Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Sunday Small Talk
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Amy usually sleeps up tight to my back most of the night, but the last few nights, she’s preferred to sleep cuddled up to my chest with her head nussled in under my chin! Not sure what caused her to change all of a sudden, but I like that she wants to snuggle more! Katie prefers to sleep at the foot of the bed facing the door like the Queen’s Guard — she always has — the pillow next to me was Puddles’ spot and after Puddles passed on, I wasn’t able to get Katie to take over the “place of honor”. Megan likes to lay beside me about in the middle of the bed — she doesn’t like being cuddled when she sleeps. So — Amy’s move to the “place of honor” seems OK with the other two — and OK with me! I hope it lasts!
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Good news this week — the Yankees have moved up past Baltimore AND Toronto into third place in the standings. They hit third place a couple times this week and bounced around between third and fourth place — they are waging a good fight for a come back!
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Army Wives – a great show on Lifetime every Sunday at 10:00 pm – started a new season last Sunday. The premier episode was so compelling – I was on the edge of my seat and in tears the entire hour and then sat through it for the encore presentation at 11:00 and was just as entranced by it! This week’s episode in on now and is just as good. This is an amazing series – I didn’t miss a single episode last season (their first season) and I don’t intend to miss any this season!!!
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It was a very pleasant weekend — we got a nice soaking Saturday evening and through the night that will help my grass and plants and it was cooler than it has been. Still pretty hot during the day, but not as unbearable!
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Man – the smoke that rolled in here from the coastal wild fires was pretty intense!!! Especially on Thursday!!! I was out off and on during the day and then went to Cafe 121 and the Temple Theater that evening. The air quality was so bad that my inhaler and asthma medicine didn’t do any good at all — by the time I got home after the show, I was so light headed and my lungs felt bruised!!!!
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One of the most disturbing stories on the news this week was the 13 year old boy in Raleigh that died after being tied to a tree for two nights by his Dad and Step-Mother!
That’s about all I have on my mind tonight – at least all that I care to share – ha-ha!!!
Final Resting Place
Mount Albion Cemetery formally opened in 1843. It consists of over 100 acres and over 30,000 grave sites. The land that the cemetery sits on was formed by glaciers and remains in the natural landscape of picturesque rolling hills.
The cemetery is a source of great pride for the town of Albion and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are regularly scheduled walking tours through the cemetery for villagers and tourists and many frequently visit it to walk or just sit and enjoy the peaceful beauty. The paved roads through the hilly, shady landscape make for a great place to take a walk with the family, including the dog! There are benches throughout the cemetery for folks to sit and relax — including many that are placed there by family members so that they can sit while “visiting” their departed loved ones.
You may think it is bazaar to talk about going to the cemetery on a lovely afternoon or evening to take a walk or take in the tranquility — not usually the first place most people think of when they are looking for a place to spend some quality time. But, when you look over the following photos, you’ll see that it is so much more than just a cemetery!
The first thing visitors see as they enter the majestic gates is the chapel. It is made from Medina Sandstone and has some lovely stained glass windows. One of the windows is a tribute to a woman who had a significant influence in my life – Donna Rodden. Mrs. Rodden was one of my childhood friend’s mother, my scout leader, school librarian, drama coach, and also became Albion’s most beloved Mayor of all time! As Mayor, she did a ton of work to restore areas of Mt Albion that had gone into disrepair and to market it as a tourist attraction.
Here is where I will be put to rest when the time comes. My grandparents purchased four plots when my Mom’s brother was killed at 5 years old. Now, Laverne and my grandparents occupy three of the four plots. The fourth one was for my Mom, but at some point in the future (way into the future), she will now be buried a few stones down on the same street with my Dad. So – my Grandfather deeded the fourth plot to me! So, I have the peace of mind of knowing that I have a beautiful, shady spot up on a hill in Mt. Albion right next to my grandparents and just a short distance from my Mom and Poppy!!! My plot is in the first of the next two photos – just to the left of the stone where the floral pot is sitting. The second photo is where my Dad is now.
When full sized, the following two photos show off the attraction of just spending quality time in Mt. Albion. The first photo has a couple in the distance walking along the road. The second photo is of a lovely landscaped seating area with a picnic table.
The next photo is of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Tower – constructed, again, of Medina Sandstone. It stands 68 feet on top of the highest point in the county and has 463 names of Orleans County Civil War casualties engraved in marble slabs. Visitors can climb the winding wrought iron staircase to reach the top of the tower and have an incredible unobstructed view for miles and miles in all directions!!
The next few photos are of the oldest sections surrounding the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Tower. The first is just across the lane from the entrance to the monument. The second is looking over the hill from the first photo. The third is a shot up the lane.
The next three photos are excellent examples of the many huge family mausoleums that stand throughout the cemetery. Some are free standing and some are “fronts” for mausoleums that are embedded into the hillside (as seen in the first photo).
All the following photos are just random shots showing all the different sections – I didn’t get one of the three separate military sections, but did get a nice mix of old and new sections showing the hilly areas and some of the flatter areas. They also show some of the incredibly impressive head stones and exquisite landscaping throughout the cemetery.
Now — doesn’t browsing through these photos make you want to go take a leisurely walk and listen to the tranquillity and breathe in the history???? Be careful, though — some of the higher roads in the oldest sections are extremely narrow, steep, and deeply curved!! As I was driving my Mom’s car up around the tower to get some shots up there, we went just a little too far and couldn’t turn around. We were forced to take the old narrow roads back down to the bottom and it was SCARY!!!!
Oh, yeah — and one more photo — Albion has a large Catholic population that have a separate cemetery that is also very beautiful — although not as majestic as Mt. Albion. Here is the chapel that greets visitors to the Catholic Cemetery – constructed of (you guessed it) Medina Sandstone.
The Notebook
The single most incredible love story of all time was on TV tonight! It wasn’t the first time I watched it and it won’t be the last! I have the DVD and get it out to watch it every so often.
The Notebook stars James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Rachael McAdams, and Ryan Gosling. It is the amazing story of a man (Garner) who visits with a woman (Rowlands) who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. On his visits he reads from a faded notebook to tell her the story of a young couple who were in love in the 40s (McAdams and Gosling), but because they were from different society levels, the young girl’s parents take her away and keep her from seeing him. Their paths cross seven years later when she is engaged to another man. They realize they never stopped loving each other and she has a decision to make — stay with the man she’s engaged to and that her parents adore or go back to her first love and the man who she can’t forget……..
Throughout the movie, it flashes back to Garner reading Rowlands the story of the young couple. She is intrigued by the story and eagerly listens to it. At some point, you find out that they are the young couple – many years later – she chose her first love and they had a long happy life together with children and grandchildren! He tells her the story over and over to help her remember their life together. She has brief moments where she “comes back”, but they don’t last long and she goes back into her dementia and doesn’t know him — it is all so very painful for him, but, as he says to their children “that’s my sweetheart in there, I’m not going to leave her”!!!!! In a moment alone, he looks at the notebook and you find that she actually wrote the story of their love when she knew she was starting to see signs of slipping away and inscribed it to say “…read this to me and I’ll come back to you….”. During her brief moments of reality, they dance and talk about their love and life together – both knowing that it will all be gone again at any moment!
He has a mild heart attack one day and can’t get to see her for a few days. She is so alone – how horrible it must be to be so totally alone and not even have your memories to keep you company! When he gets out of the hospital, he sneaks in to see her and she remembers him – she asks if he thinks their love can create miracles and he says yes – that is what keeps bringing her back to him. Then she asks if he thinks their love can take them away together and he says that their love can do anything they want it to. They share a few more moments and he lays down beside her in bed. The next morning, the nurse finds them laying side by side, holding hands, and their heads touching! They both died in their sleep — together — forever!!!
The ultimate love story!!! I go through a box of Kleenex every time I watch it!!! It is by far the best movie to tug at your heart strings and remind you of how powerful love can be!
Now, that’s a new one…..
You know when you get these chain-emails and you get to the end (if it is funny enough to make it to the end) and find a message saying something like “if you don’t send this to 10 friends in 10 minutes…..” something horrible will happen to you OR “if you send this on to 10 friends in 10 minutes….” something wonderful will happen to you????? Well, I’ve seen some funny ones that were real attention getter’s, but I got one this morning that was definitely a new one — I thought I would share it here:
The entire email was actually quite adorable – it was of this huge dog (bull mastiff, I think) hugging this tiny little baby! It is one that has been around for a long time – I’ve seen it several times before and maybe you all have, too – it always sparks an “aaww, how cute” out of me! BUT – the part I want to share is the “send this on or else” part!!!!
The email ended with: “If you don’t pass this along, a little dog will pee on your computer” and had this picture following the message:
OK, they got my attention — I surely don’t want THAT to happen!!! I’m considering sending the email on so that I don’t tempt fate this time – can’t justify taking the risk!!!
Friday The 13th
Happy Friday the 13th!
Girl’s Night Out
We started the evening with dinner at the opening night of the new Cafe 121 (previously Renalds). Chef Hamm has done a great job making the restaurant his own — new menu, new hours, new coffee bar, and new look! The food was delicious and there was a nice size crowd there to enjoy it! I had a burger and my friends had entrees (one had the ribeye steak and one had the salmon) and all were very good!
After a nice dinner and great conversation, we went to the Temple Theater to see Ain’t Misbehavin’………..what a treat!!!! I enjoy listening to jazz and blues and this show was a great example of bringing this type of music to life! The entire show was incredible and the cast was outstanding!
It was a fun evening……….now it is time for bed!!!
By the way — I also had lunch at Cafe 121 and it was so packed, there were people standing outside waiting for a table!!! And the new lunch menu has a great variety of choices! The sandwiches we had were excellent! Congratulations, Chef Hamm, on what looks like the start of a huge success for you!
Bagels ‘N Stuff
I wanted to comment, though, that their ad is not correct — they may currently be the ONLY bagel shop in Sanford, but they are NOT the “FIRST” bagel shop in Sanford. Some years ago, there was a bagel shop (can’t remember the name of it – does anyone else remember it?) that was located in what was most recently the Thai House on S. Horner (recently burned). It wasn’t open terribly long – not sure why – it was GREAT!!!! The owners were NY transplants that also had a HUGE variety of bagels and NY Deli style meats. I used to LOVE to go at lunch and get corned beef (straight from NY Deli distributors) on an onion bagel with some horseradish!!!! YUM!!! I was terribly disappointed when they closed.
So — definitely the ONLY, but not the FIRST — and absolutely one I plan to check out!!!!
BLT without the T
Making do — it works for me!!!!
Memories of School Days
The first one is my Senior Picture – the one that was included in the 1974 Chevron – Albion Central School’s Yearbook. As Billy mentioned in his editorial, the typical hair for girls in the 60s and early 70s was long and straight – I was no exception! My hair was so long and thick that when I pinned it up on top of my head, it would make my neck sore and give me a headache!!!
Now on to the schools! Albion is a much, much smaller town than Sanford, so the need for multiple schools in each grade range isn’t necessary and some of the “old” schools are still being used. The current schools in use today are all located together in a row – first the Elementary School, then the High School, and then the Middle School – with sidewalks connecting them all together. Here are the schools that I attended and their current use today:
The Primary School – known today as Elementary School – had grades K-3 when I went there – it now houses grades K-5. I regret I didn’t get a better shot of it, but here it is anyway – it is located just beyond the trees!
When I was in school, grades 4-6 attended the Grammar School (or also known at the time as the Academy School). This was a huge old building that was no longer used as a school not long after I stopped going there. It was renovated a few years back into apartments and I see that it is being renovated again now to be used for county or village offices or something like that – not sure, exactly. Whatever it is being used for, it is great to see that they are continuing to find uses for an incredible historic structure – which, by the way was constructed of Medina Sandstone, like the churches and other structures that I spoke about in my previous post. 
I actually only attended 4th grade there. In the middle of my 5th grade year, we moved out of town and I transferred to Waterport School for part of the 5th grade and all of the 6th grade. This was also part of the Albion Central School District, but was a smaller school in the community of Waterport for grades K-6. When I say it was a small school – I do mean small – each grade only had ONE classroom and ONE teacher and less than 20 students in each. I didn’t get a picture of the Waterport school, but it is no longer a school, either. It was turned into an apartment building and I think it is standing empty now – not sure of that, though.
After the 6th grade, everyone in the school district went to what was then the High School. It held classes for grades 7-12. I attended this school through the 11th grade. It was rich in history and a great building – my Mom also attended high school and graduated from this school. It is still in use today, but is now the Middle School with grades 6-8 only. That change was made beginning the year I was a Senior, so I actually graduated from the next school I will talk about. For now, here is what is now known as the Middle School, but will always be known as the “old high school”.
I took these pictures on Memorial Day. When I got there, they were just finishing up a Memorial Day ceremony. The Purple Eagles Marching Band was playing, but by the time I got close enough to get a picture, they were “marching” from the Middle School (where the ceremony was held) back to the High School. So, I could only get a photo of them in marching formation – but, I did get some pics!!! The pics of the band also show some additional shots of the Middle School (old high school), which includes some additions that have been made over the years.
This is a shot of a monument dedicated to Vietnam veterans – it reads: “A lasting tribute to the patriotism and courage of the men and women who served our country in Vietnam.” The Memorial Day ceremony was held around this monument and it is located in front of the flag pole in front of the Middle School.
So – that is where I went to school…..I am so pleased to know that the schools are still going strong and in good repair and still being used after many, many decades of students have wandered their halls!
Movies – Where art thou, dear movies?
I really, really wanted to see a movie yesterday — I was thinking it had been 2 or 3 weekends since I’ve been to the theater. But when I looked to see when my last movie review post was, I went into movie theater withdrawal — my last visit to the theater was May 3rd!!! FIVE weeks ago!!! O-M-G!!!
There are a couple out now that I keep looking at to try to build the interest in them. In fact, yesterday, I even made the decision to go see one! I made firm plans to see the early bird matinee for “What Happens in Vegas”. Then, I got into doing some google searches and reading blogs and the time to leave came and went……. So, I looked up when the next show was – 1:35 – and shifted my plans accordingly. But, when the time came to leave to catch that show, I decided that a nap sounded more intriguing!!! So – I didn’t go and don’t have any plans to reconsider going today.
I keep thinking about “Sex and The City”, but since I was never able to get myself interested in the series, I can’t convince myself that the movie would be any more entertaining for me!!! I asked for opinions on here, but didn’t get any — so, that isn’t one I will likely see!!!
I really enjoyed the earlier “Indiana Jones” movies and adore Harrison Ford, but I just can’t get excited enough about this new one to run out to see it!!!
I have NO interest, what so ever, in “Iron Man” or “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan”. And “The Strangers” isn’t something I would see — I love a good suspense drama, but don’t like horror movies that are out to scare the Bejezzus out of me!!!
“Kung Fu Panda” might be cute, but…………..not sure it is worth spending my afternoon on!!!
And the “Coming Soon” lists don’t have anything that is reaching out and grabbing me, either!!! “Get Smart” opens the 20th – I loved the series and seeing it made into a movie might be fun — but, I don’t particularly care for Steve Carell and I’m not sure the whole idea is enough to get me to buy a ticket and spend a couple hours on!!!
The one that I have been anxiously anticipating and will DEFINITELY rush out to see as soon as it open is “Mama Mia” — but that doesn’t open until July 18th!!!
So – I guess I’m going to have to make my own popcorn and strike up a friendship with my remote control…………
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