1955 and 1956

In 1955 the prices on flowers started going down. Flowers were being shipped in from Florida, California, Hawaii, France, Holland and other parts of Europe. The price of flowers, especially roses, went way down in the United States. We bore the brunt of it. Sometimes all the men got paid except my husband. Of course that made it hard on me. I used all the tricks I knew to cook economical, nourishing meals. We had to sell 14 acres of land in order to stay in business. We sold it to a developer who built a row of houses on it. We converted the boilers to oil from coal. That way we just needed one night man to take care of the boilers. We still had seven men working for us. We paid all our bills and started a new book. We had to borrow money to finish sending Ann to college. She was doing very well in college. She still played her clarinet every chance she got. Ann worked in the college library; that gave her pin money.

We had moved to Closter when I was 42 and my husband 46. Everyone thought it took a lot of courage to change our lives at that age. Yes, it was very tough, but we never regretted it.

I was now 49 years old. The lower part of my abdomen was giving me a lot of trouble. In October, 1955, my doctor sent me to Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J., to get a scraping. I was feeling pretty good after the scraping. After two days, Dr. Banano came in the room, sat beside me and said, “How do you feel?”

I answered, “I am feeling fine, when do I get to go home?”

He answered, “You are not going to like what I'm going to tell you. So, please try not to get to nervous and work up a fever. Things will get worse. I don't like what I found when I gave you the scraping. I will have to perform a hysterectomy in about two days.” He said, “Please try to bear with it. It's for your own good.”

Of course, I cried. I asked if I could go home for a few days because I wanted to get everything straightened out. Because this was an emergency I didn't have time to arrange for my absence. But the doctor said, “I have talked it over with your medical doctor and your husband. They think it is easier for all concerned if you stay right in the hospital and in two days I will operate.”

I did not know it but Dr. Banano thought I had cancer. He had sent a specimen to Trenton for analysis. One night my husband came to visit me. He was as white as a sheet. I started asking him questions such as, “How do you feel? Are you eating well? Did you work too hard?”

He answered that he had had a hard day, but the real reason he looked so pale was because the results about the cancer had not come back from Trenton. He was worried what the answer would be. Finally the results came back. Dr. Banano said the test was negative. He also said he was surprised that it wasn't cancer, because he had never seen such an enlarged uterus before. Thank God it wasn't cancer. I was in the hospital ten days. They had to give me three blood transfusions and glucose. It took me a long time to recuperate.

I asked the doctor, “Do I have to put my metal brace back on?”

The doctor said, “Let's try without it.”

I have never worn it since.

Phyl stayed home one week in order to help me. She cooked good meals for the family, washed and ironed the clothes, and cleaned the house. Her sister Carmela would come and check to see that all was going well. My daughter-in-law Lorraine would do our shopping. She also cooked some food I could eat and gave me fresh vegetables. My daughter-in-law Rosemarie also came to visit me to see if she could help. Everyone was good to me. After three or four weeks I began to feel better. I could do all my own work again. I was glad to be alive. My husband was very happy to see me on my feet again.

1956 Carm announced she was pregnant again. After having a second baby their apartment would be too small. So they went around looking for a small home to buy. They finally bought a five room home in Closter. They added two rooms and a bathroom on the second floor. Mario's beauty shop was doing well. Right after they moved into their new home, Denise was born.

Mario's parents used to come from Philadelphia and stay for weekends in the country at our place. They slept upstairs. They enjoyed their visits. Mario's mother used to make homemade sweaters and small afghans and sew pretty dresses for her two granddaughters. She loved them very much.

When Denise was a baby Carmela had an operation. She was quite sick. Not too long after that, she had a miscarriage. She almost passed away. Her baby would have been a son. She had another miscarriage and again the baby would have been a son. Carmela has RH blood. The doctors told her, “No more children.”

My husband and I did whatever we could to help them. He would drive me to Carmela's house and leave me there for the day. I would take care of the two little girls, cook their meals and clean the house. We had our supper there. Then we went home to sleep and went back in the morning. Mario did most of the shopping. He visited Carm in the hospital as much as he could. Carmela was told she shouldn't have any more children because of her RH blood. When her second daughter, Denise, was almost nine years old, Carmela decided she wanted one more child. She had girl and they named her Marion. Marion is bright in school, plays the piano and she is a lovely singer.