Category: family

closures

Last Wednesday, I learned of two closures that are significant to me, one local and one further afield.

McCoy’s Chophouse closed abruptly due to health issues with long-time restauranteur Jim McCoy. McCoy had had a number of restaurants in the area over the last fifty years, most notably Number 5, housed in a renovated Binghamton (NY) fire station, complete with fire pole, which operated from 1978-2020. When Jim sold the Number 5 building in 2020, Lampy’s, the Endicott Italian restaurant Jim owned, became McCoy’s Chophouse, merging Number 5’s fine dining and Lampy’s Italian specialties. Of course, given that it was 2020, a lot of business was takeout at first due to the pandemic. As cases eased, more people chose to eat in the dining room or the bar/lounge, which featured its own, less formal menu.

While we splurged on the fine-dining menu for special occasions, we most oftened visited McCoy’s lounge on Wednesday to enjoy the $10 signature burger deal each week. The kitchen ground the trimmings from the prime steaks they prepared on the fine dining side for the burgers, topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. You could leave off certain toppings; I usually asked for no onion, no pickle. The burgers were served with freshly-made potato chips. If we had room, we would order luscious desserts from the always-tempting tray.

Everyone knew that Jim had been trying to sell the restaurant so that he could retire but no buyer materialized. Apparently, a health issue arose that caused McCoy to decide to close this week. Everyone was surprised at the news. We will miss going there but have many happy memories, including B’s retirement luncheon, held in McCoy’s private dining room.

That same day, I learned that Hampshire College will close at the end of the fall semester this year. When I enrolled at Smith College, Hampshire was less than ten years old. While also a liberal arts college, it followed an alternative curriculum where each student designed their own course of study. It was part of the Five College Consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, and UMass. I had several Hampshire students in my classes at Smith.

Apparently, low enrollment and high costs combined to lead to the closure decision. Seniors will be able to finish their degrees in the fall semester and Hampshire will help other students find placement. The hope is that many of the remaining students will be able to finish their degrees by transferring to one of the other Five Colleges. I know that Smith has long had a process for self-designed majors which could be helpful for Hampshire students. Another option might be to transfer into a traditional department major with the major project that Hampshire students pursue becoming an honors project. These options would be more restrictive than Hampshire’s model and would involve grading, which Hampshire famously did not use, but would keep students in the familiar and beautiful Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.

I’m sorry that Hampshire College will be closing and that US higher education will lose their unique approach. I am also concerned that so many fail to recognize the value of liberal arts education. Liberal arts institutions are dedicated to fostering the ability to think critically and creatively. These skills can then be applied to all aspects of one’s life, in work, personal and public life. It helps people adapt to change. One of the dangers that I see of using college as primarily job training is that too many jobs disappear. Many people work in different fields over their lifetime. Liberal arts colleges aim to educate the person rather than the worker, making their graduates more versatile and resilient.

My liberal arts education at Smith has been instrumental to my life, something that continues to bear fruit over the decades. I’m saddened that fewer of today’s students have the same opportunity that I had to learn and grow in this way.

Doug Rose

(Photo from Channel 12 News.)

Yesterday, spouse B, daughter T, and I attended the memorial service for our neighbor, Doug Rose.

Doug had lived a life of service, including being a police officer, but was known to most in our town for his fifty years of service with our volunteer fire department. He began volunteering at age 16, eventually becoming chief and training dozens of firefighters. The colon cancer that took his life was considered in the line of service, bringing to mind that firefighting is a hazardous endeavor with a lot of toxic exposure. Even during his illness when he could no longer go out on calls, Doug continued working for the department, doing planning, advising, and reports.

The fire department stood by Doug and his family, keeping vigil in his final days and helping with the memorials. Uniformed members of the department filled a third of the church at the memorial service, with emergency vehicles ready to be part of the cortege.

The most touching part of the service was when Doug’s daughter shared memories and stories of her dad. There were touches of humor, which were welcome at such a sad time. It was also a reminder of how we knew Doug and his family as neighbors. His children were a bit younger than ours but still close enough to play together and then be in school together. The whole family was service-oriented. Doug’s wife was a nurse until her retirement. His daughter now teaches at the same neighborhood elementary school that she, her brother, and our daughters attended. His son began volunteering with the fire department at 16, as Doug had, and now works as a dispatcher. Our neighborhood and town are safer and more cared-for because of Doug and his family.

A number of the stories shared involved Doug’s size. I remember the first time we met that he had to duck a bit to enter our house, his 7’2″ (220 cm) frame putting his head perilously close to the ceiling. B remembers seeing him directing traffic when he was a police officer, towering over the roof of his squad car. T recalls that, even though he was so big, she wasn’t afraid of him when she was a child. He was a dad looking out for the kids; she didn’t know that he was also well-known for his ability to break up bar fights.

Doug’s family was very important to him. He became a grandfather but his grandson, who was born early, only lived a few days. Because my faith tradition believes that we are reunited with our loved ones after death, I am imagining Doug now cradling his grandson and telling him stories about his family still on earth. As we were reminded by the reading of 1 Cor 13 at the memorial service, “Love never ends.”

Rest in peace, Doug.

what is lost

(Hearts by Angie Traverse)

Today is the 21st anniversary of the death of my friend Angie.

I’m thinking today about what is lost when a person dies at a younger-than-expected age. Angie was 54.

During one of her remissions, Angie and her spouse bought a second home on a lake that was special to their family. Angie told me she imagined grandchildren visiting there some day. I imagined visiting, perhaps with grandchildren of my own.

At the time, our children were tweens and teens.

Now, I have granddaughters, who are far away in London, UK.

I know that Angie’s children have children of their own, although I’m not sure how many or what their ages are. I imagine that they go visit the lake house sometimes. I imagine they tell stories about Angie so that her grandchildren have some inkling about who and how she was, even though she died long before they were born.

I imagine that there are still touches of Angie’s artistic and decorating skills on display.

I imagine that Angie’s spirit is still alive in her children.

Somehow.

250th Evacuation Day!

March 17th is observed by Catholics around the world – and everyone who is of Irish heritage or who just wants to join the celebration – as St. Patrick’s Day.

My late father-in-law was an elementary school principal in western Massachusetts for many years and observed March 17th as Evacuation Day, the day in 1776 when the British evacuated their soldiers, some loyalists, and their ships from Boston, ending a 332-day siege. This year marks the semiquincentennial of that event.

At school, he would announce the day over the intercom in morning announcements. As computers and dot matrix printers appeared later in his tenure as principal, he designed an Evacuation Day card.

He would also buy Evacuation Day flowers for his wife, a bit of an inside joke as she also was of Irish heritage so March 17th was St. Patrick’s Day for her. After he passed away in 2005, we took up the family tradition of Evacuation Day flowers, sending them to Grandma and also featuring them in our home.

Now, we give Evacuation Day flowers to our daughters, which is even more ironic now that one of them lives in London with daughters of her own who will, no doubt, have a different perspective on this history.

Wishing you all a great day, whether you observe St. Patrick’s Day, Evacuation Day, or just another Tuesday today!

About the photo: This is a picture of my dad, known here as Paco, taken in Ireland in 2019 when my sisters took him on his first-and-only trip there when he was 94. He was of Irish heritage and had wanted to visit but wouldn’t go without our mom who didn’t fly. The trip happened in October after her death in May and, though we couldn’t have known then, just months before COVID-19 became an international pandemic. Paco passed away in September, 2021, so it was indeed the “luck of the Irish” that he was able to see Ireland in the brief window in which it was possible.

Paco’s middle name was Patrick.

It’s Pi Day!

In honor of Pi Day (3/14), spouse B made a maple pecan pie in our special “pi” pie plate. If you can’t make it out from the photo, the rim has the value of pi printed out to a hundred or so decimal places.

Yes, we are just that geeky!

We actually have two pi pie plate because my sisters each saw them and thought of B and bought them for Christmas gifts. We use them often but lots of times the rim is covered by crust so you can’t see the numbers. Not a problem with the maple pecan pie, though!

Hoping that everyone has some pie today – or something as yummy!

One-Liner Wednesday: Hot Cross Buns

Spouse B made Lenten Hot Cross Buns with old-school dough crosses rather than icing


Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/03/11/one-liner-wednesday-a-burning-question/

SoCS: Be prepared

I grew up with the motto, Be Prepared.

This was very useful because we lived in a rural setting with no houses nearby so you couldn’t go to the neighbors’ house to borrow a needed tool or recipe ingredient. The grocery store was 20 miles away so it wasn’t easy to pick up bread or milk or whatever you might have run out of, so we kept a well-stocked pantry and freezer.

Even though I live in a neighborhood now – and have for years – I still tended to keep extra supplies on hand, in order to be prepared for a change in plans or an unexpected circumstances.

Still, though, despite preparations, there are some things for which we are never quite prepared.

Recently, I’ve had some instances of re-visiting my poetry chapbook, Hearts. The poems center on my mother, especially her final years when she was living with heart failure. We knew that she was slowly dying and tried to prepare but, when the time came, it was still somewhat of a shock. I know from discussions I’ve had with others that our preparations for loss are seldom adequate.

For me, there is, though, a certain comfort in trying to prepare, even when my preparations aren’t sufficient.

I’ll keep trying…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Concsiousness Saturday this week is to base your post on a word the starts with “pre.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-21-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: Valentine’s food

For One-Liner Wednesday this week, I’m following up on my Stream of Consciousness Saturday post which mentioned the Valentine’s Day dinner B prepared for daughter T and me.

Individual beef Wellington, which looks huge because it is on B’s grandparents’ china, back when plates were a more reasonable size (not pictured: the roasted potatoes and butternut squash)
tiramisu – this is T’s piece with the cocoa, which B left off mine as I, sadly, can’t have it

SoCS: Love

Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “love.” I’m assuming she chose that prompt for today because it is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air.

B is making individual beef wellingtons for dinner with tiramisu for dessert, leaving the cocoa sprinkled on top off my portion because I can’t have it. (Update: photos here https://joannecorey.com/2026/02/18/one-liner-wednesday-valentines-food/)

Meanwhile, I will be spending the day resting after yet another medical test and a physical therapy session yesterday. If I’m lucky, I’ll manage to make vigil mass this afternoon. I’m hoping that a down day today will make if possible to get through a two and a half hour Madrigal Choir rehearsal tomorrow.

In short, I’m not doing anything special for B this Valentine’s Day.

And he is perfectly okay with that.

B and I met and became friends when I was in my first year in high school and he in his second. By the wonders of our history teacher, Miss Stewart, who seated us in alphabetical order, we were near each other. Within a couple of years, we were high school sweethearts. We married a few weeks after I graduated from college and will celebrate our 44th anniversary this spring.

Our love for each other is an integral part of who we are and who we became, given that we have been growing together since our early teens.

B doesn’t need me to have a special Valentine’s Day gift for him to assure him of my love.

He knows my love for him is who I am and I know his love for me is who he is.

I will, of course, enjoy the special dinner he is making.

And the lemon blueberry scones currently in the oven for breakfast.

But I live B’s love every day and that is the real Valentine’s Day gift that is with us for life.

I hope that love finds each of you today in whatever form it may take for you.

SoCS: life chapters

I often think of my life in chapters.

They aren’t sequential or in blocks of time, though.

It’s more that they are organized topically.

For example, in my volunteer life, there are chapters around church, social justice advocacy, environmental causes, and school curriculum and committees when I was a parent.

In music, there is the church music and organ chapter, composition, and choral music, starting in high school, then Smith College both as a student and alum, decades with University Chorus at SUNY-Binghamton, and now with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton.

In my personal life, the chapters are very long. Some as a daughter, granddaughter, and sister are life-long. Even though my parents and grandparents have all passed away, being a daughter and granddaughter is forever, as is being a sister.

Another long chapter which is ongoing is with my spouse B, who I met early in high school. We will celebrate our 44th anniversary later this year. I think that part of the reason we are who we are at this point is that we were able to grow and change together over all this time.

And then, there is my writing life, with chapters for school, what I think of as utilitarian writing like doing commentary, blogging, and poetry.

Two chapters that remain close to my heart are as a mom and, for the last 8 and a half years, a grandmother. Those chapters are the most forward-looking. I don’t think of my daughters’ and granddaughters’ stories as sequels to mine because they are their own authors but I am honored to be a chapter in their own books of life.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “chapter.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-7-2026/