A Southern Belle's Birthday

Today we went to a party at the Senior Citizens' Center for a special birthday girl. Katie celebrated in full regalia.  I'll describe her from head to toe.

Katie's hair was gray and brown and it actually looked natural.  Nestled in well coiffed curls was a rhinestone headband about an inch wide.  At first I could not see the earrings.  They were dangling so low they were hidden by the green boa feathers around her neck that reached almost to the floor.  Also, she wore a string of pearls at least six feet long--the kind flappers used to twirl when they did the Charleston.  Katie was dressed in a silver lame skirt and blouse with a yellow flowered jacket.  On top of the skirt was something made of string  or fringe that pertained to a dance costume of the 1920's.  She was wearing only one ring but it was big enough to seen from a distance.  However, rings on fingers would have appeared insignificant next to the three bracelets on either wrist.  Some of them were wide rhinestone bands and others were colored stones. The next things of note were the garters just below the knees.  Then to finish the costume, she wore sparkly gold slippers with four rhinestones on the toes.  You got the picture?  Oh, no!  I forgot the big button pinned on her left shoulder that read, "Kiss me. I am old and harmless."  Those senior men were doing their best to fulfill her request.

Katie played a ukulele.  The other musicians were playing a scrub board, guitars, violins, accordions, ukuleles, and Cajun accordions.  The latter are the ones that, according to critics, have only two notes.  Anyway, those senior musicians gather twice a week to entertain themselves and whatever crowd appears.  Today there was a pretty good crowd.

This blog shouldn't be too long but I must tell you about Katie's singing and dancing.  She requested "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and she sang it.  Then when the musicians struck up a lively version of the "Gumbo Song," she stood up and danced the Charleston.  She stayed pretty close to a chair and held on some but she remembered the steps and had the gestures: flirty eyes, swinging shoulders, provocative hip moves and good footwork--some of it a little behind the beat.

Katie was presented a framed copy of a proclamation from the Mayor honoring her 98th birthday and the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" a second time.  Her conclusion?  "I had fun!"   (GL)