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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, March 14, 2011

The haircut challenge

One of the challenges for ladies living on the road is getting a good haircut.  I’ve had some real beauties (NOT!) in the last five years.  Crying face  Most times I just stop at the local Wal-Mart because they’re convenient and cheap.  And no matter what the result, it is sure to grow out!  Well, last month I went to the Wal-Mart in Ocean Springs and the lady there barely trimmed anything off, and left the back much longer than I prefer.  Since she was coughing all over me, I decided to just get out of there rather than ask her to trim some more off.  Today I decided to find somewhere other than Wal-Mart.  I’m sure many of you will understand how you wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and decide…Yuck!  I need a haircut today!

 

So, I ended up going to JC Penny for a cut.  I didn’t even know they had a hair salon.  I went there to purchase some new shorts.  It’s been several years since I’ve bought new shorts, and what I have are really thread bare.  So, I killed two birds with one stone (not that I’d ever kill a bird, except maybe a house sparrow).  I paid the most I’ve paid for a haircut since I’ve been fulltime, but I have to say that I got the best cut I’ve ever had!  Wahoo!  No more Russian roulette for the time I’m here.  I was sure to make another appointment with the same stylist for five weeks from today.  As I left the salon today, I asked her if she would be willing to follow me to Indiana in May.  Smile

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The other day as Emma and I were walking the Dees Nature Trail, I found evidence that the pitcher plants are sending up buds that will soon bloom.  Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants, and consume insects since they grow in such poor soils.

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I also found another plant blooming, but Doug didn’t know what kind it was.  So, I’ll have investigate that.

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Back at the rigs, I found this vine twined around a young oak tree.  Those yellow trumpet-like flowers just glowed in the sunlight.

57 MS Sandhill Crane NWR20

While I was looking at that flowering vine, I heard a tapping in a nearby tree.  It took me a while to find this yellow-bellied sapsucker hard at work pecking around for insects.  One of the reasons he was so hard to find was how well his feathering blended into the coloration of the tree bark.  Mother nature is truly a wonderment to me.

 

It’s back to work for me in the Visitor’s Center tomorrow.  I hope lots of folks stop in so I won’t spend the whole day playing spider solitaire…

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

30 comments:

  1. Totally agree about the haircuts...Jerry is lucky, I cut/shave his and as for me, well every once in awhile I get lucky but with my hair, they usually cannot ruin it.

    Once, they forgot to cut an entire section, by the time I noticed, we were hundreds of miles away.

    My last cut, he, did not cut off enough but I was in a hurry and just left it at that.

    If only we could hire a stylist to travel with us...

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  2. I know exactly what you mean about haircuts! When I left NC the two people I knew I could never replace were my hairdresser and my auto mechanic. I'm going to my daughter's hairdresser in Sacramento, but she is wildly expensive. it sure beats looking like a skinned cat!

    Spider solitaire is SO addicting.

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  3. Looks like Spring has sprung in Mississippi!

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  4. I'm with all of you about haircuts also! It's so hard to find a good stylist on the road. I wait almost 12 months last year just so I could wait until we were back in IL. It's horrible to admit!
    <>Nicole<>

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  5. And therein lies the reason why my hair will remain long.

    I think the flower is yellow jessamine.

    Cyndi and Stumpy @ RVly Ever After

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  6. I'm not on the road but we are moving out of province here in a couple of months and the thought of having to find a new hair dresser scares the heck out of me. I've had the same gal doing my hair for the last 15 years and she won't move with me...darn!!!
    The only blooms we have around here are the crocus and snowdrops. I am so longing for the apple and cherry blossoms to open.

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  7. And yes, the yellow flower does look very much like a Carolina Jasmine.

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  8. I'm right there with you on the haircut situation. I still miss my stylist!!!!

    I've decided your average stylist is afraid to cut women's hair too short. And, adding shape and texture are techniques most never learn!

    I've decided my next cut will be at a "real" salon. JCP is a great tip. Thanks!

    Happy Spring

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  9. I'm with you on the hairdresser! I cut Johnny's but I'm just not willing to let him have a shot at my hair... lol
    Since we're transitioning to fulltime I've been working with my current hairdresser. We'll need to be back in Austin at least 3 times a year for Johnny's doctor appt so I told the hairdresser I needed a cut that would last 3-4 months. (Quite a change from my current every 6-8 weeks routine.) I made it almost 4 months this last time.

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  10. the difference between a good cut and a bad one?..six weeks!..we still live in a real house and I have yet to find someone who cuts and styles my hair the way I like..you know the feeling after getting it done..and you have to go home right away to fix it!..god forbid if you see anyone you know!!??..glad to hear that you found a good stylist a JC Penny!!..love blooming buds!!!

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  11. The last haircut I got was the worst I've had since I went on the road. I am really not fussy about my hair, keep it short and I'm usually happy. But I am going to have to go to a stylist to straighten this mess out the next time I have it cut. So frustrating.

    Take a look at Noah's blog today at http://mybaddiet.blogspot.com. He has the greatest picture of a hummingbird in its nest.

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  12. Haircuts are a challenge...just last week I prob got the best haircut I've had -- HOWEVER, the salon charged my card twice, yet I had the receipt for $25, not $50. I caught it several days later when I checked my bank. Of course they reimbursed the $25 and apologized, but they couldn't explain how it happened. If I go back, I'll take cash, but it's doubtful I'll go back. As always, great pics!

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  13. A haircut @ Wally World?? You are a brave woman indeed! We have a Super Cuts here wher I go, but i'm not that picky..as long as it's short and doesn't look ridiculous I'm hsppy. The flower is Carolina Jasmine...I love those!

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  14. A good haircut rocks, indeed! Glad you found someone who did well, even if it's just a time or two. BTW, take a picture of the cut, then show it to the next stylist you go to. Sometimes it helps.

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  15. I too would say Jasmine. The other looks like a scented viburnum? Did it smell wonderful? Haircuts on the road will be a challenge I haven't thought about.

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  16. Well, a bad haircut only lasts for about 2 weeks or so, right?

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  17. Well, are we going to see a photo of the new haircut? Pretty please? Great pictures of flowers today and good job photographing the yellow-bellied sapsucker.

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  18. I go to a Sure Cuts on senior day, $10.00 plus a tip. Since I keep it very short they can't do to much bad to me.

    If i could get a cut that made me look 20 years younger and 50 pounds lighter, I'd pay anything for it! But then it would't last anyway!

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  19. Hey mom. I wanted to share this website with everyone. I know a lot of the people following your blog prolly take pictures like you. I checked out this website http://mostlylisa.com/ while listening to a podcast. If you go to it and scroll down to her January 21 post she shows 10 ideas for photos. I found it real interesting. She also has a ton of information on cameras and accessories for them. One of the things she has started is a page for submitting a picture. Her idea is for people to take a picture a day everyday. It just helps you get better at taking pictures.

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  20. The Haircut is Catherine's biggest fear about life on the road. When I was working on our on the road budget, the only feedback she gave was: "you did not budget enough for haircuts". I think we will miss our hairdresser most when we leave MO.

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  21. I tried Fantastic Sams and really liked them. They have what they call $10.00 Tuesdays, every Tuesday. Otherwise they are very expensive.

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  22. Yep, happens to me every morning when I look in the mirror. Yuck, I need a hair cut. Or do I!! Luckily, Kelly has cut my hair for the past 17 years but this year I just said the heck with this hair cutting stuff for a change. Guess I'm slipping back to my old Hippy days:)) When you get your hair cut at Walmart are all the haircutter people Chinese..........

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  23. I guess I'm lucky (or maybe not)> Being a retired hairdresser, I cut my own, which is a site all in itself. I still have my hydralic chair and mirror in the basement. To cut the back of my hair, I turn the chair back to the mirror, sitting in the chair with my feet in the seat and my knees pulled up..Then I balance a hand mirror between my knees so I can see the back...you just have to be there.
    Maybe I should post a picture , eh?

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  24. I love those vines. Tried to grow one as a summer outdoor plant, but it just really loves that southern humidity. I think it is a mandevilla or something like that. Congrats on the haircut! You are so right about finding a good one when traveling.

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  25. Worst hair cut on the road was at a Wal-Mart. Best was sitting outside our rig at Bass Lake Campground in Dillon, SC - thanks, Deb! Second best was in Sikeston, MO. I think hopping from one stylist to another is the hardest part of this full-timing thing! I keep mine shoulder length in case I get brave enough to trim the ends myself or get a so-so cut from someone else; at least it's long enough to put up in a bun! I agree, how about a photo or two of you and the new "do?" :)

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  26. Anneke sure enjoyed this. I have suffered thru the aftermath of several of her nightmare haircuts.

    For myself, I carry a personal barber with me. She does a great job with what little she has to work with :)

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  27. Nice header photo! I know what you mean about haircuts on the road. I also dye. And believe me its starting to look like a camoflauge hat up there! I paid the most last haircut and dye but I'm going to the local beauty school next time!

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  28. Try a beauty school next time. I've had the best haircuts there. If you get a new student the instructor does most of the work. The students can be slow but they are very careful and the instructors are there to check everything. Plus they are very inexpensive.

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  29. My daughter is a hair stylist--she was the one who cut my hair for the last 15 years I lived in my house, and the one I miss the most every time it it time to get a haircut. But, she told me this trick: When you get a haircut you like, have the stylist take pictures of the front and back. Also have her write down what she did to achieve the look. Print out the pictures, and tape the instructions from the stylist on the back. Take those pictures with you next time you go to get a hair cut. It has worked for me when I can remember to take the pictures with me to the salon.

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  30. I'm soo happy that I have my international award-winning hairdresser within driving distance - only about 70 miles away. But with gas prices, I may have to reconsider.

    And the vine is Carolina jassemine, often called Carolina jasmine. Here it the link to the Lady Bird Johnson description of it.
    http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GESE
    I have pictures of it in my head of it winding through pine trees in Louisiana. It grows in east Texas also.

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