Woke yesterday morning and you could just smell the Snow coming on the air. Before noon it had arrived...softly falling duck-feather snow...blanketing the ground, covering the last burst of the roses, and making the world look like you were standing in the midst of a snow-globe that had been shook. It was/is beautiful!
Never mind dates of Solstice and such.
Winter is here.
It made for a perfect pre-holiday celebration morning as Chris and Tina were hosting their Thanksgiving (early) yesterday. This year, we are all Hobbiting. Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner...Thanksgiving Dinner..and Post-Thanksgiving Dinners (my place on Friday) But yesterday, with the snow falling, a pumpkin candle lit, pies baking...the feeling was
Family.
Home.
LOVE.
My contribution to their Feast (above).
Part of their Feast...plus Chocolate Pies... Connie's Home-made Egg Noodles...Kimberly's Baked Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes...Christopher's Red Mashed Potatoes and Home-made Dressing...and Tina's Turkey ala Orange. The puff-cups above stuffed with Green Bean Casserole mix and topped with cheese and baked. Compliments of Tina and Pintrest.
And they were delicious!
Kimber overseeing the guys dart game. Chris gone all Fluffy-Beard. And yes...I have been after him to glitter it for the Christmas Family Gathering (...to no avail...)
Family!
And Kimberly's Emma...who stole the show...and is going to look just like Aunt Tina when she grows up!
"I shall call her mini me."
Such a wonderful time...and indulging in leftovers today! Nothing like starting the morning with hot coffee, pumpkin pie and whipped cream!
Now...
About the HAIR thing.
This was my hair 5 years ago.
This was my hair last year.
A bit of grey creeping in...and that's ok. I've earned it...but still more or less the same.
Except for trimming and keeping it about this length...I haven't had it short for many many years. The last time was for the USN in the 80's.
At it's longest (pre-Navy Days) I could sit on it. Not terribly functional but it looked nice.
Anyway...
You know the hobby I have of testing Consumer Products before they are marketed?
(there is a point to all of this)
A while back I was sent an "innovative, new type of shampoo and conditioner" to TEST.
So I did...thinking
What is the worst that could happen?
Note to self:
Never ASK this question.
The plain white bottles, numbered Product 291 or some such, contained lightly fragranced thick white shampoo and conditioner. The Survey touted the new product's ability to texturize, thicken, add body to your hair.
Sounds nice.
Yeah, right...
In their defense, I used it about three times before realizing the damage that was occurring.
The first use...and my hair actually did seem a bit thicker, more body, easier to style and hold curl. By the third use it was too late.
Way too late.
The test product was layering something akin to a thin plastic coating on my hair each time it was used. Trying to strip it later with harsh detergents was useless. It was there. The first time I tried to braid my hair back it began to clump together much like dreadlocks and could not be combed through.
When I contacted the Research Company they helpfully asked if I would like to try a DIFFERENT product instead.
"No....possibly even Hell No!"
And it is here I would like to say...unless you are Angelina Jolie as "Sway" in Gone in 60 Seconds...no white person looks good in Dreads. Okay? She may look sexy in them, but the rest of us just look Homeless.
Profoundly homeless.
And nothing was touching the crap. I seriously was considering cutting it all off...completely and starting over.
If a person had bought this at their local CVS...by this moment there would have been lawyers involved. Really. It was that bad/damaging.
For Yesterday's Thanksgiving I simply braided all the clumps back up and wrapped them and it looked more or less presentable.
Nicole SAVED my hair.
She came yesterday armed with an array of products she had used on her hair during an over-processing crisis. This morning I have spent hours stripping, washing, hydrating, conditioning, conditioner packing, pouring an entire bottle of detangler over my head, using a detangling comb for hours getting rid of the gunk...
And that is why the bottom of the tub looks like somebody bathed
Chewbacca in it.
Seriously.
I have enough combed out, ruined, snarl and mess of destroyed hair to build my own Yorkie Terrier. And it is the right colour.
And have pre-emptively put a bottle of Drano down the drain.
The good news is that it is mostly okay.
I may end up losing a few inches but it is just hair and it grows quickly. A few more washes and comb outs and it will be soft and shiny again. The left half already is...the right...well...still needs work, but it is getting there.
Learned a few lessons though in all of this.
I will never ever ever test hair products again. EVER.
And life is too short to buy cheap hair care products. Ever again.
And I have the BEST daughter-in-law! She was as horrified as I was when she saw it at first.
(...and maybe that it is just hair...if it hadn't worked, I had resolved to cut it off short, and wasn't too traumatized about the idea...)
So re-heating the leftover plate, and settling in with the Sunday Edition. Back to the shower and hair thing this evening...and then to see Spectre...the newest Bond Film.
Can't wait!
More anon...
