Zenith Trans-Oceanic Royal 7000-1 Radio

The Zenith Trans-Oceanics are among the most iconic of all portable multi-band radios ever produced here in the United States. 

This one belonged to my dad. It's considered a vintage collectible. Made in the early 1970's.
It has the power cord attached, but also runs on batteries. It does work, I was able to hear local FM stations, the weather channel and some other channels that I couldn't understand the language. I'm not sure how it all works, but I do have the manual as well. 

See this radio and more in my vintage Etsy Shop!

To Dye or not To Dye

I'm 51 years old. Just one year ago I was 50. Somewhere in that time it seems I have aged, a lot.

It's like someone pulled a plug and said that's it, time for your youth to spiral down the drain. I had some gray hair before but not so much that I appeared to be a grandmother rather than a mother of a 7 year old.

A few weeks ago I finally cut off much of my long hair, about 8 inches and brought it up to my shoulders. Now all I see is the gray. So I bought a box of hair color. It's been sitting on my bathroom counter taunting me.

I do want to have my old color back and hide some of the gray. What I don't want to do is have to maintain it. Kind of like when you first shave your legs, there's no going back. So I have to decide if I want to put one more thing on my "keep yourself up to snuff" list. Ugh!

I will confess that I let the smooth shaven legs look, go much longer between shaves than I used to. I'm not married or dating and no one else seems to care. Plus I'm can't see without my glasses on anymore to do a proper job in the shower anyway.

This whole fabulous fifties thing isn't really happening for me yet. I need to work on that.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I now know why so many 50 plus women cut their hair off short. Between the hot flashes and the strands falling out all over the floor, it does seem like a wise choice. I have always thought short hair look so freeing on women, like they are simplifying their lives and it's their own choice.

I think Jamie Lee Curtis looks so happy and comfortable with her look now and I wonder if it's time for my long locks to go. My hair is very thick, wavy and dark brown, speckled with an ever increasing amount of grey. It served me well in my youth and even in early motherhood. It made me feel like a young mother even though I was not.

Now however, I really have no time to keep up with it and a short cut seems so much more practical. I only wish we could all look as great as Jamie Lee, but alas I do not have her cheek bones. So I am now searching for ideas for a short cut that would work with an oval face and thick, slightly wavy hair.

It's time, the constant pony tail is getting old. The only thing that will be a drag, is having to get a regular trim to keep it up. I have not had a professional hair cut in about 15 years. I really feel like a makeover, all suggestions are welcome.

My Generation

I'm part of Generation Jones and I didn't even know it! Apparently the those of us at the tail end of the baby boomer generation have our own label. We were born between the mid-fifties and the mid-sixties and we are just as likely to be mothers of young children as we are to grandmothers. It also appears we are a very diverse group.
According to Carol Davies in an article published on Marketing Daily:

"Younger Boomers, with millions of them approaching 50, have always felt in the shadow of older ones. And they've always felt younger. "

I have to agreed there, I never really felt like part of the whole Boomer generation and now I can proudly flaunt my Generation Jones membership! It's nice to have a tribe.