Those 70ish Girls

Things are happening to me that I don’t quite understand, but most of it is good. Today, our women’s group met at the The Victorian Tea Room to celebrate three birthdays. Helen had a birthday on December 5th, mine was on December 31st, and Barbara’s was yesterday. As usual it was a ton of fun. I am so grateful to be a part of this group of very special women.

Most of you know that I am going to attend the Jones County reunion being held in Mesa, Arizona in thirteen days. Most of the people attending are Murdoites who retired to Arizona. The added bonus is my brother, Billy, my 2nd Dad, Gus, and Valerie are going to be there too.

Typically, before I attend a reunion of any kind, I gain ten pounds and get a bad haircut, but this time is different. I never lost the last ten pounds I gained before the last reunion. It doesn’t matter, because I’m starting a lose ten pounds in ten days diet. I have three days before I even have to start it.

I did get my haircut yesterday, and its a little shorter than I like it, but short hair has it’s advantages, which I will tell you about in a minute.

It occurred to me that my new, shorter cut was similar to the cut I had when I was sixteen. A mere fifty years ago. Most people wouldn’t be idiotic enough to do this, but I’m going to do a side by side comparison. I haven’t even looked at them side by side yet, so here we go…

I hope this didn’t creep you out. I really did not intentionally try to copy my hairdo from fifty years ago. I remember that vest. I borrowed from my mother. It was three times too big for me, but it was orange. Even though you can’t see it, I have orange on today. When I came home from the party, I changed into an orange top. This was before I went hunting for my sweet sixteen pic. Aside from those comparisons, much has changed.

In the SS picture, I was growing out my “Connie like” hairdo. Not because I was finding my own style. It was because Connie, who was two years older, was growing her do out. The sixty-six year old me opted for the shorter cut, after several years of medium length hair, because it’s easier to color the grey every four weeks. It also costs a lot of money to get it cut more often. We don’t have a Harold the barber here. He somehow knew exactly what to do. Maybe he got the word that as long as my hair was similar to Connie’s, I would be happy.

Some might worry about themselves if they referred to their past lives as much as I do, but I don’t get too concerned. I’m Loretta’s daughter and nothing can change that. My brother is also her son and he will tell you he has all of her “better” qualities. I wouldn’t trade either of them… and Gus is certainly a keeper.

Enough of the past, for now. Here’s an update on the tiny house progress. (Little did Mary Francis, the younger, know that someday she would be living in a tiny house in Texas. I don’t think she would have understood.)

Kip made an offer on a lot today and the owner accepted it!!! He is supposed to call later to give us the information so we can get it under contract. I’ll tell you more when we seal the deal. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’m afraid I haven’t been as nice as I should have been about pursuing this idea I agreed to. A friend at the luncheon today told me she knew it would all work out because too many things had already fallen into place. That was what I needed to hear.

I’m sure we will have a lot of fun and nurse a few headaches putting all this together, but I’m getting excited about this new adventure.Does anyone know anything about the cabbage soup diet? It sounds yummy.