Maybe we should have an Epiphany party --- what if we had a White Elephant party then? I think I know what expression would cross my husband's face if I actually proposed this idea, so it might just stay tucked away inside my head. But still. Epiphany would be the perfect time for a White Elephant party, to move along things we receive that . . . well, that made us appreciate the thought, shall we say. And by then all the other Christmas parties with similar themes will have faded from view, so that nobody's sick of them or overwhelmed by them anymore. It's an idea that ought to gain traction.
At the moment, though, as I say, the rain is hammering down. I'm glad that the people who wanted to do outdoor things did them on Christmas Eve. Today is not the day. I've been letting Dora out into the backyard on her own recognizance --- normally she's not allowed outside off-leash, because she jumps the fence, but with weather like this, I kind of doubt that there's anything out there presenting itself to be chased, and even if she did jump the fence, there aren't any people outside for her to menace. And even I, who enjoy walking in most weathers, feel disinclined to walk much today. This is a day for full-body rain gear, which I don't own.
What I do own and am wearing on this rainy day:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (M) in (I think) "Natural."
*Secondhand cashmere turtleneck
*Secondhand Peruvian Connection alpaca cardigan
*Snag merino tights in dark charcoal gray
*Xero Tari boots
My turtleneck tends to ride up across the sternum, and that bugs me a little, but overall, I'm warm and comfortable in this mostly-secondhand outfit. If the turtleneck starts to bother me too much, I'll switch it out for a wool dress underneath, but for now it feels okay. And it's nice to have a loose dress to accommodate a bulkier sweater underneath.
This dress clearly is a lot looser and less fitted than the Leila I wore the other day. But it's still more structured and tailored than my wool dresses, in a way that I appreciate. As with the Leila dress, the craft is apparent. This is a really well-made garment, in a fabric that feels both soft and sturdy.
I am really liking these woven-fabric options as alternatives to my knit dresses. They make great top layers over knit dresses, for one thing. But it's also nice, sometimes, to wear something with a little less stretch and give. As I head into a third calendar year of converting my wardrobe to natural fibers and sustainable brands, and of finding a real definition for my personal style, I'm happy to have made these additions. This Smock dress, like the Leila, will be a great all-season dress. I can readily envision her with a range of sandals and my red Xero Cassie Mary-Jane-style shoes in warm weather. But in cold dreary weather, as you see, she layers beautifully. I can also readily envision a lot of Lenten days in this dress over my Wisteria Willow dress --- also a great dress just as she comes, but with her shorter length becomes a good candidate for layering over or under other things.
Anyway, on the day after a lot of feasting, it's good to put on a loose, swingy dress.
LATER:
I'm holed up in the kitchen, ignoring the chaos of the rest of the house. Mind you the kitchen is a little chaotic, but it's not too bad. It is warm and glowy and filling with the smell of a pan of scalloped potatoes with ham, which is at least part of what's for dinner tonight.
A couple of hours ago, I ventured out in the rain with the girls to go to Goodwill, mostly because it seemed like kind of a bonding thing to do. The Texasgirl found many things she wanted for $25. I found the 9x13 baking dish in which the potatoes and ham are currently baking in what's left of the creme fraiche, plus two shirts: one minty green lyocell button shirt, and one purple linen button shirt. I figured . . . why not? It was easy to leave behind all the polyester and acrylic, but these are actually nice big shirts, such as I like to wear over dresses sometimes, and might also wear under pinafores. I've washed them, and now they're hanging to dry, and then they'll go in the closet.
These are the colors wet --- they'll be a little lighter when they dry. Both nice colors for me, easy to integrate into my wardrobe as layers.
Also wearing these pretty moonstone earrings the husband gave me for Christmas:
As usual, he's spoiled me. I gave him a big canvas print of a photo I'd taken in Trondheim Cathedral last summer, of a Sacred Heart statue he especially loved, plus a new wallet, which he sorely needed. I'd bought him a nice Italian leather wallet our last Christmas in Cambridge, twenty-one years ago now; this year I gave him an Ekster wallet, in Italian leather, with a little mechanism that shows you all your cards at once, and a funky multi-purpose tool that fits inside. He seems pleased.
Tomorrow, once the kids leave, we'll do a big sweep through the house and put things in order again. But for now, even though I'm hiding from most of the chaos, I'm also kind of steeping in it. It's lovely to have the house so full of life and laughter and all the attendant detritus. I'll be sad when it's all gone for another year --- people will be in and out at various times, and I'll go to see them, but they won't all be here again until next Christmas. It goes so quickly, at least this part of it. Then the feasting season stretches out and sometimes, frankly, starts to feel a little dismal. I tell myself, "It's still Christmas! Be full of good cheer," when all the while I'm tired of good cheer, and anyway, the things I was cheerful about have come and gone. BUT the quiet will be kind of nice, too. The husband and I will find ways to have a good time, just the two of us --- we always do, somehow.
Oh also: books I now own and can read (reading the top one now, and it's okay, though The Peregrine has pretty much spoiled me for anyone else's nature writing):
