Mom in the newspaper

Click to view.

Long ago, in a distant galaxy far, far away, my mother was approached by a news photographer. Artie Aidala was a photo-journalist who roamed New York City's streets with a camera, asking people the reader-submitted question of the day. Then he'd snap their photo for his column in The Daily Mirror (which went out of business long ago) and the next day the people he interviewed could see themselves in the paper. This was hugely exciting for the people of the day. Newspapers were a hot commodity back then. Everyone read them.

The column, as you can see from the image at the left, was called "You Said It!" I believe it's from the early 1950s. (You can click the photo to see a slightly larger version.)

My mother is always up for anything so she happily responded to the question. Her answer is brief and, because I know her so well, I find it funny. It's so Norma. 

She's still kicking at 85 years old, happy, healthy and always moving. You cannot stop little old Italian ladies; they just keep going and going. She cleans and fusses and cooks all day long, not stopping to rest until it's time for bed. It's her way and it seems to make her happy. We've tried to stop her, tried to say "rest!" -- but it doesn't work. To my mother, life is work and a day without work is an utter waste of time. As I say, this makes her very happy.

We love ya, ma. (She knows.)