Face jugs on parade in downtown Lincolnton last night. Again, these are traditional to this area, which is one of the seminal regions for the development of an American pottery aesthetic.
So this was our last-night scavenger hunt before bed, out in the clear cold. It was a beautiful night, with a high, big moon not quite full. The temperature was below freezing, but not as cold as it has been, and I was perfectly warm and happy in my big L.L. Bean Gore-Tex coat over my puffer jacket. That seems like a perfect combination for being outside for any length of time when it's that cold --- and if it had been colder, I could have added more layers under and put my hood up. On its own, the puffer jacket is usually an adequate outer layer for winter here, and the Gore-Tex coat on its own is a water- and windproof layer which does a fairly good job of insulating, too. Those two coats together constitute more of a serious parka. Where I live, I don't have much need for a very serious parka, but having layers that can create one when I do need it is a good thing.
Today:
*walk the dog
*more writing work of various kinds
*review of fiction MS, because it's due back to the publisher on Friday
*reading books I've said I would endorse
*workout --- I think today it's arms, but I'm not sure
Here, meanwhile, is a tiny poem of mine which showed up yesterday in a magazine, Twelve Mile Review (I mean, not a surprise, but I had no idea when my contributor's copy was coming):
Wearing today:
*Wool& Fiona dress (M), in Teal, bought November 2022
*Very old thrifted Liz Claiborne cotton ragg sweater, bought I can't even remember when
*Secondhand Allbirds tencel-merino-blend leggings, bought January 2024
*Darn Tough Socks, bought summer 2023
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022
It's kind of a shame to cover up the waistline of this dress, since that's its defining feature.
But I wanted to wear this pullover, because it had been kind of a long time since I had worn it, so there. Tari boots as a change from Birk Melrose boots, and also because there's rain in the forecast: no point in trying to wear suede if I know it's bound to get wet.
I like how this outfit shifts from blue to green as the eye travels down. That's kind of fun. Brown boots make a pleasing contrast (to me) with my leggings and my lower hem.
This sweater isn't that warm, but then the day isn't that cold. The high is only 42F, not exactly balmy, but it's not freezing, either. In fact, I think our temperatures for the rest of the week will be well above freezing --- back to normal North-Carolina-Piedmont winter, which can't decide what season it wants to be, so tries them all on in succession.
Here's my tiny mend in the skirt, where it had sprung a hole. It's not a great mend, but it is reasonably invisible from a distance. Nobody who didn't already know would know it was there.
I'm also enjoying having enough hair to pull back in a tiny ponytail. Mind you, it's nice to know how to refresh it between washes. That's been an advantage of having it so short I couldn't do anything else with it: I did have to learn some little skills for making it look decent day to day. But I honestly missed having the option of just getting it out of my way and getting on with things. I don't know that I'll grow it really long again (who knows?), but I think I prefer not having it quite as short as it was. I want to let those really short layers grow out in any case, so I guess this will be a whole process kind of thing. But at the moment I am really liking this side-parted low ponytail, with a soft little scrunchie so as not to cause any damage. I might see how long I can go without a haircut and without incurring any breakage or split ends that would impel me to cut it again. That means soft scrunchies and claw clips, which slip into the hair without putting any serious pressure on it. Fortunately for me, I already have a whole collection of all these things, and it's good to have a reason to use them again. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase, which adds further protection. While I don't want to get too precious about my hair, or any other aspect of my appearance, really, I think it is good to take care of what you have. These little details seem to make some difference, and they're no more effortful than anything else.
Welp, going to finish this cup of coffee and get on with some work.