Mr Bucco and the Ginger Cat

My parents’ first house was on a shady street in the Bronx bought after World War II on the GI bill.  My dad set up his medical office on the first floor and we lived on the floor above.    (See THE CORPSE IN THE OFFICE,  June 6, 2016) A few years later my folks were able to plan an addition to the house to enlarge my father’s office and our living quarters,  and also finish the third floor attic where my sister and I would have new bedrooms. My mother was an artist and drew up...

Read more

Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

You may remember that awhile ago I banged up my husband’s beloved T-bird. (See FENDER BENDER , Sept. 4, 2015) After that rather costly incident I knew it was time I honed my road skills,  and so early one Sunday morning I found myself at a mid-town hotel for a day-long AAA defensive driving course. Our instructor was a very likable guy named Freddy who told some funny stories about cabbies and delivery guys on bikes that got lots of laughs from our roomful of New Yorkers. Then Freddy...

Read more

How to Raise a City Kid

Years ago when our son was a toddler many of our friends began fleeing to the suburbs.  They couldn’t imagine raising a child in Manhattan with all the dirt and crime. “But think of the culture!”,     I would say. At the Met Museum five year-old Noah, wide-eyed at Arms & Armor,  or perched spellbound on the grand staircase watching a stonecutter etch a donor’s name on the marble wall. And making Purim masks at the Jewish Museum,  and model dinosaurs at the Natural...

Read more

Time and the Taxi Man – for Danny

Many years ago on the last day of our Jamaican honeymoon the hotelkeeper called a taxi to take us from Ocho Rios to the airport in Montego Bay for our flight home. When the driver picked us up he worried we hadn’t enough time for the 100 kilometer trip,  and so as we left the hotel,  he began to speed. Sure enough, we were soon pulled over by a policeman. “Please man, you got to let us go.”,  our driver told him.  “Time,  she is against these two people.” The...

Read more

The Puppy Farm

I recently told you about my wonderful childhood dog.   (See FLUFFY,  OR HOW I GOT MY DOG,  Nov 1, 2016)   Sadly there is more to tell. I’m sure that today’s child rearing experts would advise you to tell your kids the truth,  no matter how painful.  But I suspect my folks practiced the old school kind of parenting. When I was ten Fluffy was hit by a car.  The awful thing was I saw it happen,  I was coming home from school when she ran into the street towards me. I...

Read more