Beautiful long drop crystal earrings that have been created from champagne coloured crystal beads. These crystal beads in these unique earrings have been faceted so that they catch the light beautifully.
That’s how long I was in my mother’s home for a Thanksgiving visit before I found myself with not one but two different kinds of product in my hair.
My limp, straight, ornery hair has been a source of consternation to my mother my whole life, and one day, by God, she will conquer it and give me the bouncin’ and behavin’ blonde locks a self-respecting Southern gal is supposed to have. It started with my first permanent wave around the age of six. Mama managed to get one picture of me with a halo of golden curls. Then it went straight again. Defiantly straight.
Over the years we have tried pin curls, pink sponge rollers, hot rollers, curling irons, back combing, teasing, rats (the kind for hair fixin’ not for killin’), professionals with chemicals, a thing called a hot comb, the dreaded bonnet hair dryer, crimping, those spongy twisty sticks, and sheer will (and a whole lot of Aqua Net) to make my hair big. And it will get big, gloriously big…for a little while. Then it’s stubborn straightness takes over making it point like an arrow to the ground.
But my mother will not accept defeat. And this Thanksgiving I was on her turf. With the turkey in the oven, appliances of hair torture at the ready, and time on our hands, it was time to try again.
That’s when the product came out. Applied only to the roots, mind you. Lifting the hair. You must lift the hair. Lift it.
Then came the heat. If you look closely you’ll see that my right ear is about to be burnt slap off my head. There is pain in beauty, y’all, and vicey versey. Deep, I know. You’ve got to invoke a little Southern Zen to endure the beautification process. Or drink. But we’ll get to that.
Then rollers. Lots of rollers. Unlike our hot rollers of yore, these Velcro thingies actually manage to grip the strands and bend them into submission. Plus they stick to your head so there’s no need to gouge those pin things into your scalp to get them to stay. Progress.
Then I had to go let it set for a while. That’s what the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is for. And mimosas. You need something, for pity’s sake, to make you forget how your ear stings and remember that you are just a hair away from real beauty — big hair beauty.
Giddy with anticipation, and certainly not the aforementioned mimosa, we unroll our way to the big reveal. Will it curl? Will it at least wave? Will all this time and effort and product and heat and Velcro be for naught?
Now I know my hair will not rival Farrah’s famed mane, but it is bigger than it normally is. Really. Downright puffy, I’d say. And it lasted. All day. Even in the South Alabama humidity.
Scott Humston has performed magic acts, or illusions, in Tennessee for 20-some years, sometimes for secular audiences and sometimes for churches.
On June 7, Humston will appear at the Brentwood Library for his 25th appearance in their summer series. On June 8, he will appear at libraries in Milan, Alamo and Greenfield, and on June 9, Humston performs at Lawrenceburg’s Crockett Theater for a family-friendly evening of magic, comedy, music, stories, and lots of audience participation.
Humston said his shows combine music and magic and stories for both secular and Christian family audiences. His programs are interactive.
Humston said his shows combine music and magic and stories for both secular and Christian family audiences. His programs are interactive, especially the one in Lawrenceburg.
“A lot of parents don’t see their kids laugh at the movies. My program has a lot of interaction. My biggest prop is the audience.”
While he does not saw people in half or make them disappear, he does routines like work with a person from the audience to make a table float. One popular moment is when he keeps pulling silver dollars out of a child’s ear. He calls such moments magical or wonder-filled moments.
Humston’s magic has been seen live by over 3 million people in the U.S. as well as Canada, England, Scotland, Turkey and Belize. He is currently featured on the hit television show, “Now You See It,” on the BBC channel in the United Kingdom. “Now You See It” was the #1 show in its time slot last year.
Humston’s live event entitled, “Pro Kids,” has been presented in public and private schools across the nation. He has performed for major corporations such as Southwest Airlines and Warner Brothers Records, as well as three performances at the White House.
Humston lives near Orlando, Florida, but travels to Tennessee on a regular basis (and other states) for his shows. He has a special connection to the Volunteer State because he attended college in Nashville and has relatives here. His oldest child just graduated from high school; the next oldest attends a private Christian school; and the two youngest are home schooled.