Oh, my gosh, it’s here — or nearly. Fellow Dustbiters Ingrid and Corrine both sent e-mails about THE AUCTION! (If you’re new to this blog, Diller’s Dustbiters was the small group of Phyllis’s favorite secretaries and her friend and opening act for many years, Magician Mercer Helms.) It has been a year now since Phyllis died. We had known it was imminent since the cancellation of our annual Dustbiter’s reunion at Phyllis’s house. Still, we all felt a loss. Phyllis Diller had been a big part of all our lives. So we phoned and e-mailed each other, talking about meeting at the service and then going someplace afterwards to reminisce and have our own private memorial. It turned out she had left instructions that there would be no funeral or memorial service. This was a shock to not only the Dustbiters, but I’m sure to her many friends and fellow entertainers. As for the house, Phyllis’s son and executor of… Read More »
… A Year Later
You’ve no doubt noticed that life tends to move in cycles. For instance, at work the phone is silent for 30-40 minutes, then three calls come in at the same time. If you work retail, you stand around waiting for customers, then half a dozen flock to your counter at once. I thought of this on the plane a couple of days ago on my way back from vacation in Rio with my friend Lois because I realized I was in something of a cycle. Last year at this time I was on vacation with Lois and Bill when I got an e-mail from fellow Diller Dustbiter, Ingrid, telling me that Phyllis’s annual Dustbiter reunion on August 19 had been cancelled. Phyllis’s son, Perry, had sent an e-mail but gave no details. We all knew why, I guess. Of course, this year there is no reunion scheduled for the third Sunday in August and my calendar… Read More »
