The grayness of January and the start of a new year put me in a retro mood, thinking more of the past then the year 2008. That doesn't even look like a date to me, I have been reading old letters from the 90's and dates should start with 19..... That is what I like most about Clay Hill Road, how little it has changed in 40 years. There have only been two new houses built on the street, both tucked so far in the woods, as to be almost invisible. And the Jordan-McNally house was torn down but replaced with a module home. In the 70's Mr. and Mrs. Jordan were raising their grandchildren, three boys, Joey the youngest and the twins Mike and Frank. Their house was tiny, how they all fit I don't know. The boys would play at our house a lot and were creative and good sports so my kids liked them. Mrs. Jordan was an ancient, small Irish woman with white hair in a bun. And as I once found out, we shared a birth date - August 21st. She was a true Leo, would roar for the boys and I would advise them that Grandma is calling. They would ignore me and her and after a few minutes you would see her coming down the road, waving a big stick, calling their names. As she got closer, the excuses would come: "We didn't know that was you calling. We thought it was the chickens making a noise". This would get them all laughing, and only increase her anger until they ran before her with the stick waving at their heels. Between our house and the McNally's was Harold Moore's. Harold worked for the railroad and lived with his wife Libby and son. There is a big field between our houses and Harold would plant different crops there, trying out new vegetation that never seemed to take. The year that Bobby Kennedy was shot he was growing raspberries and had time bombs set to go off and frighten the birds. Every blast made me flinch, reminding me of the dead Kennedys. Harold would pay my kids $1.00 to fill a grocery bag full of dandelion heads that he would make into dandelion wine. Libby's sister, Mrs. Lemon lived at the end of Clay Hill, right on route 9G. She took in boarders, old people who either didn't have family or just needed a place to stay. One boarder was Ralph, a giant of a man who was known throughout the Village. Every morning he would walk through the Village to the river estate where he worked, carrying a large lunch box and giving everyone that passed in a car a big wave. Each passerby received a full salute and a big false toothy smile. Ralph would occasionally come to our house, knock at the door, and when greeted would give a big hug...a real crusher. My girls and I took turns being the human sacrifice for the hug and greeting and the folksy advise -"Know how to make a turtle soup? Pick up a dead turtle from the road....." . Mrs. Smith and her daugher Margaret lived across from the Lemons, in a large older home facing 9G. Miss Smith was then the Tivoli Librarian. The Library is now Village Books, but I can still picture Margaret sitting at the Library checkout desk in the window. Years later Margaret married Art Lemon from across the street. He has passed away but Margaret is still going strong, volunteering for the FireHouse and the St. Paul's thrift shop. The next two homes were "summer homes" of the DePauls (now my daughter Sabra's home) and Mary Jonas (now the home of Irene Staffiero and Tink Miller). Tony Staffiero is living in his grandfather's house, which is now enlarged twice the size when Nick and Mrs. Fragano lived there. Nick was our "mail man" would get our mail everyday. He would drive up playing the radio and toot the horn for us to come out and get our mail. My daughter called Mrs. Fragano "the old girl" I think because she looked so childlike, always wearing a large apron over her dress and white anklets on her feet. Nick was sometimes our babysitter and taught the kids card games and how to make houses using the cards. They were the parents of Fran who lived next door. Angelo and Fran Staffiero's house now belongs to his daugher, so the three younger Staffieros now each have their home on Clay Hill. The street hasn't changed much, but many of the people have gone to another place...Mrs. Lemon, Ralph, Art Lemon, Harold and Libby Moore, the Jordans, Mrs. Rector, Jan Barrett, Fran and Angelo, Nick and Mrs. Fragano. About fifteen years ago we had a Clay Hill Road Reunion, all of the present Clay Hill residents, plus all we could find that had lived here at one time came for a picnic gathering. It was a great success, everyone brought pictures and memories of what Clay Hill Road had meant to them. This makes me wonder if maybe there is a Clay Hill Reunion going on, with all the above people telling stories and having a good old time reminiscing about the street they all lived on. The good old days. Let's hope for the best for 2008....that number still doesn't look right to me.