I had a good visit in Richmond the week of January 7-13. Nana and Boss are managing in the same fashion. He’s out all day, mornings at the plant, afternoons at the Jewish Center Health Club, home by 5:30, gets dinner ready by 7. If Nana feels like it, she plays bridge from about 11-2:30. One day I took her and her two bedroom lamps to a shop that outfitted them with new shades and altered the bases so that they weren’t so tall and put switches in the cord so that they don’t have to reach way up to turn the light off before going to sleep. Boss was thrilled. “I’ve been hating those lamps for 25 years!” he said.
Another day I went to Thalheimers and picked out four outfits for Nana (all her things are hanging on her, she’s lost so much weight). Knitted pants and tops. She liked two of them. I returned the others and took the ones she liked to a dressmaker to shorten the pants. If I had a sewing machine there I could have done it. Alterations are outrageous: $6 per pair!
In between I cleaned out the desk, closet and filing cabinets in the middle bedroom. In every place, Nana had crammed cards that she has received thru the years on every birthday, anniversary, illness or bereavement. With her consent I ditched all except those from Buddy and me and all the grandchildren. I also saved the entire “archive” of the 50th wedding anniversary and a packet of “gems” – notes that Nana and Boss wrote to each other before they were married (1925). Grandpa Radman had a grocery store on 6th St and Boss had his first meat stall in the city market across the street. Grandpa bought meat from Leonard and that’s how he and Nana met. So his notes to her were written on the bottom of the meat order form.
She has saved everything from her children and grandchildren. You and Rob and David used to make printed cards by cutting out letters from magazines headlines. I think they were mostly your creations which D and R used to sign. You and Robert write thoughtful letters or notes. David tends to send terse post cards from wherever he is. Dean, Bruce, Deborah and Lisa Kay send cards. Dean and Bruce, especially, send cards for every occasion: mother’s day, birthday, anniversary, father’s day, valentines.
I also persuaded Dean to take everything he had stored in the closet, mostly college textbooks, records and mementos. Lisa Kay also had a box of stuff there (letters, bank statements from college days), which Dean said could be trashed. At first he was reluctant to take his things. I said “surely you have room in that 8-room house.” “Well,” he said, “we don’t have a basement.” I threatened: “Take this box or I throw it out.” He took it and said he’d probably throw everything away!
I want to say that Dean and Cindy have been wonderful to Nana and Boss since they moved back to Richmond. They will come for a meal bringing much of the food. They took Nana to the hospital every evening when Boss had the ulcer episode last October. Dean will answer any emergency call from them or just drop by to see if they’re okay. And by the end of this month they’ll have a baby (girl) and I know that’s going to be a whole new joy for Nana and Boss. And for Buddy and Helen!
Another day in Richmond I had lunch at a restaurant with Aunt Mildred, Aunt Bertha and all my cousins: Harriet, Roz (Kenny’s wife), Florence (George’s wife), Naomi (Arnold’s wife). Ronny Meyer (Uncle Norman’s wife) came, too, just for coffee and to say hello. I got everyone to take turns telling what all their children are doing. They got a kick out of that! Even though they all live in Richmond, they weren’t that up on each other. By the way, Harriet put this party together, which was a very thoughtful thing to do.