I saw them again. This time in my very own apartment house lobby wearing purple outfits and red hats. They were waiting for a ride to The Civic Theater in Bloomington, Minnesota to go seeThoroughly Modern Millie.  It was the Red Hat Society women. 

Oh, how they frighten me.  Don't get me wrong, they are perfectly adorable.  But, niggling in the back of my mind is the thought that my friend, Melanie, will, in a few years, start nagging me to join them.  I can just see us driving around Minnesota on our little jaunts with our big red hats and our purple jump-suits or peddle-pushers, or whatever, and people will smile at us.  I don't really want to be noticed.

One time I drove out to visit Melanie and Crabby Dave and they wouldn't leave me alone until I put on this vintage hat, glamorous sunglasses, and fur-piece that Melanie had picked up at some odd shop somewhere.  And then!  They took a picture of me and laughed.  What in the world? 

So you can appreciate my reservation when I see this group of happy women enjoying themselves as they wait for some excursion together.  It's terrifying.