"We got to Race’s house on Sunday afternoon. This is the thing I would
so love to express, my awe, my complete incomprehension of a real house
where birches grow that were planted when each child was born with
attics and cellars and summerhouses and all the people in the town have
known everyone all their lives and all their relatives and they see each
other all the time and like it and speak of birth and death with this
fantastic War and Peace acceptance. Aunt Fan, showing us her
(lovely) house—took us into the study—a real New England paneled study
and said “We don’t use it much, except for funerals, to put the coats
in.”
"How lovely it was that Race brought me home—that “Sandy” came home.
We are having a vacation and a rest and a honeymoon. Walk down Main St.
and through these crazy flowers and grass all over—look thru boxes in
the attic—with books and photos and poems by Race and have dinner in
dining room with flowers and candles and butter plates and Mark picked
corn from a corn field and washed it and ate it. (He is out of his
HEAD!) Went to see cousin Andy and his wife Esther and Dorns, these
people are TOO much— they work so hard and so easily and mulch (I love
that word) and sow and reap and can and prune and graft and darn and
bake and plant all their food and everything is so cyclical and ORDERED
and NICE—they are all nice—with this crazy wit and an INTEREST in
things, everything, and a joy from the views they see every day. I am
meeting everyone. They take me in. I don’t mean they approve or accept
or like me, altho they do, I think, but they take me into their War and Peace
scene, to their cradles in the attic, and Jeff sleeping in Grandma
Proctor’s crib that was Bobby’s crib too and it’s so nice and
terrifying. I’ve never known a family." --1959 [September]Little Falls, New York
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1 comment:
Ms Halsey,
In doing some research on an historical novel I am attempting to write, based on my grandfather and father's lives, I came across your blog. My Grandfather, Karl Haug, worked for American Laundry in the 1920s on into the 1940s. As I understand it, he set up the ALM office in Cologne Germany, in the early 20's. Your blog on Mr. Stanley was interesting from that aspect. I do have some written correspondence from my G-father from Germany, but it consists mostly of post cards sent to his parents and sister.
And then I read a bit about you, only to find that you are a Mac grad, as I am. I am from the class of '71..retired and dabbling in writing novels.
Regards, Tom Haug javahaug@gmail.com
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