The Store Continued .......

   It's Oct. 19th 2015, a beautiful sunny fall day. Tomorrow it will be eight years since mom passed.I don't how that much time has gone by so fast but it seems it has. She is often in my thoughts and special times without her still make me lonesome for her laughter, her singing and of course her cooking. But today is a day to celebrate the memories I have of happy times shared and special places visited with her. And so I am heading to one such very special place. 
   The drive down is a slow glorious one. The air is cool but the sun is shining and the foliage is spectacular. The trees are in all their splendor, golden yellows, flaming reds and all shades in between. 
As I come into Naples I head right to my favorite place for all things grape, Cindy's. Now fully stocked with grape tarts & cookies I head back to the old standby Bob & Ruth's restaurant to use their outdoor facilities. The park across from them is alight with color. Sunlight streams down through the huge maple trees and the golden leaves look ablaze. After taking some pictures & walking around a bit I notice the beautiful old house across the street has a sign up. Vintage & More Antiques & Vintage it says, I must go investigate the treasures. It's a beautiful old place filled with lovely things but as I walk around I'm not seeing any owls so I inquire. She hasn't any there but we get to talking about collectibles and such. I pick out a green glass bowl that is a piece my mom' green glass collection doesn't have and tell her I'll take it. I tell her my parents were collectors and how we've been coming down this way since I went to Alfred State. That we would come down for the Cohocton Fall festival every year and go to the Bee Hive antique co-op that used to be across from the store. How I loved that Olde Country Store and I was heart broken when it closed and every year since I drive down to check on it. And then she says the most amazing thing. The store she says has in fact reopened. I almost think I have heard her wrong. But no, she tells me some of the story about a German family taking it over and I scarcely can take it in. And the candy I ask hesitantly, yes she says the candy is back also.
   I stand there in total amazement. She has no idea that my heart has just lit up like a Christmas tree. My eyes water on the verge of tears. I wrote a story about the store I tell her, just last year. It's like a dream come true, a miracle I never thought I would see happen. I am beside myself with joy and I all I can think of is getting there to see it for myself. She tells me her name and to tell them she sent me. And I am off and running back to the car with my treasure and a feeling that mom is looking down smiling also. North Cohocton is a 5 mile drive from Naples heading down Rt. 21 south and I feel as if I am floating all the way. As I drive past the old familiar places I am still in shock over what she has told me. And then I am there, pulling into the parking lot across from the store. And I see what despite the beauty of the nature all around me has to be the most splendid sight I have ever seen. A brightly colored open sign on side lawn of the store. 
   And the store looks amazing. The exterior gleams in the sunlight and a new sign, The Olde Country Store & More shines brightly on the roof over the porch. The porch is decorated with cornstalks and pumpkins and a neon OPEN sign lights up the window. I can hardly take it in this monumental sight. I grab my camera and take some photos and then grab my purse and head to the door. I step up onto the porch and look around. The Republican & Democratic benches have long since disappeared and I will forever wonder where to. But my mind fills will memories of siting on my favorite blue party bench. The last time I was on this porch I was looking through dirty glass at a few scatted remnants of penny candies. But now I reach forward and grasp the old metal handle of the door firmly and pull. As it it opens I step inside a place I never thought I would be again and I stand there in awe of it. I am welcomed by a girl at the counter and I tell her how I just heard the store was open again and I suppose I went on about my history with it and how I had written a story about it. She tells me they reopened on July 4th
   After taking it all in I quite naturally turn my attention to the candy. The wooden bins which hold it run the entire length of the store. And they are once again filled with candies of every size, shape and variety. A candy lover's dream come true. And so I do what I had done so many times before, I grab a paper sack & I begin to fill it with the penny candies. Hand candies and taffies, sweet candies and sours, so many favorites to choose from and like old friends I welcome them back. I just can't believe I am in the store once again and I almost don't want to leave. I peruse up and down the candy rows making sure I am taking it all in and missing nothing. I see a beautiful owl Christmas ornament from Germany that I would love but I haven't enough money left today. So I pay for my candies and tell the girl I'll be back again for certain. And with one last look around I force myself out the door. 

   The drive home is slow but steady and I stop at at Bristol to take some photos. I get home and start to put away all my grape things, still in awe of the day. And then I pour out that paper sack and eye all my penny candy treasures, trying to decide which one I should try first. Banana taffy is a favorite of mine but I also like the blue raspberry frooties and the mint juleps. I text my son and tell him the fantastic news about the store. He can't believe it either and is excited  to hear all about it. So it isn't until the next afternoon that I go to my blog and reread the story I had written the year before. And then I notice at the bottom there is a comment dated July 24th : Hello Braveheart !!! I just want to inform you that The Olde Country Store is again open !!! At least we are in our startup "soft opening" phase. 9-5 every day of the week. I hope to see you the next time you're in Naples for some grape tarts. Jeff Wells

  I sat there staring at my laptop wondering how I have missed this. If there is a way to get notified when someone comments on my blog I don't know how to do it. But I never imagined anyone connected with the store would read it. And they have a link to their Facebook page which I go check out. And there I find the story about how they came to reopen the store. And what a story it is. Store owner Jeff grows up in nearby Naples,NY on the family farm. Then seeking adventure a tour of duty with the army brings Jeff to Germany. There he meets his wife and they have two daughters. They continue to live in Germany for several years but after the loss of his wife and job a decision is made to return once again to upstate NY. After their original plan of opening a nature center doesn't succeed they go with plan B which is the reopening of The Olde Country Store.
  And so the store is once again a living breathing vibrant place and I hope it lives on for many more years. The future plans Jeff has for the store make me believe it will. There will be stories to tell by next generations of the wonderful memories they have of visits to the store. And I am thrilled to once again be making trips every fall to the store. I may make a few trips at other times in between, after all one's candy supply needs to be restocked and I will have to check out all the new things Jeff has planned for the store. Welcome back old friend, I have missed you. Here's to many more years at The Olde Country Store.

   

How to Save a Life : Story of the Colorado Barn Owlets

   In 2010 when Molly and McGee came on the Ustream scene it was a whole new experience for many of us. The ability to view a pair of barn owls 24/7 through cameras placed in the owl box. People from all over the world logged on to watch. Classrooms around the country used the owl box as a learning experience and logged on to ask Carlos questions about the owls. Molly and McGee became the worlds most famous barn owls and brought owl popularity to new all time high. But there was so much more to be gained from watching them. Not only did they  teach us about the life of a barn owl they taught us lessons about life. We learned about their mating rituals, brood patches and lop sided ears. We learned about talons and feathers and pellets which became known as horks. As we watched them raise their two clutches we learned how much care Molly gave her owlets, even helping with their hatching when needed. And we learned how much affection they had for one another. We saw love in that owl box and it and we'll never forget it.

   So fast forward to 2015  and many many owl clutches later. In the years after Molly and McGee owl boxes popped up all over Ustream and there was no shortage of them to watch. And yes we are still out here watching. Things haven't always gone as perfectly as that first clutch of Molly and McGee's. As we learned from their second clutch baby barn owls are so very fragile and sometimes even in the best of circumstances they don't survive. Yes we've seen loss but we've also had the privilege of seeing some what I consider nothing short of miracles. Pete at Starr Ranch became a hero to us after the male of a large barn owl clutch was found dead. We knew the female would not be able to provide enough food for them herself, she needed help. Pete was hesitate to intervene at first but he came to realize it was the right thing to do. And so every night he climbed a 50 ft. ladder to place supplementary rodents in the cavity for the owlets. And it worked , they survived and fledged successfully. Other owl box owners have also done this successfully when rodents seemed in short supply or the parents were not providing enough for the entire clutch. Precious lives have been saved by these food supplements.

   I first heard about the Colorado barn owl cam from a Facebook post and immediately went over to check it out. A clutch of five precious owlets hatched around the middle of August now nearly two months old. The older ones were starting to lose their fluff and golden feathers were appearing. The smallest owlet aptly named Little Mister was still a ball of fuzz. Originally this was thought to be a second clutch of the original barn owl pair but additional information indicated it was a different pair entirely. But something was off with this clutch. It seemed the mom had left the box much to soon for whatever reason. A mother barn owl will usually stay in the box with her clutch shredding food for them until the youngest owlet is able to swallow a rodent whole. But she had left before Little Mister could shred his own food. And he was competing with four older siblings for the food that was being delivered. Even though it appeared both parents were providing food there just wasn't enough to sustain the entire clutch. At their age they they needed to eat 4-6 mice a day. Little Mister was not getting enough food and his decline was inevitable . Attempts to let the cam owners know something was wrong were answered with It's nature. Little Mister passed away on Oct. 8th. The Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute announced on it's Facebook page the next day that an owlet had died from lack of food. This didn't have to happen. It may be nature and nature is cruel but as I said to them it's man made nature complete with cams. And we were watching.

   The four remaining owlets Big Bird, Trois, Deux & Pounce continued to struggle for food as deliveries had significantly decreased. We were told they would be banded this past weekend and would receive food then. There was much concern it would be too late and they wouldn't make it. On Saturday the owlets were banded, the box was cleaned and the cam re positioned. According to CARRI 30 mice were left in the box. But the owlets were starving and the rodents were quickly gobbled up. And then deliveries from the parents came to a halt. The remaining owlets had all but been abandoned. We feared they would all starve to death. Donations had been sent specifically for mice for them. Emails & comments went out to CARRI to intervene and rescue the owlets. Finally yesterday we got word that our voices had been heard and the owlets were going to be rescued. But it shouldn't have come to this.

   I am writing this story to honor the life of Little Mister. Short as it was he touched many and I do not want it to be in vain. I believe cam operators have a responsibility to both the birds that occupy the box and the viewers that watch the cams. Yes it's nature but you have already interfered with it. So I am asking CARRI that if you decide to put a cam up in an owl box next year please be responsible. If an owlet clutch needs help then please help them. And if you won't then at the very least be respectful and turn off the cam if something happens. No one wants to watch owlets starve to death unnecessarily. I hope these four precious owlets grow up to fly wild and free as they deserve and I hope Little Mister flys free at the Rainbow Bridge. I want to thank everyone who stepped up and donated, emailed & commented for action to be taken. We saved these owlets and I am very proud to have been a part of it.

 

Words from Braveheart to the 2015 Clutch

To Cadence, Genesee, & Bronx,

Well it certainly has been a day of new

adventures and tonight may be one of the last

nights the three of you spend together so it's

time for a talk.

Maybe it's that I'm getting older but it seems like

the time goes faster every year.

One day you are fluffy white eyas and the next

you are in full juvie plumage.

One of you shares a birthday with me and

although I'm not certain which you are all a very

special clutch.

Your parents have done a wonderful job and will

continue to teach you.

So now as you hear the sky calling to you listen

and learn so you may fly.

High and strong, wild and and free as a

peregrine is born to.

As you fledge I pray your wings will carry you

safely on your journeys.

Love Braveheart 6.14.15

The Store

  Seven years ago today on Oct. 15th, 2007 would be the last time I would set foot inside the store. The photos from that day are like treasures now, the only ones I have from the interior and of those famous benches. Tim was home from college and we headed down to the southern tier to check out the fall foliage and get grape tarts. We had actually driven all the way to Alfred that day. It seems fitting now for that is where it all began and how we found the store.

   In 1980 I started college at Alfred State and thus began the trips back and forth between home and there. Heading south from Geveva on Rt.245 past Middlesex and picking up Rt. 21 south in Naples. continuing on past Naples a left turn onto 21 into North Cohocton and there it was, the store. The Kinsfolks Olde Country Store was built in 1849 and has been a store for over 100 years. It served as a full grocery store to the neighborhood but it was the candy that we sought. Upon this sweet discovery there was never a question of not stopping.

   I acquired my sweet tooth from my mom. Mom loved her candy and so it was no surprise after she passed that I found several bags in her closet she had most likely purchased after the holidays at half price. Goodness knows how long they had been there. The candy store as we came to call it carried bin after bin of penny candies sold by the pound as well as every other kind of imaginable candy bars or novelty you can imagine. Mom and I would grab a paper sack and fill them with our favorites and I have have to admit I often had two bags full. We loved that place.

   In 2008 I would once again make my journey down to Naples for my grape tarts and then make the short drive a few miles south to the store. But I arrived on that beautiful Fall day to find it closed and empty, the benches nowhere in sight. In disbelief I peered in the dirty windows where a few pieces of penny candy still remained. It had apparently like so many small town stores fallen victim to the recession. I went back to the car and broke down sobbing. Like Mom it too was now gone.

 I have made my way to Naples for my grape tarts most every year since. Some years  I've gone down to check on the store and some years I just couldn't bear to see it as it deteriorated. But this past Sunday as I drove down  I just had to check on it. It's been up for sale all these years and I was hoping someone would buy it and once again open a store. I find it looking amazingly good, it has been repainted and has a new roof but is still for sale. Oh if only I had the money....and someone to rebuild those famous benches and candy, lots and lots of candy.

Montezuma

   It's a beautiful early September day and I'm heading down the NYS thruway to Waterloo, NY which not only is my birthplace but also the birthplace of Memorial Day. My plan is to visit Dad at the Seneca Nursing Home there and take him out for lunch. But a detour is in order first to a place my Mother so loved just a few miles from where I grew up. It's been on my mind since Jemison was released there in 2010 after his rehab. Then again in 2012 when Beauty was also released there after rehab from her injuries sustained in the territorial battle with Unity. I had hoped to go last year but there was too much to do sorting out the house and handling Dad's business after he went in the nursing home. But today I am as free as the wind as I take exit #41 Waterloo which takes me to Rt. 414 known as Mound Rd. 

   At this point I must make a brief stop to give you the lay of the land. For these surrounding lands are where I was raised, my downhome. A   left turn north onto 414 takes you over the thruway bridge to land now farmed by the Amish that was once my uncle's apple orchards. I started picking up cider apples around age 12 and recall it took what seemed like a forever to fill a bin. The land directly across the road from there is now the site of the proposed Tyre casino. I found out recently from my aunt that my great grandmother is buried there. I do not think they will be able to stop the casino if it is approved by the state and it breaks my heart to think what it will do to the surrounding area. A right turn south onto 414  takes you to the intersection with Rt. 318 and a place known as Magee corners. My Uncle Robert was the unofficial mayor of Magee and their large stone house once stood kitty corner from the Magee fire department. My brother and I sold wild strawberries and thimbleberries at a little stand right out in front of the house. Just down the road was my Aunt Kay and Uncle Richards business, Strong's Fruit Farm. The smell of apples and cider filled the air in the fall and I grew up with my three girl cousins who were like sisters to me. Just a few more houses down the road on the corner of Worden Rd. is the house I grew up in with my parents and brother. Surrounded by my mom's many flower gardens and out in back her huge vegetable garden. Further down the road on the property there was a stream and a marsh area we played in.

   But now back to my detour where I make a left turn at Mcgee corners onto Rt. 318 heading towards Auburn. I pass the Black Brook Rd. which is the back way we would take to get home in those days. At the intersection of  Rt. 318 and Rts. 5 & 20 I take another left. It isn't long before the huge osprey nests atop the power lines come into view and I know I am almost there. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, an untouched gem of pure natural beauty and magnificent wildlife. It was established in 1973 as a national landmark but has been open since 1938. Just over 9,800 acres of swamp and woodlands comprise the refuge and make it an ideal environment for migratory birds. But to me me as a child growing up it was just a really cool place to go. Often we would drive through the refuge looking for wildlife. I did not like climbing the observation towers as I was afraid of heights but I could not resist if Mom spotted something through her binocs. Up I went to check it out and she would try to ID it with her bird guide if we couldn't tell what it was. Mom took us fishing there often during the summer and it was another fun activity for us. I don't recall that we ever took any photographs there, it was a sensory experience in a much simpler time. The memories I have are of sights and sounds and smells that do not fade. They are pieces of me like the land I hold dear. I missed this beautiful place after I grew up and moved away but after moving back to NY in 1991 I once again made trips there with Mom when I visited. As the years went by she wasn't able to climb the towers anymore because her knees weren't good but we would drive through and stop along the way so she could see the wildlife. Whether it was a deer and her fawn or a great blue heron, a flock of geese or a magnificent eagle, she loved them all. The last time we drove through the refuge together was in the summer of 2006 after she had had her third knee replacement. She hoped to once again be able to walk and enjoy doing the things she loved. But it was not meant to be and a year later she left this earth for her heavenly home. She loved October and she took a piece of it with her. 

  The late blooming wildflowers are a lovely sight as I head out along the 4 mile wildlife drive. As I come to the place where it runs parallel with the NYS thruway I encounter
a white goose right in the middle of the road. In no hurry to move out of the way she watches me intently and then very slowly makes her way towards the edge of the water. I have to believe she is a sign from mom and so I smile as she waddles off. I continue along, stopping every now and then to hold my my binocs up for a close view. The marshes are teeming with migratory birds and the sights and sounds are like old friends to me. I am especially fond of the herons and see several species. As I come around the bend I see what I believe are juvenile eagles soaring overhead. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

   I decide to return to the visitor center and check out the gift shop before I leave. I'm looking for a bumper sticker but they don't have any so I end up with a pair of owl earrings that have tiny googly eyes. I talk with the lady about the dire owl situation out in CA due to the drought and she tells me of an owl encounter she had in the adirondacks this past summer. A large white owl flew in front of her car one night to fast for her to get any photos so she could ID it. I smile to myself and think it was quite possibly a barn owl. It's getting towards lunchtime & I need to go pick up Dad soon. The time I've spent here has been much too short but it has refreshed my soul. My past now linked with my future here in this beautiful space. I feel my Mother's presence here, her love of the land and all that inhabit it. And I feel my falcon mother Beauty here also, her strength & resilience rooted in this land that once again set her free on her journey home to her Rochester territory. And I feel Jemison here, who is so very special me as one of my first eyas. I know he flies wild and free out there and someday maybe he will be ID'ed black over green 95W.

   When I arrive at the nursing home I notice Bluebell has been muddied up a bit during our drive around the refuge. Her christening I decide, her bright blue now speckled with that precious soil, land that I love.

Orion the Miracle PEFA

   As the 2012 Falcon season began my hopes were high for a a successful clutch of eyas. After the previous years disappointment I yearned once again to watch those precious eggs be laid and hatch. But things would not go according to plan.

   In a dramatic series of events that no one could have foreseen any hope of a clutch in 2012 dimmed with each passing day. It all started with a territorial battle between Beauty and Unity in February. Beauty was found on the ground seriously injured and would require much rehab. Unity then claimed the nest box and mated with Archer. But just as she was about to lay her first egg in March Archer appeared with injured legs possibly from a territorial battle. He was not able to recover and I believe he did not survive. Alone with her egg she then began mating with the new male in town Dot.ca. And then the unthinkable, in April Unity is struck and killed by a car and that very same evening Beauty who has been released returns to the nest box. Two events, both caused by human intervention, one leaves us angry and grieving and the other brings us happiness and hope.

                  Beauty returns 4.6.12

   For our Beauty, although she appears a bit disheveled, is one brave and determined falcon. But there will be trouble in the days ahead as both her and Dot.ca claim the nest box as their own. I believe they are both confused about the loss of their original mates and uncertain of each other. Dot.ca dives bombs Beauty at the nest box daily but she is not going anywhere. Although it is frustrating and difficult to watch she is not harmed. Other males show up and attempt to mate with Beauty but Dot.ca chases them away. Finally after three weeks of this a sight to behold as we witness bowing between them in the nest box. Is it possible they will finally come together and mate . On April 29th we get our answer as bonding is witnessed between them. But is it too late in the season for a clutch ?

                        Angel Egg and the 2012 clutch

   In the middle of all this drama a little egg has sat in the nest box. Laid by Unity after she mated with Archer and then orphaned, most certainly well past the possibility of being viable. And yet she remains waiting and I name her Angel Egg. She is ready when on the 16th of May Beauty lays a miracle egg and then another on the 19th. Hope soars once again for a 2012 clutch. Now the wait began to see if either of the eggs would hatch. Beauty had been under much stress, suffering injuries and then the initial harassment from Dot.ca. Would it affect the eggs ? Beauty begins incubating and Angel Egg remains next to the two eggs. Dot.ca immediately takes to the egg sitting job but Beauty is not to thrilled about it and often kicks him off 'her' eggs.  But one early June morning it is Dot.ca on the eggs when the shell breaks beneath him and he is quite surprised to find his newborn son.

  Dot.ca looks down at his new son 6.20.12

And so after months of trial and tribulation on June 20th, 2012 a miracle PEFA finally hatches. We wait to see if the other egg will hatch as well but it doesn't so there will be only one. But after everything that has transpired one is more than expected and there is much rejoicing.  Beauty is once again thrilled to be a Mom and this only child will get her undivided attention. Dot.ca is also eager but is an inexperienced first time Dad. He makes rather a mess of the baby while attempting to feed him but soon gets the hang of it.

Dot.ca feeding eyas

   Banding day comes on July 13th. Angel Egg is removed from the nest box at this time but she has left a lasting presence that will forever remain . The eyas is a male and the name chosen for him is Orion. A constellation of course, with a long O, but is not until I am downtown watching sometime later that I realize I have mispronounced it and so to me he will always be Orion pronounced like Oreo. A good laugh I have over this but at least he will require no other nickname. As an only child with no other siblings to play with Orion finds a little stone named Orville in the box and befriends him. Orville has been around since the Mariah and Kaver days and is part of the Rochester falcon legacy. Orion plays with Orville by pushing him around the box and often sleeps beside him. 

                        Banding Day 6.13.12

   On August 2nd Orion takes his first flight off cam 4 the opposite ledge of Times square . He is now officially a fledgling. He takes several more flights and ends up on a Times Square windowsill where a watcher works and we get a great video clip of him resting there. Over the next few days as his flights improve he will find the Frontier Com Tower known as the falcon jungle gym. A great place to learn and practice on and there he finds an abandoned nest which he likes to play in. On August 18th Orion flies back to the nest box to check on his old friend Orville. He manages to get him out onto the deck where he apparently thinks Orville should fledge from like he did. But alas Orville can not fly and he ends up on the sidewalk and street below in several pieces. Orville will require some serious rehab. Orion continues his flying lessons and keeps his parents very busy as they teach him the ways of the falcon.

                  Orion the miracle PEFA

   Sept. 8th would be the last official sighting of Orion in Rochester. A juvenile was seen a couple times afterwards but was not officially ID'ed. As he made his way out into the world this miracle PEFA who had brought so much joy in the midst of so many trials would be greatly missed. As the only hatch his every movement had been followed along the way. He was a curious little guy and full of antics that brought smiles to our faces. In a year of Rochester falcon history that will never be forgotten he was a bright and shining star. We wish him well on his journey and as I told him before he left, Angel Egg will always be there to guide him. Fly high and safe Orion, You are loved by many.

To Mom on her 80th Birthday

Mom,

  Today would have been your 80th Birthday. And as I head downtown to falcon watchers weekend you are foremost on my mind. Oh how you would have loved to watch these beautiful birds as they soar from building to building. And you would be fascinated by the amazing technology we now have to be able to see them up close on the cams. Such fond memories I have of all those days we spent driving around over at Montezuma, climbing up and down the observation towers. Passing our one pair of binoculars back and forth as you pointed out this bird or that nesting sight. Your love of the land and it's inhabitants deeply instilled in me. And now this country girl, brought up in those wide open spaces has gone urban. Falling madly in love with these city dwelling peregrine falcons. So as I watch these three beautiful juveniles take to the skies I will think of you and smile. And as parents Beauty and Dot teach them the skills they will need to survive on their own I know they will soon leave to make their own way. And I will miss them just as I miss you but the joy they have brought will be forever in my heart, just as you are. Happy Birthday Mom, wish you were here.

Love always,
Braveheart


Rosetta,Voyager & Baron on a rainy day 7.1.13