Burning Bushes

Against grey skies and rain, the trees burn brightly. The rain water darkens the bark to black skeletons. Aflame with colors of red, gold, brown, burgundy and orange. Some still hold on to their greenery. Others are bare having shed all color.

This is autumn for me. Despite the cooler temperatures I love the change in season. It’s so gorgeous it’s distracting. Driving around town, I find myself focusing more on the scenery than on the road. Dangerous. I know.

I am reminded a lot lately of the poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. I am not big on poetry even though it can move me at times. But these familiar lines stay with me because of how I memorized them … Watching the movie The Outsiders more times than I care to count in my youth.

“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay.”

Why it makes me think of fall and all that I see around me right now?  I have no idea. But it plays in my head each time I pass trees in the state of transition from summer green to barren winter. I’d love to hear your favorite change in season and what connects you to it. Feel free to share in the comments.

The pictures in this post don’t do justice to what my eyes can see. Trust me when I say it’s weep worthy. Wish you were here to sit in silence, watch and wonder about the beauty of it all.

From Hair Scare to Scary Hair

I have some issues with my hair … I know what you are thinking and it’s not age related. I’m not fussed by the grey, it is “a crown of splendor”… No this is a problem I’ve had from childhood.The first time I remember it happening, at age 13, I thought it was my stylist fault. After all, it was the age of the Jheri Curl and she could have over-processed my hair. Not the case. My mother tells of me having issues as a baby.

Some may say my issue is style. And that’s fine; you have a right to your opinion. But for me it’s something worse.

Hair is important. I have a girlfriend who refers to her own hair as:  “My Precious.” You know, as in “the one ring to rule them all”. I’m almost that obsessed.

Here’s the issue …

Every few years my hair breaks off and gets thin; always in the same spot. The top of my head; the crown. It’s distressing and annoying. I have to resort to creative hair styling. A comb-over isn’t pretty on a woman. Trust me.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry (Photo credit: bigdmia)

When it happened three years ago, I made the decision to cut my hair short. Halle Berry pixie short but without the Halle Berry beauty to go with it. Two inches long.

It’s taken this whole time for it to grow out. And by grow out I mean barely an inch each year … it’s almost chin length again. Okay, to be honest, it barely covers my earlobes. Even though my hair has never been longer than shoulder length … I don’t like short hair.

Now the cycle begins, yet again, and I have to do something. So I started taking a supplement that is supposed to help with hair, skin, and nails.

And it works well. My nails don’t feel as brittle. My skin seems smoother. And I’ve noticed new hair growth. Longer, thicker, and shinier hair.

The challenge …

Alas, the hair that is coming in … the most notable hair growth … the new longer hair … is on my CHIN … as in “not by the hairs of my” … of all places. Then there’s the shinier hair on my legs and the thicker hair under my arms. But, I haven’t experienced healthier hair on top of my head. Why? Go figure. Your guess is as good as mine.

TMI? Yeah, I know but this is my dilemma. I have to believe the next success in my supplement story will be for the hair on my head.

Beauty comes at a price. The question:  Is that price worth it? There has been an increase in time spent tweezing and plucking and shaving that I’d rather not be bothered with …

I think I need a support group:

  • Bold and Bald Bureau …
  • Weave Wearers of America …
  • The Women’s Wig Association …
  • Hapless Hair Loss Club …

Sign up today and we can care for one another through our vast and varied hair situations.