Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Pigtails? Curls? Perms?

Please welcome Becky Lewellen Povich as today's Wednesday's Guest. She is the author of the memoir, From Pigtails to Chin Hairs, that I reviewed on Sunday. Today, Becky has quite a hairstyle dilemma, so maybe we can help her out.

Grab a donut and a cup of coffee and read on....

When I was a little girl I had two distinct hair styles: pigtails/braids or short, curly hair, due to Tonette Home Perms my mother bestowed upon me. I hated getting those stinky perms! No wonder these days I have such fine, thin hair. I can’t blame her entirely, though. When I was in my 30s and 40s I continued to get perms once in a while but only at hair salons. Everyone on the maternal side of my family had fine hair and even though it doesn’t seem possible, mine was probably the “thickest.”

This is not Becky, but I had to find a picture when I remembered that awful smell.
Now, my hair is at that state where I have what I would call “bald spots.” I was with a group of women recently and the conversation somehow turned to our thinning hair. One was delicately trying to persuade me that all I needed was lots of freezing hair spray to get my short hair to stay in place. I explained to her that I already did that, and yet my hair would just fall flat after only an hour or so.

She then suggested I try something that would be today’s version of Dippity-do; something like Bed Head gel. (I’ve never tried that brand because with a name like that, all I can think is that my hair would look even worse than usual.)

What I really need is a product like Ron Popeil’s hair spray. Yes, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to do: Spray hair onto your head! I remember seeing it on a TV commercial years ago and thought “Yeah, right!” But, hey, who am I to say if it really works or not. I haven’t even tried it. The next time I look in the mirror and see more bare spots on my noggin, I think I’ll order a can or two. What could happen? It says it will easily shampoo out…..

In From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More, Becky Lewellen Povich takes us from her young Midwest childhood in the 1950s to present day St. Peters, Missouri. Each chapter is a scene from everyday life and/or unexpected events written in the way only Povich can, with humor and poignancy woven into them. She relates tales of Christmases, summertime fun, selling homemade potholders and putting on parades, the kids next door, classmates, her fear of the dentist and her parents' scheme to help, plus long car rides visiting grandparents in small town Iowa.

She willingly shares the bittersweet times, too, which include her parents' divorce, major disappointments, preteen and teenage angst, a whack on her head from a falling crowbar, and her ill-fated first marriage, spent mostly in Germany. She also comically writes about her happy second marriage, cell phones, dishwashers, and how she was born with a klutz gene.

"Becky Povich has a light and whimsical way with words, and a knack for making the everyday seem a bit more special." - Philip Gulley, bestselling author of Porch Talk Series, Harmony Series, Hometown Tales, I Love You Miss Huddleston, and more.

Becky Lewellen Povich has numerous publications, including stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and other anthologies. Becky is currently working on her sequel due out in 2015, which contains more memories and anecdotes. For more information, Becky’s blog: http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/ and website: http://www.beckypovich.com/

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I'm over at The Blood Red Pencil blog today with some memories of my own and some commentary about how important it is to have these memories written down, if for no other reason than to share them with future generations. 

12 comments:

BECKY said...

Maryann, thank you very much for having me as a Guest Blogger today! I love the "stinky perm" photo you posted, too! AND, thanks again for reading and reviewing my memoir. I appreciate it very much. I'll be back to check on more comments. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Maryannwrites said...

Happy to have you here today, Becky. I was going to send you the link this morning, but I had to get my truck in to be serviced and my neighbor came to follow me and bring me back. Then we had to go by the feed store while we were in town. The morning was gone by the time I got back, but I am glad I got the blog up before I left.

If you get a chance, check out the Blood Red Pencil blog. I think you will agree about the importance of memories, and we'd love to have you add to the discussion going on there.

BECKY said...

No problem! I didn't know what time you posted it, because it was already on here when I had time to look! :)
And I'll definitely check out your piece on Blood Red Pencil.

Unknown said...

Becky you're so fun. This was a great post! Oh the thinning hair.. It's around the corner for me (and heavens, my hair is thin and straight to begin with!)

Bookie said...

I have read Becky's book and can recommend it. The Toni perms and stink...oh, how well I remember. I even had a Toni doll that came with pink curlers and shampoo...White Rain or something like that. It was a time you had to live through to appreciate!

BECKY said...

Hi Julie! Thanks for commenting. It sounds like you better buy a case of that Ron Popeil spray stuff! LOL

BECKY said...

Hi Bookie! Oh, I'm envious of your Toni doll! I think one of my friends had one of them! LOL
Thanks for being a great cheerleader for my book, too! Ah yes...those were the days!

Maryannwrites said...

Thanks for stopping by Bookie and Julie and sharing your memories. I remember that To I doll. If we had kept ours we could sell them on e-bay for a hunk of change. LOL

LD Masterson said...

Tonette home perms and Dippity-do. Now those take me back.

I haven't hit the bald spots quite yet but all the body fled my hair along with the color. It's gray, thin and limp. Ah, the joys of aging.

Bindu said...

I never tried perm. From this post, I can imagine the stinky mess... Nice to read.

BECKY said...

Hi LD and bindu! Thank you very much for commenting! LD, I'm happy that reading about home perms and Dippity Do took you back!And bindu, I'm glad you can imagine it just by reading my post!

Janet, said...

I enjoyed the post. Thankfully I don't have the thinning hair problem - yet. I remember the pig tails when I was young. Our local paper had a longest pigtail contest every year, but mine were never long enough to enter.