**

Do you take a number when you walk in? Not at Billy's! You come in and look to see who's already there. When all those people are gone, it's your turn and you're expected to keep up with who comes in after so no one jumps line. Finally it's your turn in the chair. As you walk up you are met with a smile, a "How do you do?" and a "How you want it today?" I don't wanna say it's a real man's place but it really is. That doesn't mean that women don't go there too! A lot of women line up at Billy's to get their hair cut. (There's gotta be a joke in there somewhere ... 'where the men are men and the women are too' maybe? I dunno)

So today I'm sitting there, listening to everyone talk about the homecoming parade and other celebrations going on this weekend. Billy is cutting my hair and just being in the chair relaxed me enough that I almost dozed off! (W.T.F.! Either I need some serious stress reduction or need to start getting to bed before 3 a.m.) Actually it got me to thinking and I figured out that every time I sit in one of his chairs it has the same effect on me.
There is something almost hypnotic about having my hair cut. When the comb slides through my hair and across my scalp, I get shivers up and down my spine and goosebumps break out all over. When the electric clippers touch the back of my neck or vibrate against my ears as he's blocking my hairline, the same thing. Strange? I think not. Why not? Well I'll tell ya.
It's comfortable and just sooooo ... zen-like! I never really felt that way when I went to Fantastic Sam's or some other salon-type establishment. Getting a hair cut at Billy's is kinda like mama's cooking. You know the feeling you get when you walk through the door and the smell of roasting meat, fresh bread and the familiar smell and feel of family hits you in the face? It's like that. It's meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and macaroni and cheese rolled up into one... it's comfort food for the soul.
I do have a point here. I bitch ... a LOT ... about the lack of amenities in the small town area I find myself in. We don't even have a Starbucks for Christ's sake. If I want to go to a bookstore, I have to drive an hour and 15 minutes south of here. We have six or seven choices of places to eat and the biggest one is Ryan's Steak House. It's pretty pathetic. But there are sometimes when I kinda like living here.
Do you know I can drive up to a corner store and leave my car running, unlocked, with the keys in it while I run and do my shopping and it'll still be waiting for me when I get back? It's true. I can drive across town and back home again in 20 minutes during the heaviest traffic of the day? And? I can go to a place and be greeted by name as I walk through the door, relax to the point of almost napping while someone weedwhacks my unruly mop back into manageable shape and maybe ... just maybe ... solve some of the world's problems in the bargain. Sometimes? Country life is good. There really are places where everybody knows your name. Oh and in case you're wondering, the consensus is that the Wampus Cats have a good chance of winning tonight ... gentlemen, place your bets.