People & Places

People

○ Harold narrator's husband, met at a community center dance October 1968, custom cabinetry, married January 1970 at St. Bernard's, blueberry pancakes every Sunday, avid gardener (sunflowers, tomatoes, basil), Red Sox fan, used Irish Spring soap, blue lobster mug, died Tuesday March 14 2023, not a talker but left a handwritten love note in Grace's Betty Crocker cookbook, father was Tom 34 → ○ Sarah narrator's daughter, set up the memoir recording sessions, born 1972, always came down first for Sunday pancakes, was at the hospital when Harold died, stayed the night after, laughs like her mother 18 → ○ David narrator's son, born after Sarah, lives in Portland, chronically late, visited last April 2025, made his own version of Harold's pancakes with music, loved the workshop sawdust as a child, flew in when Harold died, looks like his grandfather Tom (same jaw) 14 → ○ Betty Kowalski narrator's friend and roommate on Walden Street, maid of honor at narrator's wedding, wore the green dress, older sister of Diane Kowalski 10 → ○ Tommy narrator's older brother, was 10 when she was 8, lives in Vermont, they talk every Sunday, drove four hours from Vermont the day after Harold died 9 → ○ Grace Harold's mother, tiny woman from New Hampshire, lived in Nashua, creator of the blueberry pancake recipe, called lunch 'dinner' and dinner 'supper', passed away in 1994, had a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1960s with handwritten notes, husband was Tom 9 → ○ Jack narrator's grandchild, very much like his grandfather Harold (quiet, notices everything), made the baseball team, made a clay cat for narrator, has a girl in his math class 7 → ○ Marcus student in narrator's first grade class in 1987, very small for his age, barely talked, learned to read after months of daily one-on-one sessions, became a librarian, visited narrator at her 2010 retirement 6 → ○ Lily David's daughter, narrator's grandchild, age 10, had a school science fair, was sick when Harold died so David flew back to Portland 5 → ○ Frank Peterson neighbor from next door, Yankees fan (Harold considered it a personal failing), helped narrator plant Harold's seeds every Saturday that spring, sunflowers grew to four feet 5 → ○ Diane Kowalski narrator's colleague at Emerson Elementary, Betty Kowalski's younger sister, very practical personality 4 → ○ Emma narrator's grandchild, age 17, wants to change the world, got David a small speaker 3 → ○ Phil someone Betty Kowalski was interested in during fall 1968 2 → ○ Bill Martin author of Brown Bear Brown Bear, Marcus tracked him down at an event to get a signed copy 2 → ○ Tom Harold's father, died before narrator met Harold, looked just like David (same jaw), Grace's husband 2 → ○ Sam narrator's grandchild, age 7 2 → ○ Henderson neighbor family, their house was across the street, about 40 feet away 1 → ○ Audrey Hepburn famous actress, Betty compared narrator to her as a compliment 1 → ○ Mrs. DiMaggio Grace's neighbor in Nashua, narrator called her looking for the pancake recipe 1 → ○ Eddie Flanagan sat behind narrator in chemistry class, returned from Vietnam missing an arm 1 → ○ Joan Baez folk singer, was playing in Boston in 1963, teenage narrator wanted to attend 1 →

Places

○ Vermont US state where Tommy lives, four hours' drive from narrator 2 → ○ Portland city where David lives, flew in from there when Harold died 2 → ○ Walden Street street where narrator and Betty Kowalski shared an apartment 1 → ○ Thoreau Street street with community center where Saturday night dances were held 1 → ○ Route 2 road where Barrett's Lumber was located 1 → ○ Monument Street street Harold walked narrator home along, past the old North Bridge 1 → ○ North Bridge old bridge landmark, Harold and narrator walked past it on their first meeting 1 → ○ New Hampshire US state where Harold's mother Grace was from 1 → ○ Nashua city in New Hampshire where Grace had her house with the tiny kitchen 1 → ○ Stow Street street where Emerson Elementary is located 1 → ○ Vietnam country where Eddie Flanagan served in the war, referenced in context of 1972 1 → ○ Worcester city in Massachusetts where Marcus may have been living around 2010 1 → ○ Springfield city in western Massachusetts, alternative location where Marcus may have been living 1 → ○ the Pike the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), used as geographic reference for western Massachusetts 1 → ○ Cape Cod coastal region in Massachusetts where narrator and Harold bought the blue lobster mug in the 1990s 1 → ○ Boston city in Massachusetts where Joan Baez played in 1963 1 →

Other

○ Everly Brothers American rock duo, disputed song at the dance where narrator met Harold 2 → ○ Thanksgiving American holiday when the family retells stories, including the pancake-on-the-ceiling story 2 → ○ Emerson Elementary elementary school on Stow Street where narrator taught first grade for 38 years (1972–2010), red brick building later painted yellow 2 → ○ Raytheon defense contractor where narrator's father worked 1 → ○ Barrett's Lumber lumber yard on Route 2 where Harold worked before transitioning to custom cabinetry 1 → ○ St. Bernard's church where narrator and Harold were married in January 1970 1 → ○ Irish Spring bar soap brand Harold used, green bar, its scent lingered on his pillow after he died 1 → ○ Red Sox Boston Red Sox baseball team, Harold listened to games on the radio in his workshop, even during spring training 1 → ○ Crosby's garden supply store where Harold bought seed packets (tomatoes, basil, sunflowers) the weekend before he died 1 → ○ Yankees New York Yankees baseball team, Frank Peterson is a fan, Harold considered this a personal failing 1 → ○ Betty Crocker cookbook brand, Grace had an old red and white Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1960s where Harold hid his note to Maggie 1 →