Elizabeth Bush
Current
Director of
Environmental Services
"The Landlord"
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Woe
is he, or she, who arrives at The Mines and doesn't check in first
with the big boss, Elizabeth Bush Current (AKA "E.B"), David's
mom, Anne's ("favorite") mother-in-law and CurrentRutledge's
landlord. Having purchased a beautiful three-story turn-of-the-century
mansionette in her younger years, EB now amuses herself by "giving"
(this doesn't preclude her charging fair market rent) her son's hobby-turned-career
a nice warm dry roof to work under. (Ouch, she's also the Grammar
Queen and would throw a fit if she saw how we ended that last sentence
with a preposition. It's a good thing she doesn't have web access.)
Of
course, giving "the boy" a roof to work under also keeps
him close so she can keep an eye on him. As she often says, "You
don't get to be old bein' no fool" a line she stole from Richard
Pryor.
Not much gets by her. For one thing, the studio occupies the first and
third floors while her apartment is on the second, all connected by an
internal stairway that passes directly by her lair, that is, her kitchen.
She keeps a watchful eye on everybody going up and down those stairs. With
each pass there is an opportunity to discuss the current situation in international
affairs, or sample whatever she's whomping up in the kitchen (two of her
justifiably famous recipes are reprinted below*). 
If she is not busy reading foreign affairs rags, cooking, pestering the
CR staff, or mastering the impressive alarm system, one will usually find
her running her clipping service from the kitchen table. She pores over
The Christian Science Monitor (her favorite) and the recycled New York
Times (from downstairs) marking and clipping articles and then mailing
them off to her far-flung "subscribers."
While she is typically very sociable and accommodating, we do offer one
word of warning: don't even think about disturbing her during the Jim Lehrer
News Hour. Even though she's pushing 90, she still packs a punch!
(*
Well, as we went to press, it seems the old bird is not willing to give
up her recipes just yet. Stay tuned to this page as negotiations are continuing.)
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