Friday, April 19, 2019

A to Z April Challenge: Q is for Quirky


This is a continuation of LAST APRIL’s challenge about HEIRLOOMS. When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!)



is for Quirky. (Give me a break - I’ve said all I can say about QUILTS!) While I have many fine things to pass along as family heirlooms, I have just as much worthless, QUIRKY stuff.

Like these permanent rods.


When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we were surprised to find a box full of permanent rods. These were the tools of torture available to the do-it-yourselfers saving money by getting a home permanent rather than relying on a professional hairdresser.

Toni and Lilt were two popular choices, but Momma was a Toni girl through and through. Toni also offered a child’s version, Tonette. I have no idea how many Tonette perms I was subjected to during my childhood, but I had stubborn hair that Momma was determined to tame with a perm. I had to SLEEP with those rods in my hair overnight in order to get the curl to take.

There is nothing fun about sleeping on hard plastic, but that box of rods just made my sister and me laugh. Why did Momma keep them? She had long ago given up home perms and instead was a regular customer at her favorite beauty parlor.

My sister and I each have a jar of rods. Mine sits on a little what-not shelf in a pink guest room. Lift the lid and I swear I can still smell that permanent solution.

Wendy
© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

19 comments:

  1. I can almost smell the permanent solution through the screen. My hair didn't curl easily either.

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  2. On the other hand my mother used the straightening comb to take out the kinks on our hair for awhile. ugh. The torments we were subjected to in the name of improving our looks.

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  3. So cute! I loved your quirky! I remember too those hard rods and the softer ones too. Many a night sleeping on them to have the curl be gone within hours afterwards the next day.

    betty

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    1. Losing the curl too soon - what a disappointment!

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  4. Good word. Aren't there always things you find cleaning out houses that you wonder WHY someone kept?

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    1. Absolutely! My grandmother had bags of S&H Green Stamps. I guess she missed her opportunity to redeem them, but why keep them then?

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  5. Oh my goodness, I remember those permanent rods. My mom when to school to be a beautician so they were around our house a lot and in fact I got permanents when I was a little girl... shhhhhhhhh! hahahaha Great Post.. thanks for bringing back a fun memory!

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    1. My mother was not much for long hair, but she sure loved a perm.

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  6. Nice use of the Q! I don't remember having permanent rods but we did sleep with big plastic curlers - ouch! I took mercy on my girls and let them use the pink sponge curlers.

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    1. I slept with brush rollers. I don't think sponge rollers were around yet when I was a teen. But I had Spoolies. Do you remember those? I probably slept in them too.

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    2. Oh man, I'd forgotten all about those. I had to google them to remind myself what they looked like - there's an official spoolies store! https://www.spoolies.com

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    3. They still make'em?? I'll pass. I remember how thrilled we were with Spoolies, like they were the ultimate convenience being ONE PIECE, not a roller plus a stick.

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  7. Torture Rods Under Glass!!! So funny and such a great take on the letter 'Q'. Stubborn hair...I'd say so if you had to do an overnighter...hope it was with the neutralizer. The worst part of home perms was hanging your head over the sink...no wait...getting doused with the stinky solution that soaked the towel you held over your face...knock out ether...no wait...it was the over processed rods in the sink with your hair still wound around them. There's more, but I know you get the jest of it.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

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    1. YES! head in the sink and the smell rising into your nose. Yeeeaaah that was just great. NOT ~

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  8. A simple household item evokes memories! Speaking of Toni home perms, I once helped a colleague who had a rumour about poisoning in the family. Turned out the mother (can’t recall how far back) had killed two children by poisoning them with Toni home perm then tried to suicide the same way. She had a “holiday” in prison. Despite the rumour, my friend was quite shocked by the archival documents.

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    1. OMG - never heard this before. Very interesting, indeed!

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  9. Quirky and fun, oh yes the vision brings back the smell. Such fun reading all these comments too.

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