Susan, Nadia, and Fifth Generation Yavorsky Wear the Bracelet

Grandma Stellman: She smoked cigarettes and because of her and her daughters, I've loved Nature, The Moon, Athletics, Teaching, Travel, Feminism.

My memories of Grandma are of her house when we had no where else to go, due to my dad's endeavors.

Susan

Nadia and Wonder Woman

 My husband, my first beau, Joseph Tuck, nephew to Andy Tuck, whom Barbara dated and who died in a car crash in the 1920's---our courtship began at 923 Maryland Ave in 1963. We were 12 years old. We went steady, which lasted about two months. The legacy goes like this.

·      In the tradition of beaux, he had to climb up a steep hill to walk me home from Wescott Street and  Levy Jr. High.

·      He had to pick me up entering through the vestibule for parties or dances.

·      The goodnight on the front porch was ended abruptly with a Stellman flicker of the porch light.

·      For my birthday I was allowed to have a party with our gang in the living room. We danced to Johnny Mathis, spun the bottle and the making out took place on the front porch.

·      Telephone calls happened on the stairs landing. This meant that my conversations could be heard from upstairs and downstairs! (Eventually we got the cord long enough that I could reach all the way down into the tiny pink bathroom under the stairs.)

·      The sunroom/TV room became a private sanctuary on Friday nights where Joe and I would "watch" Gunsmoke.

·      I remember bats in the basement and being a little embarrassed by the shoddy furniture and worn down kitchen and pantry. Joe, oblivious to it, stood in there with me, discussing  the onset of drinking and whether or not to wear bell bottoms.

My father was off in Peru. Grandma and Jane were about as permissive parents as you could dream for. We left for Peru in December. Two years later we were back when Pater Familia John was a cancer patient. 

I remember Grandma chain smoked cigarettes and I loved her special goulash----hamburger spaghetti sauce over elbow noodles. She had a special chair from which she watched her soap operas.

She only entered my drama once. In my 20's she told me to shave my legs,  and to marry Michael Zingale,  the musician, and "get it over with." (I did)

Many more memories of cousins: cigarettes snuck out of purses, lighting up sitting on the curb up at The Circle. Gretchen even went out with one of Joe's mates once.

I've counted the wrinkles in Grandma's photo---there's one for each grandchild. This photo of Nadia in the bracelet shows another in the oven, a wee baby girl to carry on the multigenerational Stellman traditions. I say hurray for wrinkles, and the wisdom and wonder they bring.