Laura Rose-Lewis was one daughter of Lorraine and Rabbi Rose. Laura was married to a Lewis, which is somehow directly related to the Schnitzers. The Schnitzers were a predominant or influential family in Portland, Oregon. I don't believe I ever met them.
Laura and ___(I'm forgetting her husband's name right now...Scott?) Lewis had a house near a park with a great running trail. What I found interesting about the Lewis's was that they did seem concerned about ecology and equality. They both went to University of Oregon and Laura worked as the manager of a Victoria's Secret for awhile and then she was married. I don't know what he did. I know he was an outdoorsman.
They're house was decorating in earth tones and they had a good selection of music. I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and ________ while I was there. I didn't have to clean for her, I just did babysitting, but if I had free time, I organized her closet and cupboards.
I remember trying a very good English strawberry tea that was to die for, and richer and better tasting than most teas I've tried. They also had tons of veggie-meat and practiced vegetarianism. I thought it was sweet to find "green eggs and ham" out for the kids once, where Laura had colored their meals. Laura tried very hard to be a good mom, and in my opinion, she was.
After the boys were asleep, I watched a black and white french film with subtitles that I really liked, but wish I knew the name. It had some of the best dialogue I've ever heard, even though it went from screen to screen focused on two people (boyfriend and girlfriend) with nothing more really going on, than talk of philosophy, with wit.
On Scott's bedside table there was a stack of books on Buddism and other intellectual fare. Laura's side was lighter but not dummy material. I think, novels and things about parenting. Laura had some of the best essential oils I've ever tried. Lots of Aveda stuff too, which I loved.
The best part about babysitting or housesitting for them was their bathroom. They had a large jacuzzi tub and a shower I still covet. It had a bench and ceramic tiles which stayed cool even when the shower was hot, and then there was a steam-sauna feature which filled the enclosed shower with steam. It was almost better than most sauna's I've tried...you left with more energy, not less. I personally like sauna much more than hot tubs. I like bathtubs, but not the chlorine in hot tubs.
It was at the Lewis's that I got Lorraine's note, letting me go. I had been having trouble with keeping my free time free. I'd had an offer to work in another house of her neighbors, a gay couple of lawyers with one who had AIDS (and a tremendous rug depicting Samson & Delilah that I loved), and I wanted to take the position, but Lorraine refused to allow it. I was slightly nervous about the AIDS factor, but felt it shouldn't be a problem and I wanted to do it. I couldn't. Then when I went back to college, Lorraine had a problem with my college schedule.
So I was at the Lewis's and saw what Lorraine had left--she left a note on the back of a used-up checkbook which said, "Most disappointed with times. Lorraine." That was it! She left extra money or the Lewis's did, but I wouldn't take it. I didn't need a "we're letting you go tip". All I ever asked for was honesty and fairness, nothing more, nothing less.
So it was no big deal, but I still have that checkbook note. I showed it to Halea and told her and later when the Lewis's asked her what my reaction had been, asking if I'd been pretty upset, Halea was truthful and said, "No, not at all. She just said she was surprised Lorraine let her go the way she did, instead of telling her to her face, but she wasn't upset at all." Which was true. I wasn't mad. What had made me mad was finding out about the self-employment tax thing and I can't remember if that was before or after I was let go--I'd have to look it up. I know I worked for Lorraine/Roses for one year or more because it was from one Passover to the other.
I'm going to find out exactly when I found out about the tax thing and reported them, and dates. Right about this time I met the monks of Mt. Angel Abbey too, so I want to look back on my calendar and find out when it was, and when it was that I went back to college.
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