Prairie View

Friday, February 29, 2008

Weird Hair Day

Yesterday anyone who wished showed up at school with weird hair and clashing-colored clothes. It had been two years since we had planned such a time.

Seth, who was overdue for a haircut, arrived sans the hair on the left side of his head (except for stubble) with the hair on the other half of his head several inches long. He started the day with a comb-over to hide the "fuzz," and then must have gathered courage as the day progressed. By typing class, he had the long half piled as well as long straight soft hair can be piled. The two Tims each sported a well-defined part ("Padeley", in Pennsylvania Dutch)--with dramatic poufs to accentuate it. Arlyn, whose hair is completely "un-straighten-able" had the curls all lumped together as high as possible on top of his head. David took the cake. He's the biggest hulk in school, and he sported the daintiest little pigtails protruding from his front hairline--three or four of them, sticking straight out in front, and secured with colorful little dread locks bands.

The girls braided and plaited and parted and twisted and swooped their hair in all sorts of imaginative arrangements. I had thought I would appear as my staid and boring self, but decided while I was getting dressed that, if something came together fast, I would join the party. It did, so I did. If I had given it more forethought, I would have tried for a Caroline Ingalls /schoolmarm-type impersonation. As it was, I hastily parted my hair in the middle and combed it down on either side and then looped it over the top of my ears and tied it up in a bun that fit almost normally under my covering. Over-the-ears is the Caroline Ingalls look I didn't think fast enough to manage, but I tried out the glasses-down-the-nose look in front of the mirror at home, and thought I looked respectably severe. I further distinguished myself by being the only one who could change hair color without adding anything to my hair. Underneath all that white exterior, I still have surprisingly dark brown hair, and combing it from the part toward the temples exposed it.

On the way to school, I hoped that the fire extinguisher inspectors would not choose Weird Hair Day to show up. I even hoped the UPS man would stay away.

During typing class LeRoy arrived to pick up his niece Holli to go to Missouri with others of their family, and I took the opportunity to talk to him about something I needed to arrange with him. I was trying to talk fast so I would not detain him unnecessarily when I suddenly remembered how strange I looked, and hurried to explain the designation for the day. He grinned, looked over the class, and said, "Well, it looks like you're off to a good start."

The fire extinguisher people showed up today, on teacher's work day. Mr. Schrock looked professional and distinguished as always, and I looked boring as always, and it was all good.

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