The Joint

Costello's is the family corner bar built by my paternal grandfather, Joseph Costello, and his sons Joe Jr., Bill, Jack, and Tom. It sits at the corner of Aurelius and Myrtle Aves and was run form many years by Gramp and Granny (Clara) before turning the place over to Joe Jr. His daughter Patty runs it with her husband EJ (Glanville) today. For many years we spent Christmas day down at "the joint," as Dad referred to it, after having opened presents at home that morning. They'd close for the day for all except family, and we'd have dinner sitting in the wooden booths along the west wall or at the tables lined up down the middle of the barroom. At some point while visiting with our many cousins "Santa" would make a surprise appearance, coming in through the kitchen.
The earliest pop song that I remember clearly I first heard at Costello's, playing on the jukebox in the corner: Perry Como singing "Hot Diggity" - a big hit in 1956. I suspect many of those 50s hits lingered on the jukebox into the early 60s.

In later years Dad would meet his brothers, Tom and Bill, at the joint on Tuesdays for lunch and to shoot the breeze. For a few years Dad would treat his daughters, alternating with his sons-in-law, to lunch on Saturdays.

69 North Fulton

This is a picture of the Cuddy family home at 69 North Fulton Street (thanks, John!) which my maternal grandparents, George and Florence Cuddy, owned until 1972 and where my mother grew up. The Wilsons, Carol and her mother, owned the house to the south and the Ramages lived next door to the north. Holley Street runs behind the backyard.I loved the front porch. For a child it was big enough to run around on, and in summer the forest green wooden blinds would be rolled down to the railings, to protect against the afternoon heat and summer rain storms.

The driveway was loose stone paved over dirt and ran the length of the property down to the big white garage along the back corner. I never remember them keeping the car in the garage, though. The hand mower Francis (Myers) pushed to cut the grass was stored there, and I remember old maps pinned up on the wall, and some gardening tools like a rake and shovel. There was a big barn of a storage building, probably an old stable, that belonged to the Ramages that sat across from Grandpa's garage, though I don't recall spending any time in it. Gram hung the wash from the clotheslines out back when it was mild enough. Otherwise clothes were hung to dry on lines in the cellar.

Along the garage wall were thick green ferns and in the corner the remains of what was at one time a small ornamental pond. There were lilac bushes far down the yard, trees practically they were so tall and overgrown. The Ramages had masses of lilacs along their yard, deep purple, light purple white and pink. Come late April and the whole place smelled like spring. Gram also planted a few hyacinths and narcissus but mostly she had rose bushes alongside the south side of the house and under the front windows. Yellow roses were her favorites.