Just three days left in this glorious month, including today.
We've had rain, rain, rain, rain, rain all weekend. My husband spent yesterday afternoon shop-vaccing the basement and hauling water and silt out in buckets. Today, it looks as though we might get a shower mid-afternoon, but otherwise some relief from the ongoing monsoon. It was chilly enough yesterday afternoon that I actually turned on the gas fire in the study, but today should be warmer and more pleasant, if only because less wet. English summer weather at its finest --- oh, wait.
I've been sitting here reading through poems while I drink my coffee: a lot of Keats, for one thing. Trying to get all the ducks in all the rows for the next couple of weeks, because I need to be sure I've got essays knocked out before I go. I've finished all of mine as far as we've got scheduled, through the 9th of June. By that day, I'd like to have written essays for the next four weeks, which I think would cover the weeks we're in Norway plus the week after we get back. At any rate, however many weeks that is, that's how much I'd like to have done before I go, so I'm not scrambling to get things written on my return.
And of course I'm still playing Packing Sudoku, pondering improvements and streamlines for my travel capsule, to fit it handily into my carry-on backpack.
The original capsule vision:
I've already decided to leave behind the red cotton leggings --- with some regret, because I think red legs are fun, but cotton? Eh. I'll sub in my newly-footless Snag merino light-gray tights (worn yesterday) instead. They're a lightweight, small-packing option, but pretty warm. These are my oldest Snag tights, and I figure I might as well wear them right out. And my last pair of merino tights, bought on Poshmark, arrive tomorrow --- my plan is to include those and wear either them or my navy Allbirds leggings on the plane.
I'm thinking I'll swap out that aqua alpaca cardigan --- much as I love it --- for my smaller-profile all-merino crop cardigan in royal blue. It's a warm layer, but again, will pack down with a lot less bulk.
I'm also pondering whether I really need four dresses. I could probably get by with three --- though these honestly are pretty easy-packing. The one I'd ponder leaving out is Fiona. I think I might wear her today, just to get a sense of how much I really like her with leggings . . . she can be hit or miss that way. The absolute definites are Willow and Maggie T. And I plan to pack Camellia as nightwear, though I could wear her in the daytime, too. She also packs down quite small and slips into a narrow pocket in my backpack.
I'm also, with some reluctance, considering leaving out my Tari boots. I love them, and they're so lightweight, but if I'm taking my Birk hiking boots, will I really wear a second pair of boots? The shoes I experience a true pang about leaving behind are my Birk Balis, though it might very well be that I encounter zero sandal weather. There's just something anxiety-inducing about the possibility of encountering sandal weather and not having sandals. So I'm thinking three pairs of shoes: my hiking boots, my Balis (which I'll wear on the plane), and my red Xero Cassies for something cute but closed-toe. We will be going to church while we're there, so the Cassies will be good for that. And I'll get in some red that way, even though I'm leaving the red leggings behind.
Here's my updated capsule, minus shoes, the leggings I'm still waiting for, and things like socks and underwear.
Top row, left to right: green pullover, Fiona, Willow, Camellia (to sleep in and/or wear for daytime), Snag charcoal-gray merino tights.
Middle row, left to right: cobalt merino cardigan, Brooklyn, Maggie T, footless Snag Silver Lining tights, navy Allbirds leggings.
Bottom: pashmina.
I like this palette even more than the original. With its shades of blue, teal, and periwinkle, plus gray as a neutral accent, it seems tonal and cohesive without being boring.
After my packing exploits of yesterday, I've been reading about those compression cubes you can buy for your luggage. I think I need something like that. Well, let's put it this way: I think something like that would be useful. What I'm opting for instead, however, are mesh laundry bags, like what you wash your delicates in. Those come in varied sizes, and they're a lot cheaper than packing cubes. All I really need is a way to contain the contents of my pack in an organized, compressed way. I can flatten a packed laundry bag out pretty handily, too --- it's not that hard to press air out of something. And being able to find things in my bag will be good for my sanity. I've experimented with various configurations in my backpack, but having things contained will make it all much easier, I think.
And deciding to leave out the Tari boots and to switch to a smaller cardigan will give me more room as well. I don't really want this pack to be packed to the gills.
Looking at this array of clothes, I see lots of options for warm layering, too. I can wear a dress over a dress, for example, and then a cardigan or pullover over that. I can wear tights with leggings over. And so on. I don't anticipate that it's going to be that much colder there, at Midsummer, than it's been here all winter. In some places, especially along the southern fjords, the days might be quite pleasant and springlike, and I might want just a short-sleeved dress and sandals. But we'll also be in mountains, especially on our return drive from Trondheim, when we'll be going through the interior. And Bergen is supposed to be kind of chilly. If we take a boat tour, there will be wind out on the water. And so on.
This reminds me that I keep forgetting about that wool/silk/cashmere tank I say I want to pack. I might very well forget it when push comes to shove. That might very well be okay. But I kind of hope I do remember to pack it. It is on the list. I just have to make myself look at the list while I'm packing.
I also think I want to go upstairs and rummage in my firefighter son's sock drawer to see if he left any Darn Tough Socks here the last time he visited. I know there are some floating around, and I think I would like to claim them, possession being 9/10 of the law. I don't really want to buy any Darn Tough Socks right now, but if they're here, and I can make at least one coherent pair . . . yeah.
I'm also considering that if I can possibly stuff it in somewhere, it would be good to bring my daypack, so that I can carry layers without absolutely needing to wear them, and have a place to put them if I'm wearing them but need to take them off. The one I have is kind of bulky, and I'm not going to buy another one, so we'll see. But that is a thought I've had. I could pack some stuff in it to go inside my bigger pack . . . that's another thought . . .
So many thoughts. But now I'm going to get dressed and try living in the present, instead of hyperfocusing on a future that begins June 14.
Wearing today:
OK, nevermind, what was I thinking, Fiona is totally going on this trip. Somehow, when I'm not wearing this dress, I forget how much I love her. Then I put her on and go, Oh, right. This is pretty much the best.
Today's high isn't supposed to reach 70F, so I might be comfortable in these Pact cotton leggings all day. We'll see. I do love them. I love the pop of cherry red with the teal here. I wish I could take them to Norway, but I just think cotton leggings would be a liability, not an asset. The red is fun and cheerful and even kind of Nordic, but I'll just have to rely on my red Cassie shoes (worn yesterday) for that effect.
I keep messing with my hair in these photos, but it's one way to get my free arm out of the way.
I also keep thinking that I'm going to hit that moment when spring turns into summer, and I can't wear these 3/4-sleeve dresses anymore. That moment will come, I guess, but it hasn't yet.
LUNCH BREAK:
I put on an extra layer before I went out walking.
Then I realized that it was, in fact, raining. So I came back and made some more changes.
Dora thought the rain was a pretty big drag, and I was a pretty big dip to want to be out in it.
It stopped raining and warmed up in the final stretch of our walk (only 2.35 miles, even though I was trying to make it longer).
Here's another view of the mixed residential/industrial neighborhood I walk through to get to and from one of the greenway trailheads:
People have been buying these modest little houses and fixing them up. Even given the mixed-use nature of this area, it's really not unpleasant at all.
Once home, minus the top layers of cardigan and rain slicker, but still in my hiking boots:
My standard winter look, still on point, I guess, for the end of May.
Meanwhile, here's me been waiting for the mail to come and wondering why it's late. Answer, for anyone outside the USA: FEDERAL HOLIDAY. At least I know what liturgical day it is (Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, thankyouverymuch).
LATER:
Just drafted an experimental riff on the trenta-sei, a form I find a lot of fun. And taking a break, I drafted an experimental riff on the outfit I'm wearing:
What if I wore Brooklyn over Fiona, I said to myself. WHAT IF?
Mind you, I'm not actually doing this today, but I tried it, and it wasn't bad. You can line up the elastic waists, and the two dresses hang one inside the other pretty nicely. A layering option for cold days in Norway, maybe . . .
EVEN LATER:
I went upstairs and found one Darn Tough Sock. RIP me, but I'm not buying any more socks. This madness must end somewhere, and here is where it ends.
Walked again, bringing our miles up to 3.38. God willing and the rain holds off, this should be a 4-mile day by bedtime.