Page 240 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Letters

Los Angeles 2/3/62
My dear Rose,

Your letter came, with the wrong address that I had written on the
parcel. It was just the confusion of an old man whose memory
becomes dimmer with the years, and also to some extent absent-
mindedness from reading too much philosophy—whose authors, it is
well-known, are usually not at home. My browsing field is reading
both old and contemporary philosophy, political economy, and
cultural literature, including the arts. Hilda subscribes to the Saturday
Review, which gives educational matter and good reviews on
literature, and I subscribe to The Nation, the Hebrew Hadoar, the
Hebrew monthly Bitzaron, a monthly California magazine, Frontier,
and the weekly B’nai B’rith Messenger—which, together with a few
books for bed reading, is enough to make one’s brain a kaleidoscope,
causing sometimes horrible night dreams and loss of good sleep.
Sculpturing is a great relaxation for the mind and body. Handling
sharp instruments and hammering, one has to watch the formation of
the piece and also not hurt his hand and be crippled. My managing
job is very easy, just a plumbing or electrical job now and then, and
the rest of the time I work on wood or stone or marble, and I am at
it until it is dark and late. Then I warm up my supper, sometimes
forgetting when to turn off the fire while I am reading something,
and behold: I smell smoke and have a bum supper.
Today we had a good rain, the first in two years. I was stuck in my
kennel and did not know what to do; therefore I am chopping on the
old typewriter. Of course, it gives me pleasure to write to you, as it
always does. You asked why the little female head has only one ear.
The age of abstraction and mysticism, could be the answer; but it is
the medium itself. The piece of wood was small and tended to incline
to one side, so I made the hair spread over the left shoulder. As I
have to be occupied, and did not have any materials, I picked up
some good wood, dark walnut, which cost six dollars a foot, and
made a nice bearded Jew like a Chassidic rabbi, to please Carmel.
I presume that you two will be going traveling again this coming
summer. I lost the appetite, and use my car only once a week when
going to visit the children. One can hardly enjoy company at a

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