Blackberries starting on the vine! And more to come.
Meanwhile, here's the daily peony report:
Just in from a 1-mile walk with Dora --- we walked a total of almost 5 miles yesterday, so are taking it a little slower today. My husband is cutting the backyard, which has been looking like Cambodia in all the rain. This afternoon we're going to see the matinee performance of Guys and Dolls at the Abbey, then maybe out to dinner, a thing we do a lot more often since it's been just the two of us.
I've just acquired a pair of Flare Calmer earplugs, which are said to be life-changing: we shall see. I've had sensory issues, chiefly misophonia, for as long as I can remember, and the idea that something could actually help with this miserable situation is almost too enticing to be true. I've got them in now, and they don't bug me, which is a good first step. I can't stand regular earplugs, particularly the way they amplify my own sounds inside my head. I wish they muffled the sound of the dog barking at me, as she is doing right now, conversationally, but then she'd just be pawing or climbing on me, to make sure I knew she was there, which believe me, I do know . . .
Anyway. I don't actually feel as in the dumps as I probably sound. It's a nice day out, overcast but warm, with a projected high of nearly 80F. Right now it's in the 60s, soft and damp --- the neighborhood woods smelled like the mountains when we were walking by them. Yesterday, after all the rain, a little creek along the greenway trail was in flood, all through the woods, and roaring, as I've never heard it before, in the ravine it falls into on one side of the bridge. I haven't been to the actual river to see what it looks like, but I imagine it must be pretty well up right now, too. Fortunately our basement, though damp, is not in flood. The other night, when it was pouring, we lay in bed listening to the sump pump growl on and off below us, a reassuring sound.
Wearing today:
Here's Audrey, joining the elite-6 club for April, with yet another of those tops I had not been wearing, and have been trying to go out of my way to incorporate. I'd bought this Piko bamboo tunic for next to nothing on Poshmark back at the end of 2021, just before beginning my unlamented (and not entirely successful) 2022 no-buy year. I don't wear this tunic nearly as often as I should. Every time I do wear it, I remember why I like it. It's soft and lightweight, with the thermal properties of bamboo fiber which, while not as good as wool, performs pretty well for the price. It's not an ethical enough fabric that I want to buy it new (exception: underwear), but thrifted: yeah, it's generally a good deal. I like the drape of this tunic, meanwhile, and the silvery gray which goes with so much in my wardrobe.
Meanwhile, Audrey is a workhorse of a dress. I really like the slightly heavier tencel-blend jersey, and am sorry that they're not making newer colors in this style in that same fabric. I do have my eye on the new ocean teal that's forthcoming, but I don't know that I'd like it as well in the thinner merino-nylon jersey that composes many of these dresses. That is to say, I do love that fabric, and I might very well buy that ocean-teal Audrey, but for this longer dress I like the sturdier drape of the tencel blend.
At any rate, I find this style so versatile and wearable. It's nice to have a longer dress, especially when it doesn't come right down to my feet. Just above my ankles is my favorite place for a dress to hit. I like the long sweep and swirl of a soft fluid dress in this length, maybe better than anything else. I have about decided that I'm going to buy a new dress for summer events, chiefly my two days at the Summer Literary Series at the University of St. Thomas in Houston this July. I'm not sure which new dress, and I'm sitting on some money until I make up my mind, but another Audrey is a live option, especially if it's in an intense enough color to work year-round and be dressy.
In the meantime, I anticipate continuing to wear this Audrey a lot. I washed her not that long ago, and even without being in the dryer, she drew up enough that the neckline is okay for me to wear alone, which is nice. I'm glad I have the Kosher Casuals crop top to wear when it gets more stretched out between washes, but I'm also glad that sometimes I don't need it. And I'm glad this dress works so well with so many of my shirts and tunics.
Here's a closer shot, before I put any jewelry on. I was experimenting with layered necklaces, because if I don't tie up this tunic, it does seem to need a narrower vertical line to break up the big expanse of gray. Currently I'm wearing my favorite 1920s silver necklace with filigree beads, but I did try this other bead necklace, which my husband gave me at some point, and which is not really me and doesn't get worn that much:
You can't see the colors that well in this shot, but it is pretty bright. I didn't much love it with my Miraculous Medal, and in general it just feels chunkier and more costume-y than I like. But it is about the right length to wear with this tunic, and it does show up, so I might reconsider . . . or I might not.
Or I could tie up the tunic for more body definition, but I kind of like the loose flow, even if it is less objectively flattering.
For the play, I might change into my Xero Jessie sandals, which are strappier and dressier than the Birkenstocks I'm wearing by default right now.
So, that's today's outfit overthought! Back to reading The Old Curiosity Shop.
LATER:
Found hole in shoulder of tunic. Wore this to the play instead:
Unbelievably good cast and production. Somehow I had always managed to miss Guys and Dolls, but today was a good time. After, we went for beer and burgers in Hickory, and are now about to drink tea and watch Miss Marple.