At my mother's house, where we arrived last night around half-past six. As you can see, the drive to form little tableaux on any given surface has a genetic component. My dad collected these little bottles because he thought the colors and forms were pretty; my mother has done things with them.
Detail of the lamp by my bed, which I always admire:
They, whoever they are, don't make things like this anymore.
If we go out today, I should remember to take pictures of actual Memphis scenes. My hometown is a fascinating city, albeit troubled and plagued continually by crime and poverty. I don't especially feel like going out and doing things, but my mother likes to go out and do things, and my daughter generally does, too. If they do go out and do things, I will go with them.
Wearing today:
The weather is warmish, so I thought it would be a good day for my blue bamboo swing dress. Merino tights, thrifted cashmere cardigan, Birk Madeiras.
This is the face of a person who would really rather sit in a room by herself and not talk, but that's not what we come visiting to do. My dad used to fall asleep in a chair at any gathering, which was a good way not to have to talk to people –– that impulse, too, is genetic. It's also, in my experience, a lot harder to get away with if you're female. You're supposed to want to sit and talk all day long. Or go shopping.
At any rate, despite these small difficulties, it is nice to have a day's respite before we strike out across Arkansas and northeastern Texas. I hope we will miss whatever wintry weather is supposed to be blowing in overnight. That is, I hope it doesn't, or if it does, that it doesn't blow in too much. My car is all-wheel-drive, and I lived in Utah long enough not to be too worried about driving in snow, though in this part of the world it tends to be ice, which is a whole nother thing. I also sort of hope that once we make it to Dallas I don't get stranded there. This time of year is so strange –– in January and February, in the Mid-South and Texas, you can have spring weather or you can have an icy lockdown, and those conditions can change from day to day, and all warnings are inaccurate and therefore suspect. Always the adventure!
But for now the sun is shining.