---------

The Odessa File: Government
The Odessa File: Schools
The Odessa File: People
The Odessa File: Business
The Odessa File: Features
The Odessa File: History
The Odessa File: Sports
The Odessa File: Forum
The Odessa File: Calendar
The Odessa File: Classified Ads
The Odessa File: Home Page

 

Click on the logo below to reach the Arc of Schuyler County website.

 

Click on picture below to reach our Country Harvest Antiques page

 

Click on picture below to reach Council website

 

We also have a Business Card Page. Click here.

 



 

 

Schuyler County -- Around & About

(Editor's Note: The following is one in a series of personal columns we publish from time to time by Bonnie Seeley of Odessa. To see her previous column, click here.)

By Bonnie Seeley

Happy March, Folks! February brought another roller coaster of changing weather. Then, as the old saying goes, “March came in like a lion.” The March winds have been blowing quite gustily, making the unraked leaves of last fall dance twirlingly and merrily about. Right now, I am wondering if March will “…go out like a lamb.”

My New Year’s resolution…to write something every day…has been broken more than it has been kept. I believe this is so for a very good reason, however. A lonely old widow, like myself, can only write just so much, and then folks will tire of her goings-on. Besides, with all the “extracurricular” activities that I am involved in, I find it hard to slow down and write every single day
Today is March 9, 2012, a day that has had great significance in my life. My “memory train” takes me back over the years…55 years, to be exact…to 1957…in a cozy little home on Hillside Drive, down near what is now the Greater Southern Tier BOCES campus. My family had just had this home built the summer before, and evidently, Daddy and Mommy had “celebrated” their upcoming move in early June of 1956.

There we sat, my little brother, Mickey, 6, and I, not quite 8, freshly-bathed and sweet-smelling, cuddled under some blankets on the couch. Our elderly Great Aunt Myrtle, Grandma Reynolds’s younger widowed sister, and sort of an old fuddy-duddy, was sitting close by. We were getting to watch “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time in our lives. (Come to think of it, it may have been the first time it had ever been televised, in all its black-and-white glory.) It was going to be a special treat, including a popcorn snack, for two little kids who had, just hours earlier, received a call from Arnot-Ogden Hospital.
It had been Daddy calling to tell us that we had a brand new baby brother. He had no name yet, though. In fact, Brent Lee Chabot did not receive his moniker until a week later. My Mommy couldn’t come home from the hospital until there was a proper name on the birth certificate. “Baby Boy Chabot” was not a proper name!

When Mommy and baby came home from the hospital, Mickey and I were in school, kindergarten and second grade, respectively. When we arrived home, we eagerly exited Bus 26, and ran up the driveway through the snow, to see which of us would be the first to see Mommy and Brent.
I have many fond (and some not-so-fond) memories of my “little” brother Brent. I’ll save those to share another time. Today, he is 55! Happy Birthday, Brent!

As I mentioned before, March 9th is a date that has had much significance in my life…
• March 9, 1998 ~ The day my Mother, Bessie (Reynolds) Chabot, suffered from a debilitating stroke. (She passed away, at the age of 79, at Haines City (FL) Health Care Facility 13 days later.)
• March 9, 2000 ~ My mother-in-law, Mary Elinor (Barnes/Seeley) Campbell, passed away in her sleep at Founder’s Pavilion in Corning. She was 83 years old. (Oh, how she had loved counting down to the New Year 2000, just weeks before!)
• March 9, 2004 ~ The late Dr. Abraham performed my right modified radical mastectomy and lymph node dissection at Schuyler Hospital. My breast cancer was Stage III, but I was ready to fight! (That was the day which made it possible to “Celebrate More Birthdays.")

A little jaunt down Memory Lane isn’t a bad thing to do, every once in a while…As long as we remember to snap back to Reality…The Present…and don’t dwell completely in The Past.

Now, for my Neighborhood Column, “Schuyler County – Around & About”…

One of the successful ventures conducted in February was an ongoing Book Sale and a Valentine-themed Bake Sale at the Dutton S. Peterson Memorial Library in Odessa. The Board of Trustees and Friends of the Odessa Library are extremely grateful to everyone who “pitched in” and baked delectable Valentine’s goodies, donated books, or helped out with this venture, in any way. Thank you, also, to all the library patrons and community friends who bought the baked goods and gently-used books. Each of the sales netted a bit over $200, which we feel is phenomenal. The Book Sale has become an ongoing fund-raiser, and there will continue to be gently-used books, which will be available for purchase at the library.

There was also a free class on “Reverse Painting on Glass.” The class was taught by Mrs. Baldwin, a staff member from 171 Cedar Arts in Corning. There was a full complement of people who attended the class, and it was, definitely, something new and different to do on a Saturday morning at the library. The class was made possible by a grant from the Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes.

A very busy February has turned into an even busier month of March. First of all, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Kyle and Katie (Stone) Holtz, on the birth of Alexander Ethan. Alexander was born on Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 9:23 p.m., at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 1.8 ounces, & 20½ inches long (tall?)…Whatever! He joins Big Sister, Julia Mae, who will turn 2 in May. (Those are some beautiful pictures that the family has posted on Facebook!)

The American Cancer Society has a number of projects which are being worked on. Daffodil Days are coming, during the week of March 19th. I am the Chairperson of “site sales” of Daffodils for Schuyler County. I have secured the following sites to sell daffodils on Thursday & Friday, March 22nd & 23rd:
• Burdett Dandy Mini Mart – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days…STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS.
• Hector Dandy Mini Mart – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days…STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS.
• Odessa Dandy Mini Mart – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days…STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS.
• Senka Agency, Odessa – Business Hours both days…Ann Yessman & Staff providing coverage.
• Tompkins Trust Company, Odessa – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days…STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS.
• Cabins to Castles Real Estate, Watkins Glen – Business Hours both days…Stacy Parrish, Susan Barnes and staff providing coverage.
• Famous Brands, Watkins Glen – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days…Kris Earl of Schuyler Arc arranging coverage.
• The Glen Theater, Watkins Glen – 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. both evenings…Bonnie Seeley providing coverage. (I am still awaiting confirmation on this from Erich Herzig.)
The various items available:
• A Bunch of 10 Fresh-cut Daffodils - $10.00
• A Pot of Daffodils (may be transplanted outdoors when weather cooperates) – $10.00
• A Signature Collectible Boyd’s Bear & a Bunch/Bear & a Pot - $25.00 (Same Price With/Without Daffodils)
• A Gift of Hope - $25.00 (Supports the mission of the American Cancer Society and enables the Society to anonymously deliver flowers to a local health care facility.)

ACS Relay For Life is coming up on June 8th & 9th at the Watkins Glen High School track. The theme this year is “Carnival For A Cure.” From the Team Page of “Rebels With A Cause” comes this quote on Why We Relay: “We are making a difference by teaming up to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. At the event, our team will camp out overnight and take turns walking around the track to raise money and awareness to help the American Cancer Society create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Saving lives from cancer starts one team, one participant, and one dollar at a time. Our team is doing our part to make sure that cancer never steals another year of anyone’s life. Please join our team or make a donation. The impact we can make together is much greater than what any of us could do alone!”

Stay tuned for the announcement of upcoming fund-raisers, which will be held by individuals and teams right up to (and even after) the Relay For Life. Coming up…”Paint Your Town Purple” is being held on May 5th (Cinco de Maio) in Lafayette Park in Watkins Glen. Details will become available soon.

The Living Waters Baptist Association is currently holding a Lay Studies Class on “Ministering to Individuals.” The course is being taught at the First Baptist Church of Montour Falls by Rev. Dennis Christiansen, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Trumansburg. For more information, please contact Bonnie Seeley.

I know that a lot of my former classmates live in the surrounding area and read The Odessa File…This announcement is for you: The Horseheads High School Class of 1967 is in the process of planning its 45-year Class Reunion. The event will be taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 3rd, 4th, & 5th. We are holding the cost of the weekend at $45 per person, which is really very reasonable for the caliber of food and entertainment that we are going to be having. I have started a Facebook Page for this event: Horseheads High School Class of 1967 - 45-Year Class Reunion. (Just type it in the Facebook Search Box.) Check it out, Classmates!

Have an event or experience you’d like to share? Drop off / ”snail mail” news you’d like to share at my home, 301 Church Street, Odessa, NY 14869; e-mail me at MAMASEELEY1@yahoo.com, call me at home, 607-594-2588 or call/text me on my cell phone, 607-426-6025. The frequency of the appearance of my column on The Odessa File will be directly proportional to the amount of news that I receive, SO…I’m in touch, so you be in touch…May all your Wishes, Hopes and Dreams come true. May God Bless you and yours, today and always.


© The Odessa File 2012
Charles Haeffner
P.O. Box 365
Odessa, New York 14869

E-mail publisher@odessafile.com