Subtle Reminder.

Tonight The Sheep will return to Amy's Project. To recap: my stylist (who has inordinate power over me) has "requested" that I knit up a garment for her based on one that belongs to a friend of hers. It is fairly simple and I think I can pull it off, but got a bit sidetracked over the long holiday weekend by the siren song of my socks. Who doesn't love a Jaywalker??? It is hard to resist.

But today came with a gentle nudge reminding me that I had promises to keep and highlights to save. Plus a free cut when said garment is finished. I'm back on track.

It was a hot and sticky day here in the wilds of Maine. And the students in my class let me know in many unique and interesting ways that they were not comfortable. This is a Day Treatment program for elementary school students who have a variety of learning and emotional disabilities so I will leave it to you to imagine the manner in which their feelings were expressed. Suffice it to say I was feeling somewhat deflated and frazzled upon stumbling out of the building.

And the day was far from over. I still had to rent the video for tomorrow's movie day, purchase the cooking supplies so they could make their little snacks for the movie and replenish the school store which has become woefully understocked of late due to my battles with Monkey Pox and the like. By my last stop I was as wilted as the lettuce in the back of my crisper drawer and ready to just stumble home.

The cashier at the store where I was purchasing the last of the cooking supplies, who was all of 17 and sporting facial jewelry with her pink hair, stopped ringing me up and just sort of gazed at me. Having worked with adolescents for many years, I did not panic. This happens sometimes and you just have to bear with it. They are often distracted by thoughts of boy bands or social anarchy but will return to earth in short order if you just give them a minute. This young lady surprised me, however.

"I really like your hair...how do you get it to do that?"

The Sheep (who, to be honest, is tattooed and multiply pierced in her own right) was startled and more than a wee bit flattered. I explained that I actually don't have alot of control over the whole hair thing but that a round brush and an upward curling motion seemed to do the trick. I then made the mistake of joking about my disastrous attempt at a pageboy cut in the 80's and lost her completely. But for a minute there, I was bordering on actual coolness!

And, let's face it: none of this glory is mine to claim. Amy decides the cut, Amy decides the color, Amy schedules my next appointment...it's all her. None of what is currently hanging from my head is a result of my decisions. I do make suggestions. They are just ignored. And it's really for the best...trust me on this. Everyone has an area of their life that is best left to the control of others. Mine is my hair. It took me 39 years to find someone who wasn't afraid to just take the helm.

So I'm back to the project. I'll cross my fingers and diligently count rows and hope that it meets the vision. No photos, no details yet. If I fail, I will be joining the witness protection program and living amongst the Amish so if you don't hear from me for a while you'll know where to forward my mail.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. There is still every hope that I can pull this off! If I just stop avoiding it...

SA