Moonflower vine looking haunting in the early light. It seems to bloom one flower at a time, at night --- last night's bloom is just closing again:
Here's another, waiting to open in the future:
I've never successfully grown moonflower before, although it's not hard --- it just needs the right spot, with lots of sun. I hope it's going to reseed and bring itself back in volunteer form next year, but I'll probably also just buy another packet of seeds. I had some regular old blue morning glories coming up along one of the stakes around my Jerusalem artichokes, but those just crowded everything else out. I really underestimated their plot to take over the world. They're a lot better at it than I would have imagined.
Poor sleep last night, but I'm up and at 'em today.
Agenda:
*Dog walk
*Light housekeeping
*Oktoberfest at the pub
Speaking of housekeeping, one thing I did yesterday in my paper-decluttering rounds was, once I'd emptied the big canvas mail bin under the front-door table (because we have an ample basket on the table, and we really don't need to fill up TWO baskets with unsorted mail), move all my sweaters into that bin and store it under my bed.
It still looks pretty dusty, but whatever. I can touch the vacuum to it next time I vacuum. I didn't think all my sweaters would fit in this bin. In fact, I did have to hang my big new Eileen Fisher cardigan-coat in the closet, and my thick wool Aran cardigan lives on the drying rack in the bathroom, so technically they don't all fit, but close enough.
Why did I do this? Well, mostly because up on the shelf in my closet, they're hard to see. And it struck me that I might put my backpack and tote bags on that shelf, to get them off the closet floor, which would make the whole closet feel less cluttered. Mind you, it's really not that cluttered, but things can look that way in a hurry if you're not careful.
So now I don't have to rummage around on the closet floor when I'm packing for a trip, and I don't need to go find a chair to stand on to see my sweaters.
This also means that if I want to buy another sweater, I need to think hard, because I'm not sure one more sweater would fit in that bin. I'd need to think of at least one thing to move along before I added something else. So that's actually a good discipline.
AND speaking of moving things along, I've sold my Xero Colorado water sandals and shipped them out. I had to clean them pretty assiduously, because they really hold onto dirt, but for $20, I think they look all right.
Looking back, meanwhile, I think it's been a pretty good week, full of things. I've gotten all my late-fall travel hammered out (and it's wound up being far less expensive than I thought it was going to be). Dora seems recovered from her digestive ailment of the early part of the week and is back to barking at me to tell me how boring I am. I've written my essays for next week and responded to emails that needed answering. I think I've made some progress with a couple of poems, though of course it's hard to tell at this close range. So many of us tend to think that the best poem we've ever written in our life is the poem we wrote yesterday, but time usually disabuses us of that notion.
Reading:
Still reading East of Eden, which is becoming far more beautiful than I had feared it would be, although I also fear a calamity, because that's usually what happens in Steinbeck.
Also reading Mark Jarman's most recent poetry collection, Zeno's Eternity, which is full of beauty as well.
AND I'm going to Cullowhee tomorrow for a couple of days. Marly and her husband are down for the week, so I'm going to trot over to see them after Mass tomorrow, staying until Tuesday, when I have to come home to let the dog out.
So later this afternoon I'll be tossing together a little travel capsule for the mountains!
Meanwhile, wearing today:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (S/M) in Grape Wine (bought with presumably NPL-made mods: v-neck and waist ties), bought September 2024, last worn September 12.
*Secondhand Xero Oswego sneakers in charcoal gray. Bought sometime back in the spring of 2024, last worn . . . ages ago. Back in May sometime. I'm not even really sure. I thought I'd break them out today, since it is the first day of fall, and because if there's dancing at Oktoberfest, these are better to dance in than Birks. They're quite light and soft. And I do actually like them with this dress.
High of 85F again today, so I'm not bothering much with, say, hair-washing. This is Day 3 hair refreshed with my wet hands and pulled back with a little claw clip. We'll be outside a lot, hot and sweaty, and I will bathe, wash my hair, and so on, once all that is done.
Now it's time to walk the recovered dog.
EVENING UPDATE:
Well, we spent about four hours at Oktoberfest, listening to the band (too hot to dance), drinking beer, and eating knackwurst. Now we're home, cooled off, dog-walked, and starting to be maybe hungry again. The husband has gone to get steaks to grill --- maybe by the time they're done I'll feel like eating.
Threw some clothes into my backpack for the mountains:
*Wool& Teal Fiona, Pacific Brooklyn, and Wisteria Willow
*Allbirds gray-blue leggings
*Teal cashmere cardigan
*Light green wool-blend (cotton and mohair, I think, are the other fibers) pullover
*Xero hiking shoes
I might re-wear this purple linen dress to church tomorrow, with Birk Papillios, and change into my Mayaris to drive. Don't really think I need to wear silk to Cullowhee, so I'll save that for another time.
OR I'll wear my Marine Blue Fiona again, and just be all wool. Depends on how hot it is and what I feel like doing in the morning, but that is an option.
Tired now and hoping for a good night's sleep. But it's been a lovely day.
Oh, and here's tonight's moonflower:
