And things have changed.

In the old days when I went in for a haircut and asked for a "George Peppard" the hair stylist nodded and said, "Sure."  It seemed like every lady on earth knew who I was talking about. 

Make that request today and most hair stylists are fortunate to be young enough to respond, "George who?"

So, as family portrait day loomed on the horizon, I thought I should suggest a hair style that my talented stylist would immediately recognize.

"I'd like a 'Mark Harmon'," I remarked, somewhat knowingly, certain she would know exactly what she had to do.

"OK," she answered, "but I'm gonna have to take off three inches of hair and two inches of nose."

I thought about it for a second because I had to admit it sounded like a good idea.

"Well, can you do the hair now and let me think about nose?" I asked. "Summer's coming up and sometimes children and short people need a shade."

"Y'know, perhaps a little color might be just what you need," she suggested.

"I'm game," I shrugged. "What do have in a pastel?"

Editor's note: This column is in homage to a column I grew up reading in the Bonham Daily Favorite, odds & ends by bob Cantrell, often containing snippets of conversation from the barbershop or something Mr. Cantrell overheard as he walked around the Bonham Square.