What's short and red all over?

I got a hair cut !
Yes I did. Cut and color. It’s part of our “Operation: Get Ready for Costa Rica.“
Getting a haircut is great but weird for me. I grew up thinking that haircuts were for men. That doing anything to your hair would damage it.
This belief was a childhood gift from my mother. So was the belief that makeup ruined your skin and that you invited trouble by looking pretty.
When I got older and A) wore nothing but jeans and baggy T-shirts - which concealed much of me, B) refused to wear make up or jewelry and C) always wore my hair in braids, my mother made it clear how disappointed she was in me. How was I supposed to know when the rules no longer applied?
Funny, now that I’m older and have no one really impress with a fabulous look, I actually do a bit more for myself.
But today, I took another leap into beauty. My hair is probably the shortest it’s ever been. And boy is it RED!
Bill made the appointment for me. I told the stylist I did not want my hair color to go too dark. She choose a warm brown tone. At least it looked brown on the swatch. When she put all the goop in my hair it looked brown. When she dried it, IT LOOKED RED. I like it. But it is a bit shocking. I keep doing double takes at my reflection. It was long past time for the cut. All my original hair color had faded or grown out. My ends were so dry and split , they could have sanded wood. Strips of gray hair ran down sections of my head. Not all over. So it looks goofy. I can’t even gray normally, sheesh.
Yup, it was time to get the hair done.
And given how much I’ve been agonizing over the Costa Rica, Bill wanted to make sure I had a boost of confidence.
But it’s short and it’s RED!
It’s not just my hair that’s getting done. We’ve been making progress, buying little things here and there that will help us along including a few items for Lucky to wear while we’re there. Of course the one item I want to buy is a ball gag for my father who’s complaining knows no bounds.
The trip must be causing his anxieties to kick into overdrive. He is slowly driving my youngest sister mad. She’s living with him for a bit. As a special service to his house guests, my father has created a list of my sister’s inadequacies that he expects her to fix IMMEDIATELY! The lists instructs my sister to fix her car, replace her tires, be a more attentive caretaker to him (her job has become inconvenient for him), clean the house and drive him places.

His official full-time caretaker, the second he's had in less than a year, recently quit after he made it clear she was inferior to him.
Sigh. This is who I'm taking to Costa Rica. Sometimes I try to find reason behind my father’s behavior. But most times, I’m in reactionary mode, trying to deflect his criticisms. He has fewer of them for me because he seems to approve of some of my choices. Suffice to say my father is a snob and appearances are extremely important to him.
He’s prone to bragging even about things he’s never done. Sigh.
I try not to dwell on these things and focus on looking forward to a vacation and time spent with Bill and our little one. I just need to find the strength.