As I think back to all the childhood memories of Old Post Road I have several that stand out and I am sure you all have many of your own. Christmas dinners with everyone around the table where there was always enough room and food for everyone, no matter how many of us were there. Storytelling and laughing until our sides hurt and one story after another there was never a dull moment. We have the best storytellers in our family still today and they learned from the best. Sometimes just stopping in to see Grandma cooking in her kitchen, I can still remember the wonderful smells of her cooking and her hugs were the best! Or Aunt Rosie, Anna and Modie, just fooling around upstairs in their bedroom as I would go up to see if they were awake. Or an occasional tap dancing or singing lesson from one of them. The house may have been small but whenever I went there it was full of love and laughter. Sometimes coming over when Grandma had her friends over and of course I couldn’t understand a word, except the bad ones, but always talking Italian, laughing and hugging and good feelings. And Grandpa drinking his wine and asking every time if I wanted some as smoke rings encircled his head. I very vivid memories of being in the bakery with Grandma when I was little and spending time with her, learning how to use the bread slicing machine, while Grandpa was working in the back. And there was Aunt Rosie’s blue Fiat. Oh yes and there were the famous Easter egg hunts! As more of you came along the more fun it was and can recall so many of you running around the yard all dressed up in our Easter outfits. And the tomato bottle assembly line was a lot of work but again always having fun whatever everyone was doing. Yes, Sundays meant we were going to see Grandma and Grandpa! And the family picnics in the yard as far back as I can remember. Driving my Dad’s car up and down the long driveway until a hose busted. The gateway to see Aunt Madelyn when you were always greeted with that beautiful smile and hug!! Then through the years I worked at various businesses there, a produce market, Villa Restaurant and scooping Italian Ice for the summer and I can still hear Uncle Johnnie saying, “scrape, don’t scoop, it taste better that way!!” He was right! It then came full circle when I started caring for the property some years ago to give Aunt Rosie a break. It had been difficult at times trying to keep Grandma and Grandpa’s original dream in place and there were many times when I would think what would they say, think or do in this situation? Each time I entered either of the houses or restaurant to check on something, repair something, renovations, etc., happy memory would rush in and of course I would see things how they used to be and not as they are today. So much has changed over the many years and so it is with mixed emotions that we close that chapter. As you may know, the property has now been sold and the new owners will probably be taking over sometime next week. One thing I am sure of, it may not be in the family any more but the happy and loving memories will last a lifetime.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 12:18:55 +0000
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