"I understand people, maybe not with my brains but with something my ancestors planted in me." (Mrs. Zagretti) - Blume Lempel

Life, my dear, is a garden full of all kinds of plants," Mrs. Zagretti said. "People, too, are plants that must be cultivated if they are to reach their highest potential.

"Anyone who says that figs from a can are as good as figs from a tree isn’t worthy of a real, natural fruit — a fruit grown without chemicals or artificial fertilizer, a fruit as God created it." (Mrs. Zagretti)

At times I feel very pessimistic—for whom are we writing? Then I think of you—you, who give so much and receive so little, who go on with your work—and in Yiddish! Who am I to complain? bl