Bald Men Need Hats

For years, Greg had been cutting my hair every three weeks. I'd long wondered if I was fooling myself, but friends and colleagues told me not to shave my head. "I don't think of you as a bald person; my mental picture of you has hair," said a children's librarian I worked with.

Then one day I snapped a selfie backstage, and the backlighting and blur effect resulted in this startling portrait.

Backstage during "Tuck Everlasting," preparing to
step on as "Old Hugo" in the final dance number.

It was time to face facts. "I think our time together is coming to an end soon," I said to Greg. He gave me my usual trim, and then I gave him the go-ahead to keep going, as he buzzed all my hair down to a fine stubble. I was afraid, but once it was done I really liked the look. 

Good thing too, because when the pandemic hit and hair salons were closed, it was great not to have to worry about my hair.

I already was used to wearing caps in the summer to keep my bald spot from burning, but I was lackadaisical about hats in the winter. It's been a struggle finding hat styles that I look good in, though. What seems to work best is close-fitting beanie or toque, knit slightly long so the top sits an inch above my skull.

I don't need a thick hat: my bald head puts out a lot of heat, and in fact, I've found in the summer that I prefer a coating of sunscreen on the scalp, as I tend to overheat in a cap. Last fall, I bought a Night Scope Beanie to wear on my dark morning walks; looks good and works great, but it's too thick and hot. So I'm experimenting: I found these rechargeable LED beanie lights on Amazon, and I'm working on a simple beanie, leaving a hole in the hemmed brim to insert the light.

Finished picture with yarn and pattern details soon.

PS: While I don't miss my hair at all, I do miss seeing Greg.