Eleanor is not in fact a reader of TWR, but Sarah who is renting her house for the summer is, and I feel sure if Eleanor was not 100 years old and living in an old peoples home in Florida, she would be a regular.
The beautiful house on the edge of Lake Waramaug is pretty much as Eleanor and her husband Max (now sadly deceased) left it and Sarah and her family have been enjoying staying in what was obviously once a very happy family home.
Eleanor was born in Lithuania in 1910 and married Max Scheman in 1930. They had two children and lived in Brooklyn, New York. Working their way through the great depression, they went onto to be very successful and moved to Park Avenue and bought their holiday home in Connecticut.
Shortly after her 60th birthday Eleanor took up sculpture and painting, adopting the professional name of Elka (her original hebrew name). Her work focused on the daily lives of women and their relationships with children. She continued painting well into her 90's.
Eleanor's kitchen is fabulous and is more or less exactly as it would have been in the 1950's (very Betty Draper). It is equipped everything the modern 50's housewife needed and we feel Eleanor must have been the envy of the lake, as she owned a dishwasher and a microwave, almost certainly before they were mainstream.
Sarah and I have enjoyed contemplating Eleanor's life and exploring the rest of the amazing house. We hope if we live until 100, we manage to live such a full and creative life.
Eleanor was my grandmother and I came upon this wonderful post by accident! I am not sure who Sarah is but I am so grateful to her for writing this. Unfortunately, my grandmother died at the age of 100. She lived a full life and was a truly remarkable woman. She could relate to anyone she met – any age – any background, she was one of those souls who lit up a room. Max and Eleanor left this magnificent house to their 5 grandchildren. We all grew up with this house as a major part of our lives and want to keep it in the family. One of the ways we are able to do that is by renting out during the summer. I am so thrilled that Sarah and her family were able to enjoy this family treasure…..come back again!
Kathy Scheman Hertz
p.s. There was only one factual error and that is that she was born in New York, not Lithuania.