  
|
|
|
October 31, 2004 will always have a special significance for me. As my four grandchildren enjoyed a "delicious" day of Trick or Treating, my mother (AKA "The Jewish Bunka Lady"), passed away. She was 88. Mom was an artistic late-bloomer; she was a teacher of Bunka, a unique form of stitchery that originated in China centuries ago.
It is often described as "oil painting of yarn." Bunka creates fluid textures that cannot be duplicated with traditional embroidery.
Mom is gone, but she leaves behind her husband of "zibetsik" (70) years, Bernie, children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and over 150 works of museum-quality art. Up until a year and a half ago, mom got into her car four times a week and drove to Roslyn (NY), Merrick, and Lawrence to teach her needlepoint.She exhibited her artwork at banks and libraries, and was voted ADULT ED TEACHER of the YEAR in Nassau County. She was the oldest adult education teacher on Long Island (NY).
She had the attitude of "Zits nit mit leydike hent" (Yiddish, Keep yourself occupied. Don't sit with empty hands.)She loved beautiful handkerchiefs, kept a meticulous "heym," and made the best split pea soup.
There was another side to mom. Dr. Ruth Westheimer need never fear competition. Mom provided no sex education for my brothers and myself. Every part of the anatomy was given a wrong "nomen" (name). The result? When I got married 46 years ago, I knew "bubkus."The funniest story? I was married about a month and mom was curious to determine how much I had learned in this short period of time. We were driving in the car and mom asked, "Marge, do you know what a diagram is?" (She meant a diaphragm!). I laughed.
When I was a young girl in Arverne, Rockaway Beach, anytime she saw a young woman smoking, she would point der finger at her and say to me, "Look at that BUMIKER." Mom was a source of misinformation. She told me that "VD" (venereal disease) stood for "Voo Den," Very Dumb, or Volume Discount. Before my high school prom, she gave me the following advice: "Never ask for a s-l-i-c-e of demitasse." "Az me est nit keyn knobl, shtinkt nit fun moyl." If you don't eat garlic, your mouth won't stink. When I had a zit on my face, she would say, "Makh nit keyn tsimes fun dem" (Don't make a fuss about it.) It will heal in time for the vedding." She was right. It did! Mom was not computer literate...or microwave literate. Several years ago we bought her a spiffy white microwave oven. I explained its operation. "If you want to heat something for 15 seconds, push 15. Plus Start. For 15 minutes, push 15 plus zero zero. Plus Start." From her expression, I sensed a problem. For months whenever I came to visit, the plug was pulled out. The microwave wasn't used. About six months went by and I received a "telefon" call from mom. "Marge, you'll be so proud of me. I made baked apples in the COMPUTER." During these past few months, confined to bed, mom enjoyed the soap opera, "Passions," and the TV program, "Everybody Loves Raymond." Her requests were simple: rice pudding, chocolate "ayzkrem," and ambrosia. About a month ago while visiting mom, I overheard her ask dad, "Did the 'pekl' (package) arrive? Did the 'pekl" arrive?" Her excitement was obvious. Dad told her that it hadn't arrived yet. A week later, a "groys" package arrived and it was given to me. The box contained a lovely afghan which was inscribed as follows:A Daughter
brings
sunshine to brighten your day.
A daughter
brings joy through her loving ways.
A daughter
is a blessing that comes from above.
A special and
beautiful treasure to love.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
| N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z |
| Yiddish
Stuff Jewish Humor Schmooze News More Majorie Wolfe |
Principle Jewish Stories All Things Jewish Jewish Communities of the World |