Category Archives: Personal

HP Gold Basketball Playoffs

Last year both HP teams were dominated by 4th graders and they ended up playing each other in the championship game.  This year the 4th graders moved on and the two HP teams were dominated by 3rd graders playing for the 1st time.  HP Gold had two 4th graders, Deegan and Matthew (who had never played before).

HP Gold’s repertoire consisted of two out of bounds plays: BOX or STACK usually in-bounded by Michael, Deegan or Eric.  They had five plays:

  • OHIO – Spread the floor and point guard penetrates middle and looks for open low post players
  • #1.    Wings (2 & 3) set picks for Low Post(s) (4 &5) who come to foul line to receive a pass.
  • #2.    Right side or left side signaled by hand calling the play.  Depending on side 2 or 3 sets a pick for the point guard and then rolls to the basket after setting a pick.
  • #3.    Both 2 & 3 set a pick for the point guard and then roll to basketball and/or crash the boards
  • 1-3-1 NAME – NAME stays in the low post and uses three person screen as they wish.  Three on foul line crash the boards after NAME passes them.
  • 21/31/41/51 Numbered person takes the handoff from point guard and loops around.

Positions:  1 = Point Guard, 2 = Takes ball out and plays wing, 3 = Wing, 4 & 5 = Low Post

  • Point Guard: Deegan / Luke
  • Wings: Jack / Luke / Eric
  • Post: Michael / Trevor / Matthew / Sawyer

HP Gold entered the playoffs as a #8 seed and played a highly organized, white T-shirted team from Oriskany. The white team called all their plays as CAROLINA #whatever and ran 90% of them on the right side.  It was a low scoring game with HP Gold playing superior defense; taking away the white team’s initial options and causing them to reset their offense multiple times.  HP Gold was more aggressive than usual rebounding the ball with excellent rebounding performances by Matthew, Sawyer and even Eric.

Game 2 was played versus a maroon team.  It was even through the 1st half and then in the 2nd half the maroon team went on a little run that HP Gold wasn’t able to overcome, finally losing by 4 points.

 

New Puppy

Last August during our vacation to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary I told Kathryn that she could get another dog. Since then she has talked to lots of people and debated the merits of Bernese Mtn Dogs, Retrievers and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. A couple weeks ago sister-in-law Linda contacted Kathryn to let her know that she saw an ad for Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppies in nearby Newport. Kathryn went to check them out and settled on a male with white paws, stripe and a tiny tip on his tail. She picked him up on Friday.

He remains nameless as we get used to him and learn his personality.

Starting Seeds

My former boss, Nick Bottini, used to advise starting garden plants by St. Joseph Day, March 19. With a target date of trying to get plants in the garden by NLT the 3rd week of May that provides about 10 weeks for the seeds to germinate and sprout.

I started on that path this week. I moved a shelving rack in front of the south facing patio door in the changing room. I bought a couple seed starting kits, peat pots to transfer the plants, potting soil and seeds.

The seed starting kits have a water tray, a porous, permeable mat for transferring the moisture to the soil moisture, small rectangular pots, soil pellets and a cover to hold in the moisture. In the kit below some of the soil pellets have not yet expanded from the water.

The seed starting kits are made from thin plastic and one has a small leak, so I placed them in plastic tubs to prevent leaking and put them in the sun on the lower shelves of the racks.

My seed order is being shipped and contains peas, pole beans, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, pumpkins, acorn squash, and a couple varieties of tomatoes. I am trying lettuce and spinach again this year. Past years it has grown well, but Kathryn hated cleaning leaves for salad. New for me this year is artichokes, cabbage and eggplant.

I am planning on growing the pumpkins under the fruit trees, rather than in the garden because they took up so much space last year.

Snowman

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It was mid-20s outside, but very sunny. It rose to 77 degrees in the living room. Eric and I decided to go outside and build some snowmen. Conditions on the south facing lawn next to the garage were perfect. The eyes and mouth were made of stones. Eric shaped the smile. We used honey locust seed pods for the hair.

Studio Janelle

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Saturday night we went to dinner at Wendy & Stan’s house with a bunch of their friends.  Janelle (14), Hannah and Olivia (9) were really wanting a customer for a manicure/ pedicure.  Joe declined, but Eric and I agreed they could paint our fingernails Syracuse orange and blue. We each got one hand blue with an orange ‘party finger’ and one hand orange with a blue ‘party finger’.

I got my fingernails cleaned up on Sunday, but Eric has decided to keep his colors for a few more days.

Eric’s Beethoven Pizza Box Biography

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Eric had to do a biography of a famous person and he chose Ludwig Von Beethoven. The biography had to be presented as a pizza with each slice of the pizza describing a different aspect of Beethoven’s life.

Ludwig Von Beethoven born December 16, 1770 in Bonn Germany; died March 26, 1827 5:45pm

  • Childhood – His father was mean to him. His father was very strict about making him play music. His father had brutal teaching methods. At the age of 7 he appeared in public to play music. Before he was 12 he played as an organist in the King’s Court.
  • Education – He had limited schooling, he only learned about music. His first teachers were his father and Christian Gottlob. He later studied with Haydn for one year, another famous composer.
  • Adult Life – He was 17 when his mother died. After his mother died he had to take care of his two brothers and sister because his father was an alcoholic. His job was a music composer. When he was 31 he started to become deaf.
  • Accomplishments #1 – Before he became famous as a composer he was famous as a pianist. He was the first composer to work for whoever he wanted to, not just one person. He did nine symphonies. Symphonies are complicated stories in music played by a full orchestra.
  • Accomplishments #2 – He was a hard worker. Beethoven rose at day break, no matter what the season, and went to his work-table. Some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life.
  • Influence – He composed musical combinations in a new way. People got to enjoy his music. Many babies grew up listing to Baby Beethoven.
  • Fun Facts – No one knows the exact birth date but they do know when he was baptized in the church. He moved from home to home 52 times. He was 5’11”. He was moody, grumpy and didn’t mind how he looked. He died at age 57 alone in bed during a big thunderstorm.

His 3D clues included a stein (representing his birth in Germany), a composer’s wand, an old pencil for recording his compositions, a megaphone to assist his hearing, a song, a lego’s house indicating how often he moved, and a CD cover from Baby Beethoven.

Open Winter

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We have had an extremely open winter.  Rain rather than snow.  As of early February we have only had two snowfalls requiring our driveway to be plowed.  We have shoveled / scraped snow off our deck maybe 6 times in total.  The streams and ponds are full and covered with some ice – but not enough that I would walk on them.

It has not stayed cold enough that HP has been able to keep an ice skating rink in the park.  Kathryn has gone XC skiing twice with the snow fall being washed away by rain immediately afterwards.  Eric’s Wolverine Ski Club has only met once.

Schoharie Indians Basketball 1970 -71

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SCS Junior Varsity Team picture from 1968, my freshman year in high school.  #21 before his growth spurt.

I found some articles online that documented basketball games from my junior and senior years at Schoharie Central School (SCS).

Schoharie ‘5’ Outscores Rich’ville

SCHOHARIE _ Schoharie defeated Richmondville 60-49 in a Schoharie County League basketball opener Wednesday night. Steve Foland scored 23 points to lead Schoharie to its victory while Jim Muller added 12.

Andy Markely was the high scorer for Richmondville, with 23.

Schoharie jumped off to a 21-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter and held leads of 30-24 at halftime and 43-36 at the end of three quarters. Foland scored 12 of his 23 points in the first quarter.  Schoharie now has a 1-1 overall record.  Richmondville is 0-2 overall.  Schoharie won the junior varsity game 81-22.

From page 105 of the December 1 1970 Schenectady Gazette report.

Schoharie vs Greenville game

Ken Kelly scored 27 points and pulled down 15 rebounds as he led Schoharie to its triumph over visiting Greenville.  Schoharie held a narrow 17-15 lead after the first period but gradually built its advantage to 32-17 at halftime and 51-41 after three periods.  Bill Baker, with 16 points, Jim Muller, with 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Steve Foland with 13 points also contributed to the Schoharie effort.

Len DiGlovani scored 19 points and Bob Organ added 14 for Greenville.  The junior varsity score was Greenville 54, Schoharie 43.

From a February 6, 1971 The Schenectady Gazette (page 11) report.

 Berne-Knox Racks Up Ninth Schoharie Win

Unbeaten Berne-Knox moved one game closer to a possible Schoharie County League basketball title last Thursday night as it notched its ninth victory in a close 56-51 decision over visiting Schoharie.  Other league action saw second- place Sharon Springs post an easy 58-41 win over Greenville and Middleburgh even its league record at 5-5 with a 77-64 triumph over Duanesburgh.

Schoharie trailed at halftime, 31-28, but took a brief one-point lead in the third period on a Steve Foland field goal before Berne wrested the advantage back, 44-39, entering the final stanza. Schoharie tied the game at 46-all, but Dennis Gage led a balanced fourth-quarter scoring effort to clinch the win. Foland of Schoharie led the game with 20 points.  In JV action, Berne-Knox won, 55-38, and Middleburgh gained a 73-59 win over Duanesburgh.

From The Altamont Enterprise (February 19, 1971) as they reported on a Thursday 11, 1971 game between Berne-Knox and Schoharie.