Flashback Family Emails Part 1

My dad started us off with this:

I used to go to work with my Dad...he would bring me into hisworkshop...he was the foreman of the tool room...the head toolmaker...Iwould sit at his bench and listen to the radio and look out the windowover the river...and all the guys would come up to me and say what a bigguy I was and my Dad was a good guy and I looked just like him, etc...Iwas so proud...My grandfather Hinkell after he retired was a guard for the company aswell...sometimes I'd sit in the guard house with my grandfather Hinkellon Saturday mornings at Sprague Electric Co in North Adams...it was theclock tower that is now the entrance to Mass MoCa...on Marshall St...Iwould make the rounds with him all through the buildings and he wouldpunch his clock (so they knew he was there and everything wassecure)...anyway, then we would all go to a diner somehwere in NorthAdams and I would get an "Eastern" thats a "Western" witthout thepeppers and onions!...or we would go to Jacks Hot Dog stand (which isstill there on Eagle St right around the corner from Danielsplace)...I'd sit between them at the lunch counter...it was socool...everybody knew my Dad and my Grandfather...they called mygrandfather "Butch"...then later in life I worked for my Dad...when Ithink back...it was a wonderful time...

From my mother:

Flashback...And if you can believe this...I went to work with my Dad atthe paper mill. I saw the big vat of rags being washed (probably indangerous chemicals) before they made the paper, huge rollers (couldmake gumby's out of all of us) that the rags went in to smooth out forpaper, huge trimmer (like a saw) that cut the paper (and probably a fewfingers).Yep, I remember that and then I went and had a butterscotchsundae. Never knew there was any other flavor besides vanilla andchocolate until that day.

My dad's response:

Fond memories heh...thats nice...I went to your Dad's office at BW oncetoo...to get directions to go to Paula and Michaels house in DaleCity...back in 1974...we ended up in Cape May NJ (through no fault ofyour Dad for sure) but it was funny...as they say...what a trip thatwas! hahaha Remember when Donny Pelkey got his arm caught in one ofthose rollers? That poor guy...how is he anyway?

My brother's response:

I took the trip to the mill as well. Grandpa used to hand out paycheckson Saturday.



From my husband:

I went to work with my dad once when he was a truck driver for somecarpet company in NY and we had a deliver right in downtown Syracuse. Ifelt like I was ontop of the world being up so high and because my dadwipped through the city like Erin does in the Elantra and then trafficwould stop because he would have to back the trailer up to the loadingdock but of course you would think he was backing up a pop up trailer hedid it so smooth.

From Me:

When mom was working at the doctor's office, Alyssa and I wouldsometimes go in with her on Saturdays. Alyssa and I would ransack theoffice supply cabinet for pens and post-its and notepads to play with. I remember working at, well making plant arrangements in the greenhouseat Rare Earth Dalton store, when dad left to make a delivery. He said that he would be right back. It seemed like hours and I got a customerand I had to arrange some flowers for him and ring him up on the cashregister. I guess my hours of watching Barb whip up arrangements paidoff. Alyssa and I would help put water in the flowers pics for funeralarrangements. On Saturdays and Sundays when we went to the shop, Alyssa and I were given $5 to go across the street to Cumberland Farms for asnack. We almost always bought Apple pies and I would find someway toeat most of Alyssa's as well as mine.

From my sister:

Oh my god... Filling up those water picks was the worst. For some reason, we would always use cold water and our poor little fingers would be freezing when we were done. I remember being in the basement of the first Rare Earth shop (the one in Dalton) and hearing the song Love Shack by the B 52s. I used to love how sunny and humid the greenhouse was. I remember a lot about that shop...

The night some boy came in and tried to apply for a job. Mom told him that we didn't need help. He told her that his mom told him not to bother coming home unless he ha a job and then proceeded to fold a flower out of ribbon. Mom had a heart-to-heart with him and finally convinced him to go home.

I used to love how fresh the coolers smelled when you first opened them up.

I remember how rough mom's hands were from handling the roses all the time.

The blue delivery can didn't have any seats in the back. I was sitting in between the two front seats- Dad was driving and Erin was riding in the passenger seat. Dad slammed on the breaks at the top of Mountain Drive. My head hit the radio console and I got a black eye right before the first day of school.

I used to go on deliveries and plant maintenance with Dad to Kimball Farms. He used to give me the water bottle and I would spray off the plants for him. I felt so important when the old-timers talked to me and made a big deal out of me helping my dawd.

Mom came into one of my classrooms in elementary school. She brought all sorts of supplies and we got to plant spider plants. Every kid in my class got to take one home.

I remember the yellow t-shirts we sold during the gulf war and when they were marked down when we went out of business.

I would get off the bus near Brookside Drive and walk down the path towards the back parkign lot of the store. Sometimes it would be muddy and i was always so scraed I was going to slip.

One time, I had pneumonia and went to work with mom. I had my blanket with the satin edging and laid under the desk in that room between the actual store and the flower arranging room.
We all stayed late at the Dalton shop one time preparing flowers for a Firemen's funeral. We had a picture of a badge and made an arrangement that looked exactly like it.
Another time, we cleaned off a rubber plant for hours. It had been at a sub or pizza shop (maybe on Tyler street or West housatonic street?) and was greasy all over. We scrubbed those leaves until they shone.

Dad built this forest scene inside the Pittsfield shop. Complete with trees and a pond with gold fish. (I think they kept slipping inside the lining and dying.)

Hahaha, its funny when you remember those kinds of things- they seem so vivid...

Alyssa also added wich is documented in a photo taken on the first day of school:

The blue delivery can didn't have any seats in the back. I was sitting in between the two front seats- Dad was driving and Erin was riding in the passenger seat. Dad slammed on the breaks at the top of Mountain Drive. My head hit the radio console and I got a black eye right before the first day of school.

My dad's response:

I still have one of those T-Shirts...its in one of my storgae bins! Iremember those things to...that Dalton Fireman deal...I remember that...it was a Friday night and Barb, her husband Dave and theirfriends, the Woods were there pounding down brewski's...something theydid a lot of...anyway, Mom was not there...she went on a trip with Judyand the girls somewhere...we were all alone...in a flower shop...with a drunken flower arranger...making arrangements for a Sat AM funeral! hahaha You were the one with the black eye...I thought John was the one...but it was you...thats right Lis...the Jade plant came from Angelina's on Tyler St...good memory...I used biodegradable black bagsto line one of your old little swimimmg pools to make the pool for thegold fish...the bags biodegraded and the water turned ink black..didn't bother the fish though...John helped me clean out the stone when we closed the store...there is a little variety store in there now...I usedthe bathroom in the back a couple of weeks ago as a matter of fact...mom and I used to play cards in the AM before I went on my deliveries...I run into people all the time who remember that store and they thought I was the delivery boy and Mom was the owner! hahaha