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The depression caught up with us and we had to move again. This time to 590 North 6th Street, another 6 unit apartment house. For a time my dad still had his tailor business. This is the apartment house my mother's family lived in. Since I was the oldest child of the oldest child, my aunts were not that much older than me. So we pretty much grew up together. My aunts were Geraldine, Ruthie and Antoinette. Their sister, Dolly was a little older. We would go to church together and play together. They even practiced their cooking on us. My aunts had a piano . . . and musical talent. We would stand around the piano as they played (mostly by ear) and we would all sing (mostly hymns). I still think of those times when I hear You Are My Sunshine and If I Had The Wings Of An Angel. I remember aunt Antoinette would walk us down Bloomfield Avenue to the First Italian Baptist Church (later Park Avenue Baptist) where we attended after school activities. Abington Avenue School was about a block away from where we lived. When I was six years old in the first grade, I thought I so smart. . . memorized the Dick & Jane book and thought I was reading! This is also where I lived when I ran down the block, fell and broke my tooth . . . still have that front chipped tooth. In those days depending on whether my dad was able to get work, my family was on and off public relief (now welfare) . My mom was a very proud woman. Every time the relief lady came to check on us, unlike all the neighbors, my mom dressed us in our Sunday best. This was during the depression and our best was not much. Across the street from us was a candy store. All we could afford to buy was the penny candy bag. This was the old candy that did not sell and had gotten hard. They also had a box of regular chocolate. If your piece had a pink center you got another piece of chocolate free. Did not take much to make us happy in those days. |