The backyard yesterday evening, all strewn with white Star of Bethlehem in the long twilight. The redbuds are coming into bloom:
One morning last week while the husband was away, I walked with Dora down to the dead end past the Park Loop and found some metal outdoor chairs curb-marted. The very thing, I said. I hustled home with Dora, got the car, went back, and picked them up. Now they're fire pit chairs --- and someday we'll have a fire. I can't remember when we last had one. It's always too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. We spent most of the autumn, the best fire weather, under a county-wide burn ban, so so much for that. Maybe one night this week, since it's been so pleasant, I'll light one.
It's looking like another glorious day today: sunny, with a high of 74F. I'm halfway through my recorded class: 3 down, 3 to go. I keep feeling, in fact, that today ought to be Thursday, since I've taught 3 classes, but it is not Thursday, and tomorrow is not Friday, and the weekend is not close to being here yet.
Wearing:
A repeat of a favorite outfit:
*Wool& Audrey dress (S) in Black Heather, bought November 2022
*Thrifted linen button shirt, bought December 2023
*Secondhand Birkenstock Rosemeads, bought March 2023
Simple, easy, cool without being too summery. I can button my shirt to teach, but I love it just thrown on as a top layer. I'm starting to tire of purple, but this shade feels fresh and good even if I am tired of it.
Wavy hair deciding to be mostly straight today. I just went with it --- used some Treluxe Reflex Serum to smooth it down, especially at the ends, and to give a little lift at the roots so it won't be too flat, but that's it. I have to say . . . right now I'm looking forward to the ease of longer hair again. I guess that's a decision I'm making? I am going to have to get a trim sometime soon, because the ends are starting to feel dry, but I don't know that I would take it shorter again. It's just now starting to reach a point where I don't have to do anything to it (except try to smooth out the stupid layers that I've never liked . . . I don't want to cut it until those grow out some more). I do like the length right now --- I can pull it back into a little ponytail, and there's enough for an updo if I put my mind to it. But I'm ready for the layers to begone.
The husband has gone to the gym, and shortly I'll let Dora out for our morning walk. My routine lately has been to walk with her --- a little longer walk in the morning, plus some short jaunts at intervals through the day --- and then in the afternoon to do something with weights for my own benefit. I've been swinging the 10-lb kettlebell, doing arm and shoulder reps that also target my core, and chair squats while holding it: basically, just sitting down (but not all the way back in the chair) and standing up again, about twenty times in a set, while holding this kettlebell. I've done it with the 25-lb kettlebell, but I can't do nearly as many reps with that one.
I'd like to get back to my 20-minute Pilates routines, but the weights feel good right now, and I can do those, actually, at intervals through the day, whenever I take a work break. I've also been bouncing on the balls of my feet for about a minute straight at a time (which is more tiring than you might think) --- I don't have a jumprope or much desire to hassle with a jumprope, but the little bursts of cardio feel good, and I like how I feel that action in my calves.
Anyway, working from home does have these and many other pleasant benefits. I'm grateful for all of this --- which I hope goes without saying, but it never hurts to say it anyway.
Here finally is my old face, wearing the expression it undoubtedly wore during the Annual Sunscreen Talk at the dermatologist yesterday --- the old face, and entire bodily surface, that received a clean bill of skin health for another year. Yeah, my bodily surface and I could make more use of sunscreen. Yeah, yeah. And will we? The dubious face says . . . sure we will.