And you thought it was only for April Fools

Some incredible Jell-O Art showed up on my front porch the other day, courtesy of prominent Jell-O artist Celeste LeBlanc. She donated it to my Jell-O Art Museum, which is my plan for when I am a tiny little old lady. I will have a basket out for your dollar donation and will be glad to tell you what I remember of the many decades of Jell-O art here in Eugene.

I will make little cramped signs in spidery handwriting telling details of the recipes and techniques used to make the pieces, which will vary in size from these lifesize torsos to tiny shrunken rosebuds. You'll get a lot for your dollar, if you are fascinated by dusty, slightly moldy pieces of old gelatin in faded jewel colors.

One of Celeste's great skills, besides her mastery of the Jell-O garment, is her ability to jettison, re-group, tear apart and re-assemble art and artifact. I am a saver, and getting rid of still-useable objects is not something I can easily do. I fill the corners of my two little houses with all manner of abandoned possessions and natural finds. My museum will be the natural outgrowth of my art-making. I could probably easily fill it with my own leftover pieces, all documented with as much detail as I can remember. Celeste has a great memory and between her and the other Angels, I have enough wild stories to fill many walls, but I will try to stick to the Jell-O side of the stories and leave the Angel stuff to some other venue.

Or perhaps I will have another room filled with the Radar Angel memorabilia I could collect. I could get those flying Angels from the airport mural. There would be no shortage of costume items, decorated cat-eye glasses and scarves, veils, ruffles and boas. Don't forget the aprons and vintage dresses, and the set of bras made from coconut shells, Jell-O molds, funnels and plastic bowls. I could have a little lending service for costumes and accessories, because I know many women who have more than enough of these, yet will still want them a few times a year for the Jell-O Show, Country Fair, and Slug Queen competitions. Men too. I'd need a whole closet for those ugly polyester shirts and shiny pants, and the puffy-sleeved tunics and tights. Shoes would line the walls.

It's silly, but it's a plan for the future that makes me smile, and well balances the grimmer plans for dump runs and yard sales and piles of medical equipment that will come with the indignities of "retirement" to use a euphemism for the phase of life no one wants to discuss much. I like having a wacky plan a lot.

And speaking of wacky plans, today on the Park Blocks, Celeste and her partner Eric Daws are among the other prominent and not so well-known re-use artists at the Re-use Art Fair run by Next Step. Go see how she deals with her propensities to collect and destroy. Be inspired as I am.

And on Friday, in the same location, the annual Slug Queen Coronation takes place, starting at 6:30. No two alike! Guaranteed guffaws. Several Radar Angels are among the Old Queens, old courts, and lame jokes. It's the perfect drop-in for a summer evening and you will be amazed by something, no question. Go ahead, dress up. You know you want to.

And if you find any Jell-O in your closet, I don't charge to take donations for the museum.