My mother has joined a gang...

I am concerned about my mom. I believe she has joined a gang. This wild, tea swilling, bingo playing, sideview hitting mirror vandals hang out in her senior citizen complex, or what she fondly calls "the Compound." Generally, the number can fluctuate (depending on who's in Florida for the winter) but the gang, or the Posse as we call them are as follows:

Big Marge: Towers over the rest and is a real live wire. Thought to be somewhere in her 80s and still drives (I would tell you the make and model but she goes too fast for me to get her license). My favorite thing about Marge is she actually has one of those little stair elevators in her apartment. "You have to try it," she begged me when I stopped over one day. "It's so much fun! I just use it for my groceries!" So there I was, sitting in this very slow moving stair car as Marge walked beside me saying "Isn't this fun?" Just like Disney!

Little Marge: No relation to Big Marge but since they had the same name and she's about three feet shorter, hence the name. Little Marge doesn't live in the compound but can be found joining the Posse for outings to the movies and Atlantic City. Little Marge may not say much but her eyerolls are classic.

Betty: Now if there was ever a woman who should have her own talk show, it's Betty. No way would you believe she is 90, she sings, dances and basically tells jokes. If you had a piano and a step stool, I bet she'd dance on it, without even benefit of a can of ensure.

Inga: I want to have Inga's energy when I grow up. Again another 90 year old, this woman is the ultimate health nut and I wish I had her gams! She walks, gardens and basically keeps the others in line with a look. You don't want to mess with Inga on a dark street...you would lose.

Bridie: Don't let those Irish eyes fool you, this lady is one sharp cookie. She and Inga travel down to Florida every winter and she's always happy to be "back home" with the "girls" when the spring comes. A true lovely lady but don't ever play bingo with her, she's a shark!

Lorraine: Lorraine is the first one to have her door decorated for any holiday, included Groundhogs Day. She has a wonderful sense of humor despite some of her neighbors obvious attachments to putting hats and scarfs on garden statues.

Ali (my mom) She's the kid of the group and often a driver for the event. You can tell she is coming by the giant owl glasses peering over the steering wheel, the four white heads in her back seat and the sounds of Frank Sinatra blaring out of the stereo. She has a few scratches on the side of her car now because apparently "I hit one of those traffic things."

I hope she didn't mean a traffic cop.