DW was the kindest, most gentle and friendly person ever to exist on this forum. Her uncanny ability to ferret out information with search engines will never be equaled. She lacked the confidence to give information from knowledge, but she could sure point the way with research. Though I don't like to, I can remember the times that the jackals of the forum picked on her and belittled her. She said nothing in defense and never spoke outwardly of the pain/embarrassment it certainly caused. However, her e-mails spoke to the contrary. She drew promises from we her "friends" never to take cause to defend her. She was all lady and a real fine person. I still miss her. For those of you who did not know her you unfortunately missed a chance to associate with what my dad called a "winner". DA

I've had two bad haircuts in my lifetime - 3rd and 12th grades. Both times, stylist took my long hair and I was left looking like a boy. I asked for it the first time, but not the last. Then, I skipped school and got suspended for three days. I still got to go to DisneyWorld with my BF's and his family for Spring Break, so all was not lost. I will never have short hair again. As you can see, it's comical (or frightening?!) how similar my kindergarten and senior hairstyles look. Rest assured there were long, straight looks in between (remember the 70s). I tried to grow it out recently but it ends up too flat. No matter how hard I try to make it a bit poofy with my round brush (I despise hair gels and sprays). I started getting gray hair when I was a senior in HS, and like the above poster I go every three weeks for a slight trim and color. Recently I asked her to start making it lighter since my roots were showing up so bad (at 3 weeks!!!!). I'm not even 55 yet, so I am not ready to go gray... she tells me (I won't look) that I am easily 80% gray - I think she's being generous!). So while I still feel like a brunette, I am slowing becoming more blonde. :( The photo on the right was taken before we went a tad lighter. My hair does not want to hold color. It is very frustrating! I come out one color and easily have 5 shades between visits. I'd love to do something different, but nothing drastic. I still want to be able to pull it back and leave long enough to keep my neck warm. *edited to remove photo This post was edited by allison0704 on Sun, Nov 16, 14 at 14:16

Up until recently our sheets were flown to Iceland where they were sanitized in a 170 deg. F geothermal pool, dried in glacial air, pressed with a lava mangle, then flown back to us. That got expensive three times a week. Nowadays we wash them for an hour, spin them out and dry them in a hot oven before hanging them outside between two birch trees. Occasionally we'll let them sit next to the reactor for an hour. My mom used to dry sheets (all clothes, laundry) outdoors -- even in icy, windy January. The sheets and towels would be as stiff as boards until they "dried". They would be fragrant of fresh air and saltwater cove. Sometimes they would stay overnight on the pulley line. One spring morning we awoke to the bay and cove smelling of smelts. Of course the laundry on the line was redolent of smelts as well. Sound awful, but, although I wouldn't want daily laundry smelling of them, smelts don't smell fishy at all (neither does fresh fish, btw). They actually have a very clean fragrance. Smelts were all over the nearby ledges and shore -- stranded there when the tide went out. Pogies in July? That's another matter entirely. I love the bird and dog/s in the bed.

I change up a large painting in my living room, from Spring/Summer to Fall/Winter, My mother inherited an original oil painting, from a friend of hers who was a very talented artist. I in turn, inherited it from her. It's a painting of the artist's log cabin and surrounding property in Vermont. He painted it in the late afternoon in Winter. The sky is crimson and full of clouds of varying shades. The cabin is covered in snow and violet smoke is coming from the chimney. The trees and field are also snow covered, so this painting captures the beauty and essence of Winter. I also have an oil painting of a beautiful scene in Summer. It is of a terra cotta terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, with large pots of vividly colored flowers, and Wisteria hanging from the arched roof. A hilly coastline, which is dotted with white houses with tile roofs is in the distance. It's very colorful and makes me feel like I'm in a little villa in Greece, whenever I look at it. As I only have room to display one in my living room, I display the Summer painting every April and change it to the Winter one every October. I hang the 'off season' painting in my bedroom, so it can still be enjoyed!