Weeks Sixteen and Seventeen: January 3rd to 16th

Normally, I would not even consider naming a beard--that look of rugged manliness--anything close to something my own daughters, those local supporters of anything and everything princess, would say. But, this name did not come from my daughters. For some strange reason, this was the first time many people at school, and ion public, took notice of the beard for its length and proportions. Perhaps it may not have been all that strange after all, considering I finally decided to comb out the chin-locks and let the hairs fly in their non-pillow-pressed form.

What resulted was a tumult of comment and inquiry like so little that preceded it. One of my former students, now a Fifth Grader, should get the full credit for the name, as she came to visit one morning and talked to me for a few minutes before glancing at it and stopping mid-sentence to say, "Wait, what happened to your beard? Why's it so fluffy?" This was among the most popular question of the past two weeks. But a great many people praised the sheer magnitude of that hair which I had previously tucked under my jaw, saying things such as, "I like the new look," and, "It suits you," not to mention, "Yeah, my husband tried to grow one and it never fills in...it's too patchy." The things you learn about spouses, and people, through facial hair history or quite interesting.

Frankly, the hair reaching back, ivy-style, and clamping at my earlobe, and the hairs trailing down my neck to scratch near my jugular had been driving me a bit crazy for a little while. So, after the shower one evening, when I had a brief moment of let's-shave-this-sucker panic, I combed it out. Sure, some tears sprang to my eyes in that involuntary way, such as when you pluck a nose hair (not, of course, that any of you would know anything about that...) but the relief of the smooth, flowing facial locks was quite a sight to behold.

What adventures the beard will encounter in the coming weeks remains to be seen. Our school nurse got a glimpse of it this week and inquired, "Whoa, what's goin' on with that beard, Abe Lincoln?" Oh yeah, mission accomplished!