I am constantly bombarded with advertising for magic lotions and cosmetic surgery guaranteed to reverse the signs of aging, to make my wrinkles and crow's feet disappear, to make my "unsightly liver spots" fade away as if they never were.

Looking older, it seems, is still unfashionable.   Well, I always out slightly out of step with my peers and it looks as if I shall just have to remain that way. 

When I was little, my very favorite people in the whole world were my grandparents.  I was fascinated by the dark freckles on my grandmother's arms.  I asked her many times how she had gotten them and if I could have one and we ultimately decided that they were magic and only appeared when one was old enough to have nosy grandchildren.  To me, as I ran my fingers over my grandmother's arm, they felt like velvet.  Magic velvet.

By the time I got my own velvet spots, my grandmother was no longer with us but her memory is with me every day, whenever I look at my own arms, with my magic velvet spots.

So I hope the "youth industry" isn't counting on getting any money from me.  If I had that kind of money, I would give it to hungry children or rescued puppies and kittens anyway and they would never see a dime.

I'm saving my velvet spots for my granddaughter.