Page 279 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Reminiscences

lilies” planted between the walk and the low wall separating the house
from the units next door. There was a lawn, then a large vegetable
garden (probably a Victory garden) bordered by a hedge. Just in front
of the house was a huge avocado tree that would have a hammock
tied to it in the summer. One the south side of the house there was a
sweet pea trellis.
As we walked up to the house, Grandma Fannie (Mima) would
meet us halfway, “Shayna madel” for me and “boychick” when my
baby brother arrived, including a gentle cheek pinch. If it wasn’t a
holiday, we ate in the kitchen. There was a pickle barrel on the back
porch. As you walked into the kitchen, the sink and drain board faced
the alley behind the house, the gas range was on the right and the
refrigerator was to the right on the sink. The wall phone was next to
the stove; AR would take orders for produce on it. The table could
squeeze in four adults, plus two kids. In summer she made cold
borscht with sour cream and a hot potato, some sort of meat with
roast potatoes in the winter. Also, fresh rye bread with sweet
butter. Dessert was fruit and sometimes bakery goods picked up at
The Delight bakery on Adams on our way over.
The hallway had pictures of our great-grandparents in dark
frames. The bathroom scent was Camay soap and Jergens
lotion. There were two bedrooms; the back one was where we slept
over. In the back bedroom was a Singer sewing machine (with a
treadle) and tons of back issues of National Geographic.
When you walked into the house, the living room had a Persian
style rug with a sofa on one side of the room and two chairs
opposite. At the end of the room, facing the street, were glassed-in
bookcases. The dining room was next, with a built-in hutch
containing all the “good dishes” and glassware. I have the purple
Czech glasses that were only for Passover (chicken) and the New
Year (brisket), followed by an amazing Jell-O mold with turrets (I
have that as well; AR made it.)
In the dining room was a large Philco (?) radio with a green light
behind the dial. The dining table seemed vast. A shallow white bowl
filled with sweet peas or Chinese lilies or zinnias was almost always in
the middle of the table. On holidays it was set with an embroidered
table cloth and napkins.
275