More identifying signs.

My grandfather was a house painter - a paintner, in Yiddish. Though my recollections of him are very minimal, I remember stories, one of the most common of which might be called: "how to identify a paintner".

Paintners get dirty, or more precisely, they get covered with paint. My father would tell us that after work my grandfather would meticulously wash himself in order to get the paint off him, but he would invariably miss some spots, specifically behind his ears. And this was a common problem among paintners. My grandfather was active in numerous union activities, both cultural and political, which were attended by men and women from various professions. Of course all of them attended after showering and cleaning themselves. But, as Dad told us, it was always possible to know who the paintners were because of the paint behind their ears.

Working class roots were an important aspect of Dad's identity, an aspect he passed on to us. He succeeded in having a couple of my grandfather's paint brushes cast in resin, and these were displayed on the mantle piece above the fireplace. Today one of them proudly sits on display on a shelf in our home as well. It's a conversation piece, but it's also a reminder for me, as it was for Dad.

Go to: The sagging pocket, or
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Go to: Burning memories.