I used to think my parents were Mr and Mrs Santa Claus. Later Mr. and Mrs. God. Always mom and dad.
We lived in NYC apartments. At first on Manhattan’s upper west side across from the museum of natural history and the entrance to central park and my playground friends. When I was eight we moved in great big fun playhouse sized boxes to the upper east side. My brother and I no longer had to share a room and my grandmother got a nicer front room but I missed the more casual West side.
It was who they were, and how they had become that. Mom was a designer and writer. She could also sell. Dad was a designer and cartoonist and could run a business. The company grew steadily from dad doing silkscreening himself and mom selling to all the local and well known department stores.
My parents designed manufactured and sold greeting cards. Humorous everyday cards marked special occasions, feelings and moments, birthday, get well, anniversary, congratulations, condolences, new house, baby, job, Valentine’s, Mothers and Fathers Days cards.
Christmas and Seasons Greetings were their market leading lines. The cards, both serious and joyful, would be sold custom imprinted with names as well as addresses on the envelopes. The same cards were also sold boxed at retail.
i lived thw factory. .