I've been cleaning closets and going through old stuff, sorting it into three piles: trash, donations and memorabilia (to keep).

I came across a small plastic box of pins and bits of cheap jewelry and that sort of thing (single earrings, especially, from the uptight days when you wore a matching pair, thankyouverymuch). If it was a single earring, you mourned it and put it away. I always gave them to a friend of mine who made artsy-craftsy things and would welcome an orphan earring. One of the treasures I unearthed yesterday was a 2-inch diameter red pin with the white letters egbok on it.

I slept on it and this morning as I glanced at it, I remembered, "Everything's Gonna Be OK" as the slogan it stood for. But whose slogan? When? Must have been more than 15 years ago, because the surrounding stuff is older than that.

This is like an archaeological excavation; I've been dating things by their accompanying stuff in their own layer of the closet. One excellent clue for dates is the newspaper it was wrapped im. But these little trinkets aren't wrapped in paper and I didn't find any other hints, like campaign buttons or clippings.

If anyone remembers "egbok" I'd be interested to learn more about it.