Friday, June 1, 2012

Next…Shave and a haircut, two bits!

This morning while shaving I thought of my dad. How our lifestyles and choices were different but habits sometimes the same. Dad ate fast and even in church wanted things to ‘move along’ don’t drag.

The military shaped my life in so many ways. You eat fast in the military.  In and out of the chow hall, eating is not a time of enjoyment, but a necessity to fuel a ‘fighting machine’, etc.

Same with morning routines. “YOU have ten minutes to SSSD and fall-in. (Sh—, Shower, Shave & Dress), then fall in ranks for a march somewhere. In the mornings it was to the chow hall.

Dad’s life as a minister had a lot of late night things happen, church services, meetings etc. So basically Ministers are ‘night people’, but the congregation is mostly day people, therefore dad & mom’s ‘farm raising’ (up with the chickens) came in handy. WE were up early.

I started this whole thing thinking about daddy shaving. He was always clean shaven. Gotta be presentable. He was ‘regular’ with the haircuts.

About once a year he pampered himself. The last place was Ballard’s Barber shop in E. Belmont. Dad would get ‘the works’ a shave and a haircut. Mr. Ballard would put the steamed towels over his face, and go to work on someone else's hair. Then back to change the towels, about three times then he would ‘STROP the Strait Razor’, and shave dad’s face slick, Apply the after shave to the face and powder to the neck where he had shaved. That is the one big pleasure I remember dad really slowed down and enjoyed.

Dad could have been like the Seaman aboard our ship. There was a story about the visiting politician getting his hair cut aboard our ship, with a seaman in the chair beside him. The barber asked the politician if he wanted after shave, “No son, the wife will think I smell like a whore house.”

Another barber asked the seaman (who was listening to the conversation) about the after shave, he said, “Yeah go ahead, my wife doesn’t know what a whore house smells like!”

As far as I remember, no one has ever shaved me. I do not have the patience to wait on someone else to do it. Hair cuts? When I went to the barber all I wanted him to do was cut the hair and ‘get me out’.

That also comes from the military. On the Ship we had a couple barber shops. An appointment was 5 minutes, 2 minutes for preps (in and out of the seat, etc) and 3 minutes for the hair cut.

Women seem to love the Beauty shop. Sherry is always in a great mood when she leaves. (well once or twice in her life she wasn’t thrilled, I think that is called a bad hair day!)

BUT when Sherry is happy, I am happy!

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Sign of note………..

At a Towing company:

"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

**************************

1929_Packard_M640_Wrecker-apr20a

1929 Packard tow truck!!!

12 comments:

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I think we all know that if mama ain't happy there ain't nobody happy. I used to give my family all their hair cuts, including myself. The boys still laugh at the bowl cuts I gave them, but it saved a lot of money back in the day. Now I splurge and pay someone to cut my hair. It's worth every cent too. It's pouring cats and dogs here today. not literally, but it sure came down hard for awhile. We did need a good rain though. Hope you both are having a fantastic Friday!

shirl72 said...

Shirl72said

Was at the Beauty Shop yesterday,
Hair cut to short and my friends
also cut short. It will grow..

I remember Dad combing his hair
and that front had to look just
right. He would pull it up and flip. He always dressed nice and look good. It is going to
publish me as anonymous until
I get my name back on here.

shirl72 said...

PS: My name just appeared. funny

Anonymous said...

Currently trying to get my son used to getting up at 08.30, which many times is a struggle ;)

And a while ago he asked, when he would start shaving. He'll be five in August.

Yes, more and more i measure time and age through him. Please have you all a good new month ahead.

Jean said...

Like MA I use to cut my boys hair when they were growing up and some after they were grown, ha. A few times Grover would take them to the barber shop. I've been cutting his hair now for years and he use to comb it all the time. Remember I said use to! Lol.Getting my hair done makes me feel better. I don't cut my hair but I do wash, blow dry and use the curling iron quite often. Hope Sherry is feeling much better. Jean

betty said...

I would imagine that was a really pleasant feeling to have those hot towels on one's face; probably very relaxing. Good for your dad for pampering himself if only for a one time a year event. Son cuts his own hair, hubby has slowed down going as often as he used to since he isn't working in a professional business at the moment so he doesn't need to have his hair cut as short; I go once a year to get a cut, would go more to get it colored if it was in the budget :) It is always a nice feeling to walk out with a new do!

betty

Chatty Crone said...

When mama's not happy nobodies happy. lol I cut my husbands hair - or should i say shave. lol sandie

Debbie said...

I've been wacking my own hair off for years and just let the gray shine. I attempted to cut Gary's once and only once his hair grows really fast and he has to get it cut pretty often. Hard to cut a guys hair with a razor, lol.

I eat slow and most of the time everyone else is almost done eating when I'm just getting started.

Paula said...

I like to eat slowly and savor every bite while John is finished and back watching TV.

Ken Riches said...

Never had a proper shave and cut myself, but I remember the two bits part from my Dad.

Louis la Vache said...

That Packard tow truck was a one-off conversion. Packard quit building trucks just after the end of WWI.

TARYTERRE said...

So that's what goes on inside the barber shop, ey? have to be kinda of gutsy. What if the blade slips? LOL To be honest, I HATE going to the hair salon. Always have. Makes me feel uncomfortable.