Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni
Tribute to My Mom, Rosalinda Sirianni
I can still see the sharp edges of opened tin cans as my mother dug them out of the vegetable garden where the Bellevue Borough dump used to be. And I can still smell the garbage dump that was only yards away, not to be out-done by the chicken manure smell that constantly reminded me that our grandfathered-in chickens would be with us always. As my mother shoveled chicken manure into our organic garden, I held my breath as I went under the old wooden garage to gather the slightly warm, light brown eggs that awaited their special place at our breakfast table or in our lunch frittata. So there my immigrant mom stayed for half of a century (1933-1983) until the day she died. She continuously cleaned up the garden, shoveled the manure, planted, weeded, hoed, watered and moved the plants that my dad had planted the day before to where she thought they would be better. She worked till dark and then more. With her third-grade education from the mountains of Southern Italy, she emphasized how important education was and encouraged us all to go to college. When it was time to go to college, mom went into her canning jars filled with money that we all had made selling our organic vegetables around the Borough. She joined this with our savings so we could take two streetcars to go to the University of Pittsburgh. I remember the day that the last one of us graduated from Pitt, Mom dictated a letter to me that I sent to the newspapers. She thanked God and America for the blessings bestowed on our family.
By Teresa Sirianni Amelio, Pittsburgh, PA
Nana Rosa's sayings
Salute prima - health first
Fa progresso - make progress, improve yourself
Centa misura, Una tagliata - hundred measures, one cut
Tutte Ie cose rosse, non sono cerasa - all things that are red are not cherries
Da ogni male, uno bene - from every bad, something good
Pane e manto non gravano tanto - bread and blanket are not so heavy
Dove non mettete I'ago, metterete il vostro capo - where you don't put the needle, you will put your head
La via corta ha potuto essere la via lunga - the short way could be the long way
Se stiate andando affogare, affoghi in un grande stagno - if you are going to drown, drown in a big pool
A la vicina, vada con una cesta chena - go to your neighbor with a filled basket
Tarda arriva, malo loggio - late arrival, ill lodging
Casa stretta, femmina destra - narrow house, clever woman
Mangi questo minestra, o getti dalla finestra - eat this minestra (minestrone) or jump out of the window
Ogni pietra alza Ie muro - every stone raises the wall
Insegni I'Ave Maria; il bambino decidira se vuole dirlo oppure no - teach the Hail Maria; the child will decide if he wants to say it