When I am an Old Woman I Shall wear Purple

[JitterbugPerfume]

has any one else read this wonderful book?

(sample)

When I am an old woman , I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me

and I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

and satin sandals, and say we have no money for butter.....



It is full of delightful poems and very short stories

[midnight]

1. No... but I have hear of it.... And I have been surrounded by the

purple hat ladies at a bus stop..... They are fun....

[JitterbugPerfume]

2. as we grow older

we care less what others think of us and somehow try to do the things we used to be to old for . I am seventy and life is good but I still can't bring myself to wear a red hat with a purple dress LOL

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Have you heard of the Red Hat Society??

http://www.redhatsociety.com/aboutus/Legacy.html

[JitterbugPerfume]

9. they seem to enjoy themselves

but the red hat ladies around here are conservative . I just don't fit in .

[hippywife]

13. It's a little passe.

To be a true red hat lady, one doesn't need the uniform. Funky clothes and jewels with a couldn't care less attitude and a great sense of fun and humor is all it takes.

I have always loved that poem for as long as I can remember, and these women running around in large groups wearing purple with red hats are really ruining the spirit of it.

And as you said, they tend to be conservatives, which explains their total lack of imagination when it comes to what this poem really means.

:hi:

[Ineeda]

20. You nailed it

I liked the poem and the sentiment behind it. The Red Hat Society ruined it for me. The poem means that you should embrace your non-conformity, yet these ladies do nothing but conform. Yuk.

[Grey]

3. Yes, and I love it.

[emilyg]

4. Yes. Got a copy for my daughter.

[jannyk]

6. Yes, I have, and I shall now read it again - thanks

[Zoigal]

7. YEP, I remember when it was published...I am an OLD lady (82)

and i love purple, magenta, and other bright colors. Wear them whenever
i feel like it. Haven't got a red hat yet though......z

[JitterbugPerfume]

8. I bought it in Tennessee

when my sister and I took our over 93 year old daddy on a trip through the south several years ago, Daddy had always been conservative about his appearance but as he got older he wore red, yellow and bright green with abandon , skinny legs and all .

[hippywife]

17. ...

:hug: That's all, just :hug: :D

[eridani]

10. Old age should rave and burn at close of day

Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[saras]

11. No reason to wait

All the cultural reasons for waiting until you are old - they're dead and gone. Even the economic reasons.

[cutlassmama]

12. My mother loved that and spoke of it often.

[peacefreak]

14. Warning by Jenny Joseph

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't wait to learn to spit!

[JitterbugPerfume]

15. thanks I love that poem!

[Curmudgeoness]

16. I bought it for my mother when it first came out. We all read it.

When mom passed away, I inherited it...I think I will have to re-read it since you brought it up. I need some of that uplifting quirkiness about now.

[abluelady]

18. Love the Book

Gave it to lots of my friends when they turned 50!

[pitohui]

19. i skimmed it, afraid that was enough for me

it has "inspired" an entire society or club or whatever you like to call it of magpies wearing red hats...oh, and i have learned that
by "old woman" they mean "woman over 50"

won't wear a fucking red hat, you will have to actually get close enough to see the lines on my face before you start putting me in a box as an "old woman"