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Author: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan

Kindness Matters Every Day

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Business.

Just one year ago today, we had no clue about COVID 19. We were not preparing for a pandemic. I had never thought of social distancing or wearing a mask.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, at that time, was preparing for Leap of Kindness Day, on February 29, 2020. We were trying to spread kindness across the world and brand Saratoga as one of the kindest places to live.

We invented Leap of Kindness Day in 2016. The idea was simple. Every four years, there is a Leap Year. We all get one extra day that year. What will you do with your extra day is the question we asked. In 2016 and again in 2020, our idea was to suggest that everyone in Saratoga County and beyond use their extra day to do something kind for someone else. The only constructive criticism we would ever hear was that we should practice kindness every day, not just one day every four years.

Just two weeks later, we would go on PAUSE. We were told to Stay Home. We saw friends and neighbors lose jobs or be forced to close their business. Our children were sent home from school. Our local nursing homes went on lockdown with in-person visits prohibited. Our healthcare workers and first responders were our heroes on the frontlines of this war with COVID 19.

With so much turmoil and trauma, we also saw kindness here in Saratoga!

FLAG Saratoga was launched last March. In just a couple of weeks, the volunteer leaders behind this effort raised $30,000. They bought 3,000 meals from struggling local restaurants and delivered these meals to the heroes on the frontline. 

We Are Brewnited was formed in April. This collaboration between local breweries led to the creation of a new beer. The proceeds from the sale of this beer and other donations were used to help local folks impacted by COVID 19. The organizers give actual cash donations to help with specific requests and needs.

The Saratoga County IDA and Clifton Park IDA both created a small business grant program this summer. They’ve now distributed tens of thousands of dollars to local small businesses to help them with expenses related to personnel protective equipment. They are still awarding grants today.

Saratoga Hospital purchased Downtown Business Association gift certificates for all of their employees. Now as these heroes use these gift certificates, it is putting cash in the registers of our local shops and stores downtown.

Driscoll Foods and Saratoga Eagle underwrote a Split the Bill program last week. 2,300 local people spent more than $180,000 on one day at local restaurants. 

During the month of February in 2021, Curtis Lumber is inviting customers to purchase a 2 x 4 for $6. All purchases will be given to Habitat for Humanity for a new home build project locally this summer. This initiative was created last year as one of our Leap of Kindness Day activities. This past summer, I stood in the new home where the 2 x 4’s were used and the family was just so excited.

We may have invented Leap of Kindness Day. I’m more impressed, however, with the fact that our community has invented so many ways for all of us to be kind during this past year. We said all along that we’d be Stronger Together. What we really were was kinder together. 

We’re going to need to continue to be kinder together. It can be as simple as wearing a mask. It can involve making sure you get the vaccine when it is made available to you. It can be continuing to make all of your purchases from local stores, shops, restaurants, contractors and professional firms. It can be by making a donation to a local nonprofit. 

We don’t have to wait for February 29, 2024, to celebrate Leap of Kindness Day. We can do something kind for someone else every day. It will always make a positive difference. 

The Whole Story of Ballston’s Miss Heaton

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in History.

On March 25, 1887, the New York Times published an article that was compiled from a Troy, NY, paper about the long-distance courtship of Kittie Heaton of Ballston and George Hulbert of Danbury, CT.  It seemed that they had “flirted” by letter and pictures for some time before he came to Ballston, married her sight-unseen up until that time and then, four months later Mrs. Hulbert wanted a divorce.

This historian, cognizant of much of the Town of Ballston’s history, had never heard this one before and wanted more detail. 

The New York Times article by-line indicated that the story had come from “Troy, March 24.”  Of course, Troy, like many large cities of the time, had many newspapers so it would not be an easy task to track down the original story. 

However, research at the Troy Public Library uncovered the March 24, 1887 story in the Troy Daily Times and also the “prequel,” a November story that gave the details of the courtship as well.

It seems that Mr. Hulbert had placed an ad in a paper called Cupid’s Dart (did anyone know that such media existed more than 100 years ago?) in order to “open correspondence with some damsel with a view to matrimony.”  Some time after, based only on letters and photographs, the two were engaged.  Basically unknown to each other, the prospective bride went to the local train station carrying a large white box with a red ribbon around it and he, carrying an umbrella with a blue ribbon on its handle, came by train from Connecticut to meet his bride-to-be.  It was the red and blue ribbons that were the “signals” so that they would recognize each other. Miss Heaton’s friends were with her at this first meeting as well.

The wedding happened that evening and a wedding supper was provided afterwards. Sometime afterwards, Mrs. Hulbert had a child, Inez. Four months after the wedding, the now Mrs. Hulbert asked for a divorce — as her husband’s actions were not deemed to be “proper.”

The location of the child’s birth is as of yet unknown. It seems that she could have been a product of the Heaton-Hulbert marriage but the dates do not work out.  Inez was born (we think!) July 14, 1888.  That is over a year beyond the onset of the divorce proceedings date in the paper. But we don’t have a birth record to confirm the date of birth nor do we yet have a court record of their divorce.  But we have been unable to find either one so far.

While this historian was poring over Troy papers and uncovering all of these details, a Ballston Spa Librarian, Caitlin Johnson, was trying to trace the lineage of Miss Heaton and also find some more information about the unusual courtship, marriage and divorce of the woman.  She searched through the Ballston Journals, one of the oldest continuously-running newspapers in the area, of that time period.

She found some more details, including those of the initial meeting at which the new couple “locked arms and went to the Presbyterian parsonage where they were married.”

And all this was published in the newspapers of the day, just waiting for someone many years later to pore over microfilm and old newspapers to uncover the sordid details.

In a later article about the proposed divorce, The Ballston Journal summed it up well: “Matrimonial advertisements and weddings at ten minutes sight may savor of silly romance, but sober experiences are not slow in coming.”

Doesn’t it just seem like online dating 1800’s style?  But with a not-so-fortunate ending.

Rick Reynolds has been the Ballston Town Historian since 2004. He is a retired social studies teacher at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Middle School and is the author of the book “From Wilderness to Community: The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District.” Rick can be reached at rreynolds@townofballstonny.org

The VR Workout

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Sports.

Escape the ordinary, get connected, and join the next generation of fitness. 

My 12-year-old son worked up a serious sweat and woke-up sore the next day after playing Rec Room on his Oculous Quest 2 – the virtual reality headset that was on the top of all his friends Christmas lists a couple of months ago. 

After a year spent mostly at home because of the pandemic, I’ve learned that there are only so many YouTube video workouts and walks around the neighborhood that one can do. 

It’s time to get out of the workout rut with the mental stimulation that technology provides. 

ALWAYS INTERESTING
I’m the type of person that gets bored easily and am always trying out new activities and fitness ideas. 

When I saw my son take off his VR headset, smiling, exhilarated, and his forehead drenched in sweat, I knew it was my turn to try the virtual reality workout for myself. 

In VR, your body becomes the controller. There are a number of different brands of headsets available, but after some research, we decided on the Oculous Quest 2. 

You’re sure to find something that interests you because there are loads of games and workouts available through the Oculus app, as well as both free and paid VR compatible games through online platforms like STEAM. 

VR gaming has come a long way in the last few years but the first step to having a good VR experience is a high-quality gaming computer to plug it into. An open area 6 1/2’ in diameter is recommended to play in, and gamers must remember to be careful of getting tangled in the cord. 

For these reasons and more, I recommend playing VR with someone else nearby at first to help guide you. Playing VR games is an opportunity for the younger generation to teach the older – a refreshing and empowering role reversal.

EXERCISE BY ACCIDENT
Besides being fun, one of the real benefits of the VR workout is that you forget you’re working out. 

Entering the VR world is like being taken somewhere else. It’s an immersive escape where you can completely block out the sights and sounds of what’s actually around you. It’s relatively easy to get the hang of it, convenient and private. 

A simple, free game like Rec Room includes the Stunt Runner obstacle course, bowling, rock-climbing, basketball, dodge ball, disc golf, and more. 

Because you can link up with others the online community, VR gaming is a fun way to connect with your friends while staying socially-distanced. 

After 45 minutes playing Rec Room, my shoulders are definitely feeling it, but I barely felt like time was passing at all – a far cry from watching the clock and counting down the seconds while planking. 

Will VR workouts completely replace other fitness activities for me? No, but adding more VR experiences into my life is definitely something I’m looking forward to. 

Sowing Seeds for a New Season

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Food.

Walking around a farmers’ market, you see tables neatly displayed with mountains of produce. There is a long journey before produce lands on market tables and then, eventually, your table. Farmers are on a tight schedule to do all they can to make sure their crops flourish. Now that we are deep into winter, we asked local farmers how they are preparing for this year’s growing season.

Laurie Kokinda, owner of Kokinda Farm, says, “It’s the hardest time of year, in terms of grunt work.” Farms are working tirelessly to sanitize their greenhouses and tunnels and repair and order new equipment. Farms are starting their first seedings like tomatoes, alliums, and head lettuce. This year, many farmers ordered their seed supply earlier than usual due to Coronavirus-related increases in demand as well as mail delays. Paul and Sandy Arnold, owners of Pleasant Valley Farm, note, “Normally, we can get seeds in the day after we order. This year, we’re waiting weeks!”

Local farms often choose to work together to share resources. Pleasant Valley Farm’s Sustainable Farmers’ Network Group is hard at work in the mid-winter, bulk-ordering supplies so that farms may share discounts. Gomez Veggie Ville works with Denison Farm to get this year’s supply of organic potato seeds. And, for the first time, they will work to grow ginger. “I am learning how to grow ginger well in our climate. Hopefully, if it works out, we’ll be able to bring some to the market in September,” says Efrain Gomez.

Owl Wood Farm is taking this year’s seed shortages as an opportunity to try a new practice: seed saving. “We’ve wanted to save seeds that aren’t offered commercially, like tomato heirloom varieties and Abenaki flint corn, for a while. It involves a lot of work and isn’t very economical; you have to dedicate a new plot of land and grasp a whole new knowledge base,” says Mark Bascom. “But we see that seed saving is important this year especially.”

Squash Villa Farm (formerly Squashville) is trying not just a new crop or practice but also a whole new land plot after moving farms in 2020. “There’s lots of anticipation! As soon as the snow melts, I’m eager to walk the new land and just get a feel for what it’s like to step into the soil,” says Gupta-Carlson.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

FM BeansGreens

Cooking is Love Made Visible

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Food.

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Valentines Day is right around the corner. As we get ready to celebrate Valentines Day and truly show those around us that we love them, it is a perfect time to remind ourselves of our focus to eat healthier and take care of our heart.  A heart healthy eating plan and lifestyle are considered the best weapons against heart disease.  Turning your kitchen into a heart-healthy area of your home can involve including certain items to assist you.  Developing a healthy living routine can include using a technology seeking approach by using a food scale to help make your plan work for you.  Weighing out foods and ingredients is the most accurate way of calculating how much you actually eat.  A food scale can be a fun way of double checking portion sizes and helping to keep yourself accountable. 

There are several types of food scales. The mechanical scale has a platform on which you can place whatever it is that you want to weigh. The weight is then displayed after the weights of the ingredients that you want to measure have pushed down a spring that is connected to the meter of the scale. The main advantage of mechanical scales is that they are cost effective and are not complicated when it comes to operating them. The kitchen digital scale is one of the most reliable scales in the world. The reason why many people perceive it as the best kitchen scale is because of its precision. In fact, it has the ability to measure even the smallest quantities with an accuracy of up to four decimal places. Another advantage of digital scales is that they give you the measurement as you add more weight so there is no need for you to wait for the scales to balance. Making healthier food choices can help with improving the quality of your diet.  However, regulating the size of food portions is a simple process that can help with weight loss.  Weighing out food before it is eaten is a convenient method of controlling portion sizes and is something you can easily do at home with basic kitchen equipment. A digital kitchen scale helps with measuring. 

A pointer to assist with weighing: Weigh out the desired portion size. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a standard portion for most meats and fish is 3 ounces. Look for portion size information on packages and use on-line resources such as MyPyramid.gov to learn about the recommended portion size of other foods. Weigh the food before it has been washed or cooked. Place the plate of food on the scale. The calibrated scale will measure the weight of the food only. Remove or add more of the foods until you reach the required portion. You can remove the plate as many times as you like provided that you do not press the tally button for a second time. For Food Safety reasons, you need to wash the plate thoroughly with hot water and detergent between weighing different foods.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery Store. We can help you with selecting the culinary tools you need to create that special meal this Valentines Day. “Cooking is love made visible.” Make something special for those that you want to show your love to. Remember: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & PaulaREARDON ShrimpStuffedShells

Be Yours: How to Celebrate this Valentine’s Day

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

As we head into celebrating Valentine’s Day this month you may be tempted to shower your loved one with adoration, chocolate hearts and gratitude. 

While this practice is a way to appreciate the one you love romantically, I think we can all agree that after almost a year of living through a pandemic, possibly working remotely, teaching and caring for your children and being isolated from family, friends and the routine of every day normal life, this may not be the year to plan a Valentine’s Day celebration.

When exhaustion and stress are at an all time high for most of us, this is the time to stop and make caring for yourself the top priority.  You may not be able to get away by yourself for some quality sleep and R & R, but you can incorporate small gestures of self-care all day long to keep you sane in what has been a LONG year.

Whenever I ask clients what it is they really need to fill themselves back up to a place of feeling a spark of energy, joy or creativity, they are often at a loss. The question can feel overwhelming and cause more stress.  Sometimes the best way to figure out what we do need is to start saying NO to what we don’t.

I recently learned this the hard way after overcommitting to several projects outside of traditional psychotherapy with clients.  I was saying yes to everyone and seething with resentment when I had to make time and space to honor the commitments I made.  I felt angry, tired and had no passion or energy for the various projects I had committed to.

I hit a wall of exhaustion and realized I had to remove anything that was draining my energy and only say yes to things that felt like something I had the energy to engage in and do well.

I was showing up to Zoom meetings and phone calls grumpy, drained and resentful.  As soon as I was honest that I was unable to follow through in my commitment and no longer felt inspired to do so, I felt some of the heaviness lift.

If self-care feels like something you don’t even know how to figure out, start with identifying commitments that are no longer fun and inspiring.  If you have volunteered for years on a certain committee and you find yourself dreading the monthly meeting, start there and make a change. The best way to start this process is to cross things off that no longer leave you feeling energized.

In order to problem solve well in our every day lives, we have to have space to come up with creative solutions. Pandemic living has stripped us of space, transitions (for example, just the simple commute to the office) and energy. Working to create more space to just think, daydream or zone out is vital to our spirits!  Start self-care by saying NO more and evaluating your commitments.

The first thing a flight attendant tells you in the safety rules is to put your oxygen mask on first.  Perhaps self-care right now is getting in your car, blaring music and taking a drive by yourself.  DO IT.  DO IT NOW.  DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE TIME.

The more time you make for self-care the more efficient you are in every aspect of your life.

SO, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Instead of BE MINE, BE YOURS, be attentive to your needs.  A little goes a long way.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing at Fritz, Stanger & Associates. For more information visit www.fritzstanger.com

Happy Valentine’s Day to Friends I’m Missing

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

There are two particular groups of people that were part of my daily life pre-pandemic and played a bigger role in my motherhood than I’m sure they realize, and whose presence in my life and that of my kids (especially my youngest) I’ve dearly missed over the last year — this Valentine’s Day column is for them! 

I used to go to the grocery store three times a week, easily, not counting weekends. I have a few dear friends who work at the store and who have known most of the boys since they were in my belly. I’ve always enjoyed seeing them and catching up, and they’ve loved seeing how each of the boys has gotten bigger and then moved on to school, and new little guys were the ones accompanying me to the store. 

When in the trenches of intense motherhood with lots of little ones, these trips to the store were bright spots — a chance to talk with friends who made me laugh, gave me advice, and oohed and aahed over my babies. Since last March, I’ve switched to doing my grocery shopping at night so I can go alone, and I go only once a week. I miss seeing our friends, and I miss that they haven’t been able to watch my youngest turn from a baby into a toddler.

Another group I keenly miss are the people who own and work at the Triangle Diner — the wonderful Diggins Family and their wonderful employees. For years, my mom and I met once a week at the diner for breakfast, and I always had a baby with me. The baby has changed through the years, of course — the baby comes with us until he goes to nursery school, and then it’s the next baby’s turn to have a morning out with Mom and Nannie each week (with some overlap between the new baby’s birth and big brother starting school). I love that the people we see at the diner have seen my kids grow up. They remembered each boy’s order without me having to tell them (usually chicken tenders or scrambled eggs, shoestring fries [no toast], sometimes with a fruit cup), and they’ve surprised my boys with special muffins with whipped cream and sprinkles on their birthdays. Beyond my weekly breakfast with Mom, they’ve also seen me bring my big boys on days they were home from school (those same boys they saw come in weekly when they were little), and they’ve celebrated with my husband when he brought the little guys in for breakfast when I was in the hospital after having another baby.

I hate not seeing these people that have been such a part of my life, and I especially hate that my youngest has mostly missed out on this — on seeing and being seen by the people who have marked the passing of time in my motherhood along with me. When the shutdown went into effect, the baby barely had hair, and he wasn’t walking or talking — now he has a full head of hair that I’ve already had to cut twice, and not only is he walking and talking, but he’ll be going to nursery school in the fall. At his age, huge changes happen every day!

I’ve seen people with their children in the grocery store, and I know the diner is open for business, so in theory I could bring my little guy to both places, but we just aren’t comfortable doing so yet. I hope that changes soon. Even though my new weekly grocery schedule has been better for our budget, so I’m likely to keep doing it after the pandemic is over, and even though Mom and I always scheduled our diner day for one of the days the preschooler was in school because it’s so much easier to enjoy a meal without wrangling a child of that age, I will absolutely make a point to stop in the store with my little guy to say hi to our friends, and we’ll absolutely resume our diner dates on days when nursery school is not in session, so my youngest and I can make up for some of what we’ve lost before he goes off to Kindergarten. (Hannaford and Triangle Diner employees, we miss you!)

Are there people you haven’t seen since the pandemic started that you miss? Perhaps take the opportunity on Valentine’s Day to send them some love! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Kate and her husband have seven sons ages 16, 14, 12, 10, 9, 6, and 2. Follow her at www.facebook.com/kmtowne23, or email her at kmtowne23@gmail.com.