OWBB

That's Older Women's Bulletin Board. When I was living in the US, Texas, I made some wonderful friends through the internet. Initially we communicated on an MSN bulletin board which was abbreviated to OWBB and ladies from 40 ish to their 70's would log in, across the US, putting on the cofee pot in South Caroline then the next time zone would kick in, smelling the coffee and all the way across to California and Alaska. We were seldom bothered by interlopers - men - and chased 'em off if they wrote something silly. MSN closed the board so we debunked mainly to two other sites. OWBB II may still exist and it grew out of all proportion and I don't know how many of the originals stayed on but I also opened a site 'Pyk's Peeks' coincidentally, a closed community, where we could still meet. After a couple of years we met up for real, about ten of us, in San Antonio, Tx. It was sooo strange to meet people one knew so much about and yet had seen only in a photograph or not at all, in some cases. This was followed up with a meeting at Branson, MS and others on Padre Island, in Seattle, and various small satellite meetings. The ladies were as far flung as California, Alaska, Michigan, Texas (a few of us there!) Kansas and more and we became good friends. Purple is our colour of support. When anyone needs help they ask for the Purple Power. There have been trials and tribulations and much to admire in the spirit of the ladies. One or two, sadly, have passed away, a couple widowed, two developed cancer, others with ongoing illnesses or family who have been poorly and the support and love has been and is absolutely tremendous. I have been on the end of Purple Power and can testity to its effectiveness! We don't all post daily, we come and go and share our moans and our joys, too. Jodie from Anchorage, in her 70's recently gained a degree. Pat widowed and living in a small town branched out to Kansas City and became a very independent lady. Cyndi and I share the same birthday and our lives seem to run parallel! Mo, in Kansas embroiders and makes a mean sauerkraut. Cookie, whose husband is a preacher is a snowbird (the least likely looking one you ever did see!) Freedom owns and manages a construction company. Marie in Oklahoma tells the most amazing stories, to name a few. Nan and Jeanne have been bitten by the wanderbug. Nan has just returned from visiting Germany, France and Italy and Jeanne has had wonderful trips to Europe, including a visit to the UK with a friend when we met up in York with two of my friends. A river trip when we were supposed to be site-seeing saw us in the bar with glasses of wine and nattering like fury! We walked the ramparts of the city and did a jig in front of a pub webcam. Ohhhh, tale coming up! You'll remember this, girls! At our first meeting in San Antonio, for those who couldn't make it from across the US, we said we'd stand in front of the web cam at the Alamo, en masse and give our absent friends a wave, at a certain hour. We coordinated it with mobile phones so someone could put a message on the board when we'd be there. Interesting fact, among the guys who fought and died at The Alamo were 4 Scotsmen, 9/10 Irishmen, 1 Welsh man and 12 Englishmen. We were strung out in a line and it just occured to me that we could be doing something much more interesting so I suggested we link arms and do the can can! I was at the far end of the line and happily kicking away when it occured to me that it had gone pretty quiet up the line. Reason: a policeman had arrived on the scene and was saying, "you can't dance in front of the Alamo, ma'am," to whomever was up the other end! I asked him if he was joking!! No ma'am, I'd have to arrest you!!! Phewww-eeeee. Wasn't the Alamo all about people dying for freedom?? So, gals, if you're reading, I've come out! Erm, so to speak, in public and get to chit chat, doing, as you know, what I love best!