Category Archives: Recalling

Going to the post

There is something about getting mail- and giving mail- that puts a little bounce in the step.

Observing a woman on her way to drop a package at the post office reminded me of this simple pleasure.

When I was a teen, I remember mailing figs to my grandfather who lived in Israel. I thought it ridiculous to send figs or dates to the Middle East, but packing the dry fruits and taking them to the post office was fun.

When your neighbor says “ah no mail; at least I didn’t get a bill,” you nod in understanding. But you are both a little disappointed at the empty mailbox.

Inflation

Lexington & 80-something Street **

What is it about us as we age that we can’t recognize prices rising? You know, like when you find yourself saying, “That cab ride was $2.50 in my day.”

For two-cents plain is probably at least the above quoted $2.50 these days at any half decent soda fountain. Wait. You won’t find a soda fountain (unless you live in my nabe. **This one boasts a 75-year run.)

Whenever I pass that** soda fountain, I free-associate to the Robert Redford film 3 Days of the Condor. The movie was based on a novel called Six Days of the Condor.

All I recall from the Redford film was that he seeked a back exit to escape some baddies. The counterman pointed with a motion of his head.

Triggered, but in a good way

“Celia Cruz to appear on the quarter” is an announcement that can trigger many reactions. Depending of course on your relationship to the singer and her legacy.

For me, the smile it brought was remembering the off-Broadway show [slash] concert Burt and I saw at New World Stages. We were so enamored of the music and the story that we went back to see it again. It played in alternating English and Spanish versions. We loved them both.