The insurance man. Haaa! My grandmother used to tell us to be quiet when playing outside because "Jimmy The Insurance Man" was coming over.


We also had what we referred to, and I do not intend to offend anyone here, a salesman named Hy The Jew.

Hy was a Hasidic Jewish man who used to come to the home with books, selling things out of a catalog that you could buy and then pay him on what later became known in retail as a layaway plan. The only difference was with Hy you would get your merchandise and then pay him back over time.

He would come by once or twice a month for his money. I remember when the bell would ring and I would answer the door he would say "tell your grandmother that Hy the Jew is here!"

My mother always told me that if it were not for HY my grandpaarents would not have been able to afford to provide a lot of the furnisihings that they had for their home with all the children that they had. Hy made it affordable and manageable for my grandmother.