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. 

Book Review -From Pigtails to Chin Hairs by Becky Lewellen Povich

From Pigtails to Chin Hairs
Becky Lewellen Povich
File Size: 967 KB
Print Length: 205 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00IXBG1F6

This memoir begins with a fond look back at the 50's and then brings the readers to the present time as Ms. Povich recalls the moments in her life that shaped her as the person she is today. Sometimes funny and sometimes poignant, it is a book that will stir memories in readers who grew up in the same time period. For younger readers, it is a look back at a way of life that didn't include cell phones, home computers, the Internet and many of the social problems that plague modern society.

Some memoirs are written to impart some great truth learned through a particularly difficult struggle - Angela's Ashes for example - but this one is not centered on that kind of profound truth. It is an accumulation of little truths learned through those good and those bad times that happen to ordinary people; marriage, family, divorce, children, jobs and more. Povich writes with a mix of humor and thoughtfulness and the reader can't help but smile and nod. She is also honest about the things in her life that were not as pleasant as others, such as her parent's divorce and her first marriage that ended badly.

We can all relate to much of what she shares. We have fond memories of special family gatherings, and we have not-so-fond memories of the things that challenged us and challenged our relationships. That's life, and life is what this book embraces.

While I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and for the most part found the writing engaging, the editor in me did want to get out her red pencil and make some suggestions. Some sections of the book seemed rushed, as if the author wanted to hurry to the next anecdote and didn't spend enough time with the present one to make a good story better. However, that did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the book, and there were plenty of scenes that were crafted with lovely prose.

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Becky is going to be my guest on Wednesday, so I do hope you will come back and meet her. She has written a funny piece about those awful home permanents that some of us suffered through as kids. If you have a fond (LOL) memory of the Toni Home Permanents, do come back on Wednesday and share it. Maybe you even remember the commercial?

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Before I go, I do want to wish all the mothers who might happen by today a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you are all having a wonderful day being spoiled by your families. A few years ago I wrote a blog piece about Mother's Day that you might enjoy reading.