Happy retirement. You deserve it.
Strong women (some may have other opinions) seem to run in this family. I have spent most of my life trying to balance building strength with not becoming an over-bearing witch. I have stumbled often, but now I think I'm beginning to get it. I feel like I'm walking through a magic gate and becoming one of them ... my revered mothers and sisters ... the strong women who walked before me. Not that any of them are stopping, mind you. Retirement to these women only means they get to start something new. No fade to gray for them. They will run large and small businesses. They will volunteer for worthy causes. They will teach and lead and give. That's just the way it is.
The past 20 years of my life have been spent learning as much as teaching. Raising a child, leading my Girl Scouts, learning to deal with some rather large disappointments and revelations. I have learned how to be a wife, a mother, a friend, a role model, and a teacher ... I have tried to re-learn how to be a sister instead of a mother. I have learned who I really am. Truthfully, I wouldn't trade a minute of it ... not even the most painful ones ... because I am better for having lived it. I am stronger for having survived.
I have arrived, and I feel like I deserve to be here. Life is good.
June 13 The consequences of changesToday I heard a phrase that just sent shivers down my spine. You have to know me to understand it, I suppose ... but most of you who still read this know me well enough to get it.
I believe in equal treatment of human beings. I believe that all of us have something to give and all of us are in need ... mostly at the same time, all the time. When I say everyone, I mean everyone ... from 0 to death. We all have something to learn from each other, and we all have something to teach. I treat people the way I'd like them to treat me. I may be abrupt when I'm focused on getting some work done, but that's never personal and never meant to make anybody feel bad. It's just the way I roll. I also believe that it makes good sense to make some people responsible for the actions of other people. Hierarchy has it's place, but it's about balance not power. It's a system of checks and double-checks, not an excuse to make others do your grunt work.
Today the woman I work the closest with (that's how I see it) in the new job introduced me to her mother as "my new boss". Ewwwwww. Just because my official new title has a higher number, suddenly I'm charged with the responsibility of having people report to me, approving or disapproving leave time, delegating jobs. The problem is, she knows way more about what I'm supposed to be doing than I do. She has more years of state service at the level I just got promoted out of, and the only reason she's not sitting in my chair is because she was too pregnant to take the test. This feels REALLY weird. Awkward doesn't begin to define it. She's teaching me, and she gets to call m |
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