AUNTIE FLAME

Over the weekend I had received sad new while at the Pride festivities. A very good friend and fellow blogger, who some of my longtime readers may know, Auntie Flame, also known as Joy , or Bernice, lol(Designing Women), who had her own trivia blog, Babble On, sadly passed on Friday. I had gotten a call from her grandson, and a text from my good friend and sister Mame, AKA David Dust of the sad news. Last time I had talked to Joy, she was in remission of the dreaded C word....and was going for treatment. But a turn for the worst the last couple weeks.  She wasn't feeling up to snuff. She was quite something if you knew her from her blog. Even in her later years girlfriend was with it, no grass grew under her feet. And she LOVED her gay boys! She used to say I and Mame were her adopted nephews.  I had the great pleasure to meet her twice when she came to Philly. 

And she wanted to see it all. We toured three museums that first trip and had a delicious dinner. Her two requests were to go to 1- the Naked Chocolate Cafe, now defunct, but my lands what a sinful place it was. It was an all-chocolate cafe. I can still recall the beverage she got. While we had dainty drinks...Joy, who loved chocolate went whole hog.

I can still hear her words..."I like it dark, and I like it large!" A size queen after my own heart. and 2- she wanted to go to the gay bar Woodys.  You wouldn't believe the things and conversations we'd have. She regaled to me how she was once even blacked balled in her community years back because she dated a black man. And she liked her men!  Any wonder we got along? Joy lived just outside Nashville and enjoyed being a school teach, English Lit for over 35 years, and a member of the Dickson County Board of Education. She loved her movies, listening to Irish music, traveling and especially anything and everything trivia. She was always quite entertaining on all our blogs. She hung her blog up years ago to spend time on Facebook, but we always kept in touch all these years. She was a life saver for me during the pandemic. We'd talk for hours. She too was a night owl, so at times we'd talk to the wee hours. And no subject seemed to be off limits. She was a complete hoot. She educated me on some classic books and movies I never saw or read, like the movie 1776. I always think of her after she sent me a copy of it and watch it. And I educated her on drag. We may have been years apart in age, but what an unexpected friendship. My friendship goblet feels a tad emptier without her in it. Never push anyway people...you never know where a good friendship will form, even off of blogs.

If any of you knew her or still talked to her on the phone or on socials, you can go here, to sign the memory guestbook for her family to add your condolences or memories of Joy. 

What a Dame! Joy was the perfect name for her.