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  It was a hot summers day in August 1977. I was sitting in the Barbershop chair just enjoying the peace of the evening around 4pm. I was thinking about how quiet it really was for the day, how I had done some business this day, but; still enjoyed the peace as Saturday would be here in two more days.

  I was thinking I would close early, go fishing for a change when I got home, but; that was broken in thought, I looked up and the whole Lynch family was at the door. Jim was coming in for his monthly haircut for his Marine Corps Weekend Drill, wife Janet, usually came in during the summer months, as it was too hot (in the 90’s) to stay in the car. Then there were the four children, Julie, Jane, Janette and son Joseph. I always had a laugh, since everyone’s name started with the letter “J". I use to say; “Well here comes the J family."

  The interesting thing about them was they were a very religious family, they believed in a woman’s crowning glory, never cutting a woman’s hair short. Jim was a good man who wore his hair conservatively, or Ivy League, then before his weekend drills would get his hair cut to a ½" crew cut. I caped Jim up, the family sat down in the waiting chairs  and read a magazine. I did the usual cut for Jim ½’ clipper cut to a nice crew cut for drill. I undid Jim and as he walked away, his son Joseph ran to the chair, jumped up in it and said; “ HAIRCUT"  as he sat down.

  Now Joseph was all of 5 years old, he was the youngest of the four children. I looked at Jim, Jim replied “OK." So I caped Joseph up. I usually just trimmed Josephs hair as he wore it long like little JFK did in the 60’s. I proceeded to trim Josephs hair when he spoke up and said: “No, I want like Dad’s." I looked at Jim, then looked at Janet who immediately looked up from her paper. Jim looked at Janet and said, “Well what do you think Honey?" Janet looked at Joseph and said; “Are you sure you want all your beautiful hair cut off that short Joseph?" Joseph replied with a nod YES. Janet said “Well Ok then get it all cut off if this is what you want to do." Joseph smiled and looked at me and said “DO IT.“ The girls were all looking in awe, as I changed out the scissors, for the clippers. I put the ½ in plastic blade onto the clippers and turned them on. I brought the clippers to the front of  Josephs head, Janet was sitting with her hands over her mouth, the girls were all looking on as Joseph was getting all his hair cut short for once. I ran the clippers down the middle, no turning back, as the hair flew away and a thin white scalp was showing Janice and the girls let out an OMG, as they watched the next three passes, reduce the hair on the top of the head to a stubble. Joseph sat and watched each cut taken and just smiled bigger. I finished with passes up the side and back and in 5 min, Joseph had gone from a thick mop of 5" of hair to a nice ½" cut.

  I undid the cape on Joseph, then Janette, who was seven spoke up and said; “ I want to have my hair cut." Julie and Jane said; “Yes, we do too." Jim said; “Well I know times are changing but; we believe and always have believed that long hair is a woman’s crowning glory girls." Janet said; “Yes girls, we have that belief, God gave each of you a nice head of hair, to keep long, not to have it cut." The oldest girl Julie said “We three are determined to get a haircut today. It is not fair, the guys can have short hair, everyone at school is cutting their hair short, but; not the Lynch family girls,. No we are freaks with this long hair." Janet looked at Jim for a word, Jim looked at me and said; “Well are girls cutting their long locks off?“  I looked at both Jim and Janet and said; “Well since you have asked me, I will be tell you this. Yes, some 13 of  the young children, also some women, all with long hair, came in from the church, just this week, cutting their hair short,  especially doing that Dorothy Hamill wedge cut." All three girls jumped up and together said; “That’s the cut, that’s the cut we want Mom, Dad.  Oh please lets us get that Dorothy Hamill style haircut today." Jim looked at Janet, she looked at her daughters and said; “Oh Jim, our babies are growing up and want independence." Jim looked at the three daughters and said; “Is this what will make you all happy, cutting off your waist length hair and Julie, your hair is almost to your knees, you want to cut it off, just to be like all the other girls at school?" The reply was unanimous: “YES DAD IT IS." Janet threw up her hands and said; “Remember Jim, I had short hair in 1959 in High School."  Jim said; “Yes, I remember that, you had it to your knees one day, then came in with it cut in a very short pixie cut. Yes I do remember that event from High School, Janet, what a metamorphoses. OK girls, if this is what each of you wants to do, who is going to go first?"  All of them yelled me, me, me, Jim looked at them and said youngest first.

  Janette walked up to the chair as proud as could be and sat down, she had her waist length brown hair in a ponytail and was ready for this haircut. I caped her up and then asked her; “Are you going to donate it to a charity Janette?" “No I want Daddy to have it.“ was Janette’s reply. I took the scissors in hand and pulled up Janette’s Ponytail. I inserted the scissors into the hair above the rubber band and said; “Ready to see it all get cut off ?" Janette looked at herself in the mirrors and said; “Yes, cut it off, cut it off."  I obliged and started scissoring into the ponytail, Janette screamed with the first snip, the whole family watched with eyes wide as I snipped away at Janette’s pony tail, crunching went the scissors as they ate up the hair. Cut after cut, the scissors inched their way slowly through the thick brown ponytail, until  the ponytail was severed. I gave the severed ponytail, about 20 inches, to Jim, then I went to work making the popular Dorothy Hamill cut a reality for Janette. I finished the style up, next was Jane.

  Jane was all of 10 years old with her brownish reddish mix of hair that fell about mid thigh. Janet had done Jane’s hair into a braid to be saved by Janet. Jane was capped up and I asked her if she was ready for the Dorothy Hamill cut, she said; “No, I want a bob cut, right at chin length, with bangs from one temple to the other temple." I said OK, looked at Jim and Janet who nodded an OK. I got the scissors out and went to cut into the braid when Jane said; “Wait a minute, I do not want the scissors to cut my braid, I want you to use the clippers to cut through my braid.“ I said “OK" and got the clippers off the hook. I grabbed Jane’s long braid, held it out from her neck, then I turned the clippers on. Jane jumped and I said; “Sit still girl, or I will mess it up." Jane got stiff as a board sitting upright in the chair. I brought the clippers to the braid and started to let the blades saw through the braid. A sound of munching was all that was heard as Janet and everyone looked on, the clippers devoured the braid and it was severed and given to Janet, it was about 28 inches long. Jane’s hair had fallen around her neck, flowing to the chin line, just  as I had planned for it to fall into shape. All I needed to do now was the bangs. I turned the clippers over, then right above the eyebrows at the left temple, I made a nice straight line cut from left to right temple, I was done. I uncapped Janette as she said; “Oh  thank you OC. “ I said; “Your very welcome Janette, it has been my pleasure to see you all going modern." I looked up and there stood Julie.

  Julie was about 13 years old and had hair that fell in a braid to her mid thigh, which if undone would fall below her Knees. I capped Julie up and asked her; “What style do you want Julie." I was not prepared for her request when she said; “A very short pixie cut please."  I said; “What will define short Julie?" Julie looked at me and said; “About 1 ½" all over with a clipper cut." Janet said; “Julie, are you sure, I mean that is short." Julie replied; “Yes Mom, it is short, but; I am going to be playing volleyball, softball and soccer this year at school, so I want something short and easy to take care of." Janet said; “Well your right honey. I was just saying that is a very drastic change, as I well remember from when I did it in High school. Cutting it from knee length, some 36 inches, but; your right, it will be a whole lot easier to wash and take care of."  Janet nodded an approval and I took the clippers off the hook again, lifted Julies braid and started cutting through it like I had one for Janette. I gave the braid to Julie who aid she was going to keep it. I then said; “So it is going to be a short 1 ½" Pixie cut is it." Julie looked into the mirror at her hair. It fell evenly cut right above shoulder length. “Yes, a nice short 1 ½" pixie cut is what I want OC.“  I put the steel ½" blade on with a 1" plastic comb. The clippers came to life, Julie jumped and settled down, Janet was spellbound, as she watched the clippers going up the right side of Julies head, hair was falling as it was clipped off, over the ear, up the back 3 times, over the left ear and finally at the left side. Hair was flying all over the cape, Jim was in shock, the other kids looked on, Julies hair became shorter then she had ever had it in the last 12 years. Finally I raised the clippers to the top of the head and right down the middle they drove as hair flew off and down to the cape, then fell to the floor, Done. Julie sat looking at her hair, being reduced to a short shoulder cut, then a shorter pixie cut. As Julie looked at herself in the mirror, she raised her arms from under the cape, reached up with her hands, rubbed her short hair, smiled and said; “Oh God do I love this short style." As I uncapped Julie, I shook out the cape, looked at Janet and said; “Next." Janet looked up, blushed a bright red and said, “NO." The 3 girls said; “Oh Mom, please cut your hair, PLEASE MOM."  Janet looked at Jim as if to say HELP. I said; “I will make you a deal, Janet cuts her hair, all haircuts done so far will be FREE." I looked at Jim and he said; “FREE, all the haircuts for free if Janet cuts hers?" I said “YES." Janet looked at me, she had always come in with Jim every month and always wore her hair on top of her head in a top knot style. For almost 15years, I had seen Janet, come in with Jim, watch as Jim got his hair cut and leave.

  Janet looked at Jim, Jim looked back at Janet and said; “ I do love your long hair, but; I will have to admit, watching Julie cut her hair into that Pixie cut, sure brought back memories of High School, of you with that long hair one day and a pixie cut the next. Plus I will have to admit, I really liked it short." Julie looked dumbfounded and said; “So you want me to cut my hair, that I have had for you, for some 18 years growth, all short, into a pixie cut, like I did in High School Jim?"

Jim replied; “Well it has been 18 years since you have cut your hair. We have believed in having long hair, but; right now, with the kids all cutting their hair off, I would like to see you in that short hair style that we got married in so long ago." Janet blushed a bright red, the girls and boy all said; “Cut it Mommy, cut it off mommy, get a haircut mommy, do it, do it, oh lease do it mommy." Janet got up from her chair, her knees were shaking as she looked at everyone and came to the chair and sat down. Everyone was silent. All sat down to watch Janet getting a hair cut. I caped Janet up, she gulped hard. I said; “It will be Ok Janet.“ As I reached for the pins that secured her hair to her head. One, two, four, six pins came out, the hair came tumbling down. Janets hair bounced, as it fell to the back of the chair, tumbling downward, it hit the bottom of the seat on he chair, then like a yoyo, it uncoiled and fell straight down hitting the floor. I was in shock. I had seen long hair, I mean like Julies was, to the knees, but; had never seen a spire of hair like this unfolded in my shop. Magazines of makeovers with long hair yes, but never this long, especially that I was going to get to cut off. I asked Janet “How long is your hair lady." Janet said; To tell you the truth OC, I don’t really know?" I reached into the drawer, got a small tape measurer out. I lifted Janet’s spire of hair up, then I asked Jim to assist. Jim held Janet’s hair at her nape, as I measured it outwardly. I looked at the luscious brown and red hair with some grayish color. As I ran the tape out. I was reading as I walked backwards, 24“, 36“, 48“, 60“. I pulled tight on the hair and ran the ruler out to 68" I was in shock and said; “68" Janet, your hair is 68" long, Wow I have never cut anyone’s hair this long." Janet looked at everyone and said; “Well I guess we are going to get to see it all cut off today huh OC." I said; “I guess so, I mean if your still wanting to cut it short." Janet said; “We have come this far so why not, Jim wants a short cut, I think about 1" clipper cut all over. That should make it the shortest hair cut I will have ever had, plus I could  make it into a wig for myself." I stuttered and said; “Did you say a 1" clipper cut Janet." Janet snickered and said; “ Well if I am getting it cut short, why not go all the way, I mean 67" buzzed all at once?" I changed the clipper heads and put on the 1’ plastic guide, snapped the clippers on, Janet’s eyes widened as I had Jim hold her hair up high, but; keep it loose. I said; “Janet, I am going to cut it all at to 1" at once. No long hair to cut again like I did with the kids. I will cut it from the sides, then the back, then the top. This way you will have the greatest amount of hair cut off at 67", to make into a long wig if you want." Janice smiled and said; “OK, let the show begin before I get cold feet and back out." I took the clippers and started at the right sideburns straight up I went to the temple, back down I came and went up again to the ear and back over the right ear. The hair was secured in the ponytail Jim had, but it was being severed. Up the back of the nape to the crown I cut it. Once, twice, three cuts, then over the left ear I went. We could see the short hair showing through, as the long hair was severed. I went to the front and started on the left side straight back I went to the crown. Two more passes and almost done. Janet was in awe as she watched her long locks being severed as she had requested. The final cut came as I went down the front on the right side to the crown, Jim held up all the severed hair in a ponytail as Janet reached up and felt her short hair. Jim took the hair and gave it to Janet. I uncapped Janet and she stepped down from the chair she said; “Wow, now this has been a family affair for sure." I said; “yes it has been a day of some 13‘ of hair being severed, but, having cut Janet’s hair from 68" to 1", wow now that’s something to talk about, saving the best for last, Thank You all so much."

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