Congratulations go to Karin and David Svahn of Chestnut Street on the arrival of their third grandchild, and first granddaughter, Sarah Holcombe Svahn. Sarah arrived on New Year's Eve, 2002, weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces. Sarah's parents are Tiffany and Jonathan Svahn.

In the past we have written about various pieces of mail, wondering how the address was generated. We have now received one which we find equally bemusing. A card, touting a telephone service, arrived in our mail box.

It was addressed to "Enid Ellsworth," who was our mother-in-law. We admit that she did indeed live at 105 Pioneer St. as we do. However, she died in 1981, a good 21 years ago. What list, we wonder, still has her name on it?

And why? Of course we also recently received a notice for the he-we to renew his driver's license. He could, in fact, renew it for eight more years. We thought not and were very pleased that when we requested, via the Internet, that his name be removed, we actually got an e-mail in response saying that he would be listed as deceased. We thought that was quite an accomplishment.

We recently received an e-mail from Diane Fetterman who wrote: "My granddaughter has an iguana and she asked me to pet it. I told her I did not find iguanas at all appealing. She told me that was not true as he peels all the time. Thank heavens for Kaitleigh, as a six year old views life as she hears it." We thank Diane for sharing this with us.

At the last Women's Club meeting, club president Sue Drake told us that she had something which she thought we would find interesting. And she did as she showed us a Cooperstown graduation program from 1893. Her grandmother, Florence Bunyan, was a member of the class as was Moses Lippitt. We had thought that the school might have a photo of the 1893 graduating class, but we think we have determined that the oldest picture is of the Class of 1897.

In discussing the graduation program with Sue she mentioned that Florence Bunyan was a sister to Carrie Bunyan Ball. Anyone what has attended a C.C.S. high school graduation will no doubt remember that one of the graduation awards given each year is in memory of Carrie Bunyan Ball. We had no idea that there was anyone still in the area related to the person in whose memory this award is given.

We wish we had known this when the wee-we received the award upon his graduation from C.C.S. in 1992. We thank Sue for sharing this information with us as we certainly had no idea about who Carrie Bunyan Ball was.

The next meeting of the Literary Discussion Group, sponsored by the Women's Club of Cooperstown, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m. at the Cooperstown Village Library. Discussion will focus on Albany area author William Kennedy. Those attending are asked to read the William Kennedy book of their choice such as Roscoe, Ironweed or Oh, Albany. The meeting is open to anyone wishing to attend.

At the last meeting of the Literary Discussion Group, the reading selections were made for 2003. They are as following: March 27, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston; April 24, "Essays of E.B. White;" May 22, "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith; June 26, "Legacy of Silence" by Belva Plain; July 24, "Rumple of the Bailey" by John Mortimer; Aug. 28, "One Writer's Beginnings" by Eudora Welty; Sept. 25, "Theodore Rex" by Edmund Morris; Oct. 23, "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks; and Nov. 20, "It Takes a Village Idiot" by Jim Mullen.

For the Dec. 18 meeting, instead of a book selection, there will be a sharing of original poetry by those attending. All meetings, except for those in June and December, are at 2:30 p.m. at the Village Library of Cooperstown. Plans for the June and December meetings, which are traditionally held at an area restaurant, are still in the works.

In closing, as we were helping with the set up of the 13th Annual Cooperstown Quilt show, we were quite amused when Cooperstonian Frank Rollins arrived at registration he told us he would have brought his quilt for the show but he that this year he would rather be sleeping under it. This was the second quilt that didn't make it into the show.

We had hoped that Mary and Ken Tabor's granddaughter Allison would show the quilt that she made her younger sister, Peyton, for Christmas. However, we understand that there is no way that Peyton is parting with the quilt at this time. Fortunately for the show, others did not feel the same way as Frank and Peyton did.

We remain,

In these Otsego hills,

Where nature smiles,

The Ellsworths

The Ellsworths may be reached by mail at 105 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by e-mail at gbecle@wpe.com. They look forward to hearing from you.