Shaving

I dislike shaving. I’ve learned to do it first thing in the morning (most of the time), because it is doubly difficult to go back and do it later in the day. I also do the following: I soften my beard by washing thoroughly with soap, then covering my beard for 15 or 20 seconds with a wet wash rag as hot as I can comfortably stand it.. After rinsing off the soap, I touch my fingers to the soap and apply a second very thin coat of soap to my beard. Quickly, to keep my beard warm and moist, I cover it with a thin layer of shaving cream. I bring the safety razor, Gillett’s Good News or equivalent, across the beard at an angle just as Remsburg, a University of Virginia student, showed me when I was in college. I bring the razor across, not at a right angle to the direction of movement, but at something like a 60 to 70 degree angle for a more efficient cutting surface. It sounds dangerous but I have never cut myself by so doing. Finally I rinse my face in as cold water as I can get from the faucet, and in winter I apply Aqua Velva or some other aftershave lotion to protect my skin. I have learned that in summer an aftershave lotion attracts gnats. I will use a razor for two months or more. I find that by taking the time to soften my beard makes it far easier to get a good clean shave with comfort.

Note from wife: After spending a considerable amount of time in the hospital in 2011-2012, Jim decided to grow a beard. A good friend has a nickname for him "Colonel Sanders." He looks distinguished.

Jim Geary age 99 with youngest daughter, Leslie