Okay, I hear you...

I have received more than just a few emails and phone calls asking

 "What the hell is going on and why aren't you blogging!!!!????"

Sorry.

Here, I'll tell you a story and then you will laugh and not be mad anymore.

When I was a little girl, about 6 years old, I was invited to be a flower girl in my cousin's pageant.

I was the youngest of three kids and my cousin was
the oldest in my Mom's sister's brood.

Betty.

Betty was of an era that still exists in many American families today. Usually the oldest sister. The know it all that would tell on you and the one that was treated like some level of royalty for various reasons that had nothing to do with being Betty but more to do with being "first born" or "first girl" or whatever.

I was the third kid so it was more like ... whatever.

But Betty was perfect.

She strived to be perfect. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect amount of merit badges from girl scouts.

And she was always sweet to me in a "oh you poor little thing from a cotton patch" sort of way.
Betty lived in Memphis and went to East High, where Elvis went to High School
only a couple of years ahead of Betty.

I remember the entire attic at my Aunt Dot's house was full of Betty's ball gowns. I mean there was nothing up there but clothing racks that were full of ball gowns. And accessories. Now, my Aunt Dot worked for General Electric for something like 25 years, all day long, poking 4 little wires through 4 little holes in a little socket.

That is what she told me anyway.

But... I can't imagine how many of those little wires had to be poked to make

the dough to buy one of those ball gowns much less a hundred of them.

I wanted to get into that attic and play like you cannot imagine.

So, although I had no clear idea what a pageant was, I was in...

 thinking that I might just get a shot at dress up yet.

Rainbow girls is an organization that is a part of the Eastern Star,

the woman's side of the Mason's fraternal order.

It is sort of like Eastern Star women in training.

(My grandmother was in the Eastern Star but all I saw of it was a

bunch of women that did all the cooking for pot luck dinners at the lodge.)

Betty, being perfect, was to be crowned the Queen of all the Rainbow Girls.

And the pageant was like a wedding of sorts but no groom. I was 6. 

Anyway, I was to be the flower girl and George was to be the crown bearer. 

I got a new dress but wore my current white patent shoes that hurt my feet.

I remember those damned shoes. 

The time for the pageant was drawing near.

My sister, 6 years older and extremely authoritative, had me at home alone, 20 miles in the middle of
no where.

She told me that Mom had called and wanted her to cut my hair for the pageant.

"Nuh-uh! I want to call Mama!"

No, my sister told me because she is at work and too busy. So several threats later, my sister Nena, began her short lived career as a hair dresser. 

The bangs she cut were always longer on one side than the other so she had to even them up and then...

they were longer on the other side and so on, until there just weren't any bangs left.

Mom threw a fit when she came home.  

I don't remember how they got things evened out and I didn't really care about my hair.

I had my new dress on and my squeezy shoes and I had a bouquet to hold and

I thought I looked pretty damn good,

until Betty came in.

I remember Betty, coming through some big doors with tons of Rainbow Girls all hugging and making over her like a Queen...

She had on the prettiest white flowing organza filled lacy mesh wonder I'd ever laid eyes on.

She took one look at me, and burst into tears.

Come on...

Well, Betty's life wasn't nearly ruined like she thought and

I got this great photo to help remember this event.
It is always worth a good laugh to me. 

Betty never managed to achieve perfection.

I never got to play in that attic either.

My last blood work showed no increase in the level of CA-125, tumor markers.

Hallelujah!
Join me in being really, really happy.
Thank you all so much for your support. I will try to be more diligent in my reporting.

All my love...