Mohawk Valley Living #86

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a new year

and new adventures!

JANUARY 2021

86

Happy New Year!

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Next Issue:

February 1st

MOHAWK VALLEY LIVING MAGAZINE

Available exclusively from our sponsors.

January 2021

PUBLISHERS Lance and Sharry Whitney

contents 6 Oneida County History Center 10 ADK Journal 13 Restaurant Guide 17 Antiques Guide 20 January in Nature 22 MV Astronomy Club 23 Valley Girl 25 MV Crossword 26 On The Farm with Suzie 30 Matt Perry’s Nature 36 Classical MV 37 MV Gardens & Recipes 39 Tales from Shawangunk, Part 74 44 Advertiser Directory 46 News & Notes 47 Contest Answers

Happier New Year!

by Sharry L. Whitney

Hello, 2021! Here’s to a year of recovery. It’s going to be slow-going, but every month puts 2020 farther away in our rear view mirror.

The only resolution I am making this year is to stay optimistic. Attitude is one of the few things in our control. It’s not always easy, but if we all do our best to stay positive, the rest should fall in place.

Lance and I are looking forward to our winter brainstorming sessions as we strive to keep our magazine fresh. We always enjoy the calls, emails, and letters from readers telling us what they enjoy most about MV Living. The communication is also replenishing during these times of semi-isolation.

Though the weather is colder, don’t forget get out to the many local small businesses that still need our support. Many offer gift cards and delivery services that can brighten the day of a friend or relative, in addition to cheering up shop owners. The act of practicing “random acts of kindness” has never been more needed.

And though this practice won’t make things perfect, it will help make things more tolerable.

Here’s to a Healthy and Happier New Year! •

EDITOR Sharry Whitney DESIGN & LAYOUT Lance David Whitney ASSISTANT EDITOR Shelley Malenowski ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Susan Collea CONTRIBUTORS Peggy Spencer Behrendt, Carol Higgins, Suzie Jones, John Keller, Melinda Karastury, Rebecca McLain, Susan Perkins, Matt Perry, Cynthia Quackenbush, Denise Szarek, Gary VanRiper CONTACT US (315) 853-7133 30 Kellogg Street Clinton, NY 13323 www.MohawkValleyLiving.com mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com Mohawk Valley Living is a monthly magazine and television show that explore the area’s arts, culture, and heritage.

Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of Mohawk Valley Living, Inc. Printed at Vicks in Yorkville, NY.

watch mvl every sunday!

7:30am and 11pm on wfxv 11:30am on WUTR 20

Riggie is roaming around and hiding in the advertising areas of the magazine. Next to him you’ll find a letter. Find all the Riggies and rearrange the letters to answer this riddle. Enter by the 15th of the month to be entered in a $100 shopping spree at 1 or between 2 of our advertisers!

(Excluding media and banks) One entry per household per month. Mail to: Riggie’s Riddle, 30 Kellogg St., Clinton, NY 13323 or email: mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com NOTE: Please enter Riggie’s Riddle and crossword puzzle in separate emails.

Though they practiced long ago, We won’t forget these Utica Pros!

Hint: 2 words, 17 letters

See the answer and winner to last month’s riddle on page 47!

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A

the Oneida County History center

the

utica pros

By Lou Parrotta

City of Utica Historian, Oneida County History Center Volunteer As the National Basketball Association (NBA) Season for 2020-2021 opens, let’s harken back sixty years to when Utica was home to a professional basketball team in the old American Basketball League. The Utica Pros were only in operation for one year, but the team was home to some noted college and NBA players. They did not endure much success on the court, finishing with a 17-22 record, and they were forced to back out of the ABA playoffs due to a lack of enough players to compete.

The team ended the season $20,000 in debt and ultimately folded. These are some of the men who donned a Pros uniform and played for the Utica hoops entry.

The most noted player on the team was Chuck Harmon.

Harmon, an African-American, was a player-coach of the Pros and that afforded him the groundbreaking honor of becoming the first black coach of an integrated professional sports team.

While he is most familiar to sports fans as a professional baseball player and the first African-American to play for the Cincinnati Reds, Harmon was a basketball star at the University of Toledo. He did not get signed after trying out for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, so he came to Utica to play and coach. In 37 games, he scored 288 points for the Pros.

Raulli’s Iron Works

Custom hand-made iron railings, fences & gates.

www.raullis.com 133 Mill St., Rome, New York 315-337-8070

Berry Hill Book Shop

Closed in January

Over 75,000 used books!

2349 Rte 12-B, Deansboro, NY 315-821-6188 Open Tues-Sat 10-5 dls@berryhillbookshop.com 6

PULASKI MEAT MARKET

Homemade Polish Foods Variety of Kielbasa • Cold Cuts Pierogi • Golabki

1201 Lenox Ave., Utica • (315) 732-8007

www.polishfoodutica.com • Mon-Fri:9-5, Sat: 9-4:30, Sun Closed

Sports fans may remember Chuck Harmon as a professional baseball player, but he was also a basketball player and coach for the Utica Pros.

R

The handyman’s choice since 1948

Lumber • Doors • Windows • Mason’s Supplies Roofing • Insulation • Treated Lumber

(315) 896-2631 Vanderkemp Ave., Barneveld

Mon-Fri: 7:30am-5pm, Sat: 7:30am-Noon

Alexander “Greek” Athas was a star in the Southeast Conference at Tulane University. He led the conference in 1943-44 with 14.1 points per game and was a 3-time ALL-SEC star. Athas made 325 points over 23 games for the Pros.

Gerald Calabrese, a St. John’s University All-American from 1946-1950, only played four games for the Pros, but amassed 55 points in those games. He was a second-round draft pick and 23rd overall in 1950 and played for the Syracuse Nationals in 1951-1952. Calabrese was the longest-serving mayor of any city in the United States (50 years running in Cliffside Park, New Jersey) when he passed away at age 90.

Leroy Chollett, the Pros’ most prolific player, scored 376 points in 34 games in Utica. He also played for the 1949-1951 Syracuse Nats, but “The Bayou Beauty” as he was known, was the first 1,000-point scorer in Canisius College history. He was part of the team’s NAIA Championship squad.

Ray Corley, a fifth-round NBA draft pick in 1945 out of Georgetown University by the Providence Steamrollers, played for the Syracuse Nats, the Baltimore Bullets, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and the Ft. Wayne Pistons.

In Utica, Corley scored 240 points over 21 games.

Jerry Fowler, a player for the University of Missouri from 1947-1950, played one season in the NBA with the Milwaukee Hawks and two in the National Professional League with the Kansas City Hi-Spots. For Utica, he averaged 9.1 points per game in the ten he played

Curbside service for purchases and long arm quilting service available. Call us with your wishes; we’ll figure it out.

Thank you for your extra effort during this trying time!

Located at the Shoppes at the Finish Line Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-1pm, Closed Sun & Mon

Be s e Wealfless. mas r a k!

December 8, 1950 Utica Daily Press headline announces that the Utica Pros have signed former Georgetown and Syracuse Nats player Ray Corely

Janice Wnuk

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• children’s bookstore • reading tutoring • arts enrichment • literacy enrichment • birthday parties

Find something special for your sweetheart!

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433 Coventry Ave., Utica

Reading Tutoring & Help on Virtual Learning Days!

Mon & Fri 10-2, Tues-Thurs & Sat 10-4

(315) 765-6262 • 587 Main St., New York Mills

Available at:

Artisans’ Corner of Clinton The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed in Erieville The Emporium in Herkimer 315-737-9470 • Facebook.com/HyperJanice • email: HyperJanice@yahoo.com 7

for the Pros.

Dan Lofgran, the California High School Player of the Year in 1946, had a spectacular career at both Grant Tec (1946-1948) and the University of San Francisco (USF) (1948-1950) before playing for the Pros. He was a consensus All-American in 1950, a first-round pick that year by the Nationals, and bucketed 1,265 points over a four-year NBA career in Syracuse, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

His USF squad won the 1949 National Invitational Tournament 4847, where he was named tournament MVP. Former coach Pete Newell of the University of California-Berkeley credited Lofgran with making the first jump shot in basketball history. Lofgran scored 26 points in two contests for the Pros.

Bob MacKinnon coached at Canisius College from 1959-1972 (at one time the youngest head coach in the NCAA), and at various stops in the ABA and the NBA (where he twice served as head coach and once as general manager of the New Jersey Nets). He played in all 39 of the Pros’ games scoring 250 total points. He came to Utica after a storied career at Canisius where he was a Sporting News Second Team All-American in 1950 and was named the MVP of the 1949 Jesuit game against the College of the Holy Cross over future NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy. He even played minor league baseball in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization.

Mike Novak only played three games for the Utica Five, but he was known as one of the first prominent big men in the game at sixfeet-nine-inches tall. He played professional basketball from 19391954 and amassed over 2,700 points.

Dick Smuin attended the University of Utah from 1943-1949, with a two-year hiatus due to WWII. His 1944 Utes team was a Cinderella

E

INC.

Horn’s Family Farm Bicycle Parts & Snowshoes Repairs on All Makes & Models of Bikes!

Pasture Raised Beef Farm Raised Pork Range Free Eggs (Chicken & Duck)

Celebrating 45 Years!

411 Mohawk St., Herkimer, NY 315-866-5571

Frozen Chicken Other Local Products

9629 Main St., Remsen (315) 941-7539

Tues-Fri: Noon-6, Sat: 10-3

Mohawk Village Market

Your old-fashioned, full service butcher!

Butcher Block Meats (no pre-packaged meats) Specialty cuts - Storemade Patties & Salads Complete Grocery Line

Open Monday-Saturday! 24 West Main St., Mohawk (315) 866-3344 8

Follow us on Facebook!

Utica Daily Press announces the signing of Alexander “Greek” Athas to the Utica Pros, December 20, 1950 Photo: Buffalo News

Bob MacKinnon was at one time the youngest coach in the NBA. He played in all 39 of the Utica Pros’ games

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champion of the NCAA Tournament and the 1946-1947 NIT champions. In Utica, he averaged 10 points per game over the 33 contests he appeared in.

Ed Stanczak only played in six games for Utica, but he scored 109 points averaging 18.2 per contest. He spent four years in the NBL with the Anderson Duffy Packers, winning the 1949 championship.

He also played in 17 games for the Boston Celtics in 1950-1951.

Other players included Robert Roper, Dermie O’Connell, Al Masino, and Robert “Bob” Healey. Roper was a 3rd round draft pick by the Rochester Royals in 1950 (tenth pick overall) and played in 32 contests for Utica scoring 294 points. O’Connell played at the College of the Holy Cross for four seasons, in 82 NBA games, and scored 188 points in twenty games for the Pros. Masino, a Canisius College graduate, spent two seasons in the NBA after his time in Utica. In ten games with the Pros, he averaged 5.4 points per game. Healey played at the University of Georgia where he was the team captain and ALLSEC. He logged one season in the NBA with the Syracuse Nats. He only saw action in four games for Utica.

As you can see, this short-lived team had some pretty impressive players. Who knows how the team would have performed had they done better that first and only year of existence! •

Oneida County History Center 1608 Genesee Street, Utica (315) 735-3642

Though only playing six games for the Utica Pros, Ed Stanczak scored 109 points for the team

Open Tues.-Fri. 10-4, Sat 10-2 www.oneidacountyhistory.org

T

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Call 315-853-5581

Stiefvater Distributors, Inc.

225 Clinton Rd., Rt. 12B, New Hartford, NY Mon. thru Fri. 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-Noon

We Service What We Sell.

See dealer or toro.com (toro.ca for Canadian residents) for warranty details. Product availability, pricing & special promotions are subject to dealer options.

adirondack journal

Renewing a New Year’s Resolution Story and Photos by Gary VanRiper 10

Tackling difficult terrain John Birmingham descending Catamount Mountain

My desktop computer has just three quotes taped to its outer frame – just three things I like to have in front of me as daily reminders when working.

One of those quotes is by Jonathan Edwards, perhaps best known as a preacher of the Great Awakening. It is one of 70 resolutions Edwards made when a teenager that he proposed to keep his entire lifetime, and it resonated with me greatly when I first read it many years ago: “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.”

Those who have read Adirondack Journal here in the pages of Mohawk Valley 2 Living the past few years know that the articles are very often devoted to adventures in the mountains. And the annual report in January is usually a recap – a look back – at many of those adventures.

Well, for the first time in some two decades, I did not climb a single mountain of dirt and rock this entire year. There were new mountains to conquer as the unusual circumstances swirling around all of us necessarily redirecting our priorities and activities into other areas.

Occasionally, someone will ask me

Resolved to live with all my might Justin VanRiper on Gothics

Every step a gift Mark Lowell approaching Noonmark Mountain

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11

why over the years I have subjected myself to voluntarily hiking terrain and often in conditions that can at times be brutal? There is no one answer, but one reply is to prepare for times such as these – to remain, not only in good physical shape but in good emotional and spiritual shape as well.

Edwards’ quote took on a greater depth of meaning and significance during the past ten months as everyone I know faced unprecedented challenges – many with livelihoods and their very lives turned upside down or swept away.

Despite the major disruption in daily life, it has been the practice, the discipline, the stick-to-itiveness, the resolve to keep putting one foot in front of the other ever upward on those mountain ascents– despite the obstacles – that has proved invaluable.

And so, my New Year’s Resolution will remain the same – to recognize every moment, every step, every heartbeat as amazing gifts – to live with all my might, while I do live. • Gary VanRiper is an author, photographer, and pastor at the Camden Wesleyan Church. He has written 19 children’s books with his son, Justin.

Overcoming the obstacles on or off a trail Mark Lowell in col between Moose and McKenzie Mountains

Learn more at: www.adirondackkids.com

E

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New Year, New Opportunity!

4490 Commercial Drive, New Hartford (315) 736-9237

Mon-Sat: 10am-7pm, Sun: 12-5pm www.the-sneaker-store.com 12

LIQUORS & WINES Welcome to the Station!

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 12pm-6pm

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Raise a glass to a New Year & New Beginnings!

Cheers to 2021!

8231 State Route 12, Barneveld (315) 896-4444

the mvl restaurant guide

cassville n Ope or ay f frid er!

Dinn

Friday Fish Fry 11:30am-8pm

1/2 lb.

Juicy Angus Burgers!

1717 Route 8, Cassville • (315) 839-5000

Open Mon-Thur 6am-2pm, Fri 6am-8pm, Sat 6am-1pm, Sun 7am-Noon, Breakfast served til Noon

CLINTON

Where good friends Meet to Eat! Enjoy breakfast or a quick lunch!

8170 Seneca Tpke., Clinton (315) 732-3631 Mon-Fri 7am-2pm, Sat & Sun 7am-1pm

Visit our New website!

1

#

Primo Pizza

Enjoyprimopizza.com

315-381-3231

The Most Unique Upside Down Pizza You Ever Tasted!

g Celebratinin 12 Years !

Clinton

Weekday Specials Tues- 20” X-Large Cheese Pizza . . . $11.95 Wed- Small Cheese Pizza & 20 Wings . . $17.99 Thurs- 2 Large Cheese Pizzas . . . $18.99 (plus tax / toppings extra)

MVL Ad_Layout 1 7/8/15 3:05 PM Page 1

cold brook

Y

Specialty Rolls

Sausage...........$11.95 Spinach............$11.95 Antipasto.............$13.75 Sausage & Greens . . . $14.50 Stromboli........$11.95

Every Day Specials

Large Cheese & 20 wings . . . . $24.95 Large Cheese & 30 wings . . . . $33.95 (plus tax. celery, blue cheese, toppings extra)

Tues-Thurs: 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat: 11am-10pm, Sun: 1pm-8pm

7756 Route 5, Clinton Located next door to Spaghetti Kettle • Enjoyprimopizza.com

2755 826-5050 2755 State State Rt Rt.8,8,Cold ColdBrook, Brook,NY NY•13324 (315)•826-5050

Mon. 4 -Open 9pm • Thurs, Tues. Closed Wed. - Sun.Sun 12 Noon Fri &•Sat 12-9, 12-8- 9pm Great Food • Great Spirits • Great Times Not taking

LifeOffering is Good The& Ohio Tavern!Reservations PubatFare Daily Specials!

13

lEE Center

Catering & Banquets too!

Book your party today!

(315) 533-7229

We’re on the C4 Trail!

Quality Food • Fresh Ingredients • Relaxing Atmosphere • Offering Daily Specials!

5345 Lee Center-Taberg Rd., Lee Center Open Thurs & Sat 3-9, Fri 12-9, Sun 3-8* Closed Mon-Wed

www.gonecoastalrestaurant.com *Hours subject to change based on snowfall little falls

New Hartford

Homemade comfort foods Full menu available til 2am!

23 beers on tap, specializing in NY State craft beers!

Breakfast, Lunch, Homemade Soups & Sandwiches Try our delicious Desserts!

Eat In, Take Out & Curbside Pickup!

Monday Special- Family To Go box (serves 4)

Open Daily 7am-3pm

Canal Place, Little Falls (Next to Showcase Antiques) • 315-823-3290

10 Clinton Rd., New Hartford • (315) 732-9733 Open at 11am daily www.killabrewsaloon.com

Phoenician R E S TAU R A N T Please wear mask until you are seated.

Call ahead for parties of 5-10.

We are excited and hope to see everyone soon!

Specials and our full menu available for takeout and curbside pickup.

Mon-Sat 11:30am - 8pm 623 French Road, New Hartford • (315) 733-2709

14

“We are your home town pizzeria!”

past 5 years!

Voted #1 pizza for

(315) 736-4549 • Open 7 days a week • 4462 Commercial Dr., New Hartford www.tonyspizzeriaanddeli.com

Rome

Utica

Dine In & Take Out Thank You For Your Support!

Stay Healthy & Safe!

Inside Dining Available Reservations Appreciated Due to Limited Seating!

(315) 33PIZZA

615 Erie Blvd. W., Rome

Open: Thurs: 4-8pm, Fri: 4-9pm, Sat: 12-9pm, Sun: 12-8pm, Mon: 4-8pm, Closed Tues & Wed

DiCastro’s BRICK OVEN

Chili Dogs Hamburgers, BBQ, Shakes & More!

Fish Frys on Wed, Thurs & Fri! • Eat in or Take out!

1401 Oriskany St. West, Utica (315) 724-0136 • Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm

Grab-and-Go Available!

Offering Grab-n-Go meals, Salads, & Deli items!

1256 Albany St., Utica • 315-790-5200 Wed-Sun: 7am-2pm

Breakfast, Lunch, Deliveries, Take Out & Catering!

Check out our weekly specials on facebook and at www.rososcafe.com

Open: Monday-Friday: 8-2 • 185 Genesee St 2nd Floor, Utica

315 735-7676

Wishing Everyone A Happy, Healthy And Blessed New Year 2021!!Thank You For Sticking

By Us In The Difficult 2020, We Look Forward To Better Times!!

Place Orders For Our, Jarred Products, Ready To Cook Meals, Handmade, Always Fresh, Never Frozen, Cookies And Pusties And More!!

Browse Online, Then Call To Order And Schedule A Pickup Date And Time!!

S

Visit Us Online For Our Seasonal Items!!

-www.sammyandanniefoods.com15

Utica

Sheri’s

EASTSIDE DINER Breakfast • Lunch Homemade & Fresh Daily!

Breakfast & Lunch Catering Available

Breakfast Sandwiches Deli-Style Wraps/Sandwiches Salads, Soups & more!

Homemade Baked Goods & Multi-Color Bagels - a kid’s favorite!

Friday Fish Fry • Breakfast Served All Day

2199 Bleecker St., Utica (315) 790-5250 Open 7 Days a Week, 7am-2pm

Free Delivery(min. $25) • Family Owned & Operated!

219 N. Genesee St., Utica (315) 790-5353 • Open 7 Days a Week

Contemporary American • Indoor Dining Open • Reservations Only

900 Culver Ave., Utica • 315-765-0271 • Open Wed-Sat 4:30-8pm

We can’t wait to see you again!

All staff wearing masks, please wear yours until seated. Visit www.willowsofutica.com

whitesboro

Yorkville

Serving Lunch & Dinner Lunches Served Friday, Saturday & Sunday Happy Hour Daily 4-7, $2.50 Drafts & $2.75 Well Mixers

Tuesday: $2.99 All-U-Can-Eat Spaghetti Wednesday: $7.99 Pasta Specials, 10 Boneless Wings $6.00 Thursday: $15.99 All-U-Can-Eat Chicken Riggies Dine In, Take Out, & Curbside Pick-Up! Sunday: .60¢ Wings at bar

409 Oriskany Blvd., Whitesboro • (315) 736-7869

Now Open!

L

Regular Hours

KARAM’S Middle Eastern Bakery & Restaurant

Catering & Banquet Facilities Available • www.69steakhouse.com

Traditional Lebanese fare for breakfast & lunch!

Middle Eastern Specials and Groceries Pita and Flat Bread • Spinach & Meat Pies • Baklawa

Tues - Fri: 9am -5pm, Sat: 9am - 3pm

(315) 736-1728 137 Campbell Ave, Yorkville www.karamsbakery.com

16

mv living

antique shopping guide Happy new Year!

Shop for antiques in the valley!

Little Falls

Herkimer

Fort Plain

Renewed & Rescued

SHOWCASE

ER

TO HERKIM

Antiques of CNY Little Falls

Mohawk

Antique Center

MOHAWK ANTIQUES MALL

Antiques & Art

Westmoreland Formerly of Barneveld

Now Open!

5475 State Rt 233, Westmoreland Artsy1Antiques@GMail.com

Open Wed- Fri 10-6, Sat & Sun 10-4

7000 Sq. ft Multi Dealer Store!

Furniture: Victorian to Mid-Century Lots of Art! Architectural Salvage Primitives Records, Books, & Collectibles

Celebrating 22 years in business!

Attic Addicts The Queen’s Closet

Pristine, Practical, and Priced Right!

Specializing in estate sales, large and small.

Conducted with respect and dignity.

We take the pressure out of estate liquidation, moving, or downsizing.

Call for a consultation:

(315) 736-9160

Consignment at its Finest!

Clothing, Jewelry Household Items Furniture Winter Hours: Tues-Fri 11pm-5pm, Sat 10:30am-3pm, Closed Sun & Mon New consignment by appointment only

22 Oriskany Blvd., Yorkville (315) 736-9160 Facebook: The Queens Closet & Attic Addicts

17

Black Cat ANTIQUES & GIFTS

Broad St. Flea Market

A little bit country, a little bit primitive!

807 Broad St., Utica

Your destination for furniture, hand stenciled signs, vintage clothing, warm glow candles, silk arrangements & more!

(315) 941-0925 • Wed-Fri 10-5, Sat & Sun 10-4, Closed Mon & Tues

Indoor & Open Year Round!

Large selection of vendors with an even larger variety of items!

New products from Handmade Soy Candles, Lucky Bamboo, CBD Products, to Incense & Craft Items, Furniture & Household Items- new & old Like Us! Large selection of Games($5), DVDs($1), & CDs(.50¢)

14 East Main St. Earlville (315) 691-5721

Inventory always changing so Stop in often! Vendor applications always accepted.

Open Tues-Fri: 9-4, Sat: 9-2, Closed Sun & Mon

Happy New Year!

Mercantile

FURNITURE • TOOLS BOOKS • COLLECTIBLES GLASS • PRIMITIVE

Vendor Sales!

Over 35 Vendors!

Space available Call: 315 335-1689

Antiques, Vintage, Gifts & Furniture

Open 7 days a week: 10:30-5:30

7417 St Rte 20 • Madison

315-893-7639 Open Fri, Sat, & Sun 10-4

Little Little Falls Falls

More than 50 vendors on 2 floors!

Antiques • Art • Crafts Open 6 days a week, 10-5, Closed Tues Handicapped-accessible • 315-823-4309 Thruway Exit 29A, 25 West Mill St., Little Falls

Over 160 Vendor booths and display cases!

100 E. Main St., Mohawk (Thruway Exit 30)

(315) 219-5044 www.mohawkantiquesmall.com

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4803 Rt. 31, Vernon

Offering all types of Auction and Appraisal Services (973) 984-6900 • 20 Beach Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003 www.nyeandcompany.com

Main Street Gift Shoppe

Antique Center

www.littlefallsantiquecenter.com

Wed-Sat: 10-4, Sun: 11-3 • (315) 264-1755

MADISON INN ANTIQUES

Foothills

(315) 896-2681 • 8124 Route 12, Barneveld

Multi Dealer Antique Shop

Primitives • Furniture • Artwork Smalls • Antique Accessories

We wish everyone a Healthy & Happy New Year!

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Snowmen, Prim Furniture, Lighting, Curtains, Olde Century Colors Paint, Braided Rugs, & so much more!

We are Open Year-Round!

7431 Main St Rt. 28 Newport, NY OPEN: Wed-Sat 11:30am til 6pm

Check out our Ristorante on site!

(315) 845-8835 www.mainstreetristorante.com

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Happy New Year!

P

We would like to thank all of our great customers and we know that 2021 will be the BEST year EVER!!!

MOHAWK ANTIQUES MALL

Mon, Wed-Sat: 10-5, Sun: 11:30-4:30 Closed Tuesdays

ESTATE & HOUSE SALES APPRAISALS ALWAYS BUYING

We’re Worth the Trip…

All kinds of Unique Vendors under one roof. Artisans, Crafters, Antiques to Retro including Food Items.

Vendors Wanted!

142 North Main Street, Herkimer • 315-628-1506 or 315-219-9195 Open Tues-Fri:10-5, Sat & Sun: 10-2 www.MohawkValleyCommunityMarket.com

The Online Exchange, LLC We Can Help You Buy, Sell, & Trade Globally!

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(315) 429-5111

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Happy New Year!

From Don & Nan cy and Staff!

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Weeden’ s Mini Mall

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MV NATURE

NATURE in january story and photos by Matt Perry

Gray Foxes A fresh snowfall in January is like a clean canvas or fresh notebook page. This is where terrestrial wildlife writes their journal entries.

With their feet, they dutifully record most, if not all, of their day’s activities. Fortunately, they write in a decipherable language and we can easily interpret their behavior and understand how they go about their lives in winter.

Even though it is decidedly after the fact, we can observe how they forage, hunt, hide, and interact with each other in the environment.

This is exceedingly difficult to do when we lack snow and don’t have the benefit of seeing their footprints. Some wildlife are so retiring and/or nocturnal that the only time you can get an inkling of what they do is in winter when you can see their signs.

Some of us derive enjoyment from following tracks of particularly secretive animals.

After all, it is the closest we can ever come to hanging out with them. One early Saturday morning in January, I set out around our nature preserve to find all the wildlife footprints I could to understand what the animals did during the night following a snowfall. As it happened, I had barely gone a dozen feet from my car when I found my first set of tracks. They were the unmistakable paw prints of a Virginia Opossum. The odd native quadruped had strolled up from the creek where the main trail intersects

it and followed the trail to the parking area. Was he heading back to where his car was parked? Not this time. Instead, he climbed up onto the table bird feeder in the parking area and fed on birdseed. The feeder has two tiers and after he gorged himself on the top one, he made his way onto the lower deck and “did his business”. Now that’s gratitude! Since “droppings” constitute a legitimate wildlife sign, who am I to complain? After feeding and eliminating, the marsupial’s footprints led into the nearby spruce grove. He was likely still in there somewhere, probably sleeping among the prickly boughs, somewhere out of the weather.

I passed on following the next few sets of tracks I encountered. They were all laid down by Red and Gray Squirrels. Since more than half of the average squirrel’s travel takes place in the trees, I didn’t think I’d get too far following them without hitting my head on a tree trunk. Next, I picked up the footprints of a Gray Fox. This guy had a circuit – probably the same one he followed every morning, except a map of this one had been written in fresh snow. He took the main trail, moving swiftly, but short of a gallop. Just a nice even trot. He diverted from the main trail at each intersection with every insignificant game trail. Although he wasn’t running on the main trail, his diversions

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showed an increase in speed, and his prints suddenly took on a galloping gait. His increase in speed made it clear that he hoped to catch prey by surprise. Although there is a degree of serendipity involved in what he was after, his tracks revealed a marked preference for squirrels; obviously, a sizable meal for a fox. Nearly every foray he embarked on led to a set of squirrel tracks. That is until the trail moved from the woods to the meadow. At that point, the fox was darting off the foot trail about every twenty feet, and always heading out toward the west side of the trail. I followed one of his diversions and it led to the base of one of our Bluebird Boxes.

He circled the post a couple of times and then bounded back to the foot trail. He did the same thing a few hundred feet up the trail, diverting in order to check the base of the next birdbox.

Again, he circled it and then charged back to the main trail.

That time I was able to make out a light set of footprints made by a White-footed Mouse.

The mouse tracks came from the post, led into the field, and disappeared into a hole in the snow. Another set of tracks, presumably from the same mouse, emerged from another hole in the snow and led back to the post. It was obvious that the mouse was living in the elevated

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box – I knew it and so did the fox. Moreover, the fox knew that the mouse had to come out into the open to come and go from its nest.

By checking all the mouse-inhabited boxes, he had a chance of catching one before it disappeared into a snow tunnel or returned to the safety of its box.

The Gray Fox wasn’t the only predator that had studied the habits of the birdhouse-dwelling mice. Near the base of the next house, I found the well-defined impression of bird wings in the snow. Was this an example of a bird making a snow angel? Not quite. This was the print of a small owl that swooped down from its perch and tried to catch a mouse that just left its nest. Interestingly, the owl (an Eastern Screech Owl) made its attack after the mouse had hopped into a tunnel in the snow. At the center of the bird’s wing print, a deep hole indicated where the owl plunged its talons into the mouse’s hidden passageway. Since there were several sets of mouse tracks leading back and forth to the box’s post, it was unclear if the owl’s attack was successful or not. The mouse may have survived to return home. On the roof of the next box up the trail was a small owl pellet – a compressed nodule of hair and bone that an owl had regurgitated. Although that was not a sure sign that the owl had been successful at the first house, it did indicate that he had a history of successfully working the mousehouse circuit.

In the Mohawk Valley, where winters sometimes last for more than five months, it’s good to be able to use that time to glean information on what our fellow inhabitants of the environment are up to. Soon enough the snow will be gone, spring will be here, and the wild animals’ log entries will become as lost pages in time. •

Mallard Footprints

Raccoon footprints lead up the frozen creek

Crow wing and footprints in the snow

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Mohawk valley astronomical society

give me a ring by carol higgins

Last month the big astronomy news was the close encounter of Jupiter and Saturn. It was a view not seen from Earth since the year 1226, and again in 1623 when astronomer Galileo was alive. Although the planets seemed to be next to each other, they were actually over 450 million miles apart. Each has unique features, but they share a trait that often goes unnoticed. They both have rings!

But wait, there’s more! All four planets in our outer solar system have rings, and this month we take a look at those distant worlds: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Without a doubt, Saturn is the king of the rings. A stunning sight through a telescope, reflected sunlight makes its huge rings shine so bright they can be seen with binoculars (a tripod helps). They are about 240,000 miles wide, the same distance between Earth and our Moon. Surprisingly they are only about 30 to 300 feet thick.

Composed mainly of icy debris and rocks ranging from tiny particles to the size of a house, there are seven major rings containing hundreds of smaller bands. Gaps separate them, many created by the orbit of some of Saturn’s 82 moons. The most striking is the Cassini division, a region of empty space carved out by the moon Mimas.

Next is Jupiter, a gas giant. Although it had been observed for thousands of

years, it wasn’t until March 1979 that we suspected it has rings. That’s when NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft flew by and took images with the planet The image shows Saturn and its rings (has the backlit by the Sun. Researchers dark Cassini division too, another Hubble shot). found compelling evidence of a Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka thin, faint ring that circled the planet. We finally got our best Image Credit: W. Keel, Galaxy Zoo gray, Team position.

The NASA, innerESA, rings are dark up-close look when the Galileo Hanny’s Voorwerp. but the two outer rings are colorful; one spacecraft arrived in December 1995 to is reddish, the other bright blue. study Jupiter. It observed three rings, and Our final ringed planet is Neptune, ansince then we learned there are four. other ice giant. It has 14 moons, including The brightest is the Main Ring which one named Triton that blasts icy geysers begins about 30,000 miles above the into space. Five narrow rings contain upper atmosphere. The outer Gossamer small, dusty debris and some rocks, and rings extend almost 140,000 miles. But the mainly dark material makes the rings bright is a relative term. All are comprised difficult to see. One of the interesting of small bits of dark dust that researchers and unusual features in the outer ring are think were created when meteoroids imstructures called “ring arcs”. Scientists pacted four of Jupiter’s inner moons. The think they contain dusty material drawn rings cannot be seen from Earth. away from the ring by the gravitational Beyond Saturn is the ice giant Uranus forces of the moon Galatea, but they are and its 27 moons. Astronomer William at a loss to explain how they maintain Herschel discovered it in 1781, and a few their fixed shape and how they formed. years later he believed he detected some In our little corner of the universe, rings but could not support his theory. It none of the four inner planets have rings. wasn’t until 1977 that three researchers That special characteristic has been grantfrom Cornell University discovered five ed only to the giant planets far out in our rings. Two additional rings were found by cosmic neighborhood. We certainly have Voyager 2 in 1986, and the Hubble Space an interesting solar system.

Telescope found two more in 2005. To Wishing you clear skies and good day we know of 13 rings, all thin in struchealth! • ture. They contain dark objects and dust, and astronomers aren’t sure of their com-

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The Everyday Adventures of Mohawk Valley Girl

Joseph Putrello Barista Bar

Owner of Joseph Putrello Barista Bar in Utica, Joseph Putrello himself.

I first encountered Joseph Putrello Coffee at the Café at Stone Mill in Little Falls, NY. The coffee was delicious, and I asked if it was locally roasted. I learned that not only was it locally roasted, but the roaster was right there.

Fast forward to November 2020, when I saw on Facebook that Joseph Putrello was opening a Barista Bar on Genesee Street in Utica. I recognized the building as one of the cool urban structures with which Utica is blessed. I was anxious to check it out.

The first time I went, I got a straight cup of coffee. That is pretty much what I like, although I sometimes wonder if I should expand my horizons. I also got a croissant with prosciutto and cheese. Yum! I sat on the mezzanine and looked out at Genesee Street while I sipped and nibbled. I love the big city feel of downtown Utica. What a great setting!

A few days later I was talking to my Mom about my weekend plans. I was getting together with my friend Kim and hoped to go someplace I visit for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.

“There’s this great café,” I said. “Only it isn’t called a café.

It’s something that begins with a ‘b’.” All I could think of was bistro, but I knew that wasn’t right.

Mom did not have any ideas. However, when I logged onto my WordPress account to make that day’s blog post, I saw a picture I had taken when I was there: “Joseph Putrello’s Barista Bar.”

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Jewett’s Cheese House

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Cafe with a view! Customers enjoy looking over Genesee Street while sipping coffee.

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Grab a bag of fresh ground bag of Joseph Putrello coffee to go!

“Barista bar!” I exclaimed, startling my husband, although he ought to be used to me by now.

That Saturday, Kim and I stopped by my parents’ house for a short, socially-distanced visit. Mom asked if we were going to the bistro. We were.

I had seen on Facebook a fancy drink in a martini glass. I have no idea what it was, but I like drinking out of a martini glass. It feels so sophisticated. However, when I went to order, I decided on a Hot Chocolate Juliet. I also picked a chocolate cannoli, because, well, chocolate.

Kim got a double espresso and a gingerbread cookie.

Once again, we looked out on Genesee Street. Kim spied on some people in an office across the street as well as offering commentary on pedestrians.

Our beverages and snacks were delicious. My hot chocolate came in a tall glass that was almost as fancy as a martini glass. I did not even ask which drink came in the martini glass. I shall have to return and investigate the matter. For one reason, it would make a good blog post.

For another reason, martini glasses. •

Joseph Putrello Barista Bar 268 Genesee Street, Utica

315-219-5519 • Open Mon-Fri: 7am to 6pm, Sat & Sun: 8am-4pm

Cynthia M. Quackenbush, a.k.a. “Mohawk Valley Girl,” writes a daily blog about her everyday adventures in the Mohawk Valley.

Follow her frugal fun at: mohawkvalleygirl.wordpress.com

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Kim Darling enjoys coffee and the view at Joseph Putrello Barista Bar

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mv crossword

january Crossword

All answers found in the pages of this magazine!

Solution will appear in next month’s issue

Across 4. MWPAI has a painting titled “Pigeon in Nest with Eggs” by this famous artist (first name).

5. Valley Girl enjoys coffee at Joseph Putrello ___ Bar in Utica.

6. Whistle Post Creations in Bouckville makes handcrafted ___, see page 19.

8. 4th day of the week, abbr.

10. 60 years ago, Utica was home to this professional basketball team. (2 words) 11. Every month, MVL’s editor writes a ___ to introduce the magazine.

12. What Whitesboro, Yorkville, and Deerfield are to Utica.

13. Suzie’s barn is full of lambs & kids with full ___.

Down 1. Matt picked up the footprints of this sly creature. (2 words) See MV Nature.

2. Looking for a great sandwich and savory soup?

Head to ___ Cafe on Genesee St. in Utica!

3. Gary’s resolution to live by: “to live with all my ___” See ADK Journal.

4. Be a garden optimist! Try growing this vegetable next year. See MV Gardens.

7. In addition to Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, this planet also has rings.

9. Higgledy-piggledy in other words.

14. A popular January mode of transportation.

MVL Crossword Puzzler:

2020 is history! This is also 2020.

Unscramble the letters in the yellow boxes then email your answer to: mohawkvalleyliving@hotmail.com by the 18th of this month. You’ll be entered to win an MVL Mug and a bag of delicious, fresh-roasted FoJo Beans coffee!

Bossone’s Sausage & Meat Co.

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Try our Famous Sausage!

Handcrafted signs & decor Custom orders available (315) 893-7604

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Deli items • Beef • Steaks • Cheeses • Dry Goods Sundays: Fried Meatballs & Fried Dough!

711 Bleecker St., Utica

(315) 765-6409 Open: Thurs & Fri 9-4, Sat 8-2, Sun 8-Noon 25

On the farm with Suzie

Checking for Full Bellies

by Suzie Jones

Wine & Spirits Ilion

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Winter is for babies on our farm. Lambs and kid goats begin to arrive right around Thanksgiving, with an ebb and flow of new births continuing right through February.

Sheep and goats go into heat (also known as estrus) after the summer solstice, their internal clocks triggered by the shortening days. Five months later, POP…babies as far as the eye can see!

Not all of our ladies will go into estrus at once, and some do not successfully breed right away, which is why we have babies over the course of several months. Many goat and sheep farms will actively manage their breeding programs, making sure groups are bred within a tighter timeframe. As the sole caregiver during this time, I’m rather happy to have the work spread out over a few months rather than an extremely stressful couple of weeks.

Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at making sure all the moms get the proper level of nutrition and are in good condition prior to bringing little babies into the world.

I’ve learned to avoid plenty of problems that way. I’ve learned how to spot when someone needs a little birthing assistance and I’ve gotten rather proficient at popping a new mom into a maternity pen with her newborns to bond, a step I’m always tempted to skip because of the painstaking work involved.

But now that there are babies bopping all around the barn— some sleeping in adorable piles, others racing in circles—I spend most of my time observing their behavior in hopes of spotting potential problems so I can nip them in the bud. Are the kids full of energy with bright eyes or do they stand back, quiet and sad? Is the mother ewe attentive to her lamb’s hunger or does the baby spend precious energy searching her out? While we try to make sure all the moms are well-fed and making ample milk for their babies, my job is nowhere near over. I must pay lots of attention to how well the babies are progressing, oftentimes literally feeling their bellies to see if they are eating enough.

During my early years of raising goats, I worked closely with fellow goat farmer Doug Bowne of Little Falls. Doug answered every one of my questions and was particularly good at helping me recognize and value my own experience as a mother, and apply it to caring for my herd. (VERY pregnant females all seem to enjoy a good back rub, human and goat alike!)

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A full belly will determine whether a baby goat survives Something Doug said years ago has always stuck with me: a well-fed lamb or kid should have a nicely distended belly. It should feel like a taught water balloon, full and plump. Knowing how the belly of a healthy, happy, and well-fed baby should feel allows me to quickly spot the thin and empty belly of a straggler or the watery and flaccid belly of one that could become sick.

Once I spot an empty belly, I make sure to get some milk into him or her right away. Things can go south very quickly in young animals so it is best to be proactive. Giving supplemental milk sometimes gives a little one just enough energy to get back on their mother, and the belly is full during my next round of chores. Other times, babies will require more consistent feeding; perhaps they are one of triplets or just smaller and less aggressive than a sibling.

Either way, quick intervention is needed for a day or up to several weeks…and it makes all the difference.

Because I spend so many hours each day checking for full bellies, it has become a bit of an obsession that has recently spilled over into the human realm.

Food pantries have been experiencing unprecedented demand since the start of the pandemic, which means that bellies in our community are not full. As a farmer trained to spot hunger as an early warning sign, I find this troubling.

As a farm manager that has learned that early intervention is key, I worry we are not doing enough.

A full belly will determine whether a baby goat survives. I imagine a human community cannot thrive while many bellies are empty. It has truly taken me years to develop a keen eye for spotting an empty belly (and even longer to know the best interventions to take) amongst my goats and sheep. Thankfully, each of us can do our part by checking in with friends and neighbors and encouraging them to ask for a helping hand when needed.

From one bedraggled goat farmer, may this New Year bring full bellies for us all! •

Suzie Jones and her husband, Peter, own Jones Family Farm in Herkimer. Together, with their children, they produce specialty goat cheeses and gelato. Find them at local farmers’ markets and online at www.anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com

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Mohawk Valley nature

The Spring Farm Beavers in 2020 part 1

story & photos by matt perry

Lucy has her treat on shore

Lucy is taken to a rehabilitator

Tippy drags a poplar whip back to the pond

Great Blue Heron perched above Sarah’s Pond 30

January of 2020 began on a mild note. The ice that formed on the beaver ponds melted in December and that allowed the Beavers to be active in their habitat. The colony was made up of approximately 13 Beavers, including five yearlings, six kits from the previous spring, and the eight-year-old parents (Tippy and GenLo). Continuing from the previous year, the colony was bifurcated with Beavers living in two different ponds. The inhabited ponds are not on the same stream and their distance apart made travel between them impractical if not impossible on harsh winter days.

While the bulk of the colony including both parents were residing at Julia’s Pond, a few yearlings and one or two of the previous season’s kits were staying at Morton’s Pond where there was little or no stored food (food cache) to sustain them. This meant that the Morton’s Pond Beavers were relying on us for their food on days when ice cover on the ponds prevented them from foraging on land.

While the mild weather persisted, the Beavers reverted to winter preparation mode. They were plastering their dams and lodges with mud and restocking their food cache. By contrast, when their domain is frozen, working with mud, as well as collecting and storing food are all difficult if not impossible tasks. As for the food cache at Julia’s Pond, it contained a lot of peeled branches – those which had been stripped of nutritional value. Most were kept there to weigh down and sink the mass of unused branches. The deeper into the water the branches are, the more accessible they will be to Beavers when the pond’s surface is frozen. The second week of January was characterized by significant temperature swings. On January 11th the mercury hit 60 °F when only a few days before it was 5°. The ponds were iced over during the cold spell and we needed to break holes to provision the Beavers.

The third week of January brought a return to winter and bitter cold. At Morton’s and Julia’s Ponds, cutting holes in the ice became a daily ritual for us. Up to ten Mallards were toughing it out in the only available open water at the inflow of Morton’s Pond. GenLo was still among the Beavers coming out at Morton’s Pond.

He wanted treats but refused to come anywhere near me, and not even close enough to be reached by the Shish kebab ski pole. I tried sneaking up to him from behind the dam and then extending his potato to him on the pole, but it didn’t work. He would

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dive back under the ice as soon as I got within range. The only way was to throw his potato to him. I had to somehow manage to land it near the ice hole where he stood but without hitting him or losing it in the water. After one pitch, GenLo got his potato only to lose it when he tried to take it under the ice. I had to give him a replacement.

A winter storm on February 8th deposited a foot of snow and created a deep layer of slush on the beaver ponds. I had to dig through it to open a feeding area. Counterintuitively, it’s more difficult to dig through thick slush than to break through ice. When you remove some, it erodes from the sides and fills the hole. The next day brought plunging temperatures and the slush turned to ice. The Beavers became quite unpredictable with their emergence times but were still toughing it out at Morton’s Pond. We weren’t certain of the whereabouts of Tippy. Since it was still mating season, we suspected that GenLo would be staying close to her and since GenLo was at Morton’s Pond, that’s likely where his mate was. Our supposition was validated when Tippy emerged from the lodge at Morton’s Pond just before dark on the 9th. In the last week of February, water levels were receding at Morton’s Pond. When mud freezes it loses its pliability and Beavers lose the ability to repair leaks in the dam. If the water level continued to drop, there was a risk that the underwater lodge entrances would become exposed and that would be an invitation to predators. The temperature rollercoaster ride continued – varying by 40 and 50 ° in a matter of days. I had to break holes in the ice for five days in a row and then a thaw which had begun on the 24th did much to clear the pond of ice.

Water runoff swelled the streams. I became concerned when I noticed that a Beaver had burrowed into the dam at Morton’s Pond in two places! The holes were about a foot below the current water level and although neither passed through the structure, they threatened the dam’s integrity. Why would a Beaver destabilize the dam? Perhaps it was an attempt to ferret out green wood embedded in the structure. The hypothetically desperate move could be a result of the pond’s lack of stored food. In the first week of March, the Beavers were emerging near dusk and often we were missing them. However, trail cam video showed that Beavers were quite active at night. One of the videos showed two kits engaged in a shoving match near the shore. Shoving matches between young Beavers have been likened to a water version of sumo wrestling. It entails two contestants holding onto each other by the flanks;

A beavers gets a treat

Tippy comes out of the ice at the main pond

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both trying to shove their opponent backward. Roddy and Lydia, our resident pair of Canada Geese, returned to the preserve on March 5th. We first saw them when the pair flew in a low circle over us as we approached the main ponds. They hadn’t been seen since the previous May. By the second week of March, there was increasing evidence that a large portion of the Beaver colony was again inhabiting Julia’s Pond. There were branches added to the top of the lodge and signs of other work taking place nearby. There was also work being done on a new pond just west of Julia’s Pond. That pond was very circular and had a dam made mostly of sod and reeds. All indications were that GenLo had moved back to Julia’s Pond and was preparing the habitat for the rest of the colony. His refit of the lodge meant he was preparing the place for a new batch of kits. At that time, all Beaver activity at Julia’s Pond was happening after dark.

After a few spring-like weeks, on April 10th, four inches of snow marked winter’s slight reprise. Fortunately, the ponds weren’t freezing, and the activities of Beavers and waterfowl continued without interruption. Although four or five juvenile Beavers were seen daily in the afternoons at Morton’s Pond, at Julia’s Pond, only evidence of the Beavers’ industry was being seen. The Beaver’s sphere of influence was growing, and it suddenly included the preserve’s man-made-pond (Wick’s Pond). To keep Wick’s Pond’s water level high, the Beavers were plugging its outflow pipe, which meant we were having to clean it out daily. The only one coming out regularly at Julia’s Pond was the orphan kit. She was recognized by her smaller size and by a finger-shaped notch in her tail. April is the month that two-year-old Beavers typically disperse from their colonies and it was likely that Bug-bane, Bog Bean, and the other Beavers born in 2018 had moved on. Meanwhile, Lydia continued to sit on her nest at Morton’s Pond. The cold snap kept her tight on her eggs. When she did need to leave to feed, she would first cover the eggs with a fluffy layer of her plucked breast feathers.

On April 22nd, we saw Tippy for the first time in nearly two months. She emerged from the lodge at Morton’s Pond during the normal afternoon feeding time. She came right up to me as if no time had elapsed since our last encounter. She took her potato and swam back to the lodge. Seeing Tippy at Morton’s Pond was potentially signif-

Tippy asks for a snack

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icant since it could indicate which lodge she selected to have her kits in. With a gestation period of one hundred days, her due date was likely to be in early May. Winter tried to reassert itself several times as April came to an end. One snowfall event yielded about three inches and almost every day was characterized by strong winds. The winds finally calmed down on April 24th and temperatures climbed to 60 ° the following day.

Eastern Kingbirds came back to their traditional nest site at Sarah’s Pond before the second week of May. They were soon seen zipping back and forth over the water in their relentless quest for flying insects. Tippy was being seen so infrequently at this time that we were beginning to think of her as a celebrity when she did come out. On May 21st, the famous Tippy emerged from the lodge at Julia’s Pond. She approached me on the shore and stood up to take a sweet potato. When she did, I could see she was lactating. This was a sure sign she had a litter of kits in the lodge. Likely, we wouldn’t see any of them for at least a month.

As for Tippy, she became especially eager to get her potato. She needed as much nutrition as possible to produce milk for her new kits. For the first time, I was hearing the mewing calls of young kits inside the lodge. When one of the yearlings entered the lodge with food, the whining calls noticeably rose in intensity as the kits tried to get a share. Late one afternoon I watched Tippy walk back into the field and begin collecting aspen and willow whips from the meadow. While she was foraging, she forgot I was there. When she turned to leave, seeing me at the shelter surprised her.

She dropped her bundle and galloped twenty feet towards the pond. She abruptly halted before reaching the water. She turned towards me, recognized me, and calmed down. I retrieved her bundle, handed it to her, and she proceeded to eat the tender leaves right there in the trail.

On June 7th, I was surprised to see one of Tippy’s new kits at Julia’s Pond. The mini-bea-

ver paddled out to her mother who was perusing the willow branches near shore. The kit then started nursing on Tippy while she fed on willow leaves.

In 21 years of watching Beavers, this was the first time I had seen young kits nursing outside of the lodge. Normally, kits don’t leave the lodge until after they are weaned. Tippy treated the kit like all adult Beavers (parent or not) Kit tries to get food from Tippy treat kits in their colony, she pushed it away and continued eating. Sometimes she would awkwardly tolerate it as it 20th, the temperature shot up to over 90°. circled and tried to approach her from every At this time, I noticed that Tippy would possible angle including from underneath. come up to me to get her initial treat, but for The kit was quite small, about two-thirds the subsequent offerings, she wouldn’t come size of a Muskrat. I assumed it ventured out close and would only take things tossed to her. of the lodge by following one of the adults or This behavior could reflect Tippy’s concept of a yearling. Getting back into the lodge could risk assessment. She deemed it worth the risk present a problem. New kits must learn to hold to come up on shore where she was vulneratheir breath while negotiating the underwater ble to a potential predator to take advantage passages that access the lodge and it was un- of a first offer of sustenance. However, once likely this one had mastered the technique. I her appetite was satiated, getting a second or soon lost sight of the kit. Did it go back into third treat, she judged not worth the risk. The the lodge? fact that she is making this assessment deci By mid-June, the yearling Beavers had sion at this time when she has dependent kits moved back to Morton’s Pond while their par- is significant since that is when she is most inents and younger siblings continued at Julia’s dispensable to the colony. As we came to the Pond. The new kit had learned how to get in final week of the month, the lone new Beaver and out of the lodge with proficiency and was kit was not alone anymore. A second kit was being seen on most days. The high-pitched glimpsed swimming with it. I began to realize calls of other young kits were heard coming that the entrance tunnel to the lodge at Julia’s from inside the lodge but no others had ven- pond was particularly easy to get in and out tured into the pond. GenLo was the only other of. It appeared to be close to the waterline and Beaver being seen at Julia’s Pond at that time. was short in span. I would watch one of the The drought was continuing, and the water kits dive and, in a few seconds, they would be levels at Julia’s Pond were down by about six mewing inside the lodge. This easy entrance/ inches. We weren’t fearful of it losing much exit seemed to be the reason the new kits were water since the stream it’s connected to is already so adept at coming in and out. spring-fed. However, at GenLo’s Vernal pond, In the first week of July, most of the yearthe last of the water was nearly gone. On June ling Beavers moved back in with their parents

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and younger siblings at Julia’s Pond. I was regularly seeing at least four yearlings there.

On July 8th, GenLo swam close to where I stood on the shore. He was so casual I thought he was Tippy. I walked over to him, called him by his mate’s name, and tried to hand him a potato. This was too much for him to endure.

He swam out about ten feet into the pond and slapped his tail hard on the water while diving from view. In case I hadn’t noticed his protest, he did it again a few seconds later. Sorry Gen! Responding to GenLo’s alarm splashes like they were the dinner bell, the real Tippy took that opportunity to emerge from the lodge. She swam up to me and took her potato without trepidation. One of the new kits pestered Tippy as she tried to eat. When it couldn’t get a bite, it switched to begging to one of the yearlings. The yearling in turn picked up the pesky kit with its teeth and carried it to the lodge!

The yearling did not go as far as bringing it inside the lodge, but only plunked it down in the water above the underwater entrance.

As we approached mid-July, a few days of rain was enough to recharge streams and ponds, although it wasn’t nearly enough to alleviate the drought. On July 10th, six of Tippy’s new kits were seen in Julia’s Pond with her. Tippy had a full litter this season. About half of the younger kits were coming over to

the shore and to our shelter to take potato and carrot pieces. One kit was noticeably smaller than its siblings and liked munching on food from our hands. We dubbed the friendly kit “Lucy”, and she became a favorite of visitors to the pond. As the obvious runt of the litter, we thought it wise to put some effort into assisting her to bulk-up. She was exceptionally trusting and enjoyed having the fur on her back stroked while she fed. A few times she appeared to fall asleep while feeding. While Lucy would be blissfully chewing, a few of her littermates would walk up to the shelter, take their treat from us, and then hop right back to the water, brushing by Lucy but not breaking her concentration. Due to Lucy’s somewhat unusual behavior, we paid close attention to how she swam and dove underwater. We were trying to make sure everything was right with her and initially, it seemed like it was.

On July 17th it was obvious that something had happened to Lucy. When swimming, her movements in the water had become labored.

She was struggling to get around. It was as if her lower back was damaged. When she came upon the shore to get her treat, she showed a very pronounced limp. She wasn’t using her left hind leg at all. Perhaps she was stepped on by one of the older Beavers or befell some L

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other accident. Fortunately, Lucy was used to coming out of the water and standing next to us for extended periods. Also, she was accustomed to being touched by people, and so when we felt her leg for breaks, she did not protest. After consulting with wildlife rehabilitators, we decided to capture her and get her checked out. She was so trusting that getting her into a pet carrier was extremely easy. The kit would need to be taken to a vet for tests and an evaluation. This was the first time we had taken one of our Beavers to a rehabilitator in over a dozen years and we were apprehensive about it. If she was able to recover, would her family accept her back? We had many concerns and many questions.

Look for part two of our Beavers’ 2020 story in the next issue of this magazine.

Matt Perry is Conservation Director and resident naturalist at Spring Farm CARES in Clinton. He manages a 260 acre nature preserve which is open for tours by appointment. Matt is also regional editor of “The Kingbird”, which is a quarterly publication put out by the New York State Ornithological Association. Matt’s short nature videos can be viewed on the web.

Look for Spring Farm CARES Nature Sanctuary on Facebook.

classical mv

Julia Hasbrouck Clay Hometown/current town: Bladenboro, NC/West Laurens, NY Instrument: Piano and French Horn Age when musical studies began: 9 for piano, 12 for horn Education: BS from Skidmore College; studied at Stetson Univ.; Univ. of Oklahoma; Yale Graduate School of Music and Art Employment: Adjunct Professor Colgate Univ., Hartwick College, SUNY-Oneonta, SUNY-Binghamton; faculty, Brevard Music Center, Hartford (CT) Conservatory Collaborations: NC Symphony, OK City Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Bridgeport Symphony, Syr. Symphony, Albany Symphony, Northeast Philharmonic (Scranton, PA); Principal Horn Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, Catskill Symphony, Utica Symphony, Schenectady Symphony, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca), Colgate Univ. Orchestra, Hamilton College Orchestra, Catskill Brass Quintet, Catskill Woodwind Quintet, Ithaca College Faculty Brass Quintet; soloist, NE Brass Conference; frequent recitalist and concerto soloist with several orchestras; numerous ‘free-lance’ engagements with organizations such as the MV Choral Society Influences: Dennis Brain’s recording of Mozart Horn Concertos and Philip Farkas, whose book ‘The Art of Horn Playing’ was the ‘bible’ from which I learned to play the horn, and last, but not least, the Brevard Music Center in NC where I played in an orchestra for the first time and where I met Carleton Clay, composer, trumpeter, and my husband of 58 years, to whom I became engaged on our first date!

Following retirement from active horn playing twelve years ago, I have put my passions into work developing a 2 ½ acre garden that has been featured in magazines and garden tours, painting and making art, and serving as a Hospice volunteer, an experience as soulful as music-making.

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Gardeners, the Eternal Optimists

by Denise A. Szarek

As we look back on the year that was 2020, I can’t help but think about what will be in 2021! As the seed catalogs arrive, I look forward in eager anticipation to new varieties to plant and can’t wait to taste the delicious flavor of old favorites from years past.

Now, had you been optimistic back in late summer and planted a crop of parsnips and carrots and left them to winter over, you would be enjoying some sweet deliciousness right about now. Parsnips get sweeter in the cold. But if you didn’t dream of parsnips dug up and roasted in January, you can still enjoy them next year!

How to grow parsnips in winter. Parsnips take 105-130 days to mature. When planted in spring and harvested in the heat of summer, they do not develop the sweetness that you get with a winter grown parsnip. Seeds are usually planted in mid-summer and harvested throughout the winter. In fall, fertilize and mulch with a thick layer of straw mulch.

A greatly misunderstood vegetable today was one of the most popular just two centuries ago. Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) have a wonderfully sweet, nutty flavor that colder temperatures actually enhance. Their culinary versatility rivals potatoes and their overwintering ability surpass carrots. Always use new seeds and keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge. Like carrots, make sure the soil is tilled deeply and without stones or clods that can cause the vegetable

to fork or split.

Parsnips need a long growing season about 4 to 4-1/2 months.

Allow the vegetable to experience cold temperatures just above freezing for a couple of weeks or longer before harvest to turn the starches in the roots to sugar--sweetening its flavor. Parsnips require a long growing season (110 to 130 days) Parsnips are high in fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin C. Fresh roots add variety to meals in winter and early spring and often can be used in place of carrots or potatoes. Use fresh parsnips in salads or with dip. Cook them in soup or stews, mash them like potatoes, or include them in a medley of roasted root vegetables. This sweet root is compatible with just about any cooking method, whether baked, steamed, simmered, sautéed, or sliced and fried like chips.

So be an optimist! Dream of your garden and imagine the vegetables you will harvest, but if a pesky woodchuck gets the best of your crop, it’s okay to have an angry/disappointed/sad moment. Just know that you have banked several hours of happy planning and, let’s face it, you know you’ll be at it again next year. All optimists and gardeners just cannot help themselves!

Now let’s enjoy those sweet and nutty parsnips! (see recipe on next page)

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MVL RECIPES

Honeyed Parsnips

By Denise A Szarek

8 parsnips, peeled and quartered 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 T Honey Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the parsnips, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Pour 2 T. of vegetable oil into a shallow casserole dish and add the parsnips. Mix remaining oil with the honey and drizzle over the parsnips. Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown and tender. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. These parsnips pair perfectly with any kind of roasted meat. Enjoy!

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In 1974, Tim and Peggy Spencer Behrendt set off on an adventure. They began a new life in the woods of Cold Brook, NY, without modern conveniences like electricity or indoor plumbing. These are excerpts and reflections from Peggy’s journal chronicling their adventures and also her childhood memories growing up in Westmoreland.

It doesn’t take long for us to learn about the downside to some of the lovely joys life brings. The kid-size car Tim got when he was a tiny tyke (on the cover of last month’s issue) rolled delightfully downhill but was almost impossible to pedal.

My young siblings and I were thrilled to receive an expensive wood toboggan one year, but on our first ride I ended up with a sprained hip. Grandma did some praying on it, but I had to limp painfully around our house on one leg for the rest of that vacation.

I was thrilled when we started to learn to read in early elementary school, but distinctly remember being extremely disappointed with the boring plots in our first readers about the “adventures” of Dick and Jane; “See Spot.

See Spot run. Run Spot run!” I hoped for a more interesting sequel!

My mother used to read nursery rhymes to us from a set called, “My Book House,” consisting of fables and classic fairy tales in graded complexity. Stories and illustrations like, “The Gingerbread Man,” were magical

to us back then, but later I realized that many of the classic “children’s” stories we grew up with are extremely macabre, racist, and/or sexist.

It was a high point in our lives when Tim and I married and created our own little home in the woods out of recycled materials. We looked forward to the privacy, peace, and beauty of living close to nature, because although we loved our work; ministry, teaching, and doing concerts, it involved a lot of tiring social interactions. Life here has fulfilled many of these expectations. But lengthy isolation was one of many new challenges we faced that first winter of 1974-75. Too much time in one place, even in nature or with a cherished loved one, can have its drawbacks, as so many of us have been experiencing with the isolation caused by the unprecedented virus spread of 2020. We sometimes get cranky with each other.

“You left your sewing out! These pins are dangerous!” Tim might say with a hint of horror in his voice. I’d be mystified. Why does he have such a strong reaction to pins? I can’t count how many times I’ve pricked myself while sewing. It’s no big deal! One time as I was bringing a box of them down the

stairs to my mom, I slipped and landed unhurt at the bottom, but with pins all over the place!

Even my dark hair gleamed with a jewel-like crown of sparkling shafts of sunlight! My sister thought it was hilariously funny, which annoyed me greatly, but I didn’t get a single prick from the pins.

I sometimes whine to Tim; I’m getting cold from the door opening and closing so much!”

And he’ll reply, “Well, we have to get the wood and water in here somehow!”

There were other similarities with the present social isolation. Except for daily

In 1975 a trip to Uncle Grunt was an adventure

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Available at Tom’s Natural Foods in Clinton, Peter’s Cornucopia in New Hartford, Brenda’s Natural Foods in Rome, Sunflower Naturals in Mapledale, and the Little Falls Food Co-op (all donations go directly to the Preserve) 40

Peg was eager for the sequel to Dick and Jane in 2nd grade Tims reading interests jumped from comics to health, religion, psychology, and philosophy

showers (which were outside) and a change of undergarments, we could easily wear the same clothes for many days, especially since our winter wardrobe of warm clothes was minimal.

It’s nice to have warm layers already put together when you’re dressing in the cold. And why bother brushing one’s hair if you’re not going out (or online), except to prevent dreadlocks from developing? Even when I was young, winter laziness resulted in my sisters and I attempting to establish a record for how long we could get away with wearing our long flannel night-gowns. There is some risk in this though. I know a man who walked out on his wife, and one reason was that he got sick of looking at her favorite purple pants!

Fortunately, thanks to Tim’s experience as a counselor, we’ve developed techniques to deal with our conflicts. Being able to call a formal meeting about a complaint, ventilating, then posing possible solutions to consider and try, has allowed us to mitigate many issues and not let them fester and grow into catastrophes.

I ashamedly admit that I used to sometimes harbor a grudge for many days much to Tim’s painful regret, and extended the misery for both of us. But over the years, a conscious effort of will and valuing our relationship has given me the fortitude to forgive and move on more quickly. Nowadays, some arguments simply dissipate because it takes too much effort to pursue them!

Sometimes we just need to say; “I’m tired of talking and want to focus on something else for a while.” We honor this request without taking it too personally. Also, except for the occasional flare of temper, we try to always treat each other as kindly, patiently, and politely as we would strangers or friends. All this has helped us manage through many challenges in 48 years together.

Sources of entertainment were minimal for us in our early years here. We didn’t have internet, telephone, electricity for lights, TV or radio. Climbing a tree, doing chores, getting to the outhouse, or to work in the city were challenges and adventures.

So, getting something new to read was special. Just going to the library meant hiking half a mile through a snow-filled road, starting a frigid vehicle, and traveling on icy roads for at least seven miles.

We’d read or write or draw, sitting next to a candle or kerosene lamp for light, and equally close to the warm, red glow of the wood stove for heat because our floor was not yet insulated and drafts of frigid air from below could negate the heat from the fire. Favorite reading material was “The Mother Earth News” (if we could afford it), organic gardening, vegetarianism, root cellar storage, or Eric Sloan’s beautiful books on hand woodworking and tools. For sermon research, Tim sometimes used New Age spiritual texts like Chop Wood, Carry Water by Rick Fields to supplement his old seminary books by Kant, Kierkegaard, Aquinas, Luther, St. Augustine, Wesley, Bonhoeffer, etc.

He told me that he only read comic books when he was a youngster. He was too busy delivering papers, playing sports, and flirting with girls to be interested in reading, and that every book report he ever did then was on Treasure Island, (which may have been from a condensed comic book version.)

Nowadays, he studies the succinct wisdom of proverbs from many cultures because they condense practical and spiritual wisdom that has survived countless generations. One of his favorites is “The tiger strikes on the path unexpected.” All one has to say in our family is “tiger,” with a little tremble in your voice, and even our 3-year-old great-grandson knows what you’re talking about!

And Tim’s not afraid to add his own. One of his most popular publications has been “Timothy’s Earthy Everyday Proverbs for Everyone, Everywhere.”

That which we dislike in others, we have not accepted in ourselves.

If you can’t tolerate rejection, don’t accept leadership.

The more one has, the less it means.

Be your own best friend.

Racism reveals one’s ignorance and fear.

Those who kill for sport spoil their time.

The more you earn, the more you spend.

“If only” is the great tormentor; acceptance is

the great pacifier.

The faster you move, the less you see.

The essences of world religions can be summarized in seven words: be careful, have fun, live with integrity When I was young, a visit to the Utica Public Library with its vaulted ceilings, marble staircase, statuary, and art was a pilgrimage to Shangri-La! Voices and footsteps echo musically among the multitude of multicolored books. “How many may I take out at a time?” I would ask. I’d borrow all I could and spend hours on my bed reading except for the We were lucky to have an old set of encyclopedias then, but I was envious when neighbors got a newer one, plus an encyclopedia of piano music classics!

I often saw their first son-in-law lying on the living room floor reading their new encyclopedia from A – Z to supplement his education because he was committed to his family farm as soon as he graduated from high school.

Not infrequently, my mom would order a new book for us. One time, they sent a substitute title which she was unimpressed with and intended to return. Well, of course, I read it first, (“The Pink Dress” by Anne Alexander), and loved it so much, I started to copy it out

Peg gets home-canned vegetables from the garden out of the root cellar until Mom said I could just keep it.

During one of my last visits with her, I was surprised when she started reading aloud to me from a cookbook and I suddenly understood why she had so many. They contain much interesting information about cultures, human history, evolution, and survival in many climates. Consequently, although I avoid salt, I borrowed her book: “Salt: A World History”

by Mark Kurlansky, and was amazed to realize that salt has sometimes served as currency,

K

“We’ll Take Care Of You”

GatesCole.com 42

Tim feigns surprise at the appearance of a Snow Bear

a n d “has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions.” Many of us know that Syracuse, NY is one of these cities, due to the salty springs on the south side of Onondaga Lake, which made Syracuse, in the early 1800s, the largest producer of salt in North America.

Food is likely why Shawangunk Road is here, why we live here! I’ve often mused about what prompted its construction. Reliable historical references indicate that the main purpose for our road was to transport fresh milk from nearby farms to cheese fac-

tories in Cold Brook and Poland. Turning it into long-lasting cheese (likely with salt from Syracuse) when production was high, was the most economical way to make this nourishing food available for long north country winters and provide precious income for the farmers.

In fact, the first cheese factory in our nation, facilitated by pooling milk from area farmers, was founded in 1851 by Jesse Williams in Rome, NY. Now Shawangunk Road is clothed in bright, winter white with strange silhouettes and negativities created by the low sun of deep winter. When we dress adequately, we can have lots of fun during these brief days with sleds, skis, or snowshoes on forest trails.

(We recently finished a beautiful two-mile loop along Black Creek that able hikers may come and use anytime). When it’s packable, we can build strange new creatures and people out of snow, and inside, our great-grandchildren can get excited about just creating a hut under a kitchen table. It’s essential to be able to simply ‘play” but just doing our chores is full of essential, existential meaning; bringing in firewood, going to the outhouse, chopping through the ice for water, opening a root cellar full of carefully preserved food from our garden, feeding the birds and squirrels, mending or sewing…

After grieving the loss of summer’s sunshine,

and autumn’s kaleidoscopic festival of lights, we eventually adjust to the slower pace, the shortened days, diminished light, and colder temperatures of winter. After 20 years, Tim and I will probably not go camping in Florida due to COVID-19 risks and must re-discover the pleasures and adversities of a north country winter. It will be a lot easier than it used to be. Now we’ve got a warm car with all-wheel drive and a road that’s well-plowed right to our garage. Our cottage is as well insulated as possible, dear family members live nearby, we have phones to talk to friends, and access to a seemingly infinite fount of information and entertainment through the internet. Having gone without and managing with less has made us stronger and more appreciative of what we now have.

I hope that getting through this pandemic will make us all stronger and more appreciative. Tim says, “It is difficult to see the upside when you are down, but it is always there.” • The Shawangunk Nature Preserve is a deep ecology, forever wild, 501©(3), learning and cultural center. Tim and Peggy still live there and can be contacted through their website.

www.shawangunknaturepreserve.com

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Advertiser Directory please support Our sponsors, they make this magazine possible Antiques Antiques & Art Westmoreland . . . . . . . . . 17 Attic Addicts, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Black Cat Antiques, Earlville . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Broad St. Flea Market, Utica . . . . . . . . . 18 The Bull Farm Antiques, Vernon . . . . . . 18 Foothills Mercantile, Barneveld . . . . . . . 18 Little Falls Antique Center, Little Falls . . . 18 Madison Inn Antiques, Madison . . . . . . 18 Mohawk Antiques Mall, Mohawk . . . . . . . 18 Mohawk Valley Community Market, Herkimer . . .

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Cabinets and Kitchens Custom Woodcraft, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . 29 Knotty By Nature, Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . 12 Catering Club Monarch, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 RoSo’s Cafe & Catering, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Willie’s The Original Bagel Cafe, Utica . . . . . . 16 CBD Products RAW ADK, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Utica Hemp, New Hartford, Utica . . . . . . . . 31 Cheese Grassy Cow Dairy, Remsen . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Jewett’s Cheese, Earlville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Jones Family Farm, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . 32 Stoltzfus Family Dairy, Vernon Center . . . . . . . . 9 Clothing Paca Gardens, Little Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Queen’s Closet, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . 17 Comics and Collectibles Raven’s Wood Comics, New Hartford. . . . . . . . . 24

Art and Custom Framing Fusion Art Gallery, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Heartwood Gift Barn, Sherburne . . . . . . . . . . 28

Consignment The Online Exchange, Dolgeville . . . . . . . . . 19 The Queen’s Closet, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Renewed & Rescued, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 19

Auto Dealerships Steet-Ponte Auto Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Contractors Ed Smith Contractor and Handyman . . . . . . . . . 38

Automotive Repair Clinton Collision, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Precision Unlimited, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Convenience Shops Stewart’s Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Awards & Engraving Speedy Awards, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . 36 Bakeries and Pastry Shops Karam’s Middle East Bakery, Yorkville . . . . . 16 Ramon’s Bakery, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Star Bakery, Whitesboro and Utica . . . . . . . 32 Wicked Sweets, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Bike Shops Dick’s Wheel Shop, Herkimer . . . . . . . . . . 8 Books Berry Hill Book Shop, Deansboro . . . . . . . 6

44

Treehouse Reading Room, New York Mills . . . . 7

Delis and Meats Bosonne’s Sausage, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Little Italy Imports, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mohawk Village Market, Mohawk . . . . . . . . . . 8 Olde Kountry Market, Vernon . . . . . . . . . . 33 Pulaski Meat Market, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Diners Charlie’s Place, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sheri’s Diner, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Wendy’s Diner, Cassville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Dog Sitting Barney’s Angels, Frankfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Estate Sales Attic Addicts, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Potting Shed Antiques, Whitesboro . . . . . . 19 Farm Equipment Clinton Tractor, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Hobby Hill Farm Sales, Rome . . . . . . . . . . 28 White’s Farm Supply, Waterville/Canastota . . . . . . 48 Farm Markets Cooperstown Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . 37 Horn’s Family Farm, Remsen . . . . . . . . . . 8 Financial Services Van Meter & Van Meter, Little Falls . . . . . . . 24 Flooring Mike’s Floor Store, Whitesboro . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Funeral Services Prince-Boyd & Hyatt, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Furniture Ironwood Furniture, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Jeff ’s Amish Furniture, Richfield Springs . . . . . . . . 12 Furniture Makers Custom Woodcraft, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Garden Center and Greenhouses Szarek’s Succulent Shack, Clinton . . . . . . . . . 38 General Contractors Ed Smith Contractor and Handyman . . . . . . . . . 38 Gift Shops/Shopping Between Us Sisters, Munnsville . . . . . . . . . 20 Fusion Art Gallery, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Main Street Gift Shoppe, Newport . . . . . . . 18 Grocery Stores, Co-ops, and Convenience Stores Deansboro Superette, Deansboro . . . . . . . . . 22 Little Italy Imports, Utica . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mohawk Village Market, Mohawk . . . . . . . . . . 8 Olde Kountry Market, Vernon . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Richfield Springs Community Food Cooperative . . . . . 8 Handyman/Repairs Ed Smith Contractor and Handyman . . . . . . . . . 38 Hardware/Lumber/Farm & Home Lincoln Davies, Sauquoit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Serving Rome & Utica Since 1946

Morgan’s Hardware, Waterville . . . . . . . . . . 35 Turner Lumber, Barneveld . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Wightman Specialty Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Hearth Shops and Fuel Buell Fuel Hearth & Home, Deansboro . . . . . . . . . . 11 Insurance Farm Family Insurance, Boonville . . . . . . . . 32 Gates-Cole Insurance, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . 42 HBE Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Turnbull Insurance, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . 21 Interior Design/Custom Window Treatments The Added Touch Drapery, New Hartford . . . . . . 32 Ironwork Raulli’s Iron Works, Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Jewelry Alison’s Jewelry & Repair, Utica . . . . . . . . . 7 Goldmine Jewelers, New Hartford . . . . . . . . 36

Lighting Mills Electrical Supply, Rome . . . . . . . . . . 22 Liquor Stores and Wine Ilion Wine & Spirits, Ilion . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Prospect Falls Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Trenton Station Liquor & Wine, Barneveld . . . . 12 Maple Syrup Ben & Judy’s Sugarhouse, West Edmeston . . . . 20 Shaw’s Maple Products, Clinton . . . . . . . . . . 37 Tibbits Maple, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . . 34 Meats (See Delis) Media 92.7 The Drive WXUR, Utica . . .

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Monuments & Memorials Yorkville Memorials, Yorkville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Musical Instrument Sales, Rentals, Lessons Big Apple Music, New Hartford . . . . . . . . . 21 Natural Food Stores Cooperstown Naturals, Cooperstown . . . . . . . . 35 Peter’s Cornucopia, New Hartford . . . . . . . . 41 Non-Profits and Social Service The House of the Good Shepherd, Utica . . . . . . . . 11

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Bethany Landis Photography Exhibit January 5 - 28, 2021 Opening: Saturday, January 9 The Photo Shoppe and Fusion Art & Gift Gallery 8584 Turin Road, Rome • (315) 338-5712

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Answer to last month’s Riddle about the toasty under garments once made in Utica:

Union suits

Created in Utica, NY, Union Suits originated as women’s wear during the 19th-century United States clothing reform efforts as an alternative to constricting garmentsand soon gained popularity among men as well.

Winner: John Baumes of Rome

Yogurt Stoltzfus Family Dairy, Vernon Center . . . . . . . 9

last month’s crossword solution

NYS INSPECTIONS • OIL CHANGES • TUNE UPS • COLLISION WORK • AC

Complete Collision and Mechanical Repair Since 1987 Answer to last month’s puzzle about this harbinger of winter: Frost Moon Winner: Peg Kroll of Richfield Springs

7509 Route 5 • Clinton, New York 13323 • Phone 315-853-8804 47