Budget cuts and memories

In part because I feel like Tim is trying to save money by getting his hair cut infrequently ... in part because after two uses it will have paid for itself ... and in part because I remember my grandfather and mother doing this during my childhood ... I bought a set of clippers and gave Tim a haircut last night. Not that he didn't protest or beg me to spare his scalp - but he let me do it, no blood was drawn, and I think both of us are pleasantly surprised with the results.

When I was younger, our Ohio kitchen would transform in to a barber shop when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. My grandpa would do my dad's hair, then my brother's. Eventually, my mom ended up with the set of clippers. In the summer, the barber shop would move outside to the front porch. She does my other brother's hair now, too. The swept-up hair would go to line the perimeter of the garden we had - apparently human hair detracts hungry bunny rabbits waiting to ruin a crop. Our swept-up hair went outside to the cement walkway behind our condo. And I think if Grandpa saw me he'd probably smile, be proud, then take the clippers away from me and do it himself :-)

The actual cutting took me a while because I didn't want to chop off too much. (Or an ear.) I started with lower settings and went back if he wanted an area shorter ... and while it's not perfect, it's a lot better than it was, and I think I'll get more comfortable with it as I do it more often. It definitely is cleaned up, and his hair grows fast, so even the not-so-perfect areas will be back in fine shape soon :-) There was a LOT of hair.

The directions were simple to follow. There was virtually no set-up. The trickiest part? Tim has this bump behind his right ear, and it makes for smooth cutting of hair/not cutting of skin a bit difficult. Hairstylists have noticed it, it's been looked at by a doctor, but he just has this funky bone/bump that is apparently the biggest hair-cutting obstacle in the state of Florida.


He looks sad in the above photo, but he is quite dramatic. He's OK with the job I did. And even as he repeatedly mentioned that "People go to school to learn this," I reminded him that I was no expert, but I was holding the sharp cutting device and he might want to watch what he said :-)