Temporary art is more transitory than temporary



She's not injecting my brain with henna



Yesterday morning I used my husband's two electric shavers to shave my head.

I was moderately successful. It was hard to shave my head. It felt wrong, so I was sloppy.

When Patti Shaw showed up to paint a henna tattoo on my head, she reshaved the areas I missed.

Even though I didn't have a lot of hair left from chemo, there's still a big difference being completely bald.

We used some henna I had left from when I used to dye my hair. Patti had found a book about henna tattoos in a thrift store and brought it along as a reference. She told me she was so concerned about doing a good job on the first tattoo that she:

1. woke up in the middle of the night because of worrying
2. practiced designs on the steamed doors of her shower in the morning

We mixed the henna with some boiling water. I cleaned out a syringe I'd used to inject myself with post-chemo medication, and she began her design. Patti said that using the syringe to apply the henna made a consistent application.

The henna was cool as it was applied. Patti steadied her hand on the back of my chair, my shoulders, etc.

After she started, other artists who will apply tattoos later showed up and watched. Comments and advise were given and accepted. She got a lot of praise. And, I think the others were relieved to see how easy it is to do.

They all left shortly after Patti was done and a few hours later I washed the henna off my head. In hindsight, I now know that using red henna for a henna tattoo doesn't work. The tattoo hardly shows.

I will buy henna tattoo kits to ensure that the work my artist friends create lasts.

Gale Johansen is scheduled for December 31. Patti's agreed to another date, later.

It was wonderful having my friends over to help me maintain even a small amount of control over my appearance, which has been so altered by poisonous chemotherapy.

I am grateful.