Grandma had a glockenspiel
In the late sixties and early seventies, Grandpa Irving referred to his artist wife Louise as āthe hippie grandmaā. There was truth in this. She was a grey haired, bead-wearing artist, and it was Santa Cruz in the Age of Aquarius. Any local Santa Cruzin understands what I mean by this...Santa Cruz was the hippiest place outside of Berkeley and the Haight at the time.
The small Victorian home Grandma shared with Grandpa was packed with decades' worth of ephemera, odds-and-ends, and antiques. The smell of linseed oil and pot roast often co-mingled into one delightful aroma. To this day, when I crack open a tube of oil paint and the odor permeates the room; I am there again, in Gmaās kitchen. Watching her pull silkscreen prints, drawing, or putting the final touches on a painting as she narrates her work. Louise Sheppa Lovett was not your ordinary grandmother.
Grandma Lovett was very cool. Case in point: Grandma had a glockenspiel. It was stashed in the front parlor, next to the piano. She actually let us play it - in the house! Can you imagine? Only a bagpipe would produce more decibels! How cool is that? I donāt know how she could stand it, but she gave the grandkids access to the glockenspiel along with bells, whistles, and an interesting assortment of noisemakers.
It was indeed a happy day every time mom and dad piled the five of us into the old ā56 Chevy wagon and barreled down the California coast to Santa Cruz. Itās been a few years since then. Recently, we welcomed our first grandchild, a boy, into the family. To celebrate the occasion, I bought a glockenspiel. It sits next to my piano.
Until next time,Ā Ellen Anne Chong
Ā© Tish and Company LLC - Ellen Anne Chong
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