People often ask how I came up with the name “Wrinkly Bits.” It’s an odd name for a book series but it isn’t really complicated. I was born in 1946, a year after World War II ended, one of the first baby boomers. The term baby boomer is usually defined as those born after the War, from 1946 to 1964, although 1964 seems a little late to have boomed. I boomed in February of 1946 just two months into the world-wide booming celebration.
The “wrinkly” part was a no-brainer. Who among us doesn’t have a few wrinkles, which, I’m sure you will agree, are a sign of wisdom, you know, “Been There, Done That” a common denominator for us all?
I was looking for a good, catchy title besides Baby Boomers to describe us all and happened upon a website with a list of animal group names. It seemed reasonable that there would be group name for us oldies, since we have been around at least as long as an army of frogs. I’m not sure the website was accurate, as the list included a lot of flocks…all kinds of big and little birds, but don’t forget camels and sheep. But not hummingbirds, they are a charm. And crows are a murder. A group of turtles is a herd, but I’ve never seen them thundering across the prairie like a herd of kangaroos. Gnats and gerbils are hordes, but rats and mice are appropriately called mischief. I discovered that there is a band of gorillas, a shrewdness of apes, and a troop of monkeys. Highly suspect. Aren’t they all in the same family? But what about us? There is apparently no “animal group name” for those of us who are a bit older and wiser, so I continued looking for just the right title for my book series.
I then ran across another website, this time on acronyms and a couple caught my eye, like PMS Potential Murder Suspect (Tom would have totally agreed with that when I was forty), CRA Can’t Remember Anything (I’ve got that one down pat for sure). But then, it hit me, we boomers, we are BITS: Beautiful Intelligent and Together. I didn’t want to use BIAT, because people might misread that as BAIT, and Wrinkly Bait would not do at all. But Wrinkly Bits, now that’s a name. That’s us to a tee!
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