Not that I have the time! But I have been making such good progress that as a reward I scanned some of the pictures I got for my birthday.

This is Mimmie, my maternal grandmother when she was ~17 in ~1921.

My mother and me on my first birthday in 1962.

A postcard of West Hurley, which is where Mimmie grew up. This village is now under the Ashokan Reservoir. The postmark says 1909.

I didn't get this on my birthday. It is from an uncle's album, and unlabeled. However we believe it is my paternal grandmother, who died in 1933.

First birthday again

I decided to check Elwyn's diary to see what the weather was like in other years. I checked 19 years from 1917 to 1975. The two most common types of weather were "generally bright and sunny. Clear still frosty evng. Typical colorful tingy autumn weather" (1959) or "a rough day, strong south westerly winds, mostly cloudy, rain squally evng" (1934).

It was not uncommon to have the first killing frost, the first flurries, or the first snowfall on the mountains. "Rained hard during night & rained this forenoon. Snow squalls on mountains. Tops of mountains white – colder" (1920). Occasionally it was really warm. In 1946, it was "brisk southerly winds. Partly cloudy Starlight evng. Real summery weather - Katydids chirping." In 1938, it was "continued warm shirt sleeve weather. New York City temperature 10 above normal." In 1936, that week was record-breaking cold: it was "coldest Oct 27 New York City ever recorded."

Sometimes something else jumps out, nothing to do with weather. It seemed to be a day he often went to the movies. On October 29, 1951, he "saw a most interesting patriotic film in color and musical feature Wait Till The Clouds Roll By." In 1947, he "went to Phoenicia evng - Interesting picture program feature film Treasure Island in cinecolor." And on October 29, 1940, "the nations first peace time national draft lottery opened at noon in Washington. First number drawn was 158, 2nd 192, 3rd 8239, 4th 6620."

Quite a storm! Will have to check Elwyn's diary for this date to see if he recorded anything remotely like this. (I know the television weather speaks of records, but it is really something to read someone's words from the time.) The maple trees in the yard have barely turned color yet. They are always the last to drop leaves. The branches are snow-covered and looking very droopy at the moment. Hang in there, my friends!

I have some other things besides Elwyn's diary to post here, pictures I got for my birthday. Just haven't had the time for scanning, but I will. Eventually. I've been very on task, worked on my research all day. That was what I had on the To Do list for the weekend. I figured we might lose power, so I didn't want to procrastinate until tomorrow. I hope any outage we do have doesn't go into the week - I am hoping to get the midterms graded. But, if it does, not a biggie (except for students, who are eagerly waiting). I'm almost caught up so I am not really in a panic. Also we have an adapter that plugs into the car as an energy source, so we will be able to charge cell phones and maybe even plug in the laptop and modem now and then. So I still might be able to get some work done regardless.

Bob has been cooking! Yay! Smells delicious.

Who would have thought we'd be shoveling again so soon? (I think he will be helping this year.)

The storm reports have become quite serious, so it looks like no Samsonville this weekend. Not really because of the roads, but because of the risk of losing power - which happens there routinely. The air feels like snow (as it did yesterday too). I told the students in one of my classes that and they looked at me like I was crazy. Do people not have a connection to the natural environment, an ability to detect the feel of an impending storm? Or did it just seem too early in the season?

I broke down and bought myself a brace for chronic sprained ankle that will fit in my SAS shoes, work with my orthotics and not be too bulky. There is no way it will stay good otherwise. With my other foot problems, turning my ankle and falling is inevitable. I should have done it one or two spills ago! Hopefully it will arrive in a few days. Until then, moving very carefully.

Last night we played Scruples in my evening class, as part of the moral education material. As usual, after initial reservations, once they got going, they loved it. Every semester a few tell me they want to buy the game and try it with their friends. My original from ~1990 is long gone, but I bought one on ebay because it didn't seem to be made any longer. Now I see it has been resurrected by a different manufacturer, tweaked (sort of like Quintessence LOL) and is called Scruples Millennium. (Sort of implies Y2K, but I am not sure if it is newer or came out then.) Retails for anywhere from $50-$70 if you can find a copy in stock. I doubt any student would be willing to fork over that much! The old versions seem to be widely available on ebay, though, for $15.

Fell again, and re-injured my ankle. Nothing like the original, of course, but still. It seems I stop being neurotic on stairs when it is improved ~ big mistake. Talk about being blue! :-(  Now where did I put that cane? The "weird lady" is back!

Looks like a big (for this early) snowstorm might be coming this weekend?

And, we had our killing frost last night. Bye spices, impatiens, coleus, and zinnias.

Wow - it feels like snow!

Which reminds me, Elwyn wrote in his diary that the return to "real time" took place on September 30 in 1951. I looked it up and we are not falling behind until November 6! I remember not that long ago it was much earlier in the fall; you don't have to go back 60 years. I don't care if it is dark at 2 PM - I hate getting up in the dark. It feels like it is the middle of the night when the alarm goes off.

I thought the reason for this stupidity was so that kids don't have to wait for the school bus in the dark in the spring. That is what is always said when moving daylight savings time to earlier in the year is questioned. Hello! They are waiting for the school bus in the dark right now.

I want my hour back now!

On another subject, sort of related only because someone in government decreed it, the subject of the metric system came up recently when we were visiting a friend. We all remembered lengthy units every year in elementary school where we learned it. We were told that we were going to convert to it someday and that was why it was important. We were scolded that it was a better, more sensible system that the rest of the world used when we complained. The insinuation was that only provincial morons who were stuck in the past would resist.

Well, guess what? It was a failure and we never switched. All that instruction was a waste of time. What makes it worse is that we never learned anything about the supposedly inferior system we use every day - acres, miles, quarts and bushels were completely neglected. That information had to be taught to us by our parents. Today I know people who struggle with how many pints are in a quart.

Who couldn't have predicted that outcome? I feel it was culturally insensitive to teach us that crap and ignore the English system.

Amen.

On Tuesday, I was feeling "blue." That's my preferred word choice, because "depressed" is too clinical and it implies something serious. I lost my bifocals, lost my sunglasses, dropped an earring and had no time to look for it. I rushed out without a coat, had to take the bus, and was freezing.

I knew as I was turning over my dismal attitude in my mind that the real reason I felt down was because I am over committed. That led to the usual beating up of the "I'm such a jerk because..." variety.

On the walk to my office, I found the nearest place to walk inside (since it was drizzling and I was cold), and it struck me that just a year ago, I couldn't have done it. I would have had to use a cane, and even at that, the floor would have been too slippery, and I would have been in a panic that I might fall. I would have had to walk outside, very slowly and carefully. While freezing and feeling sorry for myself. My ankle is so much better!

I arrived at my office, and there they were in my chair -- both my bifocals and my sunglasses! It suddenly turned into a good day.

By the end of yesterday, I was starting to see daylight on the workload. Another good day.

Did the storm tear the town apart or did people come together? It's an interesting question. I think it did both. Environmentally, there is no question: it did damage; it literally tore the town apart. Politically, it awakened dissent. Why is that a bad thing? I suppose it could be pessimistically charactized as "tearing the town apart," but pluralism is healthy and free speech is our birthright. Finally, a community of private citizens turned out; they came together and helped their neighbors without hesitation. The only bad thing I see was the storm damage itself.

Watched the 60 Minutes hatchet job on Steve Jobs. Bleh. I don't like apple products but had no opinion of Jobs, even weakly agreed about the "visionary" stuff when admirers were gushing after his death. But this segment was worse than the facebook movie in terms of painting a nasty picture, and in this case the awful aspects of his personality, value system and behaviors are verifiable, the product of taped interview, and are in an authorized biography. Ugh. Why did they bother? He's dead, let's move on.

I am up to my eyeballs at the moment which translates to little posting here. Silly me, yesterday I committed to yet another project!

On Wednesday, we made a round trip to Long Island to visit my MIL in the hospital. She came through surgery OK. Bob has some concerns and so do I, but once again, it isn't my story and so I am not going to write many details. We took the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry, which is how we have been getting there since the "ILs" moved "out east." It was a very rough day on the sound, but turbulent water is better than driving all the way around NYC to get there.

I used my oldest brother's gift for my birthday to buy the other thing on my amazon wish list (the first being a Kindle): a Roku player. I think my mother was amused. She had advised me to get something I would look back on someday (everyone except me asserts that I will live to be 100) and say, "my brother gave me this for my 50th birthday." I know in her mind she pictured jewelry. Maybe because I gave my brother's granddaughter an heirloom bracelet for her 8th birthday recently, I had received it for being flower girl in his wedding when I was a kid. Or maybe because that's what she would buy.

She told my brother her idea, and he said, "yeah, don't spend it at the supermarket or something" which I guess must be my M.O. So I didn't - I got something frivolous. But not jewelry! And not something that will last a decade, much less 50 years. A piece of technology! Also my M.O. I hooked it up yesterday and it is AWESOME. Highly recommended. Why would anyone pay $250 per month for cable television?

A guy came today and fixed a gutter that had been ripped down during a storm. Took him less than a half hour! Amazing. I was glad it was so fast, as the dogs barked their heads off the whole time.

Yesterday, I went to the Sheep and Wool Festival with my mother. It was a much nicer weekend weather-wise than I expected. It's the third or fourth time I've gone to the festival. It gets bigger every year. For anyone interested in natural fiber yarn, sheep, goats, llamas, rabbits, alpacas, knitting, crocheting, felting, spinning, weaving - it is heaven.

Computer problems in Samsonville (again). I thought I might have to bring "old faithful" down there (my first nice computer, old, but still high end and very usable) or buy a new laptop and bring the current one down there,  but I managed to get an older computer I already had there working and networked. Crisis averted for now. (I joke that if I am ever without a job, I could start a computer business. Not something I want to do, supporting my own household is more than enough ~ but it would be better than a lot of other options.)

Today, an interesting new university-wide (and by university, I mean system) "service" opportunity presented itself! It's been a decade since I've seriously considered the issue in more than an arms-length way, but it will be fascinating to draw upon some skills and knowledge from earlier in my career, and to do some networking (while consuming salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing a la Marriott). I'm so incredibly busy -- but can't turn something like this down.

My MIL is having surgery today. Kind of an edgy day as a result.

This column is so true, and that point was driven home after Irene. And the older gentleman with the bamboo pole taking charge reminds me of my father, it's exactly what he would do. Except that it wouldn't be a can of bug spray, it would be a flaming rag drenched with accelerant! I wonder if that's what it was in this case, too, but John decided to avoid the angry sound off calls from people mouthing off about how dangerous that is. It's doubtful a can of bug spray would make a dent in a basketball sized hornet's nest. A torch would work like a charm...

Got a weird phone call tonight. The caller identified himself as "Chris" and asked for me by name. When I got on the phone, it was a woman, very giddy, possibly drunk. She made some obscene remarks, punctuated by hysterical laughter and some background talking, very garbled. I hung up. The call didn't register on caller ID, but I think I know who it was. Not either of the speakers but I suspect there was someone with them who I know, a very troubled person who used to be a big part of my life, but no longer is. I can't be sure, of course. Regardless, it was very unsettling. If the guy hadn't used my name it wouldn't bother me as much.

My goodness! So much to comment on tonight. (Still Tuesday to me.) First Suffolk, now Albany, next...the rest of the state! Hooray!

The answer to this question is no, it's not.

Good. And you know what else? Schools should have athletic trainers. (Full disclosure, my nephew is an AT.)

I've carefully considered this subject, and I don't have a problem with memorials, whether roadside or ghost bikes. I find them fascinating, in fact. It is a (relatively) recent phenomenon. A new kind of ritual. Because of the increasing popularity of cremation, meaning that their often is no cemetery plot? Because the spot where someone dies as a result of the bloodbath we call transportation is special somehow? I don't know the answer, but it is fun to speculate.

However, I have a big problem with the statement in this article, attributed to "the activists."

Sometimes people express irritation the ghost bikes are never removed.
The activists say the same question is never asked of other roadside memorials to crash victims.
"Along the highway, you see these crosses," one said. "There are no time limits on those. Why should there be one on a bicyclist?"

Why isn't the speaker clearly identified? Why didn't the writer of this story investigate whether that claim was true?

I call BS. People complain all the time about roadside memorials to crash victims. Some people don't like them because they consider them a distraction, or a road hazard. Some say they are little more than litter and don't belong on public property - or private property that is not the memorial creator's. Others, in my opinion, are in death denial, and don't like the reminder. I always think, when people complain about memorials -- they are tacky, etc. -- why can't people be more compassionate and less judgmental when someone is grieving? I am not suggesting grief is an excuse for all sorts of bad behavior but if the display isn't harming anyone then be kind.

But I suspect this unsupportable assertion was slipped into the story without attribution because of the word "crosses." The speaker (or article writer, as far as I'm concerned, being unsourced, it may as well be made up) is implying people are more tolerant of a traditional religious symbol than they are of a new age one.

That's a bunch of crap. It's a false equivalence anyway. Roadside memorials are almost never as permanent as the ghost bikes; in fact, they are often removed after a period of time.

Weekend was busy and fun!  Sadly, two friends were not able to come - one of their cats went missing Friday night and as far as I know he hasn't turned up. He's a completely indoor cat and they are not sure how he got out. He just vanished into thin air. I feel so bad for them.

However, we still celebrated another friend's birthday on Saturday and went to Goold's yesterday. I made the cake with 1/3 white flour, 2/3 whole wheat. Mimmie wouldn't have approved, but it came out good!

Now it's back to the grind. Midterms and school visits!

Making a cake for a friend's birthday today. This was my grandmother’s recipe. I made it when he visited once before and he said it reminded him of something his mother would make so that's why I chose it. It's almost as simple as buying a Freihoffer's (and about as easy as a cake mix) plus nearly everyone has these ingredients on hand.

Frying Pan Cake

Flour 1 3/4 cup
Baking Powder 1 tablespoon
Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
Cocoa 6 tablespoons
Sugar 1 cup
Oil 1/4 cup
Vinegar 1 tablespoon
Water 1 cup

Sift together dry ingredients into ungreased pan. Make three wells in the mixture -- put oil in first, vinegar in second, finally water in third. Mix. Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting:
Confectioner’s Sugar, sifted 1 1/2 cups
Butter 2 tablespoons
Coffee, brewed 2 tablespoons

Cream together sugar and butter; add coffee; stir until smooth

We're covering political toleration (and the criticisms of toleration such as conflict theory) in class and I decided to share with students some examples of recent protest (Occupy Wall Street, a campus one re: anti-tuition increases / program cuts in the SUNY 2020 legislation, Tea Party, Anti-War, Anti-Illegal Immigration, the Wisconsin union protests, Westboro Baptist Church protest and counter protest) to make the material more relevant to them. Another midterm question has presented itself!

Bob had a meeting in NYC yesterday, and after it was over he went to the protest and took the above image and several others. He's really intrigued by the protests, jokes that we would have been there when we were young. This photo is a favorite, because the conflict theorists would agree very much with the message - but at the same time they would criticize the method as serving only to pacify dissenters, benefit the elite, and make an unfair system seem legitimate. It's an awesome image in that regard.

So I scouted out at least one each of all the above rallies, including one from this article about the protest this week on campus over tuition increases. That reminds me, I received an email earlier in the week telling us that UUP did not endorse allowing students to leave class to attend it. Good thing for me that these things are always on Wednesdays, a day I don't have class, since they are invariably held at 1 p.m.

The unrest does not surprise me. This is what happens when the economy sucks for so long, things are tight, people can't get jobs or borrow money.

On a happier note, busy weekend in the works. Friends are visiting. Also, going to Goold's Apple Festival.

And finally: on Wednesday, I picked all the remaining cucumbers, beans, and green tomatoes. For the past two nights, I have covered the eggplant (I already picked them but there is still a blossom that I am cheering on with little hope of results), basil, impatiens, coleus, zinnias --  while the marigolds, parsley and oregano got covered just by virtue of being near the more delicate. We wound up not having a killing frost, even though it was good sleeping weather. But my plants are safe for several days now, since it is going to be warm. (After this, I will let them go.) We haven't turned on our heat, but I have been keeping the fireplace on for Sophie. Her futon is right in front of it.

St. Augustine's, our little mission church, is sixty years old. I am working on a handout about the chapel's history that I am going to give out next time I am there (October 16). This is the text piece; there are a bunch of old photos related to old West Shokan, the reservoir and the church that will be on a separate page; I created it a while ago, and it is posted here.

A LITTLE PARISH HISTORY
by Monsignor Carey
March 16, 1968

Our acquaintance with St. John’s Parish, West Hurley, began shortly after our appointment as chaplain of the Benedictine Hospital in 1939. Father James Hearon, Pastor of St. John’s at that time, asked for our help in providing Mass at Samsonville on Sundays during the summer vacation period. This service had been carried on for some time by Father Michael Fitzgerald, our predecessor at the hospital, and we were happy to follow him in providing the residents and visitors in that area of the parish.

The Mass was offered in a one-room stone cottage on the property of the late Mrs. McCullough whose daughter, Mrs. Marguerite Singer, still maintains a home there. The seats were plain backless benches placed too closely for kneeling, except in the front row, and included some benches placed on the screened porch. The attendance averaged about seventy-five, but sometimes reached close to a hundred. The difficulties brought on by the war caused the discontinuance of the Samsonville station, but led a year or two later to the reestablishment of the West Shokan mission.

In the Spring of 1944, during the pastorate of Father Bernard Nangle, a group of residents of that area led by the late Mrs. Grace Doonan, petitioned for a Sunday Mass at West Shokan. A hall over the general store of William Colange was offered at no cost to the parish, and on the first Sunday of May, 1944 Mass was offered at West Shokan for the first time since the building of the Ashokan Reservoir had eliminated the Chapel of St. Augustine, along with the old village in which it stood. By the end of June that year it became apparent that the facilities were inadequate to accommodate the number of summer people in the area, and Father Philip Nolan, who had succeeded to the pastorate after the death of Father Nangle, put forth the idea of rebuilding St. Augustine’s.

Because the parish was not in a position to undertake a building program immediately, a period of fund raising was necessary, and in this we were greatly aided by Mr. Lawrence Kelder, who not only gave generously – and continues to do so, but also put on an individual fund raising campaign among his business and personal friends in many parts of the country which totaled several thousand dollars. In addition, he with his wife deeded to the parish the land on which the new St. Augustine’s stands. The building was erected and dedicated during the pastorate of the late Monsignor James L. Riordan, who had followed Father Nolan - now Monsignor Nolan, pastor of St. Malachy’s Church (the Actors’ Church) in New York.

The architect of the chapel was Mr. John J. O’Connor of Kingston, presently a member of Halverson Associates of Kingston, who not only contributed the plans and supervision of the construction, but with his wife donated the altar and its tester or canopy. While the chapel is essentially a very simple building of concrete block construction, it has elements that distinguish it and make evident its function. The airy interior and the sanctuary with its oak decorated scheme, its handsome carved wood statues and Stations of the Cross, and its oak and bronze candlesticks have a truly devotional effect and give a very fitting background to the sacred rites.

This little vignette of parish history will give you a picture of a small part of our parish’s history and of the sacrifices of the many who made progress possible.
                   

From the 1951 Diary of Elwyn Davis:

September 2  Sunday  54/7am    56/12pm
Rainy night & a breakfast time thunder shower & continued dismal rainy mussy all day & evng.  Miserable cold weekend holiday weather. The first Mass was said this morning at 9:30 - and attended by an estimated 200, at the nearly finished new St. Augustine’s Catholic chapel on the Watson Hollow Road.  Masses have previously been held for several years in Colanges hall over the store & P.O. The new church is a successor to the pre reservoir St. Augustine’s in old West Shokan from its dedication in 1893 till torn down in June 1913.

The following article was found in the diary:
    9/6/51   The first Mass in the new Chapel of St. Augustine here, was held Sunday, Sept. 2nd at 9:30a.m. An estimated 200 attended the services in spite of the heavy rain prevailing.  The fine new edifice is a needed replacement to the pre-reservoir St. Augustine Church which served the locality from 1893 to 1913. The interior of the church was greatly admired by the congregation.  Rev. Father Carey extended thanks to all who had in any way made the church possible.  Plans for the dedication services will be announced later.

September 30  Sunday  32/7am    Back to Standard Time
A general first & killing frost this morning. Arrived clear but soon became overcast and it was a very cold chilling day - Has the feel & look of snow. The new St.Augustines Catholic Chapel was formally dedicated today with a crowded attendance.

St. Augustine's, our little mission church, is sixty years old. I am working on a handout about the chapel's history that I am going to give out next time I am there (October 16). This is the text piece; there are a bunch of old photos related to old West Shokan, the reservoir and the church that will be on a separate page; I created it a while ago, and it is posted here.

A LITTLE PARISH HISTORY
by Monsignor Carey
March 16, 1968

Our acquaintance with St. John’s Parish, West Hurley, began shortly after our appointment as chaplain of the Benedictine Hospital in 1939. Father James Hearon, Pastor of St. John’s at that time, asked for our help in providing Mass at Samsonville on Sundays during the summer vacation period. This service had been carried on for some time by Father Michael Fitzgerald, our predecessor at the hospital, and we were happy to follow him in providing the residents and visitors in that area of the parish.

The Mass was offered in a one-room stone cottage on the property of the late Mrs. McCullough whose daughter, Mrs. Marguerite Singer, still maintains a home there. The seats were plain backless benches placed too closely for kneeling, except in the front row, and included some benches placed on the screened porch. The attendance averaged about seventy-five, but sometimes reached close to a hundred. The difficulties brought on by the war caused the discontinuance of the Samsonville station, but led a year or two later to the reestablishment of the West Shokan mission.

In the Spring of 1944, during the pastorate of Father Bernard Nangle, a group of residents of that area led by the late Mrs. Grace Doonan, petitioned for a Sunday Mass at West Shokan. A hall over the general store of William Colange was offered at no cost to the parish, and on the first Sunday of May, 1944 Mass was offered at West Shokan for the first time since the building of the Ashokan Reservoir had eliminated the Chapel of St. Augustine, along with the old village in which it stood. By the end of June that year it became apparent that the facilities were inadequate to accommodate the number of summer people in the area, and Father Philip Nolan, who had succeeded to the pastorate after the death of Father Nangle, put forth the idea of rebuilding St. Augustine’s.

Because the parish was not in a position to undertake a building program immediately, a period of fund raising was necessary, and in this we were greatly aided by Mr. Lawrence Kelder, who not only gave generously – and continues to do so, but also put on an individual fund raising campaign among his business and personal friends in many parts of the country which totaled several thousand dollars. In addition, he with his wife deeded to the parish the land on which the new St. Augustine’s stands. The building was erected and dedicated during the pastorate of the late Monsignor James L. Riordan, who had followed Father Nolan - now Monsignor Nolan, pastor of St. Malachy’s Church (the Actors’ Church) in New York.

The architect of the chapel was Mr. John J. O’Connor of Kingston, presently a member of Halverson Associates of Kingston, who not only contributed the plans and supervision of the construction, but with his wife donated the altar and its tester or canopy. While the chapel is essentially a very simple building of concrete block construction, it has elements that distinguish it and make evident its function. The airy interior and the sanctuary with its oak decorated scheme, its handsome carved wood statues and Stations of the Cross, and its oak and bronze candlesticks have a truly devotional effect and give a very fitting background to the sacred rites.

This little vignette of parish history will give you a picture of a small part of our parish’s history and of the sacrifices of the many who made progress possible.
                   

From the 1951 Diary of Elwyn Davis:

September 2  Sunday  54/7am    56/12pm
Rainy night & a breakfast time thunder shower & continued dismal rainy mussy all day & evng.  Miserable cold weekend holiday weather. The first Mass was said this morning at 9:30 - and attended by an estimated 200, at the nearly finished new St. Augustine’s Catholic chapel on the Watson Hollow Road.  Masses have previously been held for several years in Colanges hall over the store & P.O. The new church is a successor to the pre reservoir St. Augustine’s in old West Shokan from its dedication in 1893 till torn down in June 1913.

The following article was found in the diary:
    9/6/51   The first Mass in the new Chapel of St. Augustine here, was held Sunday, Sept. 2nd at 9:30a.m. An estimated 200 attended the services in spite of the heavy rain prevailing.  The fine new edifice is a needed replacement to the pre-reservoir St. Augustine Church which served the locality from 1893 to 1913. The interior of the church was greatly admired by the congregation.  Rev. Father Carey extended thanks to all who had in any way made the church possible.  Plans for the dedication services will be announced later.

September 30  Sunday  32/7am    Back to Standard Time
A general first & killing frost this morning. Arrived clear but soon became overcast and it was a very cold chilling day - Has the feel & look of snow. The new St.Augustines Catholic Chapel was formally dedicated today with a crowded attendance.

St. Augustine's, our little mission church, is sixty years old. I am working on a handout about the chapel's history that I am going to give out next time I am there (October 16). This is the text piece; there are a bunch of old photos related to old West Shokan, the reservoir and the church that will be on a separate page; I created it a while ago, and it is posted here.

A LITTLE PARISH HISTORY
by Monsignor Carey
March 16, 1968

Our acquaintance with St. John’s Parish, West Hurley, began shortly after our appointment as chaplain of the Benedictine Hospital in 1939. Father James Hearon, Pastor of St. John’s at that time, asked for our help in providing Mass at Samsonville on Sundays during the summer vacation period. This service had been carried on for some time by Father Michael Fitzgerald, our predecessor at the hospital, and we were happy to follow him in providing the residents and visitors in that area of the parish.

The Mass was offered in a one-room stone cottage on the property of the late Mrs. McCullough whose daughter, Mrs. Marguerite Singer, still maintains a home there. The seats were plain backless benches placed too closely for kneeling, except in the front row, and included some benches placed on the screened porch. The attendance averaged about seventy-five, but sometimes reached close to a hundred. The difficulties brought on by the war caused the discontinuance of the Samsonville station, but led a year or two later to the reestablishment of the West Shokan mission.

In the Spring of 1944, during the pastorate of Father Bernard Nangle, a group of residents of that area led by the late Mrs. Grace Doonan, petitioned for a Sunday Mass at West Shokan. A hall over the general store of William Colange was offered at no cost to the parish, and on the first Sunday of May, 1944 Mass was offered at West Shokan for the first time since the building of the Ashokan Reservoir had eliminated the Chapel of St. Augustine, along with the old village in which it stood. By the end of June that year it became apparent that the facilities were inadequate to accommodate the number of summer people in the area, and Father Philip Nolan, who had succeeded to the pastorate after the death of Father Nangle, put forth the idea of rebuilding St. Augustine’s.

Because the parish was not in a position to undertake a building program immediately, a period of fund raising was necessary, and in this we were greatly aided by Mr. Lawrence Kelder, who not only gave generously – and continues to do so, but also put on an individual fund raising campaign among his business and personal friends in many parts of the country which totaled several thousand dollars. In addition, he with his wife deeded to the parish the land on which the new St. Augustine’s stands. The building was erected and dedicated during the pastorate of the late Monsignor James L. Riordan, who had followed Father Nolan - now Monsignor Nolan, pastor of St. Malachy’s Church (the Actors’ Church) in New York.

The architect of the chapel was Mr. John J. O’Connor of Kingston, presently a member of Halverson Associates of Kingston, who not only contributed the plans and supervision of the construction, but with his wife donated the altar and its tester or canopy. While the chapel is essentially a very simple building of concrete block construction, it has elements that distinguish it and make evident its function. The airy interior and the sanctuary with its oak decorated scheme, its handsome carved wood statues and Stations of the Cross, and its oak and bronze candlesticks have a truly devotional effect and give a very fitting background to the sacred rites.

This little vignette of parish history will give you a picture of a small part of our parish’s history and of the sacrifices of the many who made progress possible.
                   

From the 1951 Diary of Elwyn Davis:

September 2  Sunday  54/7am    56/12pm
Rainy night & a breakfast time thunder shower & continued dismal rainy mussy all day & evng.  Miserable cold weekend holiday weather. The first Mass was said this morning at 9:30 - and attended by an estimated 200, at the nearly finished new St. Augustine’s Catholic chapel on the Watson Hollow Road.  Masses have previously been held for several years in Colanges hall over the store & P.O. The new church is a successor to the pre reservoir St. Augustine’s in old West Shokan from its dedication in 1893 till torn down in June 1913.

The following article was found in the diary:
    9/6/51   The first Mass in the new Chapel of St. Augustine here, was held Sunday, Sept. 2nd at 9:30a.m. An estimated 200 attended the services in spite of the heavy rain prevailing.  The fine new edifice is a needed replacement to the pre-reservoir St. Augustine Church which served the locality from 1893 to 1913. The interior of the church was greatly admired by the congregation.  Rev. Father Carey extended thanks to all who had in any way made the church possible.  Plans for the dedication services will be announced later.

September 30  Sunday  32/7am    Back to Standard Time
A general first & killing frost this morning. Arrived clear but soon became overcast and it was a very cold chilling day - Has the feel & look of snow. The new St.Augustines Catholic Chapel was formally dedicated today with a crowded attendance.

Getting down to the wire on my fresh produce. Last night I put what might be the last cucumbers (have to check the garden today; rain and mosquitoes have been a barrier), and almost the last tomatoes into the salad. Also basil, parsley and chives but those are still going strong. Until frost, that is, although all but the basil can usually withstand it. I picked the eggplant and sauteed them -- plain with just olive oil and garlic, no Parmesan. They were too precious. Consumed the last zucchini a while ago, those plants were mostly devastated by Irene, unfortunately. The first produce is so eagerly anticipated, and the last is bittersweet. But "next spring, if I'm alive..." I'm going to plant purple rather than white eggplant, and I'm going to give them each an individual container.

It is really hard to accomplish anything! Now that I can read the Mark Twain book thanks to the Kindle, that's all I want to do. I have decided I am going to go back and re-read the first 270 pages that I had finished pre-Kindle. Just didn't appreciate it enough with its tiny font; it was tortuous, instead of a pleasure. (Tried for alliteration there and came up short.)

Today at church we had a lesson on some of the changes in the Roman missal. We got laminated pew cards to help us. It's going to take some getting used to because anyone who has ever regularly attended at any time since 1973 has it all memorized! Afterwards we went to Cafe Madison for brunch. It's a good place. We most often go to Columbia County for Sunday brunch, but occasionally we go there instead.

My sister took this great picture of Lucky Dog:

As you can see, my mother is getting him trained!

Spent the morning cleaning (which I hate, and consequently suck at) and the afternoon reading (which I love, and can do very quickly). The Kindle wasn't a gift - it has given me back the gift of reading. I can't copy and paste as much of the book as I'd like - it would have to be the whole thing! But here are some of Mark Twain's nuggets:

[page 313] [* * * * There] are certain [sweet-smelling sugar-coated] lies current in the world which all politic men have apparently tacitly conspired together to support and perpetuate. One of these is, that there is such a thing [in the world] as independence: independence of thought, independence of [opinion], independence of action. Another is, that the world loves to [see] independence—admires it, applauds it. Another is, that there is such a thing [in the world] as toleration—in religion, in politics, and such matters; and with it trains that already mentioned auxiliary lie that toleration is admired, and applauded.

All the [talk] about tolerance, in anything or anywhere, is plainly a [gentle] lie. It does [not] [exist.] It is in no man’s heart; but it [unconsciously and by moss-grown inherited habit,] drivels and slobbers from all [men’s] lips. Intolerance is everything for one’s self, and nothing for the other person. The [main-spring] of man’s nature is just that—[selfishness.]

I was delighted - I think I will be able to fashion it into a midterm question!

[page 328] During my engagement year, thirty-seven years ago, a considerable company of young people amused themselves in the Langdon homestead one night with the game of [“Verbarium,”] which was brand-new at the time and very popular. A text-word was chosen and each person wrote that word in large letters across the top of a sheet of paper, then sat with pencil in hand and ready to begin as soon as [game] was called. The player could begin with the first letter of that text-word and build words out of the text-word during two minutes by the watch. But he must not use a letter that was not [in] the text-word and he must not use any letter in the text-word twice, unless the letter occurred twice in the text-word.

Whenever I run across something like the above, it makes me think of all that the invention of television has taken from us.

[page 373] What was he born for? What was the use of it?” These tiresome and monotonous repetitions of the human life—where is their value? [Susy] asked that question when she was a little child. There was nobody [then] who could answer [it; there is nobody yet.]

Here he was writing about a dinner where he met a young man whose father he had known when he was young, and it caused him to reflect on the sad life of his late friend, rather than to follow the dinner conversation. His friend had been a poet, but to earn money he'd had to be editor of a political newspaper; he'd suffered an accident that had caused brain damage, and the loss of both his poetry and editing skills; and finally he had been crushed to death in a railway accident.

Sadly, I will be done with Volume I in no time, thanks to my friend the Kindle. I am not sure when Volume II will be published, but I suspect it will be a while. But, not to worry. Margaret Atwood will have a new book out in a week or so, and that is next up.