Beautifying G'ma
Her hair is longer than I've ever seen it on her head. As a girl, her mom turned her auburn curls into Shirley Temple ringlets that fell down her back, impressing her friends and causing a minor uproar at home. Her dad was a committed Socialist and wondered why his little girl was trying to be more special than all the other little girls in the neighborhood. She remembers the argument. She also remembers loving her curls. As a young woman, posing for photos with her going-off-to-war brother, the shop owner asked if he could take one just of her. He wanted it for the display in his window. She remembers being surprised by herself every time she walked past the store. Putting herself out there was not her style. Enjoying the celebrity was not how she spent her days. Still, she sits up a little straighter and smiles just a little brighter when she looks at this photo, some seventy years after it was taken She was a stunner. There's n...