Moving In

One month before we moved I had to have a rupture operation. The doctor said I couldn't move for one more week. I was only allowed to go to Closter to sign some papers. Our lawyer went also. My sister-in-law Rose had a married daughter living with her who had one baby, so I stayed at Rose's place. Rose went to Closter with my family and stayed a week. Rose was a Godsend.

My oldest son John and his dad went to Closter on November 21, 1947, one week before everybody, because we now owned the place. Someone had to be there to see that all went well. Our son Tony drove the car, his three sisters, Aunt Rose, a pot of beef stew, two loaves of Italian bread, sandwiches for noon lunch, a canary, a dog, cats, fish and Tony's favorite chicken. It was like Noah's Ark. The moving van went to Closter with eight rooms of furniture.

They arrived in Closter before the movers. Carm directed the movers where to place the furniture. Carm and I had talked about it, so she knew where we wanted the furniture. The movers were good. They placed everything wherever Carm wanted it. The movers were surprised that such a young girl knew so much. She was 18.

Carm's two sisters helped her clean the house; their Aunt Rose did all the cooking for them. One day Rose was making sauce for spaghetti. She had one rabbit; she said to one of the boys, “We need at least another rabbit so that everyone can have a piece of meat.” Tony went out with his gun and got another rabbit for her. She never forgot that.

I joined the family on November 28, 1947, the day before Thanksgiving. Our three girls were wonderful doing their share. They went shopping. They were strangers in a new town. They bought a turkey and all else that was needed. Carmela stuffed the turkey as I had shown her. Ann cleaned the vegetables; Phyl made pies and cookies. We all sat down at the dining room table and had our first Thanksgiving dinner in Closter, N.J. We enjoyed the delicious dinner and thanked God for our moving there. During that winter we got some of the worst snow storms. It was hard to travel or do anything much.