Cloudy this morning, though the sun might come out later on --- but we also might have a thunderstorm. High of 87F, quite warm. Yesterday felt very swampy. I wasn't entirely uncomfortable in my 3/4 sleeve dress, but I didn't feel that cool, either.
Today I need to work on essay projects, continue reading and beginning to put together the section of my review on the letters of Emily Dickinson, and make a store run for dog food, potting soil, and various sundries. Then tonight I have choir practice again, for this marathon of bishop-installing Masses next week.
Wearing:
*Wool& Camellia dress (M), bought July 2021, originally a color called "Lapis Blue," redyed by me to a color closer to the actual tone of lapis lazuli in the summer of 2022
*Secondhand Birkenstock Mayaris, bought April 2024
Here's my oldest, most battered Wool& dress: the dress I made my 100-day challenge in, in the summer and fall of 2021. I've worn this dress to a wedding. I've worn this dress on hikes. I've worn this dress on road trips and in Norway. I've worn this dress to sleep in. Currently this dress has a little hole, still unmended, where I caught it on the garden fence while working outdoors. It's been through everything. And especially in the warm weather, I still love it. Yesterday I gave it a quick hand-wash, since I was washing some other things, and hung it on the line outdoors to dry. So, all fresh and clean, here we are.
I can also tell already that this is going to be the summer of the Trades of Hope kimono:
Hole in my dress? No problem! Nobody will see it, because I'm wearing a kimono! This dress has been through the wringer, but one nice top layer transforms it.
As the weather heats up, I'll probably cycle this dress back into regular circulation and find something else to sleep in. Sleeveless is where it's at. All three of my linen dresses are sleeveless; my navy linen tunic is sleeveless; I have tank tops to wear with skirts and linen trousers. Every year I forget just how warm warm is here, as we merge from spring freshness into the heavier air of summertime. I do love the summer, but you kind of have to dress for it. I can deal with 3/4 sleeves in the heat, but most of the time I want as little fabric as possible touching my body, or the lightest possible fabric.
Anyway, again, I love this dress. It's simple and versatile, and I appreciate the higher neckline, which I don't find unflattering at all in the way crew necks are unflattering. It's a nice shallow scoop with enough openness to be graceful but not revealing. This Camellia is the regular length, which was all that was available three years ago. They make a long length now that I might go for, if I were to buy another of this style at some point. That might be even more versatile and useful for me, though I like this shorter length for outdoor activities and for working out, which I am shortly going to do before walking the dog. (By working out, I mean some modest number of arm reps with the 10-lb weights, and maybe about 10 deadlifts with the 25-lb kettlebell, or else some chair squats while holding that kettlebell. And maybe some dead bugs, because I really need to work on abs a little more than I have been).
Day 3 hair in default ponytail with 3 small satin scrunchies:
It's not fancy, but it's neat and off my face and neck. The scrunchies hold a little more tightly when I use more than one, and I like the subtle color combination of blue, teal, and gray.
Onward!
LATE MORNING UPDATE:
I have given the dog a bath in the hose outside. RUDE.
(the dog is totally available for comment)
(the dog has done nothing but comment since her post-spa-treatment return to her crate for breakfast and a supposed nap)