This past week seems to have been the week when we touched base with two people regarding topics which have come up in this column in the past. We had a nice telephone call from former Cooperstonian, Jim Lettis, who well remembers when the cemetery which used to be located on Beaver Street sort of at the end of Pioneer Street was moved. He was a young boy at the time, living with his family on Susquehanna Avenue, and recalls that the kids in the neighborhood just showed to watch. Evidently, there was no attempt to keep the kids away as Jim thought there well might be if the cemetery was being moved in this day and age. When we asked him if he knew exactly where the bodies were relocated, he pointed out that he was only party to the removal end. We thank Jim for calling. We were pleased to hear from someone who was an eye witness to the event.

Our second contact came from a Steve Whitelaw of San Rafael, California. He wrote in an e-mail; "I came across your article on Flying Scots on the Internet while searching for information about the very toy you described. I had one in the late 1940s or early 1950s. My parents bought it for me in, I believe, Seattle. Mine had a red frame, with levers that were, as best I can remember, white, with bicycle-style rubber handgrips on the top. I wonder if any are still in existence? Thanks for the memories." We immediately wrote him back, expressing great delight at actually hearing from someone who had also been the owner of a Fly Scot. We were beginning to think that the Lake children in Kalamazoo, Michigan were the only ones to ever encounter a Flying Scot.

However, Steve wrote back, saying: "There were at least three, because the kid down the street from me had one too (our parents were friends, and the Flying Scots were Christmas presents). I remember thinking, on Christmas morning that I must surely be the only kid on my block to have such a unique toy. Imagine my dismay when on my first ride down the sidewalk, I saw another one! I think I saw one more, but they were certainly rare where I lived." And they were rare where we lived also, as we have never seen another one. We thank Steve for writing and hope that we may someday hear from more people who fondly remember their Flying Scots.

Not long ago we decided that we needed to purchase hand lotion. Normally such a decision is not particularly earth shaking. However, we do believe that our recent purchase of hand lotion was our first such purchase since the he-we died some four and a half years ago leaving us with what appeared to be a four and a half year supply of hand lotion. Of course, when our mother died, our father did not purchase toilet paper for well over a year. All of this is, of course, potentially bad news for the wee-we as "stocking up" seems to run on both sides of his family. Of course, as luck would have, we seem to have jumped the gun by purchasing hand lotion at this juncture as, when we got home from the store, we discovered two still untapped bottles of the stuff in a bathroom cupboard. So it is possible, that we were actually left a five year supply of hand lotion.

In much the same vein, as we were sorting through a box of linens which we had hauled here from Michigan when the house there was dismantled after our mother's death, we found a dresser scarf, which we suspect is actually brand new as the bill of sale was carefully tucked into the neatly folded scarf. It was purchased on June 14, 1932 for the sum of fifty cents at Rosenbaum's in Cumberland, Maryland. We assume it was purchased by a Cathcart during a visit back to Maryland from Michigan since the Cathcarts had long since all moved to Michigan. It does make us wonder if Rosenbaum's is still in business. Would anyone know? Perhaps a check on the internet is in order.

We must admit that we have not been particularly fond of the recent run of bone chilling weather. It seems completely unnecessary to us, although we suppose there is some reward in living through the coldest temperatures in the last fifty years. Of course, given our age, it really means that we have lived through these temperatures twice. How lucky can we get? However, we suspect that there is little that can be done about it except enjoy the various articles which spring to life to give tips on how best to deal with the cold.

One such article which we quite enjoyed was in the January 14 edition of The Christian Science Monitor, entitled "that's life's' news from our house to your house," complied by Ross Atkin. Under the subtitle of "People as Space Heaters," he writes: "Has the shivery winter weather gotten you down? If you want to warm up a chilly house for a song, invite a number of friends over for a sing-along. Each person is like a radiator. So are pets and many appliances. They all generate a certain amount of heat." According to the article the BTUs are as follows: a television, 425; a man, 400; a woman, 340; a child, 300; a pet, 300; and a 60-watt light bulb, 240. Having read this article, we can but conclude that watching the upcoming Super Bowl on a big TV, in a well lighted room, with a bunch of men, all of whom have brought their wives, children and pets, could make for a heated event.

In closing, we have been somewhat puzzled of late by an ad for the American Red Cross, which says something to the effect that since the Red Cross is not a governmental agency, it depends on people like you for its funding. Just who, we wonder, does the Red Cross think the government depends on for its funding? It seems to us, unless we are mistaken, that in both cases, it would be you.

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 547-8124 or by e-mail at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com. They look forward to hearing from you.