June is Bustin' Out All Over

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  Memorial Day weekend is over, we’ve said good-bye to 

May, and this is the start of the first full month in June, or, as I like to call it: summer.

 

We all have different markers for when the season begins - the aforementioned holiday 

weekend, the end of the school year, that blast of cold air as the office’s annual pre-set 

AC comes on whether it’s 50 or 90 F. But without a doubt, June is the start, the first 

month of summer, the month of weddings and graduations and my birthday, which is 

why I know it’s so great.

I have certain rituals that mark the start of the season. First and foremost, I bring the 

warm-weather clothing and the fans down from the attic, and carry the winter things up. 

The parkas and scarves move from the foyer to the less-accessible front hall closet, and 

the boots disappear in favor of sneakers and flip-flops. 

There’s summer-specific beauty rites: a pedicure with bright nail polish and sunless 

tanning lotion after showers (I wear it under my SPF 50 sunscreen.)

 

On the first really hot day, I’ll make myself cold tuna-mac salad, a 1960’s style dish that 

was one of my mom’s staples back before she started replacing gobs of mayo with 

heart-healthy alternatives. I’ll add a few things to my grocery list: lemonade mix, lime 

and strawberry popsicles (which Google tells me I should refer to as frozen fruit bars,)

 Miracle Whip (come at me, haters.)

And of course, as we discussed last week, there’s the joy of finding a horde selection of 

great summer reads.

Reds, what rites and rituals mark the start of summer for you?

HALLIE EPHRON: Ah, summer… Number one is opening the windows. This year I’m 

having the windows washed, a pricey but necessary (at least once every five years) 

endeavor.


Number two, birds! There’s usually several nests in my backyards and then comes the 

fun watching the gawky hatchlings fledge. When you see four cardinals together and 

not killing each other or mating, they’re nest-mates.

And on the watch for lady slippers at the base of trees on my walks. 

And, oh yes, finding someone to help me hoist my a/c from the office floor and into the 

window. It’s the only room I really need it for. Any volunteers??

LUCY BURDETTE: First is a tuna melt on rye when my favorite snack bar opens. 

Deep River potato chips on the side. Pretty soon the farmers market will provide more 

than greens and radishes, though we are enjoying lots of those!

 

RHYS BOWEN: Lucy and I have had a sneak preview of summer at our other homes. 

It reached 95 before I left Arizona. Now I’m back in California with weather in the 70s. 

My first summer task is to take heavy winter clothes downstairs and bring up summer 

ones. Then go through and weed out those I no longer wear. (I wore a white jacket this 

week. It’s after Memorial Day so I’m allowed to.)

 

Things I look forward to: Thursday farmers market with all that organic fresh produce. 

And sitting out on my deck on a balmy evening, glass of Aperol Spritz in hand, enjoying 

watching the sun slip below the hills.

 

JENN McKINLAY: Summer is…less fantastic for me. I’m saying good-bye to my weekly

 farmer’s market outing until October. The AC guy has to come out and
make sure our 

unit is all good. You never want your AC to die when it’s 115. The pool starts getting 

used daily to exercise the dogs - this is actually one of the highlights! 

 

 

And my garden starts to shrivel up and die until late July when it’s time to plant the 

pumpkins and hopefully a robust monsoon season will do the watering. Woo hoo! 

And the highlight of summer is the annual trek to my mom’s summer house in Nova 

Scotia. We count the days until we’re back on the Bay of Fundy, fishing in the trout 

stream, hitting the local farm stands, and running on the beach! Can’t wait! 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: The winter clothes migrated back into the attic here back in 

April! But June does really feel like the beginning of summer, especially with all the 

summer produce coming into the market and the frogs singing in the pond.
But every year I indulge in a little beginning of summer ritual–driving through our 

favorite barbecue joint. We have a great multi-awarded barbecue place but somehow 

when it’s cold it drops off my radar. 

 

But that first warm evening with the lengthening twilight, I love to drive 

across town and sit in the drive-through line with the windows down, smelling the huge 

smokers and watching the light fade over the western treetops. And if I get into the fried 

okra before I get home, don’t tell…

 

JULIA: Readers, what starts your summer? 

Images by freepik, gpointstudio, wirestock, freepik, vecstock, and chandlervid85, all on Freepik.com

Confessions of a Would-be Hermit

RHYS BOWEN:  Last week Hank posted about our reluctance to come back to normal life after the pandemic. Didn’t she compare us to groundhogs, peeking out of burrows?

Like all of you I have spent the last year and a half Zooming--wearing a nice top, make up AND sweat pants or shorts, plus bare feet.  I had thought that the pandemic was over I’d go on a shopping spree. But now I have the chance,  I have looked through my wardrobe and it seems I have plenty of everything. Most things practical and serviceable. So I find, to my surprise, that I have no interest in that shopping spree. Because I have no interest in returning to the symphony yet. Or going to conventions (who is going to Boucheron? Not me, I’m afraid. All those people at the hotel bar?) In fact I seem to be content to watch TV or read a book, chat with a few friends, occasionally, walk in nature. Have I become a hermit? Me? Total extrovert me?

I also noticed that it was about time I had a pedicure. Then I thought ‘nah! It can wait a while.’

So now I’m concerned. Have I lost my joie de vivre? Will I eventually be willing to hurl myself back into pre-pandemic life? I hope so…. But how about you?  Who has been on that shopping spree? Who has had a pedicure? Been to a show?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Prairie dogs!

HALLIE EPHRON: Not me. None of the above. What’s the opposite of a prairie dog? An ostrich!

My biggest adventure has getting my hair cut. And last night I went INTO a restaurant to pick up takeout. It was very raucous in there and they were playing Trivial Pursuit. Maskless, of course. I did not want to linger.

And like you, Rhys, I find my closet has all I need for the moment. How did I accumulate so many shoes?? 

One thing I’ve been doing more of since the pandemic began is walking, and now I’m carrying rather than wearing my mask.

JENN McKINLAY: No pedicure here but then I’ve only ever had one in my life and both the manicurist (pedicurist?) and I discovered to our mutual dismay my inability to sit still for that long. Maybe if they’d let me write while getting one...hmm. 

I have been out to restaurants and to shows (Hub is a musician, so it’s my spousal obligation but also my joy). I have found that I am much more interested in visiting with people one on one. No big groups not because of COVID fear but because there is so much to catch up on individually that I want to give my people my undivided attention. So small coffee meet ups and luncheons are good enough for me for now.

LUCY BURDETTE: Yup, we’ve been out to dinner several times, though I much prefer eating outside. And I have an appointment for a pedicure, but she will come to the house. And hmmm, my haircuts have been one on one in someone’s house with both of us masked. I can’t quite yet picture going to the movies or the theatre, but I miss that and hope it happens fairly soon. And when I go into stores, I wear my mask. I guess I'm inching back into the world!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I agree with Jenn - I’ve been socializing in very small groups because it feels so important to have that one-on-one experience. No big trips planned; just (finally) getting to see and hug my Dad and later this summer, the Sailor. My watchword is “easing in,” so, for instance, I’ve been going to the 5:15pm service at my church, which usually has about six people attending. Lots of the concerts and theater in Maine is outdoors by design, so those will be an easy thing to say yes to. 

One thing I’m doing old school? F9 hits movie theaters the weekend of my birthday, and I’m strapping on a mask and heading to the movies. “Ride or die!”

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I think about this every day. And I am completely worried. I have, as I said the other day, NOTHING TO WEAR. Oh, well, does it really matter? I learned how to do my own manicures, and it looks great. (Great enough for the all-forgiving zoom.) Pedicure, truly, that is the Rubicon. I need one. Tomorrow, maybe.

I said to Jonathan--We HAVE to get over this. There is NO NEED for us to be hermits. 

And he said: But we like it!

I mean, not the fear and the terror and the sorrow. But wearing comfy shoes?  Staying in our cozy home, lucky lucky lucky people that we are? 

And there you have it.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: No pedicure yet and I've discovered I really haven't missed it. Now if I was going someplace where I really wanted to look sharp--but I'm not, so I'm fine for the moment. A couple of haircuts, several lunches out, but I haven't wanted to go anywhere really busy and crowded. As I am partially deaf, I find I'm not looking forward to trying to hear other people in crowded places. Small group visits are so much better.

But my big recent excitement was FIRST MOVIE! Last Saturday my friend Gigi, my daughter, and I went to see IN THE HEIGHTS, and it was great! Both the film, which we loved, and the theater experience.  Now, like Julia, I'm all geared up to see F9!!

RHYS: So who is happy with the new normal and sees no need to burst forth and experience LIFE again? I have to confess that I am itching to travel. When I go through my photos of Europe I give a heavy sigh. But I have to confess I'm not ready to travel there in person yet--not until the countries report zero Covid deaths and zero restrictions.  I'm booked on a cruise next February and hoping that the world might be safe and sane by then, but who knows. 

Jungle Red Nails!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Here at Jungle Red Writers, we're not afraid to take on the most topical issues in the news. The World Cup, the Supreme Court, hurricane season, I.S.I.S - nothing stops us from debating the burning topics of today.

But wouldn't you really rather talk about nail polish?
I was laid up with a 24-hour migraine a few days ago - we've had a round of illnesses and accidents befall the Reds recently - and one of the few consolations I had was looking at my manicure. Yes, I am that shallow. My nails are done in "For Audrey" by China Glaze, a shade that comes as close to Tiffany Blue as copyright will allow. They look like the bottom of a pool in August, and I swear, having pretty nails makes writing more fun.

I try to keep my nails up year round, since, like a lot of us who type for a living, they break and shred if not protected. But in the cold season, I tend to very neutral and discreet shades with a little shine, like China Glaze's "Fast Track" and Sally Hansen "Gilty Party." 

When summer (finally) rolls around, however, my nails are ready to party. I like shockingly bright blues, corals and greens. And of course, I have to have color (usually contrasting) on my toenails, since I spend all summer in sandals and flip-flops. I actually had a moment at the first BBQ of the season we attended when I realized every other woman had a nice pedicure, and there I was, with my sad bare winter toes, bringing the tone down. I was embarrassed. (I told you I was shallow.) I've remedied that with a tomato-red polish (Sally Hansen "All Fired Up") that can be seen from up to a block away.

So, Reds, let's talk nails. What do you use? Do you go for fancy effects? Do you have an aspirational polish or a secret to the perfect application? Here's mine:

If-money-were-no-object-product: Scotch Naturals Nail Polish. Toxin-free, paraben-free, biodegradable and they have lovely colors in absolutely beautiful bottles.

My nail secret: I don't get professional pedis. Ross does my nails for me. He says it's just like painting the Revell battleship models he did as a kid.
SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Loooooove mani/pedis! But not that into polish — I know it's a small thing, but I don't want toxic chemicals on my body or to add anything more to the pollutants in the environment. I usually do my nails myself, but once-in-a-while splurge for a professional job — love buffing as an option to polish for shiny nails. Julia, I'll have to check out Scotch Naturals — that sounds great!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I've never been able to do my own nails, in any color. Lack of manual dexterity is my excuse. And I can't keep regular nail polish on my fingernails more than a day, if that. But a few years ago my right thumbnail started splitting vertically. I tried everything to fix that nail, even Super Glue (and yes, I take all my vitamins...) It is apparently a permanent fault line (you West Coasters know about that) and I've since discovered other people that have them. So I started having my fingernails done in acrylic, which was a huge pain in the bum. When shellac polishes came out I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I have my fingernails done in shellac and my toes in regular polish. The only problem is getting the colors to match. I tend to wear plums and magentas in the winter, blues and greens in the summer. And I love my deluxe pedis!!!  I had a manicure in London, something I've seldom done because it's so expensive, at Julie's in Notting Hill Gate. Such fun!
Oh, and check out the nail art on my toenails, done by lovely Lily at my local salon. She outdid herself!

PS Julia, remember the scene in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner does Susan Sarandon's toenails? Sigh...

JULIA: I know, right?

HANK: Ohh, yes.

RHYS BOWEN: Manicures are mostly a waste of time on me. I sit in the shop thinking of all the things I could be doing. Then I come out with perfect nails, try to do a spot of DIY and one nail has already chipped. Doomed to failure I'm afraid.

But I do love a good pedi. Sitting in a chair that massages my back with my feet in warm water is very nice, especially when I do it with my daughter or a friend in the next chair and we chat.
And one of my small mysteries of life is why my toes look great in red nail polish when they are done at a professional salon and they look as if a small truck ran over them when I do them?
LUCY BURDETTE: I don't bother with fingernails anymore because I have to keep them so short to type. But once a month I love a pedicure! I walked on the wild side for July 4:). Though she did first try to talk me into blue.

HALLIE EPHRON: Every Christmas Santa leaves me a bottle of nail polish in my stocking. It’s a tradition. Don’t ask. The upshot is that I have about a dozen used-once bottles of nail pollish. I love getting my nails done but I truly don’t have the patience for it and almost immediately ruin them. Toenails are harder to ruin so I do paint them in the summer. Never thought about toxicity. Yikes!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Rhys, you cannot do it yourself, that's why. It's impossible to use the non-dominant hand to do the other hand, and besides, one hand will always be wet while you're doing the other. And if you get a ding, you cannot touch up. Give up. And toenails, forget it, It's just physically not possible. It's not a DIY deal.
I am so used to my red-nailed manicure (OPI "Malaga Wine") that I feel weird without it. And you know fuddy-duddy me--when I decide to GO WILD I use something crazy unusual, like "Day at the Beach," which is sort of sand colored. (Incredibly brave, right?) I have to admit feeling a little embarrassed to have a pedicure (though I do it regularly)--it seems too indulgent. Although obviously it doesn't stop me.
Gel!  (Same as shellac.) A life-saving thing. I'm all about gel now, cannot do without it, it lasts three weeks and is impervious to everything. My color is...Number 33. Which is red.

And sisters, I cannot deal with blue. Or green. Sorry, but I think fingernails can be red, pink, tan or french. End.  And you know there's a color made by Nars called JUNGLE RED, of course. But it's--brown, seems to me.

JULIA: How about you, dear readers? Conservative or crazy colors? Buffed, natural, acrylic or gel? And does a nice mani or pedi make you feel as good as it does us?

Flipping for Flops

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I have to give you a little background on this one. For several years now, as I have seen the flip-flop morph from "that rubber thing you wear at the public pool" to "suitable footwear for a visit to the White House," I have consistently ranted (usually to my poor husband, who neither notices nor cares what women wear on their feet) about the sad decline in standards in Today's Modern World.

But at the same time, my feet have become increasingly less tolerant of heels. They pinch, they hurt, they make me think twice about going to the ladies room because I don't want to have to go another twenty-five steps.

Then this spring, my son went to his Junior Prom. I got to drop him and his date off at the banquet center, and thus got an eyeful of what the girls were wearing for this, the most important formal of their young lives. Lots of them were in the traditional, kick-them-off-after-the-second-dance heels. But a significant number were wearing pretty, blinged-out sandals. Flip-flops, to be precise.

Fast forward to Thrillerfest. As I write this, it's nearing midnight, and I've been on my feet for most of the day. But instead of having to soak the dogs in a sitz bath, I'm wiggling my happy toes in the Grand Hyatt carpet. Why? Because I've been wearing a pair of blinged-out flops all day. Oh, they're made of leather, not rubber, and they have a bitty strap, but they're flops all the same. I wore a different pair, with a thick, wedged bottom, on the trip down to NYC. I have given in. I have thrown in the towel, I have flipped on flops, and it feels great.

What do you think, Reds? Should we all start wearing flops on flights? Can they go to summer weddings? And does this mean I'm just one step away from wearing Birkenstocks with socks during the winter?

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm all for comfortable shoes - nothing makes more of a difference in my mood, except perhaps if I've had my morning coffee. And I WISH I could wear flip-flops, but they hurt. Not more than heels, but they do hurt, and my poor little toe muscles go into a virtual rictus of protest.

But here's the question: if you wear them does that mean you have to have painted your toenails?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, Hallie, you do have to paint your toenails! This from one who lives in flip flops from April to October, whether is cheap rubber ones around the house or different levels of bling when going out.  You can even get orthopedic flip flops! I'm all for anything that will actually let you stand and WALK without being torture. (Think of Bouchercon in SF, when I walked blocks back to my hotel in my cocktail dress, carrying my snazzy heels.  Of course, I do wear socks with my Tevas in the winter, so maybe I'm not the best fashion guru....

RHYS BOWEN: I couldn't believe my eyes in a catalog that arrived at my house the other day--flip-flops for nearly 200 dollars??  Two tiny straps of leather on a sole and it wasn't as if they had real diamonds stuck on them. Another indication that the world has gone mad.

But I'm secretly glad that high heels are no longer required with formal wear. I've never yet found a comfortable pair and I'm in awe of Hank and her elegant high heels. I do manage a two inch heel on occasion but guess what--I've bought a pair of bejeweled flip-flops for the formal nights on the Queen Mary next month.And I do paint my toe-nails (even indulge in the occasional pedicure with my daughters)


JAN BROGAN: Yes, Hallie. You must have your toes painted. That's the downside. But the upside is worth it. Have you all discovered FIT FLOPS? I swear I am not working on commission, but these are not instead of high heels, these are instead of sneakers. No kidding, they have sparkling ones the look good (but not for the prom) for day wear. Really, last summer when I was in France, I did not have a car. I had to walk everywhere and probably clocked four to five miles a day, most of the time on cobblestone and often up the steep 1 mile hill to my friend's houses.  I have temperamental feet that need a lot of support, this sandals were better than my running shoes. I tried to walk around New York City one day in regular flip flops and did serious damage to the bottom of my feet.  The world is not going to hell in a hand basket, Julia, it's moving just that much further away than the feet-binding the Chinese initiated and we've been inadvertently carrying out.

LUCY BURDETTE: I have bad feet too, Jan, and I blame it partly on wearing heels back in the days when I used to waitress. I thought I looked very glamorous, but now I pay. My go-to shoes as long as it's not snowing are Mephisto sandals. They have a high arch and lots of support and I can walk anywhere in them. Hallie, if you're getting a pair, do as Rhys suggests and splurge on the pedicure too--heaven!

HANK PHILLPPI RYAN: Rhys, I cannot wait to see photos of your cruise. Fabulous.
I still think of rubber flip-flops as beach things..I wear them around the house
and at the pool, but no where else. My family all hoots at me because one year
J Crew had a huge flip-flop sale, and it was all flips were five dollars. I
FLIPPED and you cannot believe what's stored upstairs now. (And still I default
to the black ones, sigh.) Jan, my producer Mary wears FitFlops (to work!) and
loves them, too..

But I think leather "flip-flops" are not FF's. They're sandals. And that's a
different deal. Perfectly acceptable everywhere. Except in a TV interview. (Isaw someone do that the other day..and I thought: Eeeeww. Feet on TV.)   




JULIA: Pedis are a must. But after hiding my feet inside boots (outdoor and indoor) for six months, I like showing off some snazzy nail polish. Added benefit: unlike the polish on my fingernails, which chips off almost every time I start writing on my laptop, my pedi color lasts for weeks. Unless I take up toe-typing, I suppose.

How about you, dear readers? Are you sticking with your stillettos? Or have you, too, flipped for flops?

Perfection at my Fingertips

Sylvia Fowler: [Showing her nails to Mary] Mary, how do you like that?
Nancy Blake: Too, too adorable.
Sylvia Fowler: Ah, you have no idea how it stays on. I get it at Sydney's... A wonderful new manicurist, Olga's her name, she's marvelous.Isn't that divine? Jungle Red!
Nancy Blake: Looks like you've been tearing at somebody's throat!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Global climate change. A contentious presidential primary. Afghanistan's a mess. The economy's on life-support. Clearly, it's time to talk about...

Manicures. Sorry, guys, I know you were hoping for a discussion of the Sweet Sixteen, but Ross's beloved Hoyas went down to defeat on Sunday, so we're not talking about college hoops in deference to his loss. I've been thinking about manicures a lot lately -- perhaps because the weather's been so unusually warm (that's going to be the extent of our climate change discussion) and warm weather always means bright, happy nails for me.

When we went off to Florida two weeks ago, I gave myself a quickie pedicure because I realized the day before we left that I'd be showing my feet in public for the first time since August '11. Every since then, I've been admiring my own toes; even when they're only uncovered long enough to take off one pair of socks and put on another, the cheerful coral is like a memento of those warm, sunny days.

Then, last week, my youngest daughter and I spied a sign outside the local day spa. In a bid to get more new customers through the doors (that's today's economic analysis, if you're keeping count) they were running a gel manicure special -- only $20.

Now normally, I'm pretty much a D-I-Y nail painter. I like to change up my color frequently, plus? I'm cheap. But I'd been reading about the super-hard, super-shiny gel manicures that lasted for up to three weeks, and I thought, why not? So Saturday, Youngest and I went in. I selected Cajun Shrimp, a creamy red with coral undertones, and she got Pompeii Pink, shimmery and purpley and suitable for a 6th grader. The nail technician painstakingly applied layer after layer after layer, each of which was baked by ultraviolet light. At the end of the process, my nails looked like someone in the Rolls Royce factory had been hand-lacquering and sanding them. They gleamed. They shone. They looked both expensive and bulletproof.

I had to go home and change my outfit to something worthy of my manicure. Even now, as I type this, I am stopping to admire my flawless fingertips. I'm already planning my next visit. Because if it really does last three weeks, that averages out to less than the cost of a cup of coffee per day. Small price for having one thing in my life that is absolutely, unquestioningly perfect.

How about you, Reds? Manis? Pedis? Or is there some other small beauty treat that makes you feel like you could conquer the world?

LUCY BURDETTE: I was a fiend for painted nails in my earlier incarnation, but now I have to keep them so short, they'd just look silly. The tiniest little extension of fingernail gives me tendonitis when I type--ridiculous!

I've never been a big fan of pedicures--until I tried having one by a pal from exercise class. My feet have never felt so good--and I had no fear about absorbing germs from the masses. My sister-in-law did make fun of me for choosing a color that was pale, pale, pale--next time maybe I'll go wild and ask for Jungle Red:).

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Gel. Rules.
And we are SO au courant, Reds. Did you see in this Sunday's NY Times a whole article on gel manicures? I must say, I am completely won over. My fingernails are now happily #33, which isn't as compelling as Cajun Shrimp but at my neighborhood mani place, the gels are by number. But you know me.It's Jungle Red, if I ever saw it.

It really does last three weeks--but I'd say, actually two, because your nails start to grow out, and it looks a little strange. But it does not chip, does not crack, and is impervious to everything far as I can see. I have actually researched whether there's any health drawback to it, and, interestingly, some people suggest wearing little cotton gloves with the fingertips cut off under the UV light that it needs to harden, because you are baking your hands in, essentially, sunlight. Some salons actually put sunscreen on your hands.

I can imagine some of the Reds HOWLING with laughter. I know, more than you wanna know. But hey. I vote this is a good thing.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Daughters are dangerous, Julia! Mine got me hooked on pedis a couple of years ago, and like any addiction, there is no going back. I love my Vietnamese nail salon (I'm wondering if the Dallas area is world capitol of Vietnamese nail salons?) and even if I can only afford a polish change, I keep my toes done from March to October (flip flop weather in Big D.) But the Deluxe Pedicure? With sea salt scrub, minty clay wrap, and hot stone massage? Absolute bliss. Makes me feel like a million dollars.

I did a gel manicure for the first time before my book launch in February, and you're right--it looked like the finish on a Rolls Royce. I did a dark purple, so it showed when it started to chip at the cuticles at almost three weeks. Next time I'll do a lighter color and maybe can go four weeks. Unfortunately, our salons charge more than $10....

Thanks for the frivolous boost!

JAN BROGAN - I love pedicures - because they last at least three weeks without the gel. I had my love affair with gel manicures last fall - it was awesome how great they looked for how long, but then I had one that left my nails looking like they'd been digging weeds in the Sahara, so I haven't been back. Like we are talking serious NAIL ABUSE. I think, though, it probably depends WHERE you have them done.

I'm pretty much into anything that smacks of vanity, but like Roberta, I have to keep my nails short. I play acoustic guitar, which those nails are always wrecking a chord, so I don't have a lot of incentive to keep them painted. I also get fidgety in the salon, unless of course, it's an event, and I take my daughter. I think pretty much everything you do is more fun when you have your daughter with you (more expensive, too, though.)

RHYS BOWEN: I have the world's most depressing finger nails. They break and rip and have to be kept short. I've had a few manicures in my life but I'm lucky if they last for the big day before they chip. However, I have never tried gel. Maybe this time...
But pedicures are something else. MY daughter took me to my first and I loved the massage chair, the foot massage and the red-purple polish lasted until it started to grow out. Now it's close to sandal season in Arizona I might think of another visit to the salon (why are they all Vietnamese? Did you ever see the famous skit?)

ROSEMARY HARRIS: Of course I love the look of a pedicure but I am really really squeamish about anyone touching these little piggies. I've had two friends tell me they'll never go with me again because I embarassed the heck out of them by squirming as if I was being tortured. I do the best I can on my own and stay with pale pinkish beige on the tootsies. And between gardening, baking and the keyboard most manicures don't last long for me. Plus my nails grow ridiculously fast, like my hair.

As it happens I watched The Women this weekend and got a kick out of the flashing jungle red nails - but my fave nail polish scene in a movie (and kudos for getting that shot from Scarlet Street) is from Lolita. James Mason polishing Sue Lyons' toenails - oh dear!

JULIA: How about you, dear reader? Do you have a standing appointment at the salon? Or does your nail routine consist of a set of clippers once in a while? Let your hair down and dish -- after all, getting your nails done is a great time to catch up on gossip!