THE FOOTNOTES

I grew up in a three family brick house in New Britain. Our family lived on the second floor. We had a very large tenement of six rooms. Our kitchen was three times the size of kitchens today. We also had a pantry and a laundry room off the kitchen. In the kitchen, we had an ironing board that folded into the wall. The refrigerator and sink were in the pantry so we only had a stove, a table and chairs in the kitchen. There was so much wasted space!

In those days we didn't have hot water or showers. We finally got a hot water heater, but that was when I was in high school.

Our back yard had a four car garage and an ash box. In the back of the garage we had a large lot with a huge cherry tree. We had lots of land to play in for a city block. It was not as great as having your own home as we do today, but it was fun back then.

One of the most interesting things about our house was my grandfather's wine cellar. He imported grapes from California and had his own press, and did all the work himself. He had a small cot in the basement where he would nap when he got tired. Pressing grapes was hard work. I didn't like going into the basement. It scared me. The attic was a different story. I never tired of exploring the many treasures that were stored there. Everything considered, I had a pretty interesting childhood.

(The picture of 112 Wilcox Street was taken in more recent times. There were three porches on the building when Moe lived there. They have since been removed.)