You can thank my confusion for the extension!

     My, oh my! Where has July gone?  This morning after I had cleared the cobwebs from my brain, I sat down at the computer to check the library's Facebook page and saw that Leslie Paul, the director, had posted a reminder that Nancy Saunders, puppeteer was going to be there this Friday.  In the back of my head, I knew that this special children's visitor was going to be there on August 3rd.  Confused and dazed, after my daughter got out of the shower, preparing for her work day at the library, I asked her to double check with Leslie or Nancy which was correct-THIS Friday, or August 3rd?  She gave me a look that said it all, but she voiced her opinion of my crazy question.  "Mom, THIS Friday IS August 3rd."

     Oh, dear.  In my hesitancy to see this summer pass by quickly, I realized that I was a week behind the calendar!  Which also meant that I am a week behind in this blog, among everything else!  Perhaps it was my subconscious dealing with the impending date when my firstborn will fly the nest and head off to college, or perhaps it was that summer is my favorite season and I hate to see it go.  Even though the calendar says that summer lasts through the third week of September, once August 1st comes, summer seems to fly by in a flurry of activity.

     This August, not only will we be preparing for "our" first year of college, but we are also preparing for our "baby's" Senior year of High School, which means clothes shopping, senior picture taking, getting him set to retake his college entrance exams and driver's test, and finishing up college visits.  Not to mention my transfer to another school to finish my degree.  Yikes!  It's no wonder I am a bit confused!

     In all this confusion, I can't help but wish, just a little bit, for a time that was a bit simpler, like Dorothy Stacy portrays in her Erie Canal Cousins series.  Wishing for time to move at a much slower pace, a time to enjoy the simpler pleasures in life, not wanting to see our daughter leave just quite yet.

     Since I have been under the influence of "brain fog" for a few weeks, I am extending July's contest through August 15th, so there is still time to enter to win one book in the Erie Canal Cousins series, signed by Dorothy Stacy.  You can thank my confusion for the extension!

     Today is National Cousins Day, a day to celebrate the unique relationship between cousins.  Having been an only child, my cousins were especially dear to me.  I was the youngest of the cousins that lived around here and my aunt watched me while my parents worked, so many days of my childhood were spent trailing after my cousins.  My cousin Billy, although I am sure that he balked many times, let me follow him around like a lost puppy. He used to take me out for subs at Big Bill's on Albany Street. He taught me to walk on stilts-really tall ones that he had made himself, and he helped me ride his unicycle.  My cousin Ron, a Casey Kasem Top 40 fan and an amateur musical buff let me listen to all the "cool" music that was too old for me-except he used to put his hands over my ears whenever he played his "A Chorus Line" album during one particular song and whenever Hall and Oates' Rich Girl song came on the radio.  My cousin Donna used to let me play Barbies with her all all the time, even when she got too old for them, and we would get mad together when her sister Sandy, a tomboy all the way, would bring in her G.I. Joe's and disrupt our girly play.
But Sandy was not left out of the fun either-she and I would play board games forever.  I still have the monopoly game that my cousins gave me for my tenth birthday-it's the same one that my own children still play!

    I have so many memories of growing up with my cousins.  I remember as clear as it was yesterday the day that our grandfather died, us kids were out back of our grandmother's house trying to stay clear of the adults.   We were playing whiffle ball with the toys that our grandparent's kept in their garage for us and I was upset about the day's events and wanted to hug Billy.  This would have been fine, except I got too close while he was batting and he smacked me smack dab in the mouth.  I had a fat lip for days.

     I remember sleepovers at our grandmother's house in our sleeping bags that she had got for all us kids.  I remember walking over to the corner store with quarters that she had given us to buy "whatever we wanted."  Back then, you could get a whole bag of actual penny candy, a glass bottle soda, or a twin pop and some candy.  I remember how proud I was that my cousins were older so whenever I was with them, I didn't need a baby sitter.  We used to walk to the public pools in Herkimer and Mohawk together.  Since they were older, they would ditch me once we got there to hang with their friends, but I always knew they loved me because they would come check on me.

    My cousins were with me when my Dad took us sledding behind the elementary school in Mohawk.  My dad loved my cousins, too.  One year, my dad bought me one of those really long wooden toboggans.  It was kind of silly, being an only child, but he really bought it so that all us cousins could fit on at once, with him on the back.  It was this way one particular time-the time my dad flew off the sled and literally broke his back.  Us kids loaded him on the toboggan and pulled him all the way back down Church St to our grandma's.  What a sight we must have been!

   I have hundred's of cousin stories and it saddens me that we have all gone our separate ways as adults.  We no longer share commonalities, but it is these stories that come rushing back into my thoughts when I read Book 2 of Dorothy Stacy's Erie Canal Cousins.  


     Mrs. Stacy has 23 grandchildren and it is my impression that the relationship between cousins was a legacy that she wanted to leave for her grandchildren through her series.  She writes of the intricacies involved between cousins-the same as it would be for siblings-sharing special memories, working and playing together, getting mad at each other and making up with one another.  


If you haven't had the opportunity to read one of Mrs. Stacy's Erie Canal Cousins books, I know for a fact that Frank J. Basloe Library has to borrow, so I highly encourage you to head on over there and check one or all five out!  And don't forget to enter this month's contest, and you may win a signed copy of one of the books.

Please feel free to share special stories of you and your cousins here and don't forget to tell your cousins that you love them.

http://www.sodahead.com

   Yesterday, I finally had a chance to sit and relax a bit. Snuggled up in my recliner chair with the Sunday OD on my lap, I flipped to the section that has all of the human interest stories and on the front page was an article about the Erie Canal (http://www.uticaod.com/living/x42014651/10-things-to-know-about-the-Erie-Canal) and as I read the article, I was reminded how blessed we are in our area to have people who appreciate the beauty that our region offers, as part of God's creation and man-made creation, and who want to share all that they know about our valley with those of us who take the time to listen and read. Dorothy Stacy is one of those people from whom we can learn from about history in our area-and the Erie Canal is her expertise, since she has written five books about life on the Erie Canal!

  All that our Mohawk Valley and state has to offer, is surrounded in such rich history that teaches us about the generations who came before us and how they shaped the region for us today.  Some of it was good, and some of it was not so good, but all of it is alive with colorful stories of men, women and children who shared vision and imagination and put those qualities to task by putting their hearts, souls, strength and sweat into all that they did.  This is what Dorothy Stacy conveys in her life, as well as her books.

    Mrs. Stacy has led a full and interesting life and her passion for history plays a HUGE part of it.  Aside from being the author of the Erie Canal Cousins book series for middle readers, she is a member of the Oneida County Historical Society, Vice President of the Town of Paris Historical Society, and author of the Town of Paris Historical Society's newsletter.  I cannot do justice to Mrs. Stacy's long list of accomplishments and interests, so here are links to her website and blog:

http://dorothystacy.com/ (Check out her "about me" page-you'll be amazed.  A word of caution: after reading all about her, you might feel like you are a slacker-ha, ha!)

http://dorothystacy.wordpress.com/  (a quick check of the blog reveals Mrs. Stacy's new book series!)


Next time . . . Stories about cousins.

     Busy.  Crazy Busy.  Last week I was watching a segment on MSNBC that spoke about how that seems to be everyone's theme  "song"-the latest craze if you will, and it seems as if I have joined in reciting this to everyone.

     "How are you?" someone may ask.  "Busy. Crazy busy" I reply, and receive a nod of agreement from the other party.  I don't even have to say what we are busy with, because they know, for they are just as busy. We are all busy-crazy busy.  This summer seems to be especially busy for my family.  We were preparing for our daughter's high school graduation, getting ready for her party later this week, rushing her off to her college orientation, visiting colleges with our son who will be a senior, juggling our schedules with two kids who have also entered the work force, caring for an aging parent, preparing for our son's performance in Stage Two local theater, etc., etc., etc.  Summer is supposed to be a time for relaxation, spending time with family, soaking up the rays of the sun that is so elusive to us Northeasterners in the winter months, yet our schedules and activities often prevent us from enjoying the simpler pleasures of the long awaited summer.


This was not the case in the mid 1800's.  


"Tuesday, August 11, 1840
Utica, New York


I awoke with a start this morning at the shrill sound of a rooster crowing.  For a moment, I could not remember where I was.  I was not at home in my bed in Albany.  Nor was I still in the cabin of Uncle Dermot's boat on the Erie Canal.  the smell of freshly cut hay drifted through the open window, and cool air had replaced the stifling heat of the night before.   As I glanced around the room, I finally remembered that I, Rose Stewart, was now in Utica on my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Andrew's farm.  I will be here for three weeks to help Aunt Jenny with the boys and the new baby.


I am writing about my adventures on this trip . . ."




     This is the opening sentence of Dorothy Stacy's book Three Weeks in Utica, the second book in her Erie Canal Cousins series.  Mrs. Stacy, a retired elementary school teacher who has spent a lifetime in Utica and Sauquoit, has written this historical fiction series for "middle readers" and bases her main characters after her own grandchildren.  


     The thing that I would like to point out, is Mrs. Stacy is no stranger to crazy busy-ness and has been for quite some time.  It is not a fad or catch phrase to her, but her life!  In the coming days, I will be sharing her story, information about her books, and her pearls of wisdom for aspiring authors.


     I hope that you will take the time to become un-busy and enjoy this adventure back in time, when things were not "crazy busy."


     Until next time, wishing you the blessings of relaxation with friends.  Take the time to curl up in a hammock and read.  Better yet, read the entire five book Erie Canal Cousins Series with your children!  It'll be time well spent.

     It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and I thought that it was appropriate to begin July's feature on the eve of our nation's Birthday.  The 236th birthday of America is a perfect time to recollect stories of the past and to think about how our little Mohawk Valley and the surrounding area was instrumental in shaping the events of the past.

Recently I have had a few opportunities to learn some new things about our locale and just how rich we are in history.  Sure, everyone knows that Herkimer is home to the Historic Four Corners, featuring the Herkimer County Historical Society on the Northeast corner, the Herkimer Reformed Church (which will be celebrating its 300th continuous year of Christian worship on the same corner in just a few years) on the Northwest corner, the Herkimer County Courthouse on the Southeast corner-all decked out in red, white and blue year round-and the Old Jail on the Southwest corner.

And you can't have gone to school in Herkimer without learning about the town's namesake, General Nicholas Herkimer, who fought in the French and Indian War, as well as the American Revolution.  And I would gather that nearly everyone in the area has seen this painting, depicting Herkimer's fatal injury at the Battle of Oriskany:

                                                           photo of painting Wikipedia
                                                           original painting by F.C. Yohn

On our family's several trips to Williamsburg, VA and Jamestown, VA, we have taken tours of the battlefields and it always amazes us to see all the signposts that are labeled with General Nicholas Herkimer's name on them.  To see that people who live several states away, not to mention the thousands of visitors to these two historical sites, see his name and realize his involvement in the war that earned our freedom, truly is something to make you stop and think.

However, did you know that Weller Library in Mohawk holds secret underground holding rooms that were used as a stopping point for the Underground Railroad?  That little tidbit came to me via my daughter's boyfriend's mother, Kirstie Smith, who used to be friends with a girl who lived in the back of the library.

Were you aware how involved the men and boys of this area were in the Civil War?  Nancy Stowell, Frank J. Basloe Library's Children's Librarian, and I had opportunity to talk about how people don't truly realize how many served in that war-we often think of the Revolutionary War as our area's only involvement in history.  Nancy, who also serves on the Board of Trustees for the St. Johnsville Library, told me that their library is busy cataloging oodles of artifacts, pictures, and documents for a museum about the ones who served in the Civil War.

And how many times a month, week or day to you travel Route 5 from Herkimer to Ilion or Frankfort, Route 5S from Little Falls to Ilion, or cross the South Washington Street, Mohawk St., Ilion or Frankfort bridges without fully appreciating the rich history of the man made waterway that runs parallel to these highways and underneath the bridges?  Local Author Dorothy Stacy has thought about the Erie Canal quite often.  As a matter of fact, she has written not one, not two, but five books on the subject.

The series, called the Erie Canal Cousins, depicts life along the Erie Canal in the mid-1800's.  Geared toward middle readers, the series is seen through the eyes of a young girl, Rose Stewart.  I look forward to introducing you to Mrs. Stacy, her books, and a little bit of history this month.

Until next time . . . please have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and while you are celebrating, please take the time to reflect upon the rich history that surrounds our area, and to give thanks to God for all the men and women  who have served this country to protect each and every one of us.