Power outages dictate her hairdo

Published 7:22 pm Friday, March 18, 2016

The storm that blew through Thursday knocked out the power at my house. I did not think much about it until I got home from work. Sitting in the dark and twiddling my thumbs is not my strong suit, but there was nothing I could do to change my situation.

I decided the best and only options were to look at the positives, which included not having to cook supper, and since there would be no TV watching, I would take a long hot bath before going to bed.

We have a large gas hot water tank, and as much as I have dreamed about having a space-saving tankless water heater, I was glad for the monstrosity that takes up square footage in my laundry room.

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All was good, until I woke up the next morning, and there was still no power.

I lay in bed, not wanting to get out, but knew I had work to do at the paper.

I crawled out irritated, I was either going to have to heat up water for instant coffee or drive through McDonald’s on my way to work for my caffeine fix. But to my surprise, hubby had cranked up the small generator we have had since Hurricane Katrina blew through, and in addition to plugging up the refrigerators, he had the coffee maker brewing.

He gets huge brownie points for that one!

The hot cup of Joe was exactly what I needed to begin figuring out what I was going to do with my hair.

With the power directed towards keeping the ice cream frozen and the coffee hot, there was not much muscle left to plug in a professional blow dryer.

Unfortunately for me, I am not a natural beauty, and each and every morning I work hard to straighten out my nappy curls.

Mom insists I look good when I go natural, but after growing up as a teenager in the 1970’s when long and straight was en vogue, I still cannot wrap my head around out of control frizz, so I decided to wear an “up do” and just not look in the mirror.

Everyone was nice when I got to work, and they did not mention anything about my hair. I am sure they do not give two hoots about my looks, even though they have critiqued my footwear choices at times. (There are days I have worn converse tennis shoes to make me feel young.)

Entergy is not giving any definitive response as to when my power will return, and I hate to complain about the inclement weather when I know these guys are doing the best they can to restore power.

This situation, though annoying, is temporary, and I guess having to eat out a few more times and soak in my Jacuzzi tub with a glass of wine is not the worst thing that could happen.

I will have to start wearing a hat if this goes on too much longer though.

 

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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