As far back as I can remember, my mother always curled her hair. Way back, it was pin curls. Who remembers pin curls? Then she switched to rollers. Before she went anywhere, she had to "put her hair up." 

About 10 years ago, she decided she was tired of the hassle and proclaimed that she was no longer going to curl her hair. From then on, we'd have to get used to her with straight hair. We did, and she enjoyed all the extra time she suddenly had. Read more ...

Shalom House provides community-based support services and safe, affordable housing for people with serious mental illness. When it opened in 1972,  the organization operated one halfway house in Portland. Today, it offers nearly two-dozen housing choices, from independent apartments to group homes and rooming houses throughout southern Maine.