The telephone lines were bustling after homework was done. We didn't have three way calling, but we had our own conference line all figured out. At 8 pm sharp we each called the "Time Lady." Now she wasn't real, it was just a recording..."At the tone the time will be..." We had our conference line talking over the "Time Lady" and if anyone else came on the line when we were talking, they never said anything. Or maybe they just listened in, thinking our conversation was more interesting!

We discussed our classes and what we would each be wearing the next day, and anything else that we felt needed discussing before first hour when we'd meet at our lockers. The "Time Lady" was easy to talk over, and we continued with this neat idea until one day the operator called my Mother.......oops!

I was no longer able to make conference calls with my friends, and when I did call for the TIME, I discovered the lady had been turned up!

Saturdays were ours to enjoy. After my room was cleaned, I joined my friends and we made tracks for the local Drug store. Now this may seem boring in comparison to the malls of today, but this store had the greatest selection of Hollywood movie magazines imaginable. We wanted to keep up with our teen idols and what they were wearing and any new movies they were in. We had been with Sandra Dee since "Gidget" days, and felt we were right there on the beach with she and Moondoggie, surfing the waves with the whole gang. Never mind that we lived in Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, with no ocean in sight. We were official members of the "Gidget" thus, Sandra Dee fan club.

We oohed and awed at Sandra and her tiny waist and beautiful blond hair (straight out of a bottle to be sure)! Naturally we were all hurt to the core when she eloped with that Bobby Darin, so much older, and there would be no wedding pictures in the teen movie magazines!

After that we changed gears. Annette was a former mouseketeer and started making beach party movies. She had her own T-Bird and perfume collection to boot. Yes, Annette was a striking dark haired beauty, she would go far. We joined her fan club.

The old Kressge store was our next stop. It always contained abundant supplies of the latest in new perfumes and make-up. "Evening in Paris" was all the rage, in a tiny little cobalt blue bottle; it was what every movie star wore.

We'd dab a bit on our wrists and wave it through the air to catch the breath-taking fragrance. "Tangerine" was the most beautiful shade of lipstick; we each bought a tube, vowing to keep it in our lockers at school, just in case we needed to freshen up our 'natural' look during the day.

Depending on hair styles there were rollers for each size, and if they didn't work, empty soup or orange juice cans with both ends out worked great! Just stick a clip in to hold it until it dried, and pray nobody saw you!

We looked through fashion magazines and decided we loved the angora sweaters in the peach color....and wouldn't it be cool if you were 'going steady' to wear the matching color yarn around his high school ring? We'd all screech and the laughter could go on for hours.

Little did we know then, that those years and the days ahead would be some of the happiest times of our teen years. After all, how much trouble can you get into with perfume, Tangerine lipstick and Sandra Dee or Annette? But just don't try talking over the time lady, or you might find out what real trouble is!