And at my age, too!
Trixie is fond of telling me all about what her daughter is up to, where she lives ("That's my daughter's house," she'll say as we walk by a very nice brownstone. I hope we can visit her.), what she drives (her taste runs to shiny red cars), or that "SHE has a "RED-handle cup!" My granddaughter's name is, apparently, "Fony" -- or perhaps it's spelled "Phoney" and I am being old-fashioned with my spelling.
I should also mention that Trixie tells me about her "DAWE-tuh" in the thickest, most Lorraine-Bracco-like Brooklyn accent imaginable. SHe didn't get it from me; though I have been living here for close to 17 years now, I like to think my varied upbringing and the mishmash of accents acquired thereby are still triumphant over any dropped Rs and guttural "awe" sounds. And her Daddy's LI accent is a) slightly different and b) less pronounced than it was.
Trixie and Fony had a good time today playing with chalk at the playground. Apparently, Fony is tired now, and needs to go to sleep. Amen, says I.
Do you suppose this is a variation on the imaginary friend phenomenon? Sound like a lot of fun. I would suspect she picked up the accent at school. Do you remember me telling you how you once said in Myrtle Beach, "Mama, tah mah shoos." with the most incredible Southern accent that you certainly didn't get from either of your parents? Then we remembered,Kim, the babysitter from Tennessee. And when our neighbor, Rick, went to visit his Southern grandparents and told them it was time to take a "bohth". Where-ever had he picked up such a British accent, they demanded to know.
Fony appears to be on your side re bedtime. Could be a handy ally.