My grandson Travis Masonis will receive his master’s degree May 11 from Roberts Wesleyan College. He achieved a 4.0 average and I believe that he will graduate magna cum laude.

All three of my grandsons have achieved great success earning their college degrees. All three boys, Joe, Zack and Travis achieved a 4.0 average during their college years. I am very proud of them.

Condolences to the family of Josephine “Jay” Argenta, who passed away Jan. 4. I attended her funeral, which was Feb. 9 at the John W. Martin Funeral Home in Mount Morris. Jay was my neighbor for many years. Jay was a wonderful lady. She lived on South Street, in Leicester, where so many wonderful people live. I saw all of her children at the calling hours, and I must admit that Jay’s calling hours had the most people attending that I had ever experienced. The funeral home was completely filled with her friends and relatives. Jay will be missed by her family and all of her friends.

To hurry Spring along, I have purchased some of those little peat moss containers, along with potting soil and flower and vegetable seeds. I will wait until March 1 and then I will sow all of the seeds. I received many flowering plants at Christmas, so my kitchen, in front of the large window has all of these plants blooming. One that I especially love, is the orchid my grandson gave me for Christmas.

I am just beginning to get back to feeling well again. I had been ill for quite a few days and was not able to attend church. I have just started to attend masses at St. Thomas Aquinas, but have yet to attend St. Patrick’s. My apologies to those whom I usually administer the Eucharist — I regret I must wait until the weather gets a little warmer. Many family members have been ill with viruses, (not the flu) and it takes quite a while to overcome.

Happy birthday to my grandson Elisha. His birthday is Feb. 9 and he turned 9 years old. He is very smart. His mom home-schools him and his math and English and grammar skills are great. He takes after his mom, for when she graduated, she won almost all the awards. She received the Anthony Lariton award, the Genesee Valley award for English, also math, history and DAR award. She also received 100 on her English regents exam. She is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo, so Elisha has a good teacher. He is reading many books, without any assistance. (Julie will scold me for mentioning her grades!)

My granddaughter, Hannah, will soon receive her master’s degree from St. John Fisher College. She is already teaching, but it is only part-time and she is hoping to receive a full-time teaching position when she receives her degree. I am very proud of Hannah.

Condolences to the family of Joanne Conrad who passed away recently. I did not know her but when I read her obituary, I realized how much she contributed to Geneseo. She was an outstanding individual. My condolences to Lowell, whom I have known for many years and also to his family.

The last edition of The LCN had great information about the Christiano Hardware store. As I mentioned before, I am sorry to see it close. (I really hate change of any kind). Whenever I needed something for my house, I simply had to drive down to the Hardware where Dickie or Bob would wait on me (and give me a discount!)

Of course, at St. Thomas, last week, Tina Cottone and I attended the little “Gatherings” Coffee Shop. This is a charming little place, filled with all kids of gifts, collectibles, paintings, and the coffee is excellent as well as the other great foods. It is, of course, the former railroad station — it is in the same shape as it was years ago. Everything was kept in it’s original condition. They have a nice little fireplace which is a charming addition. This railroad station was Felix Valentino’s “pride and joy”! I advise folks to go there, you will enjoy it!

The Kiwanis Club of York-Leicester has scheduled its annual Spring Chicken Barbecue for March 16. Serving from 4 p.m. until sold out. It will be at the Leicester Fire Hall, Main Street, Leicester. The cost is $8.50. Takeouts are available or eat in at the Fire Hall. Tickets may be purchased at the door or from any Kiwanian.

The post Trying to hurry spring along appeared first on Livingston County News.

My grandson, Harley Doneburg and seven members of his church, returned home on Friday from Uganda, Africa. As they do, on a regular basis, they visit areas where there is a need to assist children. They go to different areas where there are many orphans and they remain there for three weeks, doing all kinds of things, like building a home for these poor unfortunate children.

This time, they built an addition to an orphanage to try to accommodate the many homeless children.

One problem they encountered were that the children, who had no shoes (just about all of the street children) had a terrible problem with their feet. They all had a type of maggot which penetrated the soles of their feet and caused the children much discomfort. Everyone set out to remove these maggots, sometimes it necessitated using a razor blade. They were successful and then their feet were measured by tracing their feet on a sheet of cardboard (to find their sizes) and then shoes were purchased for all of these children, so they will no longer have a problem with their feet. They were able to purchase the shoes at a store (they do have stores, but children who live there do not have money to buy anything). All of the street children were given food to eat — many are thin and almost starving.

I really feel that our government should and could do more for these children. When we consider the money given to rouge and wicked nations, for whatever, that money could be used for these orphans.

We were glad to welcome Harley home — he was gone for three weeks and was sorely missed by his wife and six children. On his way home, Harley flew to England then to New York, and finally to Rochester.

All of us were saddened by the death of Toni Moore, who passed away on Jan. 26. Toni fought a long, hard battle, but succumbed to her illness. Toni Moore lived all of her life in Leicester and everyone who knew her, loved her. She will be missed by her family and all of her friends.

If you haven’t seen me about, be aware that I suffered for over 14 days with a virus. I was pretty much housebound. I am determined to not attend church, or shop until the weather thermometer reflects at least 45 degrees. Whenever it was necessary for me to step outside my door, for even a few moments, I really suffered from the cold. I regret that due to my illness and the resulting terrible weather, that I had to forego giving the Eucharist to my shut-ins.

I have spent my time, sorting my papers and my sheet music — I have even spent some time playing some of my favorite selections on the piano. (I really need to practice more).

On Sunday, one of my grandchildren came down to pick me up so that I could attend dinner at my daughter, Janice’s home. Janice lives in the “frozen tundra” (Perry). I often tease her about this. It seems that when the temperature is around 30 degrees in Leicester, it is always at least 10 or 15 degrees colder in Perry. Janice is a superb cook and when we have one of her dinners, we forget how bad the weather is.

I heard that the temperature will hit 45 degrees within the next week. I can hardly wait for that. Even my cat, Maggie, only steps outside for a minute or two. I have sent my order in to the Seed Company for flowers for the forthcoming year.

My son, Bo, called to tell me that my grandson, Zack, was honored at a dinner given by the University of Rochester, where Zack was nominated linebacker of the year by the football team. This is of course an honor. Zack is a very talented football player. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from worrying about his receiving blows to the head. I am glad that Zack will only play football one more year.

The Christiano Hardware is having a sale and then I believe that they will be renting out the store. Christiano’s have run the store for many years. When my husband had his contracting business, he bought all of his tools at the store. I really hate any kind of change and will be sorry to see the Hardware turned over to someone else.

The post Family finds its way home appeared first on Livingston County News.

I was sorry to hear that, our editor, Mark Gillespie, will be leaving the Livingston County News.

Mark has been an integral part of this newspaper and he transformed this little “country” newspaper into vibrant, newsworthy weekly editions. Knowledgeable contributors offer information about government, health, horticulture, birds, foxhunting, and many topics too lengthy to list. The list is long of those who write letters to the LCN.

The sports section of the LCN is also exceptional. And, of course, how about all of Mark’s fine editorials?

I wish Mark the best in his new venture. He will be especially missed.

I had an especially wonderful Christmas. I was overwhelmed with the many gifts I received. I received many plants- my grandson, John came from Rochester to bring me a beautiful orchid plant. I received jewelry, clothes, and gift cards from Wegmans and Walmart. There were many Christmas parties (and I attended all of them).

I imagine that with all of the delicious foods that I have consumed that I will have gained a little more weight. My doctor was pleased, when I had my last physical, a few weeks ago, since I actually lost “one” pound!

I received a book, along with many different and exotic plants, from my son Steven, who stopped by with his children to visit me. The book is compiled of stories about the Air Force. The author is from Rochester- he is a good friend of Steve’s. My granddaughter, Emmy, advises me that she is planning on entering a Culinary Institute, when she graduated from school. My grandson, Matthew, continues to play basketball- he is an exceptional player, winning every game he enters.

I believe he will become a professional player when he graduates from school. Hannah is studying for her Master’s Degree at St. John Fishers, and Becca is still continuing at Monroe Community College. Sam is still trying to decide is he will continue as an artist. I believe, that as a single parent, Steven is doing an excellent job, raising his five children.

I spent Christmas Day at my daughter’s home in Perry. I watched as my grandchildren opened their gifts. Christmas is always a joyous time for all of the children.

The Leicester Firemen again, drove their beautifully-decorated fire trucks through the streets of Leicester. Every Christmas, the firemen decorate their trucks with beautiful Christmas decorations, and the children, and all of us adults really enjoy viewing them. They also played Christmas carols.

My car is presently inoperable. My heater has stopped working! Of course, that means that I cannot attend church, as I usually do. Knowledgeable folks tell me that it is probably that I need a new thermostat. Anyways, I will need to bring it up to my mechanic to have it fixed, so, in the meantime, I cannot drive it.

I attended Patti Cole’s Christmas ornament party, along with I believe 40 other women. As usual. It was a wonderful party, with all kinds of food especially great desserts and beverages. We were lucky that we didn’t have a snowstorm as we usually do for this party, however, I am completely snowed in now. My children keep calling me to see if I am OK! I heard a snowblower this afternoon, and when I looked outside, I saw my son in law, Bruce Seeber plowing my driveway. He spent a long time plowing me out.

Then, my daughter Julie came by and finished cleaning off my car, my two porches, and my sidewalk. I am most grateful to them for if they hadn’t come to help me, it would have been days before I would have been able to move my car.

My granddaughter, Katie, is still in the hospital. We are hoping that she will soon be coming home. She spent Christmas Day in the hospital. This is her first Christmas away from home.

My daughter, Joanne and her husband, Kevin, came by to visit me, a few days ago, arriving with Christmas gifts for me. Their daughter (and my granddaughter) Shannon has now moved on to China.

She is teaching children how to speak English. She started, I believe in Korea, but now has moved on. She has a lot of fortitude to go to another country, by herself, and of course, she keeps moving on from one country to another. She doesn’t have a car, but I believe she has a bicycle.

I want to wish all of my readers a very Happy new Year with many blessings. This includes my children, grandchildren, friends and relatives, and of course, Mark Gillespie and his family.

The post Goodbye to the County News editor appeared first on Livingston County News.

Congratulations to Mabel Treadwell, for I understand she won a large sum of money playing the lottery. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of having “good luck” than Mabel.

I sometimes play the lottery but, so far, I have not won anything. I was told, by an ardent lottery player, “you can’t win unless you play!”

I regret that due to illness, I was unable to attend the Yellow-Jackets concert, held in Livonia last week. My daughter Julie and I had planned on attending, but she remembered that she had an invitation to attend her mother-in-law’s birthday party the same day as the concert, so, of course she could not attend. I heard that it was a really great performance.

The Yellowjackets are to be commended for their contribution to charities especially the one in which they are involved with: The Kenyon Missions.

Halloween was very quiet here on South Street in Leicester. Most of the children were attending the annual Halloween Party held at the Leicester Fire Hall.

I only had two children (two little girls) who came to my door for tricks or treats. Of course, I had no candy, because that day I had to bring my cat to the veterinarian as she was ill (a very arduous project, for me!).

So, I guess that the last thing I thought of was getting candy for the trick or treat kids. I explained that I had no candy but offered them each a large red apple which they accepted. I was glad they were the only ones who came to my door. I had to forgo the very nice party that my nephew Rick Cicero holds every Halloween because I was still sick.

My friend, who is a nurse came by with her stethoscope and checked me out and advised me that my lungs were clear. However, I spent almost two weeks coughing. I had no fever but I simply could not stop coughing.

I could not attend church on Wednesday and Friday or Sunday. I could not visit my shut-ins to administer communion. My apologies to them.

During the storm, my electric went off for two hours and then came back on so I didn’t need to use my generator. It was all ready to go and I must say I was pretty scared when the storm came trough. Our village and town were very lucky that we really didn’t get the brunt of the storm. I am sorry for the folks who live in New Jersey, Manhattan, New York and all of the other places which were decimated by that terrible storm. We should keep all of these people who are suffering in our thoughts and prayers.

Maggie, my cat, became ill and it was necessary to take her to the Vet. Of course, this sounds so “easy” but my daughter, Julie and I packed her into her carrier and brought her to the Vets.

We had to wait for about an hour as there were several other dogs ahead of us. We were given medicine for her which was supposed to be administered twice a day. So, when it was time for her to get her medicine, one of us had to hold her while the other person had to force her mouth open and administer the medicine.

She is very smart and sometimes she would hide and I would have to find her (she sometimes would hide in my closet). Then I would have to carry her to the kitchen (she weighs nine pounds). She has received all of her medicine, thank goodness and appears to be well again. I owe many thanks to my daughter, Julie, as she had to come to my house, twice a day for a whole week, to assist me with my cat.

The Boy Scouts came by on Saturday to collect for the Food Pantry. They are to be commended for all of the great things they do. And, of course, we must recognize the parents who assist them by driving them around.

My niece, Rose Englebert, brought me some vintage sheet music, which she bought at a garage sale. She often buys sheet music for me which she finds in her travels. This happens to be Tchaikovski’s Fifth Symphony in E Minor, a favorite of mine. Can I play it? It will take many days, weeks (months) before I can play it, but I will be trying.

The post Mabel Treadwell strikes it rich with the lottery appeared first on Livingston County News.

I attended the football game at the University of Rochester, to watch the Yellow Jackets play. It was also Homecoming Week, so there was traffic to contend with and there was a great crowd of people, also. I was there, of course, to watch my grandson, Zack Cicero play.

My friend, Joanne Belden was kind enough to bring me with her. She cautioned me to dress warmly, for we would be outside for several hours.

My daughter, Janice, at Joanne’s admonishing, bought me a pair of nylon pants (which were supposed to keep me very warm). When I saw them, I said to my daughter, “Why, I will never wear these pants, they are ugly (black with a white stripe down the side)- these are the kind of pants that men wear!!”

But to satisfy both of them, I did put them on (they were six inches too long- so I had to pin them up). Then I put my own pants on over them so one couldn’t tell that I had on a pair of “men’s” pants. Everyone thought it very comical about the pants.

We met my son, Bo, and my daughter-in-law, Lynda and also Denny Moore, Richard Ellis and Bob Christiano were also there. Later, my grandson, Joe, who was home for the weekend (he lives in Boston), came by and since I hadn’t seen him since graduation, I was glad to see him. My son, Steve also came by but due to the large crowd he could not find us until the game was over.

It was an exciting game- my grandson, Zack played the entire game. In fact, he made 11 or 12 tackles- U of R was ahead but the other team (some of whom were very tall, some over six feet tall) surged ahead and U of R lost.

The team they played against was Rensselaer Polytech Institute of Troy. I am not sure, but I may go to another game, which I believe will be in November. If I go, I suppose I must wear those pants again! I am hoping it will be very summery!

Eleven Alumni were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame- this took place on the football field. There were nine men and two women- all of whom were outstanding athletes.

The weather has been so nice that I have been outside, doing a lot of work on my flower gardens. As a consequence, my legs and arms have been very sore.

My eldest daughter scolded me for spending so much time gardening. “You must do things in moderation,” she advised. I know she is right- I will never learn and I guess I will never change.

On Wednesday morning, after I came home from mass I was having my coffee and noticed a large herd of deer in my back yard. I think there were around eight of them. I tapped on the window but they never noticed me.

My condolences to the family of John Sinclair. John passed away this past week and I attended his calling hours on Wednesday at the Rector-Hicks Funeral Home in Geneseo. John was a long-time friend and he was very well known in York, where he lived. I arrived a little early at the funeral home- the hours were 4–7 p.m. but I arrived shortly after 3 but I was able to see his widow and his daughter.

As Gary Moore has now left his office as Supervisor of Leicester, there are two who will be running for his office. They are Lisa Semmel and Mark Valentino. Both of these folks are qualified for the position of Supervisor.

Mark, of course, was the Principal of Mount Morris High School for many years, and that gives him a lot of experience with fiscal matters.

And Linda has been very active in the participation of Leicester activities, such as the Halloween Party for children and all of the Christmas celebrations for which she has been responsible for many years along with all of the many things for which she is involved.

I am sure that either of these individuals will continue to run the Town of Leicester and keep it fiscally sound as did their predecessor, Gary Moore. The Leicester residents will support whomever receives the position of Supervisor.

Kiwanis Club of York-Leicester will hold its 30th Annual Election Night Ham Dinner on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be held at the Cuylerville Fire Hall Cuylerville.

Serving will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The cost is for adults- $7 and take-outs are available or eat in at the Fire Hall.

Tickets are available from any Kiwanian or at the door. I will probably publish this same information again.

The post A proud grandma at a U of R game appeared first on Livingston County News.

For the past 21 years, the residents of Leicester have been privileged to have as their town supervisor, Gary Moore.

Gary has been an integral part of our community as he ruled and guided our community throughout those 21 years. During that time, Gary maintained and kept the Town of Leicester fiscally sound.

All of us, who live here, appreciate his service to us. We want to wish him the very best in his retirement and we realize that it is important for him to consider his wife, Toni, who has medical problems, and it is our hope that Toni will have a good outcome. Our best wishes to Gary and all of his family and our sincere gratitude for all of his assistance to Leicester.

I want to express my condolences to the family of Jason Cipriano. This wonderful young man, trying to help another, was killed. Although I do not know the family- I, along with everyone else feel their terrible loss.

It is terrible to lose a child but especially so when it is under such tragic conditions. I will keep this family and their son, in my thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations to my grandson, Zack Cicero, for the touchdown he made last week playing to the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets that won the game.

I regret I missed the game but will attend the next one, which is next Saturday at U of R Stadium. It is the Homecoming game and will be attending with my friend, Joanne Belden.

Zack loves football but doesn’t let it interfere with his studies as he is constantly on the Dean’s List. He is an outstanding fellow and also manages to deliver pizza on the weekends.

Unfortunately he hit a deer, which makes life a little harder. He also worked at the U. of R. Medical Center this summer. I am looking forward to this football game, but I realize that it will be very cold so I will be prepared.

I am now in the process of teaching my grandson Elijah how to play piano. It is a real learning experience for both of us. Since my grandson is only eight years old, his fingers are not quite long enough to complete the chords. However I am sure we can work around that (and besides his fingers will grow!). He loves music and I am quite sure that he will be able to learn to play the piano, (he is very fond, also of guitar!).

My grandson, Harley, is leaving, with 10 other members of his church, to travel to Haiti on a humanitarian mission. They have been there, before- the last time they were there, he and his companions built a small house for a widow and her children.

Although our government has given a great deal of aid to Haiti, I believe that the rulers are not sharing this money with their people, as they should. The children, so many of whom are orphans, and the women, who are widows need so much aid (which they don’t seem to be getting).

Many needed things are being brought to Haiti-the men will be there for a week, but a lot will be accomplished in that short time.

I just read a book, “After Camelot” – a personal history of the Kennedy family 1968 to the present (2011) – a book of 530 pages, by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I was very fond of JFK and never believed that he was unfaithful to Jackie, but this proved I was wrong.

I was shocked at the way that almost all the Kennedy men were unfaithful to their spouses. Edward “Ted” Kennedy did help all of the women (widows) and he was sort of a surrogate to the many children who were orphaned when their fathers died. I was saddened by Jackie’s terrible illness and death.

She confided to a friend that she might have caused her sickness for she “smoked three packs of cigarettes every day for 40 years!” I found this to be so shocking as this same women never ate a dessert and worked out in the gym and maintained a healthy weight. However, when she became so ill, her relatives found that she was eating desserts constantly.

She said that she was making up for the many years when she gave up desserts which she really loved. I was so saddened, also when John Kennedy, Jr., his bride and sister-in-law perished in a plane accident. The burial, at sea, of their ashes was very sad, also.

My mums are blooming and very beautiful- they will bloom right up until frost. Frost- I really hate that word! But all things considered, the holidays are coming, and I look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The post We’ll miss Town Supervisor Gary Moore appeared first on Livingston County News.

My daughter, Joanne McCormick, and my granddaughter, Shannon McCormick came to visit me on Friday night of this past week. Shannon came to bid me “good-bye,” for she was leaving to go to South Korea on Wednesday.

She is flying and will go to Japan and from there will travel to South Korea. She told me that the trip will take 17 hours by flight. She is going there to South Korea to teach English to the children. Shannon has studied extensively and has several degrees, although she is still quite young.

I will miss her and so will her parents her brother, grandparents, her aunts, uncles and cousins. She will be in South Korea for a year. She told me that the individuals who interviewed her were fascinated to learn that her father, Kevin McCormick, is one of the artists who com-pose “Garfield”, as they are very fond of the Garfield cartoon.

All of us, who knew her, were saddened for Helen Masonis passed away last Sunday. Helen was ill for some time and was at the Health Related Facility on Murray Hill in Mt. Morris. Helen was my son-in-law, Robert Masonis’s Mom. She lived her whole life in Cuylerville and leaves her children, her husband, John Masonis and many grandchildren.

Her funeral was held on Thursday of this past week, at the Martin Funeral Home in Mt. Morris and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Leicester, and her burial took place in the Leicester cemetery. Her children came from Rochester and from out-of-state for the funeral. She will be sadly missed by her family and her many friends. Helen’s niece, Mary (Valentino) Underwood came from Boston to be with her aunt, and she remained with her (day and night) until the moment of her death. Mary did not want Helen to die alone. All of us were grateful to Mary for this wonderful act of love.

Leicester Park has been the scene for many weeks (on Wednesday evenings) of “great” music , played by various bands. Leicester was issued a grant which enabled them to enlist different bands and musicians to perform. It was enjoyed by so many and we hope that this will take place again, next year.

“Gatherings,” the little coffee shop in the railroad station was open on Wednesday evenings to accommodate anyone who wished to have refreshments. Gatherings has become a very popular coffee shop where excellent coffee and refreshments are available. Usually, almost all of the parishioners, (as many as 25 to 30 people) who attend St. Thomas Aquinas masses on Wednesdays, have their coffee break at Gatherings.

I saw Ann Jerris at the hairdressers on Saturday. She told us that her son, Tony, has just written a book about Marilyn Monroe. Tony lives in California. He and his brothers and sister are all very talented. Many are involved with music and/or show business. She left a copy of the book and Joanne Belden offered to let me read it, so I brought it home with me and will attempt to read it and return it so Joanne can also read it.

Leicester has always produced some very intelligent and talented students—all of whom attended York Central School.

Many became valedictorians of their class and then went on to excel in college. One who did this is Phil Lubanski. Phil is of course, the son of Dawn (Lubanski) D’Imperio and the grandson of Nancy and Stanley Lubanski.

He was the valedictorian of his class, won a scholarship and went on to college where he also excelled and he is now employed at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, a position that he just accepted. He is, now, a Clinical Pharmacist and deals with lymphoma and other forms of cancer. Phil came home to Leicester to visit his family this week, and he is, of course, in the process of moving his things to Buffalo where he will live.

People may also remember what a great race car driver he was, as he also excelled in racing, while attending high school. He won many races.—I often read about him in the Livingston County News. I will have more about Phil and also his sister, who will be going to Spain to study, in my next column.

It won’t be long, now. The kids will all be going back to school in a few days. Summer has flown by. All of my flowers are in full bloom. I hate to think of Winter. I do welcome fall with the beautiful foliage and, I, of course, look forward to the upcoming holidays—Christmas is one of my favorites.

The post Next stop: South Korea appeared first on Livingston County News.

I visited my son, Bo and his family at their cottage on Conesus Lake. Their cottage is a rental, a most beautiful one. It is on East Lake Road and it is for sale. It is huge, with many bedrooms, bathrooms, a living room, with a gas fireplace, and a deck, and of course, a dock.

My grandson, Zack, had some of his classmates, from the U. of R. visiting, and of course, Bo’s daughter, Nicole, and her fiancé were there, also. Although I really love to swim, I decided against it, simply because I am wearing a brace on my left hand.

Bo loves to fish and has his boat at the cottage—he told me that there was no space for him to launch his boat as there were so many other boats in line.

On July 24, I revisited my hand specialist, Dr. Hammen, in Rochester. He Is a renowned “hand” doctor, and he assured me that I am progressing very well. I have been wearing the brace, which he diagnosed, and it seems to be what I needed. After more X-rays of my right hand (as I am now having a problem with my right hand), it was determined that I also have arthritis in my right hand. So another brace was ordered for me and I now wear a brace on both my left and right hand.

Mary (Brock) Pagano and Christine (Brock) Grupp arrived on July 26. and a party was held for them at Ken and Traci Brock’s home on Jones Bridge Road, here in Leicester. It was Mary’s birthday.

There were many people in attendance. Ken had the foresight to rent a tent, as it called for rain, and, of course, it did not rain. It was a great party, and it was the first time, in years that Vince and Betty Brock’s family were all together. Everyone brought a dish to pass, so there was a great variety of delicious foods. Everyone had a lot of fun. It was a great party!! Mary and Christine will be here until Aug. 3.

Happy birthday to Rose Englebert. Her birthday takes place on Aug. 1. Many Birthdays are in July and August.

The Kiwanis Club of York-Leicester will host it’s Annual Summer Chicken BBQ on Saturday, August 4th, 2012. Serving will be from 4 p.m. until sold out. The BBQ will take place at Starr Park Playground, Leicester.

The cost is Adults $8.50. Take-outs are available, or eat at Starr Park. Tickets may be purchased in advance from any Kiwanian, or they may be purchased at the door.

As everyone knows, Kiwanis is a fine organization. They do many things for our children. Starr Park is an example of one of their projects. It is often in great demand for graduation parties, birthday parties and weddings. There is a tennis court there, also, and, of course, a fine playground for the children. I know, Little League used to have their ball games there.

Christiano Hardware has rented out their garage to a young man. This young man , who runs the garage is very knowledgeable and knows a great deal about car repairs.

He calls his business: Lightning Bolt Automotive—his name is Russ Johnson. I was informed of this by someone who knows him and had his car repaired by this young man.

I brought my car down there as it appeared I had a slow leak in my front tire. It was fixed, while I waited, and he told me that whoever put the tires on, forgot to put the stem on, so he fixed that. He also told me he found a “live” mouse in the tire.

He released it, and it is still alive and run-ning around the area. When I asked how much I owed him, he told me that there was “no charge”!! How about that? So, I wanted to tell my readers that if you need any repairs, be sure to give Russ Johnson the opportunity to fix your car.

He is industrious, personable and very honest. I recommend him highly. I will even list his telephone number—it is 585-813-9255.

I visited with Bob Christiano, briefly. He has had surgery on his eye and still wears the bandage. It is a retinal problem and I hope that the doctors will soon resolve it for Bob.

For my birthday, one of my gifts, from my son, Steve, was a plant—a very “strange” plant. It is called a “Sensitive” plant. When you touch any one of Its leaves, the leaves will immediately close up. It acts sort of “human”!!

Sugarcreek, here in Leicester, will soon be out, as 7-Eleven is the new owner. Their gas prices are the lowest around — $3.51. The store has been newly re-modeled and looks fine. It is a very busy store, as many trucks and cars pass by and stop for gas and other products.

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On Sunday, July 1, Scott Cole had his Fourth of July Party at his house. Scott lives right across the street from the York Central School and he and all of his guests can view the fireworks which will take place on Sunday.

Every year, Scott invites his many relatives and friends to come and view the fireworks. Everyone usually brings a dish to pass, and all of Scott’s relatives, and his mom, Patti Cole, bring delicious food (and desserts!)

The only thing that is difficult is the traffic, afterwards. According to the paper, this year is going to be an especially great presentation of fireworks. This is great for the children, for many things are planned for them, also.

Of course, this great celebration started, many years ago, in the Village of Leicester (in the circular park), and it grew and grew through the years, and finally the York central School became the place to have this celebration in order to accommodate the large crowds.

On Wednesdays, after Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church here in Leicester, just about everyone, in the congregation, visits the little coffee shop: Gatherings, which is a very popular place for coffee and many other delicious things which they have to offer.

The owners have managed to keep the Depot in it’s natural state. It is a very pleasant place to visit with friends. Gatherings is also open Wednesday evenings when the Leicester Park has it’s musical offerings. Although I have not had an opportunity to attend the musical festivities, I look forward to doing so, as soon as I can.

A birthday party was held for Eleanor Iler on Sunday. Eleanor celebrated her 80th birthday. The party was held at the new Community Center is a new building-it is a very beautiful building in Avon.

All of Eleanor’s children and her grandchildren, along with her many friends attended her party. Some relatives came from out of state. I attended with my nieces, Patti Cole and Rose Englebert. Wonderful food and beverages were served-it was a lovely party.

I attended church, last Sunday, at St. Patrick’s in Mount Morris. This was my first time at Sunday mass, since I had my hand and wrist problem.

My doctors had been trying different remedies for my hand and wrist and decided I needed to see a “specialist.” I received an appointment with Dr.. Warren Hammer, a renowned hand specialist.

My daughter Julie drove me and we were there for hours and I was advised after x-rays and examination that my problem was “arthritis!” I was fitted with a brace, which I must wear every day and at night. It is most helpful and am hopeful that Dr. Hammer can help me.

Last Sunday, my children had a birthday party for me. It was a wonderful party and only my children and grandchildren were the guests. They had planned a huge party but due to my illness, it had to be canceled. I received many wonderful gifts and, as usual, we had delicious food and desserts.

My flowers are thriving-they need to be watered every day. I have one large pepper plant and one large tomato and they both have fruit on the vine, courtesy of my grandson, Harley.

All of my lilies are in full bloom, pinks, yellows and white ones-I managed to bring some to St. Thomas.

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Congratulations to Father Edward Zenkel. He was feted at St. Lucy’s for his many years as a priest. Father Zenkel was an integral part of St. Lucy’s and St. Thomas Aquinas for many years.

St. Thomas Aquinas church was completely renovated under Father Zenkel’s direction and coordination many years ago and it resulted in the beautiful church that many of us attend and enjoy every Wednesday and Friday morning. St. Thomas us also used for weddings and funerals and some holy days.

I am now, finally, well after experiencing a infection from a rose bush thorn. My left hand was affected-I was in extreme pain for many days.

After a trip to the emergency room at Noyes Hospital and many trips to my doctors and many different medications, I became pain-free on June 14th (I was affected for 34 days I welcomed the drug, predinisone, which ended my pain).

Friday, June 15 was my birthday (I must decline to reveal my age!). My niece, Patti Cole invited me to the dinner at the Glen Iris Inn. Both Betty Brocks (my sister-in-law), Jackie Schlagater, and her daughter, Jessica, and Lisa Wybron all came along and helped me to celebrate. Everyone in the restaurant sang happy birthday to me (I was a little embarrassed). It was a great party-the food was wonderful and I received many great gifts.

I look forward to returning to church and I thank everything for the birthday and get well cards.

The 60th Annual York-Leicester Field Day will be held on the York School grounds on July 1 with a rain date of July 2. This family oriented event, which is a celebration of Independence Day, with a fireworks display by Young Explosive Corp.

Since this is the 60th year, tributes will be paid to the founders of this event. Most of the original members have passed on, but it is hoped that their family members will be in attendance.

The association wishes to remind all that in the interest of public safety, no outside vendors are permitted and that alcoholic beverages, smoking, and pets are prohibited on the school grounds.

The event is handicapped accessible. Anyone seeking more information may call 382-3460, 243-2238, or 243-0184.

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