When I was very little, my parents and I lived in a house in Chelsea, Mass., that we shared with my grandparents who lived upstairs. It was always dark. There was nothing beautiful to look at except the flowers outside that grew by the side of the garage.
When I was 6 we moved to a new light-filled home of our own in Prattville section of Chelsea, and got a Westinghouse refrigerator instead of an icebox. It came with a set of covered refrigerator storage containers of beautiful delft blue that was a delight to my eyes and nice to touch.
My mother made coffee jello for my dad in this container. It was always full because my dad loved coffee jello. Often when he came home, he and I would have some together, doused with cream. I have kept it all these years. I still love its beautiful color and the way it feels, and I still love coffee jello. But most important are the wonderful memories with my dad in our beautiful new home.