No More Tiaras

Book excerpt: I never dreamed that writing one's memoir was such an eye- opening way to figure out who you are, and even more surprising, learn how you got to be who you are. The following account (written mainly for my children and grandchildren to read) started out to simply chronicle the colorful mix of our ancestry. I guess I am now the matriarch. You can take that as a qualified statement that I am just getting around to admitting that I am becoming perhaps a tiny bit older and that it's about time I write all this down. I shall be writing as truthfully as good taste and common sense allow, but I will remind the reader of Winston Churchill's admonition to his readers: "I care not one whit for accuracy. Praise is good enough." My feelings exactly.