The Hair Files

Bela's hair was the first thing that jumped out at me upon meeting her. Literally.
Mike and I were covered in it within seconds. She was jumping all over us, lovingly...wanting us to get to know her. We know her quite well now, but that loving jumping has never decreased, so neither has the hair.

I have two lint rollers (one without scent, one with the scent of Bounce, which means not only can I wear recently hair-covered clothes, but dirty ones at that). I have a broom and dustpan that likely consider themselves overworked and underpaid.

The comforter cover, which used to be what one could call a 'midnight' shade of blue, is now what a linen store would deem a heathered blue. The tumbleweeds that roll through our house look like no one has tended to the floor in months.

I find her hair in my hair sometimes. In my purse. In my shoes.

Mike and I traveled to California last year, only 2 months after adopting her. We were sitting at the top of a rocky cliff, looking over the water when he pulled off his shoe and found it full of her hair. He moved the strands through his fingers, and sent them off into the air. "And now it's like she's here with us", he said.

Though some may find a stray dog hair disgusting, or uncouth - I also see it as a token of her presence. There's a Bela hair? Oh, how nice, that she can be with me in the office today! What, another? Fantastic, that she was able to make this trip to the grocery store with me!

One day, we pulled up to a party. We were about to leave the car, when I looked into the rearview mirror to find a piece of cilantro wedged between my tight little teeth. I didn't initially panic, as I am a bit of a floss nut, and usually have a travel size with me in most bags.
But the bag I had that day was unequipped. I worked on the wedged cilantro with a fingernail, to no avail. I tried to push it in deeper with my tongue, so as to leave it still in place, but hidden to the partygoers. Nothing. I was about to head in to a meet-and-greet with a large herb in the forefront of my mouth.

I looked around the camel-colored car. Nestled into the upholstery were hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of Bela's hair.

Let's just say that her hair found a new use that day....and that when I walked into that party, I was smiling brightly.