Cathy
All Saints Day
Mon Dec 16 2002 9:12:47 pm
My grandmother told us about how everything stopped on All Saints Day, except for the all day visit to the cemetary. Her family is in St. Louis #2 (I always get confused as to whether it's #2 or #3) on Esplanade near City Park. The grave dates back to the 1800s.
Mimi (my grandmother) talks of street venders hawking all sorts of flowers and goodies. White washing the tomb, placing fresh flowers on the tomb, visiting with friends, and packing a picnic lunch.
I brought a guy I was dating in college there with me in the 70s when my family was spending the day painting the tomb and sprucing it up. We brought beer and soft drinks and food. He was from Tallulah, La. He was shocked and amazed at our lack of dispair and the pleasure we were deriving from doing these chores for our departed loved ones.
Mimi later bought "perpetual care" for the tomb--which meant:
1. She wasn't sure if we'd keep the tradition
2. She couldn't bear the thought of our family tomb falling into disrepair.
Perpetual Care turned out not to be such a good thing. We stopped going to the tomb (except for burials) because we didn't have to. The tradition is gone. My mother still visits religiously a day or two before All Saints Day to make sure all is well and to bring fresh flowers. I'll have to make a point to start going with her.
I plan to be buried there, along with all those old Creoles(D'Alcontare, Poole, Hymel...). Isn't it wonderful that we can "re-cycle" our tombs and be buried with those we loved and those who came before us?
Apperson Automobile Company
Automobile Co Blotter, New Orleans
Apperson Automobile Company of New Orleans, Inc.
Phone, Main 5076, 618 Baronne Street
Measures 3 3/8" by 6 1/4".
Around the House
It would be wonderful to be able to identify this little old lady, photographed somewhere in the city at the beginning of the second decade of this century. But we have no idea who she was or exactly where this photograph was taken. She looks like a pleasant person, though, who didn't mind posing for our mystery photographer, perhaps on her own doorstep.
Image & text source:
href='http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/july98/july987.htm'>http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/july98/july987.htm
Housekeepin’ Tip:
Quick ‘n’ Eazee Freezuh Cleanin’.
1. Put uh bottluh Almaden Mountin Chablee in ya freezuh fa’ chillin’. (A white Zinfandel might woik mo’ bettuh.).
2. Fagitabowt it ovuhnight.
3. Ramembuh dat it’s in dere da nex’ mawnin’ right befoah ya plannin’ ta walk out da doah ta run ya erruns ya bin puttin’ awf fa’ latuh.
4. Put awn pratecktive gloves ta remove shawds a’ glass.
5. Put toikey an’ udda frozen food dat ya’ wanna keep awn da’ floah. (Watch da dawg don’t git at it!)
6. Put da outdated meats an’ fish in a lawdge gawbidge bag.
7. Mop up wan (wine) slurpee awf da bottomaduh freezuh wit’ several dispozabul clawt (cloth) rags.
8. Place rags in duh same gawbidge bag as duh meat an’ duh fish.
9. Place gawbidge bag in ya’ gawbidge can owtsod (outside).
An’ WA-LAH…..ya’ freezuhz bin cleaned, dawlin’!
Around the Neighborhood
Immage by Bunny
Matthews
Artista Pizza
Artista's was on a corner next to the Tiger Theater and there was a
bowling alley next to the theater, I believe it was called Sugar Bowl
Lanes. (There is a pizza restaurant on Veteran's called Tower of Pizza
that somehow evolved from Artista and we find the menu pretty close to what
was served on Franklin Ave. The Italian salad is exactly the way I remember
it and I frequently stop there on the way home from work at night to pick
up a large one to go!).
--
About Sugar Bowl lanes, I can remember going
in there just after the water receded from Hurricane Betsy and seeing that
all the bowling lanes had warped and twisted into hills and valleys.
We would spend entire evenings in that one block, eating at Artista's,
catching a flick at the Tiger and bowling a game or two before going across
the street to the King's Room for a few beers and some dancing to good
ol' 60's rock awn da' jookbox!
Billboards:
I remember a big sign on the corner of Esplanade and N. Rampart of
Diamond
Jim Moran. The sign was painted on the side of a house and was two
stories
high. It showed Jimmy Moran with all his diamond rings, diamond
stickpins,
diamond bracelet and watch and even diamonds mounted all over
his
eyeglasses! I stared at that sign every time the St. Claude trolley
would
stop to let passengers on and off.
Diamond Jim operated a
restaurant in
the 700 block of Iberville Street. His trademark was his
diamond
accessories and it is said that he would hide a diamond in a meatball
for a
customer every once in awhile. I wonder if he ever got sued by
someone
cracking a tooth?
Awtsquaya = Artsquare
Awtsquaya = Artsquare = coated paper flooring also know as linoleum. Forum quote: 'In the modern era of the 1950's, we would paint the parimeter of the room - the old pine floor boards - with an oil based
brown or green paint for a border. We would buy the artsquare and center it in with room and Voila! We were redecorated!
The artsquare store was on St. Bernard and St. Claude, in the two story building with the railing on the uptown, lakeside of the corner. (the New Orleans way of giving directions). Just this week I had to give such instruction to a tourist who could not figure out N S E W. I told him no self-respecting local could either. A forum response: 'I had to laugh at the comment about giving directions to tourists who could not figure North, South, East or West in New Orleans. I mean, how can anyone figure it out when South Carrollton crosses South Claiborne? And most of the
North/South streets actually run East and West?'
Azalea Gardens
By Mary Elizabeth Rumsey
When i was a little girl and lived in Azaela Gardens in the 60's we'd look forward to the taffy man coming down the street. A horse or mule pulled a wagon carrying a large square box where the taffy was pulled and then put on ya know that paper that didn't stick. It came in several colors and was quite tasty.
In the front of our neighborhood was a Winn Dixie and a K&B drugstore. I went down the road to school at St. Agnes and near the right hand side there was an old building with a staircase on the side. We assumed that it was haunted and we were afraid of it.
in the year 1963 when i attended st. agnes school, the nuns wore their full habits. you know like the ones in the movie \"sister act\". from head to toe, their habits started with white around the faces to the long black flowing dresses with the addition of a rosary hanging on the side. sister mary patrick was my first grade teacher, and at some time during the school year she had to have eye surgery. the day that she came back to school with an eye patch, well some of the students including myself cried. poor sister patrick, we were little and it just looked different. we were so naive back in those days. she was such a sweet teacher and she has always brought back good memories for me.
