Sidewalk Rescue

My biological father divorced my mother fighting with her at the hospital on how to spell my middle name! He married my mother's best friend Renee shortly after and had a baby girl Sidney that died. Then they declared themselves Episcopalian so they could adopt two children because my father being Jewish would disqualify them. As an adult I wondered was Sidney death from SIDS? I started asking my adopted half sister and a few others. The baby had Down Syndrome and was institutionalized in the '70's in a horrible place in NYC on Staten Island. It was called Willowbrook and became famous for horrendous conditions. The tragedy is that she died of neglect in this horrible place.

 

Everything in our beloved house has been a sidewalk rescue! Tchotchke's, chairs, gorgeous couch from the 20's, tables, lamps, frying pans, a restaurant ladle, a red Bundt pan, a brand new Presto pressure cooker, a Persian carpet, kittens, even the house itself. My father-in-law said that I was a sidewalk rescue! He was correct.

 

Most recently I said to my husband, I need to find you a nice dress-shirt and I need some costume hats for my language class.

 

On my street the next day was a box of a dozen brand new hats wrapped in plastic, Captain and Navy hats probably from a school musical and underneath the hats was a gorgeous shirt my husband's size. It smelled a little of cologne and I washed it and I can still smell a hint of it. He wore it to teach school yesterday.

 

I have a hundred stories of finding just what I need while walking my dog, even finding my car! I believe Sophie and Nat (my grandparents are orchestrating this from their heavenly perch!)