Today marks the equivalent of TWO Lents' worth of my no-buy-clothing year! That feels like something of a milestone, though of course I still have 285 days left to go. As I've remarked before, the days fly by a lot faster in this challenge than they did in my 100-days' dress challenge, possibly because I don't have to wear the same dress every day. I mean, ya think? It's a lot easier and more interesting to wear even a limited closet full of clothes than it is to have to build outfits around the same item day after day. I didn't actually find the dress challenge that burdensome; here's hoping this year-long challenge remains as basically effortless as it has been so far.
Yesterday afternoon, once we'd deposited the college progeny at the airport for their flight back to reality, we went and got some lunch out, then came home and took Dora for a long walk on the rail trail where a train used to run between High Shoals, still a wide place in the road, and Lincolnton, which once upon a time was the city where people came to shop. This trail forms part of the Carolina Thread Trail system, and it's a nice walk, following the South Fork river. They're gradually lengthening the trail, I guess as they (whoever they are) get permission to extend it through private land. It's been about a three-mile round trip; now it's maybe a quarter-mile longer, or even a half-mile going both ways. Anyway, it's a good walk, and we were tired at the end of it.
Here is Dora before the walk:
And Dora after the walk:
I felt much the same way. I wore the Sierra dress and leggings I'd worn to church, but left my cardigan off and swapped my Chinese Mary Janes for my Xero Colorado barefoot sandals, which are good to walk in. You do feel rocks in the trail through the soles, but I like having my feet basically free, not molded to the shape of an insole. No knee or hip pain after the walk, either. I still like boots for real mountain hiking, because I need the ankle support, but for flat walks, these sandals do it for me.
Today the monks at the Abbey celebrate the feast of their Holy Father. Saint Benedict. I know there's another Feast of Saint Benedict in the summer, and I'm not sure which one is the one the universal Church recognizes -- this one might just be in the Benedictine calendar. Anyway, feast day! There's no school, so we have one more day of spring break to hang out and enjoy the gorgeous weather.
I've written my Lenten sonnet for the day and texted my son with a reminder to take some small step (I suggested several) toward support or life-hacks for his academic struggles. That's my daily plan. Obnoxious it might be, but also: accountability. Up next: laundry. I think I might go see what herbs are available to buy at Ace Hardware; I have some things going from seed, but I'd like to plant some lavender, for example, and don't feel like waiting for it to grow from seed. On Saturday I transplanted some oregano and some bee balm, which over time will pretty handily fill in the spaces where I planted them. I think I'll risk putting the outdoor couch cushions out again, since we're not supposed to have rain for the next couple of days, and I'd like to spend as much of my work time outside as possible.
Some golden-hour images from yesterday, while the forsythia is still blazing with glory:
Of course, grass in evening light is beautiful, too, even when your lawn is really patchy, and even when your basic view is a community college.
And some shots from this morning in the backyard:
Wearing today: that very same 100-day-challenge Wool& Camellia dress, with yesterday's thrifted Eddie Bauer grape cabled cardigan, thrifted olive-green bike shorts (not seen, but there), and secondhand Birk Floridas. Feeling great in the sunshine. Much to do today, but I think I'll sit outside to do it and be grateful for the beauty of the springing world.