Happy Fourth of July...a little late!

    The Fourth of July was a big holiday in our family not just because it was the start of summer but because it was my dad's birthday!  There was always a party...at home or wherever we were camping.  And we managed to celebrate across 2 countries without really trying. 

   The Adirondacks were our favorite camping site and we pitched our tent (and pop-up) pretty much all over the Park.  We spent one Fourth in a cottage at Fourth Lake because that was the winter Mom had pneumonia and 'roughing it' was 'out'.  That was also the year my cousin Peter was born and having a cottage instead of a tent allowed the baby and his family to accompany us.

   In the middle/late 1960's we left the tent in the attic and went to Canada with our neighbors.  The first few years they rented a small cabin...with an outhouse...on Mississippi Lake.  The owners lived in an old, small house nearby with very thick walls (10-12") and took good care of us.  Joe and Kaisea were an old German couple who lived year round by the lake and had a part wolf dog for a pet.  (At least he looked like part wolf to us!)  The outhouse was slowly sinking towards the lake and the door tended to stick making trips to the facilities even more exciting! After a few years our neighbors bought a small house in the nearby settlement on the lake with all the modern amenities.  The settlement was several miles off the paved road and the people who lived there were honest, friendly folks.  When my mom asked one of the kids if he spoke French he was insulted!  He told her he 'wasn't no frog!"  My father and our neighbor enjoyed fishing on Mississippi Lake and our families made many overnite trips from Herkimer to Carlton Place, Ontario.  One summer we even managed to take a bus into Ottawa from Carlton Place!  (4 American females -2 in their 50's, 2 in their teens. We (the teens) thought we could speak French but when we got to Ottawa neither of us could even manage to say 'bonjour'!)  We missed the bus back to Carlton Place and ended up taking a taxi that cost about $50!!  Definately a trip to remember!)

   We also camped at many of the state campsites along Rte 30 between Old Forge and Speculator.  After spending some time at a private campground on Indian Lake we tried to camp at the public sites on Rte 30 but they weren't for pop-ups. The sites were all 'lake side'...beautiful, close to the water and not accessible for us!  Raquette, Saranac and Blue Mountain Lakes were also spots we camped at over the years.  But our favorite campsites were in Siberia at Moffitt Beach.  Some of those were lakeside and rather difficult for a pop-up to get backed into but when we couldn't do that we always found a site in Siberia that we enjoyed.  

  The last year we used the pop-up we seemed to be jinxed.  Dad got a flat tire while towing the pop-up and shattered the hub.  (We spend a week using the camper while it was balanced on a pile of rocks waiting for repairs!)  It seemed that every time we headed north on Rte 28 the sun would be shinning but we'd lose it by the time we turned on to Rte 8 at Poland and it would have started to rain by the time Rte 365 joined Rte 8.  It would usually be pouring as we turned on to Paige Rd to go to Moffit Beach.  My friend Fran and her husband Larry joined us one weekend...in the pouring rain.  As they pulled up to our campsite, she stuck her head out the car window and yelled, 'If you're dumb enough to set up in this, we're stupid enough to join you!'

   After a summer of weather like that, my mom had had it.  I don't know how she did it but the next spring she had talked my dad into selling the pop-up and buying a trailer in the park across Rte 8 from the turn to Moffit.  My cousins had a trailer there and Mom liked the set up and the people she met there.  Before we moved in, Dad always said he didn't like it.  'Too many people.  It wasn't for him'.  Once we were there, Dad changed his mind.  He was one of the first to put his boat in the water in the spring and the last to take it out in the fall.  He hardly came home during the season!  Everyone became his friend (and he caught some huge Rainbow trout!) We had the biggest birthday parties for him, too.  They got so big we had to us the park barn to accommodate all the people!

   Those people at camp became more than summer neighbors. They became friends and we spent the winters visiting their homes. Now most all of them are gone...just like our family members...but they live on in my memories.

Happy Birthday, Zoey!

 Yesterday was Zoey's official birthday (the vet emailed Jeff to remind him!)  She is 6 years old and going strong!  She still loves to go for rides...in the car and in the garden wagon behind the Cub Cadet but her days of riding in the car are about over.  She has a hard time getting into the back seat and getting out again.  She limps for a couple of days after every ride in the car so Jeff decided yesterday that enough was enough.  Zoey won't like it but the temperature has gotten too high around here for dogs to go joy riding in cars, anyway. If she stays on her diet (ha ha) and regains some of her jumping ability, he may change his mind.  Or at least it will be easier to pick her up and put her in the car!!  Here is Zoey's official 6th birthday photo.  She is a beautiful beagle, isn't she?

p.s.  Fanny is still going strong at 12!  Her problem is also jumping into the car and sitting down.  Once she is settled in the car she enjoys the ride, too. You'd think Fanny would have it easier getting in the car because she is so much taller than Zoey, but she won't jump in!  I think she can and just wants to be picked up like Zoey!!

Time to Restock!

      The shop in Cooperstown, Cooper Country Crafts, has been open for about a month now and, luckily, it's time to restock so today after my appointment with the dermatologist in Hartwick Seminary (park of Bassett) we went to Cooperstown.  I hadn't realized how much I had sold so I didn't take much...just a few baseball hats.  Guess I better get knitting and really get my display filled before the 1st big summer holiday hits:  Memorial Day weekend!

  We did some 'exploring' on our trip to the doctors, taking Rte 51 or the Ilion Gorge to Cedarville, then to E Winfield before heading and back to Richfield Springs on Rte 20.  The scenery is nice but Rte 20 is in lousy shape until you get to Otsego Country, then the road really becomes a 'scenic highway.'  We stopped and ate our lunch along the creek in the gorge in one of the large parking areas.  Lunch was McDonald's and while the price wasn't bad the portions weren't 'hearty', leaving us both hungry.  

   After we turned off Rte 20 at the light in Richfield Springs we took Rte 28 to Fly Creek and turned right at the blinking light by the fire house (that road cuts a few miles off between Cooperstown and Index.)  There's a nice settlement in there and today I saw a sign that identified part of it as a bible college.  After the road rejoined Rte 28 we were in Hartwick Seminary before you knew it!  We were a few minutes late for my appointment but I blamed it on traffic.

  I had my regular 'mole check-up' and no new growths were found.  (I had had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my back in 2018 without any problem or regrowth.) Today I had 2 large moles frozen, (1 on my chest and the smaller one on my upper arm.)  The larger one may have been caused by the radiation treatments I had had for Hodgkin's Disease 40 years ago. It's about the size of a nickel!  The smaller one on my upper arms was probably caused by the sun and irritated by clothing.  If they don't drop off in 2-3 weeks, I have to schedule an appointment to finish the job. After that we went to the shop before heading back to the Valley.

      All day Jeff and I had talked about where to go for supper.  When we had gone thru Cedarville this morning, he saw the sign for the Cedarville Country Store (diner) and I saw the Matteson Hotel.  Both looked look for supper but by the time we were headed back to Mohawk, he had decided maybe Denny's would be the best bet and that's where we ended up.  (He had his steak dinner and I had salmon.) Once we got home after stopping there and were greeted by the dogs, I fed them, and we all settled down for a nap. Now everyone is awake and bright-eyed again!  I think I 'll pick a tome from the bag of books I picked up at the library Thursday and settle down for the night. Jeff had the dogs outside and Fanny is stretched out next to me ready to sleep, while Zoey followed Jeff back to his PC.  No knitting tonight, maybe tomorrow!

Good Bye, Billy

   Every year my family seems to get smaller. I am an 'only' who grew up in a big Italian family in a large Italian neighborhood.  Everybody seemed to be related to everyone else!  I never felt lonely.  There was always somewhere to go, someone to visit, someone to talk to--in 2 languages English and Calabrese! (Never mind me trying to speak Basilicata...my grandmothers couldn't even understand each other's dialects and spoke to each other in broken English!) 

   While I have plenty of cousins, I was born at a time when I had the attention of both my grandmothers and most of my aunts to myself.  I was made to feel special.  When I went away to college my father's sister (Bill's grandmother) crocheted an afghan for me that I still use!  As the younger cousins were born, I was not jealous of them.  I enjoyed watching them play and grow, and to be perfectly honest, I was glad they took the spotlight off me.  (To this day I do not like having my picture taken because it seemed I had it taken every day for the first 5 years of my life by one aunt or another. When we moved out of the neighborhood to the country and found that our next-door neighbor had a horse (actually, a pony) anyone could ride, a trip to our house was high on the to-do list for younger my cousins...and I could be behind the lens!!) I was always proud of my younger cousins' achievements and supported them.  (Try explaining to your 85+year old mother why the band, Classified, Billy was performing with that night was so good-- even if it was so loud...and we were outside!)

   When Diane called me to say Billy was gone, I just sat here at my PC staring at the screen.  I couldn't believe it...or didn't want to.  Please read his obituary...especially the last paragraph.  It is so important to prevent this happening to any other family.

Herkimer - William M. (Bill) Mirgo, 64, a life-long Herkimer resident, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

He was born on July 19, 1958, in Herkimer the son of the late William and Phyllis (Fiorentino) Mirgo. Bill was a graduate of Herkimer High School, class of 1976, and he furthered his education at Herkimer County Community College, graduating in 1978.

Music was Bill’s life. As a talented and respected self-taught guitarist, he entertained Central New York as a member of many bands including Honeybush Brothers, Lonesome Dove, Classified, Southern Grace, Joe Angerosa, and most recently Vinyl Logic and Groove Machine. In addition to performing, he shared his knowledge and passion of music to others through teaching.

Mr. Mirgo was of the Catholic faith.

Survivors include his sister, Diane D'Amelio and her husband Dean of Frankfort; a niece, Melanie D'Amelio; a nephew, Paul Dack and his wife Katie Hong; a cousin, Mary Terico; and the numerous members in his musical family.

Bill was predeceased by his parents and an infant brother, Eric Mirgo.

Graveside services at Calvary Cemetery, Herkimer, NY will be held at a time to be announced. Arrangements are under the caring guidance of the Vincent A. Enea Funeral Service, (next to Hannaford Markets), 527 E. Albany St., Herkimer, NY. 

Some of Bill’s colleagues have organized a musical tribute to his life at Masonville at Station 233 in Westmoreland on Friday, April 21 at 6pm. Anyone who has performed with him before or who would like to honor him is welcome to attend.

His family appreciates the outpouring of support, well wishes, and fond memories from so many of the members of his musical family.

Depression is a serious illness. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to someone, seek professional help, or contact Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Please don’t allow this to happen to another family.

               I know Heaven's got a hell of a band!

  

   

 

Happy Easter!

   Happy Easter!  Hope everyone had a beautiful day.  The weather definitely cooperated with blue sky and sunshine! 

   We had invited my cousin, Ed, to join us for dinner and Jeff did the honors.  He put a pork roast in the slow cooker, and it did its magic!  I asked what flavor packet he used and was blown away when he answered, 'beef stew'.  The potatoes and green beans he had added to the roast were cooked perfectly and the roast itself was fork tender!  There were very few leftovers!!

   Because yesterday was also my birthday, Ed brought a cake for dessert...a chocolate layer cake topped with delicious, whipped frosting.  We managed to eat half the cake!!

   I made a traditional Italian Easter bread, braided and trimmed with eggs.  The arthritis in my hands has been bothering me a lot the last few weeks as I finished things to take to the shop and I was worried I wouldn't be able to make the bread.  I finally decided to use the bread machine we had to mix and knead the dough, and everything came out right!  I did make 1 mistake when I ran out of lemon juice and did not add water, so my bread was a little dry and flavorless but with butter on a slice it tasted almost as good as my mom's!  Jeff had cleaned out the flatware drawer and threw away the old pastry brushes I had had for years.  I had to use a bunched-up paper towel to spread some milk on my bread before sprinkling on the candy sprinkles.  Oh well, we really didn't need all that candy!!  My braided wreath always comes out lop-sided! 

This is what half the dough the recipe made.  I also formed 2 small, straight, braided loaves with 1 egg each.  For some reason the candy sprinkles

 stuck better to them!  My cousin took 1 home with him and the other was my sample!

    

It's That Time Again!

    It's that time of the year again...the shop in Cooperstown opened this week for the 49th season!!  I decided to stay...one season at a time...and made some new hats (not many, but a few)!  I'm not a 'worker', it would be too much for me.  The ride to Cooperstown was exhausting...when we got home both Jeff and I had a cup of coffee and a nap before doing anything else!!  

   Since getting my stock ready to take to the shop last Monday I've been bothered by the arthritis in my hands...especially around my thumbs!   I've even been woken up in the night with shooting pains in my fingers and this week when we stopped for coffee at Stewart's on the way to the library, I managed to spill my coffee!  The hot liquid felt good on my hand, but I felt like a fool making a mess!  I haven't knit a stitch since April 3rd but my thumbs are still sore.  And the strangest thing, Thursday night was a really restless night for me with strong pains in my hands but when I woke up Friday morning my left hand was pain-free.  And there was a black and blue mark on my left thumb the size of a nickel, too.  I have no idea where it came from but it's still there! This is what my thumb looks like:

    Here are my new hats for Spring!   I made just 2 Bunny hats because the shop opened the Thursday before Easter! 

   

This other hat is more of a Spring hat.  I think it's so cute!  A friend of mine crocheted the flower for me.  It really finishes the hat, doesn't it?  All three spring hats are hand-knit with 100% acrylic yarn and are machine wash and dryable.  The shop, Cooper Country Crafts, is located in Doubleday Court in Cooperstown, NY and is open 10am-5pm, 7 days a week.  You can always call ahead to make sure it's open 607-547-9247.  Parking is free in front of the shop!

  

 

Bah, Winter!

    The holidays are over for another year and Winter is back in force again.  We've had below freezing temperature days and below zero nights for the last week or so.  Had to raise the thermostat a couple of notches and started wearing my sweats to bed!!  We haven't had a lot of snow, but everything looks cold outside my windows!!  

   To be honest, except for letting the dogs in or out, I haven't gone outside in days!  I even stayed home last Wednesday when Jeff went to Little Falls for his yearly cardiology checkup. (MD's report:  Everything's looking good/ See you next year!)  The same week, he ran out of his weekly insulin and eventho there was still 1 refill on the Rx, Walmart couldn't fill it.  They were all out!!  We called his doctor and her office called around and found some at Hannaford's, so they switched his Rx to them.  He was impressed and is thinking of switching all his Rx's to Hannaford's. 

   Jeff was talking about going to town today but decided to take a nap instead.  We went to the library on Friday, and I don't want to go out again so soon. I'm happy going to town once a week and this week I have to go have an INR on Thursday. I know we'll have to do some grocery shopping and should go back to the library then, too.  I got Prince Harry's book, Spare, and it's boring.  He's a Peter Pan.  Uck!

   Besides reading late at night, I've been doing some knitting.  I've got 2 baseball hoodies going and when they're finished, I'll do some hats.  I know I should be knitting more but I get what I call "Vulcan" hands (cramps)...and they hurt!!

   Sherry, Jeff's sister, has lost both of her dogs (mini-Schnauzers) this winter.  Max was as old as Fanny, and Sunny was about Zoey's age. I was shocked to learn that it cost almost $600 apiece to put down those little dogs. (I've never had to pay to put a dog down.  Our dogs always seem to die of old age.) Now Sherry's shopping for a new puppy and I'm finding it shocking how expensive puppies are! She said the humane society shelters seem to have only big dogs and pit bulls.  We both wonder what happened to all the 'mutts' there used to be?