Want some good news for a change? Check this LINK out. This vaccine could be ready in about a year (or might be considered safe even sooner, given the dire consequences of this pandemic), and Johnson & Johnson have one that may be ready to test soon. These new vaccines take a frustratingly long time after they are seemingly ready, to get through the testing period before they are considered safe to use, but putting a faulty product on the market could have serious repercussions if they proved to be harmful, so it's better to test them to be sure they are safe first.

I chuckled this morning as I trimmed Fred's hair and remembered what someone recently wrote in an internet article that there will be unexpected result of this pandemic. For instance, lots of extremely long hair and/or bad haircuts - among other things. I used to cut hair all the time for my kids, their father, and a bunch of neighborhood kids when we lived in St. Johnsbury.  I might have cut Fred's hair once or twice years ago when getting to a barber shop wasn't convenient. But I admit I was very tentative this morning. Fortunately, Fred couldn't care less whether it's perfect or not - just so it's off his collar, out of his eyes and doesn't tickle his ears. The shorter the better. I offered a buzz cut and he agreed, but I thought better of doing that.

For years my kids had buzz or crew cuts (see pictures above; then as teenagers that was no longer acceptable. Those were the days of long, beautiful hair for teenagers. We were amazed when they began letting their hair grow. Bill's hair was wavy, Jamie's hair straight as a string, and Bob's defied gravity, brushes or combs - tightly curled and thick. Who knew?

              

These are the photos when the were growing their hair out - they all had shoulder-length hair soon after. Oh, yes they are Bill, Bob and Jamie Dimick, in that order in case you don't recognize them!

Sadly, I have a bad habit of cutting my own hair, as well. I've tried not to do that, but the urge to grab the scissors and chop off unruly locks has been difficult to suppress. So it was with some glee that I gave myself a quick trim the other day. It felt good! I admit, it might not look great, but these days, nobody sees me anyway, and having that brief few minutes of pure joy combing, cutting, and cutting a little more made my day. So far I haven't regretted cutting it myself - and when a lock misbehaves, I won't hesitate to snip it off. When we get on the other side of this pandemic, I'll let a professional worry about evening out my mistakes.