Shard from Hersey

One of the earliest memories of my mother is watching her at the kitchen table tutoring some high school student in Latin. My mother taught language in high school before her marriage. She majored in German but when she came to graduate, the teaching of German was forbidden because of World War One. My mother was at work organizing the town of Hersey. I remember one Halloween when she organized an apple dipping contest for all the children. My mother organized a town orchestra. The orchestra met in our living room to rehearse. I was shocked because the guitar player had a naked woman painted on his instrument. My mother organized a players group in town. One performance I was sitting in the audience when my mother directed the orchestra and the play. Remember those aptitude tests when you were asked do you want to be music director or play director? I assumed one could be both. And the Chinese laterns hanging in the yard, transforming life into fantasy.