Finger Cots?!

This week, my Zia and Zio came over for lunch and to hang out with the dogs. Afterward, I took them downstairs to my studio to show them some of my new pieces. I didn't expect a tiny piece of studio equipment to steal the show, but the moment my aunt spotted a finger cot, she burst out laughing. It prompted a hilarious memory from the 1970s when she worked at the Bulova watch factory.

Back then, she’d mindlessly toss her used finger cots into her work apron, which my grandmother—a strict, traditional Roman Catholic matriarch from the Old Country—would wash for her. Finding these little rolled-up latex items in the laundry week after week, Grandma assumed the absolute worst. (I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks.)

Eventually, Grandma couldn't take it anymore. She pulled my aunt aside and laid down "The Talk"—heavy, strict, and unyielding. My aunt, completely bewildered, blurted out: "No, Zia! We use those to make the watches!" The shift was instantaneous. Grandma’s face dropped; her stern tone evaporated.

Decades later in my studio, we were laughing so hard we were nearly in tears, sending up some good wishes to Grandma. From what I’m told, she was a force to be reckoned with who made a hell of a spinach pie, and man, did she leave us with some great stories.