Some dog-park shadow play this morning.
Yesterday afternoon we went to Black Mountain to spend time with some dear friends, Katherine and Gerry, and their new Westie puppy Bob. Katherine and Bob and I went for a walk around their neighborhood lake, then we all (well, minus Bob) walked into town to a German restaurant for dinner. Much fun was had, and the fall colors and sharp mountain air were soul-nourishing.
Not that it's not sharp and pretty around here. When I stepped out to walk with Dora this morning, the temperature was one degree above freezing. I was plenty warm, though, in layers as follows:
1. My Maggie dress repeated from yesterday, with navy merino Snag tights.
2. The addition of this thrifted lambswool pullover, always reliably wonderful and warm, with Birkenstock Madeiras, to give my beloved Tari boots a break:
This is my basic look for the day: kind of Old Girl Goes to School. I think my winter look is some kind of academia: not Dark Academia, not Light Academia, not really the steampunky Academia thing at all. Just . . . simple basic vaguely midcentury-ish school-that-isn't-actually-Hogwarts.
3. To go out walking, I added
a) a repeat of the scarf I wore yesterday, which is totally acrylic but very soft, and a gift from my children, so I'll never get rid of it. Besides, I like the colors.
b) the ubiquitous gray puffer coat.
My husband said, "There goes the cutest dog walker in town," and you know, I wouldn't quite go there myself, but I didn't feel that he was that far off the mark. I did feel pretty cute. More importantly, I felt warm and comfortable and able to walk miles (we walked just over two miles, as it happens) in the clothes I was wearing, which was really what I was going for.
Not a whole lot to do today, though I want to get some of my own writing done. These Sun essays take up a lot of room in my head, and I'm finding it a little hard to press forward with new creative work. My husband is on fall break, so although he's in and out, going to the gym, working in the yard, I don't have the whole house to myself. This isn't an unpleasant problem to have, mind you, but I find I don't get going very well with another person around. But I am going to try.
Meanwhile, the dog is here, keeping me constant company, which isn't that distracting.
She's a bit clingy after a long afternoon and evening in her crate yesterday, but that's okay. She is warm, sitting here in this chair with me.
Realizing that I haven't eaten yet today, so should probably remedy that.
ALSO:
Still pondering an all-wool 2023. Can I do it?
Some rules I think I'd set for this challenge:
*SOMETHING wool daily.
*Entire outfit does not have to be wool (so can still wear cotton, linen, silk, etc, as long as there's some wool somewhere in the outfit).
*Focus on tees as well as dresses (which means that my judicious acquisitions take into consideration these merino tees I own and making more ways to incorporate them --- for example, one reason I really want a black-heather Audrey is that I think it would make a great jumper over these tees)
*Count cashmere and alpaca as wool (because cardigans)
*Do take opportunities to add more wool to my wardrobe at careful intervals: new dresses, but also cardigans, tees, leggings, so that I have enough variety to rotate and make this habit sustainable, rather than punitive
What else should I think of?
In other news, I think I'm going to haul my outbox to Goodwill today. It's overflowing, and I can't remember when I last did a big donation run. I'll look stuff over carefully one more time to be sure, but I think most of it can just GO.
AND FINALLY:
A little date-night jaunt, walking to the neighborhood pub for beers before dinner, required an outfit tweak:
Off with the pullover, on with the blazer. I love how gracefully Maggie works with this very structured jacket. I also like the moss green and marine blue together.
Final touch:
Soft grape/lilac linen scarf. I was afraid I'd be cold coming home. Ultimately I didn't need a scarf, but the linen is so light that it didn't add too much warmth. And I do love these colors all together.