Barbershop Memory

My mother was a barber. She owned her own barbershop in Phoenix, AZ. I remember everyday after school, my sister and I had to go to the barber shop. As I swept the floor of the shop, a cascade of different hair colors and textures would pile up in front of the bristles of the push broom. Mom always had the daily paper there laying on a table.

I enjoyed reading the daily comics and completing the cross word puzzles my mother and some of her customers had begun. I remember reading the "Peanuts" comic strip written by Charles Shultz. I could identify with each of the characters in Peanuts. Either, I shared some of the personality traits (of a character) or knew someone that did.

So, what did I have in common with Charlie Brown? Charlie Brown's father was a barber just like my mother. When it came to life, things seldom went the way Charlie Brown planned or wanted them to go. Every now and then, sometimes something would go right. Like the hundreds of times Charlie tries to kick the football and Lucy snatches the football causing Charlie to end up somersaulting and landing in a supine position with a THUD! Why did Charlie keep trying to punt the ball when he knew Lucy could not be trusted to hold it? Why did I keep cheering and rooting for Charlie to kick it!Kick the ball! Then, there is the one time that Charlie Brown actually got to kick the Ball!! Yea for the under dog.(Click on the title "Barbershop Memory" for a link to a video.)

Charles Shultz (1922-2000)had a wonderful wit and a good sense of humor. Not only was he a talented artist, he was also a great pianist. There is a museum honoring Charles Shultz and his contributions to the world. www.shultzmuseum.org
Copyright 2009, Michelle I. Peterson. Some rights reserved.
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