Winter Solstice

Siblings, Fanny, Abe and ETHEL Pellicoff, 1894. Philadelphia, PA

Today is the Winter Solstice. It also happens to my grandmother's birthday. Ethel Anna Pellicoff Bloom. She would have been 129 years old today! Grandma Ethel died 56 years ago at the age of 73...young for today. I can't believe it's been such a long time. She made a great impression on me. People say I resemble her. She was very artistic. She sewed and crocheted, played the piano, was a champion bridge player and was a great cook.

Ethel Anna Pellicoff, High School Graduation, 1907,  New Jersey

A few years ago, my cousin Carol told me a story about Grandma I'd never heard before. The Blooms lived in West L.A. from the mid-1930s until a few years after WW 2. Ethel was a realtor. She had many friends in the business, including shop owners on Sawtelle Avenue, the Japanese section of West LA. When many of her Japanese friends were shipped off to internment camps during the War, Ethel held their properties for them. She collected rents, made sure all repairs were done and generally watched over everything for the owners until they returned to Los Angeles. Of course, her friends authorized Ethel to make a small salary for her efforts. I'm very proud of my Grandma.  I was just a girl when she passed. I so wish she had been around when I was older so I could have gained more of her wisdom. 
Happy birthday, Grandma!