Going way back

In the early years of our marriage, money was quite tight. One of the ways we economized was that I took to trimming Barry’s hair. I cannot say I was ever very good at it, but he was not all that particular so it seemed to work. For very different reasons, we found ourselves having to resort to this activity we have not done in well over forty years. I do have a decent hair scissors which I use to trim my bangs between full haircuts.

Normally, he would have gone for a haircut before Passover, but that did not happen because by then the salons had closed. There is a strong tradition not to take haircuts during the weeks after Passover, and a few days ago we reached the point where they are permitted. We then wanted to wait until the weather was warm enough to do this outside on the patio rather than in the house. This afternoon was sunny and warm, so now was the time.

Let me just put it this way, I am not expecting any long lines of people to show up at our door for this service, but two things are true. The first is that Barry continues to be unparticular about such things. And the second is that his hair has thinned quite significantly over the years, which made this endeavor both easier and a lot less messy. Still, after many months, I must have cut off at least a couple of inches. The good news is that he looks reasonably presentable and he is quite pleased.

What follows is something I saw posted on facebook. For those of you not familiar with all the holidays and observances noted in this amusing piece (albeit there are some errors, like every time you see “its” it should be “it’s”), I will provide some brief descriptions:

Yom Tov – “holiday,” literally good day

Tisha B’Av – the 9^th day of the month of Av, a day on which many sad events occurred

Purim – a holiday celebrating deliverance as told in The Book of Esther

Rosh Hashana – Jewish New Year

Sukkot – Festival of Booths

Chanukah – Festival of Lights

Tu B’Shvat – the new year for trees

Pesach – Passover (“Erev Pesach” is the day before the holiday)

Shabbat - Sabbath

Havdalah – a weekly ceremony marking the end of Shabbat or a holiday

Please continue to stay safe and well!

Love,

Rebecca