HAIR, AND OTHER RITES OF SPRING

Spring is a big deal for all of us.  It marks the occasion of coming out of a winter confinement of dark, cold, cloudy, rainy, snowy days.  No matter where you live, winter is brutal to all of us in one way or another.  So, we are all ready for warmer weather, and the fun that accompanies it.

My first spring awakening this year was when I looked in the mirror and decided that I had actually been giving my hair one last hoorah.  It was actually past my shoulders, and starting to give me the creeps.  I can truly say that I was doing this (growing it out) for myself as much as for the Royster, who would love me to have that big mass of hair that I had when we met 20+ years ago.  He loved the Farrah tresses or the (Dare I go that far back?) Annette Funicello big hair.  I wanted to see how my black and silver hair would look long.  Every time I looked in the mirror, I was hearing this song:

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My haaaaiiiiirrrrr!

I just needed a trim, and right now!  Later, as it warms up, I’ll decide if I can stand it any longer or not.  It probably depends on if I feel as though down here in the Houston area I can keep the humidity and heat and the threat of fungus at bay.  Pony tail?  Oh, come on!  Clip?  I don’t know how to do it so it stays.  Besides, I want it all up there.  No trailers allowed. I just don’t know what to do with all of this.  So far, I’ve controlled it with hair bands, but lately the hair bands aren’t strong enough.  I guess you’d call it heavy hair.  Why didn’t it bother me in my younger years?  I’m sure that when I go visit my daughter and her entourage, the girls will show me what to do with it.  In the meantime, I had two inches cut off, and it’s still brushing my shoulders. 

We’ll see.  If I can’t stand it when it starts to heat up, I’ll go get my hair cut before it just drives me insane; maybe just to the jaw line.  That’s usually a safe length. I’m good with that unless I’ve waited too long.  Then I go tearing into the hair salon screaming, “Just take it all off!”  To tell you the truth, I really liked being bald.  Chemo left me without a single hair on my body.   I drew on eyebrows and wore a wig to work, but doffed it before the end of each day.  I was very tempted to just drop it in the trash can.  It was hot, and made my whole head itch.  After a while, I just wore a baseball cap or a fashionably wrapped scarf.  The baseball cap was always my first choice.  I got used to it, and actually considered keeping it that way.  The Royster was a bit nervous about that, and wanted to know how long I had to have it that way.  Sigh……. That’s when I quit shaving it.  I still have the wig....but I'm not sure exactly why.

The next spring inclination would be getting the old spring wardrobe back into shape.  New shoes come to mind first, along with some appropriate clothes to match.  We go to an annual party to kick off the spring.  It’s a little fancy schmancy, but I really enjoy dressing for this occasion.  It’s a lot of fun. It's a big switch from my jeans and tee's that I wear every day.  

I went to my favorite department store to shop for something new to wear to this event.  Usually, regardless of department (Jr. or Misses), the shirts are cropped short, to show some belly, and possibly a pierced belly button.  Those blouses usually to go with very hip-slung pants.  Honestly, the zipper in those can’t be more than an inch long.  They must have 25 year old bone heads to design clothes for mature women.  That kind of stuff is just a night mare for me, and I’m sure to other women my age, unless your 62 and still support the same body you had at 20 or 30.  I mean, what am I supposed to do with those?  Just hang all of my stuff over the top?  I’m sure you've seen more than a few overweight women / girls wearing (abusing) hip-slung pants with the crop tops, exposing a huge muffin top, a piercing and / or a tattoo or two. I mean...It's just not right...It's just totally wrong!   I actually put together two different outfits, and since it was so hard to decide, I bought both outfits so that the Royster could help me decide. 

On the way home, I popped in to my favorite nail salon.  I needed  a really thorough mani-pedi.  I rolled up my jeans a dropped my flip flops next to the chair.  The girls that were attending my needs were chatting back and forth in Viet Namese, and I am sure, deciding how much extra to charge me for all the extra work they would have to do.  It was then that I became painfully aware that I had forgotten to shave my legs, for I don’t know how long.  I sat back and relaxed.  Just let them do their magic, and enjoy it.

Yesterday, I went back to my favorite place, Kohl’s, to look for shoes.  There were a couple of other women my age there.  We chatted like magpies and compared and encouraged each other.  That makes shopping enjoyable…to have someone with you.  Since I was alone, as I usually am, these two made my day.  We had some pretty good laughs.  I found two pairs of sandles that I liked, and they were very reasonably priced.  Again, since I couldn’t decide, I got both pair, and then headed over to the check out.  

The line was very long, so I headed over to the other side of the store for the other check out.  It was less crowded.  On my way, I wandered through the Jr. Dept., thinking that was a safe maneuver because I can no longer find anything over there that fits, let alone fashion for my acquired maturity.  HARK!  I spotted some really cool cotton shirt/blouses.  They were various colors of plaid…roll up sleeves.  One of the things that drew me over was the fact that they were long enough.   They were really beautiful, and marked down from $40 to $14.  I had to have two….one in the turquoise and black, and one in pink and black.  I needed a couple of blouses to wear next week to Arizona.   Well?!   They were on sale!  And, I do consider that shopping trip very successful, considering the fact that I just don’t like to shop.  Guess I didn’t inherit that shopping gene.

Everything seems to be falling into place.  Our yard is groomed and trying to recover from the freezes we had.  I’m all but dressed for the spring event for this Saturday.  My trip to Arizona is planned and airfare ready to go.  All I have to do is pack.  Its all looking good!  Poor ol’ Hank needs to be deloused and have a canine pedicure.  He’s been rolling in the mulch that we had put out last week-end.  I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to that smell (the mulch) or the smell that an old wet dog brings….But it’s all part of the beginning of spring and the season for getting out and having some fun.  I'm ready!  BRING IT ON!