So….the other day, when a friend was bringing her dog to me for temporary babysitting, I got all dressed up…and I mean REALLY dressed up. After all, a visiting dog was the most exciting thing to happen in our household in a month!

I went to my jewelry drawer and started grabbing things – long necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings – lots of earrings which I placed on my ears and all over the wig I planned to wear because of having been kept away from my hairdresser.

I greeted my friend at the door and we had a laugh. Later, my friend texted me and asked if I had, by any chance, taken a selfie of me in my outfit because she hadn’t thought of it until later.

Well, though I had heard the Pope say something about hoping during the shutdown we wouldn’t get self centered, I obviously WAS self-centered and had taken a selfie. But think of it, at my advanced age, I had been asked for a photo!

That got me thinking. How about other folks surprising friends, family, maybe even the mail person or the Fed Ex guy by visiting lonely closets or jewelry boxes and dressing up. That scarf lady on TV every day can’t have all the fun.

Maybe in a family, they decide every Tuesday night to have the family Facetime with Grandma (you know, that old lady who is sitting home just waiting for the virus to knock at her door). So Facetime begins and Grandma looks like a glamour queen! All her jewely, her furs, a boa, a bedsheet who knows what…greets her family! Has Grandma lost it? No! She’s having fun….and next Facetime, the family comes looking like bikers complete with tattoos (using Mom’s make-up, a few colored pencils and perhaps crayon colors).

Or maybe a family has a theme such as “look like a movie star” night, or “clown” night or “scary person” night and everyone dresses up and calls Grandma and asks her to guess the theme and pick her favorite costume. And yes, pictures are taken all around….and become fun memories years from now in a scrapbook.

Technical note: Small screens will mean folks look better in closeup so you might want to just decorate the top half of your new look.

I also like the idea of making up up new names for yourself. My new name is Flamboya, but you can think of lots of other names as well: Brother Fab, Big Bad Daddy, The Jock, Mama Lovely, Jasper the Hulk, Olivia Bolivia, Chef Martini, Princess Blue Dress…..make it a game to think of a name and change names…whenever the spirit moves you.

Have fun everyone, from your old friend Flamboya!