Advent by Candlelight and the Great St. Nicholas Day Debate

Celtic Advent wreath

Last evening our church (All Saints in St. Peters) hosted its eleventh annual Advent by Candlelight celebration for the women in our parish--and beyond our parish borders.

Advent is a time of anticipation and wonder. The Advent by Candlelight celebration is an evening of quiet reflection, prayers, music, and inspiration--along with the sharing of food and friendship.

In years past, our table has been filled with people I know; it's been a delightful and comfortable evening. This year was a bit different. A few women from our Bunco group (that's been going strong for 43 years) weren't able to attend, so we had empty spots at our table. What made the evening special was I met Diana and Mindy, two women who belong to our parish I'd never met before who sat with our group.

We all shared food and drink and stories and recipes. I brought chicken salad sandwiches on croissants and some port wine cheese. Cheryl brought raspberry moscato wine and a beef ball and crackers. My sister Kathleen provided all the table wear, and her rumchata pudding shots were a big hit. Everyone asked for her recipe! Geri brought dessert and some sweets to take home. Diana provided fruit salad with whipped cream topping. Mindy served cheese and salami and crackers. The menu was unplanned, but it all worked!

In between eating. listening to songs and music, and prayerful reflection, I spoke with Diana, a retired nurse who sat next to me. She had some wonderful stories to share, including one about how she and her husband met and how they love putting puzzles together and how the puzzles became so special to them and their marriage. She also told me about her miracle baby son, who is now in his early 30s. She also shared a few sad stories. Her eyes glistened with tears, so I listened and patted her hand. 

Everyone at our table also discussed St. Nicholas Day. Mindy asked what she should tell her daughter about when to put out her granddaughter's shoes. We talked about the origin of St. Nicholas Day and why we put out the shoes, but the great St. Nicholas debate continues.

Do you put out your shoes on December fifth so St. Nicholas can fill them up for the sixth, which is St. Nicholas Day? Or, do you put them out the night of December sixth because that's the actual day?

"Santa Wore Cowboy Boots"

Toward the end of the night a woman walked up and introduced herself. She asked if I was Donna Volkenannt, the writer, which surprised me. She told me she had heard me speak at a writing event several years ago and had read one of my stories and it inspired her.

It was a Christmas story called "Santa Wore Cowboy Boots" that I wrote about 15 years ago for a Cup of Comfort book. That story dealt with my depression about being homesick at Christmas time while living in Arizona so far away from my family and how my mood affected my children, especially my son, who that year taught me the true meaning of Christmas.

The woman had an unusual last name so I asked her if she was related to a man I used to work with before I was married, who happens to be her husband's uncle. Turns out it's a small and wonderful world, and we never know what to expect.

So, while the question lingers on when to put your children's or grandchildren's shoes out for St. Nicholas Day, the Advent season remains a special time -- of reflection and expectation and delight at our wonderful world.

Field Trip to Monticello Sculpture Gardens, Through the Looking Glass

Who loves to go on a field trip? I do!

A field trip with friends is not only fun and relaxing, it also stimulates the brain.

This month I've gone on two outings, the first was a trip my friend and former co-worker Barb planned, which included a walking tour through the Monticello Sculpture Gardens on the historic campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois.

The college's 2016 "Gardens Through the Looking Glass," Summer Garden show, celebrates the 150-year anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” books.

The college offers free guided tours, or you can do as our group did, and visit the sculpture gardens on your own at your own pace.

According to their website, "The Monticello Sculpture Gardens have been designated by Missouri Botanical Garden as one of their Signature Gardens in Illinois. Here, the traditional edges between art and landscape blend to create a seamless partnership between sculptor and landscape architect."

Here are some photos from the trip.

I'm taking a photo through the looking glass

with my friend Patty waving and looking on

Here's a lovely centerpiece fountain with an egret

and some of the many limestone buildings in the background

My sister Kathleen and I take time for a photo op

A fountain surrounded by flowers - delightful!

Breathtaking sculpture of Sacajawea

carrying her child on her back

A bit of history about the original Monticello Female Seminary,

founded in 1838 by Captain Benjamin Godfrey, who championed

education for females

Horticulture Manager Ethan Braasch took time to

highlight some features of the gardens

My friends and fellow co-workers: Fran, Nancy, JoAnn,

Judy, Barb, Kathleen (my sister), Donna (me), and Patty

For information about the garden tours, call Ethan Braasch, Horticulture Manager, phone: (618) 468-3140 or e-mail him at ebraasch@lc.edu

If you're interested in learning about the history of the Monticello Female Seminary, here's a link to the Monti Memories blog.

After our sculpture garden tour we took a quick drive across the street and met up with two more friends, where we enjoyed lunch at the magnificent Josephine's Tea Room and Gift Shop, I had the special quiche, salad, and lobster bisque soup, after which I was as full as a tick. For dessert, I bought a slice of lemon meringue pie to go. On the drive home, we stopped at one of the many roadside farmers markets along the way, where farmers displayed freshly picked tomatoes, watermelons, peaches, and other delights.

The field trip to Godfrey with my friends was a wonderful way to feed my mind, body, and soul.

How about you? Have you had any interesting field trips or vacations this summer that inspired you?

Superstitions from Family and Friends

An unusual event happened at Bunco last month. It was strange because the Bunco group I belong to has been playing once a month for over forty years and this has never happened--at least not as long as I can remember.

The Bunco attendance prize was a cute and fancy watermelon knife, like the one on the left. (I had already bought an identical one at a local supermarket for me -- there was a super sale --- and another for my granddaughter to use in her new apartment.)

 Immediately after opening the Bunco gift bag with the knife inside, the prize winner hopped up from her chair, grabbed her wallet, and gave the hostess a penny.  When I asked the winner why she did that she told me it's bad luck to receive a knife as a gift. When you receive one, you're supposed to give whoever gave it to you some money. Curious about why it was bad luck, after I got home I did some research. Seems like there are several superstitions connected with knives.

The next time I saw my granddaughter I told her about the knife-gift superstition and reminded her that I had given her some money, along with the knife, so she was good. She looked at me like it was just another of my weird stories.

That reminded me of my mother's superstitions. Here are a few I remember:

If you spill salt, toss some over your left shoulder.
If your right hand itches, you're going to meet someone.
If your left hand itches, you're going to get some money.
Never put an umbrella on a table.
Never put a hat or shoes on a bed.
It's bad luck for a bird to fly into the house.
Don't let cats near newborns.
Don't cut a baby's hair before it's a year old.
Finding a coin heads-up is good luck.
Dreaming of muddy water mean bad luck. (My grandma would call everyone in the family when she had one of these dreams.)
Bad luck and good luck come in threes.
If it comes in three, let it be -- a warning to watch out for poison ivy and poison oak.

That's all I can think of right now.

How about you? Did your family have any superstitions?

Friends, Fun, and Frank Lloyd Wright

Last week, the Kindred Spirits group took another day trip. 

This time our destination was Ebsworth Park in Kirkwood, where we toured a home designed by American iconic architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Our group of seven, former co-workers and friends from metro St. Louis and Southern Illinois, was joined by a gentleman who traveled from Holland to view American architecture.

The entrance to Ebsworth Park is marked by a sign from St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, as well as one of the 250 birthday cakes celebrating the 250th birthday of the City of St. Louis.

The mid-twentieth century "middle-class" American home, completed in 1955 for Russell and Ruth Kraus, is tucked away amid ten-plus acres of sloping hills and persimmon, apricot, and evergreen trees. The Usonian home is known for its “architectural integrity and original Wright-designed furnishings.” Usonian is a term coined by Wright to reflect his vision of the landscape of America, free from previous architectural conventions.

After crowding together to watch a brief video in the gift shop, we headed into the house. Photos were not permitted inside, and the women were instructed to place their purses in a closet. I didn't take notes, thus my descriptions are based on my memory of what I heard and saw. 

The house is designed horizontally, rather than vertically. The basic form is the shapes of parallelograms, triangles, and hexagons, which are evident from floor to ceiling -- even the windows and furniture. The bed in the master bedroom consists of two parallelogram mattresses joined together, covered by the original faded yellow-orange bedspread. The guest room mattress is in the shape of a hexagon. The floors are a muted red; the ceilings tidewater red cypress. The vintage rotary phones in the bedrooms are also red. 

The cabinets in the kitchen are maple and birch. Jade-colored pottery dots dark-wood shelves in the living room and hallway. A low table in the shape of connecting hexagons and stools about three-feet tall sit near the lovely patio doors, which were designed by Mr. Kraus. Two low-to-the-floor origami chairs sit in the living room across from the hexagon-shaped fireplace.

The interior of the house is dark and stark, but my favorite room is Russell Kraus’ study. I found the study to be the room with the most personality. Being a writer, I especially enjoyed seeing the pop-art, bright red plastic Olivetti Valentine manual typewriter that sat in the study on a low desk.

Kraus was an artist and nature lover, who designed the home’s lovely doors, with Wright’s approval of course. He also was a “string saver” and kept all the original plans from Wright, some of which we were permitted to view. The gentleman from Holland was especially interested in seeing those drawings.

The tour took about an hour and fifteen minutes. The house is open to the public (Wed-Sat) by appointment only. Call 314-822-8359 for a reservation. Tour costs $10 for adults. Children under 12 and student groups are charged $5 per child. Visit the Ebsworth Park website for more information.

After leaving the Frank Lloyd Wright house, we drove through pouring rain and met up for lunch at Billy G’s, across town in Kirkwood. There, our group of seven broke bread and caught up on what was going on with family and friends before heading back to our own, less famous, homes. 

I can’t wait to see what Jan, our thoughtful and kind-hearted Kindred Spirits leader, has planned for our next outing!

Sad News About an Inspiring Writer and A Special Friend, Bea Siros

I was shocked and saddened yesterday to hear about the passing of an inspiring woman and special writing friend -- Bea Siros.

E. Bernice Walker (Siros) Sotirocopoulos, known as Bea Siros, was one of the sweetest and most generous people I know. She genuinely cared about people, and her sweet smile could brighten the darkest day.

Bea had recently completed her memoir about growing up in North St. Louis. On Tuesday mornings at Coffee and Critique she read excerpts of her memoir and brought in photos to share. I loved listening to Bea reminisce about her family and friends. Bea had an amazing mind and a quick wit, but most of all she had a kind and generous heart.

At her 75th birthday party last June, she asked celebrants not bring gifts; instead, she made sure everyone there received a gift from her. Rather than dwelling on how much I will miss Bea, I thought I'd share these photos from her birthday celebration last year of Bea and her daughter.

A celebration of Bea's life will be held Tuesday, July 31, 2012 4-9 PM at The BAUE Funeral Home, 620 Jefferson Street, St. Charles, MO. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of St. Charles, MO.

Kindred Spirits Dine at the Boathouse in Forest Park

Yesterday I enjoyed lunch and conversation with a dozen women who belong to a group called "Kindred Spirits."

When everyone attends, the group consists of about twenty lovely ladies, almost all of whom have worked as civilians for the Department of the Army at some time during their careers. Most of us crossed paths while working for the Department of the Army and/or the Department of Defense on Goodfellow Boulevard in North St. Louis.

The group, which keeps growing each time we meet, is led by our creative and organized leader Jan, who managed to shy away yesterday every time I snapped photos--although you can catch a glimpse of her arm and wristwatch the picture above.  

Anyway, the Kindred Spirits get together several times a year at different locations. Last December we roamed the streets of historic Kimswick and ate lunch at the Blue Owl. In February we made the journey to Josephine's Tea Room in Godfrey, Illinois.

Yesterday was a lovely afternoon to be out and about, and it was a good time to catch up on what has been going on in our lives.

As we sat on wooden benches waiting for our table, I watched the young man in charge of boats feeding marbled rye bread to ducks and fish in the pond. He was later joined on the dock by families taking photos and youngsters who delighted in throwing more bread to the ducks and fish

I also noticed young ladies arrive from their graduation ceremonies still wearing their caps and gowns. Relatives and friends, bearing wrapped gifts, patiently waited for their tables.

The place was packed with graduates, families, dates, business people, runners dropping by for a quick bite--even folks with their well behaved dogs-- all soaking up the Boathouse's family-friendly atmosphere.

As expected with a large group, it took a good amount of time to get our food, but the server was very attentive and kept our beverage glasses filled. Everyone around me gave good reports about their meals. I ordered the spicy shrimp pizza. The pizza was definitely spicy, but the crust was a bit burnt. I only finished half; next time I'll try something else.

If you've never been to the Boathouse in Forest Park in St. Louis, add it to your list of places to visit, but get there early if plan to eat and want a table outside--especially if you have a large group.

Fun facts about the Boathouse in Forest Park:

* Boating has been available in Forest Park since 1876.
* Because of a 1894 campaign by the Post-Dispatch to raise money for expansion, the lake is called the Post-Dispatch Lake.
* Six thousand men registered to work on the project. (What? No women?)
* After the most recent restoration of Forest Park, the lake has been expanded to include new boating lagoons and an island devoted to wildlife conservation.
* The new Boathouse was designed by St. Louis architect Laurent Torno and is "reminiscent of Midwestern boathouse cottages in the early twentieth century."
* While boating on the lake you can see the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, World's Fair Pavilion, Art Hill, Grand Basin and the Government Hill foundation.

The Boathouse is located on 6101 Government Drive in Forest Park.  Summer hours of operation (May-Oct) are:

Monday-Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.(open later on Muny nights)

Friday-Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Sundays: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) (open later on Muny nights)

Paddleboats and rowboats are available for rental for $15.00 per hour.

For more details, visit the Boathouse website.

Thanks, Jan, for planning another awesome adventure!

I Cannot Tell A Lie ... Maybe

Thanks to my writer friend Sioux for bestowing on me this Memetastic award.

As a condition of receiving the award I have to tell four truths about myself, along with one made up, pure fictional, lie. I admit, it was a challenge.

In her blog post about me, Sue wrote that "still water runs deep." I've been told that about myself before, so I thought I would dig deep with my four truths--and one lie.

See if you can find the fib among the following:

* Growing up, one of my best friends—whose last name was Graves—lived in a haunted mansion.

* While working at an unemployment office in Massachusetts, my long hair got stuck in a check-printing machine and the boss had to cut my hair to get my head out.

* Two boys I dated were killed in Vietnam—the classmate who took me to my eighth grade dance and my date for Senior Prom, who was buried for a time in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

* While working for the Dept of the Army I received an outstanding-intern-of-the-year award. My husband, my boss, two co-workers, and I were flown on our agency’s Commanding General’s jet to Arlington, VA, where the award was presented to me by an Assistant Secretary of the Army.

* One of my favorite snacks is a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of coffee.

Another condition is to share the award, so I would like to pass this award with the following bloggers:

Sally, over at Live and Learn with Sally, who is a frequent visitor and commenter on Donna's Book Pub. I love her inspirational posts.

Janet, who lives and writes in West Virginia. Her blog, Writing in the Blackberry Patch, has interesting posts and lovely photos that make me go ahhhh.

Betty Craker Henderson at Windy Ribbons. I've known Betty for several years. I was happy to read on her blog about her recent trip to Paris with her daughter.

Donna B. over at Mystical Journeys posts about her dad and family, her life, her hopes and dreams.

Melissa Ann Goodwin, Writer's blog has some timely posts for writers. Melissa lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her recent post about writing a FICTION book proposal is very interesting.

I tried my best to visit my followers' blogs other blogs to make sure I haven't duplicated this award. If any of you have already received this award, please but be happy to know that more than one person thought you deserved it!

Thoughts on Book Signings

Last Saturday my sister Kathleen and I braved the rain to drop by a book signing at Main Street Books in St. Charles. We fought traffic from a parade that was getting ready to start, struggled to find parking, and had to use a broken umbrella in the pouring rain, but I'm so glad we went.

Four local Chicken Soup authors joined forces for a "Chicken Soup for the Soul, Canned Food for the Body." The authors included three writing and blogging buddies: Becky Povich, T'amara Goodsell, and Linda O'Connell, along with Theresa Sanders, a local writer I don't know well, but who has also been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

As part of the promotion, shoppers who brought in canned goods received twenty percent off their total purchases.

The event was lots of fun! I got to talk with several of my writer friends, including those signing books and others who stopped by to show their support. Bea Siros was there to take photos and report the event for a local news-magazine. Lou Turner from High Hill Press and Debbie Marshall from the Missouri Writers' Guild also were there chatting, buying books, and offering support.

I'm sure the event made money for the book store and the authors, and it no doubt did a lot to spread good will to the local food pantry receiving canned goods.

Vicki Erwin, the manager of Main Street Books, was her usually friendly self, saying hello and chatting while Kathleen and I each purchased a couple of books.

Kathleen and I picked up a couple Christmas presents, saved some money, got to visit with old friends and meet some new ones, and we had a good time.

All book signings should be this successful. Here's why I think Saturday's book signing worked so well:

* Location. Main Street Books is a wonderful site for a book signing, and the manager Vicki Erwin is helpful, supportive, and friendly.

* Timing. The signing was from 1-3 p.m., which coincided with the annual Old Time Christmas parade. In spite of the bad weather, the streets were crowded.

* Publicity. Several of the authors posted about the signing on their blogs and e-mailed their friends. The event was also announced in Main Street Book's newsletter.

* Theme. The Chicken Soup for the Soul tie in with a canned good collection was a hit. Who doesn't want to help out a food pantry--and get 20 percent off their entire purchase?

* Extras. The ladies gave away peppermint canes, candy kisses, book marks, pens, gift bags, and other items. Tammy even gave away some free books she received because of a publisher's mistake.

* The more the merrier. Having four writers there brought in more people to the store. I much prefer to go to one signing for four people than four signings one at a time for one person each. Four seemed to be the right number. Many more than that would've been a bit crowded.

Here's what didn't help:

* Weather: Not much you can do much about that.

* Parking: It took awhile, but we found a spot, and I can use the exercise.

As you can see, the positives outweighed the negatives, and those minor inconveniences of weather and parking make life interesting.

So, congratulations, ladies. Your event was a hit, you helped fill a need in our community, and it was great to see you all!

September Lessons

Since the beginning of September I've learned and re-learned a few things I thought I'd share with you all:

1. Do not go to the post office at 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

2. Do not go to the post office the day before a long weekend.

3. It is easy to misinterpret what is said in an e-mail.

4. WordPress hates me. No matter how many times I try to post comments they usually don't show up.

5. A good friend is a blessing.

6. A good friend who is a writer and who understands you is a double blessing.

7. Getting together with writing friends is relaxing--and invigorating.

8. Book signings are fun.

9. Book signings at bars are more fun. (See photo above of Bill Mueller, Lou Turner, and Michael Flynn at the Boom Boom Room in St. Charles.)

10. Buying books at book signings to give as gifts helps writers succeed and makes the friends who receive them very happy.

More Success Stories

Here's an update to today's earlier post: Two more writing friends, both members of Saturday Writers, e-mailed me with some good news.

Barbara Hodges had her article, "I Can See Clearly Now," accepted for publication in the e-zine, You and Me Magazine. The article is about her reaction after being diagnosed with glaucoma. She wrote the piece ten years ago to help her adjust to the news. The article was hanging out on her disk. She tweeked the article here and there, sent in a query, and voila!, it was accepted. How's that for persistence?

Becky Povich's story submitted to Thin Threads has been chosen as one of the top 101 finalists. She should know if it's selected sometime next month! We'll keep our fingers crossed!

Congratulations, Barbara and Becky!

Sharing Success Stories

Today in St. Peters, MO: Party cloudy, high 76. Another lovely day!

My friends are the best! They've encouraged me when I felt like giving up, picked me up when I was down, and shared in my success. I am so pleased when I hear their good news. Here are some success stories to share about a few of my writing friends:

Margo Dill is teaching and on-line course: Writing for Children: Everything You Wanted to Know About Writing Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers through WOW! To sign up for the class, go to this link: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#MargoDill

Dianna Graveman recently signed a contract with Whispering Prairie Press (Kansas City Voices) to publish one of her short stories.

Tricia Grissom's essay "Straight to the Bottle," will be included in Dirt is Good For You, which will be released this month.

Advance Reader's Copies of David Lee "Kirk" Kirkland's urban fantasy The Last Dark Elf are out for comments. Expected publication date is this fall.

Doyle Suit memoir, "Sparse Cotton," was published in the September/October 2009 issue of Good Old Days Magazine.

Pat Wahler's true story "Canine Angel" is included in Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog, published later this month.

Joy Wooderson's memoir, Finding Joy: One Woman's Journey Back to Faith, is scheduled for publication this month.

Blog Me, Baby

Today in St. Peters, MO, it's partly cloudy, 76 degrees.

Recently I've received e-mails from two writing friends asking me to add links to their websites on my blog. I'm more than happy to do that. It got me to thinking about how closely connected networking and marketing are. Linking with other writers via blogs or websites or social networks helps to stay in touch--and possibly connect with publishing industry folks who visit blogs like mine.

I used the title "Blog Me, Baby" from Amy Willoughby-Burle's e-mail to me, which gives you a hint at Amy's wit and wisdom--not to mention her elegant writing!


Amy Willoughby-Burle’s fiction has appeared in Potomac Review, Sycamore Review, Inkwell, The MacGuffin, Summerset Review, Reed Magazine, and Cuivre River Anthology. Her story “Stone Jesus in the Front Yard,” which appeared in The MacGuffin was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2007.
Amy is a graduate of East Carolina University. Born and raised and now back in North Carolina she has also lived in Virginia, New York, California, and Missouri working as an event planner, a receptionist, a cashier, a housekeeper, a newspaper editor, a certified nurse’s aide and much more. What some would see as a fear of commitment she has used as a map of life and knowledge, allowing all that is awful and beautiful to permeate her fiction--living in that moment of transition. Amy resides in Candler, NC just west of Asheville, with her husband and two adorable daughters.



Claudia Shelton lives where summers are hot with humidity and winters are cold with snow; but, the other two seasons provide her world with colors and scents enough to spark her feelings. In spring, her imagination tiptoes through the daffodils, sits beneath trees bursting with blossoms and relishes the sound of birds returning from their winter vacation. Leaves in all their colorful reds and golds mix in her fall imaginings with the call of geese on their way south or the smell of an early morning get-the-chill-off fire. These all become the backdrop for her stories of relationships and love, patriotism and duty...and second chances in life.

Claudia is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Missouri Romance Writers of America (MORWA), Missouri Writer’s Guild, Saturday Writers and a few critique groups. Her short fiction has received numerous recognitions, plus being published in Sweetgum Notes and Cuivre River Anthology, Volume III. Sharing time with her family and two dogs brings her happiness. And, relaxing on her swing with a good book is always a great way to start the day.


If you get a chance, visit Amy's and Claudia's websites to see what wonderful and unique ways they express themselves through their writing.

Friday Frolics

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Chance of thumderstorms, high 65 degrees. "Tra-la, it's May . . ." That's part of the lyrics of one of my favorite songs in Camelot. May is a lovely month, but the last day of April wasn't too shabby either.

Yesterday afternoon my granddaughter Cari and four friends who are eighth-grade students at All Saints, put on their wigs, zipped up their dresses, laced their shoes, and hid in a back room until they were announced to perform a few of their favorite Irish dance steps.

(Brigid, Abbie, Cari, Ms. Kielty, Devin, and Hannah)

Abbie and Brigid danced a soft-shoe Irish reel. Devin, Hannah, and Cari danced a hard-shoe Treble Jig, and for their finale, all five girls danced a lively Treble Reel. The ceremony was in honor of Ms. Rae Ann Kielty, a former nun, who began her career in Catholic education forty years ago--thirty years as a principal, and twenty years as principal at All Saints.

In addition to the girls performing their Irish dances, other students sang, recited poetry, and presented flowers. Some former students dropped in for a surprise visit, and family members and close friends were in attendance. A representative from the Archdiocese of St. Louis presented Ms. Kielty with a letter of commendation from the Superintendent.

The teachers and faculty also got into the "act" by dressing up like nuns (including one of the male teachers) and singing and dancing in a "Sister Act" skit. To say the event was lots of fun, is an understandment.

Bad Hair Cuts and Good Friends

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: A glorious day, high 71 degrees, but a chance for thunderstorms this evening.

This past Monday morning my sister Kathleen drove to my house and picked me up to get hair cuts before her twin grandsons got out of day care. We didn't have a lot of time. We were desperate. We had coupons.

After we got to the closest "chop shop" we were told by a hairdresser I'll call Sherry (because that's what I think she spiked her coffee with) that we didn't need coupons because we got the Senior Citizen discount--this from a woman at least five years older than either of us.

Kathleen, who is 16 months older than I am, went first. Or, as she put it, she was the "sacrificial lamb." She told Sherry to take off just two inches, but I think the hairdresser is hard of hearing and thought she said a few inches from all the clumps of hair on the floor around "The Chair."

As I waited my turn, I looked at Kathleen and prayed I would get the other hair dresser, who was finishing up another cut. I also thumbed through a book and found a style I liked--a modest bob with featherd bangs.

As luck would have it (bad luck), Sherry quickly finished with Kathleen and said, "Next!"

I showed Kathleen and Sherry the book and pointed to a page with the style I wanted. The cut on the right, the modest bob, was the one I liked. The cut on the left was a platinum blond spikey-punk rocker cut with a pink slash near the bangs. Definitely not suitable for this Senior Citizen.

As Sherry led me to The Chair I said, "Shouldn't I bring the book for you to look at while you're cutting my hair?"

"Nope,"she said, pointing to her head, "I got it."

After shampooing my hair--which I had to ask her to do--she adjusted The Chair and turned me away from the mirror. For several minutes, while she snipped away, she ignored me and talked to her co-worker about the woman whose hair cut she had just finished. Apparently the woman who had just left liked to pull out clumps of her hair and needed the bald spots camouflaged.

After Sherry's co-worker dashed outside for a smoke (or maybe to escape) Sherry began telling me about how little she makes on Social Security, how much it's going to cost to get the brakes fixed on her car, and how she doesn't make a lot of money cutting hair. I mentioned that Kathleen had just told me about the $250 economic stimulus checks Social Security recipients were going to receive in May.

Big mistake.

Right after that, the scissors flew as she asked for details. The more she spoke, the faster she cut. I knew I was in trouble when I heard the buzz of clippers.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Just trimming up the edges," she answered, as she shaved the back of my neck.

When she spun me around in the chair, my mouth dropped open.

"Cute, isn't it?"

"But it's so short," I said.

"Yeah," she answered--and I swear I am not exaggerating here--"now you won't have to worry about the ends flipping up."

No kidding--the ends are above my ears.

Sherry brushed me off, whisked me out of The Chair, and led me to the cash register. After I gave her a twenty, she gave me back seven ones then--again I'm not exaggerating--held out her hand. I counted out two one dollar bills--not a bad tip for a $13 haircut, especially not for one I didn't expect or want--and she kept her hand there waiting for more.

After Kathleen paid--also with a twenty and receiving seven ones for another $3 tip, Sherry asked Kathleen if she knew the number of the Social Security office, which my ever-so-efficient sister happened to have committed to memory.

Before we left, Sherry called the office and listened to a recording. After hanging up, she rubbed her hands and said, "Looks like I'll be able to get my brakes fixed after all."

Then shouted, "Next!" to another unsuspecting Senior Citizen.

On our way home Kathleen and I both had a good laugh--which was bettery than crying. I asked Kathleen if my hair cut looked anything like the photo I showed Sherry. Kathleen said, "No. It looked more like the other one with the pink stripe."

Later that day--God love my family--they all commented how nice my hair cut looked. My husband Walt told me, "It makes you look younger."

Granddaughter Cari said, "It makes you look thinner."

Grandson Michael said, "I like your haircut, Oma. It looks nice."

The following evening at critique group, several of my writing friends complimented me on my haircut. They are either good liars--or good friends. I like to think it's the latter, but when I think about of it, most of them do write fiction.