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Kenoza Lake

August 19, 2022

Susan Brown Otto
Posted 8/19/22

August 18 — Greetings faithful readers of the Kenoza Lake news! Another glorious summer day out there, but dear God, we need rain! Last summer, it seemed as though it rained every other day. …

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Kenoza Lake

August 19, 2022

Posted

August 18 — Greetings faithful readers of the Kenoza Lake news! Another glorious summer day out there, but dear God, we need rain! Last summer, it seemed as though it rained every other day. The farmers were complaining that they couldn’t make hay. Some hay fields were too wet to venture onto without rut- ting up the field. This year is the opposite. The lawns are browned out. Hunters are hesitating about re-seeding their food plots. Pray for rain. Have you noticed that we don’t seem to have many yellow jackets and Japanese Beatles this year? This is a low apple year, strange as
no killer frost. Is it due to
the declining population of honeybees? Watch out for the fawns! They are like teenag- ers. They have not learned about how dangerous cars are.

Final reminder, Special Election on Tuesday, August 23rd for our 19th Congres- sional District. The Special Election is open to all reg- istered voters. Polls open
at 6:00 am and close at 9:00 pm. You vote at your normal, November, voting location. This Special Election is to
fill the vacancy that was created when our prior Con- gressman, Antonio Delgado became NYS Lieutenant Gov- ernor. In addition, there are some primaries on Tuesday for registered Republicans and Democrats.

Book signing event in Bethel. I grew up listening to 77 WABC radio. Remember Cousin Brucie? Anyway, I still listen to 77 WABC. One of my favorite radio shows
is the Bernie and Sid radio show from 6:00 AM to 10:00

AM, Monday to Friday. These days it is so easy to get a radio app and listen to the station on your cellphone

or computer, which is what
I do. The Sid of Bernie and Sid is Sid Rosenberg. His mother lives in White Lake Homes (in Kauneonga Lake) and he frequently mentions Sullivan County on his radio show. He recently wrote a new book and on Saturday, September 3rd, he will have
a book signing event at Benji & Jake’s, in Kauneonga Lake from 11:00 to 2:00. So, if you listen to this radio show and want to buy a book that Sid will autograph, come out for this special event. By the way, Sid was a (quasi) Grand Mar- shall for the Town of Bethel’s 50-year Woodstock festival parade, three years ago.

Rainbow Bridge

Many folks have a pet in their home, be it a dog a cat or both. My husband Ray and I were honored to share the past ten plus years with
a special cat we named Willy Otto. Back in February 2012, on a nasty, cold, wet, and very raining evening, we entered our Pucky Huddle home one Saturday evening, after a trip to Honesdale.
We opened our front door and suddenly, a gray cat ap- peared and quickly entered our house. He started to
trot up the stairs and then stopped in his tracks, when he spotted the full mounted coyote. Yikes! Then he real- ized that the coyote didn’t move, and Willy settled
into our household. There are several Pucky Huddle homes with cats. I asked
our neighbors if they were missing a cat. No one was missing a cat. Then, on April 15, 2012, our neighbors Gay and Bobby Donofrio stopped by after their several month vacation in Florida and said it was their cat. The cat was supposed to stay with their

daughter Christa Tyler (who lives on Pucky Huddle Road), but Willy wasn’t happy as
he had to share the Tyler residence with some other cats. So, Willy returned to the Donofrio household. Next winter, 2013, Bobby and Gay asked me to take care of Willy and Ray and I gladly said yes. During the summer months, Willie would visit various neighbors and would pop in for a treat from time to time. This happened until the summer of 2015, when Willy said, that’s it. No more back and forth. Willy said I am going to stay with the Ottos. (The Donofrios had some other cats and Willy was the only cat at the Otto house- hold.)

Willy loved to hunt chip- munks. That was his favorite prey. Fortunately, he didn’t like to hunt birds. He hap- pily co-existed with skunks, raccoons, and opossums. He was a fighter. His two ears were scalloped with battle scars from cat fights, from cats that happened to ven- ture onto the Otto property.

Like most cats, he could easily jump but as he aged, he wasn’t jumping as much. Ray built him steps to my gardening table that is on our front porch. He loved to sit there and watch the neigh- borhood wildlife.

This past year, his health faded. Soon he spent all his time in the basement, as he couldn’t climb the stairs. He wanted to go outside but knew he was vulnerable, a mere shadow of his former, majestic self. The time had come to cross the rainbow bridge. Ray dug him a grave and made him a coffin and wood burned on the cover, “Willy Otto, a Great Cat.” We engaged Catskill Veterinary Services, who came to our home. (The veterinarian and assistant were fantastic, very compassionate, and car-

ing). And then, with many, many tears in my eyes, Willy crossed the famous Rainbow Bridge.

“The Rainbow Bridge”
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and com- fortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss some- one very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play to- gether, but the day comes when one suddenly stops
and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trust- ing eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

- Anonymous

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