Hair, hare, heir, hair, hare, heir...

So, just before the wedding I'm really hating my hair. I go to my stylist and say, it's not working, I have my son's wedding. She says okay, and cuts a REALLY cute cut, one of my favs. But she leaves one side too long, she's not available until the Tues I leave (at 5:30 am or something) and so I go to a salon that was recommended. A young late 20s girl (woman?) cuts the too long part, styles it, and it's also super cute!!

Now my question is: Who gave me the cute cut? I mistakenly thought it was the 20s something so I go back to her and it is just average, not bad but certainly not good.  I let 4 weeks go by and then go back to Roma (original stylist) and she cuts it. Not great, not bad, but it's better than the 20s something did. Once again leaves one side too long!!%$#^&*

On Tues I go back to her to fix it, I thought she did but get up the next morning, style it, crooked on side and still too long!%$%^&;  I call her up on Wed to get an appoint to get it fixed, she answers from Atlanta. It needs to be fixed, quite obvious. She gives me a recommendation on a stylist in her salon (I need to mention that I said I needed a "blowout" so as to not upset her about the crooked and too long cut). I go to this person, she takes the scissors and starts in on it making me quite nervous will she get it too short? Plus styles it EXTREMELY ugly. Yes, too short on the too long side. This morning I go back she cuts some more now I'm bald!!!*&^%%

I didn't really go back to have the too long side too short fixed again.

Styled my hair this morning, actually really like it. Fixes easy without a lot of fuss which makes me very happy.

Jason told me once, when I was fussing about something that wasn't too important, "Yes, it's hard being a middle class woman in America who doesn't have/need a job and husband has a good job, dealing with what you have to deal with."

I detect sarcasm.

Agave plant

A woman from Rick's work had people over yesterday to celebrate the end of the FDA being in the facility. She lived in a subdivision about 45 min north, just outside of Georgetown. All of the lots were at least 1 acre.

As we were driving out, I saw the biggest agave I have ever seen; it was easily well over 6 feet tall and at least that much around. I wondered how old it was to have achieved that much growth. The subdivision looked about 20 years old, and if the owners bought it big to begin with, then you get such a large plant 20 years later.

I didn't take a pic, wish I had, but you had to see it in person to appreciate just how huge it was. Agaves aren't cheap, and the bigger the more they cost. To plant that one now could cost easily $700-800, I would think, maybe even more.

The very best brush

My hair has always been my evil nemesis my entire life. I'll get a good cut now and again that I love, but my stylists seem to have a hard time replicating the cut, or I'll move and have to find another one, and that could take years. For instance, I was only ok with Monique in Danville, never did find one I liked in NC, loved the Philly one, and it has been up and down with the one here (after having gone thru a couple before her).

Roma (Texas stylist) changed my color, which I love. Even my occlusion specialist said the new color was very nice, said he needed to take another pic of me because the new color changed my look so much. He asked me why I had the original color, I said it was because when I started to go gray I read that the older a person gets, the lighter she should go with the color. He told me I should just get highlights. Mind you, this is a man about my age and he's giving me advice on how to color my hair!! (But he's helped me A LOT with my whole tinnitus, TMJ, jaw/bite thing, and I super like him.) I hope I don't get a bill for his hair advice.

Paige has a magical brush that works wonders with my hair and I use whenever I'm in Utah. I tried to find the brush on the internet but the company no longer makes that exact one; I did order one that is close, spent 1 week clipping out the plastic nubs they now put in it - but it just doesn't work as well.

I offered to buy her brush for $100. No. I offered $500. She said, "Are you serious?" Yes. Being a kind daughter she let me take it down to St George, then out to Texas until she comes in July.

I have baskets of brushes, but the only one that is magical is Paige's. She says it's not the brush but the lack of humidity in Utah that makes my hair look great. That might be true.

The first basket of non-workers

2nd basket of non-workers; I still use some of these off and on. More off.

The magical brush!!!!! I hope it doesn't get lost here in Texas...or run away...or anything....

 

Pics and pics and pics and...

Jason and Yvonne in St George; Macy is up above

Paige, Jason, Chris, and Scott

Nano with Stella; I don't like this hair color, I like the darker better. Stella and Macy are below.

 

Macy and Stella in pool in Philly; Jason and Scott below at Paige's one Christmas

Rick and Chris at the Maine boat design school

Lockhart - BBQ capital of Texas

Lockhart, a small town an hour south of Austin, calls itself the BBQ capital of Texas, with 4 BBQ places to choose, probably each with its own devoted following.
Rick and I went there a few days ago, not because we wanted to eat delicious bbq, but we did it for our family's sake, just to make sure we were taking you all to the best place.

Our verdict:  Not better than Rudy's. Actually, we only went to Smitty's and we thought Rudy's was better.

Smitty's and Black's were literally holes in the wall, but lots of people lined up to eat their meat.
On a side note, Black's had a sign that read something like this: Additional seating for Black customers in the back. Ahhhh, I had to read that one twice to make sure it didn't say something it shouldn't have said.

Anyways, Rudy's still reigns.
 (And yes, Paige, there are ss and apostrophes in all 3 proper names.)

Another scorpion

Rick was rearranging the 3rd bay so he could park the jeep there, and the pickup over by my vehicle. I was helping and then started sweeping it out. Lo and behold I swept up a scorpion!! It was dead but a scorpion %&*! That makes 3 dead and 1 live we have found, none in the house, thank goodness, because all of our neighbors have found them in their houses.

We have the bug people spray regularly so I suppose they got him with their spray.

In the back of house on the rocks I came across a huge beetle-looking bug, it was all white, with black polka dots. Quite unusual looking, dead also. I set him on the edge of the patio because he is so pretty looking.

The cheesiest

Periodically Chris will call us up and as we are talking he asks us how many different types of cheese we have in the fridge and we have to go and count them. When Rick and I were out shopping today we picked up another 7 blocks of cheese. So I had to take a pic and send it to Chris. Note that these are all different, in one form or another.

You can never have too much cheese.

New plants in pots

This is my latest, a Golden Barrel Cactus. Those prickley prickles kept stabbing me as I was trying to plant it.

I planted this a few weeks ago, it's a Pygmy Date Palm.

This is another one planted after I got back from St George. It's a Hawaiian Ti "Red Sister."  It needs lots of sun; this corner is not a good spot for it, because even tho it sits on the driveway and the sun hits the driveway throout the day, because it's in the corner it gets almost all shade.

Actually I think I planted the last 2 when I got back from Seattle. Or maybe not....

Lots of rain

We got 4 plus inches in the last 3-4 days. Very much needed, it raised Lake Travis 6 inches. Unfortunately it needs to be raised 40 feet.

Everything looks very green and pretty. The rain cooled down the temp and so the rest of the week will be in the mid 80s. Won't make the pool warm enough to get in now or for the weekend. And we had been swimming for the last 2-3 weeks.

I got another pots (Paige said when I blog make sure I make all my pots plural, don't want a visit from ATF, bashing in my door in the dead of night with a "key to the city"). I'm going to put a cactus in it.

This is for Paige: I cleaned and organized my pantry!! Now she doesn't have to do it when she comes in July. Rick asked me if it was fun to do, since Paige claims organizing something is great fun. No, it wasn't great fun. But I did have some interesting podcasts to listen to so the 2 hours didn't seem like 2 hours.

Ain't she purdy looking?

Macy at her smileiest

During Sunday School yesterday Rick was looking at his pics. This one is from our last summer in Philly, so it would have been 2011 (I think). Macy is giving her best smile for the pic.

Vote Run off

The Austin Republican Party called and asked if I would help for the run off, which is May 27. I really didn't feel like helping this time so I told him no. I said I really enjoyed doing it, please keep me in mind for another election. Actually, I told him I couldn't, I wouldn't be available. That sounds better. Not a lie, I already know I have things planned for that day. I have things planned for every day.

But I will help in the next election.

Rain Storm

Texas is in a pretty bad drought right now, and has been for the last 4-5 years. We need to get a sustained rain of about 20 inches over a month or so.

Last night it poured and pounded and thundered and lightninged. I love storms, so I really loved last night. It lasted 45-60 min, and then was over. I went out and checked the rain gage - 1 inch. Not bad, but not enough.

A little rain today, gray skies, but just won't produce.

I remember the first hurricane in Philly, not the second one that did so much damage in Jersey and New York City, we got 20 inches in a week, maybe 2. That was the one that knocked out our sump pump and we got 6 inches of water in the basement. Fun times.

Visitors

Braden and Anika, and their two little boys spent the weekend with us. It was enjoyable having them. Went to some garage sales, the farmer's market and bought some kambucha, a probiotic drink that we really like (but only from a brand called Buddha's Brew), then ate at Torchy's. They learned how to play pinochle at Thanksgiving, so we played a lot of pinochle. Swam in the pool. It was a relaxing and fun weekend.

Spring has made everything green, leafy and flowery. I really enjoy nature, seeing it, walking in it. It is a place where I can commune spiritually.

Kincade Facetimed us yesterday and it was so much fun seeing and talking with the 3 little ggrrls. We love them to pieces.