Aula Bdul

When I suggested that we take some pictures, Hannah immediately piped up with: “I’m Aula Bdul!” She dropped the first letter of most words in those days and Ruth had to translate. “She says she’s Paula Abdul, Dad”, Ruth offered with a tolerant sigh. Ruth is five years older, which made a huge difference when they were young, but she knew her sister’s hard-headedness better than anyone. We didn’t question it. But I went a bit too far when I asked Ruth: “OK, Ruth, she’s Paula Abdul, so who are you?” With another deep exhalation at having to put up with the terminally stupid that seemed to surround her, she replied as if to a slow child: “I’m Ruth, Dad. You know that.” — with Hannah GypsyOn and Ruth Haller Grubb.