Family Facts

My God Parents...

My God mother and I shared the same name; it was also her mother's
name. She lived in the house in SW Philly that my grandparents bought
when they moved to this country. It was on Grays Avenue, only half a
block from the Italian parish which was the center of the community. I
also lived within walking distance and ran errands with my bike and
baby sat for neighbors and relatives in the area. My aunt T. was a
stay-at-home mom most of the time. She was an avid Flyer's fan. I
inherited her curly hair. As her 2 children grew she took a job at
Talutto's making pasta. I once helped out for the week before
Easter.

As a teen, I was fascinated with the vats mixing giant quantities of
batter and cheese mixtures. The raviolli rolled out like "Lucy in the
Choc. Factory." Every break was held in the large walk-in freezer; all
of the ladies there were over 45 years old. Most of the ladies only
measured 5 feet tall. The work tables were adjusted too low for me and
I was sore by the end of the day.

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I was a toddler when my parent's bought their house on Paschall Avenue.
The heat was not working properly. My aunt had recently miscarried. (My
mother and my aunt planned everyting together. This was one thing that
didn't work out.) Aunt T. offer to keep me at her house until my mom
was settled in and the heat worked properly. It was a stormy March and
cold weather lasted into April. Every week Aunt T. convinced my mom
that it would be better if I stayed with her. A month passed by. My
brother and sister sat at the dinner table one night. They couldn't
eat, staring at the high chair. (I used to kick my legs continuously. I
still do.) Mom, my brother and my sister walked to my aunt's house with
the sled to pick up their baby. My aunt and I always had a special
relationship.

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Before my uncle A. joined with his brother's business constructing
sheet metal for ac duct work, he was a roofer. My brother M. worked
with him when he was a senior in high school. It lasted one week. The
hot, hard work knocked some sence into him; he finally took college
goals seriously.