Peggy Lynn

There is a fourth goldie. Or, she was supposed to be. The goldies call each other, text and email. We are not afraid to say, "I am in my closet and I am scared about my life" Until the other night, I had not spoken to Lynn in 25 years or so.

So I answered the phone to hear, "Hi Sher, it's Lynn." (Very few people call me Sher." Just hearing her voice sent me over the moon.)

I couldn't put a sentence together or gather a coherent thought. I kept picturing us in high school. I was so busy with memory lane that I could not concentrate.

She was the smartest person I knew in high school; she skipped graduation ceremonies.
She was the first person I knew to get a tattoo.
She was the first person I knew to have a baby out of wedlock, even though I personally took her for birth control.
She was the first person I ever knew to steal a car (her parents) and wreck it.
She left a toilet on my parents' lawn. Her sense of humor was contagious.

In our brief conversation, she still managed to shock me:

She does not have a computer, therefore no email.
She does not have a cell phone.
She only gives her phone number to trusted people. (I have it.)

Here's the kicker: she told me she named her second son after my father. For someone who did not spawn a boy, he seems to have a lot of people name their sons after him. She also asked, by name, about my mother. I could not tell you her parent's names if you threatened to pluck my fingernails out.

Jan and I are having lunch with her on Sunday. I cannot wait. I wish Deb would get on a plane and come along.

Drugs and Needles

This is floating around the Internet. I couldn't resist.

If you are young and someone says, "I have a fun idea," my advice is to run like the wind. Drugs and needles can only get you in trouble.

This woman had a little too much fun in the 60s.

Piercings and Tattoos

Considering my fear of unnecessary use of needles, even I'm amazed that I have pierced ears. My mom and I did this little venture together and held each other's hands. (This was back in the day when they stuck a cork behind your earlobe and jabbed it in.) I tried to flee after the first one was done but she was stronger than me. Plus, the whole adventure was my idea.

Needless to say, I do not have a tattoo. It's never going to happen.

I am not a teenager but I seem to know an awful lot of people who have chosen this version of self expression. I can't pick up People Magazine without some 20-year old, 40-year old, 60-year old wearing a gorgeous dress and showing the world her ink work. I turn the page quickly.

I worked in one of those middle-of-the-mall jewelry stands when I was about 15-years old. The only reason I got the job was it required a steady hand with the engraving pen and the owner liked my handwriting.

By then, that ear-piercing gun contraption had been invented and he informed me that I would also be required to perform that task. There was an exchange student at our school and some of my friends brought her in after hours so I could pierce her ears. She said, "Now I am like cow." (For you non-farm people, that's how they used to identify cows -- tag them in the ear.")

I'm very relieved that no one was into tattoos during that time.

I'll Take the Fake

I love Manhattan. The husband and I used to go several times a year. His job situation has changed over the years but I still make sure I get to go at least once or twice a year. I have my favorite restaurants and my favorite haunts. I love the ambiance and I love the fakes.

I know several teenage girls who have serious designer purses. ($1000 and up!) I have never owned a purse that costs that much and I never plan to. I can find the knock-off in Chinatown. If you want to spend several hundreds of dollars on sunglasses with the label, that is your right. I will buy the knock-offs. (I'm going to lose them anyway.)

My home has many silk plants. They're pretty and I can't kill them. I'll take the fake.

Thanks to my parents and the husband, I own some beautiful jewelry. I also own a lot of fakes. I have lost more earrings than I care to count so with the fakes, I don't sweat it.

Several years ago, we were all in Mexico. I'm terribly afraid of needles so I would never get a real tattoo. (Even with the needle thing, I don't think I'm a tattoo kind of person.) I got a fake one that said, "Princess," and I wore it with pride.

Here's what you can never fake: A family that loves you and the cocoon of love that comes with friendship.