If you've never had the pleasure of reading any of Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby or Henry Huggins series, you probably don't even know who Beezus is. Beezus, short for Beatrice, is Ramona's long-suffering, sometimes rude, older sister.
Whether Ramona is pulling the curls of another little girl to see if they make a boing! noise, introducing the entire first grade to her favorite doll named Chevrolet, or sitting in her seat for the present only to be disappointed when she discovers there's no gift, she's endlessly entertaining. Unless, of course, you're her big sister, and in that case, life might not seem nearly as amusing.
I, too, had a little sister who had a penchant for stealing the show, and for the most part, I was okay with it. I mean, I got plenty of attention, and I didn't necessarily want the type of attention my sister garnered. But having a rambunctious sibling can be embarrassing, and I always empathized with Beezus's point of view.
On this blog, I hope to accomplish two things: first, I can speak as Beezus, lending her my voice to help her represent her own identity. So while the topics may not be the same ones that Beezus would have chosen, it is the freedom of expression that she would appreciate. The older sister isn't necessarily boring, I think Beezus would tell us, and sometimes has something worthwhile to say. And second, although Beezus was probably two decades my senior, I hope I can share my interpretation of some of the beauty and essence of vintage collectibles that she might have had around her home. I am not old enough to remember Kennedy being shot, or the day the market crashed. But vintage glassware and pottery (along with other ephemera that families used to decorate their homes) can be appreciated by us all, no matter what our ages.
And I hope that I can prove it. What do you think, Ramona?
