This week we talked with Michelle Waters! Find out what brought Michelle and her husband to the city just last year, a sweet memory from their first Christmas in their city home, and a unique idea they’d like to see in Glens Falls in the future!
Tell us about yourself!
I work at the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation as the Annual Giving and Donor Relations Coordinator. I also have a personal blog called The Urban Yardener, that I started this past spring!
My husband Garry and I moved to Glens Falls in the Spring of 2018 to a little house on a corner in the city. We have a cat named Fey and a puppy named Sansa.
On Life in Glens Falls
We moved to Glens Falls when we both started working here. Garry works for Andritz Inc. as a Mechanical Engineer and I started my job with the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation in 2017. We were drawn to the short commute and all the activities that city life could bring by remaining so close to town.
We own our home and when we bought it, one hundred percent of the house was covered in ivy. Grape vines were strewn across the garage and very unique and colorful flowers were growing at eye level. Ivy can be pretty, especially in the summer, but in the colder months the pretty greens also tend to disappear to reveal scraggly brown lines that cover the entire house. Since then, we have removed all of the ivy, although we have found it to be ever returning. We have made a few changes that truly allow it to feel more like ours, but there is still a lot of work to be done. My favorite room is our dining room located in the heart of the home where we have hosted many family and friends. My blog, The Urban Yardener, follows our journey with our home and the ivy vines. I use the term yardener because it is a small lot, but we have used every inch to reshape our space and learn more about gardening. It has been a fun adventure in our first home for sure.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
It may seem silly, but I avidly watched and have repeatedly re-watched the show, Gilmore Girls, and always wanted to visit Stars Hollow. Stars Hollow is a quaint and quirky small town in which the majority of the show takes place. The more I came to know Glens Falls I began to see many wonderful parallels. This included some of our local events such as sidewalk chalk competitions, movies in the park, and also the many great cafes and restaurants sprinkled throughout the town…there's even a central gazebo! We have been met with kindness and generosity as we navigate first-time home ownership and we feel very fortunate for our neighbors and location.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
On a weekend, we typically take our dog Sansa on a walk downtown. We enjoy brunches at The Peppermill in South Glens Falls and The Exchange Cafe. We enjoy spending time at Crandall Library, Lake George Olive Oil, The Hyde Museum, and had a fun date night at Sip and Canvas during Take-A-Bite. We enjoy being only a few blocks from Cooper's Cave Ale Company where we can get dinner and ice cream. It is also really nice being so close to the YMCA as there is less time between the front door and a great workout.
On the Past
One of my favorite Glens Falls memories took place this time last year. Garry and I visited a local Christmas tree stand for Snowball Tree Farm to pick out our tree. We did not have any cash and only had cards on us that day. The stand only accepted cash payments, but the people working at the stand told us that they would deliver the tree later that day to allow us time to stop at the bank on the way home to get some cash. I put on the music from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special and we started to decorate as we waited for our tree. When the doorbell rang, the gentleman from the stand had our tree in hand and was asking us about our house. Once he realized this was our first Christmas in our home, he generously gave us the Christmas tree and refused to accept any money and said, "Merry Christmas and welcome to the neighborhood!" This act of kindness warmed our home and made this tree extra special and I remember thinking how lucky we are to live here.
On the Future
My husband and I have thought it would be exciting if there was a Makerspace in the community. A Makerspace is a collaborative work space that provides tools and the opportunity to create anything and everything that a member could imagine. Members typically utilize the space through monthly membership fees. Some of our local schools have similar spaces, but there is not a space like this for the community at large to access. There have been many times when we have been working on a house project, but did not have the exact tool to complete the project, however we may not need that tool afterwards. A Makerspace would help to complete these types of projects, but also bring in new technology to spark education and conversations.
Through our work, we have met many great people from our community. At home, gardening has brought more opportunities for Garry and I to meet our neighbors and learn what Glens Falls is all about. I enjoy recording my stories through my blog to share funny anecdotes and to look back on how we have been shaped by our new experiences in our home and town in our little house on the corner.
Thanks Michelle!
P.S. See more from our My Glens Falls series here!