Stand up if you remember Witch Hazel! She’s one of my favorite Looney Toons characters– mostly because it just cracks me up how she leaves hairpins hanging in the air behind her when she takes off on her broomstick. I can’t explain it, it just makes me grin every time. I’m grinning even thinking of it now!
Earlier this year we went through a phase where we could almost find Chloe by following the trail of hairpins– at various times we found them on the sidewalk outside our door, we spotted them at the bus stop, and of course we found them throughout the house. She was in cross country, so running all the time– and I had a fun little mental image of her taking off at a run and bobby pins flying out behind her. I’m not sure if I shared that with her, because I didn’t want her to think I was comparing her to a witch… and also to avoid bringing up the fact that she was using all those hair pins because we hadn’t managed to get her a haircut in a ridiculously long time. (Why do some things just seem so hard when you’re in a new place?)
We did finally get her a haircut, and the bobby pin sightings abated. Now I’m the one using hair pins. My hair is ridiculous– don’t even get me started. I haven’t had it cut since July. There. I confessed it. I look like crap and I just can’t bring myself to book an appointment or walk in somewhere. Maybe today will be the day. But anyway, these hairpins… they are everywhere! I don’t think I’m shedding them as I walk through life each day, but there is a little pile by my sink in the bathroom, there’s another little pile by the bedroom mirror where I do my makeup. I think they procreate.
Yesterday we had a tedious commute home from school. Buses were quite full and rather hot and smelly (I know I shouldn’t name names, but, ugh!, those Number 13 buses always kind of make me gag the whole ride). The kids were tired, and my body actually hurt from tennis clinic earlier in the day. When we finally stumbled off our own C11 bus at the stop just across the street, I did the cursory belongings check (got backpacks? jackets? my phone?). Then, glancing down, I spotted a bobby pin on the sidewalk.
It made me smile.
And a smile can put a hairpin turn in your day. Try it!
I’m walking out in a few minutes to do a bit of shopping– hoping to find some little goodies to take back to the States next week for friends. Maybe, just maybe, I will stop dithering and walk in somewhere for a haircut. Even a bad one would be better than the ignominy (wow! where did that word come from?) of returning to Marblehead without having accomplished this basic task in 8 months. Too bad I don’t have enough hair for the style I’m thinking of: remember the principal’s secretary in Ferris Buehler’s Day Off? It would sure be handy to have a hair-do in which you can stow an endless supply of pencils– or maybe even the keys!
Just finished a Nespresso Americano with milk. Thanks for indulging my silly train of thought over coffee this morning. Have a great day– Cheer-i-o!
[…and she dashes off, leaving several bobby pins hanging in the cloud of smoke from her quick exit…]
A fresh cuppa chaos 
I don’t remember Witch Hazel, but … (Feel free to sing along as I take my own hairpin turn!)
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 hair
Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain’t no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my…
With three daughters, I’ve often lamented that if I had a dollar for every hair pin, bobby pin and pony tail holder I’ve picked up off the floor or sucked into the vacuum cleaner, I could pay off the national debt – twice.
Hope you stumble onto the perfect hair dresser and your spirit is lifted by a bit of pampering. If you did return to Marblehead without a haircut, could you make an appt with your old stylist? You would make her/his day that you couldn’t do without her and flew back just to get a hair cut. 🙂 I carved out time this week for a much needed trim and highlight, my way of masking the increasing amounts of gray – make them blend in with the blonde.
My mug of brewed Casi Cielo has only a cold puddle remaining at the bottom. I woke up wanting coffee made in the French press, but someone brewed it before I could make my wishes known. Now I’m trying to decide if I should satisfy my craving or suppress it. The resident barista has helped me perfect the French press here at home, so it’s tempting to indulge in a mid morning pot.
Enjoy your day – though you are already into mid afternoon! Hope it’s been terrific.
So bobby pins are not fatal to vacuum cleaners? I may end up visiting Tony at Bliss Salon in Marblehead after all. Even today I didn’t get it done… I shopped, picked up the dry cleaning, and even spoke with the “Shelter” charity guy outside the tube station. Somehow, I kind of spaced the whole haircut thing until I got back home and had only 15 minutes before time to get the kids. It’s definitely a mental block. Wishing you a French press tomorrow. Love Casi Cielo, and nice that you have a resident barista!
Believe me – it’s better to have too many bobby pins than not enough, especially when you are trying to manage between hair cuts! Since moving into our new house, I’ve found that I must keep a stash on every level, and I never seem to have enough… it’s exhausting. Poor Doug doesn’t know what to do with all of the pins and pony tail holders he finds on the floor. I think he’s finally just walking over them until I come along to snatch them up and promptly put them to use!
I debated with myself for several minutes about stopping for a Starbucks Americano, but since I was already late, I kept driving. So, I’m stuck with the office coffee and a big cup of regret this morning!
Kelli, maybe I should send you some of our self-replicating bobby pins! Or maybe for Doug’s sake, I shouldn’t…
Now is the perfect time of the afternoon to slip out for a grande iced Americano– if opportunity presents.
At Starbucks with a pensioner’s cup–grande drip with my refillable mug! No hairpins used or seen on the walk over. Those in my age bracket are free from so many things. 🙂
I should have written ATTENDED or ENJOYED or even SAW Hairspray instead of SEEN. Please pardon me for not double checking my work.
Micki, feel free to keep from embarrassing myself. Edit me!
Don’t be silly, my many-named-friend– I think we all give credence to the present perfect tense you used with the “have” presumed (you, of all people, know how much I like my “have” and “had” tenses! I’m kind of a “past perfect”-ionist– arr-arr, lol!). And further, your comment saved me from having to ask the source of your spontaneous song. You know I don’t get out much– or at least, I didn’t in the past…
Yikes! I may be sending mixed messages. The “hair” song is from the musical HAIR. The reference to HAIRSPRAY is a pitiful attempt to relate to hairpins. I should have given a source for the lyrics though. I know better.
About your not getting out much… sad, but… Well, it’s just sad. As a remedy, I will be attending all performances for two from now on. Tonight we will be seeing THE WHIPPING MAN at the Circle Theatre in Ft. Worth. The playwright is Matthew Lopez. I’ll let you know how you liked it. 🙂
Please do not consider the following comment a statement of my housekeeping (or lack thereof). I still find hairpins from two daughters, among the “treasures” in the storeroom, and from this date forward my frown shall turn into a smile.
I think your blog is great and I want to celebrate you. I’ve nominated your blog for the Versatile Blogger Award! To see what it means and how it works, go to http://wp.me/p2bz5x-42.
It’s been brought to my attention that my nominations for the Versatile Blogger award are going to spam because I included a link so I’m going to try this again. I love your blog and I’m nominating you for the Versatile Blogger Award! To find out what that means go to alifelessscripted.com and look for the post I did talking about the award. Your blog is awesome and I want to give you a chance to pay it forward!
Thanks, Karen! I’m loving yours, too. I’ve been offline a bit, but I’m looking forward to catching up with all your latest posts! Best to you!