We were saddened to learn of the recent death of long time Cooperstonian, Jack Mitchell. We have very fond memories of Jack. It was his family business, Mitchell Moving, which brought, if not us, at least our stuff, to Cooperstown. We well remember when the team of movers from Mitchell Moving showed up at our door in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, in brand new Mercedes Benz trucks. Needless to say, we were somewhat concerned about the "foreign" trucks in Motor City, Michigan, but the move was made without a hitch. And, as vital as that move was to our being here, what we remember most fondly about Jack is the fact that whenever we encountered him on the street, he always spoke to us and tipped his hat. We still smile, remembering his most gracious manner of greeting, a greeting which, we might add, is rarely seen today. To his family and friends, we extend our sympathy.

Not long ago, one of the wee-we's students sent him an article he found on the internet which the student thought might be of interest to the wee-we. And, after he read it, the wee-we sent it on to us. Written by David Runk, Associated Press Writer, the February 25, 2004 article, which is entitled "1st Michigan Wolverine Spotted in 200 Years," reads: "DETROIT - A biologist has confirmed the sighting of a real Michigan wolverine, about 200 years after the species was last seen in the state that uses the small but ferocious animal as its unofficial nickname.

Coyote hunters spotted a wolverine near Ubly, about 90 miles north of Detroit. Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Arnie Karr saw the forest predator Tuesday and snapped pictures of the animal as it ran out of the woods and across a field.

The wolverine, a member of the weasel family that grows to about 25 pounds but is ferocious enough to fight off bears and wolves, once ranged across the northern and western United States. It is now limited mostly to northern Canada, Idaho and Alaska, with sightings in a few other states, but its last confirmed sightings in Michigan were by fur traders in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The appearance is 'up there with having a caribou or a polar bear turn up,' Department of Natural Resources spokesman Brad Wurfel said Wednesday. 'It's unprecedented.'

How the scrappy animal returned and even whether it ever really left are mysteries in the state, where the best-known Wolverines are athletes at the University of Michigan."

We were stunned by this news. Having grown up in Michigan we have long labored under the misconception that the wolverine was extinct. If our memory serves us correctly, and we are seriously beginning to doubt that, we remember reading about the wolverine in one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" books and thought at the time what a good thing it was that the wolverine was no longer with us. However, we obviously are wrong and are very glad that the record has been set straight. But, as a graduate of the University of Michigan, we suspect that the only wolverines we will be seeing anytime soon, will indeed be on the football field.

Several months ago, we received an e-mail from Bob Sullivan who resides somewhere in the hills of West Virginia. He writes: " I have visited Cooperstown each year for the past eight years and I find myself being reminded of my childhood at every corner. I simply love the place. I wish I could get up there more often...But while I am forced to simply read the local news on the computer each week, it takes me back to a place that I enjoy so much...I hope the deer can find more suitable pastures, but have my doubts." We must admit that we have our doubts also. But we do thank Bob for writing. We always enjoy hearing from people who have enjoyed visits to our community. And we certainly hope that Bob is able to return again in the near future.

In closing, we have learned that we incorrectly assigned Marion Heller Terpening to the National Guard when she is actually a nurse with the Naval Reserve. We apologize for our mistake and willingly admit that we are uneducated when it comes to the various branches of military service. What we do know, however, is that we all owe all of our military service men and women a great debt of gratitude for all that they do to protect our country. And for that, we thank them all.

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 cellsworth1@stny.rr.com. They look forward to hearing from you.