Hands and nails

I woke early this morning to gentle breezes of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Ah! I put on my cotton eyelet nightgown (another Ah!) and took Yangsom, Vincent and Eli outside. Next to a very bright star – maybe it was a planet – the bright moon backlit an airy cloud. It was spectacular…and there I stood without my camera. I had to choose between Yangsom and an awesome shot. She has a hard time navigating the stairs in certain light – or lack thereof. The dog won. The image is imprinted only in my mind.

Remember hands? Jason’s hands. My hands. Susan’s mother’s hands. Alma commented on how pretty my nails were, wondering if I did them myself. Nope. Nails by Jonette. For more than fifteen years my nails have been done by Jonette. Over the years I’ve groomed four different Yorkshire Terriers for her. And over the years, she’s done the same ten finger nails for me. We have been friends a very long time, sharing weekly over a bottle of polish remover. She attended the film premier of the original Ancient Treasure…

Two weeks ago Jonette did my nails for the last time. She moved to Alaska to be with her sister. I’m excited for her and her new adventure, but…. I could write about the more important things I’ll miss about my friend, but this morning I’ll focus on my nails…as trivial as that may seem. She’d understand!

For years, my three dreams If I Were A Rich Man were to have floor to ceiling bookcases, a lap pool and regular manicures. I was (still would be if I had the opportunity) a nail biter. Shortly before Jonette started working on my hands, I tried regular manicures from a co-worker of hers. I groomed Alice’s Lhasa Apso. She gave me pedicures and manicures. Somehow, dogs are always the common link… After Alice moved, I started seeing Jonette. One day I made the leap and asked her about acrylic nails. I’ve had nails by Jonette since then. It’s damn hard to bite acrylic! My hands have looked pretty for years.

Jonette has done nails for as long as I’ve groomed dogs. That’s a long time! She’s as good at doing nails as I am at grooming dogs. That’s darn good! Well! You’d better be great at your profession after years of practice, so why beat around the bush. Finding someone really, really good with nails is like finding a really, really good dog groomer. I’m not talking adequate. I’m talking GOOD.

After wrestling with what I was going to do – I’ll spare us all the details – last night, I went to Shannon. Jonette referred me to Shannon. Although she’d never met her, she’d seen her work. Jonette was diligent about finding the right fit for each of her ladies. Shannon works alone is a cozy, welcoming space called the Nail Studio. Arriving early in order to soak the acrylic off (she uses gel), a client sang her praises. She still drives up-the-hill to have Shannon do her nails. Good sign! Never mind the Vizsla, Anna, sitting on the dog bed. A dog! The chitchat between Shannon and her client included physics – physics?! – and anatomy. Alright! Things are looking promising.

Complimenting Jonette’s work, noting the health of my nails, she went to work…